Anthony Bourdain's Poulet Roti (French Style Roast Chicken with Herb Butter) Recipe

Anthony Bourdain's Poulet Roti (French Style Roast Chicken with Herb Butter) Recipe
Serves 2

"Poulet Roti - That's Roast Chicken, numbnuts! And if you can't properly roast a damn chicken then you are one helpless, hopeless, sorry-ass bivalve in an apron. Take that apron off, wrap it around your neck, and hang yourself. You do not deserve to wear the proud garment of the generations of hardworking, dedicated cooks. Turn in those clogs, too.

Perhaps I'm being a little unfair. Perhaps I'm being unreasonable. Given that ninety-five percent of the chickens roasted in this country are clearly the result of insensitive and murderous overcooking by food-hating orangutans, why should I expect you to know how to roast a damn bird? Most people seem to think that if you just scatter some salt and pepper and, God forbid, paprika on a chicken, then throw them, legs askew, into an oven and cook every bit of blood and moisture out of him - that that's roasting a chicken. Hell, most people figure that if the crispy skin tastes good, and there's no yucky blood or pink stuff near the bone, that's a fine roast chicken. It's not. This is the kind of thinking that makes fried batter a favourite menu item in this country. This is the kind of dangerously low expectation that explains the Chicken McNugget. A good-quality chicken, of noble birth and upbringing, respectfully prepared by someone who loves and understands it, is a beautiful thing. Many chefs claim to be able to tell everything about a prospective cook by how he or she roasts a chicken - and I can well believe it.
There are many ways to roast a chicken. Put twelve chefs in a room, with the mission of defining once and for all how best to roast a chicken, and you will never get agreement. Only spirited discussion, some heavy drinking, and maybe fisticuffs. But this recipe works for us at Les Halles. It's simple, it's good, it requires minimal technique - and the possibilities of failure are few. Yes, you can sear the skin of the chicken in a pan before roasting. Yes, you can sear the skin, then vacuum-seal the bird, then roast it slowly. Yes, you can - and should (if you know how) - truss a bird up like Betty Page. But this bird will do. It'll do fine.
Before we begin we should talk about the chicken. Perhaps you think that a drugged-up supermarket bird that's spent its whole life jammed into a cramped pen with a bunch of similarly unhealthy specimens, eating its neighbour's droppings (really!), is adequate for your kitchen. It is decidedly not. Fortunately for you, free-range chickens are becoming more widely available every day. If not, there are kosher chickens to be had. You want them. Chicken is not a medium for sauce. Chicken should taste like chicken. Understand also that legs and breasts cook at slightly different rates. In your zeal to make sure that there is no pink (eek!) or red (oooohh!) anywhere in the legs, you are often criminally overcooking your breasts. Find a happy medium. A little pink color by the thigh bone does not necessarily mean you are eating rare poultry.
Okay. Let's go..."
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs (1.8 kg), giblets reserved
Salt (preferably sea salt) and freshly crushed black pepper
1/2 lemon
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
1 sprig of fresh rosemary (do not get that dried trash anywhere near my bird!)
1 sprig of fresh thyme (What did I just say?)
2 tbsp (28 g) herb butter (see recipe at bottom of post)
3 tbsp (42 g) butter, softened
1 1/2 cup (340 ml) white wine
A little chopped flat parsley
Equipment
Flameproof roasting pan
Basting brush
Wooden spoon
Serving platter
Whisk
Sauceboat or gooseneck
Method
Prep the chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Cut off the wing tips, leaving the last joint only. With fingers, remove excess fat from the chicken's inside cavity. Trim off excess skin at the neck (and at the head, if you've bought a head-on bird in Chinatown; good for you, by the way, if you did). You removed the giblets packet, right? You'd better have, 'cause you're gonna need them. Wash the inside of the chicken thoroughly with cold running water. Allow to dry. Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper.
2. Okay... now, I'm not going to try and explain how to truss a chicken with twine - as much fun as that is. Here's a shortcut instead. First: lie on your back on the floor, put your knees together, and draw them both up to your chest with your arms. Press them against your chest. You should look pretty funny down there - but that's exactly the position I want you to put your chicken in. Knees up, ass out.
3. Undignified, but effective. Now, take a paring knife and just below the end of the chicken's legs (approximately below where your heels would be), poke a small hole on each side, and tuck the leg carefully inside,pinioning the legs in a position approximately what you just did on the floor. Try not to tear the skin, okay? Now gently give the outside of your bird a good rubdown with salt and pepper. All over, Don't miss any spots. Put the lemon half, half of the onion, the rosemary, and the thyme inside the chicken cavity.
4. Carefully taking hold of the edge of the skin on each side of the chicken, lift the skin and gently push a tablespoon of herb butter underneath, prodding it along so that one lump of herb butter sits on each side of the bird's breastbone. Rub the outside of the chicken with about half of the plain (softened) butter. Gently, Don't rip the freaking skin!

