This month Surbiton siblings Pete and Leo Williamson share their dad’s exotic recipe for Orzo, broad bean and dill pilaf with harissa chicken.

This recipe has flavours and ingredients spanning North Africa, the Mediterranean to the Middle East.

Orzo is a rice-shaped form of pasta, although it actually means ‘barley’ in Italian.

Here it’s substituted for rice in a broad bean pilaf flavoured with dill, accompanied by harissa chicken, mixed salad, flat bread and lemon and mint yoghurt.

The pilaf and chicken go really well together and make a tasty informal family meal.  

Tip: Try serving with olives, houmous, pickled chillies or crudités such as carrots and radishes for a full mezze-style spread.

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Serves 4

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the pilaf

  • 300g orzo or risoni
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 500ml chicken or vegetable stock plus 150ml water
  • 300g frozen broad beans
  • 10-15g chopped fresh dill
  • Olive oil

For the chicken

  • 12 chicken thighs with bone and skin
  • 100g store bought harissa paste
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar

For the yoghurt

  • 250g Greek yoghurt
  • Grated zest of half a lemon
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh mint

To serve

  • 4 or more flatbreads depending on type
  • Mixed salad with simple vinaigrette dressing

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 290C, Gas 5.

1. Marinade the chicken. Put the chicken into a large bowl. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lemon and add a large pinch of salt. Add the harissa and massage into the chicken. Leave for an hour - or longer if possible - to marinate.

2. Cook the chicken. In a large roasting tin with fitting wire rack, arrange the chicken evenly, skin-side up.

Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cut the lemon into eight segments and scatter them over the chicken.

Pour a cup of water into the bottom of the tin and place in the oven. Roast for 40-50 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and browned.

Remove from the oven put the chicken pieces on a large warm platter and cover loosely with foil and rest in a warm part of the kitchen.

3. Make a harissa glaze. Pour the liquid from the oven tin into a sauce pan. Use a ladle to remove the fat from the surface. Reduce the liquid to about 125 ml.

Add the vinegar and sugar and simmer for a couple of minutes. Put to one side.

4. Make the pilaf: In a large cast iron pan with lid, fry the onion and celery with a pinch of salt on medium high heat in 2 tbs olive oil for 10 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and add the broad beans then turn off the heat and let them thaw for 5 minutes and drain.

Add the orzo to the onions and celery and fry for 5 minutes. Bring the stock and water to the boil and add to the orzo along with the beans and dill.

Bring back up to a simmer then put the lid on the pan slightly ajar and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Check that the water is absorbed and the orzo is al dente. Take out of the oven, stir and rest with the lid on for 5 minutes.

5. Make the lemon and mint yoghurt: Chop the mint very finely. Mix the zest of half a lemon, the juice of half a lemon and the mint into the yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve. Pour the glaze over the chicken and serve the orzo, yoghurt, warmed flatbreads and a mixed salad.

Go to whatdadcooked.com

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