Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich Mix - 1 - $

Now that MIFF has finished and normal-life programming has resumed, I'm cooking again and came up with another little sanger mix that I thought I'd share with you.

I made risotto for dinner and had a chicken breast spare that couldn't be re-frozen so I thought it best to grill it and add a few things that I had in the fridge; that way nothing was wasted and the next day's lunch sorted. Hooray!


Ingredients - makes 2 sandwiches

1 chicken breast, grilled
4-6 semi dried tomatoes
flat leaf parsley
1-2 tsp pesto
1-2tbs mayonnaise

Finely chop all ingredients and put in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir well (be sure to start with the lesser amount and add more if need be). Season with salt and pepper and smear onto a fresh ciabatta roll with some rocket and a slice of cheese if you fancy.
That's it!

Enjoy!

Reader Recipe - Charley's Magical Chicken Pho - 2 - $

I'm not sure what it's like in your part of the world at the moment, but everywhere I turn there are sniffles and sneezes and coughs and lots of people feeling pretty poorly. The only thing apart from rest and cuddles that's going to make everyone feel better is chicken soup!

Last time I wasn't very well my friend Charley sent me this recipe for her Magic Soup that she swears is the best cure for a cold - and she's not wrong. So perhaps over the weekend you might like to pop a pot on and keep the winter chills at bay?


The recipe is in two parts so make sure you read all the way to the bottom to get the complete list of ingredients. At the last step I like to add some finely chopped fresh red chili too.

Thanks Charley! She writes...


BROTH:
8-10 cups chicken stock (alternatively, use 5 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 10 cups water)
1 whole chicken, cut in half - get the butcher to do it for you if you don't know how
3 spring onions, cut into lengths
1 cinnamon stick
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and bruised
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs fish sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot, bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on how large the chicken is. Skim off any fat or foam that floats to the surface. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the stock and set aside to cool. Discard the solid pieces in the stock, reserving the broth. Add 2 tbsp fish sauce to the broth once you've drained away the solids, keep warm on the stove. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and take the meat off in long strips.
ASSEMBLY:
1 packet rice stick noodles (use small to thick noodles, depends on what you like, I like medium sized ones)
bean sprouts
coriander
mint
slice of lemon
thinly sliced onion

Boil noodles for six minutes, drain and rinse. Place the noodles, then onion, then the chicken pieces, then the bean sprouts; cover the lot with hot broth and top with coriander, mint, a slice of lemon and some white pepper.
(I also like to add steamed broccoli, carrots or zucchini just to give it some added nutrition)

Enjoy!

The Cookbook Challenge Week 23 - Leafy - Country Chicken Soup - 2 - $ - !

As I mentioned in my last Cookbook Challenge catch-up, my new Jamie Oliver book - Jamie does Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece & France - has certainly inspired me to get back in the kitchen (thanks Vera!).

This recipe is from the French section of the book and is my first soup of the season. I quite like Jamie's suggestion of using half the chicken for the soup and half for scrumptious chicken sandwiches - you can do this to the sandwich half.

I picked this soup to qualify for the 'leafy' theme as it has half a savoy cabbage in the ingredients.
I think the savoy got a bit of a bad wrap when I was a kid due to being put in coleslaw with awfully bland dressing. Remember the international sign for the kid with a fancy mum? Savoy and red cabbage in the 'slaw - ooh la la!
In the soup however, the cabbage is lovely, it bulks out the broth without being too heavy like potato or parsnip.

The following ingredients make heaps of soup. Don't forget to soak your beans overnight in preparation for cooking.

Ingredients

250gm haricot beans (must be soaked overnight)
olive oil
4 rashers of bacon, finely sliced
3 onions, peeled and finely sliced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 whole chicken, approx 1.2kg
sea salt and pepper to season
1 fresh bay leaf
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 savoy cabbage, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
crusty bread to serve

Soak your beans overnight in cold water, covered with a lid.

In a large deep pot, add some olive oil over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the bacon has some colour.
Add the sliced onions and garlic and cook slowly for 20 minutes, stirring often until they are slightly golden and sticky. (You may need to reduce the heat during this time to avoid them sticking.)

