Bring a plate

For the upcoming Issue 14 of Galah – the Friendship issue – our food columnist Belinda Jeffery has written a truly excellent and useful bring-a-plate menu, made for when you want to have friends over without the rigmarole of a dinner party.

I love this way of entertaining because it totally removes the act of, well, entertaining. It's not about you putting on a show. Or spending days working on it. Instead, you just tell everyone to bring a plate. Then, on the day, you clear the kitchen table, make your one dish and wait for your friends to turn up. You might put some ice trays in the freezer, but even that is above and beyond.

You'll find Belinda's full bring-a-plate menu with all the recipes in Issue 14 – pre-order here, or if you're already a subscriber, just kick back and wait for the April delivery – but in the spirit of friendship, may I present you with Belinda's recipe for her chicken and olive dish now. May it be part of your bring-a-plate recipe repertoire forevermore.

From Belinda Jeffery

I remember our get-togethers with friends way back, when we were first married. We were all struggling financially, and the only way we could afford to entertain was for everyone to bring a plate. There was no menu planning, yet dish after dish of delicious food always appeared, and we talked and laughed as we ate our way through them.

We still do this bring-a-plate entertaining with good friends, and we all love it. No-one ends up with too much to do, and it’s such a relaxed way to see each other. With that in mind, this menu is perfect for sharing the load. One friend can organise the crostini and bring the fixings. Another (often the friend who loves to bake – I think we all have one of those) will most likely put up their hand to make the almond tart and strawberry syrup. Which leaves you with the main course.

When it comes to the meal, don’t be too formal about it. Put the makings for the crostini on your kitchen bench and let everyone help themselves while you cook the risoni. If anyone offers to help, say yes. Someone can be plating up the beans and risoni for the main course while you do the chicken. These dishes are just as delicious at room temperature as they are warm, so don’t panic if you feel your timing is a bit out. I promise it won’t matter. Everything will still taste wonderful.

Chicken with slow-cooked onion, lemon and Sicilian green olives

Serves 6–8 (depending on the size of the chicken thigh cutlets)

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large brown onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 packed tablespoon thyme leaves
• 8 very small thyme sprigs, plus extra sprigs to garnish
• 8 chicken thigh cutlets, skin on
• Flour, for dredging
• 1½ cups (375 ml) chicken stock
• 1½–2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon rind
• 3 large lemons, scrubbed and dried 24 green olives (bright green Sicilian olives are particularly good and look great, too)

Warm half the olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for 20–25 minutes or until soft and pale golden. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the thyme leaves.

Spread the mixture evenly over the base of a roasting tin that will fit the chicken pieces snugly in a single layer. Sprinkle the thyme sprigs over the top and set the tin aside (you can do this step up to 6 hours ahead of time and keep the tin in a cool spot). Wipe out the frying pan and set it aside, too.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 165°C fan-forced). Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Coat the chicken thigh cutlets in flour, shaking off any excess. Add them to the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until they’re a rich golden brown. Try not to overcrowd the pan – cook in batches if you need to, adding more oil if necessary.

As the cutlets are ready, sit them on top of the onion mixture. Use paper towel to blot any excess oil in the pan, then pour in the stock. Bring it to just below the boil, stirring regularly to scrape up any caramelised bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the preserved lemon rind.

Meanwhile, with a very sharp knife, cut 16 thin slices of lemon. Remove the seeds, and overlap two slices on each piece of chicken. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemons and add to the frying pan, then pour this lemony stock into the tin around the chicken.

Put the tin in the oven, and cook the chicken for 45–50 minutes until browned.

Scatter the olives around the chicken during the last 15 minutes.

When it’s ready, remove the tin from the oven and let the chicken settle for 5 minutes. Then carefully transfer the chicken, onion and cooking juices to a warm, deep serving platter and garnish with extra thyme sprigs.

For the full menu, with all the bring-a-plate recipes, order Galah Issue 14.