Frankie's Nuptial Chicken Pie.

One of my closest friends Frankie got married to Ali on Saturday.  They are a wonderful couple.  One of the best.  I couldn't fly to Guernsey for the big day and so had to console myself with regular wedding planning email updates from the bride, a couple of texts on the day and toasting the bride and groom on Saturday over a chicken pie, the recipe of which Frankster gave to me years ago.  It is one of the most delicious chicken pie recipes and is, like all great recipes, easier that it tastes.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skin removed and chopped into bite-sized chunks
olive oil
250 g shallots, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, sliced
25 g unsalted butter
300 ml creme fraiche (the low fat option works pretty well)
150 ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Puff pastry, usually found in the fridge or freezer section in big supermarkets
1 egg, beaten

From experience - I bought ready rolled pastry from the freezer section in the supermarket.  As you can see from the pictures, post defrosting it cracked as I unwrapped it and left crevices on my pie so I didn't get the smooth professional looking pie.  So in hindsight, I would use the non-frozen, not pre-rolled pastry option.

Method

1. Preheat over to 220C.
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan with an ovenproof handle and add the chicken, cook until it has sealed (turned white all over) then remove from the heat and tip into a large bowl.
3. In the frying pan that housed the chicken add some more oil and fry the shallots for 5 minutes over a medium heat.  Place the pan with the shallots in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove and add the shallots to the chicken in the bowl.

4. Melt the butter in the same frying pan used for the chicken and shallots (this allows the flavours to mingle nicely) and add the leeks, fry until soft then remove and add the leeks to the chicken/shallot bowl.
5. Heat the creme fraiche and stock together in a large saucepan.  Season generously with freshly ground pepper and a large pinch of salt.
6. When the creme fraiche and stock comes to the boil add the chicken and simmer for 2 minutes before adding the shallots and leeks to the saucepan.

7. Tip the contents of the saucepan into an adequately sized pie dish (so that the filling comes almost to the rim).
8. Roll out the puff pastry (defrosted if frozen) on a lightly floured work surface, cut a strip to go around the edge of the dish and place it on the rim.

9. Top the pie with the remaining pastry then use a sharp knife to cut the lid to size, using a fork to seal the lid with the rim.

10. Brush with the beaten egg and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

I served this with creamy mash and peas with minted butter.  It was delicious, and while perhaps not the actual fare of Frankie's wedding, I think it would be a winter wedding competitor.

To Frankie and Ali, we hope you have a lifetime of happiness together xxx

Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup. Delicious.

We went hiking in the Drakensburg mountains last week.  The mountain range boarders the country of Lesthoto, with the South African side of the range being largely made up of national parks.  However, having intel that it is pretty chilly up there in April I came up with a warming soup to be thermos-ed and dragged with us up the mountain.

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
a large thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp dried chilli flakes, plus extra for serving
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tin of coconut cream

Method

1. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan, add the garlic, onion, ginger and chilli flakes and stir over a medium heat for 3 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potato, the vegetable stock cube (crumbled), the coconut cream and enough boiling water to cover the sweet potato.
3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender.
4. Allow to cool slightly then using a stick blender whizz the soup to a thick, creamy, smooth, baby-food consistency.

5. Serve hot with an extra sprinkling of chilli flakes.

It was so delicious and helped keep us going on the 27 km hike...

The Best Homemade Pizza.

The combination of mozzerella threatening to fall the wrong side of ‘cheesy’ and an open tin of tomatoes lurking in the fridge prompted a pizza-fest and the easiest bread recipe I have ever come across thanks to a South African called Trevor Daly.

You make an easy bread dough, pop it in a covered bowl and leave in the fridge overnight or amazingly for up to 3 days.  Over the coming days you can then pull bits of dough out of the fridge to use as pizza bases and ciabatta bread (see my ciabatta blog of 27 April 2012).

Just think, ten minutes on a Sunday night making the dough and you’ll have homemade pizza on Monday, homemade bread for Tuesday’s dinner party and bruschetta with the leftover ciabatta on Wednesday.  Genius.

Or opt for a kids’ tea party – make up the dough, put pre-chopped toppings in bowls and let their imaginations run wild. 

