September 2023

I’m fresh back from my holidays and as always it’s good to be back in my kitchen. Whilst on holiday we were eating out a lot and whilst I enjoy restaurants (see all my reviews here!) there is something liberating about being in charge of the cooking and eating exactly what I want! Having holidayed in Italy this summer I had eaten more than my fair share of pasta, so on my return I was yearning for something a little more ‘British’. One of the first dishes I cooked was a family favourite –  ‘Pot Roast Chicken with Tarragon’ complete with roast potatoes (recipe here!) – it was instantly comforting and homely! September is a month that needs ‘family favourites’; it’s a ‘back to routine’ month which also cries out for easy, end-of-the-day recipes, so I’m sharing recipes that have recently become some of my family’s favourites and which won’t need too much attention!..

Menu One is ‘Three Mustard Chicken’. Despite being an easy recipe its flavours pack a punch so it makes a great ‘go-to’ recipe. Menu Two is ‘Roast Duck Legs with Melon and Blackberry Salad’. Using ‘end of summer’ fruit, it’s the perfect September recipe – duck legs are all too often overlooked but they are super simple to roast and very tasty! Finally, Menu Three is ‘Sumac and Chilli Spiced Rack of Lamb with Sweet Pomegranate Sauce’, admittedly it is not the most economical cut of meat for a mid-week supper but these lamb cutlets are a tasty treat and would also be good enough to serve at a dinner party! All they need is a good green salad on the side, but if you have the time and inclination they are particularly delicious with ‘Roasted Squash, Crispy Lentils, Pomegranate & Dukkah’; I shared this recipe some months ago as a vegetarian option and it complements this lamb dish particularly well!..

Next week I’ll be sharing a ‘Tuesday Treat’ – so if you have a sweet tooth don’t forget to check the website (or better still sign up at the bottom of this page to receive an email reminder!).

*Need some music to perk up your kitchen?.. I’ve been listening to this playlist recently ‘Music to Cook to…MenuMusic Twenty Four‘, it’s got some old R&B favourites; it’s great to sing-a-long-to!

Menu One

Three Mustard Chicken (Serves 4)

This recipe is from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Real Life Recipes’, it’s his take on the French classic ‘Poulet a là Moutarde’. He uses three mustards, including hot English Mustard so the sauce really packs a punch. For a tasty supper simply serve with green beans and steamed new potatoes or mashed potatoes.

8 chicken thighs (skin on and bone in)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 banana shallots, finely sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

200ml dry white wine

400ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

2 teaspoons hot English mustard

150ml double cream

2 tablespoons tarragon leaves, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to a large saute pan over a medium heat, then add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Cook, without turning until the skin is a deep golden brown and very crispy – this will take about 15 minutes.
2. Turn the thighs over and cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove the chicken and set aside.
3. Increase the heat under the saute pan and add the shallots. Cook for 2 minutes then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring and scraping any sticky bits from the bottom. Let the wine bubble until reduced by half, then pour in the chicken stock.
4. Now stir in the three mustards and add the cream. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Return the chicken to the pan, placing it skin side up (the skin needs to be exposed above the sauce to ensure it remains crispy). Cook for a further 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Taste the sauce to check the seasoning, then sprinkle over the chopped tarragon.
7. Serve the chicken in the creamy mustard sauce with green beans and steamed or mashed potatoes on the side.

Menu Two

Roast Duck, Melon and Blackberry Salad (Serves 4)

All too often duck legs are a cut of meat that are overlooked, but as Nigel Slater shows in this recipe, they are super easy to roast and are extremely tasty. This recipe makes a delicious, light supper.

125ml white or red wine

4 duck legs

A little olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

10 juniper berries

1 tablespoon sea salt

750g ripe melon

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

150g blackberries

1. First, make the herb rub. Put the thyme leaves and juniper berries in a mortar, add the sea salt and grind coarsely.
2. Place a wire rack over the top of a roasting tin, then put the duck legs on the rack. Moisten them with a little oil, then rub with the thyme and juniper salt.
3. Roast the duck in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 20 minutes, then remove briefly from the oven and pour the wine into the tin, then return to the oven. Lower the heat to 180’c and cook for a further 40 minutes. Keep an eye on the progress of the duck, topping up with a little more wine or stock as necessary.
4. Meanwhile, remove the peel and seeds from the melon then cut the flesh into thin slices and place on a serving dish.
5. Remove the duck from the oven, check for tenderness, and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing the skin and flesh from the bones.
6. Make the dressing by placing the roasting tin over a moderate heat, pour in the red wine vinegar and stir, letting the dressing bubble, scraping the tin as you go. Toss the duck meat into the warm dressing then tuck the meat among the melon. Scatter over the blackberries and serve.

Menu Three

Sumac & Chilli Spiced Rack of Lamb with Sweet Pomegranate Sauce (Serves 4)

(Served with Roasted Squash, Crispy Lentils, Pomegranate & Dukkah)  

I first tasted this lamb at a friend’s house and I asked for the recipe straight away! It’s one of those recipes which has changed hands multiple times, so unfortunately I have failed to trace the cookbook it first appeared in, which is a shame as the author really does deserve a round of applause as it’s a fantastically simple recipe! All it needs is a good green salad on the side, but if you have the time and inclination it’s particularly delicious with ‘Roasted Squash, Crispy Lentils, Pomegranate & Dukkah’ (recipe below).

For the Lamb:

3 tablespoons crushed or ground sumac

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon mild chilli flakes or powder

2 lamb racks (6 cutlets each), French trimmed

4 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sauce:

150ml pomegranate molasses

50ml grenadine

50ml water

1. About an hour before cooking combine the sumac, cumin and chilli in a bowl and season. Arrange the lamb racks on a roasting tray and rub all over with the sumac mix. Drizzle with a little olive oil and allow to rest for an hour (or more) in the fridge
2. Roast the racks for 20 minutes in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, (if you have a meat thermometer it should register 65-70’c). Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until you have a syrupy consistency and have reduced the liquid by half.
4. To serve, slice into cutlets and drizzle with the pomegranate sauce.

Staple Side Dish: Roasted Squash, Crispy Lentils, Pomegranate & Dukkah (Serves 4)

This is a fantastic recipe from Rukmini Iyer’s cookbook ‘A Roasting Tin Around The World’. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it looks beautiful with its jewel-like colours! It’s the perfect complement for ‘Sumac & Chilli Spiced Rack of Lamb ‘(above)!

600g butternut squash, cut into 1.5cm slices

1 red onion, cut into eighths

250g cherry tomatoes

1 x 400g tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

½ – 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (to taste)

2 tablespoons dukkah

A handful of pomegranate seeds

A handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

Dressing:

100ml plain yogurt

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1. Tip the squash, onion and tomatoes into a roasting tin large enough to hold everything in one layer, then mix through the lentils, salt, pomegranate molasses, oil, garlic and chilli flakes. Transfer to a preheated oven, 180’c fan, roast for 45-50 minutes, until the squash is cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt and pomegranate molasses together, taste and season with a little salt as needed.
3. Drizzle the yogurt over the roasted veg, scatter over the dukkah, pomegranate seeds and mint and serve hot.