Day 6 - Preparing for the Fast

With Yom Kippur approaching I am very concious we should have a filling and tasty dinner.  Over the years I have been given lots of different recommendations as to what you should eat to help you fast well.

I have found that chicken soup, simple roast chicken with rice or pasta and grapes is the most sushataining meal.  Grape are high in energy and water content so keep you hydrated for a little longer and rice and pasta are complex carbohydrates so burn off slowly.

This year I am substituting soup for chopped liver.  We buy  Louis Mann chopped liver as it is the richest in flavour and has the best consistency.  In fact we buy all out meat there as we think its the best quality all round.

Here is my method for simple succulent roast chicken.

Ingredients
Whole Roast Chicken
Fresh Thyme
Garlic
Black Pepper
Onion
paprika for colour
Slice up an onion and place in a roasting dish.
Check the inside of your chicken and remove any giblets, if your chicken is fresh and has not yet been frozen, bag up the giblets and freeze and keep for when you are making chicken soup.
Rince out the middle to make sure there are not reminents left.
Place the chicken on the roasting dish breast up and sprinkle over garlic, pepper and thyme. Turn over and repeat on  the other side.
You want to cook the chicken breast down for the first half so all the juice drips into the breast and makes it more succulent.
Add a little water to the dish. cover with foil and roast on a medium heat.  I like to cook my chicken a slightly lower light for a little longer so I use a 170'c oven for about 1h50 - 2h depending on the size of the bird.
After about an hour turn the chicken, baste and cover over.  About half an hour before the end uncover and let the chicken brown off creating a crispy skin.
The juice left in the bottom of the dish will make a delicious gravy.

Whatever you decide to make for dinner, enjoy.  Wishing everbody who is reading this blog (which is quite a few if the stats are accurate) an easy and meaningful fast.  May you be written and sealed in the book of life for a sweet year ahead.