This recipe was inspired by one on the Great British Chefs website by Marcello Tully whose food I was fortunate to eat at Kilnoch Lodge on the isle of Skye Christmas 2018.
The flavours in my recipe play on the ‘melitzanosalata’ my mother used to make marrying garlic, vinegar, smoked aubergine and lots of walnuts. These flavours go very well both with the neutral tasting poussin and the pilaf.
Ingredients (serves 2)
For the poussin
- 1 poussin, 500g
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive and 2 tbsp for frying
- 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
For the smoked aubergine sauce
- 1 globe aubergine
- 30ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
- Squeeze of lemon
For the chestnut and mushroom pilaf
- 4 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 50g white basmati rice
- 50g brown basmati rice
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1/2 lemon, zest of
To serve
- 4-5 walnut halves sliced and toasted in a dry pan
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
Method
Toast the spices in a dry frying pan, cool and grind in a pestle and mortar.
Preheat the oven to 1800C. Wash and pat dry the aubergine. If you have a gas stove, you can cook the aubergine over a naked flame holding it with metal tongues and turning it around until very charred on the outside and soft on the inside. Drop in some cold water and peel away the charred exterior. Squeeze all excess water and it is ready to blitz as below.
Alternatively, you can bake the aubergine and then smoke it.
Prick with aubergine with a fork in 4-5 places and place on the middle rack of the oven, positioning a dish below it to catch any liquid. Bake the aubergine until shrivelled and soft, approx. 45-50 minutes.
Next smoke the aubergine in a smoker for 15-30 minutes. Leave to cool and peel. Place the aubergine flesh in a small blender and add all the remaining ingredients, apart from the yogurt. Blitz until very smooth, add the yogurt and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust the acidity by adding more vinegar or lemon if necessary.
While the aubergine is smoking, wash and pat dry the poussin. Spatchcock the bird by removing the ribcage and breastbone. Rub the poussin with the olive oil and lemon juice, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and rub with the spices and lemon zest. Cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
Bring an oven proof pan to a medium to high heat and add the olive oil. Brown the poussin on both sides and transfer the pan into the hot oven. Cook for 15 minutes.
While the poussin is baking, cook the mushrooms and rice.
Bring a pan with salted water to the boil. Add the brown basmati rice and cook for 5 minutes. Add the white basmati and cook until the rice is soft. Drain any excess water and return to the pan. Add the butter, stir and cover to keep warm.
Bring a frying pan to a medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic slices, thyme and sliced mushrooms and stir till the mushrooms are browned. Discard the sprigs of thyme.
Add the mushrooms and lemon zest to the rice and season the pilaf.
To serve, spoon the pilaf on a large platter. Cut the poussin in two halves and top the pilaf with. Spoon over the aubergine sauce and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and chopped coriander.