Recipes

Chicken with pineapple and nduja

Chicken with pineapple and nduja

One of the most exciting cookbooks of recent years is Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage who worked with Yotam Ottolenghi for several years and shares his love of bold flavours. This is actually quite an easy recipe though nobody you cook it for will think that!

Ixta writes: I love the combination of sweet and savoury (as you’ll probably have deduced if you’ve flicked through this book a few times), and there is no greater union than that of pork and pineapple. The pork here comes in the form of ’nduja, a spreadable chilli-spiked sausage from Calabria. Add chicken, pineapple, chipotle and tangerine to the mix and you’ve got yourself a party.

Serves 4

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife

1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandolin

1/2 large, extra-ripe pineapple (300g peeled weight)

4 sweet tangerines (or 2 oranges), squeezed to get 100g juice (see notes)

100g chicken bone broth, stock or water

2 tablespoons double cream

5g fresh coriander

1 lime, cut into wedges

’Nduja and chipotle paste

50g ’nduja paste/spread

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons tomato purée/paste

1/2 teaspoon chipotle flakes

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

Get ahead

Marinate the chicken in the ’nduja and chipotle paste up to 2 days ahead, but don’t mix in the onion and garlic until you’re ready to bake.

On the day

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C.

Put all the ingredients for the paste into a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion and mix well so everything is coated evenly. Tip the onions and garlic into a 28cm ovenproof cast-iron skillet or similar-sized baking dish and spread out. Place the chicken thighs on top, skin side up and spaced apart.

Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds, then cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever’s left there, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken.

Pour the tangerine juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet), then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock or water into the pan around the chicken (again, don’t get the skin wet). Return to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the pineapple a little.

Drizzle the cream into the sauce. Toss the coriander and the remaining sliced onions together with a tiny bit of oil and salt and arrange on top. Serve from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside. It also goes really well with the brown butter cornbread below

Note

Ixta recommends tangerines over oranges as she says they have a more complex, floral flavour, but feel free to use oranges if that’s easier (use fresh fruit, though, not juice from a bottle or carton). If your tangerines/oranges aren’t particularly sweet, you may want to add some maple syrup or honey – do this when you add the stock or water.

Brown butter curried cornbread


Cornbread is usually a supporting act, but this version is good enough to take centre stage at the dinner table and will probably end up being the dish around which you plan the meal. The corn that bejewels the surface is best just out of the oven when it’s a little crispy from the butter, and a little sticky from the maple syrup. That’s not to say you need to eat it all in one go; it will still be delicious the next day, heated up. To heat, either pan-fry, or place the slices on a tray in a cold oven, turn the temperature up to 150°C fan/170°C and warm for about 10 minutes. Serve with plenty of butter on the side.

Serves 6

140g unsalted butter, plus extra to serve 500g frozen corn kernels, defrosted and patted dry

150g Greek-style yoghurt

2 large eggs

1 Scotch bonnet chilli, finely chopped (optional, see notes)

1 spring onion, finely chopped

5g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1½ teaspoons medium curry powder

1½ teaspoons finely grated lime zest

100g quick-cook polenta

80g plain flour

½ teaspoon fine salt

6 tablespoons maple syrup, plus extra to serve

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

flaked salt, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring often until the butter foams and then turns a deep golden-brown. Add the corn and bubble away for 4 minutes, stirring every so often. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

While the corn and butter mixture is cooling, put the yoghurt, eggs, Scotch bonnet, spring onion, ginger, curry powder, lime zest, polenta, flour, salt and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup into a food processor, but don’t blitz yet.

Once cool, set aside 140g of the corn and butter mixture in a small bowl to use later. Add the remaining corn and butter to the food processor, then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Pulse about 3–5 times, just until the mixture comes together. Don’t overmix, you want a textured batter with small chunks of corn, not a smooth batter.

Transfer the batter into the prepared tin, then spoon the reserved corn and butter evenly over the surface.

Bake for 20 minutes, then evenly drizzle over the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and bake for another 15–20 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown on top.

Leave to cool for 15 minutes. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the corn in places. Drizzle over some more maple syrup (I like a lot!), sprinkle with flaked salt and serve with a slab of butter alongside.

Notes

Ixta uses a whole Scotch bonnet, and its flavour and heat is quite dominant. I love that, but you can of course add less, removing the pith and seeds, or just add a pinch of regular chilli flakes for milder heat.

