A Grand Simple Dinner for Family and Friends

Last night I had people over and wanted to give them an easy all baked delicious dinner. Early on I seasoned two whole chickens with some yogurt blended with herbs and pepper. Placed it into the birds´skin and left them refrigerated all day. At 5 p.m. when I came back I took them out of the fridge with 12 Roma tomatoes, some sprigs of thyme I had frozen, a can of Spanish Artichoke hearts in olive oil and brown rice.
For starters I turned the oven, a gas range, on at 300F while I cut the tomatoes in half. Placed them on an olive oil sprayed baking pan and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, olive oil and placed the sprigs of thyme over them. Placed them in the oven and prepared the rice. My whole grain brown rice is prepared identically as my white rice, with twice the water than rice, only I cover it, place it in low immediately after the water comes to a boil and leave it unopened for 50 minutes. Then it is perfectly open and delicious. By then the chicken pan was room temperature, so I sprinkled some good quality salt and I placed them in the oven. I also added red wine to the pan to cover all the surface with about 1/8 of an inch.
Two hours later I had two whole chickens baked and the tomatoes were deliciously sweet and aromatic. I covered the chickens with foil for 5 minutes while I served the table. the tomatoes went into a platter and immediately I placed the drained artichoke hearts on the baking pan where the tomatoes had been cooked, swirled the pan and placed them bake in the oven with the heat now increased to 400.
I served the rice with a tablespoon of picadillo or Latin Salsa, the wine roasted tomato halves with a mozzarella cut into pieces

, the chickens and removed the artichoke hearts from the oven and placed them onto a small serving dish.
Voilá a delicious meal all baked, no stress, healthy and aromatic, sweet, delicious, savory and one where we could all sit at the table together.

Best wishes cooking for friends and family.

Pachi