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Check out these delicious recipies
The perfect mix of sweet and savoury. “There is no greater union than that of pork and pineapple,” says Ixta Belfrage.
“The pork here comes in the form of ’nduja, a spreadable chilli-spiked sausage from Calabria. Add chicken, pineapple, chipotle and tangerine to the mix and you’ve got yourself a party.”
In this recipe, Belfrage uses tangerines instead of oranges but says you can use either that’s available – as long as you use fresh fruit juice, not from a carton. If your fruit isn’t that sweet, she recommends adding some maple syrup or honey when you add the stock or water.
Chicken with pineapple and ‘nduja
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
l 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature
l 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
l 1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandolin
l ½ large, extra-ripe pineapple, peeled (300g)
l 4 sweet tangerines (or 2 oranges), squeezed to get 100g juice
l 100g chicken bone broth, stock or water
l 2tbsp double cream
l 5g fresh coriander
l 1 lime, cut into wedges
For the ’Nduja and chipotle paste:
l 50g ’nduja paste/spread
l 2tbsp olive oil
l 2tsp tomato puree/paste
l ½tsp chipotle flakes
l ½tsp paprika
l ¾tsp fine salt
l About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C.
2. Put all the ingredients for the paste into a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion and mix well so everything is coated evenly. Tip the onions and garlic into a 28cm ovenproof cast-iron skillet or similar-sized baking dish and spread out. Place the chicken thighs on top, skin side up and spaced apart.
3. Cut the pineapple into four rounds, then cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever’s left there, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken.
4. Pour the tangerine juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet), then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock or water into the pan around the chicken (again, don’t get the skin wet). Return to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the pineapple a little.
5. Drizzle the cream into the sauce. Toss the coriander and the remaining sliced onions together with a tiny bit of oil and salt and arrange on top. Serve from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside.
Whipped yoghurt with roasted strawberries and peanut fudge sauce
Think of it as the adult’s version of peanut butter jelly.
“The lime-roasted strawberries and peanut fudge sauce are essentially a refined combination of peanut butter and jelly, and boy do they sing together!” says Ixta Belfrage.
“Here I serve them with a simple whipped yoghurt, but you could serve with plain yoghurt or shop-bought ice cream.”
For the roasted strawberries:
l 300g frozen strawberries, defrosted (frozen strawberries will produce a redder syrup, but you can use fresh strawberries – stalks removed and roughly chopped – just make sure they’re extra ripe)
l 50g caster sugar
l ½ lime
l 2 cinnamon sticks, roughly broken
For the whipped yoghurt:
l 150g mascarpone, fridge-cold
l 200g yoghurt, fridge-cold
l ½tsp vanilla bean paste
l 1tbsp maple syrup
For the peanut fudge sauce:
l 50g smooth peanut butter (I use ManiLife)
l 1½tbsp cocoa powder
l 75g maple syrup
l 1tsp soy sauce (or tamari)
l 1½tbsp water
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C.
2. For the roasted strawberries, place all the ingredients in an ovenproof dish just big enough to fit the strawberries in a single layer. They should be snug, but not piled on top of each other. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway. Set aside to cool.
3. Place the mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla paste and maple syrup in a large bowl and whisk together until completely smooth. Keep the bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. For the fudge sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. You may need to add more water or maple syrup, depending on the thickness of your peanut butter. You’re looking for a smooth, thick but pourable consistency.
5. In individual glasses, layer the chilled yoghurt with the warm strawberries and the fudge sauce and serve.