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Tonight’s newsletter is going out a little later than usual as I’ve just got home from a night out at the Barbican. We went to see the opening night of the London Symphony Orchestra (not a normal Sunday night but a belated birthday present). It was their first performance back in almost eighteen months. I know very little about this sort of music but I was so overcome with emotion watching them all play as what is an orchestra without an audience? It got me thinking a lot about it how my cooking has changed since the start of summer when restrictions lifted and I could cook for a table full of people again. 

As I had friends over this week (to cook the recipe below!) I was so thrilled at being able to host again. I love the stumble from first cocktail and crisp to sitting down for the main meal which lingers to dessert snd then makes its way to lemon cello and in Wednesday’s case, the rest of my bar cart. A good dinner party is much like a symphony. Lots of little parts that add up to something special. 

Also, next Friday night I’m hosting a super small supper club in London with the Sharmadean Reid’s incredible new venture, The Stack World. There are a few tickets left which you can find here if you fancy coming along. I hope you’ve all had restful weekends full of good things. Until next Sunday.
 
P.S — for all my Australian readers whose lockdown is lifting and spring is starting. I’ve made a digital copy of Cooking For Picnics available to download with all the proceeds going to Food Bank Australia. 

On Wednesday afternoon I was standing in the butcher with no idea what I wanted to buy. I had friends coming over a few hours later and I knew I needed something simple as I didn't have time to make anything elaborate. I had a huge bowl of tomatoes that needed to be used and still had lots of lovely white beans from Bold Bean Co. I left the butcher with two chickens, a plan for dinner and the knowledge that they would soon become soup that simmered as I worked the next day. 

This dish is essentially a slow-cooked chicken that's roasted for two hours along with a lot of wine and tomatoes which stop it from drying out. The chicken cooks on top of the white beans and tomatoes and it all comes together as a very comforting dinner. I love tarragon with chicken and lemon, just a little bit of it stirred through the beans at the end really bring this to life. If you don't fancy tarragon, try parsley and you can swap out the beans for chickpeas if you want.

Lemon Butter Chicken
with Roasted Tomatoes and Tarragon White Beans
  • 1 whole chicken
  • 100g of salted butter
  • 2 lemons
  • A little olive oil
  • 1 jar of white beans
  • 300g of tomatoes
  • A small bunch of tarragon 
  • 250ml of white wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • A teaspoon of chilli flakes
Let the butter soften to room temperature and mix it with the zest of a whole lemon and a big pinch of salt. Push it under the skin of the chicken and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Rinse the jar of white beans and add them and the tomatoes to a large deep baking tray along with the wine, bay leaves and chilli flakes. Slice the other lemon into super thin rounds and tuck those in amongst the beans.

Place the chicken on top of the beans and roast for two hours at 160. Cover with foil after the first 40 minutes and baste the chicken with a little of the wine/tomato sauce in the bottom of the tray. After two hours, remove the chicken and cover with foil to rest while you finish the beans. Give the tomatoes and beans a big stir and squeeze in the juice of the lemon you zested earlier. Finely chop the tarragon and stir that in as you check for seasoning. Serve the beans and the roast chicken together with a warm baguette and some garlic aioli. 
Amidst too many deadlines over the last few days, after work each night I just want to consume soothing things. Alongside watching old repeats of Floyd On Food, these three things have made me happy this week. 

From Blossoms by Yi-Young Lee

On Making Pasta When I Cannot Go Dancing by Margaux Vialleron

Big Veg by Gerald Stratford

A week's worth of menu ideas featuring a rigatoni ready in just twenty minutes and breakfast muffins I'd eat for every meal. 
At the start of the week I like making a big pot of something that I can have for a few days. This Gochujang Sunday Sauce sounds so good and ideal for freezing. 
These Baked Sweet Potatoes with Feta and Chorizo are exactly what I want to eat for lunch on a rainy day. I'd add a lot of extra hot sauce and a little sliced avocado too.
Does a breakfast muffin full of spices, dill and a soft boiled egg sound good? Then these Sunny Egg Muffins are one to add to your list. 
Zoe Adjonyoh's Jollof spice blend is so dreamy and her recipe for Jollof Fried Chicken is glorious. I want it with lots of lime, chilli and a cold drink to sip.
Close your laptop, pour yourself a glass of something good and have dinner ready in 20 minutes with this Smoked Chilli and Vodka Rigatoni. 
I'm always looking for something new to make for breakfast and this Tofu Scramble with Shredded Cabbage and Chilli Sambal is up next.
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All photography by Bre Graham and illustration commissioned by Angelo Dolojan.

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