Читать книгу Home Made: Good, honest food made easy - Tana Ramsay - Страница 18

We all love chicken, especially as individual pies on our plates, or spooned out as a wonderful thick stew from the huge pan bubbling on the stove. On warmer days, or when we’re not so hungry, a light stir-fry or simple grilled chicken breast with a fresh green salad always goes down well. A roast chicken is equally simple to prepare and will keep the children at the table for ages, picking away at the bird; and if there’s any left over it will do for a soup, a salad, or to fill sandwiches. Don’t think of a roast just as a winter dish, either – a roasted chicken can be flavoured with summery citrus flavours and herbs and taste just as delicious with new potatoes and salad as with a load of roasted vegetables and gravy.

Chicken is fantastically versatile – whether it’s the whole bird or specific bits of it. I love using thighs in particular: the cheeks of meat on the bone are so succulent and always retain their juiciness (even in slow-cooked one-pot dishes that have been on the stove for hours and hours by the time Gordon and I get to eat). On a practical level, too, thighs are the most economical cut to buy.

Although chicken in any form is one of my favourite speedy ingredients for weeknight meals, duck is a delicious alternative – and one that’s no longer such a luxury now that it has become more readily available. Duck might be a tiny bit pricier than chicken, but it’s just as easy to cook and is a tasty and impressive dish to serve to friends or family. I like to leave the skin on when cooking it because, although duck is a lean healthy option, the fat that is released during cooking keeps it beautifully moist. You can always remove the skin once it’s cooked. I think the main ingredient of a dish should always be its focus and it doesn’t need to be disguised with other flavours; it should just be simply prepared in order to bring out its delicious taste.