Vegeterian curry with ALL the trimmings

I can’t wait to get through the Jamie Oliver 30 minute meals book because it is slowly killing me. This book is like a relationship, all the things that at first I loved about the book are the very things that I now loathe. How can you possible prepare 4 dishes in half an hour and then not sit down to a heart attack? This stupid book is no longer about cooking, it is about some crazy challenge of finishing the dish in under an hour, serving it and then allowing your heart rate to come down to a level where you can actually sit down and enjoy the meal. If only he didn’t call the book 30 minute meals.

In terms of taste this meal is really delicious and all the components make it interesting and really work well together. It would be a good vegetarian dish to cook for a dinner party!

For the curry:  peel and slice the onions and add to the large pan with a some water and olive oil.

Cut and peel the butternut squash into 1cm pieces .Add to the pan. Trim the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves. Cut it into bite-sized chunks, and throw them into the pan. If you want some extra heat, slice up the chilli and add it now. Crush in the unpeeled garlic. Finely chop the coriander (stalks and all). Reserve a few leaves for garnish and add the rest to the pan with a couple of generous splashes of boiled water. Add the rogan josh paste and the tin of chickpeas, with their juices. Season and stir well, then put a lid on. Cook over a medium to high heat stirring occasionally and adding water if it is a little dry. Once all the vegies are soft stir through the spinach.

Cook the rice as you normally would, and season with a little salt.


For the Carrot Salad: Toast the almonds in a small pan on a medium heat, tossing occasionally until golden.Tip into a small bowl. Wash and trim the carrots. Grate them along with the chilli (stalks and seeds removed), the top third of a bunch of coriander and a peeled 2cm piece of ginger. Tip into a serving bowl.

Drizzle a lug of extra virgin olive oil over the salad and add a pinch of salt. Finely grate in a little lemon zest, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Toss well. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds and half of the reserved coriander leaves, and take to the table.

Serve with some natural yogurt and some pappadams. You can do the pappadams in the microwave by lay them out so they don’t overlap, cover with some kitchen paper and cook for 45 seconds.

CURRY
2 onions
1 medium butternut squash
1 small cauliflower
optional: 1 fresh red chilli
4 cloves of garlic
a bunch of fresh coriander
½ a 283g jar of Patak's rogan joshpaste
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
100g prewashed baby spinach

RICE
1 mug of basmati rice

CARROT SALAD
a handful of flaked almonds
5 or 6 carrots
1 fresh red chilli
a bunch of fresh coriander
a 2cm piece of fresh ginger
1 lemon

TO SERVE
1 packet of poppadoms
1 x 500g tub of natural yoghurt

Move over mandolin the Microplane is here!

I know this is not a recipe but it is food related and I have to share. I have just had one of the best zesting experiences of my life.

In the past if a recipe called for zesting, let’s say a lemon,  I would either grate the lemon skin in or peel it and chop it finely. All of these would suffice , but deep down i knew the consistency wasn’t quite right.

Then the other day my girlfriend (Jemima) and I were taking a stroll down the isles of one of my favourite homeware stores and she picked up a  Microplane zester, looked at it lovingly, contemplated purchasing it and then put it down claiming that she didn’t need another Microplane.

The irony of this whole experience is that we were shopping for a mandolin that I told her she simply needed to have in the kitchen so when she exhibited her love for this ‘grater’ I had to give it a go. Truth be told, I purchased it a couple of weeks ago, put it in the draw and didn’t think anything of it. Then when my recipe called for the zest of one lemon, I remembered this strange stick like device that I had in the draw and decided to give it a go.

It is hard to say what my favourite thing is about the Microplane. It is really an experience that you need to have for yourself, but I will tell you this, as soon as I zested my lemon, I went straight to the fridge and cupboards and proceeded to find anything I can zest (an orange, some nutmeg and a piece of ginger).

Turn of your computer and immediately go out and buy one of these.

Tomorrow I am heading back to the homeware store to purchase the ‘medium ribbon’ and ‘extra course’ Microplanes. 

Lemon and herb chicken with mash (amazing) mash

I am developing an unhealthy obsession with Jamie Oliver. He puts out a book called 30 minute meals, none of them actually take 30 minutes to cook. They all have several accompaniments and if you can't do them all in 30 minutes or who are we kidding in an hour and 30 minutes you feel like a failure!  However, they all taste great so I preserver!

