Yotam Ottolenghi & Noor Murad’s Blackened chicken with caramel and orange dressing; Confit leeks with Puy lentils and leek cream
Give those thighs an Ottolenghi twist.
Don’t be afraid to really char your chicken thighs here (making sure to ventilate your kitchen well!) This will add an intense flavour alongside the vibrant dressing and make for a very punchy eating experience.
BLACKENED CHICKEN WITH CARAMEL & ORANGE DRESSING
6 large chicken thighs (1kg), boneless and skin on
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
12 spring onions, trimmed, washed well and dried
Caramel and orange dressing
85g caster sugar
30g fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
2 red chillies, deseeded, halved widthways and julienned
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3-4 limes: 1 halved, to serve, the rest juiced to get 3 tablespoons of juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2-3 oranges, peeled
5g fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve
Put the chicken thighs, turmeric, chilli flakes, fish sauce, oil and 1 teaspoon of salt into a large bowl and mix well to combine. Leave to marinate for an hour, or cover and refrigerate for longer (up to overnight). If the latter, remove the chicken thighs from the fridge about 45 minutes before cooking.
Place a large cast-iron sauté pan on a medium-high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. Once hot, add half the chicken thighs, skin side down. Weigh down the thighs with a large saucepan around the same size, so they are well pressed into the pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the skin is charred and blackened. Remove the top pan and set the chicken thighs aside, then repeat with the remaining thighs. The second batch might blacken faster, so check them at the 5-minute mark. Remove the chicken, setting it aside, and let the pan cool for 5-10 minutes.
If needed, drain off all but 1½ tablespoons of the fat collected in the pan and return to a medium-high heat. Add the spring onions, using a pair of tongs to coat them in the fat, then put back the chicken thighs, skin side up, and any of their juices, nestling them into the spring onions, along with 90ml of water. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and leave to rest for 5 minutes before slicing each thigh into 2cm-wide strips.
While the chicken is cooking, make the caramel and orange dressing. Heat a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Once hot, turn the heat down to medium and sprinkle in the sugar to coat the base – it should immediately start to melt and colour around the sides. Swirl the pan, without stirring, so that all the sugar melts and turns deeply golden, about 1½-2 minutes. Add the ginger and chillies, and stir continuously for 45 seconds to take off the spicy edge. Quickly add the vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce, stirring to combine. Cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Use a small serrated knife to slice the oranges into 1cm-thick rounds, then pull at them gently to halve them (don’t worry if they break apart further). Stir these into the cooled sauce.
To serve, transfer the spring onions to a large platter and top with the chicken and any pan juices, using a spatula to keep each thigh together. Pour the dressing all over, sprinkle with coriander and squeeze over the lime halves. Serves 4
CONFIT LEEKS WITH PUY LENTILS & LEEK CREAM
1kg leeks, trimmed, cut into 2cm-thick rounds (white and light green parts only)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
Thyme sprigs
200ml olive oil
150g dried Puy lentils, washed
60ml lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
5g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
5g dill leaves, roughly chopped
5g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper
Leek cream
100g cooked confit leeks and 5 confit garlic cloves (see above)
100ml double cream
¾ tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 160C (fan). Soak the cut leek rounds in a large bowl of water to get rid of any excess grit. Drain, then pat dry, being sure to keep the rounds intact. Put the leeks, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper into a baking dish roughly 30cm x 20cm in size. Mix gently to combine, then pour over the oil. Arrange the leeks so they are cut side up, then cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently turn the leeks over. Cover again with foil and return to the oven for 35 minutes more, until completely softened. Remove from the oven and turn the temperature up to 180C fan.
Meanwhile, cook the lentils in plenty of boiling water for 12-15 minutes, or until tender but not at all mushy. Drain well and set aside.
When ready, remove the confit leeks from the oven and transfer 100g of the cooked leeks plus five garlic cloves to a bowl. Add the lentils to the remaining leeks in the baking dish along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and mix gently to combine. Cover again with the foil and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and leave to settle for 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. While the lentils are in the oven, make the leek cream. Add the measured-out leeks and garlic to a food processor along with the cream, mustard, lemon juice and 1⁄8 teaspoon of salt; blitz until smooth.
When ready, stir the lemon juice and the chopped herbs into the lentil and leek mixture. Transfer to a rimmed platter and serve with the leek cream in a bowl alongside. Serves 4
Edited extract from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury Press, $49.99). Photography: Elena Heatherwick
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