Bear with me
whilst I indulge in some self indulgent trumpet blowing for a minute would you.
I love being able
to cook well and one of the most pleasing things about having the confidence
and the knowledge, is the ability to just coming up with something out of the
blue. It could be based on something I had once, seen on TV, read in a magazine
or just the thought of certain ingredients seem to spark an idea
For me this was a
combination of the arrival of summer (it had better be), Dan coming back from
Slovenia and bring some dried herbs with him, a hankering for a light,
flavoursome dish and of course chicken
Chicken, Fennel
and Tarragon work really, really well and the addition of lemon lifts
everything to a new level. The stock is obvious in a stew and the light yellow
Pomodpri tomatoes add body but are subtle enough to blend perfectly with the
other ingredients
Prep time is minimal
and would suit a long afternoon lounging outside whilst you soak up what
sunshine there is this year. When the heat of the day begins to wane, remove
from the oven and ladle into generous bowls, add a green salad is you wish,
some bread and a glass of crisp cool white wine, perfect!
700g Boneless
Chicken thighs
750g Small
potatoes chopped into chunks (I used Anya)
1 Red Onion
Finely Chopped
4 cloves Garlic
finely chopped
1 Large fennel
bulb washed, tough bits removed and quartered
1 tin of
Sainsbury’s Pomodori D’Oro Plum Tomatoes
80g plain flour,
seasoned well
1 Large Glass or
Dry white wine
Tablespoon of
Chopped Tarragon
Mixed Dried
Herbs, in this case Bad Ischler from Solvenia (Thanks Dan, you may have to source something more local)
Squeeze of lemon
Juice
Handful of
chopped Parsley
2 Tablespoons of
olive oil
Preheat the oven
to 160o
In a large flame
proof casserole dish add the oil and put on the hob until hot
Brown the chicken
in batches of about 4 at a time until browned, remove and put aside
Fry the onions
until soft
Add the fry
gently for another min
Add the Fennel
and fry for another min
Add the wine stirring
vigorously then leave to reduce by half
Add the tomatoes,
stock and dried herbs stirring to combine everything
Finally re-add
the chicken, stir well
Place the lid on
the dish and cook in the oven for around 3 hours
Before you serve
stir through, with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, then finish with the
chopped parsley
Serve with a
green salad, some bread and of course some white wine
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