Chicken with pomegranate

The Silver Spoon Meat focuses on different ways of preparing meat: frying, roasting and stewing. Try this chicken with pomegranate, for example.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4). Heat half the oil and half the butter in an ovenproof cast-iron roasting pan, place the chicken in it and brown it all over over high heat, turning it regularly. Add one of the onions and sprinkle the chicken with hot water. Put the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place the mushrooms in a bowl, cover them with warm water and soak for 15–30 minutes. Drain them and squeeze out the excess water. Set them aside.

Cut a cap off each pomegranate and discard it. Stand the pomegranates upright with the cut side facing down and score the skin at regular intervals. Pull the sections apart and scrape the seeds into a bowl with your fingers. Crush most of the seeds in a potato ricer and pour the juice over the chicken; set the remaining seeds aside.

Finely chop the last onion. Heat the remaining oil and butter in a pan, add the finely chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, cook them for about 15 minutes, stirring, and spoon the mixture into the roasting pan.

Cook the chicken until done, remove it from the pan and also remove the whole onion. Transfer the rest of the contents to a food processor and purée. Put this purée in a pan, stir in the cream and sage, season with salt and pepper, and keep over low heat until the sauce thickens.

Cut the boiling fowl into pieces and finely chop the cooked onion. Place the chicken pieces on a preheated serving dish and scatter the onion pieces and reserved seeds over them. Serve with the sauce.

Title: The Silver Spoon – Meat
Publisher: Unieboek Uitgeverij Het Spectrum
Price: €35,-