The Maltese Chicken - Roasted Chicken With Ratatou... Recipe

Directions:

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Cut both the birds in half and clean and trim them well of any flabby excess skin. Cut the lemon and rub all four of the halves with it, follow that with a light coat of the oil.
2. Besprinkle them with the paprika and season with the salt and pepper.
3. Start them off in a very hot oven to set a crust, then lower the heat to 325 and bake until finished.
4. FOR THE RATAOUILLE: Cut the aubergine into manageable slices about 3/4 of an inch thick. Peel the tomatoes and then roughly chop them. Cut the peppers into thick strips about 2 inches long and roughly chop the scallions. Leave the olives entire.
5. Cut the garlic into thin slices. Note that this is traditionally a 'garlicious' dish use as much as you can stand and then a wee bit more.
6. Heat a large fairly shallow roundel type pan until it is screaming hot. Fling in the aubergine slices and the peppers and then slowly start to add some olive oil until a good sauté starts. Cook it until the peppers start to caramelise along their edges. Put in the olives and cook a minute longer.
7. Add half the amount of garlic you are using and just before it burns add the tomatoes and the wine. Cook it further until all of the liquid is absorbed and then pour in the wine, stock and the tomato sauce. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Add the remaining garlic after 10 minutes.
8. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the scallions and herbs and cook five minutes more.
9. TO SERVE: Make a spread of the vermicelli over four plates and then some of the ratatouille over the top in the middle and even it out but leave a little border of the noodles bare for appearance. Set a chicken half on the very top and decorate it in some noble fashion.