Place the whole chicken on top of the onions. Drain the beans and add them to the pot too. Tie the fresh herbs and bay leaf together with some string and add them to the pot. Pour in enough cold water to just cover all the ingredients and give it a generous season with the salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil and skim and discard the foam that will rise to the top. Reduce the soup to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. Continue to remove any foam that rises to the top over the cooking time.
After the first hour, check to see if the chook is cooked. If the drumstick pulls away easily you are good to go. Remove the chicken from the pot - be very careful of hot liquid running down your tongs and onto your skin.
Add the cabbage and carrots, increase the heat to a rolling boil and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the carrot is soft.
Meanwhile, remove and shred the chicken meat. Taste the soup, adjust the seasoning and add as much or as little of the chicken as you like.
Serve hot with crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Chicken Sandwich Mix - 1 - $

Perhaps you're roasting a chicken this weekend? If you're not, never mind you can pop this quick little recipe in your pocket until you do. It's perfect for chicken leftovers and a nice way to gussy up your sandwiches for work or school.

Place the chicken pieces, a large spring onion, some flat leaf parsley and some good mayo in the food processor. Season with salt and pepper and then whizz all the ingredients together. Smear the paste onto some fresh crusty bread or a bagel, top with shredded lettuce and devour.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Basics - Homemade Chicken Stock - 1

If you enjoy cooking, even just a little bit, you'll know how good it is to hear the following sentence
- 'I made some stock yesterday, would you like some?'
Would I? Would I? Of course I would!

There is nothing better than cooking with the real deal, it lifts the flavour of a dish to dizzying new heights, and it's so simple to make. It does take a little planning ahead though because you need around four hours of pot-gazing time in order to make a good one. (You don't actually have to watch the pot for four hours, but it isn't a good idea to leave things boiling away on a stove unattended.)

So here is the deal - next time you roast a chicken, you're going to make some stock; and I'm going to spell out just how you do it below. OK? Ready? Let's go!

Ingredients

1 chicken carcass (whatever is left after you serve your roast bird and pick off the meat for tomorrow's sandwiches)
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole
1/2 bunch of celery, washed and roughly chopped (it's fine to use if it's a little wilted)
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
Half a bunch of parsley, washed, no need to chop (again it's fine if it is a little wilted or is on its last legs)
2 bay leaves
Anything else you may have kicking around in the fridge or kitchen, for example: leeks, pumpkin, spring onions, thyme or other hardy herbs etc
Salt and pepper to season

Put all the ingredients in a large pot. Cover well with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim the gunk off the top that has risen to the surface.


Adjust the heat to a simmer, season and leave on the stove for four hours.
Strain the stock and let it cool.

Once cooled, place in the fridge overnight and the following day remove any fat that has set on the surface. You can bring the stock to the boil again if you like, just to get any other impurities out that will surface once re-heated. Strain again, and cool.


You will need to use the stock within two or three days, or freeze it straight away. I like to freeze it in half-litre portions and also make a tray of ice stock-blocks for when you just want to add a little lift to a dish and can pop one or two out easily without having to defrost them.
Now just think how delicious your next soup or risotto is going to be...

Enjoy!

Chicken & Asparagus Risotto - 3 - $

Never was there a more feared or controversial dish than risotto (insert dramatic organ solo here). Many people simply refuse to cook it because their first attempt was a disaster. Others think they are the world's biggest expert and their way is the only way to make it.
When I quizzed my friend Simon - who serves up some exceptional risotto - about what makes his so good, I was expecting it to have something to do with his Italian heritage and a recipe passed down from generations. Instead he explained that the most important ingredient is amore.
Simply put, Simon says add a little bit of love and it'll turn out just fine.



The following recipe will feed 3-4 people and is my way of making risotto. It's cooking, so play around and see what works for you.
A couple of variations to this recipe are to cook off some bacon or pancetta chunks before you cook the chicken; or add some roasted cherry tomatoes just before serving if you like a little more colour.
Risotto doesn't freeze so well so if there are leftovers a nice thing to do for lunch the next day is make the cold rice into a patty and fry it off in some butter until it's nice and crispy on the outside (taking care when flipping).

