Tag Archives: Lemon

May 10, 2013

Monica Galetti’s Organic Roast Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon

Sticky Roast Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Lemon

 

All home cooks know that it’s sometimes hard to find inspiration for mealtimes, so when I was sent a selection of recipes by superchef and Masterchef: The Professionals judge Monica Galetti (she’s the scary one) to promote Organic. Naturally Different it was manna from heaven – especially as I had most of the ingredients in my store cupboards.

The La Gavroche chef and mum-of-one has teamed up with O.N. to sing the praises of organic produce – not just in terms of taste and benefits to the environment, but also price-wise to challenge the perception that organic = expensive.

Well, I sourced most of the ingredients for this roast chicken thighs with fennel and lemon dish from Tesco and although the organic ingredients were a little bit more expensive, they weren’t significantly so: 4 organic chicken thighs were £5.35, compared to £5.17 fort non-organic; 1kg of new potatoes cost £1.54 compared to £1.40; and lemons were 33p each, compared to 27p.

In my book, you get what you pay for, and I’m very happy to fork out an extra quid on a meal that is organic, with all the benefits that comes with that.

So what are the benefits?

 

According to the Organic. Naturally Different campaign…

• Organic is better for nature

• Organic animals have high animal welfare standards

• Organic contains less pesticide residues

• Organic is natural and great tasting food.

Sold, to That Man in the Recipe Shed.

Anyway, without further ado, here is Monica’s slightly modified (I didn’t have any preserved lemons) recipe for Organic Roast Chicken Thights with Fennel and Lemon.

Serves 2-3

4 x chicken thighs
4tbsp lemon and lime marmalade
2  lemons (Monica used preserved lemons, but I didn’t have any)
3 pinches of thyme leaves
10 small organic New Potatoes
1 fennel bulb
Quarter white cabbage
Salt and pepper

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1. Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper then rub liberally with the marmalade and set aside for 10 minutes.

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2. Cut the fennel in half then slice roughly. Ditto for the cabbage. Sprinkle into the base of a deep roasting tray.

3. Remove seeds from  lemons and roughly chop then sprinkle over the fennel and cabbage.

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4. Scatter the thyme leaves and the baby potatoes on top. Season with the salt and pepper and then place the chicken pieces on top skin side up.

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5. Place in oven and cook for about 1hr-1hr 30 mins, until the chicken and potatoes are tender.

6. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

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Monica says: “This is such an easy meal and you can substitute the veg for whatever you have, i.e. shredded cabbage in place of fennel. Leftovers can be made into a chicken bake too. No fuss, just let the oven do its thing.”

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• For more information about the Organic.Naturally Different campaign visit the website www.organicukfood.com or visit us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/organicuk and Twitter -@organicukfood.

• This is not a sponsored post.

 

 

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May 3, 2013

Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder with Fennel and Star Anise

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This astonishingly tasty slow cooked pork shoulder is stuffed with fennel seeds, star anise, lemon and chilli. It is superb for Sunday lunch, but also delicious cold the next day in sandwiches. It’s also very easy to make. If you don’t have a slow cooker, then cook in a lidded casserole dish in a low (160C/Gas 2) oven for 2-3 hours until the meat is meltingly tender. Serve with a simple apple sauce, mashed potatoes and greens. The resulting gravy from the cooking stock is incredible. 

Serves 2-4

Boneless pork shoulder, weight approx. 1 kg
250ml chicken stock
250ml white wine

For the stuffing

2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 star anise
1 red chilli, deseeded
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp rock salt

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1. Put all the ingredients for the stuffing in a pestle and mortar and bash the living daylights out of them to make a paste.

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2. Lay the pork out flat, skin-side down, on a work surface. With a sharp knife, make deep slashes into the flesh then, with a spatula, spread the spice paste all over, massaging deep into the slashes.

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3. Tie up with butcher’s string and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

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4. When you’re ready to cook, add the stock and white wine to a slow cooker, then the pork. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, until the pork is meltingly tender.

5. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and transfer to a roasting tin. Drain the stock through a sieve into a pan.

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7. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 8 and cook the pork for approx. 40 mins until the skin turns to crackling.

8. Meanwhile, bring the pan of stock to the boil on the hob and reduce by half.

9. Remove the pork from the oven and allow to rest for 10 mins, then carve into thick slices.

10. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, steamed greens, apple sauce and the stock gravy.

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December 3, 2012

Recipe Shed: De-Boned Roast Guinea Fowl Stuffed with Parma Ham & Mascarpone Parcels on Borlotti Beans & Sour Dough

I have never de-boned a guinea fowl before and half way through the process, I was beginning to wish I’d never started.But for all the fiddly effort, it really was worth it. The flesh tasted like a cross between chicken and pheasant, and the skin crisped up beautifully. 

But the real benefit of the de-boning exercise was the way the bag-like skin held the mascarpone-stuffed Parma ham parcels. This was a Saturday night stunner and one of the best dishes I’ve ever cooked – so thank you to Theo Randall for the inspiration from this video. I just wish he’d included a masterclass on de-boning the bird!!

Serves 2-4

1 guinea fowl, with all its bones removed (see below)

For the stuffing

1 tub mascarpone cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half lemon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 garlic clove, ground to a paste with a pinch of coarse sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
4-6 slices of Parma ham

For the base

2 slices Sour Dough bread
1 can borlotti beans
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of salt and pepper

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November 16, 2012

Recipe Shed: Crispy-Skin Chicken with Parmesan Lemon Cream & Courgette Pakoras

A very simple and satisfying midweek meal. The star of this dish are the fried courgette pakoras, which are deliciously crisp with a juicy interior. The Parmesan sauce is a great dip for both the chicken and the courgettes.

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, skin on

For the Parmesan Lemon Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
200ml double cream
100g Parmesan cheese, grated
Zest of two lemons
Juice of 1 of the lemons
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the courgettes

1-2 medium-large courgette, cut into thick batons
100g gram flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
Half tsp salt
Water, approx. 200ml, to make a batter with the consistence of double cream
500ml sunflower or vegetable oil

1.  Add the olive oil to a large frying and cook the chicken skin-side down, for approx 12-15 mins, until the chicken is tender but not dry. Turn two or three times during cooking to ensure the chicken is cooked all the way through.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, gently cook the garlic in the oil for 1-2 mins, then add the cream, lemon zest and juice, then the Parmesan. Stir until everything is combined, then season with pepper.

3. Make the batter for the courgettes by mixing the gram flour, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper together, then gradually adding water and whisking until you reach the desired consistency. Dip the courgette batons into the batter and thoroughly coat.

4. Add the sunflower or vegetable oil to a large frying pan and heat until a drop of the batter mixture sizzles. Use a pair of tongs to carefully lower the courgettes into the oil. Cook for 2-3 mins, until the batter is crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

 

6. Serve by carving the chicken into thick slices and drizzling over the cream.  I also made some diced mini-roast potatoes, parboiled for 7 mins, then cooked in ghee in a hot oven for 20 mins, until crisp and golden.

 

 

 

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