Curried Chicken & Mango Salad

I came across this recipe in the May 2012 issue of Good Food magazine and I just couldn't wait to try it. Mango! Curry! Chicken! Sesame seeds! All things I love, love, love to eat and it was everything it promised to be - light and delicious, spicy and exotically flavour-some. Don't just take my word for it though - give it a go and try it for yourself!

Serves: 2 as a main dish, or 4 as a starter.

Ingredients


6 chicken mini fillets
1tsp olive oil
2tsp curry powder (I used a hot curry powder)
4tbsp natural yoghurt
2tbsp mango chutney
zest and juice of half a lime
1 Little Gem lettuce (I actually used Cos as that's what the shop had), leaves separated
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
half a red onion, finely sliced
2tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with tinfoil. Toss the chicken fillets in the oil and 1tsp of the curry powder, making sure that they're evenly coated. Place on the baking tray and bake for 20 mins or until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly and then slice.
2. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the curry powder in a bowl with the yoghurt, chutney and lime zest and juice.
3. To serve, arrange the lettuce leaves on your plates. Top with the sliced mango and chicken. Scatter over the red onion slices, drizzle with the dressing and then scatter with the sesame seeds.
4. Enjoy!

Ginger Beef Stir-fry

Ingredients

400g lean beef sirloin
2 yellow onions
1 egg, beaten
1tbsp cornflour
Rapeseed oil
2tbsp soy sauce
2tsp sugar
half tsp sesame oil
half tsp rice wine vinegar
5cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

Method

1. Thinly slice the beef against the grain.
2. Stir together the beef and the egg in a bowl. Stir in the cornflour and 1 tsp of rapeseed oil. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes.
3. Cut onions into quarters lengthways, then half the quarters across the middle and separate the pieces.
4. In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
5. Heat about half a cup of rapeseed oil in a wok over a medium-high heat until just smoking.
6. Transfer the beef into the hot oil and cook until the colour has changed. Remove the beef using a slotted spoon and put aside on a platter.
7. Add onions and ginger and stir-fry until onion is translucent, then transfer to the platter with the beef, again using the slotted spoon.
8. Add the soy sauce mixture and simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Stir in beef, onions and ginger and stir to coat.
9. Serve with plain rice or noodles.

Cream of Chicken Soup

One of the best uses for the left over bits of your chicken carcass. The uneaten meat goes into the soup, and the bones make the stock for next weeks soup, genius!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3tbsp butter
3 white onions, finely chopped
about 450g cooked chicken meat
600ml chicken stock
1tbsp chopped fresh parsely
1tbsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
175ml double cream

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly softened. 
2. Add the chicken, stock, and herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before liquidising.
5. Return soup to pan and warm over a medium heat. Stir in the cream and cook for a further 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and serve, delicious with crusty bread rolls.

Turkish Lamb Stew

It sounds a bit odd doesn't it? PRUNES and RAISINS in STEW?? With ALMONDS? It's amazing, I suggest you make it and try it today!

Ingredients

Olive oil

675g lean cubed lamb

1 white onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Half tsp ground cumin

1tsp chilli powder

1tbsp plain flour

2tbsp brandy

360ml chicken stock

3 mild chilli peppers, deseeded and finely sliced lengthways

30g almonds, coarsely chopped

12 prunes, stoned and coarsely chopped

45g raisins

Method

1. Heat a little olive oil over a medium-high heat in a casserole dish. Working in batches add lamb and brown on all sides. Transfer each batch to a bowl.
2. Add onion and garlic to the dish and return the lamb pieces too, along with any resting juices.
3. Stir well, reduce heat to medium, and sprinkle with cumin, chilli powder, flour, half teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir until lamb is well coated.
4. Add brandy and stir to scrape up any browned bits.
5. Stir in the stock and about 60ml water. Bring to the boil.
6. Once boiling reduce the heat to low, cover, and leave to simmer for 35-40 minutes to allow all the flavours to mingle.
7. Add the chilli peppers and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant (about 10 minutes).
9. Stir half the prunes and raisins into the stew and raise the heat to high. Stir until liquid has thickened.
10. Remove from heat and stir in remaining raisins and prunes.
11. Serve with plain boiled rice, and garnish with the toasted almonds.

Quick-roast chicken for two

So I was flicking through a food magazine today and I saw a recipe that sounded lovely for dinner tonight, but then I read the ingredients and the list became "he doesn't eat that, he doesn't eat that, or that. Hmm, it's not really very winter seasony either. Hmm."
So I popped to the supermarket for the chicken breasts (though mine are part-boned, skin on thankyouverymuch!) and mooched around the kitchen until I'd thrown this together. I've called it a quick-roast as it's done in about an hour (less if you use skinless, boneless chicken breasts) compared to an entire roast chicken! The quantities are so easily bumped up to feed more than two, having made this once I'll now be making it again, and again, and it'll be on some of our dinner party menus for sure!
On a side note, I've used marjoram as it's a lovely light herb that goes delightfully well with chicken. I know it's not a common herb these days (not trendy enough I guess) but it's so suitable here, and sets off the vegetables perfectly too. As a member of the mint family it has a lovely sweet, delicate flavour, and works so well with roasts. If you can't find it feel free to use sage or rosemary, though they'll be much more robust so go easy with them.


Serves 2 but easily changed to feed more


Ingredients


2 carrots, quartered lengthways and cut into large chunks
2 parsnips, quartered lengthways and cut into large chunks
1 white onion, roughly chopped
4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
Large pinch of thyme
Large pinch of marjoram
Rapeseed oil
2 chicken breasts, part-boned, skin on
About half a cup of chicken stock and a dash of white wine or sherry


Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
2. Peel and chop your potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onion.
3. Oil a suitably sized roasting dish and add your vegetables. Give them a good roll around in the oil and then sprinkle over your chosen herbs.
4. Pop the vegetables in the middle of your oven for 30-35 minutes.
5. When your veggies are about 20 mins in put a frying pan over a high heat and add a little oil. Fry your chicken breasts until golden brown and starting to crisp on the outside.
6. Add the seared chicken breasts to the vegetables in the roasting dish (skin side up so it stays crispy) and place back in the oven.
7. Again, after about 20 minutes take the roasting dish out of the oven and drizzle the half cup of stock and sherry over everything. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and dish up!

Now, you'll have to excuse the quality of the photo, I was dying to get eating so just grabbed a quick shot on my iPhone, but you get the idea!