Two posts in as many days is a lot for me and I'm certainly not looking to make a habit of it but I wanted to get this recipe down and also evangelise a little in a slightly Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall manner, as dirty as it makes me feel.
Your name is stupid
Firstly I'm incredibly lucky in that when I moved into my flat last year it had 2 ovens. As it turned out the old one that was slightly falling apart had a rotisserie feature. I wont lie. This caused some mild arousal.
This was the first image that came up when I googled Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall aroused. I am saying nothing.
Secondly I've been wanting to blog for a little while about wild garlic. Where I'm from in Somerset between March and May there is a fantastic amount of the stuff and it really is one of the best ingredients in the country, especially considering its relative abundance around bridle ways and old droving lanes in the South West. The late spring this year meant that when I went home a couple of weeks ago there it was still in full swing. I'm also going back next weekend and if I'm lucky it wont have gone over. I even managed to dig up a few bulbs to plant in my own, incredibly sheltered and sunlight free garden. This is usually a curse but wild garlic loves these conditions. And yes I know its frowned upon, even a little illegal to pick wild flowers but come on. This shit is EVERYFUCKINGWHERE.
Pictured: Wild Garlic EVERYFUCKINGWHERE
In short no one is going to miss a bulb or 2.
The other great thing about it (apart from its relative abundance) is that you can use the whole plant. The leaves are great in salads, or chopped up into a risotto. The stems are great for dressings or as a milder substitute for garlic bulbs. I used it in a variety of things over the past 2 weeks but in order to preserve it I also dried it, on a low heat in the over for several hours, before grinding it up and storing it in an empty herb shaker. I also made some fantastic wild garlic and thyme butter, which I did by chopping it in the food processor with some fresh thyme and soft butter. I then made it into a log, wrapped it in baking paper and froze it.
That brings us neatly on to the recipe. Incidentally shortly after I started writing this I realised it's impossible to describe preparing a chicken without it becoming weird. I suggest putting on some Marvin Gaye to balance the mood.
Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken
Garlic Butter (you can also make this by mixing a few garlic cloves and herbs, thyme and rosemary being the most common choice, with butter)
A rub for the skin made of ground salt, pepper, garlic granules, thyme and some paprika for colour.
5 or 6 halved shallots and 3 or 4 garlic cloves to go inside the chicken
Vegetable oil
Method
Firstly you're going to have to get slightly more intimate with a chicken than a lot of people like to. Not quite Hugh FW levels of intimate but still...
Pull the skin at the neck or arse end (ladies choice) away from the flesh on the breasts so that you can get a few fingers between the skin and the meat. Then get some of that garlic butter in and really spread it out. If you get it under the skin in one blob you can usually massage the skin to spread it out if you're too squeamish to get right in there. But then you are massaging a dead chicken. You fucking perv.
As well as helping you to explore some of the darker corners of your sexuality the butter will also help the skin to crisp from underneath as well as keeping the meat moist. Please stop me if you feel faint Mary Whitehouse.
Make a small slit at the top of each thigh and do the same as you did with the breasts.
Take a long shower if this has gotten too weird for you.
Insert the shallots and garlic bulbs into the chicken, the arse end will give you best access.
Take another shower.
Rub the skin with the rub, all over, you might as well now you've done worse. Leave it for half an hour to let the skin dry and so you can think about what you've done.
Now you'll need to insert the spit. Make sure the blades dig into the breasts at the top end as deeply as possible, it will probably slip when its cooking and you'll have to adjust it but the deeper it gets into the flesh the less often you'll have to do it. I also recommend tying the legs and wings tightly to the body. If they flop around while it rotates it will come loose. Now drizzle it with oil and fit it into the oven.
Have another shower.
Switch on the grill at a high to medium heat and start it rotating. You can pretty much leave it to it now for about 2-3hours, coming back to baste it every 15-20minutes.
I have to confess I actually left it too long this evening as I was distracted by alcohol and the veg and it started falling apart a little. Still when it's done you should be left with some lovely, tasty, crispy skin and tasty herby/garlicy meat.
I'm off for another shower. But finally a beautiful shot of my old walk to the pub in the middle of spring. Covered in wild garlic.
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