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April Bloomfield's Roast Chicken with tomato-and-bread salad

I Cooked this April Bloomfield recipe today. 
Joe and I had it between the two of us (there were leftovers of course!) although it would easily feed four.

I made a few tiny adjustments, partly to accommodate what I had to hand (eg I added rocket and used anchovies in oil not salted anchovies) and partly because I couldn’t be bothered to blanch and peel the tomatoes.
I used a few different types of tomatoes including the best of the last of the English season and some of the fabulous Pomi dei Mori from Waitrose.
Also, be warned, in squeezing the tomatoes I managed to cover myself from head to foot in seeds and juice!

nb. If possible it is probably best to make the salad whilst the croutons are still warm



For the bread salad. 

1kg firm but ripe tomatoes (they say blanched and peeled … I didn’t do this)

1 large clove garlic peeled

Maldon salt

4 – 6 anchovy fillets

very small handful basil leaves

4 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs red wine vinegar

freshly ground pepper

sourdough croutons

large handful of Rocket



For the chicken



1.8kg chicken

sea salt

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil





Method



Marinate the tomatoes. Squeeze the tomatoes to get rid of the seeds and juice then tear roughly into pieces and put into a bowl.



Combine the garlic with a healthy pinch of salt and pound in a pestle and mortar until you have a smooth paste. Now add the basil and anchovies and pound again until you have a fairly smooth paste.



Combine the garlic anchovy paste with the olive oil and vinegar and a good dose of black pepper.



Have a stir and pour over the tomatoes mixing well to get all of the tomatoes covered.



Set them aside for at least 30 minutes.

Make the croutons. Tear day old sourdough bread into decent sized croutons (Were not talking those horrible little commercial cubes here, they need to be at least two or three centimetres across so they can go crispy on the outside but stay soft on the inside) toss with olive oil and salt and bake in the oven for  10 – 15 mins and put to one side



Cook the chicken. Pre-heat the oven to 230 degrees C/450 F.



Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so. Generously salt the chicken all over, including inside the cavity, and let sit for another 15 minutes.



Put the chicken in a roasting pan and drizzle with the olive oil, and pop into the oven.



Roast for 30 minutes. Now reduce the heat to 200 C for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.



Transfer the chicken to a carving board and leave for another 15 minutes to rest.



Now carve into pieces



Assemble the salad. Put the croutons into a bowl. Drizzle half of the tomato marinade over them and toss well.

Arrange the bread, tomatoes and now add the rocket and a few more basil leaves, toss again and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve right away alongside the chicken.














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