The best part of this dish is the mash! That is not saying that the rest of it isn’t pretty good but the mash is really spectacular. Start off by peeling and chopping the potatoes, then boil them in a large saucepan until tender.

Cut the chicken in half lengthways so that you have a couple of then pieces out of each breast. Season with salt and pepper and lay on a chopping board. Cover with plastic wrap and bash with a mallet or heavy pan. Grate some lemon zest over the chicken and sprinkle over some thyme leaves. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Heat a fry pan over a medium heat and cook the chicken on each side until done. This should only take 5 minutes on each side.

When the potatoes are nearly done, add the corn into the same pot with the boiling water and cook together with the potatoes for a couple of minutes. Drain the potatoes and corn and return to pan. Season and crush with a masher. They don’t need to be smooth but rather chunky and the corn through them is just amazing!

To make the salad, chop the tomatoes, basil leaves, scallions and chilli and place in a mixing bowl. Dress with some olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Serve all together!

• 2 tomatoes
• small bunch of fresh basil
• 4 scallions
• 500g baby new potatoes
• 1 red chili
• 500g chicken breast 
• 2 fresh corn cobs with corn cut off (you can use frozen if you like)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• Red wine vinegar

Cauliflower Macaroni with chicory salad

Ok I am the first one to admit that cauliflower and pasta is a pretty weird combination. But since I have been a little infatuated with Jamie lately and just purchased 30 minute meals I was committed to trying it out, and I am happy I did! The best way to describe this dish is it is basically a healthy version of macaroni and cheese. 

I am not convinced that the chicory salad is necessary but it is delicious and as a side I would definitely recommend it!

To start get the prosciutto and put it in a roasting tray large enough o use for the pasta later and put it on the top shelf of a hot oven. You want to cook it until it crisps up. 

Trip the outer leaves of the cauliflower then cut it into quarters. Put into a large saucepan, core down, with the pasta. Ok this is weird and you ARE reading it correctly but it works. That is all I have to say about it. I didn't invent this recipe and it doesn't sound at all elegant, but it works. What more do you want?

Cover the uncooked pasta and cauliflower with boiling water, season with a pinch of salt and stir and cook until the pasta is cooked according to packet instructions. 

Meanwhile...grate the cheddar into a bowl. Get the prosciutto out of the oven (once crispy) and blitz in the processor with the bread, rosemary leaves until you have a course breadcrumb consistency. 

Put a colander over a large bowl to catch the pasta water, then drain the pasta and cauliflower. tip into the roasting tray you cooked the prosciutto in, and put over a low heat. Add 400ml of the pasta water. Crush in 2 cloves of garlic and mix in the sour cream and cheddar, gently breaking up the cauliflower with tongs. Have a taste and correct the seasoning. It should be nice and loose if it isn't add a little more pasta water. Spread out evenly and scatter over the breadcrumbs. Put on the top shelf of the oven for about 8 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. 

Now for the salad. Trim the bases of the chicory and place the leaves on a serving platter. Pick the basil leaves and put them into your processor, add the garlic clove, a pinch of salt and pepper, 1/2 a jar of anchovies, 1 teaspoon of mustard, 2 tablespoons of yogurt, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a little olive oil. Add a little water and whiz until smooth. 

Now although this step sounds unnecessary it is really crucial! Trust me. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and gently fry the capers for a few minutes until they are crispy. Then sprinkle them on your chicory leaves and very lightly dress with the dressing. It is pretty rich so you don't need much. 

When the cauliflower macaroni is golden it is ready. I served it in the baking dish with the salad on the side. 

• 8 slices of prosciutto
• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 500g dried macaroni
• 250g low fat cheddar
• 4 thick slices of crusty bread
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 x 250 g tub of light sour cream

For the salad

• 2 red chicory
• 2 white chicory
• a small bunch of fresh basil
• a clove of garlic
• half a 30g jar of anchovies 
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 tbs of natural yogurt
• 3 tbs of red wine vinegar
• small handful of capers, drained

Whole poached chicken

This is probably one of my favourite meals. There is something about cooking this that I found soothing and relaxing. So cliche, chicken soothing but what can i say, I am cliche...


It is so simple but the simplicity of this dish is what makes it so tasty. 


