Sally Clarke’s roasted chicken with basil
At the restaurant in the summer we often tuck a basil leaf or two under the skin of the chicken breasts, just before roasting. The skin perfectly protects the delicate leaves, and allows the green shape to be visible when served.
Serves 6
organic or free range chicken 1 x 2.5kg
basil 1 bunch
onion 1 medium, peeled and roughly chopped
carrot 1, peeled and roughly chopped
celery 2 sticks, washed and roughly chopped
small leek 1, cut lengthwise, washed and roughly chopped
fennel bulb 1 small, washed and roughly chopped
bay leaves a few
thyme a few sprigs
butter 50g
olive oil 2 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves, crushed to a cream
salt and pepper
light chicken stock 500ml
white wine 150ml
Trim the excess fat and skin from the neck end of the chicken and remove the parson’s nose. Pick the leaves from the basil and roughly chop the stalks. Keep a few small basil sprigs or leaves for garnish.
Using your fingers (nails cut short and no bejewelled fingers ideally!), gently lift the neck end skin away from the breast meat as far as possible towards the leg end and over the thighs. Place as many large basil leaves as you can in one layer over the meat, then press the skin back down firmly into the original shape.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Place the vegetables, bay leaves, thyme and basil stalks in a heavy oven dish or roasting pan and then the chicken, breast side up. In a small pan heat the butter and olive oil with the garlic and pour this evenly all over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes or until the skin has started to colour. Turn the oven down to 170C/gas mark 3 and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and with tongs carefully turn the chicken over. Pour the stock into the roasting pan and return to the oven for a further 40-50 minutes or until the juices of the thigh run clear when pierced with a skewer. Remove the chicken to a bowl and cover either with a lid or clingfilm.
Meanwhile, skim the excess fat from the roasting dish and scrape the vegetables and juices into a small pan. Bring to the boil with the white wine, remaining basil leaves and any juices which may have drained from the chicken. Simmer for a few minutes, skimming if necessary, then strain, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the chicken whole, garnished with the basil sprigs, with the sauce on the side and a dish of steamed leaf broccoli, spring cabbage or wilted spinach.
Alternatively, place the chicken on a chopping board, remove the legs and cut in two at the drumstick/thigh joint. Trim away the drumstick end to neaten. Remove the wing tips, then the 2 breasts whole from the breast bone. Cut these in half at a slight angle then remove the wishbone from the carcass in one piece. Place the jointed chicken on a warm serving platter and spoon the sauce over, scatter the basil garnish over and serve as above.
The carcass, trimmings (not the raw fat/skin) and vegetable debris will make a delicious stock or broth. Simply place all into a heavy-based pan, cover with cold water, add sprigs of herbs and simmer for up to an hour, skimming when necessary. Strain, chill as quickly as possible and store in a fridge for up to three days. Remove the thin layer of fat which will have set on the surface before using.
From 30 Ingredients by Sally Clarke (Frances Lincoln, £25)
Nadine Redzepi’s baked salmon with thyme and thin potatoes
Cooking salmon on a bed of paper-thin potato slices is both efficient and delicious: as the fish cooks it infuses the potatoes with flavour. Make sure to buy the fish in one big piece, like a roast with the skin on; pre-portioned pieces of fish will be done before the potatoes are tender. All you need to make this a meal is a green vegetable. Wild-caught salmon is always preferred to farmed fish, but in a simple preparation like this it really makes a difference.
Serves 4
baby potatoes 570g
garlic 4 cloves
extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
fine sea salt
skin-on salmon fillet 680g, in 1 piece, preferably wild
fresh thyme 4 sprigs
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Scrub the potatoes well under cold water, but don’t peel them. Using a mandolin or plastic V-slicer, cut the potatoes into paper-thin rounds. If you have good knife skills, you can slice the potatoes by hand, but using a slicer is a better way to get the thin, consistent slices you want here. Cut the unpeeled garlic in half lengthwise. Put the potato slices and garlic on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with half of the oil, toss well with your hands, and spread out on the sheet as thinly as possible. Drizzle with the remaining oil and season with the salt.
