Three savoury recipes using honey

Cooking with honey is only half the fun. For Geoff Scott and his family, it's the bee-keeping that is keeping them entertained.

Keeping bees at home in an urban environment is really not that tricky and it has opened my eyes to a lot of new things. Over the past year I’ve learnt a heck of a lot. I joined a bee club. My very first hive swarmed and I helped catch it again. I got a second hive. I waited for the "honey flow". I stacked up the "supers". I harvested the honey. I hand-spun the frames at work in the Vinnies kitchen with my chefs, which was a bit messy, and now, while the bees are having a winter rest, I am able to really enjoy the fruits of their labour. Following on from the sweet honey treats I made earlier in the year (see recipes below), here are three savoury recipes using honey.

Honey thyme roast chicken

Serves 4

The thin crispy skin of a roast chicken breast is one of the most tasty things and it’s even better when flavoured with ahint of sweet honey and fragrant fresh thyme. These chicken breasts require no time-consuming, elaborate preparation — it’s a dish you can get on the table in less than 20 minutes — perfect for whipping up at home after a busy day at work. The savoury notes of manuka honey work particularly well with chicken.

Roast chicken

4 skin-on chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
8 branches fresh thyme

Red warm winter slaw

2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup finely sliced onion
4 cups finely shaved red cabbage
1 granny smith apple, peeled and sliced into batons
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp finely sliced chives

1. Heat oven to 200C. Place chicken skin side up on a roasting tray and season with olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and thyme. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked and firm to the touch.
2. Meanwhile make the slaw: Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add onion and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add red cabbage and cook until it begins to wilt.
3. Remove from heat, add apple, mustard, cinnamon, mayonnaise and salt.
4. Slice chicken breasts and serve with red warm winter slaw sprinkled with chives.

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Five-spiced sticky honey pork

Some say honey and pork is a match made in heaven and I am inclined to agree. I love the licky sticky experience of digging into a pile of moist tender tasty ribs. The depth of flavour and tenderness of the meat is so much better if you can marinate the meat overnight. If you like a bit more heat and bite, simply add some chilli. A stronger-flavoured honey such as honeydew will give the ribs a unique muskiness. This marinade is versatile and works well on other ribs and meat, as well as seafood and vegetables.

Serves 4-6

2 tsp five spice
2 tsp ground ginger
½ cup tomato ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
½ cup red wine vinegar or malt vinegar
2 Tbsp honey (kamahi or beechwood honeydew)
1½ kg pork ribs
½ cup water2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1. In a small saucepan mix together the five spice, ginger, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, honey and water. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat. Pour over the pork ribs and marinate for 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
2. Heat oven to 140C. Place pork and marinade in a roasting dish, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours, basting the ribs every 20-30 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the oven up to 200C and cook for a further 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, set ribs to one side and boil the marinade until it becomes thick and sticky. Brush this over the ribs, slice into portions and serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

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Honey and rosemary kumara

The combination of honey, rosemary and garlic is used in many cuisines but I first tasted it while working in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. My job was to truss up little farmed pigeons which were roasted in a small casserole with fresh rosemary, squashed garlic cloves with their skins still on, and delicious fragrant local honey (usually lavender or wild thyme). I will never forget standing over the casserole basting the bird with this amazing buttery coating of flavours. This is an easy and extremely tasty way to enjoy kumara as a side dish to serve with any main course. In fact, it’s pretty good on its own.

Serves 4-6

1½ kg gold kumara, peeled
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
2 Tbsp butter
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp honey (thyme, lavender or other single flora variety)

1. Heat oven to 200C. Dice the kumara into 2cm chunks. Bring to the boil in a pot of salted water, gently simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Drain the water off and place kumara on a roasting tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt, add the garlic cloves — unpeeled and squashed flat (they will be removed after roasting).
3. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and crisp, remove garlic cloves. Stir through the rosemary and butter so it melts and coats the kumara.
4. Place in a hot serving dish, then season with pepper and drizzle with honey to finish.

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