Recipes: Tapas by Chef Liam Tomlin

This entry was posted on 24 July 2020.

Roast chicken accompanied by a crisp salad – the perfect dinner solution for any day of the week. Prepared tapas-style, this is how chef Liam Tomlin in his new book Tapas, suggests you go about it.

 

 

Crisp Vegetable Salad

 
 
"As vegetables are mostly served raw in salads, chop or grate vegetables into small pieces or slice thinly on a mandolin to achieve maximum flavour from them. Wash and peel all vegetables being used in salad, except for mushrooms – they just need a wipe with a damp cloth. Salt draws moisture from fresh vegetables. By sprinkling shredded cabbage for coleslaw or cucumber slices with salt before tossing them with a dressing, most of the water in these vegetables can be eliminated so that it does not dilute the dressing. Place the vegetables in a colander and lightly salt them. Allow to stand for 10 minutes for the water to be drawn from them. Transfer the vegetables to a clean kitchen towel and gently pat dry. The salt will have dissolved and drained away with the water. The vegetable pieces will shrivel slightly, but will be crispier and the dressing will cling to them for longer."
 
 
Crisp Vegetable Salad
Serves: 4
 
10 g jalapeño chillies, chopped
5 g chopped garlic
5 g salt
100 ml rice wine vinegar
120 ml grape seed oil
dash of sesame oil to taste
2 baby carrots, peeled
2 baby green courgettes
2 baby yellow courgettes
1 head baby fennel, fronds removed
4 radishes
2 baby beetroot
4 green or white asparagus spears, peeled
5 g fresh coriander, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
 
In a food processor, blend the chillies, garlic, salt and rice wine vinegar until the chillies are finely chopped. Add the grape seed and sesame oils slowly and continue to blend until fully incorporated. Pass the dressing through a fine sieve and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside until ready to use.
 
Wash all the vegetables under cold running water, keeping the beetroot separate. Slice the vegetables lengthways on the thinnest setting of a Japanese mandolin. Place the vegetables into a bowl of iced water and leave them for an hour to tighten up and become crunchy.
 
Repeat the same process with the beetroot, but place the slices in a separate bowl to prevent the colour from running into the other vegetables. Rinse the sliced beetroot under cold running water until the water runs clear.
 
Drain the vegetables and the beetroot and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Place the vegetables in a bowl and add the dressing. Add the chopped coriander and gently mix through the vegetables. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
 
 

 

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

 
Crisp Vegetable Salad
​Serves: 4
 
1.5 kg free-range chicken
30 g unsalted butter
15 ml harissa paste
5 ml ras el hanout
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, halved
4 heads garlic, halved
4 sprigs fresh thyme
dash of good-quality, aged sherry vinegar
 
Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Spread the butter all over the chicken, then spread the harissa paste evenly over the chicken and sprinkle over the ras el hanout, salt and freshly ground pepper. Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting tray and arrange the garlic, thyme and lemon flesh-side down around the chicken.
 
Roast the chicken for 15 minutes in the oven, basting it occasionally with the melted butter and fat that runs from the chicken. Reduce the heat to 180 °C and continue to cook for a further 35 minutes until the cooking juices run clear and the lemon and garlic are caramelised. Add a dash of sherry vinegar to the roasting juices. Switch off the oven and allow the chicken to rest in the oven heat for 15 minutes.
 
Carve the bird while still in the roasting tray. With this method you end up with an amalgamation of butter, lemon juice, garlic and chicken juices. Transfer the garlic, lemon and chicken to a serving platter. Strain the pan juices through a sieve. Serve the chicken with baby potatoes roasted in duck fat and the pan juices on the side.
 

 

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