The Sunday Times Magazine - UK (2022-02-13)

The Sunday Times Magazine • 45

SERVES

2 people

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

Poussin with

roasted grapes

I love these two together: the

tender, succulent poussin and the

sweet grapes. As the fruit blisters

and roasts in the oven its juices

mingle in with the chicken and

make for a wonderful, almost

wine-like sauce. You don’t need

much to go with this — perhaps

a crisp salad (something like red

chicory, dressed with a little olive

oil and lemon juice) and, if you

really wanted, a few new potatoes

boiled and dripping in butter or

olive oil and salt.

4

The Dish

Bottom right: poussin

with roasted grapes

3

Roasted sea

bream with

baby tomatoes

I ask my fishmonger to prepare

the fish for me, as that’s the tricky,

messy bit. The rest of this recipe

is just a matter of popping the sea

bream in the oven with a handful

of tomatoes and waiting for it all

to come together. If you wanted

you could throw in a few slivers of

fennel to roast with the tomatoes,

or some baby artichokes (the ones

that come in a jar). Otherwise

serve with a light salad — a crisp

fennel salad works well with the

fish, but watercress, baby gem or

a mix of greens would all be lovely.

SERVES

2 people

INGREDIENTS

2 whole sea bream, gutted and

cleaned

A small bunch of fresh thyme

3 tbsp olive oil

200g baby tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp capers

2 heaped tbsp black olives, pitted

01 Heat the oven to 180C (200C

non-fan).

02 Wash the fish under cold

running water to get rid of any

excess blood, then pat them

dry with a paper towel. Stuff

each sea bream with some fresh

thyme, saving a little to scatter

in the pan later.

03 Drizzle the olive oil over the

bottom of a roasting dish and

place the two sea bream on it side

by side. Scatter the tomatoes,

capers and olives around the fish.

Throw in a couple of sprigs of

fresh thyme and season with a

little sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper.

04 Roast in the oven for 25-30

min, until the fish flesh is opaque.

05 Serve the sea bream with the

tomatoes, capers and olives.

Juice of ½ lemon

2 poussins

500g grapes

01 Heat the oven to 180C (200C

non-fan).

02 In a small bowl, combine the

olive oil, honey and lemon juice.

Whisk lightly with a fork, add

a generous grinding of black

pepper and whisk again.

03 Place the birds in a roasting

tray large enough to fit the grapes

around them later. Drizzle over

the honey mixture, covering as

much of the birds as possible

— use your fingers to smear it

over the sides and legs. Sprinkle

generously with sea salt.

04 Put in the oven and roast for

45-60 min. After 20 min take the

roasting tray out of the oven and

add the grapes, arranging them

snugly around the birds. Put the

tray back in the oven and roast

until the skin of the poussin is

lightly golden and the juices run

clear when you stick a knife into

the thickest part of the bird,

between the leg and the body.

Serve the meat with the grapes n