Ingredients, dough (makes 6 pizzas, of course depending on the size you make)

1 kg bread flour

10 g sachet instant yeast

4 tsp salt

750 ml ice cold water

Ingredients, topping (tops 1 large pizza)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 tin drained chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

A handful of basil leaves

A pinch of caster sugar

Salt and pepper

Optional - Mozzerella, artichoke hearts, prosciutto, anchovies, biltong, olives, capers, rocket leaves, chorizo, pepperdew peppers, cherry tomatoes, crème fraiche, pesto, courgettes, parmesan, marscapone, dolchelatte, walnuts, baked beans….

Method - dough

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then gradually add the water stirring with a spoon. 

2. Wet your hands and then fold in the dough onto itself until it is smooth.  I added a little flour at this point to catalyse the change from sticky to smooth.

3. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

4. Preheat the oven to the highest it will go and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.

5. Place the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add the sliced garlic.

6. After a couple of minutes (don’t let the garlic burn) add the tin of tomatoes and tomato puree and simmer until thickened, then add the basil leaves, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

7. Take a lump of dough from the fridge and shape into a thin circle or rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

8. Remove the baking tray from the oven and place the dough on top.

9. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza base and then sprinkle over your toppings, leaving a 1-2 cm crust around the edge of the dough.

10. Pop the tray into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is crisp and the topping is bubbling.

The dough was completely divine being doughy yet crisp and was a complete breeze to make.  I thoroughly recommend serving it with a big salad and a glass of wine on a hot day.  

Ciabatta. Fresh from the fridge for 3 days.

I have officially uncovered the easiest and most delicious bread recipe in the world thanks to a South African called Trevor Daly.  You mix together some basic ingredients to make a bread dough, cover the dough bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight or up to 3 days.  Over those 3 days you can pull bits of dough from the fridge, pop on a tray and have homemade ciabatta in 20 minutes (or pizza, see my blog of 27 April 2012).  

Makes 3 ciabatta loaves of 650 g each

Ingredients 

1 kg bread flour

10 g sachet instant yeast

4 tsp salt

750 ml ice cold water

Method

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then gradually add the water stirring with a spoon. 

2. Wet your hands and then fold in the dough onto itself until it is smooth.  I added a little flour at this point to catalyse the change from sticky to smooth.

3. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover with cling film. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

4. Preheat the oven to the highest it will go and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.

5. Take a lump of dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface shape into a deep, wide, flat sausage, possibly adding some olives or sun-dried tomatoes in the process. 

6. Put the dough on the preheated baking tray for 15-20 minutes.  The loaf will be ready when it gives off a hollow sound when tapped underneath.

It was so unbelievably easy and makes 'shop bought' doughy and crispy bread that fills the kitchen with the most salivating smell.  You'd be mad not to have some made up for a weekend of guests or a busy week.

Risotto Balls. A leftover legend.

We had lemon, dill and prawn risotto the other night and thanks to some leftovers I had a go at risotto ball canapes...

Ingredients

Leftover risotto
Breadcrumbs or some leftover white bread
Veg oil for frying

Method

1. Take small portions of your leftover risotto and roll them into balls in the palm of your hand.  If you have trouble getting them to stick together you can always add a little beaten egg.

2. Either take out some readymade breadcrumbs from the freezer (I try and keep some in a tupperware box in the freezer - they can be used from frozen) or use a blender to process some leftover white bread into crumbs.

3. Heat enough oil in a frying pan to give at least a 4mm covering of the base of the pan.
4. Roll the risotto balls in the breadcrumbs.
5. Drop a large breadcrumb into the oil, if it sizzles on contact the oil is hot enough to start cooking.
6. Carefully place the risotto balls in the pan and gently turn to ensure they are cooked on all sides and the breadcrumbs are golden.
7. Serve hot.

This is such a delicious and easy way to use up leftover risotto.

Gruyere Profiteroles. A kind of alpine canape.

These are a complete lifesaver when you fancy offering something other than crisps and dips with a drink.  You can make them weeks in advance, pop in the freezer then cook from frozen for 15-20 minutes.  They fill the house with a delicious slightly Alpine smell, perfect for a chilly evening.

Makes 40 small buns

Ingredients

250 ml water

Pinch of salt

65 g unsalted butter

125 g plain flour

4 eggs

60 g grated Gruyere (plus a little extra for sprinkling on top)

Black pepper

Grating of nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Method

1. Heat oven to 220C

2. Measure the water, salt and butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and warm until the butter is melted, then bring to the boil.

