Slightly sweet and spiced, this gammon recipe is a winner!

Orange & ginger beer gammon with sweet mustard

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

2.5-2.8kg smoked boneless gammon
1L ginger beer
3 cups orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 whole star anise
4-6 cloves
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
½ Tbsp sea salt flakes
Pinch bicarbonate of soda (optional)
1 orange, peeled and sliced
Bunch of bay leaves 

Method

1. Place the gammon in a large pot then add ginger beer, juice and aromatics
2. Simmer covered on a low heat for about 1½ hours, turning the gammon over halfway through cooking. 
3. Remove gammon and allow to cool slightly.
4. Strain the cooking liquid and place back on medium heat to reduce until syrupy.
5. Preheat oven to 200°C. Once the gammon is cool enough to handle, but not yet cold, remove any netting from the gammon and gently peel off the skin, keeping fat in tact.
6. Discard skin or crisp up in the air fryer or oven, break into pieces and eat as a snack.
7. Gently score the fat in a diamond shape, mix the sea salt and bicarbonate of soda, if using, and rub this mixture onto the fat.
8. Place the gammon in an ovenproof dish and pop in the oven for 25 minutes.
9. Lower the temperature to 180°C and cook for another 30-40 minutes.
10. Once the fat has crisped up, glaze the gammon with the ginger beer syrup and cook for another 20 minutes, basting again halfway.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to rest.
12. Heat a pan with about 3 Tbsp of the glaze on a high heat. Add orange slices and allow to caramelise for 2-3 minutes. Add bay leaves and remove from heat.
13. Garnish the gammon with orange slices and bay leaves. Slice and serve with sweet mustard sauce and your favourite festive side dishes.

Recipe & styling: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Roast potatoes on cumin-garlic yoghurt with coriander chutney 

The post Orange & ginger beer gammon with sweet mustard  appeared first on MyKitchen.

From gammon to a zesty roast chicken, dazzle your tastebuds this festive season with these three delicious roast recipes.  

Lemony roast chicken with gravy 

Serves 8 // Preparation and cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients  

20g thyme sprigs
220g butter, at room temperature
30g parsley, roughly chopped
4 lemons
2 tsp ground cumin
2 × 1.2kg chickens
Salt and pepper
1.5kg baby potatoes, halved
8 large onions, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp Maizena
⅓ cup water 

Method  

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Strip the leaves from half of the thyme sprigs. Combine with 200g butter, parsley, the zest of two lemons, the juice of one lemon and cumin. Rub this mixture over the surface of the chickens. Season.
3. Season the cavities and stuff each with half of the remaining thyme and one lemon, halved. Place on baking trays, along with the potatoes and six of the onions, quartered. Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until the skin turns golden and crisp.
4. Turn down the temperature to 160°C and cook for another 40 minutes. Then remove from the oven and cover in foil to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Finely dice the remaining two onions and fry them with the rest of the butter in a pot over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
6. Pour the white wine into the pot to deglaze (create a gravy) and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, the zest and juice of one lemon, four of the roast onion quarters and any juices from the roasting trays.
7. Using a hand blender, blitz the gravy until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix the Maizena with the water. Add this mixture to the gravy. Bring to a boil and simmer until the Maizena has cooked out and the gravy has thickened. Season.
8. Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy, roast baby potatoes and roast onions.

Glazed gammon with roasted apples  

Serves 8 // Cooking time 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients 

For the gammon 

2kg boneless gammon
3 onions, halved
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 L apple juice
½ tbsp cloves  

For the glaze  

½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup treacle sugar
3 Tbsp English mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp cinnamon 

For the trimmings 

6 apples
2 tbsp butter
175g pomegranate seeds
Bay leaves, optional 

Method 

For the gammon 

1. Add the gammon, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns to a large pot.
2. Pour over the apple juice and top up with water until the gammon is covered.
3. Bring to the boil over high heat. Then, reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour and 45 minutes.
4. Remove the gammon from the liquid. Cool slightly.

For the glaze 

1. Whisk all the ingredients and season with salt.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line the bottom and sides of a baking tray with foil.
3. Remove the netting from the gammon (if applicable) and cut away the skin, leaving as much fat as possible. Score a criss-cross pattern in the fat. Stick a clove in the middle of each diamond.
4. Brush half of the glaze all over the gammon and place on the prepared tray.
5. Roast for 10–15 minutes, until golden and crispy, basting with more glaze.