Ingredients

1 litre chicken stock, homemade is best, or a good quality store bought, but a stock cube won't cut it
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1tbs olive oil
1tbs unsalted butter
4 chicken thighs, trimmed of any excess fat, and chopped into bite size pieces
1 bunch fresh asparagus, woody ends removed and chopped into 5cm pieces*
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbs fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to season

Put the stock in a pot over a low heat. This is imperative because if you add cold stock to the rice you are reducing the temperature and therefore stop/starting the cooking.
In a pot or deep pan, fry off the chicken in half the olive oil until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
At the same time, blanch the asparagus in a separate pot and set aside.
Add the remainder of the olive oil to the original pan and add the butter, melting it over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the rice and stir well to cover in the oil. Don't worry about the brown bits left from the chicken, this is where the flavour is.
Add the white wine and bay leaves and increase the heat until it begins to bubble. Keep stirring and the rice will start to become creamy as it absorbs the liquid. Once the wine is gone, reduce the heat to medium and add the stock one ladle at a time. Stir gently and let the rice absorb each round of stock before adding the next. It will take approximately 20 minutes for all the stock to be absorbed.
Check that the rice is cooked, it should be slightly al dente. If you do run out of stock you can always add some boiling water to complete the cooking, but 1 litre of liquid should be plenty.
Add the chicken and asparagus to the pot and stir through. Just before serving remove the bay leaves and add the parsley and Parmesan, stirring well to combine. Have a taste and only season with pepper if need be, the stock and cheese often add enough salt.
Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

*The easiest way to remove the ends of the asparagus is to just snap them off, they will break at the exact right point.

Mulligatawny Soup - 1 - $

One of the very few things I gained from having to shop at stupor-markets while I lived in London for several years was Mulligatawny. It is an old British colonial dish from back in the days of The Empire, but don't hold that against it. I used to buy ready-made but sought out a recipe when I moved back to Melbourne, because, unlike the London Underground, I really missed it when I came home.



You can use either chicken or beef mince in this recipe, and don't be scared of the curry powder as serving it with yoghurt will take the edge off. This will easily feed four as it's deceptively filling.

Ingredients

1 Carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 Red capsicum, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 Red onion, finely chopped
1 Long red chili, seeds removed and finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Piece of ginger, approx 2.5cm, peeled and finely chopped
1 Bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, keep the leaves for later
2 tbs Madras hot curry powder
1 tbs tomato paste
2 Tins of chopped tomatoes
200gms mince (chicken or beef)
2 Cups stock - chicken for chicken, beef for beef
1/2 Cup basmati rice
Natural yoghurt to serve

Heat some olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, carrot, capsicum, ginger, coriander stalks and chili for around 10 minutes until they are soft.
Add the curry and tomato paste, stir through and cook for a minute or two until the curry powder becomes fragrant.
Add the mince and cook stir for a minute or two to break it up, then add the tomatoes and stock, season and bring to the boil. Keep the pot covered and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Add the rice, stir through, return to the boil and then cover again and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Finely chop the coriander leaves and stir through just before serving (save some to garnish too). Spoon into bowls and serve hot with a big dollop of yoghurt on the top.

Enjoy!

Andy's Special Chicken Wings - 1 - $

Another recipe sent in by one of our avid readers (and my best friend)! Hooray for Andy!

I usually re-write the recipes, but the style of this one is just too good as is. It isn't really technical, but it is really yummy. I was lucky enough to indulge in these very wings a few weeks ago. Apologies for the photographs, but after these wings hit the table by the time I got back with my camera, this was all that was left...



As Andy says, "A massive bowl of these in the middle of the table with a pile of napkins will keep your hungry mates at bay until dinner is cooked or the footy starts etc." Andy's recipe below is written in "bloke", so get your pinny on boys and get in the kitchen...

