Roast Chicken Breast wrapped in pancetta with leeks and thyme

I got this recipe from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie cookery book. This is my kind of food, quick and easy to do and damn fine to eat.

Ingredients

1 chicken breast per person
Pancetta or streaky bacon
A leek washed and sliced into 1/4 inch (0.5 cm pieces)
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Olive Oil
A nob of Butter
Maldon Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
White Wine


Cooking

Preheat Oven to 200 degrees


Put the chicken, leek, the leaves from 3 or 4 of your thyme sprigs, butter, salt & pepper and a glug, or two, or three, of your wine, into a bowl. Give it a good mix.

Take out your Chicken and wrap in the Pancetta
Put the remaining mix in the bottom of a tray and lay the wrapped chicken on top with a few full sprigs of thyme on top
Cook on a middle shelf of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes

Lamb With Spinach

In a recent conversation with my good friend Corby, the subject of Indian food came up. Somewhere down the line he mentioned that he was looking for a good recipe for Lamb with Spinach. Turning to one of the finest Indian cookery books in the world, Camellia Panjabi's 50 Great Curries Of India, I found the following recipe, and blogged it for him.

Serves 4

Ingredients

700g (1 1/2lb) Lamb cubed
2cm x 5mm (3/4 * 1/4 inch) fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
1-2 green chillies
1/2 cup of yoghurt
1/4 tsp cumin
200g (7oz) spinach leaves
1/4 cup of oil
1 Bay Leaf
1 Black Cardomon
2 cloves
225g (8oz) Onions Chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
nutmeg
a knob of butter

Preparation

Soak the lamb in warm water for 15 mins

Puree Ginger, Chilli & Garlic and add the yoghurt + 1/4 tsp cumin powder

Marinate the lamb in the mix for at least 1 hour

Blanch spinach in boliing salted water for 10 seconds and puree

Heat oil in a pan with bay leaf, cardomon & cloves. When hot add the onions & cook for 15 minutes over a moderate heat.

Add coriander powder and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Addthe 1/2 tsp cumin and after 10 secs a little water. Allow to cook.

Add meat + marinade, stir and cook on moderate heat for 10 minutes until yoghurt is absorbed. Saute for 3 mins stirring constantly. Add tomatoes & tomato puree and cook for a few more minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups of hot water and 3/4 tsp salt. Turn down low and leave to simmer. When meat is almost done add the spinach season to taste and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes uncovered.

When ready to serve prinkle with grated nutmeg and knob of butter.

Roasting Meat

Last Sunday we had an awesome shoulder joint of Puddledub's Organic Pork (probably the finest pork in the world) and I need to yet again delve into my dog eared copy of Delia's "How To Cook Book Two" for the timings. To save time in the future and give me access to them on the road I've decided to blog them.

Beef

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C (gas mark 8, 450F)

Season beef, preferably sirloin or Wing Rib with salt and pepper with a dusting of flour and dry mustard

Roast for 20 minutes then drop the temperature to 190C (gas mark 5, 375F)

Continue to Roast at this temperature for 15 minutes a pound (450g) for rare, add 15 minutes for medium and another 30 for well done. Baste at least 3 times during this period.

Rest 20-30 minutes before carving (the meat not you, you should already have been sitting back with a glass of wine in your hand during the cooking time).

Pork (with crackling)

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C (gas mark 8, 450F)

Making sure the surface skin is dry rub with sea salt (preferably Maldon) and Roast for 25 minutes then drop the temperature to 190C (gas mark 5, 375F)

Roast at the lower temperature allowing 35 minutes a pound (450g). Don't baste or you won't have crisp crackling.

Rest 20-30 minutes before carving.

Lamb

Pre-heat the oven to 190C (gas mark 5, 375F)

After seasoning the meat with salt and pepper sit in a roasting dish on a bed of sliced onion and roast for 30 minutes a pound (450g) basting about 3 times during cooking.

Rest for at least 30 minutes.

Shrewsbury Sauce to accompany the lamb

2 tbsp plain flour
1 heaped tsp mustard powder
1 pint (570 ml) Beaujolais or other light wine
5 rounded tbsp quality redcurrant jelly
3tbsp Worcester Sauce
Juice of a lemon
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Take 2 tbsp of the fat from your cooked joint and heat in a pan on low stirring in the flour and mustard powder.

Gradually add the wine to the resulting paste, a splosh at a time, stirring initially with a wooden spoon then switching top a whisk half way through.

Add the redcurrant jelly, lemon juice and seasoning whisking again until the Jelly has been dissolved. With the heat as low as it will go, and preferably with a heat diffuser sitting under the pan, let the sauce reduce for about 15 minutes. Your sauce can then be poured over your cooked lamb. Yum.

See also the post on Roast Chicken.