For the trimmings 

1. Halve some of the apples and cut the others into wedges.
2. Melt the butter in a pan. Fry the apples, flesh-side down, for 2–3 minutes, until golden.
3. Arrange on a lined baking tray. Brush with the remaining glaze. Roast for 10–15 minutes.
4. Decorate your glazed gammon with roasted apples, pomegranate and bay leaves.

Roast lamb with garlic and tomato sauce 

Serves 8 // Cooking time 3 hours

Ingredients  

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2kg leg of lamb, on the bone
10g rosemary, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
Salt and pepper
1 garlic bulb, halved
8 Roma tomatoes, quartered
4 pickling onions, peeled and halved
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
10g thyme leaves
2 tsp sugar 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Rub the oil on to the leg of lamb and sprinkle on the rosemary. Season.
3. Place one half of the garlic bulb on a baking tray. Top with the lamb and cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 60–75 minutes, or until the centre of the meat reaches 58°C. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, still covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Place the tomatoes and pickling onions on another baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Peel the remaining garlic cloves and add to the tomatoes, along with the thyme. Season. Roast for 30 minutes.
5. Place half of the roast tomatoes, onions and garlic in a pot and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Put the pot over medium heat and add the sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and season.
6. Slice the lamb and serve with the garlic and tomato sauce, remaining roast tomatoes, onions and garlic, garnished with rosemary.

The post 3 showstopping festive roasts to feast on appeared first on MyKitchen.

’Tis the season to rule the roasts! Dust off those aprons, preheat your ovens and get ready to master this delicious whisky, maple & apricot glazed gammon recipe

Serves 6-8 

Prep ahead! Boil gammon 1-2 days before use and keep in the fridge, bring it to room temperature and glaze to roast for serving. 

Ingredients 

1 (about 2kg) boneless gammon
2L ginger beer or ginger ale 
3 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
2 bulbs garlic, halved (flesh reserved)   

For the glaze  

¼ – ½ cup whisky (or sparkling grape juice) 
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup apricot jam 
2 Tbsp maple-flavoured syrup 
2 limes, zested and juiced  

Method 

1. Place gammon in a large pot with ginger beer or ale, water, onion, bay leaves and garlic, ensuring gammon is submerged in liquid. 
2. Simmer over medium heat for 80 minutes.
3. Discard cooking liquid, reserving the garlic. 
4. Cool gammon for about 20 minutes, then remove netting. 
5. Remove the dark red- brown skin covering the fat by gently pulling upwards. Discard once removed.
6. Score fat with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through into the meat.
7. Combine glaze ingredients in a pot over high heat, adding the flesh of the reserved garlic.
8. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for another 8-10 minutes until glaze is sticky.
9. Place gammon on an oven tray lined with baking paper and brush with half the glaze.
10. Roast gammon at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, basting every 5-8 minutes until golden.  
11. Serve on a platter with leftover glaze and sides of your choice. 

Words: Gail Damon 

Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine 

Also read: 5 Christmas dishes from around the globe

The post Whisky, maple & apricot glazed gammon appeared first on MyKitchen.

Our three easy steps to gammon perfection. 

Step 1

Simmer gammon for 20 minutes for every 500g, cool slightly and peel off fat cap (the dark red-brown skin covering the fat) while hot.

Step 2

Score fat in a criss-cross pattern (don’t cut all the way through into the meat)

Step 3

Baste and roast at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until golden.

 Good to know

• Want oh-so-juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth gammon? The key to success lies in
  a slow simmer.
• The netting on gammon helps keeps its shape intact, so only remove it after simmering and while still warm.
• Remember to rest your roast for 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the meat juices to redistribute, leaving you with tender slices once carved.

Words: Gail Damon

Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine

The post Your guide to a delicious gammon appeared first on MyKitchen.

The team gathers to express gratitude for making it through 2023 with copious amounts of decadent food and drinks in true MK style! 

Creamy crab dip  

Makes 3 cups 

Swap out crab for smoked haddock or flaked cooked white fish, such as hake or kingklip. 

Ingredients

1 packet (500g) crab meat, defrosted
1 cup sour cream 
½ cup cream cheese 
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 
2 cloves garlic, roasted 
4 spring onions, sliced 
2 Tbsp chilli flakes
Handful fresh coriander, chopped 

For serving  

Breadsticks 
1 small cucumber, sliced into ribbons 
Toasted sourdough or ciabatta Fresh herbs  

Method 

1. Place a colander over a pot of simmering water. 
2. Put crab meat in the colander, cover with a lid and steam gently for about 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly. 
3. Roughly chop crab meat. 
4. Combine crab meat, sour cream, cream cheese, mustard and garlic.
5. Stir through spring onions, chilli flakes and coriander. Season well. 
6. Serve crab dip with breadsticks or toasted ciabatta, cucumber and scattered with fresh herbs.

