Slow cooker keto chicken baby!

 This recipe is easy and soo yummy. Put all the ingredients by lunch time and its ready for dinner. 

Ingredients

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (
• 1 packet or low carb/sugar ranch seasoning mix or ranch dressing (I used 362 Grill House Bacon ranch dressing)
• 1 onion diced
• 1/2 a red capsicum diced
• 500 gms cream cheese
• 6-8 slices bacon (sliced, cooked and drained)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1 cup of baby spinach

Pull out your slow cooker and lightly spray the bottom with non stick spray - I use the light olive oil one or an avocado one.

Place the whole thighs at the bottom of the slow cooker in one layer. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning if using or lightly pour over the dressing. sprinkle over the onion and capsicum. Dollop on the cream cheese. Dont mix it in just put it on top. Put the cooker on high for 4 hours if thats all the time you have or 6 hours on low if you have it. Leave it to do its thing.

At the 2 hour mark for high and 4 hour mark for low just open and check it. The chicken should have produced the liquid needed, if worried that its too dry put in a cup of hot chicken stock and close it up and leave. At the 4 or 6 hour mark you should have a yummy liquid with the cream cheese still melting on top. The chicken should b e meltingly cooked.

At that point you can shred the chicken in the cooker if you like that texture. My husband doesnt so I pull the chicken out and cut it up into 1 inch wide slices. Meantime I cook the bacon in a big pan. If you want to finish in the slow cooker add the bacon, green onions, spinach into it and give everything a good stir. Put the lid on put the cooker on warm and let the chicken melt. Season and enjoy

My other way of doing it is to add the chicken strips into the big pan with the bacon and let it sizzle a little. Then add the remaining sauce and ingredients into the pan and stir. I do this if Im thinking the sauce wont thicken in the slow cooker enough. I then add a little arrowroot in water (corn flour is ok if not keto fussy like me) and thicken. I sometimes when I want a bake type meal with a salad will put some more cheese on top and pop under the grill. Its lovely with a crunchy salad. Otherwise its fine without the baking. I season and enjoy. If not on keto it makes a ridiculous chowder with some crusty bread. 

Enjoy

                                                        

Mac n Cheese and oh baby

 Hi everyone 

I love cooking a smoky brisket accompanied by a creamy mac n cheese. I do tend to amp my pasta up so will be committing sacrilege for the traditionalists. But here you go:

• 2 cups of uncooked elbow or penne pasta
• 1 red or white onion diced
• 4 rashers of bacon or prosciutto diced
• ▢1/2 cup butter 
• ▢1/2 cup all purpose flour
• ▢1 1/2 cups cream
• ▢2 1/2 cups full fat milk
• ▢4 cups shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese 
• 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese 
• ▢salt and pepper to taste
• ▢black pepper
• ▢1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease a big baking dish if you want or if lazy like me pull out a high sided oven proof fry pan :)  
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente.  Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
• While water is coming up to a boil, 
• - fry onion and bacon/prosciutto in a dash of butter in separate pan and then drain on a paper towel
• - shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles.  Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over med heat.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine.  Mixture will look like very wet sand. Make sure you give it a good 1 minute at least to let the flour cook out otherwise thats all you will taste in the sauce. It's important to do that and stay and stir it otherwise the roux will burn and you will have to start again ..bc burnt roux will just mean burnt tasting sauce if you use it. 
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• Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk and cream, while whisking constantly, until smooth.  Slowly pour in the remaining milk and cream, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.

• Continue to heat over med heat, whisking often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.  It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup.

• Remove from the heat and stir in spices, onion and bacon and 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine.  Taste and season
• In a bowl combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully.  
• Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish or back into the high sided frying pan if using.  Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
• Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown. 

                                                                

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Religious about monkfish

 Hi everyone

I admit before this Id never cooked with monkfish. Now Im a convert. Its not a strong fishy tasting fish and google tells me its the poor mans lobster (not sure that google has paid food prices in NZ lately). But it was fresh and reasonably priced and Im trying to move to more of a white meat diet so we gave it a go. This recipe includes a ratatouille that I make from the veges I have in our fridge. You could call it a fish stew of sorts. 

Ingredients

500gm to 1kg of monkfish fillets

4 rashers of cooked and diced bacon 

4-5 garlic cloves whole peeled

a handful of capers rinsed

2 capsicums green or red 

1 eggplant sliced

2 large onions sliced 

2 zuchinis sliced

a handful of small brown mushrooms sliced

a tin of diced tomatos in juice

6-7 cherry tomatos

a teaspoon of dried oregano

a few sprigs of fresh thyme or half a teaspoon of dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

 

How to:

I start with the ratatouille. Basically I pre heat the oven to 170C and meanwhile put a deep roasting or casserole dish that has a lid on the oven and set the element to medium heat. I toss a good glug of olive oil in the dish and start by adding the onion and garlic. I stir for a few minutes and then add the sliced capsicums, zucchini and eggplant and the oregano. cook stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes. Then add the thyme, mushrooms, bacon, capers, and tomatoes. Stir until boiling, season and put in the oven uncovered for 20 mins.

