IN SEASON
ROAST CHICKEN AND WATERCRESS PLATTER
A light and healthy version of a Sunday roast. Succulent roast chicken is carved and served on a Mediterranean-style salad.
50g salted butter at room temperature 1 lemon
4-5 sprigs thyme 1.8kg chicken 1 bag watercress 1 bunch spring onions 16 black olives 16 cherry tomatoes, halved 2 tbsp rapeseed oil Quarter of a clove garlic, crushed
1 Heat the oven to 190C / Gas 5.
2 Beat together the butter, lemon zest, leaves of the thyme and a good pinch of black pepper. Gently lift the chicken skin from over the breast meat at the end closest to the legs and use your hands to spread the butter over the meat, under the skin.
3 Cut the lemon in half, squeeze out the juice and set aside to use later then put the lemon, along with the thyme twigs, inside the chicken cavity. Sprinkle a little salt over the skin and roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour 45 minutes, basting twice with the cooking juices during roasting. Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to rest.
4 Put the watercress in a large bowl, add the sliced spring onions, halved cherry tomatoes and olives. Combine the reserved lemon juice with the rapeseed oil and crushed garlic. Leave 2 tablespoons of dressing in the bowl and use the rest to dress the watercress. Toss well and load onto a serving platter.
5 Carve the chicken and arrange the meat on the salad. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.
www.watercress.co.uk 32 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
serves 4
SANGRIA CHICKEN
This is a beautiful dish, with the sweet yet sharp flavour of citrus, along with fennel and celery. It’s all the better with blood oranges. You need to start the marinating the night before.
Grated zest and juice of 2 blood oranges Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp dark soft brown sugar 4 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil 150ml fino sherry (or dry white wine) 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Good pinch of flaky sea salt 1.3kg free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or equal weight in chicken thighs, bone in and skin on 1 celery head, sliced into 3cm wide diagonal slices 2 fennel bulbs, sliced 2 blood oranges, cut into thin slices 2 tbsp thyme leaves
serves 4
1 In a bowl, mix together the orange zest and juice, the lemon juice, sugar, oil, sherry, mustard and sea salt. Put the chicken pieces, celery, fennel, orange slices and thyme into a roasting tray. Pour over the marinade. Mix, then leave overnight in the fridge.
2 Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6.
3 Put the chicken in the oven and cook for 1 hour, basting a few times until the juices run clear and the skin is brown and crisp. Drain off the fat from the tray and pour the cooking liquid into a small pan. Reduce a little if too runny.
4 Serve the chicken with its gravy, with black or red rice and a green salad.
Good Good Food by Sarah Raven,
www.riverford.co.uk
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