You need a large casserole dish or stockpot to fit this chicken in so that you can cover it with water by about 2.5cm. Start of by stuffing the chicken with parsley and bay leaves, then put the chicken into the pot, cover it with water and a teaspoon of salt. Scatter in the potatoes and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn it down to a simmer and cover with a lid for about 20 minutes. 

After 20 minutes add your baby carrots, turnips or radishes and fennel. Carry on simmering for 30 to 40 minutes. I used radish. I had no idea that you can boil radish, but yum. 

When you can easily pull the leg bone away from the chicken, you know that it's cooked to perfection. By that time the other veg will be cooked, but don't break them up.


Horseradish cream is not an option for this dish. If you are going to serve it without horseradish, seriously don't bother. The horseradish takes this dish from a 7 to an off the scale. I made my own by grating some fresh horseradish into some sour cream, but if you can't find fresh you can use hot white horseradish in a jar and mix that with sour cream. 


All you have to do now is carefully remove the chicken to a bowl and add the peas and spinach to the broth. Allow them to cook for one minute, then season carefully to taste.


I took the skin of the chicken and served it very loosely shredded with the veg and some of the liquid and served the horseradish on the side. After tasting this with the horseradish I ended up dousing my whole dish in it! But I will leave that up to you. 


1 x 2kg free-range, organic chicken (if you can I really recommend getting the best chicken you can afford)
• a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 handfuls of new potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 handfuls of baby carrots
• 2 handfuls of baby turnips or radishes
• 1 bulb of fennel, quartered
• freshly grated horseradish or 1 jar hot creamed horseradish
• 285ml of sour cream
• 2 handfuls of fresh peas
• 1 colanderful of spinach or Swiss chard
• olive oil

Ribollita

So I have discovered a new vegetable. Tuscan cabbage or in Italian Cavolo Nero. There is something about the perfect wrinkled leaves that I find intriguing. I am not trying to get all gospel on everyone but isn't it amazing that nature makes these perfectly wrinkled little narrow leaves on one cabbage and on another type they are flat, round and firm...Also, how amazing is it that this cabbage is native to Tuscany. Not Italy, but a very specific place in Italy....

Enough of that...Ribollita is Italian for 'reboiled'. In Italy this is traditionally made with leftover soup. But given that we don't do leftovers in my house....

Soak some cannellini beans overnight.

Add soaked beans to a pan of water with a bay leaf, tomato, and potato. The potato helps the flavour and is meant to soften the skin of the beans. Cook them for about an hour until tender.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Heat a saucepan with a little olive oil and add the chopped vegetables together with the fennel and chili and sweat very slowly over a low heat with the lid slightly adjar for about 20 minutes  until soft but not brown.

Then add the tinned tomatoes, for a few minutes. Add the cooked, drained beans with a little of the water they were cooked in and bring back to the boil.

Stir in the sliced Tuscan cabbage. Add a little more water if you need to. It should be a think soupy consistency. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with some stale crusty bread.

• 310g of cannellini beans, soaked
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tomato, squashed
• 1 small potato, peeled
• 2 small red onions, peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 3 sticks of celery, trimmed
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• olive oil
• pinch of ground fennel seeds
• pinch of dried chili
• tin of quality Italian tomatoes
• 310g of Tuscan Cabbage together with stalks finely sliced
• salt and pepper
• some crusty stale bread to serve

Korean Keema

This dish sound exotic and fancy, but in fact it couldn't be any more simple to make and the flavours are amazing. This really is a 20 minute dish start to finish. Something that I am sorry to say Jamie Oliver hasn't mastered! This is a Nigella dish and I have cooked it before (but not this year!)

The most difficult part about this dish is finding the Korean red pepper paste called gochujang.   This is the one that I used and I found it at my local Asian grocer. 

Start off by cooking the rice as you normally would. 

Wisk together all the ingredients for the sauce, the gochujang, honey, rice wine and soy sauce and stir in the turkey mince. Leave for about 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile heat a little oil in a wok, add the peas and spring onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the turkey mince and cook for about 4 minutes until the turkey is cooked through then add the rice wine and a couple of tables poons of water and stir for an additional 60 seconds. 

Then serve over rice with some chopped coriander. That is it! 

