Basic ingredients

• 1 chicken jointed
• 4tbsp olive oil
• 100g ham (slices)
• 1 onion

• 150g mushrooms
• 150ml sherry
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper

Steps:

1.      Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish and add the chicken pieces and cook until they are browned

2.      Chop the onion and ham and slice the mushrooms >

3.      Add the onion, ham and mushrooms to the casserole dish and sauté for 5 - 10 mins

4.      Pour in the sherry add the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper

5.      Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender (approx 20 mins)

Tips and ideas:  It is important to use a really strong casserole dish -
the Spanish terracotta ones are the best for this recipe .
You can use dry to medium sweet sherry in this recipe .Serve with long-grain rice or baked potatoes and a mixed salad.

Roast turkey with chestnuts

Basic ingredients:

• a medium sized turkey
• 400g peeled chestnuts
• 200g sausages
• 1 lemon
• 1 tin of peaches
• 3 small onions
• 1 tbsp port
• a pinch of tarragon

• 200g smoked bacon
• fresh rosemary
• 1 egg
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 glass of white wine
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

1.       Steps:

2.       Wash the turkey thoroughly with warm water (outside and inside)

3.       Boil a pan of water with a couple of pinches of salt and add the chestnuts and bay leaf

4.       Place the butter, crushed garlic, fresh rosemary and oil in a strong earthenware baking dish and place in the oven at 180 degrees

5.       Meanwhile chop half of the boiled chestnuts and set the rest aside

6.       Mix the chopped chestnuts with the sausages, chopped peach, chopped bacon, 1 tbsp port, a pinch of tarragon and salt and pepper and stuff the turkey with this mixture

7.       Remove the baking dish from the oven and place the turkey on it - using a spoon make sure that it is well covered in the oil, butter and herbs in the dish

8.       Cover the turkey in foil and place in the oven - after an hour remove it from the oven and take off the foil - pour the liquid in the baking dish over the turkey and return to the oven for another hour putting the small onions (cut into pieces) and whole chestnuts in the baking dish around it

9.       Serve with freshly boiled vegetables such as carrots, broccoli or brussel sprouts