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by Greg and Lucy Malouf from ³§²¹°ù²¹²ú²¹²ÔÌý

If you don’t feel like firing up the barbecue, the chicken wings can also be baked at 180ºC for about 20 minutes, in which case you should throw in the tomatoes halfway through the cooking time.

Serves 6

Prep time: 10 mins (allow 1hr min. for saffron liquid to infuse and 6-8hrs for chicken to marinate)

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

12 free-range chicken wings, tips removed

1 clove garlic

1 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp olive oil

120g thick natural yoghurt

2 tbsp Saffron liquid (see recipe below)

juice of 1 lime

grated zest of ½ orange

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 small vine-ripened tomatoes

splash of pomegranate molasses

1 tsp chopped thyme leaves

rice, lemon wedges, fresh herbs (Nigel used thyme and mint) and flatbred to serve

Method

Cut the chicken wings in half through the joint and put them into a shallow dish. Crush the garlic to a paste with the salt and scrape it into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the yoghurt, saffron liquid, lime juice, orange zest and pepper and mix well. Pour the marinade onto the chicken wings and turn them around in it so they are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hrs. Allow to come to room temperature before cooking. When ready to cook, preheat your barbecue or griller to high. Thread the wing pieces onto metal skewers (any width will do), and grill, turning so they colour evenly. As they begin to colour, move them away from the direct heat to prevent them burning. They will take around 15–20 mins to cook through. Halfway through the cooking time, thread the tomatoes onto a skewer. Whisk the remaining oil with the pomegranate molasses and thyme and baste the tomatoes as they cook, turning them continuously so they char evenly. Pile all the skewers onto a warm platter and serve with your choice of rice, lemon wedges, fresh herbs and lots of warm flatbread.

Saffron liquid

Makes 2 tablespoons

Ingredients

20 saffron threads

2 tbsp boiling water

Method

Lightly toast the saffron threads in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for about 30 seconds. While the threads must be totally dry, be very careful not to burn them. As they crisp up, they will begin to release a wonderfully pungent aroma. Tip the saffron into a mortar and leave for a moment or two before grinding to a powder. Mix the ground saffron with the boiling water and set aside to infuse for at least 1 hour before using. The colour will continue to develop for about 12 hrs.