CHICKEN SATAYS WITH PEANUT SAUCE In south-east Asia, vendors are well aware it’s the sizzle and smell of outdoor snacks like these satays that make them so appealing. They are equally good made with pork fillet. The peanut sauce makes about 1½ cups/375 ml to serve 4-6 people. Serves 4-6 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
TAIWAN CHICKEN STIR FRY When Grandma traveled in Asia, she loved the lively little dishes served in outdoor markets. The trio of spring onion, garlic and root ginger is the classic seasoning for innumerable Asian dishes, whether or not to pick them up with chili pepper is the cook’s choice. Serves 2 2 boneless, skinless
SALAD OF HONEY ROAST CHICKEN WINGS AND BACON The first time Grandma read this recipe, she shuddered but she has to admit that the sweet-salt combination of honey and bacon with chicken is a winner. She uses the same glaze for other chicken pieces, too, to make a first course or lunch for four. Serves
I am a veteran of the heyday of Chicken Kiev, London in the early 60s with beehive hairdos and skinny sheath dresses that so easily were splashed with the delicious herb and butter filling of Chicken Kiev. In superior restaurants, the waiter would enquire if we wanted your crisp golden packages of deep fried chicken
When you add whisky to a pan of chicken breasts, it makes a fine blaze. The whisky flavor lingers in the pan juices, making a tasty sauce with lemon and honey – the classic trio in a hot toddy.
My mother once tried to raise guinea hens, tiresome birds that made a lot of noise and were hard to catch as they persisted in roosting in the trees. So when I moved to France and found guinea hens ready-prepared in the local market I was delighted. They have much more taste than a chicken and handily replace game birds such as partridge and pheasant. If you cannot find them, use a small chicken instead.
This charming, rustic recipe comes from Bartolomeo Scappi’s Opera, one of the outstanding cookbooks of the Italian renaissance. Everything is simmered together until the duck meat almost falls from the bone and I’m always astonished by the potent, spicy sauce with its underlying sweetness of dried fruits. Scappi does not mention salt, but instead adds ham in much the same way that Italian cooks today season with grated Parmesan cheese. I’d strongly advise cooking the duck ahead — the spices blend and mellow, while the fat that rises to the surface of the sauce during cooking is all the easier to skim after it has solidified in the refrigerator.
Cazuela means casserole in Spanish and this rustic dish is a classic one pot meal, half chicken soup, half stew. Pumpkin, potatoes and corn are a traditional part of cazuela, and green vegetables can vary with the season.
The cooks of the Burgundian town of Chablis, famous for its white wine, like to cook meats in a rich white wine sauce with juniper and shallots. I tried it one day with chicken breasts, great winter fare!
Chinese five spice powder is one of my secret weapons – it adds a warmth and depth of flavor that is quite different from curry powder. The key flavorings are cinnamon, star anise, fennel, clove and Sichuan peppercorns, but like curry powder the exact mix varies from brand to brand.