Cook the chicken

1. Remove the giblets from the bag and place them and the remaining half of the onion in the center of the roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of same. Pour 1/2 cup (110ml) of white wine into the pan and roast for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the fat and butter that collects. When you baste, it's a very good idea to move the roasting pan around the oven a little, even rotating it, as many ovens have "hot spots" that might color or cook your bird unevenly.
   
2. After 30 minutes, crank the oven temperature up to 450F (230C) and cook for another 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. If you're worried about undercooking, with the point of a small knife or with a skewer or a cake tester, you can poke the fat part of the thigh. If the liquid that runs out is clear - not pink or red - your bird is cooked.
   
   

Finish

1. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over high heat. Stir in the remaining wine and scape the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon to dislodge the fond (the brown bits). Bring the wine to a boil and cook until it's reduced by half. Discard the giblets and onion and whisk in the remaining softened butter. Stir in the parsley, season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the chicken in a boat or gooseneck.
2. Note: If you are unhappy or insecure about your sauce, yank a cube of frozen dark chicken stock out of the freezer and chuck that in with the wine. Using commercial broth or base, in this instance, would destroy all your good work to this point - a crime against food, God, and man.
   

Herb Butter Recipe
Yields approximately 3/4 cup (170g)
Ingredients
1/2 cup (110 g) butter, softened
1 tbsp (14 g) fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tbsp (14 g) fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp (7 g) fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp (7 g) fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp (7 g) honey
Pinch of salt
Pinch of finely ground white pepper
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Plastic wrap
Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix well with the wooden spoon. Gently roll the mixture into a log about the same length and width as a stick of butter. Roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until use.

Yes, you may think he talks too much. Yes, you may think he is arrogant. But his roast chicken is the best I have had!

French roast chicken with whole garlic

Ingredients

1 large lemon

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon sea salt

1.7kg free-range whole chicken, cleaned, rinsed, patted dry

4 sprigs thyme

4 bulbs garlic

potato mash and steamed green beans, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Cut lemon in half. Juice 1 half.

2. Combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil, crushed garlic and salt. Season with pepper. Rub baste over inside and outside of chicken. Place remaining lemon half and thyme in chicken cavity. Tie legs together with unwaxed string.

3. Place chicken, breast side down, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Cut tops off garlic bulbs to expose tops of cloves. Drizzle garlic with remaining oil.

4. Turn chicken over and place garlic, cut side up, around chicken on rack. Roast for a further 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked and juices run clear. Serve chicken with roasted garlic, mash and beans.

Cailin’s Julia-Inspired French RoastedChicken

Cailin’s Julia-Inspired French RoastedChicken

Ingredients:

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken
Salt and black pepper
Butter
Seasonally fresh vegetables good for roasting
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wash the chicken in hot water and dry thoroughly. Season the cavity with salt and black pepper  Rub the chicken lightly with softened butter all over and season all over with salt and pepper. Tie the drumsticks ends together and set the chicken, breast side up, in an oiled v-shaped rack or on an oiled roasting pan in the oven.

