"I can’t get enough of this recipe! I live for the profound umami of the Sichuan peppercorn!  It really is a special flavour like no other.  This is an effortless one tray chicken that will revamp a Sunday roast. Serve with lots of steamed greens and rice or soba noodles.  You can order these peppercorns online or in Asian supermarkets.  These leftover bones make the most insane stock…be sure to stay tuned for the next recipe."

Makes enough for 4 portions

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 2kg)

2 banana shallots, peeled+thinly sliced 

4 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp sunflower 

40g unsalted butter, diced

Pinch salt

30 tbsp water

For the marinade:

10 garlic cloves, skins on 

3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn corns, freshly ground in pestle and mortar or blender

7 tbsp tamari

9 tbsp vinegar 

2 tbsp sunflower 

Nina's Saucy Sauce Peanut Salsa

 

Method:

Spatchcock chicken: Cut out the backbone of the chicken by cutting along both sides of the spine using a pair of sturdy poultry shears/scissors. Set the backbone aside for now, then spread the chicken's legs apart + flip it over so it is skin side up. Press down firmly on the chicken's breastbone until you hear a crack—that's the wishbone breaking + then chicken lies quite flat. The chicken's wings are thin + can burn easily if left exposed so tuck them back behind the breasts.

In a large bowl, mix together everything for the marinade + add the chicken to the bowl. Coat everything in the marinade. Leave for 1-2hrs or overnight covered in the fridge.

Next, take out chicken + bring to room temperature.  Add everything to a large baking tray + scatter over the shallots.  Spoon over 2 tbsp sunflower oil, sesame seeds, butter cubes + a good few pinches of salt.  Place into a preheated 190C degrees fan oven for 40-45mins basting the chicken 1-2 during cooking.  It should be golden + crisp on top. Take out + cover with foil to rest for 10mins.  You can squeeze a few of the garlic cloves + mix into the sauce.  If you want extra spice, add a few spoons of Saucy Peanut Salsa when serving! 

See the next recipe by Nina to make a broth using the carcass of this chicken.

500g pork mince 

250g firm Tofu

1 tbsn Sichuan peppercorn

1 tbsn dried chilli 

1 tbsn soy

1 tbsn ginger 

3 cloves garlic grated 

2 tbsn spicy bean sauce (dobanjang)

1 tbsn sesame 

1 tbsn brown sugar 

1 bunch spring onion 

 

Method

In a dry pan, toast the Sichuan peppercorns over medium heat until fragrant. Grind them into a powder using a mortar and pestle.

Cook Pork Mince: In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork mince and cook until browned.

Add the grated ginger and garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Stir in the chopped tofu, soy, ground Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili, and spicy bean sauce. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, ensuring everything is well combined.

Sprinkle in the brown sugar and mix well, adjusting seasoning to taste.

Finally, add the chopped spring onions, reserving some for garnish.

Serve immediately, garnished with remaining spring onions.

This is a take on a traditional Greek soup which is the definition of food for the soul. This light and nutritional winter warmer will have you feeling ready to fight the cold. In this recipe Matt uses a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken which you can find in our Notting Hill, Chelsea and Wimbledon locations. Otherwise you can use leftover chicken or boil your own chicken.

This includes a handy broth recipe that you can use after you've cooked a whole chicken and stripped off the meat to give it a second life and reap the benefits of broth.

Ingredients:

200g shredded rotisserie, free-range chicken or pre-cooked (traditionally boiled), chicken

 8 cups rotisserie carcass chicken broth (see recipe for broth below)

100g finely chopped carrots

60g finely chopped celery

80g finely chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1 cup rice

90g fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

2tbsn fresh parsley  chopped fine (optional)

Salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  

Method 

1.     Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Sauté carrots, celery, onions, and garlic briefly.

2.     Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and rice. Simmer for 20 minutes until tender.

3.     Stir in cooked chicken.

4.     In a bowl, whisk lemon juice and eggs. Temper with 2 ladles of broth.

5.     Add the egg-lemon sauce to the soup and stir. Remove from heat.

6.     Garnish with parsley (optional). Serve hot with bread.

 

Carcass broth 

1 Carcass / bones / skin

1 Carrot

2 cloves Garlic

1 stick Celery

2 tbsn chicken stock powder / oxo

 

Method:

Put the carcass, carrot, garlic cloves, and celery stick in a large pot.

