Category Poultry

An evening off duty and a Spanish Roast

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An evening off duty and a Spanish Roast

 

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Recently, I had the rare and deliciously appreciated privilege of being cooked dinner. With the responsibility of hosting and feeding guests stripped from my meddling hands, there was no way I could creep into the kitchen even for a quick stir of a bubbling pot. Instead, I was forced to sit back al fresco in the sun and enjoy a chilled glass of bubbly with some great appreciating company. And the food was quite simply delicious. I always love eating at other people houses as I get inspiration for flavours and ideas to try myself. A feast of grilled and sweetly glazed Spanish chorizo was first to grace the table followed by 2 lovingly handmade loaves of fluffy focaccia and an olive laced ciabatta with a glistening pool of olive oil for dipping. With enough chicken, BBQ ribs and salad to feed us hungry guests, we devoured it with pleasure! Thanks Chef Tipping!

Inspired by that dangerously moreish chorizo I was eager to try it. Come Sunday, a Spanish- style roast chicken feast was on the cards. Roasted chicken with gremolata, glazed chorizo, and some spicy roasted potatoes went down a treat in the balmy weather. Hands down my favourite gem of a recipe was Jeff’s grilled chorizo so this one comes courtesy of him!

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Serves 4

Gremolata

  • 1 roasted chicken
  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ garlic clove
  • Zest of 1 small lemon
  1. For the gremolata, chop the garlic finely and grate over the lemon zest. Chop the parsley finely too and then add together with the garlic and lemon and chop together to combine.
  2. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and then use to scatter over your freshly roasted, succulent chicken.

Potatoes

  • 500g potatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp tomato puree
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • Olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, skinned and crushed
  • ½ lemon, juice
  • Handful parsley
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C . Mix the tomato puree, paprika, seasoning and about 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a bowl.
  2. Cut the potatoes into small chunks about 2-3cm in size and cover with the dressing.
  3. Place in a lined roasting tray with the garlic and roast for 40 minutes until soft, a little crisp and cooked, turning every now and then
  4. When ready to serve, squeeze over the lemon and scatter with the parsley

Chorizo

  • 1 wheel or a few sausages of raw cooking chorizo (I used the ‘Unearthed’ range. The better quality the better it will taste. I stress that this should be ‘cooking’ chorizo that is raw and not the cured kind)
  • 1-2 tbsp Membrillo quince paste
  1. Place the chorizo on a lined baking tray
  2. Grill for about 8-10 minutes until cooked and golden brown or bake.
  3. Give the quince paste a mix to loosen it and spread evenly over the grilled chorizo. Grill again for a few more minutes until the paste has ‘melted’ over the chorizo and formed a delicious crust. Add more if you like.
  4. Slice into chunks and enjoy with your roast.

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Saffron, Fig and Chicken Tagine

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Saffron, Fig and Chicken Tagine

 

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This recipe is one from the archive. My mum and I always collect recipes we want to cook or for inspiration when seen in magazines and newspapers and this one has been patiently and modestly waiting since…wait for it…1999 from a senescent copy of ‘Good Housekeeping’ magazine. But, sometimes the old ones are the best. With a few tweaks here and there to suit our tastes, it was a crowd pleaser!

Serves 4

  • 8 free range chicken thighs
  • 2 onions
  • 3cm piece ginger, chopped/grated
  • 1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
  • Large pinch saffron strands
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 200g dried figs
  • 200g cous cous
  • 1 heaped tsp hot harissa paste or 1 hot red chilli, chopped finely
  • 50g toasted flaked almonds
  • 50g raisins
  • Bunch parsley, chopped
  • Bunch fresh mint, chopped
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
  2. Heat a splash of oil in a heavy based casserole dish. Cut the onions into quarters, leaving the root in tack so that the chunks stay nicely together (optional) and fry gently for 10 minutes of so until soft and golden.
  3. Add the grated ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add the coriander seeds, saffron, turmeric and the cinnamon stick and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then scatter in the figs. Set aside.
  5. Heat a frying pan until really hot. Season the chicken thighs and fry, skin side down, for about 10 minutes over a high heat to brown the chicken and crisp up the skin.
  6. Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions and figs in a single layer. Pour 500ml of boiling water around the chicken (preferably not over it), cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
  7. About 5 minutes before it is ready, place a serving dish in the oven to heat up. When ready, remove the chicken, figs and onion to the dish and keep warm in the oven. A good idea is to stick on the grill to crisp up the chicken skin but keep and eye on it if you do.
  8. You should have at least 300ml of the juices left in the dish for the cous cous but top up with boiling water if not. Bring to the boil on the hob and add the harissa or chilli. Remove from the heat and add the cous cous, raisins, almonds, all bar a pinch of the herbs and cover with a lid and leave to absorb for a few minutes.
  9. When ready to serve, stir the cous cous and pile it high onto your serving platter. Top with the reserved chicken and figs and any juices and scatter with the herbs!
  10. Enjoy with a nice, simply dressed lemony green salad.

