From the author:
My friends Meg and Blakey have a farm down in the Grampians in Victoria, Australia, and they produce the most beautiful smoked garlic which they sell at farmers’ markets. This is an accompaniment to a roasted free-range chicken and is one of the highlights of simple cookery to me.
Smoked & Baked Garlic with a Simple Good Old Roast Chicken
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Small Bulbs of Organic Garlic
- 1 Cup Smoking Chips (Found at most home and hardware stores)
- ½ Bunch Thyme
- ½ Bunch Oregano
- ½ Cup Jasmine Rice
- 4 Pounds Free-Range Chicken
- 1 Cup Olive Oil
- Sea Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and arrange two racks inside.
- Soak the bulbs of garlic in water for 5 minutes or so. This helps the smoke absorb into the garlic and it also prevents it from burning.
- Line a heavy-bottomed flameproof roasting tray (measuring 11½ × 11½ × 2 inches) with foil. Place the smoking chips, herbs and rice into the tray and place over low heat. Place a wire rack inside the tray over the smoking chip mixture and sit the bulbs of garlic on the rack. When the chips start to change color to a light brown, cover the tray with foil and place in the oven.
- Take another roasting tray of similar size. Rinse the chicken inside and out with water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in the tray, rub all over with the olive oil and season with the salt. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350°F and continue roasting for a further 20 minutes. Take the chicken and garlic out of the oven. Slice the chicken in between the leg and body and if there are no pink bits in between the leg and thigh bones, then it is cooked. Leave the chicken on top of the stove for 15 minutes to rest.
- Carve the chicken into pieces and place the smoked garlic alongside. The smoked garlic should be a beautiful dark brown. Let your guests pod the garlic out of its skin and eat whole. It’s a whole new experience eating garlic this way. I’d serve this dish with a simple salad of leaves from the garden (see page 172) or any other vegetables that are in season.
Mr. Wilkinson’s Vegetables
by Matt Wilkinson
This lush, creative cookbook celebrates the flavor and versatility of vegetables by bringing them to the center of the table in more than 80 delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes.
Too many of us let vegetables play second fiddle in meals that center on protein or carbs. For chef Matt Wilkinson, vegetables come first. He builds his dishes around vegetables that are in season, when they taste the best, are most affordable, and most readily available. While many of the 80 plus dishes will appeal to vegetarians, there are plenty that incorporate meat. In all of them, Mr. Wilkinson’s vegetables are the stars.
With beautiful photography and vintage illustrations, the book is both timely and timeless.
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