Autumnal Chicken

I saw the first of the autumn leaves this morning as I walked to work. They were crisp and golden on the ground and there were so many of them, yet when I looked up the trees were still green, just speckled with red where the leaves were turning. We’re on the cusp of the changing seasons, in a hybrid time which finds us enjoying an Indian Summer one day and wrapping ourselves up warm the next. But those fallen leaves signalled the real start of Autumn for me and in celebration of this wonderful time of year I give you this dish, which I put together for dinner tonight.



Put one large chicken piece per person into a roasting tray along with peeled and chopped butternut squash and sweet potato (I used half of each for the two of us), and a tin of chickpeas.

Sprinkle over a crushed garlic clove and salt and pepper, then drizzle over some olive oil and pour over a glass of white wine. Cover with foil and roast for half an hour at 200c, then remove the foil and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and its juices run clear.

Sprinkle with chopped flat leafed parsley and serve with the juices from the pan.

In Praise of the Sausage

A really good sausage, full of quality meat and nothing much else apart from some herbs and seasoning, will shame the socks off of those unappetising and depressing specimens found far too often in the supermarkets. Do buy from a butcher if you can – he’ll see you right.

Quality sausages need very little to make for a satisfying meal. You can of course go with the classics - put them between two slices of buttered bread and squeeze over some tomato or brown sauce for anytime-of-the-day gastro satisfaction, or for the ultimate in sausage-based comfort food place the sausages on creamy mashed potato and drown them in roasted onion gravy. But just as good is a simple green, herby salad.

I like to cook my sausages slowly in a pan over a fairly low flame, so that they become sticky and succulent, and I don’t prick the skins – the only purpose this serves is in allowing all the juices to escape thus leaving the sausages dry. Pricking the skins no doubt comes from a fear of the sausages exploding but I’ve yet to see that happen so I really don’t believe it’s necessary.

The only problem I have with the slow cooking of the sausages is the impatience I have for them to cook, the smell and the sound of the sizzle is a delicious torture. But, as with all good things in life, they are worth waiting for.

Galia Melon with Parma Ham

Years ago when I first came across the classic melon and parma ham starter I, like many a reserved Brit I suspect, thought ‘hmm..I’m not entirely sure about that’, but I tried it and I loved it. Of course I did. The combination of sweet refreshing melon and delicate salty ham is just so right. And the strongly flavoured Galia melon, with its very melon-y taste and soft flesh is perfect for this dish. Serve the melon when it’s nice and ripe – you’ll know when this is the case as the skin turns from green to yellow.

Pork Tenderloin in Madeira Sauce

Fry a large sliced onion until soft, add pork tenderloin sliced into steaks and fry until browned. Add a wine glass full of Madeira, a small pot (approx. 150ml) of double cream and salt and pepper, then bring to the boil and simmer until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve with rice.