Flavourful dishes that work well for midweek meals or casual dinners for friends.
Bold and punchy flavours make these dishes absolute knockouts
Golden Crispy Chicken with Anchovy & Garlic Butter
pictured page 132
Anchovies add the perfect balance of saltiness to this tray bake. The butter is rubbed all over the chicken and as it melts it creates perfectly crispy, caramelised skin and moist meat, not to mention fabulous flavour.
100g butter, at room temperature
5 anchovy fillets, chopped, plus a little oil from
the jar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lemons
Small pinch sea salt and cracked black pepper 2 red onions
4-5 free-range chicken drums
4 bone-in free-range chicken thighs (skin on) 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Using a fork, small food processor or stick blender, combine butter, anchovies and anchovy oil, garlic, the zest of 1 lemon, salt and pepper.
Heat oven to 220°C. Cut onions into thick slices and scatter over a roasting tray. Add chicken pieces. Spread the anchovy butter over chicken, including getting it up under the skin. Add thyme sprigs to the tray and season chicken well with salt and pepper.
Cut both lemons (including the one without zest) in half and add to the tray. Drizzle olive oil over and place in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Take tray from oven and give it a good shake. Using a fish slice, toss chicken and onions and check they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the tray. Reduce oven to 180°C and cook for another 30-35 minutes, basting a few times throughout (open the oven, tip the tray and use a dessertspoon to spoon the juices over the chicken). This will keep the skin golden and the meat juicy.
Serve straight from the tray, garnished with a little sea salt and some chopped parsley. Serves 4
Potato & Fennel Gratin
This creamy side dish is an ideal partner for roast meat or delicious on its own as a vegetarian main. If your fennel comes with delicate fronds still attached, save some to use as garnish.
4 medium potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
(agria work well)
1 fennel bulb, cut lengthways into ½cm slices 3 tablespoons butter
Olive oil
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup cream
5-6 stalks fresh thyme
½ cup grated parmesan
Heat oven to 190°C and grease a mediumsized, shallow baking dish.
Arrange potato slices and fennel slices evenly in the dish, finishing with a top layer of fennel.
Dot the butter through the vegetables and drizzle over a little olive oil. Pour over the stock and cream.
Pull the leaves off the thyme and sprinkle all over. Season generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until crispy on top and soft and cooked underneath. Serve garnished with fennel fronds if desired. Serves 4-5 as a side dish
Flatbread with Pumpkin, Walnuts, Sage & Ricotta
This bread makes a great starter, or pass-around canapé when cut into smaller slices. Alternatively, you could serve it as a light lunch with a salad. It’s best eaten fresh out of the oven, or at room temperature on the same day.
FOR THE BASE:
pictured page 133 2 cups plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ²⁄³ cup olive oil ¾-1 cup warm water
FOR THE TOPPING:
400g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks 1 tablespoon butter
Generous pinch sea salt and cracked black
pepper
Splash of milk or cream
¾ cup ricotta
Handful sage leaves (about ½ cup loosely
packed)
3-4 tablespoons finely grated parmesan 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts Sprinkle of chilli flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
80g prosciutto or pancetta (optional)
To make the base, mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add oil.
Start to mix oil in using a wooden spoon and slowly add water, beginning with almost ¾ cup and adding the rest if needed. The dough should come together quite quickly.
Sprinkle a little flour over dough and knead with your hands for about a minute until you have a smooth, soft ball. Cover bowl with a tea towel and set aside while preparing the topping.
Cook pumpkin in a pot of boiling water until very soft, about 25 minutes. Drain, place in a bowl and add butter and cream or milk. Season well. Using a stick blender, food processor or masher, process until smooth.
Heat oven to 220°C. Roll out dough on a lined oven tray to make a large rectangle around 25 x 20cm and about 1cm thickness.
Spread pumpkin purée over dough in a thick layer. Dollop about half of the ricotta on top in small clumps.
Grate over the parmesan and sprinkle over the sage leaves and chilli flakes. Scatter with walnuts then drizzle with olive oil. If using prosciutto or pancetta, scatter it over now.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until the edges of the bread are golden. Remove from the oven and dollop the remaining ricotta on top. Makes 1 large flatbread >