MBOMBELA – The 5^th of November is known as Men make dinner day, the day is aimed at men who are useless in the kitchen.

Men here is a cooking receipt that you can try, but if the madam likes the food, chances are she will ask you to cook dinner every day.

Slow roasted Garlic chicken, receipt by Aida Mollenkamp.

INGREDIENTS

• 2tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1(5 pound) chicken
• 4heads garlic, top 1-inch cut off
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1medium lemon, halved
• 1medium yellow onion, quartered
• 1cup low-sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 375 degrees Celsius (C) and arrange a rack in the middle. 

Mix together salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Pat chicken dry and rub all over with 1 of the garlic heads. Rub all over (under skin too) with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place 1 garlic head and 1 lemon half in the chicken cavity. 

Arrange remaining garlic, lemon, and onion on the bottom of a 3 to 4-quart baking dish to create a bed. Place chicken on top, add broth to baking dish, and cover tightly with foil. Roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees C on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour. 

Remove foil, brush chicken with pan juices, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees C. Roast, basting occasionally, until temperature of chicken on inner thigh is 165 degrees C, skin is golden brown, and juices run clear, about 30 to 40 minutes more. 

Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, pour pan juices into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce. 

Serves: 4 (skin removed); Calories: 324; Total Fat: 8 grams;Saturated Fat: 2 grams; Protein: 58 grams; Total carbohydrates: 0 grams; Sugar: 0 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Cholesterol: 190 milligrams; Sodium: 690 milligrams.

Official Rules

Rule #1 National men make dinner day is always celebrated on the first Thursday of each November.

Rule #2: Man agrees to participate in national men make dinner day. Bonus points if he does so without seeking promise of night out with boys in return.

Rule #3: Man, completely un-aided, chooses a ‘published’ recipe from any source, or Internet. Getting the recipe from ‘her’ cookbooks is allowed, but man gets bonus points if the recipe isn’t already somewhere in the house.

Rule #4: Main meal must include minimum of 4 ingredients and require at least one cooking utensil other than a fork

Rule #5: Man goes shopping for ‘all’ necessary ingredients. Bonus points if he takes inventory of cupboards and fridge first, before shopping trip. So you don’t end up with two 64 ounce jars of pickled pimentos.

Rule #6: Man organizes all necessary ingredients in order of importance on kitchen counter. At this point, he may need to make a phone call or shout out the word ‘honey’! Followed by a question. This is not allowed.

Rule #7: Man may, if desired, turn on radio or his favourite CD. Man agrees not to be within 30 feet of TV remote during cooking process. At this point, spouse and any other family members should not be anywhere near kitchen. (unless smoke detector goes off!)

Rule #8: Following recipe carefully, man starts to cook dinner! Apron is optional, (bonus points if recipe includes one of the following : capers, saffron, or the word ‘scallopini’).

Rule #9: Man must use the ‘clean as he goes along’ rule! Following each completed use of utensils, cookware, half-used jars of anything, spice bottles, etc., everything is rinsed, cleaned and put away

Rule #10: Man sets table, candles are lit, beverages are poured, no ketchup bottles, sour cream containers, or big boxes of salt on table.

Rule #11: Spouse and/or family members are served! This is an opportune time for a photo. Man is ‘allowed’ to gloat no more than three times during the meal. Family is encouraged to congratulate man on job well done. Family dog is not allowed to be secretly fed man’s cooking.

Rule #12: After meal, table is cleared by man, dishwasher is loaded. Man returns to table for stimulating after-dinner conversation. At this point, man is told how much his meal was appreciated. He, in turn, describes the joys and challenges of the experience. He is given a hug, and his TV remote is returned to him.