3. Once boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat and quickly stir in the flour.

4. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook for approx 1 minute until the paste thickens, stirring all the time.  Don’t overcook the mixture or beat or else it will become it oily.

5. Remove from the heat and cool slightly, then beat in two eggs with a wooden spoon, before adding and beating in the other two, continue to beat until you have a glossy paste. 

6. Add the cheese, nutmeg, cayenne and seasoning to the mixture and stir until well combined.

7.  Put the cooled paste into a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle and pipe into balls on a lightly greased baking tray (leave space in between for rising) if you are to cook them immediately.  If you want to freeze them pipe the buns onto greased dishes and pop them in the freezer.  Pack them into polythene bags when firm and cook from frozen for slightly longer than usual.

 8. Sprinkle some more cheese on top and bake in the oven at 220C for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 180C and cook for 10 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your bun.  They will be done when golden brown and crisp outside and hollow and moist inside.

9. When they come out of the oven snip them with a pair of kitchen scissors to allow the steam to escape, or else they will become soggy.  Maybe slide in a piece of bresola, cheese or butter into the slit for some added excitement and eat while still hot.

They are completely delicious and give such a great result from frozen - you must make a batch for emergencies!

Tarka Dal. Lentils men will love.

I am a big fan of dal.  The slightly gloopy, spicy, lentil mush is a perfect addition to any curry.

In homage to the great lentil the lentil facts of the day, courtesy of the Larousse Gastronomique, is that red lentils (otherwise known as split red lentils) cook to a soft, powdery texture and are hence used for soups, purees and dal.  Whereas green and brown lentils like the Puy lentil become tender on cooking rather than mushy and retain their shape, hence they are used in substantial salads and casseroles.  Finally, all lentils are a joy to cook as they don’t require overnight soaking just 30 mins in boiling water.  So there really is no excuse to buy the astronomically priced pre-cooked versions.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients

4 heaped tbsp red split lentils

425 ml water

1 level tsp salt

1 small onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 tbsp melted veg ghee (or butter)

pinch of tumeric

½ tsp garam masala

1 small tomato

2 tsp finely chopped coriander

Method

1. Wash the lentils thoroughly and place in a saucepan with the water and salt, bring to the boil.

2. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or so during which you’ll need to skim off the froth the collects on the surface.  After 20 minutes, partially cover the pan and cook for about another 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have a pale yellow baby food consistency.

3. Meanwhile fry the onion and garlic in the ghee until the onion is pale brown (don’t burn the garlic or it will be bitter).  Add the tumeric and garam masala and gook for a couple more seconds.

4. Add the onions to the lentils and serve hot sprinkled with the tomato and coriander.

I made the dal in advance and just heated it up in the microwave adding a splash of water to loosen it.  It worked like a dream, so much so that apparently dal for breakkie would be as exciting as a fry up.  Not a bad result for a bowl of lentils. 

Prawn Bhuna. Restaurant style-ee.

Wonderfully this much ordered favourite is made with frozen prawns, which are now as readily available as frozen peas.  Like sag panir you need to have a batch of the curry sauce made up (blog 20 April 2012) but hopefully you’ll have made a batch on standby in the freezer.  If not, the sauce will only take you 15 minutes to prepare and just over an hour to cook. 

Once you have your curry sauce made all you’ll have to do is move it, along with some prawns, from the freezer to the fridge before work then when you get home pour yourself a drink and spend 15 minutes de-stressing while you whip together a restaurant style curry.  The recipe is again courtesy of my curry idol - Kris Dhillon.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

50g button mushrooms

½ green bell pepper (capsicum)

6 tbsp veg oil

425 ml curry sauce

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin

1 ½ tsp garam masala

350 g peeled prawns (defrosted by popping them in cold water for 10 minutes)

½ tsp ground fenugreek

1 tbsp fresh coriander

Method

1. Rinse and thinly slice the mushrooms and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and fry the veg for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat.

3. Add the curry sauce, salt, chilli powder and cumin.  Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, cook while stirring frequently until the sauce is really thick.

4. Stir in the garam masala, prawns and fenugreek.  Simmer for 3 minutes.

5. Drain off any excess oil and sprinkle with the coriander before serving with rice, naan and maybe some dal or sag panir.

