| Any hen had a pretty good time of it living in the | | | | 1 chili (optional) |
| freedom of our farmyard, the envy of their sisters in | | | | 1 glass white wine |
| batteries and barns. Until, that is, the eggs stopped | | | | 1 cup of water |
| coming and the speckled hen became the stockpot | | | | Preheat the oven to 75°C That is not a misprint. |
| chicken. | | | | Put the vegetables in the bottom of a casserole dish |
| Butchers called them boiling fowl and you can still get | | | | with the garlic, chili, wine and water. Puncture the lemon |
| them, frozen, from your local supermarket. They are | | | | in several places with a fork, insert it in the chicken and |
| worth buying. | | | | put the chicken on top of the vegetables. |
| The flavor from these older birds is superb and the | | | | Crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar, or use a small |
| flesh need not be tough if it's treated right, which | | | | bowl and the end of a rolling pin, and scatter them |
| means long, slow cooking. While you would never use | | | | over the chicken. Cover the casserole tightly and leave |
| one for roasting, although you can if you are cunning, | | | | it in the oven for 12 hours. Halfway through the cooking |
| they make fantastic couscous and rice dishes. They | | | | time, turn the chicken over. |
| are also good in pies and pancakes. | | | | Take the chicken out of the pot and set it aside. Strain |
| Here's just one recipe for preparing a boiler that will | | | | the stock and chill it until the fat solidifies. Then scrape it |
| reward you with a wonderful stock, delicious meat and | | | | off the top of the stock and store separately. |
| some excellent rendered fat for cooking potatoes or | | | | Keep the vegetables separate and ready to serve, |
| making shortcrust pastry. | | | | but remove the chili, if you used one. |
| Here's what you need: | | | | When it's cool enough to handle, joint the chicken, |
| 1 boiling fowl | | | | keeping the legs and wings 'on the bone' if you intend |
| 2 carrots, cut into chunks | | | | to make couscous or chicken with rice. Strip all the |
| 1 onion, chopped | | | | flesh if you are going to make pancakes. |
| 6 small potatoes, quartered | | | | Both the chicken and the vegetables can be reheated |
| 3 bruised cloves of garlic | | | | in the stock, or covered in the microwave. You could |
| 1 lemon | | | | also use these to make a pie, using the fat to make |
| 1tsp coriander seeds | | | | the pastry. The flavors will be unbelievable and stay |
| 1tsp fennel seeds | | | | with you long after the meal is finished. |