“I would love to make Gordita’s spatchcock for my next dinner party. May I have the recipe?”

Bronwyn Hayes, New Farm, Qld

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Ingredients

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 spatchcock (600gm each), at room temperature, halved, backbone removed

½ cup upland cress or small watercress sprigs (see note)

Pickled tomatoes

250 gm (1 punnet) cherry tomatoes

250 gm caster sugar

250 ml (1 cup) white wine vinegar

½ tsp each fennel seeds and coriander seeds

½ star anise

¼ cinnamon quill

Sherry dressing

125 ml (½ cup) sherry vinegar

85 gm brown sugar

1 small piece dried orange or mandarin peel

1/8 (1 tip) star anise

¼ cinnamon quill

¼ long red chilli

1 tsp black peppercorns

Freekeh

360 gm (2 cups) freekeh (see note)

1½ tbsp ras el hanout

6 piquillo peppers, quartered lengthways (see note)

3 radishes, cut into julienne

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Harissa yoghurt

250 gm Greek yoghurt

3 tsp harissa, or to taste

Method

Main

1.For pickled tomatoes, score the base of each tomato to let the pickling mixture seep in, then transfer to a bowl. Bring sugar and 250ml water to the boil, and add vinegar and spices. Cool slightly (1 minute), then pour over tomatoes. Top with a piece of scrunched-up and flattened baking paper to keep tomatoes submerged, cover with a lid and stand at room temperature for 3 days. Refrigerate once pickled.

2.For sherry dressing, bring ingredients to the boil in a saucepan, then simmer to reduce by half (3-5 minutes). Strain (discard solids).

3.For harissa yoghurt, combine ingredients in a bowl.

4.Dry-roast freekeh and ras el hanout in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant (1 minute). Add 625ml water, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed (25-30 minutes). Stand covered for 20 minutes, then add peppers, radishes, parsley, drained pickled tomatoes and sherry dressing to taste.

5.Preheat oven to 220C. Remove wing tips from spatchcocks and dry skin with paper towels. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add olive oil, then spatchcock skin-side down, shaking pan to ensure skin doesn’t stick. Season and fry until skin is golden (3-4 minutes), then place in oven and roast until cooked through (8-10 minutes). Remove from oven, turn spatchcock over and season. Serve with freekeh, cress and harissa yoghurt.

Note Start this recipe three days ahead to pickle the tomatoes. Upland cress is available from select greengrocers but may need to be ordered. Freekeh and piquillo peppers are available from select delicatessens and supermarkets.
Notes

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Styling by Aimee Jones

Styling by Nick Banbury

Ingredients

Method

Main

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