Roast Chicken With Verjuice, White Grapes And Tarragon

There is a famous French fish dish called sole veronique. I was inspired by the ingredients to make it with chicken, another white-fleshed meat. I have also eaten a very similar dish in France served with quail. I really love the sweet flavour from the grapes juxtaposed with the bitter flavor of the radicchio. Adding radicchio to the warm juices will make it wilt slightly and lose some of its bitterness, and it’s delicious for soaking up the juice. The walnuts give the dish a nice crunch and tarragon just happens to be my favourite herb.‘Activated’ has become a buzz word whenever we use nuts. The main reason people activate nuts is that raw nuts contain phytates and enzyme inhibitors, which can reduce the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients properly. It’s best to activate all nuts and pulses, and even seeds, to purge them, although some seeds are very small and difficult to handle. There have also been arguments on the other side of the fence, however, saying that phytates are anti-inflammatory and have antioxidant properties. The choice is yours.I activate nuts because I like the texture of them. The crunch is deep and far more satisfying than just toasting them in the oven. Once they’ve been soaked and rinsed, they’re ready to be made into nut milks or dehydrated until crisp. Try using tamari instead of salt for a different toasted flavor, but you will need to use double the amount of tamari. —Mike McEnearney, author of Real Food by Mike