The Big Glut Recipe – June

Chicken with prawns and asparagus

June is the month when there is a dazzling choice of vegetables in the garden and lots of dishes to enjoy with broad beans and peas, carrots and cauliflowers, potatoes and salads. Asparagus though, isn’t around for long in the garden. If you grow it, enjoy it, share it here with 4-6 people. Serve with some simple wild rice or potatoes or on its own.

Ingredients

• 25g/2oz butter
• 2.5kg/5lb chicken cut into 8 serving pieces or use thighs, legs as you wish
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp flour

• 450ml/15fl oz chicken stock
• Salt & black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp dill, freshly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp Madeira
• 500g/1lb asparagus, woody ends removed
• 250g/8 oz prawns (shelled weight) deveined
• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• Cook wild rice, or boiled or sautéed potatoes to serve (optional)  

You need a flameproof casserole in which you melt the butter and when it’s bubbling add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. You will need to do this in batches. Remove the chicken and add the onion to the casserole. Fry until soft but don’t brown. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and mix well, then gradually stir in the stock. Now add salt and pepper to taste, then the paprika, cayenne, dill, bay leaf and Madeira. Give it all a good mix and return to the heat, bringing it to the boil. Return the chicken pieces to the casserole, cover and cook on a low to medium heat for thirty minutes. Add the asparagus and prawns to the casserole, re-cover and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Transfer the chicken to a warmed serving dish. Arrange the asparagus around the chicken and keep hot. Now just stir the cream into the casserole and heat through, don’t boil it. Remove the bay leaf, pour the sauce over the chicken and serve, accompanied by the wild rice or potatoes.