By Christine Salins.
Belinda Jeffery lives on the north coast of NSW and it is the markets and produce of that bountiful region that informs and inspires the dishes she cooks.
A cookery writer and teacher, and hugely popular on Instagram, she has a reputation for creating foolproof, uncomplicated, mouth-watering recipes that don’t require anything particularly special in the way of ingredients.
Jeffery has written a swag of books over the years and one of the comments heard most often about her writing style is that you feel as though she is standing beside you in the kitchen as you cook.
It’s a comment that warms her heart, and it’s easy to feel that guiding hand in her latest book, In Belinda’s Kitchen: Essential Recipes (Simon & Schuster Australia, $49.99) for these are the recipes that are particularly dear to her – the recipes from family, friends and colleagues she has worked with. “The recipes in it are those of my history,” she says.
Jeffery had a lot of fun picking the eyes out of an earlier book, Collected Recipes, which in turn was a combination of her first two books released in 2000 and 2002. Jeffery had poured her heart and soul into the books and they clearly resonated with readers for when Collected Recipes went out of print in 2017 she continued to receive frequent requests.
Not surprisingly, Jeffery’s cooking has evolved over the years. “I might add more spice here, less sugar there, use a slightly lighter hand, or an ingredient that just wasn’t widely available back then.” Some of the recipes in this new release have therefore had a “polish”, and there are some new recipes as well. But, she says, “these are the recipes I make time and again, and it gives me so much joy to see them ready to come back out into the world.”
Jeffery frequently cooks variations of this simple chicken dish as it’s an easy way to cook chicken pieces and the smoky, lemony cooking juices are delicious. The recipe doubles well if you want to serve a large group, but if you do, spread the chicken pieces onto two trays so they have enough space for the skin to brown and crisp.
Roasted chicken thighs with lemon, smoked paprika and green olives
Serves 6
8 skin-on chicken thigh cutlets (bone-in)
1 large lemon, sliced into 5mm thick rounds
2 to 3 whole heads garlic, halved crosswise
18 Sicilian green olives
thyme sprigs or fresh bay leaf sprigs, to garnish
Chicken marinade:
100ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest of 1 large lemon, finely grated
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Combine the chicken marinade ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mix them together. Add the chicken cutlets, lemon slices and garlic then swish them about so they’re really well coated in the marinade. (It’s a good idea to slip on a pair of prep gloves and do this with your hands to ensure everything is well coated).
Line a container that will hold the chicken mixture comfortably with a compostable plastic bag. Scrape the mixture into the bag, then knot the bag tightly. Seal the container and pop it in the fridge for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight – give the bag a good squish occasionally. (The longer you leave the chicken, the more imbued it will become with the flavours. That said, I’ve made this and cooked it almost straight away, and it has still been delicious).
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat your oven to 190°C.
Line a large shallow baking tray with foil, then baking paper. Empty the chicken mixture onto the tray. Sit the chicken cutlets in a single layer, skin-side up, and tuck the garlic halves and lemon slices around them. (If you want to sit a slice of lemon on each piece of chicken, do, it looks lovely once it’s cooked). Pop the tray in the oven and roast the chicken for about 40 minutes, until it’s deep brown and cooked through but tender. Add the olives in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer everything, including any juices, to a large serving platter. Garnish with thyme or bay leaf sprigs to serve.
Recipe and image from: In Belinda’s Kitchen: Essential Recipes by Belinda Jeffery, published by Simon & Schuster Australia, RRP $49.99. Food photography © Rodney Weidland, Illustrations © Daniel New.
