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Serves 4

Ingredients

8 Chicken thighs
1 onion, finely chopped
3 sticks celery, finely chopped
Half bulb of fennel, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
Half a red chilli, chopped
Tbsp tomato paste
1 glass white wine
2 tins of tomatoes
1 tbsp capers
150g mixed olives

Method

Preheat oven to 180c

Begin by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browning in a pan on both sides. You may have to do this in batches.

Once the chicken is browned remove from the pan and add the onion, celery and fennel. Cook for 10 minutes until soft then add the garlic, chilli and rosemary and cook for a further few minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste before adding the wine and reducing by half. Add the tomatoes capers and olives and allow to gently simmer for a few minutes.

Transfer the sauce into a baking dish then nestle the chicken on top and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. If the sauce is looking too dry during cooking add a splash over chicken stock.

Serve with torn basil or chopped parsley.

1 Bone in thick cut pork chop
1 litre water
60g salt
60g brown sugar
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few sprigs of Rosemary and thyme
Half a bulb of garlic
2 tbsp butter

Pan sauce

Half a shallot, Finely sliced
1 clove garlic
1 sprig thyme
Small glass of wine
150ml chicken stock
A few cubes of cold butter

Method

Start by adding the salt, sugar, black pepper and mustard seeds to a saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. As soon as the water boils, take it off the heat and let it completely cool in the fridge, this may take a couple of hours. 

Once cool, place the pork chop in the brine making sure it is completely submerged and leave in the fridge for 4-12 hours then remove the chop from the brine and pat dry. 

Set a heavy bottomed pan over a medium high heat and add a splash of olive oil. When the oil is hot place in the pork chop and allow to cook for 3 minutes undisturbed then flip the chop and cook for a further 3 minutes. 

Add the butter, garlic and herbs and baste flipping every minute until the meat closest to the bone reads 60c with a meat probe. Remove from the pan and rest while you make the pan sauce. 

For the pan sauce, discard the fat from the pan and add a little fresh oil. Add the shallots and garlic and gently sweat down for a few minutes before adding the herbs and deglazing with white wine. 

Allow the wine to reduce by half before adding the stock and reducing further. Once the sauce has thickened slightly, add the butter and swirl the pan to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper before passing through a sieve and serving.

Serves 3

This recipe can be doubled but just make sure to work out the correct cooking time for the size of your porchetta. 20 mins at 230c then 23 minutes per 500g at 150c. 

Ingredients 

1kg Porchetta, left to dry uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours

2 tins borlotti beans 

1 leek, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 sprig rosemary, chopped 

1 tbsp tomato puree

Pinch of chilli flakes 

1 glass red wine

250ml chicken stock

Wilted greens, to serve

Method

Start by making the beans. Dice the leek and add to a pan with a little olive oil and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the rosemary, chilli flakes and tomato puree. 

Allow the tomato puree to cook out for a minute before adding the beans and red wine. Reduce the wine by half before adding the stock and seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside. 

For the porchetta, preheat the oven to 230c, pat the skin of the pork dry and rub all over with a little olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Place the porchetta in a roasting tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes before reducing the temperature to 150c. 

Bring the beans to the boil and add them to the roasting tray with the porchetta. If there is lots of fat in the pan you can discard some before adding the beans. 

Cook in the oven for 23 minutes per 500g. If the crackling hasn’t puffed up as much as you would like when the porchetta has finished cooking, place it under the grill set to high for a few minutes. 

Serve with wilted greens like cavolo nero. 

Ingredients

1 sirloin steak

1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns 

1 bunch spring onions 

2 cloves garlic 

1/2 tbsp mirin

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

Sesame seeds, to serve

Method

Begin by taking your steak out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before you are ready to cook it to allow it to come up to room temperature. 

Meanwhile, slice off the roots of the spring onion and then cut in half, separating the green ends from the white ends. Mince the garlic and set aside.

Next place the Szechuan peppercorns in pestle and mortar and pound until you have a coarse powder.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat then season the steak with lots of salt and the Szechuan pepper.

When the pan is hot add a splash of vegetable oil and place in the steak. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side depending on how you like your steak then remove from the pan and allow to rest.

Meanwhile, in the same pan add the white ends of the spring onion and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes until charred. 

Add the green ends of the spring onion and cook for a further 2 minutes. 

Finally add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin and garlic and cook for a final minute. 

To serve, slice the steak on an angle and place on a plate topped with the spring onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish. 

A simple smokey marinade perfect for barbecued chicken. Prepare the night before and throw on the barbecue when ready to eat. If the weather doesn’t permit you can bake in the oven for 30 mins at 200c. This recipe gives a slight chilli kick but feel free to add or take a way a chilli or two to suit your heat preference. This marinade is also works great with vegetables. Add a little more oil to the paste to loosen to slightly and brush over vegetables such as aubergine and courgettes as they cook on the barbecue.

Ingredients

1.5 Kg Chicken Drumsticks

Mariande

3 Red Chillis

6 Cloves of Garlic

Thumb sized piece of ginger

1/2 Onion

2 tsp Smoked paprika

2 tsp Ground Coriander

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

4 Cardamon pods

1/2 tsp Black pepper corns

1 tbsp Honey

The juice of 1 Lime

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. Take your chicken drumsticks, place in a a large food safe plastic bag and season with salt.
2. Next start making the marinade. It couldn’t be easier. Simply take all of the marinade ingredients, place in a food process and blend until you have a paste. Don’t worry about trying to achieve a super smooth mixture.
3. Add the marinade to the chicken bag and thoroughly massage it in making sure to coat every piece of chicken.
4. Place the bag in a bowl to prevent any possible spillages and put in the fridge to marinade for anything from 2 hours to overnight.
5. Cook the chicken on a barbecue turning regularly to insure a perfectly charred exterior and juicy interior.