• 150g basmati or jasmine rice
• 250g turkey or chicken mince
• 6 spring onions, chopped
• 125 grams of frozen peas (defrosted)
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbs rice wine
• chopped coriander

For the sauce:

• 2 tbs gochujang
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tbs rice wine
• 1 tbs soy sauce

Feta and spinach pie with two salads

 

The highlight of this dish for me was the tomato salad. It was sooo simple but amazing. This is another Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal and all 3 components took me around an hour. I also slightly adjusted the quantities required.

Start by turning the oven on to 200C. Put a medium (approx 26cm/10½in diameter) ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat. Put the standard blade attachment in the food processor.

 

To start on the pie, crack 3 eggs into a mixing bowl and crumble in 300g  feta. Grate in the Cheddar.

 

Add a pinch of pepper, a couple of pinches of dried oregano, zest of 1 lemon and a glug of olive oil. Mix well. Put the empty frying pan back on the heat, add a little olive oil pile in half of the spinach. Gently push and move it around and add more as it wilts down. Make sure it doesn't catch on the bottom and, when there's room, start adding the rest, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, take the pastry out of the fridge.

Lay a large sheet of greaseproof paper, approx 50cm long, on the bench, rub a little olive oil all over it, then scrunch it up and lay it out flat again. Arrange 4 filo pastry sheets in a large rectangle, overlapping at the edges, so they almost cover the paper. Rub some olive oil over them. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Repeat until you have 3 layers. Don't worry about any cracked bits. Remember to keep stirring the spinach.

Once the spinach is really nice and dense, take the pan off the heat. Add the wilted spinach to the egg mixture and grate in ½ a nutmeg. Mix well. Carefully move the greaseproof paper and filo into the empty frying pan so the edges spill over. Push it down into the sides of the pan, then pour in the egg mixture and spread it out. Fold the filo sheets over the top and let them fall where they will.

Put the pan back on a medium heat for about 10 minutes to get the bottom cooking, then put the pan into the oven on the top shelf to cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

CUCUMBER SALAD:  Peel the cucumber, then halve and quarter it length ways and cut the quarters across into 1cm chunks. Put them into a mixing bowl. Drain 10 black olives, squeeze out their stones, and tear them into another bowl. Pour over 2tbsp balsamic vinegar and push down on the olives, so the vinegar starts pulling out their saltiness. Trim and finely slice 3 spring onions, then add to the olives.

Drizzle 4tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of ½ a lemon into the olive mixture and stir really well.

 

Deseed and finely slice ½ a red chili and add to the bowl of cucumber. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of mint, finely slice them and add to the cucumber. Pour over the dressing, toss quickly, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.

Now for the TOMATO SALAD. Use a hand blender, rip the top off the bunch of basil, reserving a few of the smaller leaves, and put into the blender with a pinch of salt and pepper, a peeled clove of garlic, a couple of good glugs of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Whizz until you have a dark green oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Halve or quarter the tomatoes. Pour this dressing over a platter and sit the tomatoes on top.

To serve take the pie to the table with your beautiful salads and divide up!

For the spinach and feta pie:

• 3 free range or organic eggs
• 300g  feta cheese
• 50g  cheddar cheese
• dried oregano
• 1 lemon
• A knob of butter
• 400g prewashed baby spinach
• 1 x 270g pack of filo pastry
• Cayenne pepper 
• 1 whole nutmeg

For the cucumber salad:

• 1 cucumber
• 10 black olives
• 2tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 spring onions
• ½ lemon
• ½ fresh red chili
• 5 or 6 sprigs of fresh mint

For the tomato salad

• A small bunch of fresh basil
• 1 clove of garlic
• White wine vinegar
• 300g mixed cherry tomatoes 

Jamaican rice with coconut and red beans

I got this cookbook in December called The Essential New York Times Cookbook and it is a collection of recipes over the years that featured in the NY Times. The recipes were selected based on response of readers and I must say it is one of the best cookbooks I have ever owned. It hasn't failed me yet!

This recipe is so simple, you literally throw everything into a pot and close the lid! I slightly modified the amount of shallots you add and I used Adzuki beans instead of simple red beans but other than that it is as described.

