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Chicken fajitas – quick, easy and delicious

24 Feb

This is a repost as it has been so long since I first published it. It has to be one of the quickest and easiest dishes I have ever made and it tastes fantastic.  Friends of ours dropped in just before Christmas and I rustled it up for lunch in about 15 minutes.  Barry raved about it all the time he was eating it. 

I made these again when friends of ours came round for lunch here in Spain.   I thought Spanish food was appropriate so we lunched on chicken fajita, tomato and chorizo salad and homemade guacamole.  I threw in a few extras like grated cheese and chopped lettuce so they could choose their own fillings for the wraps.   The screenshow is not great.  I blame it on the Sangria I was drinking while I was cooking them.  Once again, though, they were a complete hit.  I believe even the least confident of cooks will definitely be able to make these and they will be a complete success.

As my blog followers know, I always try to include some interesting facts around the recipe I have posted.  in this case it is difficult to do that as I have already written about fajita in my Beef Fajita post.  The link is included if you have not read it.  I may as well go straight to the recipe then and free up some time for a little bit more of that Sangria.  Salute!

Chicken fajita                            Serves 4

  • 4-8 flour tortillas
  • 3 small or 2 large chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
  • 2 red peppers, sliced thinly
  • 1 large red onion, sliced thinly
  • 1 red chilli, sliced thinly (leave seeds in)
  • olive oil
  • juice 1 lime
  1. Heat the oil in a large pan then fry the peppers and onion over a high heat for about 5 minutes, stir time to prevent them from burning.  Remove and set aside.
  2. Add the chicken to the pan and stir-fry for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the chilli during the last couple of minutes.
  3. Return the onion and pepper mix to the pan and mix well.  Let it heat through for a couple of minutes then add the lime juice.  Mix well.
  4. Serve with the warmed tortillas (as per packet instructions) and a selection of accompaniments eg crunchy lettuce, chopped, guacamole, sour cream, cheese. 

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Chicken Dopiaza – delicious!

8 Feb

Most Friday nights we go out early doors for a few drinks and a catch up with friends, then home for a home-made curry.  When we were first married I used to hate curry but my husband has loved it since college when he used to visit Abdul’s in Swansea and have a madras with half chips and half rice.  I remember the first curry I made.  A friend gave me the recipe and it was really just vegetable stew with some curry powder in.  Yuk!!!  I think the turning point was when friends from Walsall came for the weekend, armed with a home-made chicken curry made from fresh spices.  Since then I have never looked back!  I always use fresh spices nowadays, unless I make a Chinese Curry.  Did you know you can actually buy Chinese Curry Paste and make a really authentic tasting Chinese Curry!

The curry I made last night was Chicken Dopiaza (Chicken with Onions).  Do means two and piaz means onions in Hindi so the term describes a dish that has used onions in two different ways or has double the ration of onions to meat.  This dish comes from Bengal and is traditionally Muslim.  I think this is the best Chicken Dopiaza I have ever tasted.  Takeaways and those eaten in restaurants do not compare!  It can be a bit fiddley but well worth the effort.  You can make it in advance, in fact it tastes even better if left to mature for a day in the fridge, and I have frozen it successfully as well so great for left overs or if you are only cooking for two and want a ready meal for another time.

First a bit of trivia – today lets look at cinnamon.

Cinnamon has been used a  highly valued spice since before Christ.  There are records of it first being imported into Egypt in 2000 BC, and it is frequently mentioned in the Bible (Hebrew).  The spice is taken from the inner bark of a Cinnamon Tree.  Once dried the bark curls up, producing the more recognised cinnamon sticks you can buy today.  Its flavour is due to an aromatic oil which makes up about 1% of its composition.  Cinnamon’s medicinal benefits range from curing common cold, relieving rheumatism, aiding digestion and helping some menstrual problems.  It is a natural food preservative and helps relieve diarrhoea, possible reasons for including it in cuisine of hot countries where meat quickly deteriorates.

I have tried many recipes for Chicken Dopiaza, but this is the one I love the best.  It comes from a small recipe book titled ’50 great curries of India’, written by Camellia Panjabi (ISBN 1-84509-264-3). It’s a great book and I highly recommend it if you love curry.  I have adapted this to suit our tastes so buy the book for the original recipe.