Pat the salmon dry with kitchen towels. Run your fingers over the flesh side to detect the protruding ends of any thin white pin bones. Use your fingers or heavy tweezers to pull out and discard the bones. Season the flesh side with salt. Place the salmon skin-side up on top of the potatoes. Scatter the thyme over the salmon and potatoes. Be sure to put the fish with the skin side up – the skin will help you determine when the fish is ready.
Roast the salmon until the skin comes off easily when pulled with kitchen tongs, about 20 minutes. Start checking for doneness after about 15 minutes, but do so at the thicker end of the fish because the thinner tail end will be done first.
If the skin does not come off easily, just keep checking every few minutes until it does.
To serve, remove and discard the skin and cut the salmon into serving portions. Season with salt and serve with the potatoes.
From Downtime by Nadine Levi Redzepi (Ebury Press, £27)
Giorgio Locatelli’s chargrilled quail with apple, frisee and lamb’s lettuce
This is a really fresh salad with some nice acidity and sharpness from the apple. You can grill the quail on the barbecue.
Serves 8
quails 6 large
garlic 1 clove, sliced
mild red chilli 1, sliced
fresh rosemary 1 sprig
extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp
lamb’s lettuce 600g
frisee leaves from 2 heads
granny smith apples 2, peeled, cored and sliced
Giorgio’s dressing 4 tbsp (see below)
apple balsamic (or balsamic) vinegar 3 tbsp
For Giorgio’s dressing (makes about 375ml)
sea salt ½ tsp
red wine vinegar 3 tbsp
white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil 300ml, preferably a fruity southern Italian one
To make Giorgio’s dressing, put the salt into a bowl. Add the vinegars and leave for a minute to allow the salt to dissolve. Whisk in the olive oil, with 2 tablespoons of water, until the liquids emulsify. Now you can pour the vinaigrette into a clean squeezy bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to a month. It will separate, so just give it a good shake before you use it.
With kitchen scissors, cut each quail in half. Put into a large dish or container and scatter with the garlic and chilli, add the rosemary and drizzle with half the olive oil. Leave in the fridge to marinate for 12 hours, or overnight.
When ready to cook, lift the quail from the marinade and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Heat a griddle pan or sauté pan that will transfer to the oven and cook the halves of quail, skin side down, until the skin is crispy. Transfer the pan to the oven for 3-4 minutes, until the quail meat is cooked through. To check, insert a sharp knife into the thighs and the juices should run clear.
In a large bowl mix the lamb’s lettuce, frisee and apple and toss with Giorgio’s dressing, then transfer to a serving dish, place the quail on top, and finish with the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.
From Made at Home by Giorgio Locatelli (Fourth Estate, £26)
Tom Kerridge’s pork burgers with sauce gribiche and burnt onions
Serves 4
For the burger mix
minced pork belly 800g
garlic 3 cloves, grated
cracked black pepper ½ tsp
flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp, chopped
sage 1 tsp, chopped
dry breadcrumbs 40g
English mustard 1 tbsp
shallots 3, finely diced
salt 1 tsp
For the sauce gribiche
hard-boiled eggs 2, coarsely grated
dijon mustard 2 tbsp
red wine vinegar 1 tbsp
cornichons 1 tbsp, roughly chopped
superfine capers 1 tbsp
parsley 1 tbsp, chopped
chervil 1 tbsp, chopped
good extra virgin olive oil 150ml
For the burnt onions
vegetable oil 1 tbsp
butter 25g
onions 4, finely sliced
salt ½ tsp
To serve
brioche buns 4, toasted
gem lettuce 1, broken down into leaves and washed
To make the pork burgers, combine the pork mince, garlic, cracked black pepper, both herbs, breadcrumbs, mustard, diced shallots and salt, then work the meat mix for a minute or so until it forms a large ball.
