With spring in full swing, the seasonal larder has rewarded us with a welcome explosion of tender green delights: broad beans, peas, spring onions and leaves of all shades are suddenly available – and all set for kitchen action
Spring chicken and orzo pot roast
Serves 4 Hands-on time 25 min Oven time 1 hour 25 min, plus resting
KNOW-HOW
If you only have a 500ml pouch of fresh chicken stock, use that and top up with 300ml water – it’ll still be better than a stock cube.
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Bunch spring onions, roots trimmed
• 200g asparagus
• 1.8kg free-range chicken
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300ml dry white wine
• 800ml fresh chicken stock (see Know-how)
• 80g watercress
• Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
• 300g orzo
1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. Put a large, lidded, hob-safe casserole over a high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the spring onions and cook for a minute or so on each side until lightly golden, then transfer to a plate with tongs. Do the same with the asparagus, then set them both aside for later.
2 Season the chicken, then add to the pan breast-side down and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the skin is golden. Turn it over and reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the pan, stirring it around the chicken rather than on top. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for a few minutes until reduced a little, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid and put in the oven. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes.
3 While the chicken roasts, put half the watercress (using the stalkier ends rather than the tender leaves where possible) in a blender with the lemon zest and juice, then whizz to a paste.
4 Take the pot out of the oven, then stir the orzo, the whizzed watercress mixture and the spring onions and asparagus into the liquid around the chicken. Cover again and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
5 Remove the lid and leave to stand for 15 minutes – this gives the chicken a chance to rest and the orzo will finish absorbing the liquid. Add the remaining watercress just before serving.
Per serving 793kcals, 18.3g fat (4.4g saturated), 82g protein, 58.5g carbs (5.6g sugars), 0.9g salt, 6g fibre
‘All the greens’ potato salad
Serves 4 Hands-on time 10 min Simmering time 20 min
MAKE AHEAD
You can make the salad up to 24 hours ahead and chill. Bring it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving to allow it to lose its chill slightly, then give everything a good stir before serving.
• 1kg jersey royal or new potatoes, smaller ones left whole, larger ones halved
• 100g peas
• 200g tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli, any thicker stalks halved