Roast for 15  minutes at 425 degrees, remove chicken from oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Baste with pan juices and return to 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add vegetables such as carrots, onions, and potatoes, and baste again. Roast the chicken until the juices run clear, around 45 minutes, plus 7 minutes per pound. Remove the chicken and carve. Reserve juices and prepare gravy by adding broth and dried thyme and reducing on stove top, stirring constantly. Serve with roasted seasonal vegetables.

French Roast Chicken

French Roast Chicken

Cooking instructions

Prepare Ahead

The herb butter can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept chilled.

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 4). Add the herbs and garlic to the butter and combine. Ease your fingers between the breast skin and flesh of the chicken, being careful not to tear the skin, and spread the butter under the skin using your fingertips. Place the lemon inside the bird, then truss.
   

2. 2

   Put the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour all of the wine and three-quarters of the stock over the chicken, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour 25 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the leg. Using a large spoon, baste the bird with the pan juices during cooking. If the liquid evaporates from the bottom of the pan, add a little more wine.
   

3. 3

   Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes. Skim the fat from the pan, then add the remaining stock and bring to the boil, stirring, until slightly reduced, then strain into a jug and serve with the chicken.
   

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp herbs, chopped fresh, such as tarragon and flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 115g butter, unsalted, softened
• 1 chicken
• 1 lemon, pricked with a fork
• 120ml dry white wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground

Serves 4

Total time required 1 hr 45 mins

• Preparation time: 15 mins
• Cooking time: 1 hr 30 mins

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Garlic Scape Pesto & Toasted Breadcrumbs

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Garlic Scape Pesto & Toasted Breadcrumbs
Ingredients:

10 anchovy filets
Angel hair spaghetti for 2
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
4-5 Tbsp of garlic scape pesto (see recipe) or normal pesto
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1/4 cup of breadcrumbs for toasting
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1/4 lemon
Freshly grated Parmigino Reggiano
Preparation:
Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Sweat the onions for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the dried chili flakes and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Turn the heat down to low and add the anchovies. Mash with the back of a fork. Cook for 5 minutes to blend flavors; season with salt and pepper. Next, add the pesto and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Dry toast the breadcrumbs in a small frying pan over a medium heat until golden. Keep an eye on them as they can burn very easily. Once toasted, transfer the breadcrumbs into a small bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to the anchovy/pesto mixture and toss well to coat.

Add a little pasta water to loosen the mixture if necessary. Squeeze on the lemon juice and toss again.
Divide the pasta evenly amongst two serving bowls and sprinkle on the toasted breadcrumbs. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and serve immediately.

Baby eggplant with oregano and red onions

Baby eggplant with oregano and red onions

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz baby aubergines (eggplant)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 small red onion, cut into thin half-moons
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes or ½ tsp pouring salt
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1½ tbsp cold water
• few sprigs fresh oregano (optional)

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 250C/475F/Gas 9.
2. Slice the baby aubergines in half lengthways, keeping the stalks on: this is an aesthetic consideration, nothing to do with flavour, but humour me.
3. Pour the regular olive oil into a very shallow roasting tin, sprinkle in the dried oregano, add the aubergines, cut-side down, and swirl them gently around. Then turn them so they are cut-side up and put the tray in the hot oven for 15 minutes, by which time they should be tender and turning gold in parts.
4. As soon as the aubergines are in the oven, put the fine half-moons of red onion in a bowl and cover with the red wine vinegar and salt.
5. Remove the cooked aubergines to a platter, and now whisk into the vinegary onions the extra-virgin olive oil, then the grated or minced garlic and, finally, the cold water.
6. Pour this over the warm aubergines, using your hands to arrange the glowingly pink onion over them evenly, then leave it all for about half an hour to cool to room temperature before you eat, scattering with fresh oregano, if you have any, when serving.