Divide into 4, roll each into a burger shape and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or so, to firm up and let the flavour work into the meat.
For the gribiche dressing, place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and give a good stir, then pop it in the fridge until needed.
For the burnt onions, warm the vegetable oil in a large shallow frying pan until hot, then add the butter and heat till foaming. Next, add the onions and salt, stirring from time to time until they start to colour. Fry the onions till they are dark and glossy, adding a little more butter if required. When the onions look like they are beginning to char remove them from the heat and leave to cool.
When your barbecue is ready, lay on the burgers and cook for 4 minutes each side. Remove from the heat and rest for 3 minutes.
Lay each burger on the bottom half of a bun and add a large spoonful of the burnt onions, then a generous spoonful of the dressing and the gem leaves. Top off with the bun top and serve.
Tom Kerridge is the chef-owner of the Hand and Flowers, Marlow
Fuchsia Dunlop’s cold chicken with spicy Sichuanese sauce
This is one of the most marvellous of all Sichuanese culinary ideas. I don’t actually use a recipe for it, any more than I would use a recipe to mix up a vinaigrette, so it’s different every time I make it. The following version is lip-smackingly wonderful, but do please think of it as a template and improvise as you will. You might want to add more chilli oil in winter, or more refreshing vinegar when the weather is hot and sultry, while a spritz of crushed garlic can be quite enlivening. You can also serve the dressed chicken on a bed of sliced cucumber, or toss some salad leaves, perhaps rocket or watercress, into the mix.
In China, they normally poach a whole chicken, then chop it up bones and all, but you can equally well use boneless meat. And don’t forget that this is also a marvellous way of using up leftover roast chicken or turkey.
Serves 2-3 with other Chinese dishes, or with salad and bread for a Western style meal
cold, cooked chicken 300-350g without bones (see note opposite)
spring onions 3
salt ¼ tsp
sesame seeds 1 tbsp (optional)
For the sauce
light soy sauce 2 tbsp
Chinkiang vinegar 1½ tsp
caster sugar 1½ tsp
chicken stock 1 tbsp
chilli oil 3-4 tbsp with ½ tbsp of its sediment (or more, if you wish)
ground, roasted Sichuan pepper 1/4-1/2 tsp, to taste
sesame oil 1 tsp
Cut or tear the chicken as evenly as possible into bite-sized strips or slivers and place them in a deep bowl. Cut the spring onions at a steep angle into thin slices. Mix them and the salt with the chicken. If using sesame seeds, toast them gently in a dry wok or frying pan for a few minutes, until they are fragrant and turning golden, then tip out into a small dish.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl. When you are ready to eat, pour the sauce over the chicken, and mix with chopsticks or salad servers. Arrange on a serving dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
To poach a chicken: You may use any cold, cooked chicken for the recipe, but poached chicken is particularly silken and succulent. The classic Chinese method is to place a whole bird in a measured amount of boiling stock, return it to a boil, then leave it to cool in the liquid. If the measuring is accurate, the chicken will be just cooked by the time the stock is cool, but still a little pink around the bones. This produces chicken flesh that is moist but still a little taut, exactly the way Chinese gourmets like it. It’s a little dicey for home cooks, because of the health risks if the chicken is not sufficiently heated, so in general I recommend using the following method.
Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before you start. Bring to a boil enough water to immerse your bird, without too much room to spare in the pan. Place the chicken in the water, return it quickly to a boil, then skim. Add a piece of ginger, unpeeled and slightly crushed, with a couple of spring onion whites, also crushed. Partially cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat so the liquid just murmurs gently and poach for about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Pierce the thigh joint deeply with a skewer to see if the bird is done: the juices that emerge should run clear, not pink and bloody (you may find it easiest to remove the bird from the pan to do this). When the chicken is just cooked, remove it from the pan and rinse it in cold running water. Set aside to cool.
From Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop (Bloomsbury, £25)
