Asian Inspired Poached Chicken

This is a quick and easy way of achieving those beautifully cleansing flavours of Asia that won’t take long and can be served up to family or to guests.

1 free range or organic whole Chicken

1 stem of Lemongrass - bash it a bit to release the flavour with the back of a knife

Fresh Ginger - about 2-3 inch, roughly sliced.

Soy sauce or Tamari - about 3 tbls

1 - 2 tbls Lemongrass and Ginger Tea (not mandatory, but works well) wrapped in muslin or other cloth and tied.

large pinch Salt (I use Celtic salt for more flavour and nutritional value)

Place these ingredients in a pot deep enough to hold the chicken and fill with enough water to cover the chicken and slowly bring to boil, reduce to a very gentle simmer, cover and cook for approx 40 minutes.

Make a sweet soy sauce by placing approx 1/3 cup soy or tamari sauce in a small pot with approx 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Bring to boil, make sure all sugar has dissolved and then set aside to serve with chicken. Alternatively you can purchase good quality Kecap Manis instead.

Put some Jasmine rice on to steam.

Once the chicken is cooked, place some rice in a bowl or on a plate adding slices of the poached chicken. I then drizzle over some of the broth to add more flavour and moisten the rice.

Then you can serve with some steamed greens (Broccolini works well) and/or all of the following ingredients:

Sliced cucumber, bean shoots tossed in a little toasted peanut oil, chilli, sweet soy and some of the broth in a bowl or cup to accompany your meal.

Voila! Easy!

Jerusaleum Artichokes

History:
First discovered by the French in Nova Scotia in the early 1600’s. It was a wild vegetable that the native American Indians cultivated and grew in their vegetable gardens. The explorer Samuel de Champlain took it back to France and because it tasted like Artichoke (he thought), it became known as an Artichoke.
Jerusaleum Artichokes are actually part of the Sunflower family and as such were known as Sunchokes in Northern America.
There is more to this interesting history if anyone wants to know more - please post a comment or let me know and I’ll add.

Growing:
Jerusaleum Artichokes are extremely hardy and versatile to grow, but they can take over a garden, so you need to think about where to plant them and how many seasons you want them for.
For those not familiar with this vegetable, the edible part is the knobbly tuber that grows underground.
They are a perennial, so will keep producing year after year. They can be grown in most climates and most soil situations, although they don’t particularly like hard clay soils.
In warmer weather it’s a good idea to compost and mulch the soil to keep it cool.
In Australia you need to plant them in Spring (best time and about 20cms deep) and then harvest about 24-30 weeks later, although it’s easy to tell when they’re ready - the stems start to wilt, or if they have flowered, once the flowers die off.
I’ve read a lot about what to do, but seriously, they are so easy that I wouldn’t bother with some of the advice unless you had a very difficult soil situation.
1 plant will produce around 1.5kg’s of edible tubers.


Nutritional Value
100gms of Jerusaleum Artichokes provides:
73 calories
17gm Carbohydrates
4 mg Sodium
2 gm Protein

They are also a good source of Thiamin, Phosphorus & Potassium as well as Iron & Calcium.
The carbs/starch is inulin, a polysaccharide from which fructose can be produced. This is what can cause the bloating and wind that these vegetables are famous for, so small amounts are probably best, especially for those with more sensitivity.

Cooking:
Jerusaleum Artichokes do not store well once harvested, so it’s best to eat them pretty quickly once dug up.
When preparing them, it’s better to scrub them well rather than peel as most of the nutrients are just under the skin and you’ll lose them.
Place them in water with lemon juice as they discolour quickly if you are not cooking them immediately.
They have a crispy texture like that of a water chestnut and a slightly nutty flavour.
They can be eaten raw or cooked.
When raw they can be sliced or grated into salads or julienned and served as cruditee with dips.
To cook them, they can be roasted, sliced and gratinated, mashed in with potato or make a great soup.
They marry well with truffles, scallops, bacon and thyme amongst other things.

Raw suggestion:
Salad
Thinly sliced Jerusaleum Artichoke
Thinly sliced raw Beetroot
Orange segments
Optional: chopped parsley and or rocket
cracked pepper
Dressing: olive oil (extra virgin), white balsamic vinegar and a little raw honey with a pinch of salt.

Cooked Suggestion:
Soup
Chicken or vegetable stock - enough to cover the vegies (so you can work out your own quantities for the ingredients below)
Jerusaleum Artichokes
Celery
salt, pepper
Fresh or dried Thyme
Cream
Optional: bacon, potato
Cook until tender and blend, then add cream and check seasoning

Friendship & Facing Fears

I’ve had an interesting week or two that has been relatively blissful but has also raised a few important questions.
Have you ever sometimes wondered about the way some friends come into your life? Sure, we all have friends we made at work, school, sporting groups etc, but then there are those that just really make you think - HUH??? How did that happen? It surprises you because you weren’t looking to ‘make friends’, unlike when you were at school or trying to make work more enjoyable.
Well I have a few of those in my life and believe me, I am very grateful for them.
The other thing that has been brought up recently for me was the way in which we move forward from our disappointments.
Do we ‘toughen the hell up’, putting up barriers, walls and try to not let ourselves be hurt or disappointed again OR do we try to keep our hearts and minds open to possibilities and to life.
Well, the walls, the barriers - they’re fear. Pure and simply. Nothing more.
Think about that.
Who really wants to live in fear and yet we do it, every day.
Our defense mechanisms to shut out stuff that might actually make us happy, but of course it makes us vulnerable. Or does it? Is it not strength rather than weakness to be who we truly are, not to wear a mask portraying what we think others want to see and not who we really are.
I think true friends, however they come into your life and regardless of how long you’ve known them, can hold that mirror up to you and show you who you are and whether you’re being authentic in the moment or not.
I had that this last couple of weeks. I had a few friends (including my sister) raise these aspects within me, because I did it. I felt myself setting off that wall (i like to think of mine like those ones at the bank - bang and they’re up), but the realisation comes after it’s all said and done.
And now I’ve seen it, so I’m catching myself.... through friends that allow you to see yourself...... and hopefully they won’t get too frightened and flee into the night : )

Aren’t fears best conquered? How can we do it with bungy jumping or sky diving but not with our conscious selves.

So thank you - I’m sure you know who you are


Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Marcel Proust

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you're scared.  ~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears.  ~Arthur Koestler