Meringue gelato cake with chocolate sauce

Meringue gelato cake with chocolate sauce

 

Ingredients

For the meringue gelato cake

• 300ml/10½fl oz double cream
• 30g/1oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids, minimum)
• 1 tbsp Elisir San Marzano (or coffee liqueur and/or rum)
• 8 meringue nests

For the chocolate sauce

• 250ml/9fl oz double cream
• 125g/4½oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids, minimum), finely chopped or in buttons made for melting
• 2 tbsp Elisir San Marzano (or coffee liqueur and/or rum)
• 250g/9oz raspberries, to serve

Preparation method

1. Line a 450g/1lb loaf tin with cling film, making sure you have enough overhang to cover the top later.
2. Whip the cream until thick but still soft.
3. Chop the chocolate very finely so that you have a pile of dark splinters, and fold them into the cream, along with the liqueur.
4. Now, using brute force, crumble the meringue nests and fold these in, too.
5. Pack this mixture into the prepared loaf tin, pressing it down with a spatula as you go, and bring the cling film up and over to seal the top, then get out more cling film to wrap around the whole tin. Freeze until solid, which should take around eight hours or overnight.
6. About an hour before serving, make the chocolate sauce. Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the tiny bits of chocolate. Put over a gentle heat and whisk as the chocolate melts, taking the pan off the heat once the chocolate is almost all melted. If the mixture gets too hot, the chocolate will seize, whereas it will happily continue melting in the warm cream off the heat.
7. Add the liqueur, still off the heat, and whisk again to amalgamate the sauce completely. Pour into a jug, whisking every now and again until it cools to the desired temperature. If you feel the sauce has thickened too solid, then stand the jug in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, whisking frequently, before pouring. Or I whisk in a shot - about two tablespoons - of hot espresso.
8. To serve the gelato cake, unwrap the outer layer of cling film, then unpeel the top and use these bits of long overhanging wrap to lift out the ice-cream brick. Unwrap and unmould it onto a board and, using a sharp, heavy knife (dipped in hot water between each slice) cut the frozen meringue cake into slabs to serve. I like to zig-zag a little chocolate sauce over each slice and sprinkle a few raspberries alongside on each plate.

Lamb cutlets with mint, chilli and golden potatoes

 

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz baby new potatoes, washed and halved but not peeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried mint
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 8 lamb cutlets, preferably organic, trimmed of fat
• 100g/3½oz rocket
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes or ½ tsp pouring salt
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Preparation method

1. Put the halved baby potatoes on to steam.
2. Get out a large dish – in which the lamb cutlets will fit in a single layer – and first pour into it the olive oil and sprinkle in the chilli flakes, dried mint and celery salt.
3. Using one lamb cutlet as if it were a wooden spoon, smoosh the oil with its sprinklings around a bit, so that it is rather better mixed, then place the lamb cutlets in a single layer, turn them instantly, and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Heat a large, heavy-based, non-stick frying-pan – big enough for all the cutlets to fit in – then duly place them all in it (the oil that clings to them from the marinade is plenty enough for them to fry in) and fry over a medium heat for five minutes. While the cutlets cook, check that the potatoes are tender, which they should be by now; in which case, turn the heat off under your steamer.
5. Using tongs (for ease), turn the cutlets over and cook for a further three minutes. If you are going to make this an entire one-plate meal, strew the bottom of a large serving platter with rocket, or any other leafage you desire, and when the lamb cutlets are cooked, but still juicily pink, remove them to the salad-lined (or, indeed, naked) plate. Obviously, cook for longer if you like your lamb well done.
6. Tip the steamed potatoes into the pan and fry for three minutes, then turn them over and fry for another three minutes, shaking the pan every now and again to make them tumble and turn in the hot, spiced fat.
7. Using a slotted spatula or similar, transfer the potatoes to the plate of cutlets and sprinkle with one teaspoon of sea salt flakes (I like these plenty salty, but if you have more austere tastes or are feeding small children, then decrease the salt or ignore the command altogether) and the chopped parsley and mint.