Ingredients

2 kg of chicken wings and/or drumettes

Olive oil

Red wine

Soy sauce

Juice of a whole lemon (pips, bits and all)
A clove or two of garlic, crushed

A couple of heaped teaspoons of honey

A solid grind of salt and pepper

A big sprinkle of chilli flakes (fresh as well if you want)

A good sprinkle of Italian dried herbs

Half a finely chopped Spanish onion

Small splash of oyster sauce

Whatever else is in the kitchen or fridge...

In a large roasting pan casually throw in a good splash of all the wet ingredients and add the others. Now stir around and adjust to taste.

Chuck the wings in the pan and make sure they are covered in marinade goodness.

Whack them in the oven for halfer or so with the temperature somewhere around 200C degrees.

When they look done put them in a big bowl and serve!

Enjoy!

Thyme & Garlic Roast Chicken - 2 - $

What do you mean you can't cook a roast on a weekday? Says who? Of course you can!

The following mini-recipe is an easy, yet delicious way to jazz up a bird...



Ingredients

1 Whole chicken
100gm unsalted butter, softened
1 garlic clove, crushed/finely chopped
Fresh thyme
Vegetables for roasting - potato, pumpkin, carrots, parsnips etc

Preheat your oven to 180C degrees.

Prepare your chook first. You need approximately 25 - 30 minutes cooking time per 500gm of chicken, depending on your oven. Remember that your chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when poked with a skewer or knife.
Place butter in a bowl, and add the crushed garlic and the leaves from about 4 sprigs of thyme. Mash the mixture together with a fork, until the butter is creamy and the herbs are evenly spread.
Take a very sharp paring knife and make small incisions, about 2.5 cm wide in the skin of the chicken, without cutting into the muscle. Make about 4 on each side of the bird, evenly spaced.
Slide your finger under the skin to make some room and then put a dob of butter on your finger and push it into the slits, making sure you have enough to go inside all the holes you've made.
Stuff your chicken as you normally would and place it breast side up in the roasting pan. I find this works best if you turn the bird, so time it so you get a third of the cooking time breast up, then turn it and do breast down, and the last third of the cooking it's breast side up again. The herbs and garlic will infuse through the chicken and the butter will make the skin golden and crisp.
Pop your veg in at the usual time - if you've never made a roast before, they will take about an hour to cook, so time it with your chicken's requirements above.
Make some gravy, carve, serve and...

Enjoy!

Cheat's Thai Green Chicken Curry - 2 - $

Congratulations! You've nearly made it to the end of the week. There's not much veg left in the fridge and you can't really be bothered cooking? Perfect. One more sleep 'til take-away food, so have a crack at this super easy curry.
(Serves 2)



Ingredients

1 Chicken breast (you could use a steak instead if you have one stashed in the freezer)
1 Onion
1.5 cups of vegetables chopped - I used some broccoli, mushrooms and green beans - the point is to use up whatever you've got leftover - capsicum, zucchini, carrots etc
2-3 tbs of Thai green curry paste (you could use red paste if you like)
1 small tin of coconut milk (you can use the "lite" version if you prefer)
Steamed rice to serve

Pop your rice on to cook.
Chop your vegetables into stir-fry size pieces - about 2.5cm.
Dice your chicken boob and put aside.
Roughly chop your onion, I do this last so I don't have tears in my eyes while chopping everything else.
Heat some oil in a wok or large pot over a very high heat. Stir-fry the onion for 1-2 minutes until it becomes clear and starts to soften. Add your curry paste and stir for a minute or two until fragrant. Add your chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 mins. Add your vegetables* and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until they just starting to cook. You don't want to overdo it if you like them crunchy. Add the coconut milk, bring almost to the boil and then turn the heat down and simmer until the rice is done (approx 10 mins by this stage if you are steaming rice).
Serve with rice and to jazz it up a little bit you can add some cashews or peanuts and some bean shoots on top.

Enjoy!

*Note: you may need to add the veggies in two lots depending on what you use, for example hard carrot-type veg needs longer to cook than soft zucchinis.