CHICKEN FENNEL ORANGE OTTOLENGHI RECIPES

1. In a medium bowl, mix the feta with ¼ teaspoon of the chilli flakes, 2 teaspoons of the fennel seeds and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set aside while you cook the orzo.

2. Place a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, on a medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, orzo, ⅛ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden-brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Return the pan to the same heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ¼ teaspoon of chilli flakes and 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds, the garlic and the orange skin. Fry for 1 minute, until the garlic starts to lightly brown, then add the tomatoes, stock, 200ml of water, ¾ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Cook for 2–3 minutes, or until boiling, then stir in the fried orzo. Cover, then lower the heat to medium low and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout so the orzo is cooked. Remove the lid and cook for a further 1–2 minutes, until the consistency is like a risotto. Stir in the prawns for 2–3 minutes until they are pink and cooked. Stir in the basil and serve at once, with the marinated feta sprinkled on top.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Add the ribs and brown them all over, then set them aside. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook over a low-medium heat until softened. Put the ribs back in the casserole dish and add the red wine, tomatoes, orange peel, herbs and beef stock. Season with the salt, sugar and peppermix. Bring to a simmer, cover with a well-fitting lid and cook for 2–2½ hours or until the beef is tender and comes away easily from the bone.

Transfer the ribs to a plate and cover them with foil while you finish the sauce. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a bowl, pushing the vegetables down with the back of a ladle to extract as much flavour as possible. Discard the vegetables and herbs. Pour the liquid back into the casserole dish and boil hard until reduced by two-thirds to make a thickened and well-flavoured sauce.

For the vegetable and pancetta garnish, put the baby carrots and shallots in a shallow pan. Add 300ml of water and a tablespoon of butter, then season with the sugar and salt. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then simmer until the carrots and shallots are tender. Remove the lid and reduce the liquid to a sticky glaze.

In a separate small pan, fry the mushrooms and the pancetta together in a little butter for a couple of minutes. Add them to the carrots and shallots.

Put the ribs back in the sauce and warm them through for a minute or so, then add the carrots, shallots, mushrooms and pancetta. Serve topped with some chopped parsley.

Dauphinoise potatoes or aligot both make good accompaniments.

To make Rick’s Peppermix, blitz 1 chipotle chilli (seeds removed), 1 pasilla chilli (seeds removed), 2 tbsp black peppercorns, 2 tbsp white peppercorns, 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns and 1 tbsp salt in a spice grinder and store in a jam jar until required. You only need 1 tsp of peppermix for this recipe.

Tip: It may not look enough but one short rib per person is perfect.