Chicken Dopiaza                                                              serves 4

  • 1 small roasting chicken cut into 8 pieces or 3 chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
  • 5 medium onions
  • 1.5 tsp red chilli powder
  • 3 tbsp full-fat yogurt, whisked
  • 50 ml sunflower oil
  • 1 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 cinnamon leaves or bay leaves
  • 2.5cm (1in) cinnamon stick
  • 4 cardamoms
  • 3/4 tsp peppercorns
  • 6 cloves
  • 1 whole red chillies
  • 1 tbsp ginger puree
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • pinch sugar
  • salt
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  1. Cut 2 of the onions in half. Chop 1 coarsely.  Blend the remaining 2 and squeeze to extract the juice, discarding the pulp.
  2. Mix the chilli powder with a little water to form a paste.
  3. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and fry the chopped onions.  Remove and reserve, leaving the remaining oil in the pan.
  4. Grind the cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves together
  5. In the pan, fry the garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, ground spices and whole chillies.
  6. After 30 seconds add the ginger puree, chilli paste, turmeric and garam masala, stirring continuously.  Add the chicken and tomatoes, followed by the butter, yogurt and sugar.  Mix carefully to coat the chicken in the spice mix and then cook for 10 – 12 minutes, making sure the spices do not stick to the bottom of the pan.  Add a little water if it looks like it is getting too dry.
  7. Add the onion halves, followed by the onion juice and salt to taste.  Stir for 2 – 3 minutes then transfer to a casserole and bake in the oven, preheated to 150C/325F/gas mark 3 and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Mix in half the fried onions.
  8. Serve, sprinkling the remaining fried onion on top.

I serve this with chutney and pilau rice.

Hope you enjoy it. 

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Crispy pancakes – a blast from the past!

4 Sep

I can remember buying these for the kids in the 70’s.  They loved them and we would have them once a week with chips.  Really healthy I can hear you say.  You bought them in packs of four and I think the choices were chicken and mushroom or minced beef.  The recipe today is based on the principal of these pancakes but the result is nothing like them.  For a start they are twice as big and secondly the filling is rich and creamy and lots of it.  I still served them with chips although, nowadays, I go for the healthy version in my dry fryer.

This is the first time I have ever made my own savoury pancakes.  I love pancakes but tend to stick to the sweet variety and then only on Pancake Day.  My absolute favourite is a pancake sprinkled with sugar and drowned in the juice of a lemon. Mmmmm!  When my son’s family came to visit us in Fuerteventura in February  I made loads of pancakes on Pancake Day.  Some simple with lemon juice and some elaborate with marinated strawberries and fresh cream, but all delicious.  Clean plates all round!

Pancake Day ( also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.  Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren’t allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.  Other religions and Countries observe Lent in a similar way.  For example, in Greece they abstain from eating meat for the whole of Lent then celebrate Easter by spit roast a whole goat. 

The name Shrove comes from the old word “shrive” which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

Every Pancake Day, windows in Atherstone are boarded up and shoppers dive for cover.  Why? Its time for the famous ball game! It’s possibly the most extroadinary sight you will ever see in Warwickshire – perhaps even through the Midlands and beyond. Hundreds of people gathering to knock seven bells out of one another in an attempt to grab hold of a heavy leather ball – and run the risk of being dismembered in the process.  

The Atherstone Ball Game is one of the oldest traditions in the country – the game has taken place every single Shrove Tuesday for 805 years.  Not even wars could stop it going ahead!  Although the current recession may be it’s downfall.  No one knows exactly where the tradition comes from – whether it came from border disputes or as a challenge between young men from different areas – but it remains and is only one of two such events that survive today, the other being in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. (As reported by the BBC).   

The recipe is from the March Edition of Delicious.  Here is a link to it on their website.  I made the pancakes by using 125g plain flour, an egg, pinch of salt and 250 ml of milk, beaten together to make a smooth mix.  I layered the left over pancakes and the filling in an ovenproof dish, finishing with a pancake and then scattered fresh breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top before freezing.  I’ll have that with salad on another day, thawed then reheated for 25 minutes in a moderate oven.  Can’t wait!

http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/creamy-chicken-and-mushroom-crispy-pancakes

 

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Curry night! Murgh-Saag (Chicken with Spinach) tonight.

