Roast chicken yorkshires recipe

A batter pudding laden with chicken, sprouts and gravy. I probably don’t need to remind you how hot the fat needs to be before you pour the batter in, literally smoking, but I will. The fearsome heat is necessary to encourage a decent rise to your puddings.

Makes 6 (enough for 3 people)
For the batter
plain flour 110g
eggs 2
milk 150ml
sparkling water 150ml
dripping or lard 30g

For the filling
groundnut oil or dripping 4 tbsp
banana shallots 10 small
chicken thighs 6
plain flour 2 heaped tbsp
chicken stock 1 litre
thyme 10 sprigs, leaves removed
brussels sprouts 100g
olive oil or butter a little

You will need a six-hole yorkshire pudding tin or similar.

To make the batter, put the plain flour in a mixing bowl or large jug. Beat the eggs and stir into the flour with the milk and sparkling water and a half teaspoon of salt, then set aside. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.

For the filling, warm the oil or dripping in a roasting tin. Peel the shallots and cut them in half lengthways. Place them cut side down in the warm oil, then place the chicken thighs in the tin and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes till golden and the skin is lightly crisp.

Remove the chicken and shallots from the oven. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and reserve the skin. Turn the oven up to 230C/gas mark 8. Tear the chicken meat into pieces and keep to one side.

Put the roasting tin on the hob over a moderate heat and stir in the flour, letting it cook for a minute or two. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, stirring regularly and scraping at the bottom of the pan to dissolve any tasty bits into the gravy. Lower the heat and simmer to a thickish consistency (too thin and it will pour out of your puddings). Generously season to taste and remove from the heat. Add the chicken meat to the gravy together with the thyme leaves and keep warm.

Cut each sprout in half. Warm a little oil in a shallow pan then add the sprouts and the pieces of chicken skin. Let the sprouts colour lightly and the skin crisp. Remove from the heat and stir the sprouts into the gravy. Place the crisp skin on kitchen paper.

Divide the dripping between six large yorkshire pudding tins, place in the oven for 5-10 minutes till smoking. Ladle or pour the batter into the hot fat, letting it come almost to the rim of the tins. Return to the oven immediately and bake for 8-10 minutes till puffed up. Remove from the oven and fill with some of the chicken and sprout gravy. Shatter the crisped chicken skin over the top of each pudding and serve.

Alice Staple’s recipe for risotto ai funghi porcini

Having travelled and cooked my way around Italy over the past 20 years, I’ve come to realise that autumn and winter are my favourite times of year. The local markets are full of incredible produce and in Italy you can only really get seasonal ingredients whereas in the UK everything is available at all times of year. I would encourage anyone to eat as seasonally as possible as the seasonality elevates the quality, taste and freshness. Fresh porcini are no exception. They are not as easy to source in the UK but the dried variety are a great substitute and the water used to rehydrate them makes a delicious stock. I love this recipe because it is a real crowd pleaser and easily adaptable for vegans. Cooked correctly, risotto is one of the most delicious, satisfying and economical dishes for a quick midweek dinner, or even a dinner party for friends.

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 2

25g dried porcini mushrooms
150g chestnut or field mushrooms, roughly chopped
150g oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
200g arborio rice
250ml white wine
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
Small bunch of parsley, leaves only and finely chopped
100g butter
100g grated parmesan cheese
Truffle oil (optional)

Soak the mushrooms in boiling water for 15-20 minutes. You need just enough water to cover the mushrooms.

Roughly chop the chestnut and oyster mushrooms so they are 1-2cm cubed, or however chunky you prefer them. Fry in 1 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter until golden brown. Set to one side until you’re ready to add them to the risotto.

Fry the finely chopped onion in 3 tbsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until soft but not browned. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.

Add the rice and mix until nicely coated with the oil, onions and garlic. Add the wine, turn the heat up and stir continuously. Cook until fully absorbed and turn the heat back down to medium. Add the porcini water and stir again until fully absorbed.

Add enough stock to just cover the rice, stir and repeat the process for about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook with the rice for5 minutes - it should have absorbed the majority of the liquid but not be completely dry. You have the option to add a bit more stock – the most important thing is that the rice still has a bit of a bite but isn’t too crunchy.

Add a knob of butter, 75g of Parmesan, and the parsley. Stir together and check the consistency. It should be wet but not sitting in liquid. Allow it to sit for a minute or two before serving.

Serve in shallow bowls or plates.For those who like it extra cheesy, sprinkle the remainder of the Parmesan on top. For something extra special drizzle over some truffle oil.

Vegans can easily substitute the butter for oil (although there is no need to add extra oil at the end of the recipe) and you can leave the cheese out too.

Alice Staple is an executive chef, who is currently setting up her debut restaurant, Maremma, in Brixton, south London, alongside Dickie, a Brixton resident who runs the London Cooking Project.

Liam Charles’ recipe for deep-fried mince pies

There is a certain fast-food purveyor of legendary apple pies. Why are they so good? They’re fried, with a super-crisp pastry and a piping hot filling. Here’s my take on them and, hey, since it’s Christmas, I thought I’d introduce some festive flavours. My friends, I bring you deep-fried mince pies.

Deep-fried mince pies

You will need a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan and a cooking thermometer.

Prep 30 min
Chill 30 min
Cook 5-6 min a pie
Makes 12
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600g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp ground mixed spice
Zest of 1 large orange
375g butter, frozen (pop it in the freezer for two hours or so)
2 litres sunflower oil, for deep-frying 600g mincemeat (homemade or shop-bought)
1 egg, beaten, for brushing

For the brandy glaze
250g icing sugar, sieved
75ml milk
75ml double cream
1 tbsp brandy

Start with the pastry: put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt, mixed spice and orange zest. Grate half of the butter into the flour and give it a quick toss. Repeat with the rest of the butter and mix through the flour mixture with a table or palette knife – you want to make sure all the butter is well coated in the flour.

Slowly pour 190-200ml cold water into the mixture, constantly stirring, until it comes together into a light dough. Divide the dough into two squares, wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large saucepan – you need it to come up to 180C/350F. Roll out the pastry to about 3mm. Using the base of a 15cm springform cake tin, or anything flat and round of that size, cut out as many pastry circles as you can; gently knead together offcuts to make more circles.

Now spoon a couple of heaped tablespoons of the mincemeat on to one half of each pastry circle. Brush around the edges lightly with the beaten egg. Fold the pastry over the filling to make a crescent shape and press together the edges with a fork.

Fry the pies a few at a time for two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Carefully remove the pies with a slotted spoon, to drain off the excess oil, then pop them on to paper towels to absorb any remaining oil.

Put all the fried pies on a wire rack with a baking tray underneath. Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl.

While the pies are still warm, coat them with the glaze, one side at a time, using a pastry brush. If you fancy a little extra sweetness, go for two coatings.

Wait for the icing to harden and … Merry Christmas!