“No festive season gathering with my family is complete without a decadent seafood-inspired meal!”

– Terry Msiphe Barnes, Publishing Manager TFG Media 

Spicy carrots with spring onion sauce  

Serves 4 

You can use any veg for this recipe – butternut, beetroot and pumpkin work well. 

Ingredients

2 packets (300g each) rainbow or regular baby carrots, washed 
2 Tbsp olive oil 
Salt and milled black pepper 
2 Tbsp smoked paprika 
1 Tbsp ground cumin 
1 Tbsp ground coriander 
3 Tbsp honey 
2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander 

For the sauce  

1 cup yoghurt 
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 spring onions, sliced  

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Place carrots onto a large baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. 
3. Season with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and coriander. Toss to coat evenly. 4. Roast the carrots for 10-12 minutes. 
4. Drizzle with honey, toss through coriander and roast for another 5-10 minutes until cooked through. 
5. Blitz together sauce until smooth and season. 
6. Serve veggies warm and drizzled with sauce.

“In my family, we love a fresh plate of veggies to balance out the seven colours at Christmas lunch. I often end up going for thirds, especially when that special saltiness from the blue cheese comes through – perfection!”

– Geraldine Amoko, Senior Copy Editor 

Spring greens with blue cheese crumble  

Serves 4 

Not a fan of blue cheese? Swap it out for feta or goat’s cheese.  

Ingredients

1 packet tenderstem broccoli 
1 packet pak choi, halved 
1 packet mangetout 
1 packet green beans or edamame beans 
1 packet baby spinach 
Glug olive oil 
Salt and milled black pepper 
¼ ciabatta, torn into chunks 
2 Tbsp butter 
1 clove garlic, chopped 
1 wedge blue cheese, crumbled 

Method 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. 
2. Blanch all vegetables (except the spinach) in batches for 1-2 minutes or until tender, then refresh in ice water. Drain. 
3. On a serving platter, arrange baby spinach and cooked vegetables. Drizzle with oil and season. 
4. In a dry pan, add ciabatta chunks and cook for about 1 minute before adding butter and garlic. 
5. Cook until crispy and fragrant, then set aside. 
6. Stir through blue cheese while bread chunks are still warm. 
7. Top the salad with the blue cheese crumble and serve immediately.

Slow-cooked pork belly with creamy mash, apple and red onion  

Serves 6-8 

Use any leftover shredded pork to make wraps, tacos or add to nachos for a delicious weeknight lunch or dinner.  

Ingredients

2-2.5kg boneless pork belly, skin scored 
¼ cup coarse salt and milled pepper 
2 Tbsp smoked paprika 
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard 
3 Pink Lady apples, quartered (or use any sweet apple you like) 
2 red onions, quartered 
1 garlic bulb, halved 
2 cups apple juice Honey, for drizzling  

For the creamy mash

6-8 large potatoes, cooked and kept warm 
½ cup cream cheese 3 Tbsp butter, softened 
Handful fresh sage, chopped 

Method 

1. Place pork belly onto a plate or board with skin side up. 
2. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt, then refrigerate pork belly uncovered overnight.
3. Dab skin with paper towel to soak up all the excess moisture. 
4. Rub the meat side with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and brush with mustard. 
5. Preheat oven to 160°C. 
6. Place apples, onions and garlic into a large deep roasting dish. 
7. Place pork belly, skin side up, on top of fruit and vegetables. 
8. Pour apple juice into the dish, making sure not to wet the skin of the pork. 
9. Roast uncovered for about 3½ hours or until meat is fork-tender. Remove roasted apples and onions and set aside. 
10. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and switch to grill. 
11. Roast pork belly for about 5-6 minutes until the skin puffs up and becomes crispy. (Keep a close eye on it!) 
12. Mash the potatoes until smooth, then stir through cream cheese, butter and sage. Then, season generously. 
13. Serve pork belly with creamy mash, roasted red onions, apple and fresh sage. Drizzle with honey just before serving.

“I absolutely adore the tenderness of the pork belly meat with the crispiness of the crackling. This dish appears on our festive family table every single year!”

