Madame Saisons

ONE POT WONDERS Words and image: Sarah Ugazio

The famous risotto!

‘You’re going to stuff this up’ – I silently thought as I observed my sister cooking dinner. Supposedly roast chicken and risotto was on the menu. I watched on as she plonked a raw chook over browned vegetables in the oven. “When are you going to start the risotto?” I enquired. “It’s started,” she said, “I do it all in one pot.” The trained chef in me was starting to really twitch as she pulled out the pot, poured in rice and stock, then promptly whacked it back in the oven. I had to leave the kitchen. All I can say is, the final result was surprising and simply delicious. Perfectly cooked chook and creamy risotto with deep savoury flavour from the roasting juices. I was particularly grateful at the end of the meal for two reasons: a) There was only one pot to deal with, which happened to be my assigned responsibility; and b) I’d kept my judgy opinions to myself! And thus began my appreciation for one-pot-wonders, and their close cousin, the tray bake. A quick search on the net will reveal endless recipe options. The secret of winning one-dish dinners is to match up the cooking times of the ingredients. Fresh fish can be baked alongside broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion, while frozen fish takes longer and can pair with sliced potatoes and carrots. Anything cut smaller will cook faster, or just add things to the tray or pot later that need less cooking time.

Think about the key ingredient and then consider vegetables that can take the heat and match the time. Chicken thighs or wings, sausages, frozen or fresh fish are good options for tray bakes. Generally, anything that’s pan-fried can be baked and/or braised (to cook covered with a shallow amount of liquid). Not only does braising prevent meat from drying out, it also provides a tasty sauce for the meal. For red meat, use mince (think meatballs) to speed up the cooking time, and bake together with a sauce. Cook uncovered first to brown the top of the meatballs, then cover to allow the liquid sauce to steam through meat and develop in flavour. Pasta bakes are comfort food heaven, essentially binding precooked pasta and vegetables (technically adding another dish to the mix) with cheese or béchamel, or both. Again, there are many recipes out there beyond Tuna Pasta Bake or Mac & Cheese. Having a few easy winner dinners up your sleeve is always a good thing. Have a go creating your own recipes, and don’t judge anyone’s One Pot Wonder. Because it’s such a joy doing dishes, said no one ever. Follow Sarah on Insta @madamesaisons

RECIPE: Roast Chicken & Brown Rice Risotto

Serves 6, prep time – 20mins Cooking Time – 1hr 40mins

INGREDIENTS

1.5 - 2kg chicken 1 whole orange or lemon, pierced all over with deep cuts 4 medium carrots, diced 1 onion, finely diced 4 sticks celery, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely diced 1 small sweet potato, diced 150g mushrooms, sliced or small quarters 2 cups brown rice (or if using Arborio rice slightly reduce baking time) 500ml chicken or beef stock (or 2 stock cubes in boiling water) 1/4 cup white wine (optional) 1.5 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped Olive oil, salt and pepper Serve with grated parmesan, or gremolata sauce for a dairy free option

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200C. Heat a splash of oil in a large 30cm (min) stovetop casserole dish with lid (Dutch Oven) over a medium-high heat. Add onion, sweet potato, carrot and celery, stirring occasionally. After 15mins add garlic. Season well with salt and pepper. Sautée until all veg are caramelised with colour, approx 20 mins. Meanwhile, stuff orange or lemon into chicken cavity. Drizzle and massage oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper over entire chicken. Place chicken over browned vegetables, and place pot in oven (middle shelf) uncovered for approx 40 mins or until chicken skin is crispy golden brown. After 20mins check veg aren’t scorching – if they are, then pour 1/4 cup wine or water around chicken. Bring stock to boil, or boil kettle if using stock cubes.Remove pot from oven and evenly sprinkle (in order) rosemary, rice then mushrooms around the chicken. Pour stock around chicken until rice is covered by approx 1.5cm of liquid (top up with boiling water if need be). Covered with lid, place pot back in oven and turn temperature down to 180C. Bake for 40mins or until chicken is cooked through (juices will run clear when cut), and rice is cooked but firm. Cool pot with lid off for 10mins, then remove chicken and slice desired portions. It’s ok to see some liquid pooling over the rice - just stir through risotto and spoon a generous amount on to each plate and top with parmesan. Note, if using stock cubes, reduce the amount of salt added to season the vegetables.