Shortcut sausage meatballs

 

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb Italian sausages
• 2 tbsp garlic oil
• 4 fat or 6 spindly spring onions
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 tbsp white wine or vermouth
• 2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation method

1. Squeeze out the sausagemeat from the sausages and roll small cherry tomato-sized meatballs out of it, putting them onto a cling film-lined baking tray as you go. Your final tally should be around 40.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan or flameproof casserole and add the meatballs, frying them until golden-brown, as they become firmer, nudge them up in the pan to make room for the rest if you can’t fit them all in at first.
3. When all the meatballs are in the pan and browned, add the spring onion and oregano and stir about gently.
4. Add the wine (or vermouth) and chopped tomatoes, then fill half of one of the empty cans with cold water and tip it into the other empty can, then into the pan - the can-to-can technique is just my way of making sure you swill out as much of the tomato residue as possible.
5. Pop in the bay leaves and let the pan come to a fast simmer. Leave to cook like this, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and the meatballs are cooked through. Check the sauce for seasoning, adding some salt and pepper if you like.
6. During this time you can cook whatever you fancy to go with the meatballs, whether it be pasta, rice, whatever.
7. Once the meatballs are ready, you can eat them immediately or let them stand, off the heat but still on the stove, for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken up a bit on standing. Should your diners be other than children who baulk at ‘green bits’, sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Tiramisini

Tiramisini

Ingredients

• 100ml/3½fl oz espresso or strong instant coffee
• 2 tbsp coffee liqueur
• 4 Savoiardi biscuits (fine sponge ‘ladyfinger’ biscuits)
• 2 free-range egg whites
• 250g/9oz mascarpone
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp Marsala
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

Preparation method

1. Make your espresso and pour it into a heatproof jug, adding the coffee liqueur, then leave it to cool - I find ten minutes outside the window on a cool day does it!
2. Break each Savoiardi sponge finger into about four and drop the pieces into four small martini glasses, then pour the cooled espresso mixture over them. Press down gently, making sure the biscuits are soaked all over.
3. Using an electric hand-held whisk for ease, beat the egg whites in a bowl until they form soft peaks when the whisk is removed, and set aside for a moment.
4. Scrape the mascarpone into another bowl, adding the honey: I love the way its mellow sweetness marries with the Marsala (though sugar would be fine, too). Beat with the whisk (no need to clean it out first) and, when smooth, slowly beat in the Marsala.
5. Fold in the egg whites, a third at a time, then dollop this mixture over the soused Savoiardi in each glass, using a spoon to whirl it into an elegant peak at the top.
6. Let these stand in the fridge for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours, then dust with cocoa, pushing it through a fine-mesh strainer, just before serving.

Squid and prawns with chilli and marjoram

 

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 unwaxed lemon, zest and juice only
• 1 garlic clove
• small bunch parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped marjoram leaves
• 350g/12oz prepared squid (defrosted if frozen), sliced into rings
• 20 raw peeled king prawns (defrosted if frozen)
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes or ½ tsp fine salt

Preparation method

1. Warm the oil in a wok or similarly wide, capacious pan, then add the chopped chilli (with seeds if you like it fiery) and lemon zest, turning them as they sizzle in the hot oil - this is a moment of fragrant joy.
2. Now grate the garlic and add it, along with about a third of the chopped parsley and marjoram and give a quick stir, before tumbling in the prepared squid and prawns. Stir-fry in the pan for 2-3 minutes, or until the seafood is just cooked through.
3. Add the juice of half the lemon and most of the remaining herbs and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds or so. Taste to see if you need any salt or more lemon juice, before turning the seafood fritti out onto a warm platter and scattering it with the last remaining bits of chopped parsley and marjoram.

