from Drink
I am not a cook. Writer Jake MacDonald, my late sweetheart featured in DRINK, used to enjoy cooking me fish, with potatoes—he was a great fishing expert. ME? I am a fan of the picnic! But if people are coming over, this is the recipe I make.
Ingredients
½ cup anise flavored spirit
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp grain mustard
3 tbsp light brown sugar
2 medium fennel bulbs (500g in total)
1 large chicken, about 1.3kg, divided into 8 pieces, or the same weight in chicken thighs with the skin and on the bone
4 clementines, unpeeled, sliced horizontally
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2½ tsp fennel seeds, slightly crushed
salt and black pepper
chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
Directions
Put the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add 2½ teaspoons of salt and 1½ teaspoons of black pepper. Whisk well and set aside.
Trim the fennel and cut each bulb in half lengthways. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Add the fennel to the liquids, along with the chicken pieces, clementine slices, thyme and fennel seeds. Stir well with your hands then leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking tray large enough to accommodate everything comfortably in a single layer; the chicken skin should be facing up. Put the tray in the oven and roast for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is coloured and cooked through. Remove from the oven.
Lift the chicken, fennel and clementines from the tray and arrange on a serving plate; cover and keep warm. Pour the cooking liquids into a small saucepan, place on a medium-high heat, bring to the boil then simmer until the sauce is reduced by a third. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with some chopped parsley and serve.
Serves 4
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: My family doesn’t like the licorice flavour of fennel so I substituted both the fennel and its seeds for celery root and celery seed along with chardonnay wine. Not quite the same punch but everyone loved it.
Contents and images used with permission by author Ann Dowsett Johnston. https://www.anndowsettjohnston.com/
