Pan-fried chicken thighs with green olives and pearl couscous
Serves 6 / Prep time: approx 25 minutes /
Cook time: 30 minutes
The pairing of chicken and olives is a classic combination. In this recipe, the pearl couscous soaks up the savoury juices that fill the bottom of the pan. I buy some very good chicken thighs on the bone from my local butcher and brown them until a thick crust forms on the skin. A big splash of dry white wine combined with pungent garlic and green chilli creates an undeniably flavour-filled scent that fills the kitchen and encourages the pouring of my own glass of wine. I serve this dish with marinated peppers and something green.
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 jalapeño chillies
- 200g Sicilian olives
- 125ml (½ cup) white wine
- juice of ½ lemon
- 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 170g (1 cup) pearl couscous
- handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
SAUCE
- 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 3 anchovies packed in olive oil, roughly chopped
- handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp honey
- juice of 1 lemon
- 125ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then leave them to rest in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, together with a generous pinch of flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Next, cook the chicken. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan over a medium – high heat until it is searing hot.
Brown the chicken thighs skin side down until the skin is golden and crisp, about 10 minutes, then turn them over and brown the other side for a further 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the jalapeños and olives for about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and lemon juice, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the liquid. Simmer for about a minute to cook off the alcohol.
Pour in the chicken stock and the pearl couscous. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, nestling them among the grains of couscous, and pour the sauce over the whole thing.
Bring to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes, then put the uncovered pan into the oven for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the stock has been absorbed by the couscous.
Serve the chicken pieces and couscous while piping hot on individual plates, drizzled with spoonfuls of the sauce that remains in the pan. Shower each serving with the parsley.
Blistered, marinated capsicums
This is my favourite way to eat capsicum: its skin peeled off, the flesh carrying the lingering scent of char and garlic from the marinade. It reminds me of my family and the array of vegetables we have for our Friday night dinner.
Serves 6 / Prep time: approx 20 minutes
- 4 bullhorn or standard capsicums (bell peppers), a mix of red and yellow
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
- 1 tsp chardonnay vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Light a stovetop burner and turn it to medium-high. Put the capsicums on top of the grate so they are sitting directly over the flame and char them until they are black and blistered all over, turning them every now and then. Put the capsicums in a bowl and cover them with a plate or tight-fitting lid so that they steam and the skins loosen.
Meanwhile, mix the garlic, vinegars, oil and a pinch each of flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl.
Once the capsicums are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and remove the stems and seeds, and discard. I do this while the flesh is still warm, as the flavour of the marinade will seep into the capsicums more readily.
Wipe off as much of the black char as possible, but don’t be too precious about it, as it imparts flavour.
Lie the capsicums in a bowl or glass dish and pour over the marinade. Mix with clean hands. Cover, then leave the capsicums to marinate before serving. Serve at room temperature.
NOTE
- If well covered with oil, the marinated capsicums will keep in the fridge for weeks.
Pistachio and almond amaretti biscuits
These amaretti are ideal dessert eating or very good in the morning with a coffee. It’s important for the biscuit’s texture to be somewhere between chewy and crunchy, so make sure you whip the egg whites until they are almost like meringue before combining them with the nut and sugar mixture.
Makes 30 biscuits / Prep time: approx 30 minutes / Cook time: 18 minutes
- 3 egg whites (total weight about 80g)
- 400g caster sugar (superfine)
- 250g unsalted pistachio nuts
- 230g ground almonds
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
COATING
- 100g caster sugar (superfine)
- 100g icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
TO MAKE THE DOUGH
In an electric mixer or using electric beaters, whip the egg whites until fluffy, then slowly add half of the caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks have formed. Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until they are the texture of fine breadcrumbs, but slightly coarser than the ground almonds.
Mix the pistachios, ground almonds, the rest of the caster sugar and the vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl. Add half of the beaten egg whites in the mixture and, using your hands, bring the mixture together to form a soft, sticky dough. Add the rest of the egg white mixture and combine with your hands.
TO ROLL AND COAT THE BISCUITS
Scoop out a lump of dough weighing about 30g, then gently roll it between your hands into a walnut-sized ball. Dust the ball lightly in the caster sugar, then dust more heavily in the icing sugar and put it on the baking tray. Repeat until you have used up all of the dough.
TO BAKE AND SERVE
Bake for about 15-18 minutes. The bottom of the biscuits should be golden brown and the top cracked. Leave them to cool completely on a wire rack. They may be soft in the middle when you first take them out of the oven, but will soon crisp up as they cool down.
NOTES
- The amaretti will keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. Eat them with a coffee or serve with fruit and mascarpone for a decadent dessert.
- The texture of the amaretti may vary each time you make them, but don’t be alarmed. It will be affected by the oil content of the nuts, moisture content of the egg whites and temperature of your kitchen.
This is an edited extract from Ellie’s Table by Ellie Bouhadana, (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $59.99).