Sambuca kisses

Sambuca kisses

Ingredients

• 1 free-range egg
• 100g/3½oz ricotta
• 40g/1½oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp sambuca liqueur
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• vegetable or corn oil, for frying
• 1-2 tsp icing sugar, to serve

Preparation method

1. Put the egg and ricotta into a bowl and beat together until smooth.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, sambuca, sugar and grated orange zest. Beat the mixture again to make a smooth batter.
3. Pour about 2cm/1in oil into a frying pan, and heat until a small piece of bread sizzles when you drop it into the pan and browns in about 40 seconds (the temperature should be at about 180C/350F). And keep your eye on the pan at all times.
4. Oil a teaspoon measure and gently drop rounded teaspoons of the ricotta batter into the pan, about four at a time is manageable.
5. The little kisses will puff up slightly and turn golden underneath, so flip them over carefully with an implement, to colour the other side. Watch out that the oil doesn’t get too hot, turning the heat down if they are browning too quickly.
6. Once they are golden all over, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with one or two sheets of kitchen roll, to get rid of any excess oil.
7. Carry on cooking until all the mixture is used up, then turn off the heat under the oil. Once the kisses have cooled a bit, push the icing sugar through a small sieve to dust them thickly.
8. If you are not eating them straightaway, pop the pre-sugared cooked kisses on a rack over a tin in a 150C/Gas 2 oven, and keep them warm for up to one hour.
9. Serve with an espresso, with one teaspoon of sambuca added, for each person.

Pork loin with Parma ham and oregano

Pork loin with Parma ham and oregano
Ingredients


1.5kg/3lb 5oz boneless and rindless loin of pork


2 fat cloves garlic, minced


few sprigs fresh oregano, plus more to serve


100g/3½oz Parma ham, sliced


⅓ tsp dried chilli flakes


1 onion or 2 shallots, unpeeled


2 tbsp olive oil


4 tbsp dry white vermouth


4 tbsp boiling water

Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Open up the loin of pork, read for stuffing, by laying it out in front of you vertically so that the thick part is on the left (I’m right-handed). Now starting at the top, cut through this thick part of the loin all the way down so that you can open it out to the left like a book. This will give you a larger surface area to lay the filling on.
Spread the pungent garlic all over the meat. Then take the leaves from a few sprigs of oregano and dot them about too. Keep the stalks.
Lay the pieces of ham horizontally over the pork loin, this way it will roll up more easily as the roll will follow the long length of the ham slices.
Sprinkle the chilli flakes over the ham and then roll up the loin, starting from the open-ended side, keeping as tight a roll as you can. Secure the meat with string at 3-4cm/1-1½in intervals, knotting the lengths of string firmly. If you’re using stationer’s string rather than cook’s twine, dampen it first. I wish I could instruct you as to how to tie proper knots, but I do very bad knots myself. Were you to have the offer of a friendly hand - or rather finger - to hold the knot down as you tie it, take it gratefully.
Cut the onion or shallots into thick slices without peeling them, and sit them in the bottom of a roasting tin to make the flavour-platform for the pork. Add the reserved stalks from the oregano, sit the loin on top and drizzle with the oil.
Cook for 1¼ hours, when it’s cooked, the juices must run clear when you put a skewer into the centre and a meat thermometer should read 71C/160F.
Transfer the tin to a heatproof kitchen surface, immediately pour the vermouth and boiling water into the tin and scrape all around the bottom of the tin so any oniony, meaty stuck-on bits dissolve into this instant gravy. You can let the meat rest in this sauce for 15 minutes or so.
When you are ready to slice the pork, remove it to a board and warm the gravy (removing the onion bits) if it’s cooled. Cut the meat into approximately 2cm/1in slices, or in other words, thick enough for the slices to keep their shape and hold the filling. This size joint should give you 10 good slices plus the misshapen end-pieces.
Arrange these sturdy slices on a bed of rocket with the gravy served separately in a little jug, or just sit them on a warm plate and pour over them a little gravy or any extra juices the meat has made. Take some more oregano leaves and slice them into fine strips, strewing them over the pork slices before serving.

