Recipe for Harissa Roasted Chicken with Lentil and Mint Salad by Karl Koppenhagen for MiNDFOOD.
Serves 4
12 large dried red chillies, deseeded and soaked in warm water
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted and ground
4 tbsp coriander seeds, lightly roasted and ground
1 tsp cardamom seeds, lightly roasted and ground
1 red capsicum, roasted and peeled
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
extra-virgin olive oil (extra, to cover harissa)
1.4kg free-range corn-fed chicken, well dried
sea salt, to season
200g french green lentils
1 sprig thyme
1 cinnamon quill
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 cups mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 cups flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced with a mandolin
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (extra, for salad)
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground sumach
sea salt (extra), to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1–2 lemons, zest and juice, to taste
2 lebanese cucumbers, quartered lengthways, to serve
1 cup green olives, to serve
½ cup labna, to serve
1 To make harissa, combine chilli, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, cardamom, capsicum and oil in a food processor, blending until a thick paste forms. Put in a jar under a thin film of oil (extra, to cover harissa) and refrigerate until ready to use.
2 Truss the chicken. Rub chicken with ¾ of the harissa, inside and out, pushing it under the skin where possible. Season with sea salt. Refrigerate for 1–2 hours (or overnight).
3 Preheat oven to 220C. Roast chicken for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 190C and roast for a further 45 minutes. Baste chicken throughout roasting time. Remove from oven, cover with foil and stand in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make salad, simmer lentils in 1 litre water with thyme, cinnamon and garlic until lentils are tender but still holding their shape (about 30 minutes). Drain and discard seasonings. Spread lentils on a flat tray to cool. Dress cool lentils with mint, parsley, fennel, oil (extra, for salad), allspice, sumach, sea salt, pepper and lemon zest and juice.
4 Serve chicken whole, carving it at the table, with side serves of lentil salad, remaining harissa, cucumber, olives and labna.