I have only recently discovered the delights of Elizabeth David's recipe books, in particular French Provincial Cooking. This book has been in my possession for a few years, and whilst I’m very fond of dipping in and out of it, I was slightly daunted by the sparse cooking instructions and lack of photographs and put it to the back of my mind (and my book shelf).
As my confidence has grown in the kitchen, I’ve found myself being drawn back to it. After reading David’s An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, a collection of the essays she wrote for publications such as The Spectator and Vogue, I was inspired to her cooking philosophy. She places emphasis on simple but brilliant food, and allowing the natural flavours of the ingredients to shine through. Make no mistake - these are not fifteen minute meals. Love and time are required for these recipes to work. Writing to an audience who were still hungover from war time rationing, the ingredients she demanded were luxurious and not available just anywhere. Indeed, when I set out on sourcing various things to make some of the meals, I had to be organised. Tesco Express, with all it’s convenience would be unable to satiate Ms David’s culinary needs.
This first recipe is a nice first foray into Elizabeth's work. The sophisticated olive stuffing makes the humble chicken truly tasty, and it is one of her simpler recipes - perfect for weekend experimentation.
Pot Roast Chicken with Black Olive Stuffing
David describes the olive stuffing stuffing as “so good [but] definitely rather odd”. Obviously olives are commonplace in Britain now so even those with “conventional tastes” should enjoy it.
I’d never thought of pot-roasting a chicken before trying out this recipe, but now I prefer it to the oven roasting method. As long as you have the right dish it is a very simple method. The pot needs to be thick and heavy so that the skin doesn’t stick to the bottom and to ensure that an even temperature is maintained throughout. I use my trusty Le Creuset cast iron casserole dish which naturally, is what David recommends for this dish from French Provincial Cooking.
The chicken only needs to be turned a couple of times whilst it is cooking, so this is a low maintenance dish that allows you to get on with urgent weekend activities (for me, this usually consists of deriding Tim Dowling’s column in the Saturday Guardian). One thing to be careful of is damaging the skin of the chicken when turning it - the first time I made this dish I managed to render the chicken almost naked. It was still very tasty, but after being more diligent on the next go I was rewarded with a gorgeously golden-skinned bird which was far superior to the previous one.
Ingredients
1 medium chicken, 1- 1.5kg
4 tablespoons cooking oil
For the stuffing
20 black olives, stopped and chopped
60g fresh white breadcrumbs
1/4 onion, copped
1 garlic clove, chopped
A few parsley sprigs, chopped
Black pepper
Nutmeg
To make the stuffing combine the breadcrumbs and the chopped ingredients and bind with the beaten egg. Season with a few grinds of black pepper and a few grates of nutmeg. Don’t add any salt. Stuff the cavity of the bird and set aside.
Heat the oil in the pot over a gentle temperature. Place the chicken on its side and leave for 5 minutes and then do the same with the other side. Place the lid on the chicken and leave to cook over the gentle heat for around 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear. The chicken will need to be turned other a further two times whilst cooking.
When cooked, remove the chicken from the pot, being extra careful not to damage the skin. Transfer to a carving board and cover with tin foil, leaving the bird to rest for at least 15 minutes.
I like to serve my chicken with some shallow fried aubergines and courgettes,as they complement the olive stuffing. Roast potatoes are as always, a welcome addition to any roast. The leftover over juices in the cooking pot make a wonderful gravy.
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