Italian roast chicken with peppers and olives

Ingredients

• 1 x 1.5kg/3lb 5oz chicken (preferably organic)
• 1 unwaxed lemon, cut in half
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 3 leeks, washed and trimmed
• 2 red peppers
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 100g/3½oz pitted dry-packed black olives
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to serve

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Untruss the chicken, sit it in a roasting tin and put the lemon halves and two of the rosemary sprigs into the chicken’s cavity.
2. Wash and trim the leeks, cut each into three logs, then slice lengthways and add to the tin. Now remove the core and seeds of the peppers and slice them into strips, following their natural curves and ridges, and add these to the tin.
3. Tumble in the olives, and now pour the olive oil, mostly over the vegetables but a little over the chicken, too. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs to the vegetables, along with some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Using a couple of spoons or spatulas, gently toss the vegetables about to help coat them with the oil and make sure everything’s well mixed up.
4. Sprinkle some sea salt flakes over the chicken and put it in the oven for about 1-1¼ hours, by which time the chicken should be cooked through, and its juices running clear when you cut into the flesh with a small sharp knife at the thickest part of the thigh joint. The vegetables should be tender by now, too, and some of the leeks will be a scorched light-brown in parts.
5. Remove the chicken to a carving board and, while it rests (for about 10 minutes) pop the pan of veg back in the oven, switching the oven off as you do so.
6. Cut the chicken up chunkily, transferring the pieces to a large warmed platter. Now take the pan back out of the oven and, with a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the vegetables to the large platter and when all is arranged to your aesthetic delight, pour over it all the bronze, highly-flavoured juices that have collected in the pan.

Meatzza

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz minced beef (preferably organic)
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs or porridge oats (not instant)
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Butter, for greasing
• 1x400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp garlic oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 x 125g/4½oz ball mozzarella (not buffalo), halved, then sliced
• Few leaves fresh basil

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the mince, parmesan, breadcrumbs or oats, parsley, eggs, garlic, and add some salt and pepper. Do not overwork it, just lightly mix together or the meat will become compacted and dense.
3. Butter a round baking tin of about 28cm/11in diameter and turn the meat into it, pressing the mixture lightly with your fingers to cover the bottom as if the seasoned minced meat were your pizza crust.
4. Make sure you’ve drained as much runny liquid as possible out of your can of chopped tomatoes, then mix the tomato with the garlic oil, oregano and some salt and pepper and spread, using a rubber spatula, lightly on top of the meat base. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top, and then put in the oven for 20-25 minutes, by which time the meat should be cooked through and lightly set and the mozzarella melted.
5. Remove from the oven and let it sit for five minutes, then adorn with some basil leaves and bring it to the table before cutting into wedges, like a pizza.

Sicilian pasta with tomatoes, garlic and almonds

Sicilian pasta with tomatoes, garlic and almonds
Ingredients


500g/1lb 2oz fusilli lunghi or other pasta of your choice


salt, to taste


250g/9oz cherry tomatoes


6 anchovy fillets


25g/1oz sultanas


2 garlic cloves


1 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed


50g/2oz blanched almonds


4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil


small bunch basil, leaves picked

Preparation method


Put abundant water on to boil for the pasta, waiting for it to come to the boil before salting it. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, though start checking it a good two minutes before it’s meant to be ready.


While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by putting all the remaining ingredients, bar the basil, into a processor and blitzing until you have a nubbly-textured sauce.


Just before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of pasta-cooking water and add two tablespoons of it down the full of the processor, pulsing as you go.


Tip the drained pasta into your warmed serving bowl, Pour and scrape the sauce on top, tossing to coat (add a little more pasta-cooking water if you need it) and strew with basil leaves.