Time to change the seasoning!

Hello and welcome to all about food. With the change of seasons it’s time to change our…seasoning! (Sorry!)

Ask Gingergirl

Dear Gingergirl

We’ve enjoyed all your delicious winter one pot wonders for the last few months. Now, with the weather finally getting warmer I feel that unfortunately we have to broaden our range. Do you have any family recipes for Spring?

Many thanks,

Marie, Dooradoyle

Hello Marie,

Say no more! I like nothing more than minimum effort maximum flavour dinner and this is when I often opt for a one-pot dinners. Of course with the warmer weather coming our way it is time to change the ingredients a little, replacing those rich, full flavours for something with a little more zest and freshness…

Lemon Spring Chicken

8 chicken thighs or legs, skin on and bone in

3 red onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons of smoked paprika

The zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 bay leaves

200ml of vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon of olive oil

A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Heat oven to 170ºc. Put all the ingredients (except the fresh parsley) into a large, wide casserole or ovenproof dish. Mix everything together with your hands and season.

Cover with a lid or place foil tightly over the dish.

Bake for 50 minutes, until the chicken is golden and the onions tender. After 40 minutes add the parsley and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with rice or crusty bread and green salad.

Recipe variation

I am forever offering variations on recipes as I like to think variations stop the risk of what I call ‘food fatigue’ (it also means I can use some ingredients hiding in my fridge/cupboard); this recipe is no different!

Try adding some slices of chorizo (omit the paprika if doing this), add some bacon lardons for an extra meaty flavour; add a handful of green or black olives when adding the parsley or experiment with other herbs, try lemon thyme or add fresh basil before serving.

Contact Gingergirl

www.gingergirl.ie

email: helen@gingergirl.ie

Gingergirl aka Helen Keown is an artisan food producer who produces a range of handmade luxury jams, preserves and chutney’s made from local, seasonal or organic ingredients. Helen’s produce is available nationwide from independent food emporiums and is also available at selected food delis across Europe.

Letters to ‘gingergirl’ c/o The Limerick Leader, 54 O’Connell St. Limerick.

You can follow gingergirl’s on Twitter – under gingergirlfood or on Facebook – under ‘gingergirl’.

Letters to 'gingergirl' c/o Limerick Leader, 54 O'Connell Street, Limerick. You can follow gingergirl on Twitter under @gingergirlfood or on Facebook under gingergirl