16 Apr

There are some people who have never tried spinach and think they hate it.  I would really encourage you to try this dish.  It may just change your mind about spinach for ever!  The flavours in this curry are absolutely stunning.  I can honestly say it is the best chicken and spinach curry I have ever tasted and I think I am a bit of an expert on such things, as I always choose Chicken Saagwala when we eat out!

Murgh-Saag is a Punjabi dish, originating from the Punjab region of northwest India and east Pakistan.  Saag dishes are usually spinach based when bought in the UK.  Elsewhere they can be made from mustard leaves.  Traditionally Saag dishes are served with Indian breads such as Roti or naan, although some areas prefer to serve it with rice.

Some of you may look at this recipe and wonder if it is worth buying all the spices to make it.  The initial outlay may be a bit costly but they will last for absolutely ages.  Once you have used them you will never want to buy a jar of ready-made curry paste or sauce again!  There is just no comparison in the flavours.  The best place to buy the spices, if you can, is in an Asian supermarket.  They sell them in bags at a fraction of the price you can usually buy them for in supermarkets such as Tesco.  start by buying the small bags unless you make lots of curries.  They will not go off but the flavour will deteriorate over time.

Anyway, here is the recipe.  You can make this ahead and warm up the next day (in fact curries usually mature if you leave them in the fridge overnight).  It also freezes well.  I make enough for four then freeze half for another time.  The slideshow starts at Step 2, I forgot to take a picture of step 1.

Murgh-Saag (Chicken with Spinach)           Serves 4

  • 3tbsp/45ml groundnut or sunflower oil
  • 1tsp/5ml fennel seeds
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1tbsp/5ml Ginger Paste
  • 2tsp/10ml Garlic paste
  • 8oz/225g canned chopped tomatoes
  • 1tsp/5ml ground turmeric
  • 1tsp/5ml ground coriander
  • 1/2tsp/2.5ml crushed dried chillies
  • 3 chicken breasts, skinned and cut into small cubes (about 1/2 inch)
  • 3tbsp/45ml natural yogurt
  • 1/4pt/150ml hot water
  • 1tsp/5ml salt
  • 8oz/225g fresh spinach, finely sliced
  • 2tsp/10ml dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
  • 1/2tsp/2.5ml black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp/2.5ml Garam Masala
  1. Add the oil to a wok and, when hot but not smoking, add the fennel seeds.  Stir fry for 15 seconds then add the onions, reduce the heat to medium, mix well with the fennel then continue to fry for 10 minutes until the onions are soft and just starting to colour.
  2. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and stir-fry for 4 minutes more or until all the juice has evaporated.
  3. Add the turmeric, coriander and chillies, stir-fry for 1 minute to cook the spices then add the chicken.  Mix well and stir-fry for 3 minutes.  Add the yogurt and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes more.
  4. Pour over the water and add the salt, mix well and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach, mix well and continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the fenugreek, black pepper and garam masala.  Simmer for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked through.  Serve.

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Paella for a friend.

12 Feb

A friend has asked me to make a Paella dish that does not contain seafood.  I love Paella and often choose it when we are eating out on holiday in Spain.  It can be hit or miss though and, when watching cooking demonstrations in Fuerteventura, I can see why!  It seems adding the ingredients is an exact science.  I am quite nervous that this is going to turn out like a sticky mass.  Still, always up for a challenge!! The first time I had Paella was in 1991, cooked on a wooden fire, on the beach in Nerja.  The cook, Chiringuito Ayo, has been making massive dishes of paella in this way for over 40 years.  Chiringuito is quite famous in Nerja.  When he was a boy, in 1959, he was playing with some friends from his village, Maro, when they climbed through a small hole and discovered the famous Caves of Nerja.  Imagine their surprise when they were confronted with this! The dish originated in the Valentia Region of Spain and is typically made in a large, shallow pan called a paellera.  Making paella is often a man’s activity in Spain.  I suppose this equates to barbecues in the UK, as they make it outdoors on an open fire made of orange and pine wood.  The one thing that appears to come through from my research, is that the recipe is adapted to suit personal taste, with the exception of a few key ingredients.  The Spanish make it look so easy!  I remember this chef doing a cooking demonstration in our hotel once.  The paella was delicious! Well, I’ve dusted off my paella pan that I bought in 1991 and have never used, and here goes.  I have chosen a variety of meats for this recipe.  If you choose to make it, you can add or omit, according to your own taste.  You can also add raw prawns and fresh mussels to make a mixed paella, but leave these until the last 5 minutes of cooking or they will be overcooked.  You will need special rice for this and it must be short grain.  I could not find Paella Rice so I used Carnaroli.  I made mine on the barbecue.  You will need a kettle barbecue and we let the coals burn for 15 minutes before we started cooking (you don’t have to let the coals go grey). The recipe below is for those who do not have a barbecue, just keep the same cooking times if you do! Meat Paella   Serves 4 (hungry people)

