One Pot Cooking By Richard Till

He’s cooked for Stevie Wonder, U2, Simply Red and Jimmy Barnes as well as for thousands of Kiwis. Now television chef and best-selling author, Richard Till can help Kiwis create easy, tasty and nutritious meals using just one pot.

With not a crock-pot in sight Richard has compiled that are a world apart from the stale, old-fashioned crock-pot and slow cooker recipes ‘one pot’ recipes of yesteryear.

Featuring more than 60 recipes, One Pot Cooking is filled with nutritious, easy-to-make one-pot dishes, such as beef rending, simple paella, mussels with chorizo and new potatoes, and chicken Parmigiana.

Divided into practical sections and with stunning photography, this book is a practical must-have for every Kiwi household.

Richard Till grew up in Christchurch and Dunedin. He developed an interest in food from a young age by watching his mother deal with everyday meals, ‘filling the tins’ and being a hostess for ‘important’ people.

Richard burst onto our TV screens with the TVOne series Kiwi Kitchen that won the hearts of many New Zealanders. The series also won the Ocean Spray Electronic Media Award from the NZ Guild of Food Writers who said that the show ‘celebrated food, through wonderful people, characters and the revitalising of recipes discovered.’ Today Richard Till is the face of Countdown; he cooks throughout the country at various cooking demonstrations and festivals and works as a Technical Director and Designer of Theatre at the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Canterbury.

Published by HarperCollins - May 2013

RRP $39.99

And the publishers have kindly given me permission to publish the following recipe from One Pot Cooking which I made over the weekend and it was a great hit. I have also made Richard's Butterflied Chicken from the book which was well received; next up I'm trying some of his vegetarian recipes

chicken bouillabaisse

This is a chicken version of a classic French fish soup/stew. I watched my cooking hero, Julia Child, make

a version of this on television sometime in the 1980s. My version is made in a heavy cast-iron casserole that

can go on the stove-top element as well as in the oven. It works just as well with a frying pan to get things

browned, with a casserole dish for the oven part. Following my chicken recipe there is a recipe for a sauce to

serve with this dish, although it’s not necessary to make the sauce to enjoy the casserole.

4 tbsp olive oil (divided measure)

8 chicken portions

2 leeks, peeled, washed and thinly sliced

1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced

salt and pepper

1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

pinch fennel seeds (optional)

2 strips orange zest (optional)

2 cups white wine

handful chopped parsley, to serve

Method

1. Place a heavy frying pan over a moderate heat

and add 2 tbsp oil. Add the chicken in batches,

turning to lightly brown on all sides.

2. When all the chicken is browned and set aside

add the remaining 2 tbsp oil, leeks, onion and ¼ tsp

salt. Cook these slowly, stirring frequently, until

just softened but not browned.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, oregano,

thyme, bay leaves, fennel seeds (if using), orange zest

(if using), white wine and another ½ tsp salt. Stir

to combine. Transfer to a casserole and add the

chicken pieces. Cover.

4. Place in a preheated 180°C oven for 1 hour.

Serve with chopped parsley.

Serves 6

About the author:

 Richard Till developed an interest in food from a young age by watching his mother deal with everyday meals, ‘fill the tins’, and be a hostess for ‘important’ people.

He has set up and owned two restaurants: Espresso 124 and The Worcester Street Dining Room, and has cooked for Stevie Wonder, U2, Miles Davis, Simply Red, Jimmy Barnes, New Order, the English cricket team, and thousands upon thousands of Kiwis.

Richard became a household name in New Zealand as the likeable, down-to-earth television chef in Kiwi Kitchen. He has authored a number of cookbooks, including Leftover Gourmet in 2011. His ability to connect with Kiwis was recognised with his appointment as the face of Foodtown and Countdown supermarkets.

When he’s not writing books he is a media contributor, giving regular talks on cooking. And then there’s his day job: Technical Director and Designer of Theatre at the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Canterbury.