with

Summer Roast Veggies

and

AEG

Today’s recipe just in time for the weekend, is for one of our new favourite meals, “Scarborough Fair” Spatchcock Roast Chicken with Summer Roasted Veggies and all cooked in my new toy, an AEG Oven with Steam Bake;  I was sent one of these new ovens a few weeks ago and I have been practising my baking skills in it, as it is primarily for the bakers of this world, as well as experimenting with roasting meat and veggies.

The oven I was sent to review, and keep, is show above, and before I review my cooking and baking experiences in this oven, I want to share my views on its looks; as you can see from the photo above and below, it’s a sleek-looking piece of kitchen kit, with brushed stainless steel and reinforced glass, which is removable for easy cleaning. It’s also large compared to other fitted ovens, and I have managed three shelves of baking bread rolls in it with ease.

At a hefty £499 price tag you will be wondering what else you get for your hard-earned cash other than easy cleaning and shiny good looks, well as it happens, quite a lot! After two weeks of baking and cooking in it, here’s my initial thoughts and  findings:

1. The “Steam Bake” function is easy to use – you just add 100mls of water to the special indented reservoir at the bottom of the oven and 5 minutes later, you are ready to bake; by adding a small amount of water, the initial burst of steam aids the crust and texture on bakes, bread and cakes (as well as keeping roast meats moist) but has evaporated in time for the food to brown and crisp. NB: Yorkshire puddings are amazing when cooked with the Steam Bake- mine rose nearly twice as high! 
2. By adding water to the base of the oven, there is no risk of spilling water as there would be if you were using a separate receptacle.
3. Because the element that heats the water is situated in the base of the oven, it heats up quickly and is circulates around the oven rapidly and efficiently.
4. The oven has an enviable A rating for energy efficiency and the oven does heat up very rapidly.
5. The steam that is generated with Steam Bake is not just for baking, although that’s its prime function, it is also wonderful for roasting meat, as the initial burst of steam helps to keep the meat moist, and you can if you wish, add more water to add more steam for meat that needs cooking for a long time.
6. There are two shelves, a tray and a rack, which is very generous and gives you plenty of scope for “baking days” or family meals.

I will be sharing several baking recipes for cakes and bread over the next few weeks, but for today, I want to share TWO NEW RECIPES with you for a quick family roast – my recipes for “Scarborough Fair” Spatchcock Roast Chicken with Summer Roasted Veggies were BOTH cooked in the AEG oven with Steam Bake, and they came out crispy and golden-brown but incredibly moist. The chicken was particularly tender with a soft texture, and the veggies were perfectly cooked and crunchy, but also seemed to have retained their moisture, so they weren’t like old shoe leather, as often happens!

I hope these two recipes inspire you for some weekend cooking, and DO keep popping back to see what else I have been baking and cooking in my new AEG Steam Bake Oven. For more information about this cooker and all the models available, visit the AEG page here: AEG Steam Bake Ovens. 

Disclaimer: Collaborative post with AEG: I received an AEG Steam Bake Oven (RRP £499 ) for review and free of charge, however, all opinions and views are my own and I was not asked to write a favourable review. 

“Scarborough Fair” Spatchcock Roast Chicken

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Serves	4
Prep time	24 hours, 15 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	25 hours, 15 minutes
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

A fabulous way to serve roast chicken, especially mid-week when time is at a premium, this spatchcock chicken is so called as it is marinated with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, from the song "Scarborough Fair". The chicken is marinated overnight, and the chicken can be cooked in a conventional oven or on the BBQ.

Ingredients

• 1 x high welfare chicken (about 1.5 kg to 1.75jg)
• sprigs of fresh herbs - parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or herb infused olive oil)
• sea salt

Note

A fabulous way to serve roast chicken, especially mid-week when time is at a premium, this spatchcock chicken is so called as it is marinated with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, from the song "Scarborough Fair". The chicken is marinated overnight, and the chicken can be cooked in a conventional oven or on the BBQ. NB: I cooked mine in an AEG Multifunction oven with SteamBake, so as well as roasting the chicken had bursts of steam to keep it moist. 

Directions

Step 1	First, spatchcock the chicken - turn the chicken over so the backbone is facing you and with a pair of kitchen shears (or scissors) cut down each side of the back bone, and then discard it. Turn the chicken over, and with the palm of your hand, push down firmly to flatten the chicken.
Step 2	Place the spatchcocked chicken into a large zip-lock bag, then tuck in the herbs and lemon quarters and add the olive oil. Seal the bag, and squish the chicken around to coat it with the oil and to squeeze the lemons. Put the sealed bag in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours to marinate.
Step 3	When you ready to cook the chicken, take it out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature for at least an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. NB: I roasted mine in an AEG Steam oven, using the steam bake function, which I activated to keep the chicken moist as well as browning it.
Step 4	Place the spatchcock chicken with all the herbs and the lemon pieces into an oven-proof dish and sprinkle with sea salt; add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and roast in the pre-heated oven for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked with a crispy skin.
Step 5	Place the chicken onto a serving platter and allow people to help themselves, it's fabulous when served with roasted vegetables, potatoes and crusty bread.

Roasted Summer Veggies

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Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour, 20 minutes
Dietary	Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

A summery way to roast seasonal vegetables, this colourful side dish can also be served as a vegetarian main meal with crusty bread. Perfect with roast chicken and barbecued meats or quiche and savoury tarts.

Ingredients

• 2 large courgettes (cut into slices)
• 1 large aubergine (trimmed and cut into chunks)
• 2 red peppers (trimmed, deseeded and cut into thick chunks)
• 2 large onions (peeled and diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely diced)
• 2 large potatoes (peeled and cut into wedges)
• 4 tablespoons rosemary infused olive oil (or herb infused olive oil of our choice)
• sea salt

Note

A summery way to roast seasonal vegetables, this colourful side dish can also be served as a vegetarian main meal with crusty bread. Perfect with roast chicken and barbecued meats or quiche and savoury tarts.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.
Step 2	Put the vegetables into an oven-proof dish and add drizzle over the olive oil; sprinkle with sea salt and bake in pre-heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring from time to time. The vegetables should be charred around the edges and soft when cooked.
Step 3	Put the vegetables into an oven-proof dish and add drizzle over the olive oil; sprinkle with sea salt and bake in pre-heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring from time to time. The vegetables should be charred around the edges and soft when cooked.

Cooking with Steam Bake in the AEG Oven: