I don’t know what I was doing when I found out that the seal on plastic document bags was liquid proof Possibly, I was attempting to secure documents in the event of a flood, but most likely, simply avoiding work. If these things could keep liquid out, they could also keep liquid in. Hitherto attempts at marinating had involved industrial quantities of cheap wine and vinegar with less than pleasing results. By placing chicken (or any meat) in a document bag with a mug of marinade and excluding the air, the process became economically viable and a lot less messy. Leave the sealed bag in the fridge for two to twenty four hours before grilling or barbecuing.
Typically marinades are some combination of oil, vinegar or wine with a herb or spice flavoring. Be creative, but regard combinations such as peanut butter and chardonnay as experimental.
Time: 10 minutes preparation, 2 – 24 hours marinating and 30 minutes cooking
Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)
4 Chicken breasts
200 ml of olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
2 lemons
1 tablespoon of tarragon (fresh or dried)
Equipment
1 A4 document bag with liquid proof seal (cost 10p)
Method
Squeeze the lemons into the olive oil and add the tarragon. Combine the oil and juice into an emulsion, if you are young and fit a whisk is a simple solution which is easy to clean or if you are old and lazy use a liquidizer which is effective, but a pain to clean. Place chicken and marinade in document bag, close the seal, except for the last quarter inch, then holding the bag with the unsealed corner uppermost, exclude the air by passing this corner through your fingers in such a way that the last bit seals. It sounds complicated, but isn’t.
Grill chicken under/over a moderate heat for 15 minutes each side until cooked through. If it starts turning black, reduce the heat.
Comment
This is more of a concept than a recipe. The same principle can be applied to things like lamb chops and mint, fish with lime and coriander etc.
Page Created: 15th September 2001