Belize - here are recipes. It is a really easy menu for large number. And I can confirm does hold for 24 hours!
If you do by mistake make it night before - chickens warm up perfectly in foil the next night. Salads and dressing serve room temperature not cold.
Flatbreads - just make a basic bread dough but add a couple of spoons of yoghurt to make it soft and then make flat rolls about pitta bread size. Cook in hot oven for 10 mins and then wrap in tea towel to keep them soft. These I froze and then reheated with water splashed on them. Were ok - but better fresh.
The ottolenghi sweet potato salad is this one
Heat the oven to 190
Do not peel the sweet potatoes. Cut of and discard the ends of the sweet potato and then slice the remaining into 2cm rounds and place into a baking tray.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Once all the sweet potato is covered spread them out on the baking tray, the sweet potato rounds should not be touching.
Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes until just tender. Turn them over gently half way through cooking.
Place the pecans in a frying pan and on a low heat gently toast them. Stir them every ten second or so with a wooden spoon ... it should take a couple of minutes to toast them. Remove them from the pan and place on a dry chopping board to cool. Once cool roughly chop them.
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small bowl with some salt and pepper and mix together. Taste and adjust the seasoning
When the potatoes are ready transfer them into a large bowl or plate with high sides. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes while you cut up the herbs. Add the spring onions, parsley, coriander, chilli, pecans and sultanas and then pour over the dressing. Toss the ingredients together gently to combine all the flavours. Season to taste and serve hot or at room temperature.
Cooking notes
Take care not to over cook the sweet potato, they need to be just tender. If you cook them too much they will go mushy and fall apart when you add the other ingredients.
The pecans need to be hot in the pan for about a minute any longer and they will burn. Once cooked remove them from the frying pan or they will continue to cook and may burn. If you are not sure about cooking them in a frying pan you can cook them in the oven. Place on a baking tray and pop in at 190 for 4-5 minutes.
If your sultanas are a little hard (it sometimes happens if they have been sitting in the back of your cupboard for a while) then pop them in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and dry before adding to the salad.
For the chicken:
2 tbsp. cumin seed
2 tbsp. whole coriander
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
60ml olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 whole free-range chicken (1.5kg), split (see directions below or have butcher split chicken for you)
Extra-virgin olive oil
For the mint yoghurt dressing:
375ml natural yoghurt
20g fresh coriander leaves
20g fresh mint leaves
2 spring onions, green parts only
30ml honey
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the apricot couscous:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, small dice
30g dried apricots, coarsely chopped
30g whole almonds toasted, coarsely chopped
150g couscous
375ml chicken stock, warm
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 spring onions, green parts only
10g fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
20g fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped plus leaves for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Use imperial measurements
Method
How to make Brick Chicken with Apricot Couscous
For the brick chicken:
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Toast cumin, coriander and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over low heat until fragrant. In a clean spice grinder or coffee grinder, Blend spices until fine. Add the toasted spices to a bowl with paprika and cayenne. Season with salt. Stir in the olive oil and lemon juice.
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Prepare chicken by splitting it down the back and removing the backbone, breast bone and rib cage. Lay the chicken out flat and rub the blended spices all over. Marinate for up to 4 hours or overnight.
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Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Heat a large cast iron pan (or other heavy oven-proof pan) over medium-high heat. When hot, add 10ml of extra-virgin olive oil and place the chicken skin side down in the pan. Cover it with a second cast iron pan (you could also use a more traditional foil-wrapped brick) immediately so the skin doesn't have time to contract. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is golden brown and has a nice crust. Finish cooking in the oven for a further 20 to 25 minutes. Internal temperature between the leg and thigh should register 74 degrees C on an instant-read thermometer, when cooked through.
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Serve with mint yoghurt dressing and apricot couscous.
For the mint yoghurt dressing:
Combine yoghurt, coriander, mint, spring onions, honey, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a blender. Blend until mixture is fully combined and has a smooth consistency.
For the apricot couscous:
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In a medium saucepan add 10ml of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the red onion, apricots and almonds and saute gently over low heat until translucent and slightly fragrant. Add the couscous, then the warm chicken broth. Stir with a fork to combine, add lemon zest and cover.
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Let sit for 10 minutes, then uncover and add the spring onions, mint, and coriander. Fluff again with a fork. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Serve family-style on a large platter and garnish with fresh coriander.
Enjoy!