Maggie Beer’s roast chook salad

Autumn is my favourite time of the year, and everything in these recipes — using the Barossa’s finest produce — celebrates that.

Delicious: roast chicken with fig, grapes, walnut & bread salad. Pictures. Jack Fenby

Autumn is my favourite time of the year, and everything in these recipes celebrates that. For me, a chicken must be well brought up, free-range and raised slowly on a natural diet, and it’s no secret I cook with Saskia Beer chicken from the Barossa. When I make this dish, or variations of it depending on the season, it’s with a tip of my hat to the Zuni Café in San Francisco, where I first tasted chef Judy Rodgers’ delicious roasted chicken bread salad. I’ve cut the bird into portions before roasting to make life easier when guests are over for dinner – I can make a terrible mess when carving. Having beautiful sourdough bread is essential, and a patch of tarragon, parsley and rocket in the garden helps, along with the loads of fresh figs I’m picking every second day.

Dine with Maggie Beer AM at Tasting Australia’s Legends Dinner in Adelaide, April 29 at 7pm; tickets $350 including dinner and matching wines. For this and more on the festival (Apr 29 to May 8), go to tastingaustralia.com.au

Maggie Beer

Roast chicken with fig, grapes, walnut & bread salad

2kg free-range chicken, cut into 12 pieces

2 tablespoons verjuice

½ cup chicken stock

For the marinade

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 cup verjuice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 sprigs tarragon

Sea salt flakes

For the salad

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 or 5 slices sourdough bread, 4cm thick, crusts removed (about 250g bread after trimming), cut into chunks

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

6-8 ripe figs, halved lengthwise

1½ cups black seedless grapes

¾ cup walnut kernels, toasted and skins rubbed

3 tablespoons caperberries

2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Mix the marinade ingredients together, toss with the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, turning once during this time. Preheat the oven to 220C (fan). Place the larger chicken pieces in one roasting pan, smaller pieces in another. Season well and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pans; turn larger pieces over, return to oven and roast for another 6 minutes until golden and cooked through. Add small chicken pieces and juices to the hot pan of large pieces; drizzle with verjuice then warm the stock and add to the pan. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frypan over medium heat and add the bread chunks, tossing till golden. Place into a bowl, add the red wine vinegar and remaining olive oil and toss well. Add the figs, grapes, walnuts and caperberries and toss to combine; check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add the chicken pieces and all the tray juices and toss together. Serve on a large platter and scatter with the parsley. Serves 6

Warm freekeh salad

Warm freekeh salad with dried pears, ginger & labneh

4 Barossa dried pears

3 tablespoons verjuice

1 tablespoon preserved ginger, finely diced

1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons, or to taste)

1 cup chopped mint

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley

200g labneh, or other soft curd

Sea salt flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

For the freekeh

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

200g freekeh (I use Greenwheat)

500ml chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt flakes

To cook the freekeh, heat the oil in a heavy-based pan; add the freekeh and toss the grains to coat. Add chicken stock and bring gently to the boil. When just at the boil, turn heat down low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 35 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed. The freekeh is ready when it’s well cooked but firm. Add the salt flakes and a good splash of olive oil. Place the dried pears in a small bowl; pour over the verjuice. Cover and leave overnight to reconstitute, or warm in the microwave on defrost. Most of the verjuice will be absorbed; add a tablespoon to the warm freekeh if any is left over. Chop the pears; add to the freekeh with the ginger. Add lemon juice to taste and mix well. When ready to serve add the chopped herbs, reserving some parsley; season, toss well and serve in a large dish with labneh on top. Scatter with remaining parsley and drizzle with robust extra-virgin olive oil. Serves 6 as a side