Soak 400g Adzuki or red beans overnight and then cook according to packet instructions. (Gently simmer for 40 min). Heat a little olive oil in a heavy based saucepan with a tight fitting lid over a medium heat and add your chopped shallot and garlic, cooking until softened. Add the rice, coconut milk, water, thyme, chili, beans and salt. bring to a boil over high heat, then stir well, reduce the heat to very low, cover tightly and cook without disturbing for 25 - 30 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rise is tender.

Season again with salt and pepper to taste and voila! If you are worried about coconut milk, the flavour it produces is so subtle you barely know it is even there. The result is a nutty, hearty dish that is so light it is hard to believe you are eating rice and beans.

• olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 5 green shallots, sliced
• 2 cups of jasmine rice
• 1 sprig of thyme
• one 400ml can of coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• about 3 cups of cooked small red beans or Adzuki beans
• 1 red chili
• salt and pepper

II:8.5

Stuffed Cypriot Chicken, Pan-Fried Asparagus & vine tomatoes and Cabbage salad

This is my first attempt at cooking anything from Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals cookbook and I have to admit when I saw that in 30 minutes you can make a stuffed chicken breast and 2 sides to go with it I was a little dubious. But to my surprise I managed to do all 4 components in under 45 minutes and what was even more surprising was all the components really do go together.

One of the things that I always find frustrating is deciding what goes 'with' a dish and one of the great things about this book is that every recipe includes a side and a dessert that would go with it.

Timing is everything with this dish if you want to get it on the table within an hour so I would suggest sticking to the steps in the order described. I slightly amended from the book as I found this order worked better for me. (Perhaps this is when it took 45 minutes not 30).

Turn the oven to 220 Celsius. Pile the parsley, basil and sun dried tomatoes onto a chopping board with a little olive oil and a pinch of pepper. Crush over 2-3 cloves of garlic and chop everything together mixing with the knife as you go. Crumble over the feta, finely grate over lemon zest and mix again.

On a big sheet of greaseproof paper, put the chicken breasts down and using a knife carefully fold back the fillets and cut a little pocket in each one until you can open each breast like a book. Divide the filling equally among the 4 chicken breasts, pat down and then fold back.

Add a little olive oil to an empty frying pan, and using tongs carefully lay the chicken down. Scrunch up a sheet of greaseproof paper under the tap, slightly wetting it then flatten it out and tuck over the chicken, leave to cook shaking the pan every now and then.

 

Now it's time to get the asparagus started. Drizzle a little olive oil into a frying pan, squash and add a couple of cloves of unpeeled garlic. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and reduce.

Sprinkle salt and pepper onto your uncleaned chopping board and add a teaspoon of oregano and 2 cloves of garlic. Take our flat breads and rub them on the board, then wrap them in some greaseproof paper and put them in the oven.

 

Add the trimmed asparagus to the pan.

 

Now for the cabbage salad. Shred the cabbage, peel and shred the onion and add to a big bowl with chopped parsley, basil, finely chopped chili. Squeeze over lemon juice add a little salt and pepper and mix. This is now done.

 

By now the chicken should be golden underneath, so carefully turn each breast over and add 4 small sprigs of rosemary to the pan. Recover with the greaseproof. put a medium frying on top of the chicken to push it down a bit and help it crisp up.

 

Cook the chicken for a further 10 minutes and then it should be ready. Serve with asparagus, flat breads and salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the chicken:

• small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley
• small bunch of basil
• 8 sun dried tomatoes (not in oil)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 100g feta cheese
• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

 

For the asparagus:

• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 200g of cherry tomatoes on the vine
• small bunch of fresh herbs (whatever you have left I used rosemary)
• 250g asparagus
• 8-10 pitted black olives

 

For the flat breads:

• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 flat breads

 

For the cabbage salad:

• 1/2 small white cabbage
• 1 onion
• a few sprigs of flat leaf parsley
• a few sprigs of basil
• a red chili
• 2 lemons

 II: 9

Spinach and ricotta gnocchi

So this dish is fairly indulgent for a weeknight but it is so delicious and you really don't need to eat much of it. The only thing to bare in mind about this recipe is that there is 4 hours resting time, so you can either prepare them the night before you plan to cook them and then boil them fresh.

First, get the spinach ready. I used fresh baby spinach, but you could just as easily use frozen spinach. If using fresh spinach, rinse the spinach leaves then put them in a pot with a teaspoon of water and turn on medium low heat. the water that clings to the leaves is enough. Cook the spinach with a lid on for a couple of minutes until it breaks down, then cool it. Once it is cool, squeeze all the excess water out of the spinach, chop roughly and set aside.