Like a take-out the leftovers were almost more delicious after the flavours got better acquainted overnight.

Mint Chutney. From curries to roast lamb.

To go with the numerous curries I am making at the moment, here is a super quick and easy chutney thanks again to Kris Dhillon’s ‘The Curry Secret’.  Not only will I serve it with all all future curries but also with Sunday's roast lamb - it kicks mint sauce into touch.

Ingredients

2 large handfuls fresh mint leaves

1 large spring onion

1-2 green chillies, chopped (and deseeded if you’re more of a mild person)

1 level tsp salt

¼ tsp garam masala

4 tbsp HP sauce

Optional – a couple of handfuls fresh coriander

Method

Pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. 

The chutney will keep for a week in the fridge (make sure you cover it though).

Naan Bread. In no time.

In the full throws of my curry craze after finding myself in little India I've had a go at making naan bread.  Being buoyed up at the ease of making pitta breads at home (see blog 13 April 2012) and the success of Kris Dhillon's other recipes I got the flour out and flexed my kneading muscles...sadly a KitchenAid and dough hook wasn't included with the rent.  I wasn't disappointed.  It turns out it is easy to make white fluffy naan bread complete with a crisp thin crust never achieved in the pre-packed versions.  It was just perfect for soaking up a curry as well as being pretty special with marmalade and tea this morning...

Makes 6 naans

Ingredients

150 ml milk (hand hot)
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp dried yeast
450 g plan flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp veg oil
150 ml plain yoghurt
1 large egg, beaten (please opt for free range)
a little melted vegetable ghee, or butter

Method

Preheat oven to the hottest it will go and put a baking tray in the oven to heat up.

1. Measure out the milk and heat in the microwave or saucepan, then add the east and sugar.  Leave for 15 minutes until it is frothy.

2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add the yeast mixture and all other ingredients except the ghee/butter.
3. Mix into a dough and knead on a surface for 10 minutes or so, until it is smooth (of course you can use your dough hook if you have a mixer).
4. Put the dough in a greased clean bowl and cover with greased cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (approx 1 hour).

5. Knead the dough lightly then divide the dough into 6 portions.

6. Take each portion and pull one edge of the dough and push into the middle, then turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat 3 or 4 times until the dough is completely smooth underneath.

7. Roll out the dough into circles or tear shapes approx 1cm thick and place on the hot baking tray (maybe 2-3 at a time) and return to the oven for about 3 minutes, or until risen.  You can then place them under a hot grill to crisp up, but as mine is integrated into the oven I couldn't, but just oven cooking seemed to work very well.

8. Brush the top with a little melted ghee or butter and wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm before serving.

These are suitable for reheating but like most things they are best eaten fresh and hot from the oven...  

Sag Panir. With Homemade Cheese.

The following is a delicious recipe from Kris Dhillon's book 'the Curry Secret'.  You must, I'm afraid, follow the recipe for 'Curry Sauce' in my blog of 20 April 2012 before hitting the below.  But don't be put off as curry sauce is completely idiot proof and speedy.  Like the below.

Oh and the following has the added excitement of making your own cheese, a great one to casually let slip over dinner...

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1.15 litres whole milk
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp veg oil
150 ml curry sauce
a large handful of fresh spinach (or a 450 g can of pureed spinach)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala

Method

1. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat and immediately add the lemon juice while stirring, you will see the milk curdle.

2. Put a clean tea towel in a colander then pour into it the contents of the saucepan.

3. Place the curds, still in the tea towel, on a baking tray and top with a chopping board and then a weight, like a saucepan full of water.

4. After 15 minutes all the liquid will have been squeezed out and you will have made your own cheese!

5. Heat the veg oil in a deep frying pan, when hot add the curry sauce and cook for 5 minutes at a high heat until thick (stir often).
6. Chop the spinach removing any tough stalks and add to the saucepan along with the salt, cumin and chilli powder.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Add the cheese cut into 1cm cubes and the garam masala and cook over a gentle heat for 5 more minutes.

It truly was delicious.

Kris Dhillon's recipe says you should deep fry the cheese cubes, but in the name of Health I didn't and it didn't seem to matter, it was seriously delicious and such a fun recipe to make.