Have you every paid $5 for a potato?
No?
I thought it was pretty insane too but that's the price people were prepared to pay for a fancy potato spiral on a stick at the Racecourse Road carnival yesterday.
The potatoes are cut using one of those spiral apple corer/peelers, threaded onto a stick and then deep-fried.
They look absolutely delicious and really I'm just jealous that I didn't think of a way to sell a single potato for $5!
There were lots of other delicious goodies at the carnival too, from churros to tacos and German sausages to the most delicious smelling strawberries I've ever seen.
I was very glad I left my wallet at home or I fear I might have come home with a lot less money and a few extra kilograms.
I guess that's the fun of a carnival.
For just a little bit more than the $5 I could have spent on a potato, I made chicken and barley stew.
The slow cooker is well and truly back in action in our house.
Another thing I love about it is how few ingredients you need to make something so delicious.
Barley is a great one to add to the slow cooker, or any stew or casserole because it bulks up and makes the meal go further.
Rosemary, thyme and sage give this stew a wonderful flavour and your house will smell amazing while it's cooking.
Make up a big batch and freeze it in individual portions and you'll have a winter warming dinner ready for whenever you come in from the cold.
This recipe is as simple as it gets in the slow cooker - no searing or pre-cooking necessary.
All you have to do is pour in the barley and layer the chicken on top.
You can really use any cut of chicken you like but I prefer to use breast.
On top of the chicken and barley, add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and spread it out nicely.
Then cover the pot with the herbs. You can substitute the dry herbs with fresh herbs if you prefer. I used fresh oregano (instead of thyme) and rosemary because I had it in the garden.
Pour in enough chicken stock to cover everything by at least 1cm. I used 6 cups of stock and the end result had very little liquid.
If you would like it more like a soup, add a bit more stock.
Put the lid on and cook it all on low for 5 hours.
After the time is up, remove the chicken and shred it up with a fork then return it to the slow cooker.
Put the lid on and cook it for another hour on low.
Serve the stew piping hot, sprinkled with Italian parsley with some warm crusty bread. Enjoy!
So what about you? What have you recently seen that had an outrageous price tag?
Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g 9oz pearl barley
- 1 large chicken breast cut in 3 500g/1.1lbs
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley chopped to serve
- 6 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Pour the barley into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the chicken pieces on top.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and then sprinkle over the herbs and spices.
- Pour the chicken stock into the pot and put the lid on.
- Set it to cook on low for 5 hours.
- Take the lid off and remove the chicken pieces then use a fork to shred them up.
- Return them to the pot and stir it all together.
- Check the barley. If still not tender, put the lid back on and cook on low for another hour.
Eva says
Hi! I'm over from Charlie's Hotly Spiced Blog. Although the recipe sounds great, I've always been a little weary of slow cooking chicken, does it get up to temperature in time so that the bacteria doesn't start forming?
Also, you should try toasting your barley a little in a cast iron pan, it really brings out the nutty flavour!
Claire says
Welcome Eva! I've never thought about that before. I can only answer from experience and say I've never been sick and I cook chicken in it all the time. It gets pretty hot! Thanks for the barley trick I'll try that next time.
The Café Sucré Farine says
I think you could charge at least $10 for a bowl of this yummy looking stuff ......... or you could just invite me for dinner:) yum!
Claire says
Chris the invitation is always there should you find yourself in Brisbane, Australia!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Hehe I bought one of those spiral makers while I was in Rome of all places! I don't know how often I'll use it but I was suckered in by the demo :P
Claire says
I had to pry myself away from the thermomix demo yesterday because I knew I'd be sucked in. They just make things look so good! You'll have to make potato spirals!
celia says
I really don't cook enough barley, but I know it's wonderfully healthy! Nice recipe, Claire! And well done resisting at the races.. :)
Claire says
It is isn't it. It's rather good for the budget too.
Hotly Spiced says
That really is too much to pay for a potato. And it doesn't sound like it would have that tick of approval from the Heart Foundation either - unlike your barley casserole. I love barley and it's a great grain to cook in winter. Your casserole looks delicious and you've given me another reason to go and buy a slow cooker. xx
Claire says
Definitely no heart tick for the potato on a stick. Charlie you won't look back if you buy a slow cooker!