On flux and chicken with pearl couscous
A few important things including the launch of my cookbook, upcoming events and a recipe for chicken with green olives and pearl couscous
I went on ABC radio the other day with Matt Preston to talk about chicken livers. He started off by saying “I am joined by Ellie Bouhadana, whose life is in flux right now”. He isn’t wrong! I’ve had some very exciting and bittersweet tectonic shifts in my world recently.
So here’s an update for you, along with a new recipe from my cookbook.
After three chaotically delicious years, I finished my time leading the kitchen at Hope St Radio.
I was relatively inexperienced when I was asked to head the kitchen at Hope St. The stainless steel bench tops and combi oven were brand new, everything was pristine and untouched. I learnt how to run the pass and send out plates of seasonal and intimate food to a full restaurant by throwing myself deep into the kitchen lifestyle. I remember having dreams deep into the night about focaccia proving and the sound of the docket machine and service bell ringing (thankfully that stage has passed). At the start I would begin service feeling nervous, my belly full of butterflies thinking of the busy night ahead. As each day passed and mistakes were made and then learnt, my nerves subsided and I grew confident of my position at the pass and on the pans. Leaving all that feels surreal. The Hope St kitchen will always be a part of me, formative, and my home in a way. I already miss the chaos but feel forever grateful for the opportunity to have spent the last three years cooking and building a strong kitchen. And there will be more kitchen chaos where that came from…
I launched my cookbook on May 3rd!
Finally my little blue book is sitting in bookstores and specialty stores around Australia and the world. The book is such an intimate part of me. Knowing that people are flicking through, reading and cooking from it feels special. You can purchase my cookbook here.
Book launch at Prahran Market
As an ode to the markets I love to wander through and cook from around the world, I decided to celebrate the launch of the cookbook by throwing a party at my local market. As the stalls closed for the day and the produce laid to rest, and in collaboration with Lauren and Fred from Long Prawn, we set up a grill for cumin-spiced lamb kebabs and sesame focaccia; I cooked a giant broth of Parmigiano Reggiano rinds with fresh borlotti beans and salsa verde; and baskets of winter mandarins were strewn around for people to peel and throw back. Oud, darbuka and saxophone filled the room and my dad and sisters were dancing in celebration.
Other things to look forward to:
To launch the book in Sydney I will be flying up this weekend and popping up at two of my favourite spots: Lucy Folk Paddington and Albertos Lounge. I am really excited to meet some new faces and cook in new kitchens.
Saturday 25th 10.30am - 12pm I will be at the Lucy Folk store in Paddington signing books. Come by the shop and say hi - I will be making Raiff Moroccan tea biscuits, a recipe from the book, and we will be pouring hot tea.
Sunday 26th I am so excited to be cooking a collaborative menu from my cookbook alongside the team at Alberto’s Lounge, presented by Vivid Sydney. Both lunch and dinner service are now almost booked out (there may be one or two tables left so try and book a spot). I will be cooking a menu featuring my focaccia and whipped butter, a couple of vegetable forward snacking plates, fish in a spicy North African tomato sauce, stuffed artichoke bottoms and a couple of pasta dishes- of course there will be a few Albertos classics in the mix too.
I am so excited to be flying to New York next week to launch the cookbook at the beautiful Colbo. I will be in town hanging about, eating and playing. Let me know if you have any tips for the city or collaborations you think I should work on.
I will then be spending some time in Europe - specifically France and Greece - all tips are welcome - food and wine spots, good walks, beaches, vintage and produce markets.
Speaking of all these recent good things. I thought I would leave you with a recipe from my cookbook. Seared chicken with green olives, chilli and pearl couscous. In this moment of flux, reflection and nostalgia, I thought I would share a dish that I used to make for staff meals at Hope St. This is a dish inspired by Egyptian-Jewish culinary queen, Claudia Roden.
Pan-fried chicken thighs with green olives and pearl couscous
Chicken thighs are pre-salted to draw out moisture and enhance flavour, then pan-seared skin-side down until crispy. To finish cooking they then cozy up amongst grains of pearl couscous that expand into jewels after being covered in chicken stock and a sauce of garlic, anchovy, turmeric, honey, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. You can purchase my cookbook here for more recipes.
Serves 6
6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 jalapeño chillies
200 g (7 oz) Sicilian olives
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) white wine
juice of 1/2 lemon
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) Chicken stock (page 228)
170 g (6 oz/1 cup) pearl couscous
handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Sauce
6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
3 anchovies packed in olive oil, roughly chopped
handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoons honey
juice of 1 lemon
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then leave them to rest in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, together with a generous pinch of flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Next, cook the chicken. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat until it is searing hot. Brown the chicken thighs skin side down until the skin is golden and crisp, about 10 minutes, then turn them over and brown the other side for a further 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the jalapeños and olives for about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and lemon juice, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the liquid. Simmer for about a minute to cook off the alcohol.
Pour in the chicken stock and the pearl couscous. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, nestling them among the grains of couscous, and pour the sauce over the whole thing. Bring to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes, then put the uncovered pan into the oven for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the stock has been absorbed by the couscous.
Serve the chicken pieces and couscous while piping hot on individual plates, drizzled with spoonfuls of the sauce that remains in the pan. Shower each serving with the parsley.