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Barbeque Chicken and an Italian Stuffed Flatbread

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Barbeque Chicken and an Italian Stuffed Flatbread

 

Balmy summer evenings and a seduceable glowing barbeque like this evening, consistently bring out this beauty of a recipe and reinforce my opinion that Jamie Oliver, is in fact, descended from God! Ok…….this may be taking it a little far, but this cheeky barbeque marinade from ‘Jamie at Home’, is without doubt my most favourite and not a summer goes by that we don’t devour this, with smiles and sticky faces. Its great for coating a leg of lamb, rack of pork ribs or, in our case, a spatchcoked chicken- its devine. Served alongside a fresh, cleansing coleslaw and a cry-worthy Italian stuffed bread, supper is done and dusted……

Marinade

  • 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 5 cloves
  • bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
  • zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1 bulb garlic, crushed
  • 4 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 130ml tomato ketchup
  • 8 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 spatchcoked chicken or your chosen meat
  1. Grind the cumin, fennel seeds and cloves in a pestle and mortar with some salt and pepper.
  2. Chop the thyme and rosemary leaves and combine with the orange zest, juice and garlic and place into a large bowl with the spices. Mix together.
  3. Add the rest of the your ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  4. Now add your chosen meat and coat completely with the marinade to cover all the surfaces. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinade for as long as possible or at least an hour.
  5. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C. Cover the chicken with foil and roast for about 1 hour to cook the majority of it and release the juices. Finally, finish the cooking on the barbeque, which will crisp the skin and the outside and give a crunchy texture. Use the excess marinade to baste the chicken as it cooks.

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This flatbread is absolutely delicious. I filled mine with a rich, punchy blue cheese but any good melter does the job. A (and I stress- good quality) buffalo mozzarella is stringy and mild or a personal favourite for its meltworthy quality, taleggio is tasty and gooey but here I have used a blue cheese which is just down-right decadent and rich. It was a little overpowering if I’m honest but it makes a lovely alternative to a hunk of filling, stodgy bread as it is lighter, crispier and doesn’t steal the show from the main event- the chicken (did I mention is was amazing yet…………?)

  • 200g strong white bread flour
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 150g cheese, taleggio, buffalo mozzarella, blue cheese or any other good quality melting cheese
  • Flaky maldon salt
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked
  1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add the oil, a pinch of salt and 100ml of warm water.
  2. Mix with a spoon or fork until combined into a smooth dough (you may need a splash more water depending on your flour). Form into a smooth ball and place in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave for 30 minutes
  3. Then, knead the dough for a few minutes until elastic and smooth. Divide into two and place back in the bowl to rest for 15 minutes, covered.
  4. Preheat the oven to 225°C . Roll one half of the dough as thinly as possible (a couple of mm) into a large circle and place on a lined baking tray. Grate the cheese over the top and a pinch salt if you want.

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  5. Roll out the other halve of the dough to the same size and place over the cheese. Pinch the edges together to seal in the cheese.
  6. Scatter the top with salt, rosemary and a drizzle of oil. Make a couple of slits in the top to let out the steam.image
  7. Bake for 25 minutes until crisp and golden. You may need to check the underneath of the bread to check it is crispy towards the end. If not, return to the oven directly onto the racks without the tray for a few minutes.

Finally, a lovely tangy coleslaw. Any, in fact, will do but I however got carried away and opted for a lovely Thai infused/Asian Slaw which- I know, I know, does not go ideally with a barbeque chicken and an Italian, cheesy bread, but, all the same, our hungry stomaches didn’t protest too much….

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Slaw

  • ½ a red cabbage
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 bunch coriander
  • 1 handful of salted peanuts

Dressing

  • 8 tbsp lime juice
  • Zest from 1 lime
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 good pinches of brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 large bunch of chopped basil and coriander leaves
  1. Using the shredding attachment on a food processor, shred the cabbage and carrots, separately, then combine in a large bowl.
  2. Slice and finely chop the spring onions and add to the cabbage mix and add a handful of chopped coriander.
  3. To make the dressing, mix together all the ingredients in a jam jar and shake thoroughly together until combined. When ready to serve the salad, coat the cabbage in the dressing and top with the salted peanuts.
  4. Serve!