The Sunday Telegraph - 01.09.2019

The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 1 September 2019 *** 5

THE SUNDAY COOK

C

hicken, in all of its

guises, is one of the

most versatile meats

available – it’s the kind

of comforting, casual,

bung-it-in-the-oven

food that evokes fond

memories for most of

us, so it’s no surprise that almost every

culture considers it a treasured staple.

Deeply savoury and soft enough to

sink a fork in when cooked properly,

roast chicken makes a fantastic mid-

week meal with little effort. I’ve found

there are few things as enjoyable – or

that inspire as much jollity – in the

kitchen as the moment a burnished

bird leaves the oven, plump and

golden-skinned, fragrant with herbs.

Though chicken lends itself well to

most green vegetables, spices and

herbs, you’ll find the quality of the

meat is the most important ele-

ment of any poultry dish. A lot of

supermarkets do an excellent, af-

fordable, selection of large birds,

but I tend to opt for free range or

organic as it is more flavoursome

than intensively reared poultry,

which can be tasteless and watery.

This doesn’t mean it has to be an ex-

pensive variety – just buy the best you

can.

At home, we never throw a carcass

out. Soft white meat is picked off the

bones and thrown into seasonal salads

or pasta dishes, and what is left will be

boiled down to create a warming broth

or stock; the end of a dish is just the be-

ginning of opportunities for leftovers.

One of the best roast chicken dishes

I’ve had in this country was at Ed Wil-

son’s Brawn in east London. It was

cooked in the traditional French way –

roasted with plenty of butter and a

thick slice of bread underneath to soak

up all the juices – and the result was in-

credible: it is the little things that make

all the difference. For the poached

chicken, this kind of simplicity is key –

ensure to poach slowly to keep the

melt-in-the-mouth tenderness and feel

free to have a play with the base herbs.

Likewise, you’ll find that when cook-

ing the chicken curry or noodle soup

there is plenty of room for adaptation

(if you don’t fancy a noodle broth, skip

this and replace with some broccoli

and a sprinkle of parmesan) and

you can spice as liberally as you

like, but you have to be generous

with the serving of meat – for

me, there is no greater sin than

an off sauce-to-meat ratio. The

same goes for the chicken pie:

don’t be afraid to pack it plen-

tifully and be decadent with

the cream sauce. That way,

there will be plenty to enjoy

cold the next day with a fresh

green salad.

MAD FOR MOLLUSCS

The man on a mission

to change the way

we look at oysters

Work wonders with

chicken

SERVES FOUR

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 leeks, sliced

600g raw chicken, cut

into strips

200ml chicken stock

100ml double cream

Butter, for greasing

2 tbsp chopped tarragon

320g pre-rolled puff

pastry sheet

1 egg, beaten

METHOD

…Heat the oil in a pan

and add the onion, garlic

and leeks. Cook until soft

but not coloured, about

10 minutes.

…Add the chicken pieces

and cover with the

chicken stock. Bring to a

simmer and reduce the

liquid by half, then add

the cream and bring to

the boil. Simmer again to

reduce by half. You

should have a thick sauce.

Season well.

…Remove from the heat

and leave to cool.

…Preheat the oven to

200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

…Butter a 2-litre pie dish

or deep 23cm fluted pie

tin and tip the chicken

mixture into it. Stir in

the tarragon.

…Wet the sides of the pie

dish and cut the puff

pastry to fit the dish as a

lid. Allow for a small trim

around the edge.

…Snip a small hole in the

centre of the lid to allow

the steam to escape. Put

the pie in the fridge for 10

minutes to chill.

…Brush the pastry with

the beaten egg and bake

for about 40 minutes,

until the pastry is golden.

…Serve with a lovely

green salad.

Chicken and

leek pie

HAARALA HAMILTON & VALERIE BERRY FOR THE TELEGRAPH

ON MY

PL ATE

What’s cooking

in Angela’s world

this week

When it comes to

poultry, I have a few

cookbooks that I am

steadfastly loyal to – one

of them is Diana Henry’s

A Bird In The Hand. It is

written beautifully and is

my go-to for delicious

dishes including chicken

with marsala, olives and

blood oranges, schnitzel

and charred thighs with

peaches and lavender. I

also like Roast Chicken

and Other Stories by

Simon Hopkinson.

‹‹

Summer is in its last

chapter, so make the

most of tomato season

before it’s gone. I love to

use the heirloom

varieties as they have an

incredible aroma, but feel

free to use any that you

can get hold of. Ripeness

and temperature is key

here, so if you buy a pack

that has been cooled,

leave them out in the sun

for a while and then chop

and sprinkle with a little

salt – this will give them a

beautiful sun-kissed

flavour. Serve with some

creamy Italian burrata

and a drizzle of grassy

olive oil.

‹‹

I recently took my

husband to The Seahorse

restaurant in Dartmouth,

as we were doing some

cooking demonstrations

at a local crab festival. I

had a perfectly ripe

tomato dish, followed by

the pasta of the day, and

the turbot to share,

which was cooked

Basque-style over the fire

with vinegar and its

juices. Everything was

perfection and super

fresh. Afterwards, I took

my mother to Mitch

Tonks’ Rockfish and she

is now positively

obsessed and won’t go

anywhere else. It was

fabulous.

seahorserestaurant.co.uk;

therockfish.co.uk

‹‹

If you’re looking for an

excellent foodie trip to

the coast, then head

down to the Dartmouth

Food Festival from Fri

Oct 18 until Sun Oct 20.

I will be doing a live

demonstration and

dinner there, alongside

chefs including Simon

Hulstone, Richard

Bertinet and Romy Gill.

There are also parties,

tastings and 120

exhibitors and local

producers offering the

freshest seafood

around.

dartmouthfoodfestival.com

HOME TO ROOST

Angela Hartnett showcases

the versatility of Britain’s

favourite meat, creating

a range of delicious midweek

meals with minimum effort

for maximum enjoyment

lity – in the

a burnished

plump and

with herbs.

tself well to

pices and

ity of the

tant ele-

A lot of

lent, af-

e birds,

ange or

oursome

poultry,

d watery.

Ive had in t

son’s Brawn

cooked in th

roasted wit

thick slice o

up all the ju

credible: it i

all the diff

chicken,thi

ensure to p

melt-in-the-

free to have

Likewise

ing the chic

there is ple

(if you don

this and

and a s

you ca

like, b

with

me, t

an o

sam

don

tifu

th

th

co

gr

‹‹

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws