Delicious Dishes with Jim Tynan - Right Place, Right time

At the moment I am busy, trying out new recipes for a very exciting new project. Right food, right place, right time. There is something deeply right about eating food in season. It can be all too easy to lose sight of food’s natural timing and to miss it when it’s at its best.

So the vegetable patches are all planted and the herb beds are looking amazing. Nature just takes off after the long dark winter, I am sure it works on us the same way too. Here are some recipes for chicken pieces, using fresh ingredients, and a very nice recipe for brambly apple shortcake using up the last of the apples, as we wait for the new season fruit. It’s lovely to see the local fresh strawberries on sale, only one thing for them DOUBLE CREAM.

CHICKEN MARTINI

8 Chicken thighs

3oz Butter

1x250ml tub Cream

2tbsp White wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

Small bunch of tarragon

Salt/pepper

A wine glass full of vermouth

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then melt the butter in a large shallow pan over a moderate heat. Lightly brown the chicken in the hot butter, taking care not to burn the butter. Remove the chicken from the pan and discard most of the butter. Put the pan back on the heat.

Pour the vermouth and vinegar into the pan, it should steam up, scrape at the bits stuck to the side of the pan. Let it reduce a little, then add in the cream along with the chopped tarragon. Return the chicken and juices to the pan and let the cream bubble around it, then turn down the heat. Let it simmer for about

15 minutes, stirring to stop it from sticking. If it becomes too thick add some milk or more vermouth, serve with new potatoes and salad.

ROAST CHICKEN WINGS WITH LEMON AND BLACK PEPPER

12 Large chicken wings

2 Lemons

3-4 Bay leaves

Cracked black pepper

2tsp Sea salt

Olive oil

Set the oven at 200o/gas6.

Put the wings in a roasting tray, halve the lemons and squeeze the juice all over the chicken, then tuck in the lemon skins. Scatter some cracked pepper and sea salt over the chicken, then drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 40minutes, the should be golden and sticky, with the edges blackened here and there. Enough for two people.

BRAMLEY APPLE SHORTCAKE

Pastry

8oz Flour

4oz Butter

3oz Castor sugar

1 Egg

Filling.

3lb Bramley apples

Juice of 1lemon

2oz Butter

2/3tbsp Castor sugar

Grease a 24cm pie dish or deep plate with butter. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then add in the egg followed by the flour, bring it all together in a ball. Cut the pastry in half, roll out half and use it to line your pie plate, and then place the plate and the other half of the pastry in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Set the oven at 180o/gas4. Melt the butter in a deep pan, add in the peeled, sliced apples and toss around in the butter.

Add in the sugar along with the juice of the lemon, continue cooking till the are slightly caramelized. As soon as they are turn off the heat. Then take the plate and pastry from the fridge and fill the pie with the apples, roll out the other half of the pastry and use it to cover the pie.

Press the pastry edges together, brush the pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar, bake for about 40minutes till cooked, turn down the heat if the pie is getting too brown.