Pour enough water into the pot to cover all the ingredients.

Stir in the chicken stock powder or oxo for added flavour.

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.

Remove from heat, strain the broth using a fine-mesh sieve to remove solids, and let it cool.

 

Grass-fed Ox tail 1.3 kg

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting the vegetables

1 onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 celery stick chopped

3 whole cloves garlic, peeled

1 bay leaf

Pinch fresh thyme

475 ml beef stock

475 ml Guinness

2 parsnips, cut into 1-inch segments, large pieces also cut lengthwise

Chopped parsley optional

 

Method

Start by preheating your oven to 175°C

Season 1.3 kg oxtail with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chop 1 onion, 1 large carrot, and 1 celery stick. Peel 3 whole cloves of garlic.

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the oxtail and brown it on all sides. Remove and set aside.

In the same pot, add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent.

Add 1 bay leaf, a pinch of fresh thyme, 475 ml beef stock, and 475 ml Guinness. Bring to a simmer.

Add back the oxtail, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours or until meat is falling off the bone

 

Our good friend Sabrina Ghayour has exclusively shared with us three recipes from her cookbook Flavour. As the name suggests, these recipes are bursting with flavours from the Middle East and further afield, but with little effort and time. Wow your family and guests with these simple but seriously impressive dishes for hosting or for everyday meals.

 

Tagines are that wonderful marriage of meat or vegetables with sweet and spiced flavour pairings.

What you put into yours is entirely up to you and may be dependent on traditions, local and seasonal

availability, and personal preference, of course. I like my tagines to have lots of texture and layers of deep

flavour not just from meat but also from dried fruits, nuts and fresh herbs. This particular combination

can perhaps be called the sweeter cousin of the classic chicken, olive and preserved lemon, turning away from

the wonderfully sour character of the lemon to the more gently acidic profile of orange and that irresistible,

almost syrupy, sweet chewiness of dried apricots, plumped from absorbing the broth of the tagine.

 

SE RV E S 6 – 8

vegetable oil

2 large onions, roughly chopped

1kg bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

6 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

finely grated zest and juice of

1 unwaxed orange

1 tablespoon clear honey

150g dried apricots

50g whole blanched almonds

Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly

ground black pepper

1/2 small packet (about 15g) of flat leaf

parsley, leaves roughly chopped,

to garnish

 

Method

Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add a drizzle of vegetable oil and fry the onions until

softened and translucent. Add the chicken thighs and garlic and stir well. Mix in the spices, stir and cook for

a few minutes before adding the orange zest and juice, honey and a generous amount of salt and pepper, then

cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour over enough boiling water to just about cover the ingredients, reduce to a gentle medium heat and cook,

uncovered, for 11/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in the dried apricots and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan), Gas Mark 7. Spread the almonds out on a baking tray

and toast for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

When the tagine is ready, serve scattered with the toasted

 

YOU CAN FIND SABRINA'S COOKBOOK FLAVOUR FROM AMAZON HERE

 

Ingredients:

2-3kg bone-in pork shoulder, skin on and scored (ask our team to score it for you)

Large thumb of ginger

370g ginger stem (1 jar)

1 tbsn chardonnay vinegar 

2 tbsn red miso paste

2 tbsn salt

1 tbsn olive oil, extra virgin 

 

Method:

-       Pre-heat the oven to 200deg C.

-       Score the pork skin (or ask your butcher to score it for you), and rub it with olive oil.

-       Heavily salt the skin side of the shoulder.

-       Slice the fresh ginger and lay out in a roasting tray placing the pork on top, skin side up 

-       Place the tray into the oven and cook for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 180deg C and finish cooking the pork for another 35 minutes.

-       In a blender place the stem ginger, vinegar and miso and blend until a smooth puree.

-       Once pork is cooked, allow to rest at least 15 minutes. Carve off the bone and serve with a heaped spoon of the stem ginger jam on the side

 

Suggestion: Serve with braised cabbage and carrots