The Cocoanut

This time around it turned out exactly how I wanted it: fantastic, succulent, savoury roast chicken, and the secret of my success is in the stuffing. The stuffing had some of my favourite ingredients, which I know will pair well with one another, and more importantly, complement the roast chicken with all its juices.

The stuffing consists of:

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 anchovies, from one of those Italian jars in which the fish is preserved in oil, chopped
a handful of mushrooms, chopped
2 slices of white bread, crust removed and cut into small pieces
dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

The stuffing starts innocently enough by frying the onion, garlic and anchovies, until the aroma completely permeates the kitchen and the onions start to turn a light golden. The smell of the anchovies melting in the oil is so intoxicating. At this point, add the mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes, adding the dried parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Remove everything from the pan and reserve the oil. You can drain some of the anchovy oil from the mushroom mix by pressing them through a sieve. The anchovy oil is like gold. Use this to fry the bread crumb until crunchy. I have to say, I love fried bread. It’s like the ultimate indulgence. Crunchy yet so satisfyingly tender from being soaked in anchovy oil. Once the bread’s fried, add them to the mushroom mix. Have a taste, and let your mind go wild with the promising prospect of having that stuffing together with the roast chicken.

Insert the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken before roasting it in the oven. The aroma and savory flavor of the garlic and onion is perfectly complemented by the saltiness of the anchovy, and the fried bread crumb, together with the mushrooms, just heighten the overall sensation. It’s simply ridiculously fantastic.