Chop the onion finely and saute in a little butter, once the onion is soft add the spinach and briefly mix through. Once this mixture is completely cool add to the ricotta with 2 tablespoons of semolina flour, the Parmesan and some salt and pepper to taste.

Now this is the 'tricky' part. In a large backing tray lay the semolina about 1cm deep on the bottom. I used about 500g of semolina flour for this. Then you have to shape the gnocchi....because there is basically no flour in the mixture it is fairly sticky and difficult to shape into gnocchi. I used to teaspoons and tried to make quenelles . You need to be patient, as you don't want them to be too big. About 2cm each should be the max. As you make them drop them onto your semolina tray. Once you have them all layed out, cover with about the same amount of semolina flour and put in the fridge.

Leave them to rest in the fridge for 2 hours and then turn each of them and leave for another 2 hours. This step is crucial, if you skip it they will fall apart when you boil them.

Once the gnocchi have rested, bring some water to a gentle boil and drop in your gnocchi being careful not to cook too many at once. How many is too many? Well...when they form one big gnocchi ball then it is too many, so try not to do that. Once the gnocchi float to the top they are ready.

I served them with some roasted baby tomatoes that I roasted in the oven for 5 minutes but you could easily do without.

• 500g spinach, fresh or frozen
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• salt and pepper
• 500g fresh ricotta (I used low fat but you MUST use the fresh kind not the processed kind that comes in a container)
• 1kg of semolina flour (only a couple of tablespoons goes into the gnocchi)
• 2 tbs Parmesan and extra for serving
• baby tomatoes (optional)

There is a bit of effort involved but the result is well worth it.

II:8

Quinoa salad with roast vegetables

This salad is so delicious and easy to make as I was eating it for dinner all I could think of was how it would taste the next day cold for lunch.

Heat the oven to 200 Celsius. Put all your chopped up vegies in there with the garlic cloves and a little oil , salt and pepper and roast for 30-40 minutes until they are soft. Once they are soft enough take out the tray and drizzle with white wine vinegar. Make sure you do this while the vegies are still hot so they absorb the vinegar.

Meanwhile cook the quinoa according to packet instructions (3 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa) and allow to cool.

Once the vegies are cool enough to handle put them on a huge chopping board with herbs and chop up with a big knife. Don't worry about getting it into uniform pieces. It kind of looks like a big mess but it is meant to. Once you have done this mix with the quinoa, season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. That's all!

• 400g quinoa cooked
• 3 yellow zucchini cut into chunky moons
• 2 green zucchini cut into chunky moons
• 2 bulbs of fennel cut into thick slices
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 2 red peppers, halved and cut into chunks
• 2 eggplants, cut into chunks
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• white wine vinegar
• bunch of fresh herbs, a selection of whatever you have (parsley, oregano, mint, basil)
• juice of one lemon

II: 9.5

Fricassee of chicken

This recipe is based on Jamie Oliver's 'special chicken stew', which he bases on a classic french Fricassee of Chicken. Fricassee meaning flavoured meat fried and turned into a stew . Call me snobby but I think Fricassee of Chicken sounds much better than a special chicken stew.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  I used a whole free range chicken and cut it into 8 pieces, rather than 2 whole baby chickens as Jamie's recipe calls for. Keep the skin on all the pieces. It really pays off!

Smear some wholegrain mustard gently under the skin of each piece then Rub the flour all over the chicken so that each piece is covered in a thin layer. Keep any flour that falls off you will use this a little later.

 

In a snug-fitting casserole-type pan, fry your chicken pieces in a little olive oil on all sides for 10 minutes until golden. I used a non stick pan and very little oil. Remove them to a plate and then gently saute the onion, garlic and celery in the pan. Add the  spare flour and continue to saute for about 4 minutes, scraping off any goodness that is on the bottom of the pan. You can add a little chicken stock if it starts to stick but not too much at this stage. Add your 2 glasses of white wine and allow the liquid to reduce by half, then put the chicken pieces back in the pan. Now pour in your stock – it should come to about half-way up the chickens. Make yourself a cartouche ( a simple circle of baking paper that you put on top of a sauce or gravy to stop a skin forming.) Wet it so it's flexible then tuck this in and around the pan.

