Cockerel is great at Christmas; easier to cook than turkey, super flavourful and less likely to leave you with lots of leftovers. We’ve given ours a Middle Eastern twist by smothering it with smoked garlic butter before stuffing the bird witha spiced jewelled spelt stuffing.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
3 hrs 10 mins
Total Time:
3 hrs 40 mins
Cal/Serv:
996
Ingredients
3 smoked garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. baharat spice blend
100 g butter, softened
3 kg cockerel (capon)
4 clementines, halved
750 g parsnips, peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp. olive oil
For the stuffing
250 g quick-cook spelt
900 ml hot chicken stock
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 red onions, finely sliced
2 tsp. baharat spice blend
75 g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
75 g dried cherries
2 Tbsp. sour cherry harissa, we used Belazu
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped dill
1 Tbsp. roughly chopped mint leaves
For the gravy
600 ml chicken stock
60 ml pomegranate molasses
1 Tbsp. cornflour
Directions
Step 1First make the stuffing. Put the spelt
and stock in a pan and
bring to a simmer.
Bubble for 10min until
just tender, then drain
and set aside.
Step 2Meanwhile, heat the
oil in a large frying pan
and fry the onions for
6-8min, until softened.
Add the baharat spice
and cook for 2min.
In a large bowl, mix the
onions with the cooked
spelt, pistachios, dried
cherries, harissa, herbs
and plenty of seasoning.
Step 3Preheat oven to
220°C (200°C fan)
mark 8. In a small
bowl, mix the smoked
garlic, baharat spice and
butter. Use your fingers
to ease the skin on the
cockerel gently away
from the breast. Work
most of the butter under
the skin and over the breast meat, then rub the
rest all over the outside
of the bird. Season with
salt. Reserve half of the
stuffing, then stuff the
cavity with the remaining
half. Place the cockerel
in a roasting tray
along with 2 halved
clementines. Roast for
20min, then reduce oven
to 180°C (160°C fan)
mark 4 and cook for
a further 1hr 45min-2hr,
basting with the juices
from the tin a couple
of times, until a meat
thermometer inserted
into the thickest part of
the breast reads 72°C.
Step 4While the cockerel is
roasting, put the carrots
and parsnips in a large
roasting tray with the
remaining clementine
halves. Drizzle with oil and
some seasoning. When
the cockerel has around
30min left, add the
vegetables to the oven.
Roast for 1hr, or until
tender (continue cooking
while the cockerel rests).
Step 5When cooked, remove the cockerel from the
oven and transfer to
a board. Cover and leave
to rest in a warm place
for at least 30min.
Step 6For the gravy, spoon
off and discard all but
about 3tbsp fat from
the roasting tray and
place the tin on the hob
over low-medium heat.
Gradually add the stock,
scraping the base of the
tin with a wooden spoon
to loosen any sticky
bits and squashing the
clementine halves. Bring
to a simmer and add the
pomegranate molasses.
In a small bowl or cup,
mix the cornflour with
a little cold water to a
smooth paste, then add
to the gravy. Bubble until
it thickens and strain
through a sieve into a jug.
Step 7Reheat the reserved
spelt stuffing in a pan
on the hob and serve in
a dish with the roasted
veggies. Serve with the
cockerel and gravy.
GET AHEAD:
You can make the stuffing the day before; just don’t add the fresh herbs until ready to use.
Per serving:
Calories: 996
Protein: 77g
Total fat: 44g
Saturates: 16g
Carbs: 65g
Total sugars: 36g
Fibre: 16g
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