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Hector’s Chicken Surprise.
Simply take :
1 whole chicken cooked in a casserole dish
1 large cast iron casserole dish (with chicken casserole)
1 deep set range cooker
1 brown roan Spinone pup called Hector (although any Spin is welcome to give this a shot)
1 small baby boy needing a bath
2 curious neighbours.
Method :
- Cook organic, free range chicken casserole in large cast iron casserole dish. Add veg, stock, all sorts of good things into this wonderful one pot meal.
- Cook for ages, preferably watched by the adoring "cupboard love" eyes of one of our Italian Spinone puppies - Hector - and "assisted" by vigorous stirring / mashing / mixing by said small boy.
- Feed small boy a small(ish) portion of casserole then place lid on cast iron dish containing rest of casserole and push it to the very back of the range cooker (about four foot back and about adult waist height)
- Take now very full small boy upstairs to bath and bed time.
- Return about ninety minutes later.
At this point you should have :
- Hector asleep on sofa downstairs;
- 1 tired Mum in need of a glass of wine and portion of chicken casserole.
but (here comes the good bit) ...
… WHERE OH WHERE IS THE CHICKEN?!!
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| Who, me? |
There is also one dent on the wooden kitchen floor but - no chicken of any sort – not a scrap.
Not even a carrot from the casserole.
There are, however, two neighbours standing outside peering into the (basement) kitchen. They then come in and explain how they have watched* Hector wriggle and wiggle and shimmy and slither himself up and across the range cooker.
And, with infinite and never to be under estimated Spinone patience, determination and finesse, Hector hooked the casserole dish with his paw, pulling it bit by bit and ever closer to the edge of the cooker until ...
WHAM – whole thing down, eaten, licked, chewed and relished.
Mum is grateful that there is still some wine, and that she has the phone number for take away.
Of course Hector sleeps peacefully for about six hours, shows absolutely no ill effects from eating the entire casserole and is ready to go, go, go again when he next wakes up.
* In the neighbours' defence, they did also ring door bell, but bath time was clearly too noisy!
Photos of the Italian Spinone puppies on this page are by kind permission of Ben Burkland and Carolyn Cook on Flick'r.
Italian Spinone puppies' story to
all you need to know about the Spinone Italiano.
Italian Spinone puppies to our home page about Italian culture.
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