No festive meal is complete without a hearty roast! Make our December cover of herbed chicken with cranberry sauce for your family gathering this Christmas.

SERVES 8 // COOKING TIME 2 hours

INGREDIENTS
For the herbed chicken
½ cup basil, finely chopped
½ cup origanum, finely chopped
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
8 thyme sprigs, picked and chopped
4 rosemary sprigs, picked and chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup butter, softened
2 chickens
4 tbsp olive oil
For the cranberry sauce
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup cranberry juice
⅓ cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
¼ tsp salt
½ tbsp cornflour
⅔ cup water

METHOD
For the herbed chicken
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Mix together the herbs, lemon zest and butter.
3. Pat the chickens dry and gently rub the herbed butter onto the skin of each one.
4. Cut the zested lemon in half and add one half to the cavity of each chicken, along with any leftover herbed butter.
5. Place the chickens on roasting trays and truss them. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
6. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve with roast veg and cranberry sauce.
For the cranberry sauce
1. Add all the ingredients, except the cornflour and water to a pot. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk the cornflour and water together, then add it to the sauce stirring continuously until thickened. Cook for 3 minutes and set aside to serve.

Recipe & styling: Elizabeth Mackenzie
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz // HMimages.co.za

For a vegetarian alternative, try our roast cauliflower with yoghurt, toasted almonds and mint.

The post Cook the cover: Herbed chicken with cranberry sauce appeared first on MyKitchen.

With the relaxed atmosphere of Eikendal’s Cucina di Giovanni and the friendly approach of chef Ballot, you’re in for a treat at this Winelands gem. Ballot showcases his approach to cooking through creative new recipes and taste combinations, grounded in traditional Italian fare. He showed us how it’s done by creating this pork loin just for MK!

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
For the pork loin
½ cup freshly ground coffee
3 tbsp cocoa
400 g pork loin, cleaned and trimmed
4 baby marrows
1 large carrot
250 g salted butter
2–3 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
For the chocolate-cranberry sauce
1 cup cream
½ cup grated white chocolate
50 ml sherry
1 tbsp dried cranberries

METHOD
For the pork loin
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. In a bowl, mix coffee and 1 tbsp cocoa. Cover the pork loin with this rub. Place in the fridge.
3. Remove the tips from both ends of the baby marrows and peel the carrot. Slice as desired.
4. Heat 2 pans over medium heat and add 100 g butter to each.
5. In the first pan, melt the butter then add the remaining cocoa. Fry baby marrows until soft on the outside but still firm on the inside.
6. In the second pan, melt the butter then fry the carrots until soft on the outside but still firm inside. Add honey and cinnamon, and fry for a few minutes further.
7. Heat another pan until very hot, add the remaining butter and cook the pork until medium done, 2–3 minutes per side.
8. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes, then roast for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
For the chocolate-cranberry sauce
1. In a small pot, bring cream to the boil. Add chocolate, sherry and cranberries. Remove from the heat and stir until combined and smooth.
2. Slice the pork loin into 2–3 cm medallions and arrange on a plate with carrots and baby marrows.
3. To serve, pour the sauce over the pork and sprinkle with extra cocoa and grated chocolate.

The post Ballot Kicherer Badenhorst’s Cocoa-coffee pork loin with chocolate-cranberry sauce appeared first on MyKitchen.