BLACK PIERCING RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and sit the chicken in a small roasting tin. Mix all the spices with 2 tsp salt using a pestle and mortar – try to grind the oregano finely so that it doesn’t burn. Rub the spice mix over the chicken with some oil, and cover loosely with foil.
• Sit the potatoes in another tin, and put them in the oven together with the chicken. After 30 mins, remove the foil. Pierce the banana once in the skin with a knife and put alongside the potatoes, and roast with the chicken for another 30 mins.
• Check the potatoes are soft, then remove them and the banana from the oven. Leave the chicken to cook for a final 10 mins. Split the potatoes and banana, and scrape all the flesh into a saucepan. Add 1 tsp salt, half the butter and the milk, then mash together. Season.
• Check the chicken is cooked by piercing the inner thigh and ensuring the juices run clear. Lift to a serving platter and rest for 10 mins.
• To serve, spoon the mash into a dish, topped with knobs of remaining butter, and carve the chicken at the table. Serve with Creamed corn & bacon (recipe in 'goes well with', right).

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C.

  Trim any spinach roots, wash the leaves and drain well, then coarsely shred them and set aside.

  Place the feta in a large bowl and roughly mash it with a fork. Add the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, pepper, oil, dill and green onions and mix well. Add the spinach and mix lightly but thoroughly with your hands.

  Lightly oil a 20x30-centimetre baking dish. Lay a sheet of filo on a work surface and brush it with butter. Top that with another sheet of filo, brush with butter and continue until about half the filo is used.

  When you're not using the filo, cover it with a dry tea towel and then a damp one to stop it from drying out.

  Gently lower the buttered filo rectangle into the baking dish, making sure the pastry goes right into the corners of the dish. Tip the cheese and spinach mix into the filo base and spread it out evenly.

  Layer the remaining sheets of filo on top, brushed with butter, ensuring the final sheet is well buttered. Trim off any overhanging pastry and tuck in the sides. Use a sharp knife to score the pastry diagonally (piercing the pastry allows air to escape during baking and keeps the top crisp).

  Lightly sprinkle  sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until it is well browned.

  Gently shake the baking dish; the spanakopita should slide easily when it is cooked. Cover it with foil if it is over-browning.

  Cool it on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.

   Serve with: Frank Camorra's fattoush salad.