Easy Chicken Curry

                             

This week is National Curry Week so here is a recipe which is really easy to make to celebrate one of Britain's favourite meals.

Serves 4-6

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic - crushed

1-2 fresh green chillies- deseeded and chopped

2 inch piece of ginger - peeled and grated

2 tsp turmeric

2tsp coriander

2tsp cumin

1 cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods

6 fresh tomatoes - quartered

1 green pepper - chopped

1 chicken cut into portions or ready portions of chicken ( thighs are good)

100ml chicken stock

juice of half a lemon

chopped fresh coriander to serve

Fry the onion until pale gold . Add the garlic and chillies and fry for a minute. Add the remaining spices and cook gently for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the skin from the chicken portions and add these to the pan.  Add the chopped pepper.

Stir and fry everything around until the chicken begins to change colour. Add the chicken stock and allow everything to simmer gently for about 30 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked through and the sauce reduced then the curry is ready.

Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

Serve with basmati rice, a selection of Indian breads and chutneys.

 

Chicken and Mushroom Pie

The summer is over and the chilly weather calls for some warming and comforting dishes. What better than a home made pie. This was my daughters request for dinner...

Serves 6

8 chicken thighs
1tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme
knob of butter
3 leeks washed well and sliced thinly
250g button mushrooms
1 tbsp plain flour
small glass white wine ( about 5 floz/150ml)
chicken stock -( about 5floz/150ml)
single cream ( 5 floz/150ml)
small bunch parsley finely chopped
good quality puff pastry
1 beaten egg to glaze

Preheat the oven to  Gas 7/220 degrees centigrade. Place the chicken thighs in a roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper and the fresh thyme. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Melt the butter and add the sliced leeks. Fry gently for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a minute to incorporate the flour. Stir in the wine and stock to make a thick sauce. Stir in the cream and add the mushrooms. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Set aside.

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces discarding the skin and bones. Stir the chicken into the sauce together with the cooking juices from the roasting tin.. Season and stir in the chopped parsley. Pour the mixture into the pie dish.

Roll out the pastry to fit the top of your pie dish. Brush the edges of the dish with beaten egg. Cover the pie dish with the pastry and trim the edges. Cut a cross in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg and put back in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Sort of Steak Fajitas

I created this recipe with a view to a more healthier way of eating. Rather than all the ingredients being cooked the only thing which is cooked is the steak and all the other ingredients are raw. You can serve this with the wraps or just have the steak with all the raw salad ingredients if you are trying to cut down.

Serves 4
Ingredients

500g rump steak
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp thyme
1 garlic clove- finely chopped
juice of 1 lime

Slice the rump steak into 1 inch thick strips. Mix all the other ingredients together and mix with the steak. Allow to  marinate for about half an hour.

200g cherry tomatoes- halved
1 can kidney beans - drained
1 small bunch coriander - chopped
1 medium red onion - finely chopped
1 green or red pepper- chopped
juice of half a  lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix all these ingredients together and allow to stand for the flavours to develop while you cook the steak.
To cook the steak heat a griddle or frying pan and brush with a small amount of oil. Sear the steak quickly until it is cooked but still pink about 1 minute will be enough..
Serve the steak with the salad ingredients and serve with warm tortillas if liked.

Lamb Burgers stuffed with Feta Cheese

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some easy to cook, summer recipes which are perfect for when the weather gets a bit warmer.

130g couscous
120ml chicken stock
500g lamb mince
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
small pinch dried chilli flakes or to taste
4 oz feta cheese crumbled
salt and pepper

To serve pitta bread, fresh salad of tomato, cucumber, coriander and spring onions.

Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the chicken stock. Cover with cling film and allow to stand for a while until all the chicken stock is absorbed.
Place all the other ingredients apart from the feta cheese in a bowl and mix together. Add the couscous and mix again making sure all the ingredients are well combined.
Shape the mix into burger shape. Make a small dip in the middle of the burger with your finger and stuff with the crumbled feta cheese. Mould the meat around the cheese to fully enclose it.
To cook your burgers heat a griddle pan brushed with a small amount of oil until it is hot. Cook the burgers on the hot griddle for about 5 to 7 minutes a side until the outside is crisp and the burger has  cooked through.
Serve in some warmed pitta bread with salad of your choice and good squeeze of lemon juice.

Beef and Ginger Stir Fry

Something quick, easy, healthy and delicious for a great midweek meal. You can also make this dish with chicken.
Serves 4

500g/1lb rump steak sliced into strips
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
baby sweetcorn
mangetout
1 red pepper - sliced


Marinade
1 inch piece fresh ginger thinly sliced or grated
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp five spice
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 small fresh chilli chopped finely
1 tbsp rice wine( mirin)



Steamed rice or noodles to serve.

