Its often the simplest cooking methods that deliver the most flavour
Like most people, I am something of a creature of habit. Having children has made me more adventurous, as part of my quest to expand their horizons, but I still tend to use tried-and-tested methods just to make life easier. Todays chicken dish is a case in point: in essence, its just a simple tray-bake, but it seriously delivers on flavour and introduces young mouths to chilli, albeit the mild, sweet ancho (now widely available in larger supermarkets and online); Spanish dried peppers work just as well, as do mild, roasted Turkish chilli flakes. And, for pudding, a light, delicate drizzle cake with a beautiful array of candied citrus ofr extra zing.
Sticky ancho-roasted chicken thighs with rosemary and ginger
Herbaceous, sweet and sticky, with deep, rounded flavours: this is a real crowd-pleaser. Serves four to six.
8-12 chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
800g waxy potatoes, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
200g cherry tomatoes
For the marinade
5 large ancho chillies (about 50g)
5 sprigs rosemary
8 fat cloves garlic, peeled
1 thumb-length piece fresh ginger
1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar
5 tbsp red-wine vinegar
150ml olive oil
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Lay the chicken pieces skin side up on a board, season generously and leave while you get on with the marinade.
Heat a dry frying pan on a medium-high flame. Wipe the chillies with a clean, damp cloth, make a tear down the side of each (with scissors or hands) and open out like a book. Strip out and discard the seeds, stems and veins then rip the chillies into largish, flat pieces. Briefly toast these in batches in the frying pan for 30-60 seconds, until darker in colour and smelling fragrant (just as youd toast cumin seeds), then put in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes, until soft.
Finely chop the rosemary, and roughly chop the garlic and ginger, then bash them to a paste with the sugar and half a teaspoon of sea salt in a mortar or food processor. Add the soaked chillies and work into the mix until thoroughly combined, then stir in the vinegar and oil until you have a thick, creamy marinade. Check for seasoning and set aside.
Heat a frying pan on a high flame and, once the pan is smoking, add the rapeseed oil. Fry the chicken pieces skin side down until the skin is lightly golden and slightly crisp about four to five minutes then turn and cook for another three minutes before transferring to a roasting tray with the potatoes and tomatoes.
Pour on the ancho marinade, rub this all over the chicken, spuds and tomatoes (use your hands), then roast for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is golden, sticky and cooked through. Serve with a crisp green salad and crusty bread to mop up all those lovely juices.
Lemon drizzle cake with candied citrus
The homemade trio of candied peel gives this easy drizzle cake a deliciously sticky, marmalade-y finish. Makes one loaf.
250g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
250g caster sugar
Zest of 3 lemons
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
25g ground almonds (optional: they help lighten the batter; or 25g extra flour)
1 tsp baking powder
tsp fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the candied peel
1 grapefruit, halved
1 orange, halved
3 lemons, all 3 zested
180g caster sugar
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with butter and dust with flour.
Beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a food mixer (or with electric beaters) until the sugar has dissolved and the butter is pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then fold in the flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and three turns of the pepper grinder. Spoon the batter into the tin and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon or palette knife. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
While the cake is cooking, squeeze the juice from the grapefruit, orange and one of the zested lemons. Put the skins of these fruits in a saucepan, and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, drain and repeat four more times, until the peel is soft (changing the water reduces the bitterness). Drain, leave to cool slightly, then scoop out and discard the pith. Finely chop all the citrus peel and put in a pan with 100g caster sugar and 100ml cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, until the peel is sticky and almost translucent.
Meanwhile, whisk the citrus juices with 80g caster sugar. When the cake has rested and cooled for 10 minutes, poke it all over with a skewer, spoon over the drizzle and leave to cool completely.
Heap the candied peel down the middle of the cake and serve with large dollops of creme fraiche, Greek yoghurt or softly whipped cream.
And for the rest of the week
Its worth making extra marinade, because its glorious with carrots and parsnips, too: just toss the veg in the ancho paste, roast at 180C for 40-45 minutes, and serve with rice and dollops of yoghurt. Buy lots of ancho chillies if getting them from the internet you can rehydrate them and use them for almost any meaty marinade, plus theyre great in a relish for a cheeseboard, too. Any excess candied peel is wonderful tossed in a little unaged tequila, or grappa, or gin and poured over ice-cream or whipped into an orange-based souffl.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