– Chad January, Editor 

Best ever roast potatoes  

Serves 4-6

You can fluff the potatoes using a fork to ruffle up the edges instead of shaking them in a pot.  

Ingredients

8 large potatoes, peeled and quartered 
Salt 
2 cups duck fat 
Handful fresh sage or rosemary 
6-8 cloves garlic   

Method 

1. Parboil potatoes in boiling, salted water for about 6-8 minutes (they should not be cooked all the way through). Drain, season with salt and set aside. 
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
3. Place potatoes back into the pot, close the lid and shake the pot to ruffle up the edges of the potatoes. (This is what creates the crispy layer.) 
4. Place duck fat, sage and garlic into a deep roasting dish, then place in the oven for about 20 minutes until almost smoking. 
5. Add potatoes and cook for about 10-15 minutes, rotating every so often until crispy and golden all around. 
6. Drain on paper towel, season once more with salt and serve hot.

“What would a traditional festive feast be without the humble roast potato? Or rather, what would that post afternoon-nap be without a sneaky roast potato straight out of the pot – sacrilege!”

– Christine Siljeur, Senior Designer 

Thyme roasted chicken cooked in white wine  

Serves 4 

Omit white wine and cook chicken in carbonated apple juice or non-alcoholic bubbly.  

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened 
1 punnet fresh thyme, leaves picked 
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
Salt and milled pepper 
1 large whole chicken 
4 plums, peaches or nectarines, halved 
1 cup white wine 
Roasted carrots and Brussel sprouts for serving 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Combine butter, of the thyme and garlic in a bowl and season. 
3. Using your fingertips, loosen the chicken skin gently away from the flesh, making sure not to tear it. 
4. Spread butter mixture under the skin, pressing down gently to spread it around. 
5. Drizzle chicken with oil, season and sprinkle with remaining thyme. 
6. Place chicken in a deep roasting dish and nestle stone fruit around it. 
7. Pour the wine around chicken, cover with foil and roast for about 45 minutes until golden and skin is crispy. 
8. Add Brussel sprouts and roast for a further 15-20 minutes, uncovered until golden. 
9. Remove chicken from the oven and baste with pan drippings. 10. Serve with roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts.

“This roast chicken recipe ticks all the boxes! Crispy, golden skin accompanied by tender meat makes this a winner at any festive gathering!”

– San-Mari Mouton, Art Director 

Citrus gammon with Asian glaze  

Serves 8 

Opt for a simple traditional glaze by combining apricot jam and Dijon mustard to baste the gammon.  

Ingredients 

2.5-3kg boneless gammon 
2 cups orange juice 
2 cups chicken stock 
1 onion, peeled and halved 
1 garlic bulb, halved 
Handful fresh coriander 
2-3 fresh or dried bay leaves 
1 orange, quartered 

For the Asian glaze 

Glug olive oil 
2 spring onions, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, sliced 
5cm knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped 
1/3 cup soy sauce 
1 cup brown sugar 
1 orange, juiced 
Handful fresh coriander, chopped 
Toasted sesame seeds and fresh micro herbs, to serve  

Method 

1. Place gammon into a large 5L pot. 
2. Pour over orange juice and chicken stock. 
3. Add onion, garlic, herbs and orange, then top up with water (if needed), making sure the gammon is completely submerged. 
4. Boil gammon for 2½ hours, topping up with water if the liquid gets too low. (If your gammon is a different size, cook it for 25 minutes for every 500g of meat.) 
5. Remove the gammon from the pot (reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid) and cool slightly. 
6. Remove the netting and carefully peel away the skin while warm, by lifting the edge of the dark, leathery skin and pulling it backwards. 
7. Score the fat layer in a criss-cross pattern, careful not to cut through the meat at all, and place on a baking tray. 
8. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
9. For the glaze, heat oil in a pot and fry spring onion, garlic and ginger for 3-5 minutes. 
10. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, coriander and reserved gammon liquid. Simmer until reduced and sticky, about 8-10 minutes. 
11. Brush gammon with glaze and roast for about 8-10 minutes until sticky. 
12. Slice gammon just before serving (to prevent it from drying out). Drizzle with the sticky Asian glaze, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and micro herbs.

“The delicious sticky Asian glaze is what really takes this dish from ‘just gammon’ to ‘I need a second helping!’ This will turn any gammon sceptic into a gammon lover, from a previous sceptic herself.”

