Waltzing on a ballroom girl.

I made summer fennel chicken and rice again tonight. Not exactly the same as last time, and just as wonderful as I remembered.

I had a lot of leftover raw chicken bones and skin from something I'd made a while back, plus the spine and neck and most of the ribcage of a chicken I'd spatchcoked and roasted last week, so all that went into the pot along with the stewing hen. There was a lot of good golden fat in there by the time everything was done cooking down to a few cups of the richest, deepest chicken stock I think I've ever made.

I threw in the usual garlic and fennel stalks and aromatics, but I also opted for some peppercorns along with the red wine. I also layered the main dish differently this time: fennel, then onions, then herbs. One large fennel bulb, same as last time, with the new twist of an entire bunch of white spring onions, green tops and all. When I went in for the garlic and herbs, I tossed in all that was left of an old jar of capers at the back of the fridge, brine and all, and forgot to add the red pepper flakes. A few dashes of lemon juice rounded it out, and no red pepper flakes this time.

After the rice was cooked, the chicken was mixed in gently, the meal plated up, and my week looking pretty fine from here, because I know what I'll be having for dinner.