Mix together all the marinade ingredients and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or heavy based pan and fry the beef strips until sealed and brown. Remove from the pan.
Fry the onion and garlic until just begining to soften.
Add the vegetable and stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Return the steak to the pan and add the mariande. Stir around and allow the whole dish to cook for about 5 minutes.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Serves 4

For the tomato sauce.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion- finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

For the meatballs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion- finely chopped
1 small red chilli – finely chopped and seeds removed.
500g minced beef ( or a mixture of pork and beef)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper

1.       To make the sauce heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry gently to soften and lightly brown. Add the tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper and the sugar. Allow to cook gently for about 20 minutes while you make the meatballs.

2.        To make the meatballs heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the chilli flakes and cook for a few seconds. Place this in a bowl with the minced meat. cinammon and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix it all up with your hands. Form the meat mixture into meatballs with your hands.

3.       As you make the meatballs place each one onto a baking tray. When you have made all the meatballs place them in a hot oven ( gas 200◦C/gas mark 6) for about 15 minutes to brown. This saves you frying the meatballs and is also healthier. When the meatballs are done place them all in the tomato sauce as well as any juices which have collected in the baking tray. Cook in the sauce for about 15 minutes.

4.       Serve with pasta ( penne or spaghetti or whatever you like).You will need about 100g /4oz per person. Traditionally the Italians will mix the sauce and meatballs in with the pasta. Tear over the fresh basil leaves and sprinkle with parmesan cheese to serve.

Chicken and Asparagus Risotto with Sauteed Mushrooms

50g/2oz butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

4 chicken breasts cut into 1” pieces

1 onion chopped

450g/1lb, 2oz asparagus cut into 1” lengths

250g/ 10oz chestnut mushrooms

120m/4 fl ozl white wine

500g/1lb,4oz risotto rice

800 ml/ 1 ½ pints chicken stock ( kept hot in a saucepan on the stove)

60g/2 ½ oz grated parmesan cheese

 Heat the olive oil in  a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms until they are brown and a lot of the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and fry the chicken pieces until they are browned adding a little more oil if necessary. Set these aside. Keep the mushrooms warm.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the risotto rice to the onions in the pan and stir around so that the rice becomes coated in all the buttery onions. Add the white wine and cook stirring continuously until the wine has been absorbed.

Add a ladleful of the chicken stock and keep stirring your rice so that the stock slowly becomes absorbed into the rice as the rice cooks. Continue adding a ladleful of stock to the rice and stirring for about 15 minutes until the rice is just tender. Season with some salt.

When the rice is  a few minutes from being cooked add the asparagus spears and cook for  2 more minutes. Add the chicken and stir through the rice to warm through for about a minute. Add the parmesan cheese.

To serve ladle the risotto into bowls and top with the sautéed mushrooms and more parmesan cheese as required. The risotto should be “sloppy” and have a soupy consistency.

Chicken Parmigiana

This is my variation of melanzane parmigiana which is made only with aubergines. I include chicken in my version as this makes for a complete meal. The Mediterranean flavours of tomatoes, garlic and basil remind me of warm Italian summers. It is delicious served with crusty bread and salad.

Serves 4

About 4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
100 ml dry white wine
1 bay leaf
small bunch of basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
3 aubergines, cut into slices about ½ inch thick
4 chicken breasts, bashed with a rolling pin to slightly flatten them.
2 x 150g balls of mozzarella, thinly sliced
100 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200⁰ C. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the chilli, chopped tomatoes, wine and herbs. Add salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat.

To prepare the aubergines, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a griddle pan until hot. Char grill the aubergine slices on each side until they are soft. Repeat until you have cooked all the aubergines adding more oil as you need it. When all the aubergines have been prepared griddle your chicken breasts in the same pan until they are just cooked through and nicely marked with the griddle lines.

To assemble your chicken Parmigiana place a spoonful of the tomato sauce in an ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of the aubergines, then a little more sauce. Sprinkle over some of the cheeses.  Continue with another layer of the aubergines, cheeses and tomato sauce and sprinkle over some chopped basil

. Place the chicken in a single layer and then continue with your aubergine, cheeses and sauce until you have used all your ingredients. Finish the dish with a good sprinkling of the cheese.

Bake in the oven for 30 -40 minutes until the dish is bubbling and brown on top.