FLOWER POT KITCHEN: ROASTED GARLIC CHICKEN WITH CHICKEN STOCK AND WHITE WINE CREAMY GRAVY WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

25 Feb 2013

ROASTED GARLIC CHICKEN WITH CHICKEN STOCK AND WHITE WINE CREAMY GRAVY WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

LOVE LOVE LOVE SUNDAYS, THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT LAZY SUNDAYS FOCUSED AROUND FAMILY AND FOOD.

INGREDIENTS

(serves two)

THE ROAST

2 free range chicken legs with thighs attached

8 small King Edward potatoes peeled whole

2 tbsp cornmeal or semolina

Sea salt and black pepper

2 whole Italian cloves of garlic sliced

1 bunch of broccoli florets

1 carrot peeled & rough chopped

ROASTING THE CHICKEN LEGS

Season and place the chicken legs in the roasting tin with the potatoes for 30-40 minutes. 10 minutes before the cooking time is up scatter in the slices of garlic to caramelise and infuse the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked brown off in a hot pan to crisp up the skin and add that extra level of flavour.

FOR THE ROAST POTATOES

Place a baking tin in the oven with a generous lump of dripping or goose fat until hot. Part boil the potatoes for 10 minutes in boiling seasoned water, drain, rough up the potatoes in the colander and then lightly dust with salt and some cornmeal or semolina. Toss in the hot fat in your roasting tin and bake for 45 minutes turning once

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

INGREDIENTS

(makes 12)

200g plain flour

200g beaten eggs

200g milk

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp fat

Whisk the beaten eggs into the flour and season, add the milk and whisk until a smooth batter. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, pre heat the oven to 200 degrees and put half a teaspoon of fat in each well of your Yorkshire pudding pan, place in the oven to get really really hot, pour in the batter as fast as you can and return the pan to the oven, what ever happens do not open the oven door during the 15 minutes cooking time or your Yorkshires will flop.

BRIOCHE BREAD SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

6 slices brioche bread crumbed

200g milk

50g butter

Salt and Pepper

Pinch grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1 shallot diced

1/2 garlic clove sliced

Gently fry the shallot and garlic in a bit of the butter then add the milk and bring up to almost a simmer and take of the heat to infuse, pass through a sieve and return the milk to the pan, add the breadcrumbs and the rest of the ingredients and stir in well.

CHICKEN STOCK & WINE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

Any roasting juices

300ml chicken stock

200ml white wine

100ml double cream

4 sage leaves chopped

Salt and pepper

Place the white wine in the saucepan and reduce by half, add the chicken stock and any roasting juices and reduce by half again, add the cream, sage and season to taste. If your gravy is a little too thin you can thicken with a little flour mixed into butter and whisk that in.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.