Serves 4

1.5kg Whole Chicken, shredded into strips/pieces

½ a Butternut Squash, chopped into small cubes

1 Leek, chopped up roughly

1 Onion, diced

1 oz Butter

1 oz Plain Flour

100g Brown Rice

150g White Rice

½ Pint Milk

½ Pint Chicken Stock

2 Lemons

Bunch Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped

Dry Mixed Herbs

Thyme

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

 

Stock:

Chicken Carcass

1 Carrot

1 Celery Stalk

1 Whole Onion

Salt

Whole Peppercorns

 

Stock (can be made a day in advance) 

1. Season the cavity of the chicken with mixed herbs, salt and pepper, then stuff with a lemon and thyme. Roast the chicken in oven for 1hr 30mins at 190◦C, ensuring its juices run clear and is cooked fully.

2. Strip off all good meat and put to one side for later.

3. Place bones/carcass/juices in a large saucepan with a celery stick, carrot, onion, salt, some peppercorns and cover with boiling water.

4. Simmer for an hour or as long as possible and then sieve to create the stock. 

Alternatively to making the stock place a chicken stock cube in ½ a pint of boiling water…but nothing beats the real deal…

1. Cover the squash with salt, pepper, olive oil, dry mixed herbs and roast for 40 minutes at 180◦C in a roasting dish.

2. Place the rice in a saucepan with salt, pepper and some olive oil and fry for a minute on the hob.

3. Next add enough boiling water to cover the rice and cook for 20-25 minutes, adding water if necessary.

4. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick pan or casserole dish sauté the leek and one onion in the butter until softened ensuring it does not burn.

5. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, then add the milk, chicken stock and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Add more stock/milk to make the sauce to go further if needs be.

6. Add the cooked chicken, squash, parsley and season to taste. Remove from heat when the chicken has warmed through and the sauce has thickened.

7. Serve with the wild rice and herby greens.

Serves 2

100g Green Beans (topped and tailed)

50g Sugar Snap Peas

Generous bunch of Basil chopped roughly

Generous bunch of flat leaf Parsley chopped roughly

Juice and Zest of a half an Orange

2 tbsp Brown Linseed

Handful of pine nuts and cashew nuts (roasted)

½ tsp Chilli flakes

 

Dressing

3 Good Lugs of Olive Oil

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Generous Splash of Balsamic Vinegar

½ tsp Sugar

Salt and Black Pepper

 

1. Add beans and peas to boiling water and cook until tender (3-4 minutes).

2. Add nuts to a frying pan with chilli flakes and a bit of the oil and roast on the hob for 2 minutes, stirring regularly so as not to burn.

3. Meanwhile, mix together all dressing ingredients, seasoning to taste.

4. Once beans are cooked, run under cold water to cool and place in a serving dish.

5. Add linseed, nuts and orange zest then pour over the dressing. Toss.

6. Drizzle over the orange juice to your preferred taste and season again if necessary.

 

 

Words and photos: Tash Straker

Illustration: Ali Mills