Chicken delight
CHICKEN STUFFED WITH PISTACHIOS
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 8
1 whole chicken, about 6 lb (2.7 kg) 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped 2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic (unpeeled is fine) FOR THE STUFFING
115g ground veal
225g butter, chopped
115g pistachios, chopped
30g ground almonds
Half an apple, such as Granny Smith, finely chopped Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground coriander Half teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 2 eggs, lightly whisked
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tablespoons butter
30g flour
White pepper
Handful of pistachios, for garnish
METHOD
1. Bone the chicken or ask your local butcher to do it. To make the stuffing, mix the veal, butter, pistachios, almonds, apple, lemon zest, coriander, allspice, salt, black pepper, and eggs in a bowl.
2. Spread the chicken, skin side down, on a work surface. Form two-thirds of the stuffing into a thick sausage shape in the middle of the chicken. Use the remaining one-third to stuff the legs.
3. Now fold the chicken around the stuffing and truss it securely with string.
4. Now wrap the chicken package in parchment paper and wrap in a clean kitchen towel then tie up with string.
5. Put the chicken into a large saucepan and add water just to cover. Add the celery, carrots, and garlic and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 90 minutes.
6. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave for 15 mins. Unwrap the chicken but leave the trussing intact, then let cool completely, cover, and chill in the fridge. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve 480ml for the sauce.
7. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour until smooth. Reduce the heat and stir to cook off the raw flour flavour. Add the reserved cooking liquid slowly.
8. You’ll need to add about 240ml of the reserved liquid. You should finish with a smooth sauce. Season with the white pepper (you can use black, but you’ll have specks in your sauce) and keep warm for serving.
9. Remove string. Put chicken on a plate. Garnish with pistachios and add sauce.
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 8
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil 225g lardons
2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef, cut into 2.5–4-cm cubes
1 small yellow onion, diced 1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons malt vinegar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or mushroom ketchup
One and a half teaspoons black treacle (blackstrap molasses) 8 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
480ml beer
Salt and black pepper
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
115g flour
3 oz (90 g) shredded suet or shredded cold butter
Half teaspoon baking powder Eighth teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
Black pepper
METHOD
1. Heat the lard in a heavybottomed pot over high heat and fry the lardons (bacon cut into strips about 1 inch/2.5 cm long and ¼ inch/6 mm wide and thick) and beef until browned. Reduce the heat to low, add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, three to five minutes.
2. Sprinkle everything with the flour and fry, turning all the ingredients regularly, for a few more minutes. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, treacle, cloves, bay leaves, beer, and water as needed just to cover the beef. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and cook gently, stirring occasionally and adding a little more water if the pan begins to boil dry, until the beef is tender, about three hours.
3. Once the beef is cooking, make the dumplings: Stir together the flour, suet, baking powder, salt, rosemary, and a little pepper in a bowl, then mix in enough cold water (7–8 tablespoons/105–120 ml) to form a stiff paste. Divide the paste into eighths, shape each portion into a ball, and pop the balls into the pot to cook with the beef for about two hours.
4. At the end of cooking, using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings and beef to warmed individual plates. Turn up the heat and reduce the cooking liquid to a good sauce consistency, then spoon an equal amount over each serving.