  • 12 oz (350g) rice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 chicken thighs, bone in, cut in half
  • 8 oz (225g) sirloin steak, fat removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 8 oz (225g) tenderloin pork, fat removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 4 oz (110g) raw chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 heaped tsp paprika
  • 1/4 level tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 level tsp saffron strands
  • 8 oz (225g) ripe tomatoes, skinned and roughly diced
  • 20z (50g) frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges to garnish
  1. Prepare everything as per ingredient list before you start making the paella, you will not have time to mess about between each step!
  2. Heat the oil in the pan over a fairly high heat.  Season the chicken and add to pan, saute on all sides until golden brown.  Remove and set aside.  Do the same with the beef and lastly the pork.
  3. Next, add the onion, pepper and chorizo and fry these over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until they are browning at the edges.  Add the garlic, paprika, cayenne and saffron and cook for another minute, making sure the garlic does not burn.  Return the meat to the pan, followed by the tomatoes, plenty of seasoning and 2 pints (1.2 litres) of boiling water.  Bring everything to a gentle simmer, turn down the heat and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
  4. Push the meat to the edges of the pan and pour the rice into the centre.  Bring everything back to the boil, give it a stir so all the rice is covered by liquid, and simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to distribute the rice and make sure it is evenly cooked
  5. Add the peas and continue to simmer for 10 minutes until the moisture has been absorbed.  Remove from the heat and cover with a clean tea towel for 5 minutes to absorb the steam.
  6. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Quorn Chicken and Tarragon Pie – low fat and tasty! Or replace the Quorn with chicken. Yum!

30 Jan

I feel like I have been neglecting my vegetarian friends so here is a Quorn recipe I make for my daughter-in-law Tracy.  Just so my son and daughter are not left out I replace the Quorn with chicken.  I have been trying to make Quorn recipes in earnest for the last three years, since I retired and decided to cook for the kids once a week.  Now I feel I am on a mission.  Quorn have actually made a great cookbook and also have recipes on-line but I still like to experiment.  This recipe is easy to make and really tasty.  It is perfect for a vegetarian of course, but also is great for anyone on a diet.  I’m not sure how it fits with the Slimming World diet but I seem to remember Quorn is free on Green days.  Perhaps my friend Ali could let me know? 

Did you know that Quorn was actually invented to help solve world hunger?  In the early 1960’s there was a predicted population growth that threatened food and protein supplies.  Scientists were trying to find a solution and even looked to making protein out of coal and saw dust!  In 1965, Lord Rank, who owned a Company that includes the Hovis brand, decided to put this as a challenge to his Research and Development department.  In 1967 an organism was found occurring naturally in the soil in a field in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.  I cannot think for the life of me why they would be looking there!!  There was obviously a lot of work to do to make this into a mycoprotein, turn it into something edible, pass all the strict food laws and make it in sufficient quantities that they could supply demand.  It wasn’t until 1985 that the first retail product was launched, a vegetable pie.  Research continued and in 1990 the first Quorn branded cooking product was launched, Quorn cooking pieces.  Today Quorn make over a 100 different products in their ready meals section, as well as a full range of products to enable customers to make their own meals up.

Quorn itself is almost flavorless so when you make a recipe you have to make sure there is plenty of flavour in the other ingredients as the Quorn will take this on.  Curries, chillies and pasta sauces are obvious excellent choices and I have experimented successfully with many of these.  However, Tracy is pregnant at the moment and curries is definitely off her food list.  Hence the pie.  I hope you give it a try.  Here is the recipe.  If, like me, you are not too keen on Quorn, replace it with cooked chicken, its lovely.

