Rosemary:
The
name Rosemary is derived from the Latin word Ros, meaning dew and Marinus,
meaning sea. This is likely to be a result of the perennial herb originating in
Mediterranean regions growing near the sea. It was brought to England by the
Romans in the 8th Century and has been in use both for culinary and
medicinal purposes ever since.
Rosemary
is one of the predominant herbs used in Italian cuisine, particularly in lamb
and chicken dishes, but is also an excellent choice to roast with vegetables
and potatoes. A fantastic method to impart flavour is to use Rosemary sprigs as
a replacement for wooden or metal skewers in either the grill or on the
barbeque. A quick and effective method for using up some leftover Rosemary
sprigs is to pop them in a bottle of olive oil to infuse.
An
authentic Italian recipe which can often be found as a ready meal option which
does not capture its true deliciousness is the traditional rustic dish, Hunters
Chicken. This wonderful combination pays tribute to the herb’s Mediterranean
heritage.
Recipe:
Traditional Hunter’s Chicken (Pollo alla Cacciatora)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1.5 kg chicken, jointed,
or use the equivalent amount of chicken pieces
sea
salt
freshly
ground black pepper
6 bay
leaves
6
sprigs fresh rosemary
3
cloves garlic, peeled (1 crushed, 2 sliced)
½
bottle Chianti
1 tbsp
flour, for dusting
4 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil
6
anchovy fillets
1
handful kalamata olives stoned
2 x 400 g good-quality tinned plum tomatoes
Method:
First in a large pan season the
chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the bay leaves
and rosemary sprigs and the crushed clove of garlic and cover with the wine.
Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight in the fridge to
really flavour the chicken. Preheat your oven to 170ºC/350ºF. Strain the
chicken, keeping the wonderful marinade, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust
the chicken pieces with flour and heat an ovenproof pan, add the olive oil, fry
the chicken pieces until browned all over then rest these on a plate. Place the
pan you cooked the chicken in back on the heat and add the sliced garlic. Fry
gently until slightly translucent, then add the anchovies, olives, and the
tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to break these down a little. Finally add the
chicken pieces with their reserved marinade. Bring to a simmer, cover with a
lid and cook over a medium heat for 1 ½ hours. Skim off any oil that's
collected on top of the sauce, then stir, taste and add a little salt and
pepper if necessary. Just before serving, remove the rosemary and bay, they
have served their purpose. This dish is perfect with new potatoes and salad,
simple sides compliment the chicken’s richness perfectly.
Thyme:
Thyme
is a Mediterranean perennial herb that is a part of the wider mint family. The
herb has a rich and mythical history, it is said that the Ancient Greeks burnt
the herb in their temples, believing it to be a source of courage, it was later
given to knights by women for the same purpose when setting off for battle.
Thyme’s
strong and aromatic flavour is well suited to many meat dishes, particularly
game and chicken. The herb’s woody composition makes it well suited to longer
cooking times and so is excellent in stews and can be used as part of a bouquet
garni with similarly hardy herbs such as Rosemary and Bay. Another great idea
is to roast tomatoes whole with some Thyme and olive oil for a wonderful side
dish.
In
Autumn months Thyme marries particularly well with seasonal nutty mushrooms and
beef in a slow cooked dinner party favourite.
Recipe:
Slow Cooked Beef with Thyme, Garlic and Mushrooms:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1kg beef topside
2 tbsp sunflower oil
black pepper
30g butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
125g streaky bacon, diced
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml red wine
12 garlic cloves
12 shallots
6 peeled carrots cut into roughly
4 tender celery stalks, cut into roughly
450gm mushrooms (mixture of varieties roughly chopped)
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (stripped from stems)
salt
Method:
Heat
the oil in a large, heavy casserole with a lid, add the meat and fry until
sealed and browned all over. Remove from the pan and sprinkle all over with
pepper and leave to rest. Preheat your oven to 160ºC/320ºF.
Next
add the butter to the pan with the chopped onion, carrot, celery and diced
bacon. Cook over a medium heat until golden and slightly softened, roughly 10
minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for about a minute. Pour the wine and
bring to the boil, allowing some of the alcohol to evapourate. Make sure you
scrap the bottom of the pan with the spoon. Now reduce the heat so the liquid
barely simmers. This is essential as boiling will make the meat extremely
tough.
Return
the meat to the pan with the juices that will have run from it while resting
and surround with the garlic, shallots, carrots and celery. Arrange a layer of
mushrooms on top and scatter over the thyme leaves.
Cover
the pan tightly and put in the oven to cook until very tender, 3-4 hours.
Before serving, if the sauce looks too thin, remove the meat and the vegetable
pieces and keep warm covered with foil in the oven while you boil down the
juices until further concentrated.
Season
with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, cut the beef into thick slices and
spoon over the vegetables and juices. A perfect side dish is a simple celeriac
mash and some seasonal greens.
