“I come from a large family of eight boys,” says Wheeler. “Sunday was the one day of the week we’d try to come together around the table.”
It’s a tradition he maintains with his own young family and friends,who gather on Sundays,sometimes for a roast,for a large,shared steak cooked on the barbie,or for a spread of seafood and salads.
Both authors contributed favourite recipes toMeatsmith:Home Cooking for Friends and Family,but the roast chicken was a joint effort,so to speak.
McConnell suggested the cooking temperature and timing,and Wheeler advised on how to remove the wishbone,a technique he says makes the bird easier to carve. “The first time people try it,they might find it tricky to identify the wishbone,” he says. “But it gets easier with practice.”
Meatsmith:Home Cooking for Friends and Family sold out on its first print run and is now in its second printing. Copies will be available by the end of February.
A perfect roast chicken
This is the recipe we use when roasting a chicken at home,and includes the all-important step of removing the wishbone before you roast the bird. It’s quite a simple manoeuvre and makes the chicken super easy to carve. Leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge overnight for the best crispy skin.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken
- 120g unsalted butter,at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- size 16 (1.6kg) chicken,at room temperature
- ½ lemon
- sea salt,to serve
Pan-juice gravy
Troy Wheeler was introduced to this Eastern European spice mix by a friend in Los Angeles and says it lends an aromatic,curry-like note to the chicken.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp dried savory or thyme
- 1½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
METHOD
Combine the ingredients in a spice grinder,mill or mortar and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container or jar for up to 6 months.
Jansson’s temptation
This Swedish Christmas favourite was named (according to some) after a food-loving Swedish opera singer called Pelle Janzon,who was singing his heart out in the early 1900s. Andrew first learned to cook this dish from the late Walter Bourke,a former ballet dancer and influential Melbourne chef,whose wife Maria was Swedish. It’s layered with anchovies,smothered in cream and baked,so you can’t go wrong. Don’t wait for Christmas.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp softened butter
- 6 medium Desiree potatoes,rinsed and cut into large matchsticks (I use a mandoline)
- 80g anchovy fillets
- 5 large golden eschalots,diced
- 500ml (2 cups) pouring cream
- ½ tsp salt flakes
- pinch of white pepper
- extra 50g cold unsalted butter,diced
To peel or not to peel,this is the question that has still not been resolved in our kitchen. For this preparation,however,we like to use the finest Dutch carrots we can find,where the skin is thin and brings so much flavour to the dish. If using larger conventional carrots or heirloom carrots,do peel them as the skin can be bitter,and it prevents any outside flavours from penetrating the flesh.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g plain yoghurt
- handful of wood chips,for smoking
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 long red chilli,seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp oregano leaves
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter,melted
- 2 bunches Dutch carrots
- 5 thyme sprigs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper,to season
METHOD
- To make the smoked yoghurt and dressing:Spread the yoghurt out on a small tray and keep it cold in the fridge. Tear off a sheet of aluminium foil about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Fold it in half twice into a smaller square and turn up the sides so it resembles a small tray. Pinch the corners so it stays together.
- Place the aluminium tray at one end of a large roasting tray and fill it with wood chips. Tear off 2 more larger sheets of aluminium foil big enough to cover your roasting tray. Remove the small tray of yoghurt from the fridge and keep it close to your larger tray.
- Using a blowtorch,light the wood chips. Once they are lit,blow out the flames and quickly place the small tray with the yoghurt at the opposite end to the smouldering wood chips. Cover the whole roasting tray with the larger pieces of aluminium foil you prepared,making sure it is tight and trapping in all the smoke.
- Leave it covered for about 20 minutes. Uncover and remove the smaller tray of yoghurt. Give it a mix with a spoon and transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- To make the dressing,whisk the honey,2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a pinch of salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the chilli,oregano,lemon zest and juice. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To cook the carrots and assemble the salad:Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the carrots until tender;depending on the size it will take anything from 3-10 minutes (use a small paring knife to check whether the carrots are tender;there needs to be a slight resistance). Once ready,remove the carrots from the water and drain.
- Heat a large,heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and add the carrots. If they don’t all fit in the pan,cook the carrots in two batches. Add the butter and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil,followed by the carrots and saute,shuffling around in the pan until golden,caramelised and tender,about 3-6 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs for the last minute of cooking and toss the carrots and thyme together in the pan. Season to taste.
- Place the carrots in a bowl with the dressing. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and leave the carrots to marinate at room temperature for half an hour or so. To serve,arrange the smoked yoghurt on a serving platter and top with the marinated carrots.
Serves 6
Charred sugarloaf cabbage with kombu butter
The pointed sugarloaf cabbage,also known as hispi,is excellent for this dish:it’s structurally resilient under high heat and its compressed leaves are perfect for soaking up all the butter and kombu flavours,which lend a rich umami element to the sweet,charred cabbage. Finishing it with buttery lardo adds another layer of richness. If you can’t find sugarloaf cabbage,use half of a very firm savoy cabbage.
INGREDIENTS