Eunice Power: Summer won’t last forever, so enjoy these sunny favourites

Eunice Power shares recipes for Harissa Spatchcock Chicken with Rainbow Slaw, and Tomato and Smoked Gubbeen Tart

Harissa Spatchcock Chicken with Rainbow Slaw. Picture: Chani Anderson

For a few weeks, I briefly forgot I was living in my familiar surroundings, and felt instead like I was in a sun-soaked stretch of the Riviera. But we all know that the good weather won’t last forever.

This week, I have a spatchcock chicken with harissa. Harissa is an ingredient I really love to use, it’s spicy and fragrant, and I used a rose harissa here, which gives a lovely undertone. It’s great that ingredients like harissa are so widely available in the supermarket now. This comes with a nice crunchy slaw, and I serve it at home with some baked potatoes. The chicken itself is delicious. I like to joint it and serve it on a big platter. It’s one of those dishes where the flavour is so good you can’t stop picking at it until it’s all gone.

And then the tart. I have a bit of a tomato addiction going on at the moment. My tomatoes have taken ages to ripen, even though temperatures have been really warm, so it’s a bit of a conundrum. I must consult with my tomato expert! You don’t have to use Gubbeen; you can use another smoked cheese, but I happen to have Gubbeen to hand, and I’m a huge fan.

Although it’s still lovely and mild, autumn isn’t too far off and this week’s recipes reflect that.

Harissa Spatchcock Chicken with Rainbow Slaw

recipe by:Eunice Power

Spatchcocking sounds like a big production but it’s really just cutting out the backbone so the chicken lies flat. It means it cooks faster and more evenly, and you get much more of that gorgeous crispy skin.

Servings

4

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 whole medium chicken, spatchcocked

• 2 tbsp rose harissa

• 100g butter at room temperature

• Zest of 1 lemon

• For the slaw

• 100g mangetout, thinly sliced

• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated

• A quarter of a red cabbage, thinly sliced

• Half a mango, thinly sliced (or 1 crisp red apple as an alternative)

• For the dressing

• 2 tbsp tahini

• 100g Greek-style yogurt

• Juice and zest of 2 limes

• A squeeze of honey

• Salt and pepper

• A little water, to thin out the dressing

Method

1. Blitz the butter, harissa and lemon zest together until smooth, then rub all over the spatchcocked chicken. Marinate overnight if possible.

2. Roast the chicken at 170°C for 1 hour, then rest for 30 minutes, cutting into 6-8 pieces.

3. While the chicken rests, whisk together the tahini, yogurt, lime juice and zest, honey, salt and pepper, adding a little water to loosen the dressing to a pourable consistency.

4. Toss the mangetout, carrot, cabbage and mango together in a large bowl, then mix through the dressing.

5. Serve the spatchcocked chicken with the slaw alongside.

6. The slaw ingredients are not an exact science so don’t be afraid to swap in and out red with white cabbage, mangetout for green beans

All you need is a good pair of kitchen scissors: turn the chicken breast-side down, snip along both sides of the backbone and pull it out, then flip it over and press down firmly on the breastbone until it flattens. Alternatively, you can ask your butcher to do it for you, like I did!

Tomato and Smoked Gubbeen Tart

recipe by:Eunice Power

This tart reminds me of one I had in France years ago when I was on an exchange. The Dijon mustard on the base lends a wonderful piquancy to the tart, similar to a French peasant tart, the smoked Gubbeen giving an additional depth of flavour.

Servings

6

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the pastry

• 200g plain flour

• 100g butter, very cold, cut into cubes

• 1 egg, beaten

• A pinch of salt

• For the filling

• 25g butter

• 1 onion, finely sliced

• 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped

• A small bunch of basil, sliced

• A small bunch of flat parsley, chopped

• 4 eggs

• 2 egg yolks

• 250g cream

• 100g smoked Gubbeen, grated

• 50g parmesan, grated

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (if you don’t have Dijon to hand you can swap with a wholegrain mustard)

Method

1. Blitz the flour and cold butter together in a food processor with a pinch of salt, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Add the beaten egg and pulse until the dough just comes together.

3. Turn the pastry out onto a floured work surface, knead briefly, then bring it together into a ball. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

4. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a nine-inch tart tin. Chill again for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Bake the pastry case blind: line it with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the base is pale gold and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool slightly.

6. Melt the butter in a pan and caramelise the onion very slowly over a low heat until deep golden and soft.

7. Add the tomatoes and cook down gently over a low, slow heat until softened.

8. Spread the Dijon mustard over the base of the blind-baked tart case, then spread the tomato and onion mixture on top.

9. Mix the eggs, egg yolks, cream, Gubbeen, parmesan, basil and parsley together, and pour over the tomato and onion base.

10. Bake at 160°C for about 30 minutes, keeping an eye on it up to 35 minutes, until the filling is just firm with a slight wobble in the centre.

11. For a few weeks, I briefly forgot I was living in my familiar surroundings, and felt instead like I was in a sun-soaked stretch of the Riviera. Now, suddenly, we’re back down to reality again.