Roasting

Roasting means putting something in a fairly hot oven (400F - 500F). It is quite easy, but also because your food is hiding in the oven it is the most common place for burning.. What you need to balance is the time and temperature with the size of your food. If the outside of your food is colouring too much before it is cooked through, you need to lower the temperature.
ALWAYS HEAT UP THE OVEN BEFORE STICKING ANYTHING IN IT
Roasting is a great way to cook larger cuts of meat, carrot, parsnip, potato, yams, eggplant, capsicum, mushroom, pumpkin, all sorts of things.
The easiest way is to wash your vegetables, peel if you like, cut them up not too big not too small. What you want is to have the outside of your product golden and crispy while the inside is soft. Coat your food with oil and salt maybe add a little herb or spice and spread evenly ONE LAYER THICK in a large roasting pan. Don't have your product stacked up on each other or your final result will look like mash and won't have a delicious crispy exterior.
Using parchment (baking) paper is nice for whoever has to wash the pan after..

ROAST POTATOES

Potatoes, olive oil, salt pepper toss.
Spread evenly, roast. Turn once 3/4 through cooking. Done.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Cut all vegetables large. Add broccoli final 8 min if desired. Season chicken liberally with salt pepper and fresh herbs. Roast until done. To check if a chicken is done shake his leg. He should feel loose and relaxed in the joints. You can also stick a skewer (or knife) in the thickest part of the thigh, juices should run clear.

Quinoa Salad

 

Quinoa (Keen-Wah) is a grain originating from South America. It has a very high protein content and no gluten. It is also very delicious.

Cook quinoa using absorption method, similar to rice. Always wash quinoa before cooking, you never know what your farmer has been doing before he used some grubby hands to harvest your delicious grain. Put about half a cup per person in a pot and run cold water over it. Fill the pot with running water, whisk, pour off any grains that won’t sink and repeat. Repeat. Pour off excess water, you want about equal parts quinoa and water, the water should be about a centimeter above the quinoa. (You can drain completely and measure if needed, but just do it a few times and you’ll get the feeling).

Bring to a boil and immediately cover tightly and reduce heat to as low as you can. Leave for about ten minutes and your grains should be cooked and all the water gone. The grains should looked cooked and not have a visible white center (not quite done). Do not add salt until cooking is finished, “salt inhibits the absorption of moisture.” Remember that, it goes for any grains you are trying to re-hydrate..

Remove from heat and flip into a large bowl.

Now for flavour. What you want is to pretty much saturate the grains with a vinaigrette, add some texture, season and enjoy. Any of these ingredients can be substituted with similar of your choice.

For texture add chopped tomatoes and cucumber and toasted nuts (add the nuts very last move so they do not become soggy).

For your vinaigrette peel as much garlic as you can (or get your wife to do it). Like lots and lots of garlic, put it in a pot and cover with extra virgin olive oil, turn to low and cook until garlic is soft golden sticky and delicious. Cool. We call this garlic confit (confit = cooked in fat (see it on a menu, order it, you love it, consciously or otherwise)). Remove the garlic pieces and add to you bowl, put them all in, you probably didn’t do enough.

Add the cooled garlic oil to a blender with a third as much lemon juice and a solid shot of maple syrup, agave nectar or honey and enough salt. Blend. Add a bunch of basil, parsley and tarragon. Bend. There’s your herb vinaigrette.

Pour the dressing into the bowl, use lots.

Add super finely chopped (no, that’s not fine enough, chop more) preserved lemon.

Gently fold using a wooden paddle is best. Adjust seasoning (with salt). Add your toasted nuts. Eat.