Roasted chokoes with free range chicken
“Don't rip out that vine just yet. Maligned chokoes can be magic.”
- 1.8kg free-range chicken
- 1 lemon
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 springs rosemary
- 2 sprigs sage
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 2 chokoes, peeled and cut into 4
- 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and cut into 4
- 750g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 4-5 tbsp verjuice
Steamed wedges served with a knob of butter and plenty of cracked black pepper is the only way to eat choko, according to my father. He remembers when choko vines grew rampantly over everyone's backyard shed spilling into neighbouring vegetable gardens.
Method
Pre-heat oven to 190C.
Place chicken in roasting dish and squeeze lemon juice over chicken then drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oil. Place lemon halves in chicken cavity with rosemary and sage. Tie legs together with string. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 1/4 hours or until cooked.
Place vegetables in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with remaining olive oil, season and sprinkle with dried rosemary. Toss to coat. Roast vegetables in oven, turning occasionally for 1 hour or until cooked.
Remove and rest chicken covered in a warm place. Add verjuice to defatted pan juices and stir over high heat for 1 minute. Check seasoning.
To serve
Serve chicken with roasted vegetables and verjuice sauce.
Serves 4.
