Meals on Blogs

Tesco Leaf Tea, Foil Wrapped, that is.

First, I need to declare my interest in the supplier of the Spanish food we bought for over Christmas. Delicioso is a client of ours at Web Positioning Centre.

Having been working on their online marketing during the run-up to Christmas I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the products, and just had to buy some.

The biggest hits were the Mixed Charcuterie and the Chorizo Primera. Just brilliant – as good as anything I’ve had in this country, in fact.

We’re still making our way through the Manchego cheese and the hand-made Red-legged Partridge Paté – both really good.

Finally, the 50-Year-old Sherry Vinegar is worth every penny for someone as fussy about vinegar as me. For my money, a good Sherry Vinegar is up there with all but the silliest priced Balsamics.

If you’re after great Spanish food and ingredients, take a look at the Delicioso site. We’ve been delighted with what we’ve sampled so far.

Maybe a couple of days too late for most people – and maybe not strictly a recipe – but what the heck, I’ve had my waistline to see to!

Shred your leftover duck like they do with crispy duck in Chinese restaurants. Grab the most interesting rolls you can find, and pop them into the oven to warm/crisp.

Split the rolls, spread with hoisin sauce, load with shredded duck and top with watercress.

Delicious!

We’re steering clear of turkey again this year. Duck seems to have established itself as the Bird of Choice for Christmas, around here. And, after much trawling through my cookbooks, we’ve decided to go with an old favourite. Dare I say it, it’s from Delia.

So, the line-up, as it looks at the moment is:

Foie Gras de Canard on toasted brioche with dressed salad leaves

Roast Seville Orange-Glazed Duck with Port Wine Sauce – from Delia Smith’s Christmas – with potatoes roasted in goose fat and organic vegetables

Chocoholic’s Christmas Pudding – from the December Good Food Magazine

Rich enough for you?

I haven’t sussed out the wine yet, so we’ll take it as it comes.

For four people:

• 1.5kg organic chicken
• 1 bulb of fennel
• 1 lemon
• 1 large or 2 small heads of garlic
• 125ml dry vermouth
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 190 deg C or Gas 5.

Wash the chicken inside and out, dry and salt the cavity generously.

Remove any leaves from the fennel. Slice the bulb thinly. Lay the sliced fennel in the bottom of the roasting pan, and put the fennel leaves inside the chicken’s cavity.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze and rub the juice liberally all over the chicken.

Cut the garlic through crosswise and put in the cavity with the squeezed lemon halves.

Drizzle the chicken all over with good quality olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken breast-side down on the fennel in the roasting pan and put in the pre-heated oven. After 30 minutes, add the vermouth, and cook for a further 60 minutes. Turn the chicken over for the last 30 minutes.

Let the chicken sit for 20 minutes before carving. Remove the fennel and keep warm. Reserve the pan juices.

Pour off any fat from the pan juices, and bubble to reheat. Stir to incorporate any roasted or sticky bits, adjust seasoning and pour over the carved chicken.

Serve with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.