– Sjaan van der Ploeg, Food Stylist

Also read: 5 festive roasts to feast on

The post 7 must-have recipes on MK’s festive table appeared first on MyKitchen.

Including chicken that can be roasted in four different ways!

Gammon roast spiced with rum, pineapple and star anise

Serves 8-12  Total Time 2 Hr 10 Min

For The Gammon

• Smoked gammon, deboned 2kg
• Ginger ale 2L
• Pineapple juice 1L
• Bay leaves 3
• Peppercorns 8

For The Glaze

• Pineapple juice 1 cup
• Honey 3/4 cup
• Dark rum 1/2 cup
• Star anise 2-3
• Cinnamon 1 stick

For Serving

• Fresh coriander handful
• Fresh cherries handful
• Pomegranate rubies handful

Method

1. Place the gammon in a large pot. Add the ginger ale, pineapple juice, bay leaves and peppercorns.
2. Pour in enough water to cover the gammon completely.
3. Bring it to a simmer and cook the gammon for 20 minutes per 500g.
4. Remove the meat and allow it to cool slightly so that you can handle it.
5. Remove and discard any netting and the skin while it is still warm.
6. Score the fat (take care not to cut through to the meat). If you want to, stud your gammon with cloves.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the glaze ingredients in a pot and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.
8. Brush the gammon with some of the glaze and let it roast for 20-35 minutes until the fat is golden-brown all over. Glaze the roast every 5 minutes.
9. Serve the sliced gammon with coriander, cherries and pomegranate rubies scattered around it.

Top tip

The alcohol will cook away and leave a molasses flavour, so this is a family-friendly recipe. If you want to leave out the rum, use half the honey and add 1/4 cup dark-brown sugar.

Sliced steak and antipasti platter

Serves 8  Total Time 40-45 Min

For The Dressing

• Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained 240g
• Capers 8
• Garlic, finely grated 1 clove
• Fresh chilli, chopped a pinch (optional)
• Fresh parsley or coriander, chopped handful
• Lemon juice 60ml
• Lemon zest 1
• Olive oil ½ cup
• Rump 4 (200g each)
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Oil for frying
• Fresh rosemary 2 sprigs
• Garlic, crushed 2 cloves

For Serving

• Fresh rocket 200g
• Microherbs handful
• Olives handful
• Fresh basil handful
• Roasted tomatoes handful

Method

1. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and capers and toss with the garlic, chilli, herbs, lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Add the olive oil or, if you like, use some of the sun-dried tomato oil.
3. Set the dressing aside to allow the flavours to develop.
4. Season the steaks well.
5. Heat a pan until smoking hot, then add a glug of oil, the rosemary sprigs and the crushed garlic.
6. Fry the steaks for 2-3 minutes each side and for a minute on each edge.
7. Remove the steaks from the pan and spoon over some of the flavoured oil. Rest meat for at least 10 minutes.
8. Slice the steak, place it on a board and drizzle with the dressing. Serve it with the microherbs and rocket, and dotted with a few olives, basil and roasted tomatoes.

Top Tip

Don’t cook your steaks straight out of the fridge. The meat ‘relaxes’ when you bring it to room temperature, making it more tender.

Baked yellowtail with fragrant rice stuffing

Serves 4  Total Time 45 Min

• Olive oil 2 tbsp + extra for drizzling
• Baby fennel, thinly sliced 200g
• Baby leeks, sliced 200g
• Small red onions, roughly sliced 2
• Garlic, chopped 2 cloves
• White wine or vegetable stock ¼ cup
• Cooked brown basmati rice 1 ½ cups
• Lemon juice 120ml
• Wholegrain mustard ½ tbsp
• Fennel leaves, chopped 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander, chopped 1 tsp
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Whole yellowtail, butterflied 1 kg
• Lemon slices for garnish
• Green salad for serving

Method

1. Heat the oil and fry the fennel, leeks and onions for 2 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so until fragrant
3. Add the wine or stock and simmer for a minute. Remove from heat.
4. Add the rice and stir through the lemon juice, mustard, fennel and coriander. Season well and cool.
5. Place the fish on a baking tray and season it on both sides. Fill the fish with the rice mixture, fold it closed and top with the lemon slices. Secure with butcher’s string.
6. Drizzle the extra olive oil over the fish’s skin. Cover it with foil and bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for 10-12 minutes until the skin is crispy. Serve warm with a green salad on the side.

