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.

 

Vegetable Pastitsio

I  made this pasta dish last night after a bit of a scrabble around in the fridge. I had some vegetables lying around in the salad tray and was thinking of making some minestrone soup. But nobody wanted soup! I also had some bits of cheese - mozarella, gorgonzola and a tub of half used marscapone from the weekend. So I decided maybe some pasta was in order. So... here is my recipe which I think is rather good.

3 red onions peeled and cut into half moons
3 leeks washed and cut into 1 inch slices
3 courgettes cut into 1 inch chunks
2 bulbs of fennel - trimmed and quartered
1x500g punnet of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
salt and pepper
500g penne pasta
6 slices prosciutto cut into strips
2 tablespoons marscarpone cheese
6 oz buffalo mozarella torn into chunks
6 oz gorgonzola in chunks

Preheat the oven to Gas 7/200 degrees centigrade.

Place all the prepared vegetables in large roasting tin and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to lubricate all the vegetables well. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.
Place the tray of vegetables in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until soft.
Remove from the oven.
Place a large pan of salted boiling water on the heat and add the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta and add to the vegetables. Add the prosciutto and the cheeses. Stir the whole lot together to amalgamate the vegetables with the pasta and cheese.
Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until bubbling.
Serve with simple green salad.

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.

Gooseberry Pie

My next door neighbours have just bought me the biggest bag of gooseberries freshly picked from a bush in their garden so I have just made two gooseberry pies out of them. Although gooseberries are quite tart they are delicious in a pie served warm with custard.

I had about 3lbs of gooseberries so I made two  pies and gave one to my neighbours. To make one pie halve the recipe which should serve about 6 people.


1.4 kg/ 3lb gooseberries washed and topped and tailed.
220g/ 8oz demerara sugar ( you can add more to taste if the berries are too tart)
4 dessert spoons of cornflour
4 tablespoons elderflower cordial
Beaten egg for brushing the top

Shortcrust pastry
For pastry use half the amount of fat to flour. I use plain flour and butter.
For my two pies I used 450g/1 lb flour and 220g/8oz of butter.

Sift the flour and into a bowl and add the butter cut into small cubes. Quickly rub the fat into the flour using the tips of your fingers. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ice cold water and work it into the crumbs until you have a soft dough.  Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. and chill in the fridge for about half an hour.

 To make the pie.

Put the gooseberries in a large bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, cornflour and elderflower cordial. Stir together and allow to stand to allow the fruit to sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the fruit into your pie dish. Dot with a little butter.
Preheat the oven to Gas 6/200 degrees centigrade. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water and stick a strip of pastry all the way around the edge of the dish.  Brush the strip of dough with water so that your pastry lid will stick to it.Roll out your dough and cover the fruit with your pastry lid. Brush your pie with beaten egg.
Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes then turn the heat down to Gas 5/180 degrees centigrade and cook for about 30 minutes until the fruit is cooked through and bubbling.

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.

Indian Spiced Salmon with Basmati Rice and Peas

This is a delicious way to cook salmon as the spices lift the salmon fillet into something special.
It is also really easy and quick to prepare.

600g salmon fillets( skin removed)         1 inch piece fresh ginger ( grated)
1 garlic clove ( crushed)                                1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon turmeric                                      3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon chilli flakes                                   salt and pepper
1 large onion -chopped                             1 can chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds              juice of 1 lime to taste
½ teaspoon ground coriander                    fresh chopped coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin                          1 green chilli,chopped

Cut the salmon into 2 inch pieces and place in a bowl with the garlic, chilli
flakes, turmeric and a pinch of salt. Stir cover and chill for 2 hours. ( you can
leave it for less time if you are short of time).

Warm the oil in a sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the spices, chilli and salt and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tin of tomatoes, lime juice and 200ml of water and simmer gently
for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

 Place the marinated salmon in the pan of sauce, cover with a lid and simmer for 5
minutes until the sauce is thick and salmon is cooked through.
Sprinkle with the coriander and serve with some steamed basmati rice through which

you have stirred some cooked peas.

Cooking with the Kids- Mini Pizzas

As seen in the Marlborough Town and Country Magazine -May 2013

This recipe appeared in the magazine as a result of me doing a cookery class for children at the local school. The idea is to get the children interested in cooking and understanding ingredients which are used to make some well known dishes.

Cooking with children is fun and they are learning a skill which they will be able to use all their life. 

This pizza recipe is great for younger children as it simple to make as it has a scone base.

Change the topping ingredients to suit your child's taste.

Ingredients

75g self raising flour
10g butter
30ml milk
4 cherry tomatoes -chopped
pinch dried oregano
Ham, pineapple, sweetcorn, peppers
25g grated mozzarella cheese

Serves1

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Put the flour and butter into a bowl and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk to make a dough ( you may not need it all) and stir the dough with a fork until it all comes together.  Shape the dough into a ball with your hands.

Dust some flour on a work mat and put the ball of dough on top. Flatten it into a  nice pizza base and place it on a baking tray.

Spoon the chopped tomatoes onto the pizza base. Add your choice of ingredients and  sprinkle with a little dried oregano.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top. Ask an adult to help  you place the pizza into a preheated oven, 200ᵒ C, Gas mark 7, for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the pizza is cooked through.