Recipes extracted from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage published by Ebury Press at £26. Photography by Yuki Sugiura

Bhutte ka kees with prawns

Bhutte ka kees with prawns

This recipe comes from winemaker Corlea Fourie. It’s like a spicy, corn porridge which she and her husband Bertus serve with grilled prawns as part of a braai (barbecue)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3-4 (multiply as needed)

Ingredients:

  • 3 large corn cobs
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger piece grated
  • Pinch of asafoetida
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • grated fresh coconut for garnishing
  • Salt to taste

12 large raw shell and head-on prawns

 Bhutte ka kees

Method:

  1. Remove the husk from the corn cobs and grate the kernels or cut them off with a sharp knife and pulse them in a food processor. (You could also use frozen corn.)
  2. Heat the ghee in a cast iron pan on medium flame. Add mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Next tip in the green chilies and grated ginger. Sauté for few seconds. Now move to cooler coals and add asafoetida and turmeric powder.
  3. Add the grated or chopped corn along with their milk, if any. Mix well and stir-fry the corn mixture on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add coconut milk to the corn mixture followed by salt and sugar. Mix well and cover the cooking mixture for 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture in between to ensure the mixture has the right consistency.
  5. Lastly, add lemon juice to the bhutte ka kees and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and grated coconut.
  6. Brush or spray the shell-on prawns lightly with oil and grill then on the barbecue for about 4-5 minutes until pink, turning them half way through*. Place them on top of the bhutte ka Kees to serve. Garnish each plate with fresh coriander leaves and grated coconut.

*you could also cook them in a wok

What to drink: Corlea suggests an orange wine, their 2019 Fides skin contact grenache blanc which you can buy from Woodwinters. An old vine chenin blanc or chardonnay would work well too.

Ottolenghi's slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust

Ottolenghi's slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust

If you're an Ottolenghi fan you'll love this easy, incredibly tasty chicken bake from his new book Simple, which is ideal for entertaining as you can make the base well ahead.

"The slow-cooked chicken is packed full of flavour and the crust - gluten-free, rich and corny - makes for a welcome (and lighter) change to a heavier mash.

You can make the chicken well in advance if you want to get ahead: it keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen for 1 month. You want it to go into the oven defrosted, though, so it will need thawing out of the freezer.

The batter needs to be made fresh and spooned on top of the chicken just before the dish gets baked, but it then can just go back in the oven. It can also be baked a few hours in advance – just warm through for 10 minutes, covered in foil, before serving.

I love the combination of the chicken and the corn, but the chicken also works well as it is, served on top of rice, in a wrap or with a buttery jacket potato."

Serves six

3 tbsp olive oil

3 red onions, thinly sliced (500g)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp rose harissa (or 50% more or less, depending on variety) (60g)

2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

850g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless (about 9–10 thighs)

200ml passata

5 large tomatoes, quartered (400g)

200g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 2cm thick rounds

15g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

20g coriander, roughly chopped

salt and black pepper

SWEETCORN BATTER

70g unsalted butter, melted

500g corn kernels, fresh or frozen and defrosted (shaved corn kernels from 4 large corn cobs, if starting from fresh)

3 tbsp whole milk

3 eggs, yolks and whites separated

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, on a medium high heat. Add the onions and fry for 8–9 minutes, stirring a few times, until caramelised and soft. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, harissa, paprika, chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the passata and tomatoes. Pour over 350ml of water, bring to the boil, then simmer on a medium heat, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

2. Add the peppers and chocolate and continue to simmer for another 35–40 minutes, with the pan now uncovered, stirring frequently, until the sauce is getting thick and the chicken is falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander. If you are serving the chicken as it is (as a stew without the batter), it’s ready to serve (or freeze, once it’s come to room temperature) at this stage. If you are making the corn topping, spoon the chicken into a ceramic baking dish – one with high sides that measures about 20 x 30cm – and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Pour the butter into a blender with the corn, milk, egg yolks and ¾ teaspoon salt. Blitz for a few seconds, to form a rough paste, then spoon into a large bowl. Place the egg whites in a separate clean bowl and whisk to form firm peaks. Fold these gently into the runny corn mixture until just combined, then pour the mix evenly over the chicken.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden-brown: keep an eye on it after 25 minutes to make sure the top is not taking on too much colour: you might need to cover it with tin foil for the final 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before serving with a crisp green salad.

What to drink: Normally the combination of chicken and corn would automatically lead me to chardonnay but this is more of a mole-type sauce which suggests a robust southern French red like a grenache or GSM (grenache, syrah, mourvedre) blend.

Extracted from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi with Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, published by Ebury Press at £25. Picture © Jonathan Lovekin.



 

 

 

About FionaAbout FionaAbout Matching Food & WineAbout Matching Food & WineWork with meWork with me
Loading