Honey & Co’s chicken roasted in fig leaves, with figs and tomatoes recipe - Financial Times

Posted: 19 Sep 2018 12:00 AM PDT

As promised, here is the second instalment of our figgy feast. Last week, we suggested a salad starter; this time, we have a show-stopping main that makes use of the fruit and leaves of the generous fig tree.

There are many fig trees growing in the UK and chances are you are not far from one — once you know the unmistakable shape of their foliage, you start to see them everywhere. Even if the fruit doesn't ripen in the British sun, the trees carry a flavour bomb in their leaves, with the most exciting fragrance: exotic yet somehow familiar, smelling of figs, yes, but also of resin, basil and something else that's a bit like coconut but not quite. Do not eat them! Wash them well and use them like bay leaves — they impart their aroma to roasts, savoury stews and sweet custards. They are perfect for wrapping fish or cheese before it goes on the barbecue, to create a parcel that both protects and flavours.

Our kindly neighbours have a big fig tree in their front garden. It shades their lovingly restored, 60-year-old maroon-coloured Morris and they don't mind when they see us in the morning on the way to work picking leaves for the day's cooking, or in the evening coming home, raiding the tree to make a simple dinner special.

So look around, find a tree and hope its owners are as generous as the fig tree itself. Pick some leaves and line a roasting tray with them. Use more leaves to wrap a plump chicken; any extra ones can be placed in the cavity. As the bird comes out of the oven, your kitchen will fill up with the most unusual perfume, which is also present in the tender meat and in the surrounding firm-fleshed, late-summer tomatoes and juicy figs. The figs should keep their shape in the roasting process but just barely; as you take a fork to them they will collapse to a sweet and sour relish full of that heady aroma from the leaves.

If you can't find fig leaves, use fresh bay or vine leaves — you won't be able to wrap the chicken but you can still create a beautiful, seasonal meal.

honeyandco@ft.com

FTMagazine_Honey&Co_Chicken_Roasted_in_Fig_Leaves_PatriciaNiven — © Patricia Niven

Chicken roasted in fig leaves, with figs and tomatoes

To serve four

Heat your oven to 220C (fan assist).
Line a large roasting tray with 5-6 of the fig leaves, overlapping each other to create a solid bed for the chicken to sit on.
Place the lemon slices in the middle of the tray and place the chicken on top of the slices. If you have some fig leaves left, fill the bird cavity with them and pop in a slice of lemon for good measure.
Mix the olive oil with the lemon zest, marjoram leaves, salt, pepper and minced garlic and rub the paste all over the chicken.
Lift the fig leaves up to semi-wrap the bird. They will stick a little to the salt rub but don't worry too much — the heat from the oven will shrink them away soon enough.
Once the oven is hot, pop the tray in the centre and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200C without opening the oven door and roast for a further 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven carefully. Use a spoon or brush to baste the chicken with any liquids created, then add the chunks of tomatoes and the fig pieces all around the bird. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and a touch of salt and return to the oven for the last 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Baste everything again with the juice. Check the chicken is cooked by inserting a knife in the thickest part of the bird and removing it: any juices that seep out should be clear. If they are bloody, return the chicken for a further 10 minutes. Rest for another 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.

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