03 August 2008
By Kevin Thornton
It’s great fun to cook with friends and family – especially when there are children involved. I tested out this theory recently in the sunshine in Portugal, where, with the sea breeze blowing up towards the house, I prepared a meal using the combined cooking talents of family and friends.

Communal food cooked for large gatherings must involve food that is easy to prepare and full of wonderful flavours. Dishes should be served in large bowls that can be placed in the centre of the table – so that everyone can help themselves.

Ideal dishes are fresh tomato and mozzarella salad with olive oil and fresh basil; chicken fajitas; homemade guacamole and tomato salsa; roasted new potatoes with rosemary and garlic; and roasted free-range chicken.

The chicken we had was free-range and yellow in colour, as it had been corn-fed. I bought it locally in the morning and it came in its full glory – complete with head and everything else attached. Despite our agreement to cook communally, I was left to deal with the bird.

I find slow cooking brings out the best flavour in roast chicken, so I got to work on it straight away, with the intention of leaving it to cook while we headed down to the sea.

Having removed the offending extraneous pieces and cleaned it entirely inside and out, I placed three whole garlic cloves and half an onion (sliced) in the chest cavity, along with half a lemon.

Then, I covered the chicken with a sprinkle of local olive oil, fresh lemon and lime juice, sea salt, freshly milled pepper and fresh rosemary. I placed the chicken in to cook at 100 degrees centigrade for between five and six hours.

When we returned home I turned the oven up to 200 degrees for half an hour while we prepared the dishes listed below. This last blast of high heat finishes it off beautifully.

If you are cooking the recipes below for large groups, just double the amounts.

Fresh tomato salsa (serves 6)
7 fresh tomatoes, finely diced
2 red onions, finely diced
Half clove garlic, crushed
Half jalapeno pepper, crushed
Pinch of cumin
Juice of two limes

Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Guacamole (serves 6)
2 medium avocados, halved lengthwise and with stones removed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 white onions, finely diced
4 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
6 coriander leaves or flat leaf parsley if you don’t like coriander

Method
1. Using a spoon, remove the pulp from the avocados and place in a medium bowl.

2. Drizzle avocado pulp with lemon juice and mash it up using a fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Chicken fajitas (serves 6)
6 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (preferably free-range), cut in half
200ml vegetable oil
Juice of 4 limes
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and then finely chopped
2 red jalapeno chillies, seeded and finely chopped
8 leaves of coriander
Half teaspoon sea salt
Flour tortillas
Tub of crème fraîche

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients, except for the tortillas and crème fraîche, in a glass or ceramic dish and allow the chicken to marinade in the fridge, preferably overnight or for at least five hours.

2. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and grill until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife.

3. Slice chicken into thin strips and place it on warm flour tortillas, add the salsa or guacamole and roll.

4. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. www.thorntonsrestaurant.com