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Recipe: Tommy Banks’ Tomato and Chicken Hot Pot

An unforgettable weekend of gastronomy is promised at this month’s The Home of Food festival – here’s a taster to whet your appetite.

A brand-new food festival comes to Lord’s Cricket Ground this month as the iconic St. John’s Wood location opens its doors to The Home of Food. The event, a collaboration between chef Tommy Banks (who runs The Edrich, the international match day restaurant at Lord’s) and Marylebone Cricket Club runs over the weekend of 9-10 September, promising family friendly events including cricket taster sessions and cooking lessons for little ones, behind the scenes tours of the ground from expert guides and more. In addition, some of Tommy’s chef friends, including Richard Corrigan, Gareth Ward, Selin Kiazim, Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Aktar Islam, will be making special one-off guest appearances to demo their favourite dishes. There will also be bookable experiences, including tastings and banquets.

Tommy tells us: “I have been mad about cricket from a young age and always dreamed of one day becoming a professional cricketer. Alas, life has carried me to the kitchen and food, but I couldn’t be happier to be working with the team at such an historic and iconic cricket ground on the launch of their first food event.” Tommy’s sustainable-focused hospitality business comprises two Michelin-starred restaurants (The Black Swan at Oldstead, and Roots York), a premium nationwide food box delivery and events service (Made in Oldstead) and canned wine venture (Banks Brothers). For a taste of his food, check out this delicious recipe, a warming treat as the seasons change.

INGREDIENTS

4 skin-on, boneless chicken thighs  | 1 tbsp coriander seeds  | 1 tbsp fennel seeds  | 1 tsp black peppercorns  | 1 tbsp oil  | 1 tbsp butter  | 2 large onions, peeled and sliced  | 4 cloves of garlic, sliced  | 150ml white wine  | 4 large buffalo tomatoes  | 250g cherry tomatoes  | 1 bulb of fennel, cut into quarters  | 2 sprigs rosemary  | 2 sprigs thyme

METHOD

  1. Pre-heat oven to 200ºC (180ºC Fan). In a dry frying pan over high heat, toast the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns until aromatic. Remove, and grind into a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar.
  2. In the same pan over medium heat, add a splash of oil and fry the chicken on all sides until golden. Remove chicken from pan.
  3. Add a knob of butter until melted, then add the onion and garlic and cook until they start to caramelise (approximately five minutes). Once they begin to caramelise, add your ground spice mix and cook for 30 seconds. Add your wine, and allow it to bubble and reduce.
  4. Meanwhile, add your buffalo tomatoes to a blender, and blend until liquid consistency.
  5. Once your wine has reduced, add your blended buffalo tomatoes to the pan and allow to cook slowly until the excess water has been cooked out, about five to 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer the entire mixture back to the blender, and blitz on high speed for about one minute.
  7. In a heavy-bottomed pan, add your chicken thighs and tomato sauce, and scatter over the cherry tomatoes and fennel evenly on top.
  8. In a heavy based pan with a lid, add chicken thighs and tomato sauce, scatter your cherry tomatoes and fennel evenly on top. Submerge your thyme and rosemary into the sauce.
  9. Pop the lid on the pan and cook in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove lid for the remaining 10 minutes to help caramelise the chicken skin.
  10. Serve with buttered, toasted sourdough.

Tickets to The Home of Food are priced at £45 for adults, £15 for children (under 16) and infants (under 5) go free. To book, visit lords.org