Pot-Roasted Poussins Agro Dolce

This is originally written for poussin (baby chickens) but we couldn't get our hands on any. We used a chicken instead. Nice sweet and sour flavors here. Pancetta is a winner no matter what you put it on!

1 orange, quartered
2 sticks cinnamon, broken in half
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 poussins, preferably free-range or organic olive oil
2 knobs butter
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
4 stalks celery, trimmed and finely sliced
280g jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
3 wineglasses Chianti
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 handful sultanas
1 handful pinenuts
16 slices smoked pancetta, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Stuff a piece of orange, with a cinnamon stick and a rosemary sprig into the cavity of each bird. In a large ovenproof pan in which the poussins will fit snugly side by side, heat a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter. Add the little chickens and colour them gently on all sides for 10 minutes or until lightly golden all over, then remove them to a plate to rest.

Strip the rosemary leaves off the two remaining sprigs. Carefully discard the fat from pan and add some fresh olive oil and your remaining knob of butter. Over a medium heat, add your onion, celery and rosemary and fry for about 5 minutes until softened. While keeping an eye on the pan, throw the sun-dried tomatoes into a food processor with the wine and whiz them up - this will give you an intense, tangy liquor.

By this time the onion and celery should be soft and nicely coloured, so put your chickens back into the pan and turn up the heat. Add the vinegar and sultanas, shake the pan around a bit, and add the tomato liquor. Continue cooking until the liquid has reduced slightly, then put the pan in the preheated oven with a lid on and cook for 30 minutes, turning the birds in the juices a couple of times. Remove the pan from the oven, take the lid off and turn the poussins once more in all the juices.

Lay them breast side up and sprinkle the pinenuts over them, then lay your slices of pancetta or bacon over them and cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes until crisp and golden. Allow the poussins to rest in the pan for 10 minutes while you get your guests to the table.

Wine suggestion: New Zealand red - Pinot Noir