Little beats a loaf of fresh bread still warm from the oven. Today’s one is flecked with courgettes (zucchini), toasted seeds, a pleasing hint of green chilli and plenty of cheddar – the more mature, the better. It is delicious in the extreme, and even more so when spread with pickled chilli butter. But first a year-round roast chicken, inspired by the red rices of Mexico, that fills the day with a happy glow. If ever there was a dish to sing for its supper …
Roast chicken stuffed with tomato rice and smoky oregano butter (pictured top)
I am endlessly in awe of the amount of umami unleashed by a simple braise of tomatoes, garlic and onion. Here, their sticky, sweet juices caramelise around the grains of rice and edges of the pan, producing a swashbuckling flavour-bomb that looks resplendent when it comes to the table.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 6–8
250g long-grain rice
1 large chicken (about 2kg)
40g butter
1–2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
50g sun-dried tomato paste
1 tbsp chipotle en adobo
1 tsp ground allspice
260g cherry tomatoes, quartered, or a 400g tin
500ml chicken stock, or water
200ml white wine
For the butter
1 fat garlic clove, peeled
½ tsp ground allspice
1 tsp sea salt
1 handful fresh oregano leaves, or thyme, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chipotle en adobo
75g room-temperature butter
Soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes and take the chicken out of the fridge so it comes up to room temperature.
Put a casserole dish or large saucepan on a medium heat and, once it’s hot, add the butter and olive oil. Stir in the onion, season generously and sweat, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
Add the ginger and garlic, cook, stirring, for three to four minutes more, then stir in the sun-dried tomato paste, chipotle and allspice. Stir in the tomatoes, then drain the rice and add that, too. Stir for a few minutes to coat the rice, then pour in the stock or water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes, then take off the heat. By this time, the tomatoes will have started to break down and will be smelling fragrant and delicious, but the rice will not yet be fully cooked; you’ll finish it off in the oven later.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Meanwhile, make the butter: in a mortar or small blender, grind the garlic, allspice, salt and herbs to a paste, then work in the chipotle and butter until well combined.
Put the chicken in a roasting tray and loosen the skin around the breast and thighs. Push two-thirds of the chipotle butter under the skin, then smear the rest all over the outside of the chicken. Stuff the bird with the part-cooked red rice, and scoop any that doesn’t fit inside bird into the roasting tray under the chicken. Pour in the wine, then roast for an hour and 15 minutes (allow 15 minutes per 500g of bird, plus 15 minutes, and you should be spot on), until the chicken is golden and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thighs are pierced with a skewer. I usually cut between the thighs and body after 35 minutes, to allow the insides of the thighs to cook without risk of overcooking the breast. The chicken will emerge resplendent with that smoky tomato rice. Carve and serve.
Courgette soda bread with pickled chilli butter
Thomasina Miers’ courgette soda bread with pickled chilli butter.
Alongside the roast chicken, this loaf, with additional cheese and a sprightly green salad, makes a stunning weekend lunch. It is also great slathered with cold salted butter and nothing else.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Makes 1 loaf
250g courgettes
200g white spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
130g white rye, wholemeal or emmer flour
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g mixed seeds, such as sunflower and pumpkin
1½ tsp fennel seeds
120g mature cheddar, grated
2 green chillies, finely diced
300ml buttermilk
For the butter
250g softened butter
3–4 large pickled chillies
40g fresh dill, leaves picked
2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Blitz all the ingredients for the butter in a small food processor until fully combined, then roll into a sausage, wrap in baking paper and chill until needed. It will keep happily for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7 and put a baking sheet inside to heat up. Have ready a sheet of baking paper.
Roughly grate the courgettes into a bowl, then squeeze them tightly with your hands to get rid of any excess liquid. Squeeze again in paper kitchen towels to extract every last bit of moisture, then set aside.
Sift the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, then tip anything left in the sieve into the bowl.
Put a frying pan on a medium heat and, once hot, gently toast the mixed seeds for five to six minutes, until they start to crackle and pop. Reserve a few tablespoons’ worth, then tip the rest into the flour bowl. Toast the fennel seeds in the same pan for a minute, then add to the flour. Tip in the squeezed courgettes, cheddar and chillies, and fold until they are all nicely coated in the flour.
Make a well in the centre of the courgette mix, then pour in the buttermilk and, as quickly and deftly as you can, fold it in; the quicker you can do this, the lighter the soda bread will be. This is quite a sticky dough, so do not lose faith. Turn out on to a floured surface and, with flour-dusted hands, shape the dough into a round with authority and speed. Make a cross on the top with a sharp knife and sprinkle with the reserved toasted mixed seeds.
Take the baking sheet out of the oven and line it with the reserved sheet of baking paper. Put the soda bread on top and bake for 40–45 minutes, until golden and hollow-sounding when you tap the base. Serve with the chilli butter. Wrapped and stored in a bread bin, the loaf will keep for several days.
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These recipes are edited extracts from Mexican Table by Thomasina Miers (Quadrille, £28). To order a copy for £25.20, visit guardianbookshop.com