Quorn chicken and tarragon pie         Serves 2

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g Quorn chicken style pieces
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 3/4 pint milk
  • 1 tsp dried tarragon
  • 2 small handfuls of frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g potatoes (suitable for mashing)
  • knob of butter
  • a little extra milk
  1. Fry the onion in the oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes until it is softened but not coloured.  Add the Quorn pieces, stir around and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
  2. In a separate pan, make the tarragon sauce.  Melt the butter then add the flour.  Mix well and cook for a minute.  Very slowly, to avoid curdling, add the milk.  When all the milk has been added stir in the tarragon and continue to cook over a medium heat until the sauce thickens.  Season to taste.
  3. Add the sauce to the Quorn mix and stir in the peas.  Cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes then place the mix evenly in an ovenproof dish.
  4. Meanwhile,cook the potatoes in salted water.  When tender, mash with the butter and milk to make a creamy consistency.  Top the Quorn mix with the potato then cook in a preheated oven, 190C/180C fan/Gas 4, for 25-30 minutes or until the potato is browned on top and the base is bubbling. 

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Fancied an alternative to Sunday roast. Chicken in cider should do it!

30 Nov

  Years ago, I was fortunate enough yto accompany the French school trips to Normandy, run by my husband’s school.  I remember these with fondness, the children were so excited, for most it was their first trip abroad without their parents and, without exception, they were so good!  They were even complimented on one occasion, on the ferry over to Caen, by a lovely old lady who said they were angels.  I had to agree!

During these trips we had some fantastic French cuisine, all rustic and easy to prepare, to cater for the large numbers.  One meal I remember well was when we had chicken cooked in cider and served with apples.  I know it sounds strange but please don’t be put off, it was absolutely delicious!  I have made a similar recipe many times using pork chops but thought I would have a go at one with chicken.  I have found a host of similar recipes, so I have used these as a base and adapted it to suit our taste.  Before we get to the recipe, here is a bit of information about Normandy that many of you will know and, hopefully, none of us will forget!

Normandy is on the north coast of France, with beaches on the English Channel, and played an important part in the World War II.  The Germans had marched through Europe, occupying the countries in its path, including France, and the English Channel was the only thing stopping them from invading England.  In 1944, June 6th, Operation Overlord took place, where Allied troops, including armies from the United Kingdom, Canada and USA, landed on the Normandy beaches, and worked with the French Resistance to fight the Germans and regain control of France.  Those who have seen ‘Saving Private Ryan’ will have a good idea how difficult this mission was.  I remember on one school trip we visited the American War Cemetery.  There was an old gentleman there who was part of the D Day Landings.  His family asked him to tell them what had happened and for a few painful minutes the man could not speak, he was so overcome with grief.  He then recounted how he had watched his brother die and some of his friends, including the best man at his wedding.  By the time he had finished he was sobbing, as were all of us that were listening.  I don’t think those children will ever forget, I know I won’t.

On a lighter side, Normandy is famous for apples and the production of cider and Calvados, an apple brandy.  They use these in many of their recipes.  So, onto the recipe for today.  I’ve included a slide show at the end to show the various steps.  I served ours with boiled new potatoes and cabbage.  It really was lovely.  Hope you give it a try.

Chicken in cider with apples

  • 2 oz unsalted butter
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 8 shallots
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 300ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock
  • 300 ml (1/2 pint) dry cider (if using a 440ml can this will leave a glass of cider in the can for the cook!)
  • 2 apples, cored and cut into wedges
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 5 tbsp full fat Greek yogurt (low fat will curdle)
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
  1. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
  2. Heat half the butter in a large ovenproof casserole over a high heat and fry the chicken for 5 minutes on each side or until the thighs are brown all over.  Keep turning to make sure they don’t burn.  Season well then add the shallots and celery.  Cook for a few minutes and add the stock and cider, bring to the boil, cover and cook in oven for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
  3. Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in a small pan and fry the apples for about a minute on each side or until lightly browned.  Remove and reserve.
  4. Take the casserole out of the oven and place over a medium heat on the hob.  Mix the cornflour with the yogurt and add to the casserole, stirring, followed by the tarragon, mustard and apples.  Heat through for a couple of minutes then serve.

NB  You can freeze this when cooled so its useful for getting ahead for a dinner party.

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