Such as this recipe from Simon Hopkinson. More robust rustic reds from southern France such Saint Chinian or a Côtes du Rhône Villages like a Vacqueyras, Bandol. Rioja reservas and similar Spanish reds (especially with a dish like this pot-roast pheasant with chorizo and butter beans from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Any GSM (grenache, syrah, mourvèdre) blend or straight syrah or shiraz with a bit of bottle age.
Guinea fowl is a great alternative to chicken, it has a gamier flavour. It does however dry out a little easier than chicken so pot roasting is a great way of cooking it and retaining flavour and moisture at the same time. They are a little on the small side so will feed 2-3 people.1 Guinea fowl (approx 1kg)Soy sauce brine100ml soy sauce10g brown sugar10g salt2 star anise1 bay leaf2 cloves garlic2 shallots1 litre waterMix all the ingredients together until the salt and sugar have dissolvedPlace the guinea fowl in the brine and leave for at least 4 - 6 hoursOnce brined, remove the guinea fowl, dry off excess moisture with kitchen paper and place in the fridge for 2 hours to air dryStrain the brine mix and keep the star anise, the shallot, bay and garlic for cooking laterPot roast100ml rice wine or verdejo madeira wine300ml chicken stock30ml oil for frying4 small carrots, topped, tailed, peeled and left whole6 small potatoes, unpeeled and sliced in half30g butter to finish the sauceSalt and pepper to seasonIn a heavy bottomed casserole or cast iron pan, brown off the guinea fowl in the oil until you have a nice colour on all sidesDe-glaze the bottom of the pan with the wine and then add the chicken stockPlace the shallots, start anise, bay and garlic in the panPlace the guinea fowl on top and place the lid on the panYou can either cook this on a medium heat on the stove top or in the oven at 170c (fan), 180c (normal) for 60 minutes until the core temperature reaches 68cMy preference is to cook it on the BBQ, indirect 180c with the lid off for 30 minutes and then on for the last 30 minutesAbout 30 minutes into the cooking time, take the guinea fowl out and place the carrots and potatoes in the pan, place the guinea fowl back on top with the lid on and continue cookingOnce the guinea fowl is cooked, remove to a warm place and allow to restRemove the vegetables and place to one side to keep warmStrain the cooking liquor and pour back into the pan, allow to reduce until it thickens slightly, finish with the butter
Pot Roast Chicken Simon Hopkinson Recipe
4. Place the chicken in a 12 x 8 x 1 1/2-inch roasting pan breast side up. Put in the oven legs first and roast 50 to 60 minutes, or until the juices run clear. After the first 10 minutes, move the chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it from sticking.
5. Remove the chicken to a platter by placing a large wooden spoon into the tail end and balancing the chicken with a kitchen spoon pressed against the crop end. As you lift the chicken, carefully tilt it over the roasting pan so that all the juices run out and into the pan.
6. Optional: Pour off or spoon out excess fat from the roasting pan and put the roasting pan on top of the stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring the contents of the pan to a boil, while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Serve the sauce over the chicken or, for crisp skin, in a sauceboat.
Jonathan Waxman is the owner of Barbuto in the West Village of Manhattan who has cooked and owned more restaurants than I can keep track of, and his influence has trickled down to chefs on both coasts since the 1970s when he was earning his stripes at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. The roasted chicken that comes out of his wood-fired oven is pretty close to perfection. His restaurant cranks chicken out for lunch and dinner every day. And I can attest that if you eat at Barbuto on a warm day, with the garage doors flung open to the world, enjoying his chicken served with salsa verde and a bottle of ice-cold Vermentino Toscana, you will have a huge smile on your face.
I cannot claim to know the origins of her favorite chicken dish, as she is on vacation as I write this, but she has created the perfect balance of flavors and technique over the years that puts her roasted bird over the top. Kristin has always been conservative when it comes to the degree of heat used in cooking (Kieran and I used to joke that she would cook hot dogs over the pilot light; either way it took way too long to reheat this already cooked product). To cook her chicken, Kristin preheats the oven to 350 degrees, surprisingly hot for her, and places the chicken in a clay baking dish. A lemon is then squeezed over the top of the chicken then placed into the cavity; garlic powder is equally distributed all around, a half cup of water is added to the pan with an equal amount of tamari, and two white onions are quartered and placed around the bottom of the pan. The chicken goes in the oven and is basted thoroughly every 15 minutes for three hours. Yes, three hours!
Roast Chicken and Other Stories provides an insight into Simon Hopkinson's unique style of unpretentious cooking with 160 of his favourite recipes. Simon Hopkinson's forty favourite ingredients include everyday basics as potatoes, chicken and cod as well as more exotic foods such as asparagus and truffles. The cookbook is arranged alphabetically with a chapter on each food. Unable to hide his great love of food, Hopkinson writes about why he likes each particular ingredient, and gives sensible advice on quality, variety and good cooking principles together with the recipes. The book is aimed at home cooks and all the recipes can be prepared by anyone with basic cooking skills. From Grilled Augergine with Pesto to Roast Chicken and Homemade Ice Cream, Simon Hopkinson's food is always honest and inviting, designed to please rather than simply to impress.
Notes. A good roasting tin of the right size is pretty vital. It should be large enough to accommodate the chicken comfortably but small enough to contain the precious juices. I like, really like, this tin. You do not need to baste the chicken.
Put the chicken in a roasting tin that will accommodate it with room to spare. Smear the butter with your hands all over the bird and then season it liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Turn the oven up to 200 / 400 F and continue roasting the chicken for another 40 minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the door ajar and let the chicken rest in the cooling oven for another 20 minutes.
4. Carve the bird to suit yourself; I like to do it in the roasting tin. I see no point in making a gravy in that old-fashioned English way with the roasting fat, flour and vegetable cooking water. With this roasting method, what you end up with in the tin is an amalgamation of butter, lemon juice and chicken juices.
5. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, then baste with the juices from the pan. Next add the wine to the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and roast for a further 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices.
Chicken breasts often get all the glory, when it comes to preparing a poultry recipe. It could be that the white meat is top choice. Some do say that the drumsticks and thighs are the juiciest and flavorful meat on a chicken. We would add they inexpensive and easy to prepare as well.
Judy Rodgers' roast chicken was one of those recipes that passed through the internet like a wave at a hockey game. I resisted. I didn't want to loosen the skin and salt and herb several days before roasting. I couldn't think about anything that far in advance. I knew my kitchen would fill with smoke as it roasted that bird at 475 F, and I already knew how to make perfect roast chicken.
My friend Andrew worked at Zuni Café for years. The night he cooked for me there, he sped around the open kitchen, making sure he laid eyes on each dish that came to me. He was manning the brick oven that roasted the chickens, and I sat at the table just beyond the oven, close enough to watch the dry and salted skin of each little bird turn gold each and every time. And the chicken that he brought to my table was... well, as Deb Perelman put it, Zuni Café chicken is "something of a religion for people." If chicken and God were to align together in some way, I think it would be on that plate at Zuni, and in the marriage between the skin, the meat, and the vinegary tang of the bread salad.
There was something in Thomas Keller's tone that finally inspired me to buy a roll of kitchen twine. His recipe (no butter, hot oven, butter on the meat after cooking) was a variation on those I'd made before, but he seemed to feel strongly about binding up those legs. It appealed to my inner girl scout, although the legs kept slipping out of their knots. Still I prepped a la Keller, doing my best to "rain salt over the bird." The chicken was as good as any other, and, true to Keller's instruction and that moment from the movie Amelie, I ate one oyster from the backbone and gave the other to my daughter. 2ff7e9595c
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