 

Place in the oven and cook for around 50 minutes to an hour until the chickens have crisp skin and the thigh meat falls off the bone. Remove the chicken to some nice serving bowls – ones that can hold a bit of sauce – and place your pan back on the hob. Add the lettuces, grapes, parsley leaves and tarragon leaves and simmer for a couple more minutes. Correct the seasoning carefully and spoon this sauce next to the chicken.

 

 

 

I served the chicken on a bed of quinoa.  This simple dish is so full of flavour it is amazing. If you wanted to use chicken breast pieces instead of the whole chicken it would definitely work. I would just reduce the cooking time to 35-40 minutes.

 

Ingredients

• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 good quality free range chicken cut into 8 pieces
• 1 small handful of fresh parsley, leaves picked, stalks kept
• 1 bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves picked, stalks kept
• 4 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 heaped tablespoons plain white flour
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• ½ celery heart, trimmed back and finely sliced
• 2 good knobs of butter
• 2 wineglasses of crisp white wine
• 565ml stock
• 2 gem lettuces, sliced into large chunks
• 1 small bunch of seedless grapes, washed and halved
• quinoa cooked according to packet instructions

 

 

II: 9

Pasta e ceci

I have been meaning to cook this dish ever since a girl from work raved about this amazing dish that her husband (Ben) cooked for her. This is not a mistake. Her husband cooked this for her. In fact he cooks most nights. She raved about this dish saying it is not quiet a pasta and not really a soup!

 

Although technically this recipe is a pasta it is really more like a stew. It is from Jamie Oliver's book Jamie's Italy and he says it is a pasta like soup. The recipe only calls for 100g of pasta so I am going to call it a stew. Either way it is so delicious. Perfect for a cold winter night.

You start of by heating some olive oil in a pot and you saute the celery, onion and garlic for about 15 minutes on the lowest setting you can. You want them to soften but not colour.

Meanwhile thoroughly rinse the chickpeas in a colander.

After the onion mixture is soft add the chickpeas and the stock and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and leave for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes remove half the chickpeas and blend the remaining chickpeas (I used a hand blender), then return the while chickpeas to the pot with the mashed chickpeas and add the uncooked pasta.

Continue to cook until the pasta is done. This should take around 12 minutes, but keep tasting. If the mixture is getting too thick you can add some boiling water to loosen it.

Season with salt pepper.

Serve with chopped rosemary and parsley on top.

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery, trimmed and finely chopped, plus celery leaves if available
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 100g ditalini or other small soup pasta
• A good handful of parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• Juice of half a lemon

II: 7.5

Green Lentils With Roasted Beets and Preserved Lemon

So one month on and I finally got to use my preserved lemons in a recipe! This recipe was fairly easy. There is a bit of prep work and peeling beetroot is never simple, but if you are going to use canned beetroot don't even bother. It really pays of. The result is a delicious lemony and hearty salad with the slightest touch of sweetness from the beetroot. 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Peel and cut the beetroot into big chunks and make sure you use gloves. Toss the cubes with a teaspoon of oil, season with salt and pepper and bake 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, place the lentils, carrot, onion, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small pot and add water to cover the lentils by about 3/4 of an inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the herbs, drain well and transfer to a large bowl.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, zest, shallot and 1/4 teaspoon salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with pepper and more salt if necessary.

To assemble the salad, quarter the lemon and scrape out the soft pulp. Finely chop the pulp and stir 2 teaspoons into the vinaigrette. Finely chop the lemon skin and add it, along with the vinaigrette, roasted beets, parsley and chopped mint, to the lentils. Toss and serve on a platter. 

Ingredients

• ·         5 small beets, peeled
  ·         1 teaspoon olive oil
  ·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  ·         1 cup French green lentils
  ·         1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
  ·         1/2 small onion, finely diced
  ·         1 bay leaf
  ·         4 sprigs parsley
  ·         2 sprigs thyme
  ·         1 preserved lemon  or 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  ·         1/3 cup chopped parsley
  ·         2 tablespoons chopped mint sprigs for garnish
  
  
  FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
  ·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  ·         1 teaspoon lemon zest
  ·         1 shallot, finely chopped
  ·         salt and pepper
  ·         olive oil
  
  
  II: 8