Ingredients

1 whole chicken
4 shallots, trimmed, and cut in quarters
2 carrots, sliced
20ml warm water
A few saffron threads
60ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 preserved lemon
1 oranges, cut into quarters
Rock salt, to taste
3gr ground cinnamon
5gr ground cumin
5gr ground coriander
3gr ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, sliced
150ml chicken stock
1 – 2 sweet purple potatoes

For the Roast Pumpkin

1 small pumpkin, skin on, cut into wedges

50gr rose harissa
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

60ml olive oil

Fresh thyme, chopped
Rock salt
40ml pomegranate molasses
20ml lemon juice
40ml agave syrup
Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped 2 spring onions, cut into 4cm slices
1⁄2 pomegranate (seeds only)
Fresh black pepper

Wine Pairing

Vasse Felix – Chardonnay 2019 (Margaret River, Western Australia)

The signature Chardonnay of Vasse Felix, made from a selection of Vasse Felix’s premier plots
of powerful Chardonnay. Made in the modern Margaret River style of elegance, power and restraint, with the wild complexity which distin- guishes Vasse Felix Chardonnay. A fragrant fruit perfume of white peach,

yuzu and pear flan, gives way to creamy yeast lees and fragrant oak complex- ities which deliver almond meal, ginger nut biscuits and nougat nuances. Background notes of flint and ocean breeze reveal themselves with time.

A few years of bottle aging allows even more complex aromas
to develop, making this wine a perfect pairing for the spiced Saffron and Harissa, chicken and pumpkin dish. Available at farsonsdirect.com for €24.28

Method:

For the Roast Chicken
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees. Place the sliced shallots and carrots on the bottom of the roasting tray, drizzle with some olive

parchment and foil. Return to the oven and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle over the molasses, agave syrup and lemon juice and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the pumpkin wedges to a serving tray, mix the pan juices with the chopped coriander, and spring onions Adjust seasoning to taste and spoon over the pump- kin. Decorate with the pomegranate seeds and some olive oil.

Serve with baked roast purple sweet potatoes.

oil and season with some rock salt. In a cup place the warm water and saffron threads, stir to release the flavour and colour.

In a bowl place the olive oil, sliced garlic, chopped preserved lemons, and orange quarters, season with some rock salt and cracked black pepper. Place the orange quarters and the chopped preserved lemons into the chicken cavity with some of the fresh thyme. In a separate bowl whisk the saffron water, cinnamon, cumin, ground coriander and ground ginger and pour over the chicken, massage to get a nice even coating and place on top of the vegetables, and add chicken stock.

Roast for 15 minutes at the pre-set temperature then lower the temperature to 180 degrees. Whilst cooking make sure to baste at regular intervals and rotate the chicken to get a nice even colouring. Cooking time is dependent on oven and should take between 55 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Ideally check with a probe to get a 72-degree reading when piercing close to the thigh bone. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

For the Roast Pumpkin

In a non-stick roasting tray mix the pumpkin wedges, rose harissa, olive oil, garlic and chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper, mix well to get all the pumpkin evenly coated and spread around the tray. Cover with some wet baking parchment and foil, cover tightly and roast for twenty minutes in the oven that has been pre-heated to 210 degrees.

Remove from oven and take away the baking