Drop Down Menu

Chef Tomasina Miers cooked this spicy chicken for celeb guest Arabella Weir on Drop Down Menu

• 3 heads garlic
• 4 large boneless chicken thighs
• 3 tsp chipotle en adobo, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves chopped
• 200ml extra virgin olive oil (or half olive, half sunflower oil)
• Good pinch of cumin
• Good pinch of dried oregano
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

For the slaw

• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
• ¼ firm white cabbage, finely sliced
• 6 large radishes, finely sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into match sticks
• ½ red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped, fresh coriander

For the dressing

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• Large pinch of sea salt
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• Juice of ½ lime
• 170ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sour cream

1. Break up the heads of garlic, smash the cloves with a rolling pin or pestle and slip off the skins. Discard the peel and finely chop the garlic by hand or in a food processor, taking care to use the ‘pulse’ button so that you are left with finely chopped garlic and not a pulp.

2. Put the garlic in a small, heavy-bottomed pan with 2 tsp of the chipotle, thyme and oil. Season with the salt and heat gently until the oil starts simmering. At this point, turn the heat to the lowest setting so that bubbles barely break the surface and cook for 5-10 minutes. If you cook over too high a heat, the garlic will burn, leaving a bitter taste, rather than the sweet, caramelised one you are after, and you will lose the flavour of the olive oil.

3. For the slaw, start by making the dressing. Lightly dry roast the cumin seeds in a small frying pan for a minute or two to release their flavour and then grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.

4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, cumin, salt, vinegar and lime juice and then gradually whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the sour cream, taste and add more seasoning, if needed.

5. In a large bowl, mix all the slaw ingredients together, saving some pumpkin seeds to sprinkle over the salad at the end, and about 10 minutes before you sit down to eat, toss with the dressing.

6. In the meantime, batter down the chicken thighs with a rolling pin or meat mallet until thin and season them well with salt and pepper, a little of the chipotle en adobo and the cumin and oregano. Fry them in a little oil on both sides until cooked. Drain on kitchen paper then serve drizzled with the mojo, and with wedges of lime and the slaw.