Top tip

This recipe also works well with hake or snoek.

Roast chicken in 4 different fabulous ways

These short order recipes will get you cooking faster. Make one or all four of these roast chickens, depending on how many guests are at your table

Moroccan-spiced roast chicken

Serves 4-6  Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Using a pestle and mortar, crush together 2 tbsp of regular or smoked paprika,
1 tsp each cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon,
1 tbsp each coriander seeds and cumin seeds,
1/2 tsp each ground cloves and nutmeg,
2 tbsp light brown sugar,
2-3 chopped cloves of garlic,
1 tsp each salt and grated fresh ginger until well combined.
Coat 1 whole chicken (giblets removed) with 2 tbsp olive oil and apply the rub, taking care to evenly coat the chicken.
Place it on a greased baking tray, cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until cooked through, basting the chicken every 10-15 minutes with either 1/4 cup of melted butter or the pan juices.

Orange, lime and fennel roast chicken

Serves 4-6  Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Generously season 1 whole chicken (giblets removed) with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
Combine 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp chopped fennel fronds plus the grated peel of 1 orange and 1 lime.
Rub the mixture over the chicken, taking care to coat it evenly
Place 1 sliced fennel bulb, 1/2 a garlic bulb, 1 sliced orange and 2 sliced limes on a greased baking tray
Arrange about 6 citrus slices on top of the chicken and secure them with string.
Nestle the chicken on top of the fennel fronds and roast for about 30 minutes, basting every 10-15 minutes with 1/4 cup melted butter and 80ml orange juice.
Cover with foil and roast for another 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

Bacon-wrapped roast chicken

Serves 4-6   Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Season 1 whole chicken (giblets removed) with salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Coat it with 2 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp chopped thyme.
Wrap 200g of streaky bacon slices around the breast area in a lattice pattern, making sure to cover it completely.
Secure the bacon in place using toothpicks.
Place the chicken breast-side up on a greased baking tray.
Roast for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and roast for a further 30 minutes. Baste it with the pan juices every 10-15 minutes.
Remove the toothpicks from the bacon before serving.

Top tip

Wrapping the chicken in bacon ensures that the breast does not dry out as quickly. Streaky bacon is best because of its high fat content.

Brined and butter-basted roast chicken

Serves 4-6  Total Time 1 Hr 15 Min

Place 2L of water, 1/3 cup coarse salt, 2 halved lemons, 2-3 bay leaves, a handful of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage work well), 1/2  a garlic bulb, 1 tbsp mixed peppercorns and 3 tbsp honey or white sugar in a large pot and bring to the boil.
Stir the mixture until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Cool completely
Place 1 large whole chicken (giblets removed) into the cooled liquid and leave in the fridge overnight.
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
Combine 1/3 cup of melted butter, 2 grated cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice to make a basting sauce.
Place the chicken on a greased baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the sauce.
Cover with foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

Top tip for the roast chicken

Remove the foil 20 minutes  before the end of the cooking time to crisp up the skin.

Braaied leg of lamb with zesty gremolata

Serves 6-8  Total Time 1 Hr 10

For the lamb

• Garlic, grated 4 cloves
• Salt 1/2 tbsp
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• Coriander seeds, toasted 1 tbsp
• Olive oil 2 tsp
• Fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped 3 sprigs
• Leg of lamb, deboned 5kg

For the gremolata

• Flat-leaf parsley, leaves only 20g
• Garlic 1 clove
• Salt and coarsely ground pepper
• Lemon zest 1
• Lemon juice 30ml
• Olive oil 15ml + extra for tossing
• Anchovies, finely chopped 2

Method

1. Use a mortar and pestle to create a paste using the garlic, seasoning, coriander seeds, olive oil and rosemary.
2. Rub it all over the lamb and rest for 20-30 minutes to bring the meat to room temperature.
3. Grill the meat over medium coals. You should be able to hold your hand over the coals for 5 seconds. Turn the meat regularly for 10-12 minutes. Remove it from the coals and wrap in foil.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes or cook in a kettle braai until medium rare. Rest the meat for about 10 minutes.
5. Finely chop the gremolata ingredients and then toss with oil.
6. Serve the meat thinly sliced with the gremolata on the side.

Top tip

Choosing a deboned leg of lamb will speed up the cooking time. Ask your butcher to do it for you. That being said, opting to cook a leg of lamb on the bone will add flavour.

The post A step-by-step guide for the ultimate feast of mains appeared first on MyKitchen.