Category: Pastured chickens and laying hens

This recipe for jump-in-your-mouth-chicken is perfect for a quick weekday dinner and fancy enough to serve to guests at a dinner party. We use chicken but this recipe is traditionnally made with veal.

I dare say, it is just as good as in Trattoria Lilli, a quintessential Roman eatery where tourists rarely venture.

–          4 Chicken breasts or 2 packages of thighs (juicier with thighs)- pound them with a mallet or rolling pin while still in package to thin them out.

–          2-3 packages of prosciutto

–          Bunch of fresh sage leaves

–          ¼ cup of white wine

–          3 garlic cloves, finely grated

–          Zest and juice of 1 lemon

–          1 cup chicken broth

–          Unsalted butter

–          Tbsp flour

–          Pepper to taste

Pepper chicken on all sides (no need for salt, the prosciutto will do the trick). Place two sage leaves on each piece of chicken and tap with rolling pin/mallet to make it stick. Wrap prosciutto around chicken (Or just place pieces on one full side to cover leaves and meat. Melt a knob of butter in pan and add chicken pieces sage and prosciutto side down. Cook for about 3 minutes, prosciutto will crisp up and hold the sage in place. Flip and brown the other side for a few minutes, making sure you don’t let it burn. Set aside under foil. In same pan, add garlic and fry until golden. Deglaze with wine and let alcohol cook down. Add lemon juice, zest and the cup of broth and let reduce on low. Add 2 tbsp of unsalted butter to make sauce glossy. Place chicken back in sauce and let it finish cooking and sauce reducing. Don’t cover chicken with sauce (should be about half submerged). If not thick enough mix a spoonful of butter to a tbsp of flour and add to pan while stirring. Serve with silky mashed potatoes.

• 1 whole chicken
• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ tbsp salt
• Lemon
• 2 smashed garlic cloves
• ½ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix breadcrumbs, thyme, zest, 1 cup of butter and ½ tbsp salt in a bowl. Carefully run your hand between the skin and the chicken and insert the butter mixture under the skin. Work the butter over the breasts, thighs and drumsticks so it is evenly coated. Rub the remaining 1/2cup butter on outside of skin and season with salt and pepper. Insert cut lemon and two smashed garlic cloves in chicken cavity and place in a roast pan along with a ½ cup of white wine. Roast until skin is golden brown and internal temperature reads 165F, depending on size of bird 1h-1h30. Let rest before carving.

Cucumber halloumi salad

• 1 English cucumber cut in quartered slices
• Handful of fresh herbs – tarragon, chives, mint are great together, finely chopped
• Large avocado cut in small chunks
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp good olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• A few slices of halloumi cheese

Combine all ingredients together except for cheese. For halloumi, oil a frying pan and cook about 1-2 minutes on each side on medium heat, until golden brown. Place halloumi over salad and enjoy.

Herb sauce

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup of cilantro chopped
• 1 cup parsley chopped
• 2 green onions
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper

Blend all ingredients and serve as sauce for potatoes, veggies and meat.

Serve with roasted potatoes and veggies of choice.

Spicy Eggplant

–          800g eggplants cut into wedges, 2 inches long

–          400 gr ripe tomatoes (or canned chopped)

–          1in piece ginger, grated

–          6 garlic cloves crushed

–          1 cup oil

–          1 tsp fennel seeds

–          ½ tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)

–          1 tbsp ground coriander

–          ¼ tsp ground turmeric

–          ½ tsp cayenne pepper

–          1 tsp salt

In a colander, sprinkle the eggplant wedges with salt and leave for 30 minutes to allow bitter juices to run out. Rinse, squeeze any excess water and pat dry with towel. If using fresh tomatoes, score a cross on each end and plunge into boiling water for 20 seconds, peel skin and roughly chop. Puree ginger and garlic with 1/3 of tomatoes in a blender (or finely chop tomatoes and mix with garlic and ginger).  Heat ½ cup oil in a heavy-based frying pan and when oil hot, add as many eggplant wedges as you can fit in one layer. Fry over medium heat until brown on both sides and transfer into sieve to drain oil. Repeat with remaining eggplants adding oil as necessary.

Reheat remaining oil in pan and add fennel seeds and kalonji. Cover and allow to pop for a few seconds, adding tomato and ginger mixture and remaining ingredients (except for eggplants). Cook for 5 minutes while stirring until mixture thickens. Add the cooked eggplant, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Simple Butter chicken

Marinade

–          ½ cup plain yogurt

–          1tbsp lemon juice

–          1 tsp turmeric

–          2 tsp garam masala

–          ½ tsp chilli powder

–          1 tsp cumin

–          1 tbsp ginger, grated

–          2 cloves garlic, crushed

–          3 packages (1.5 lbs) chicken thighs or breasts (thighs stay moister) cut in pieces

Sauce

–          2 tbsp ghee or butter

–          1 cup tomato passata (puree)

–          1 cup heavy cream

–          1 tbsp sugar

–          1 ¼ tsp salt

Combine marinade with chicken and refrigerate overnight (minimum 3 hours). Heat ghee (oil or butter) over high heat in a large frying pan. Take chicken out of marinade but don’t wipe off. Keep leftover marinade. Cook chicken for 4 minutes until it is white. Add tomato puree, cream, sugar and salt as well as the remainder of the marinade. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Naan recipe

–          4 cups flour

–          1 tbsp instant dry yeast

–          2 tsp kosher salt

–          ½ tsp baking soda

–          1 tsp baking powder

–          ¾ cup yogurt

–          1 cup warm water

–          4 tbsp butter melted

–          1 tbsp minced cilantro

Combine flour, yeast, salt, soda and baking powder in a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beating on low speed to combine. Add yogurt and water to the mixer, mix on low speed until mixture forms a dough and switch to hook attachment and knead for 4 minutes on low. Flour your counter and knead dough by hand once or twice to form a ball. Cut into 8 equal pieces and shape into balls, cover and let rest for 1 hour. Use rolling pin to roll out the balls flat to less than ¼ inch thick. Stretch it out with hands. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Preheat cast iron pan for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. To check for readiness sprinkle with water- if beads evaporate instantly it is ready. Add one naan to pan, cover and cook until bubbles start to grow (30-60 seconds). Flip and cook other side until it starts to char in spots (30 seconds). You can also finish the naan on direct flame if you have a gas range). Transfer to plate and cover with towel to keep warm. Melt butter and stir in cilantro, brush bitter on warm naan to seal moisture into hot bread and enjoy! A bit of work but totally worth it!