Once the ratatouille is in the oven oil and season the fish and put on a rack under a hot grill for 5 minutes each side depending on the size. If the fillets are small reduce the time between turning over. You want some browning on each side but dont dry the fish out you want it just cooked or a little under as its going into the oven to finish off. Once ready take the fish out and rest until the ratatouille has been in the oven long enough. Then take it out of the oven and give the veges a light stir ensuring you don't break the zucchini or eggplant up. Place the fish on top and pop the lid on the dish and put it back in the oven for another 10 mins. This will steam the fish. 

Once the times up pull it out and you can serve it with the fish sitting on top or do as I did and gently fold it into the ratatouille letting the juice change the fish colur to a delicious red gold. Check seasoning and enjoy. 

Just a note I have replaced the bacon with cooked and diced mild chorizo sausage or speck. Each provides that smoky element that goes so well with the fish. 

                                                    

Old School Summer Chicken Pasta Salad

 Hi Everyone

I call this pasta old school because its one of the earliest recipes I created when roaming around in the old motorhome to dog shows. Those recipes (like most of mine) were very much a case of combining what was to hand. I actually made it again yesterday and was so nostalgic. So thought it was time to add it to my blog. 

Ingredients

A smoked chicken breast sliced or chopped up (preference is yours)

250-400gm of small pasta - spiral, penne or shell Ive used all of them to good effect in this dish

1 tablespoon of masterfoods moroccan spice mix

1/2 a cup of good quality mayo - I've used best foods or japanese mayo for example

1/4 cup of aioli (more if you like the flavour more then mayo

1 tablespoon of basil pesto (fresh is best but Ive used store bought no problem)

1 red capsicum diced (I often use the store bought charred red capsicums if I don't have fresh)

2 spring onions finely sliced

1 red onion finely sliced

1 avocado sliced or diced

a handful of cherry tomatos halved 

Garnish

couple fo tablespoons of pinenuts roasted

1/2 cup op chopped parsley or rocket leaves 

How to:

If you don't have smoked chicken you can bake a couple of chicken breasts coated in three tablespoons of the spice mix at 180 deg C for 25 minutes or until cooked.  Let cool slightly and the slice or chop. 

Cook the pasta until el dente I then empty into a colander and run the pasta under cold water to cool it down. Drain.

Combine all the veges ingredients in a bowl. Note I use whatever I have around (crisp raw small florets of broccoli are nice in this salad too) but I do think the capsicums and spring onions are essential. 

In a separate bowl combine the spice, mayo, aioli and pesto. You can add the juice of half a lemon if you prefer a thinner dressing. 

Combine all together and toss gently to combine. Taste and season as needed. I usually add the rocket in with the toss if using. If just parsley I garnish on top with the pinenuts at the end.

Enjoy with smoked meats or on its own :)

                                        

Beer Battered Fish and Salted Lemon Tartare

 Hi everyone

This is a lock down home cooked play on Friday night fish and chips. 

Beer battered fish

Ingredients:

4 - 5 fillets of fresh firm fish -  I love trevally, snapper, tarakihi and blue cod yum yum 

3/4 cup of plain flour

1/4 cup of corn flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup or in my case a 330ml bottle of ice cold beer - I used a heineken lager. Dont use a stout it will overpower the fish and darken the batter. 

How to:

Pat fish dry using paper towels or a tea towel. I cut in half if larger fillets. I try to keep them a reasonably comparable size as that means they cook more consistently. Season the fillets with salt and pepper before placing in the corn flour below.

Place ¼ cup corn flour in a shallow bowl and coat the fish shaking off any excess flour.

Heat 6cm of oil in a large heavy based pot or in a wok over medium high heat to 190°C. I don't use olive oil I find its not the best for deep frying. I used rice bran oil this time.

Just before cooking, whisk together the flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt. Add very cold beer into the batter and whisk just until incorporated evenly into the flour. Do not over-mix, do not worry about flour lumps.  The batter should be fairly thin but coat the back of a spoon. If too thick, add a bit more beer until its the right consistency.

Dunk a piece of fish in the batter, then let the excess drip off very briefly

Carefully lower into oil, one piece at a time. Don't crowd the pot; fry in batches. Fry for 3 minutes, flipping after about 2 minutes, until deep golden.

Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining fish. Serve hot! 

If you are doing a big batch of fish then Id suggest a double fry only because with the second fry you can get more fish in and therefore less risk of soggy fish from earlier batches waiting for you to cook it all. If you are going to cook twice this is how Id do it:

a. First cook: Fry fish in batches for 2½ minutes until crispy and golden, but not a deep golden. Drain on paper towels, continue with remaining fish.

b. Final cook:  This is to reheat and make it deep golden and crispy. Increase oil temperature to 200°C. Add fish and fry for 1 minute until deep golden. For this second run you can crowd the oil more. Drain and repeat with remaining fish. 

Serve all with a good sprinkle of salt and wedges of lemons and my tartare below

Salted lemon tartare

Ingredients:

1/2 rind of salted lemon pith removed and diced. I make my own when the lemon tree goes manic but otherwise you can pick a jar up in the supermarket or specialty food shops. 

Half a cup of good mayo. Dont go cheap and nasty as they are often really oily and dont work well with this recipe. I either make my own or I use the best foods brand

1/2 a red onion diced - white onion is fine too

1/2 a capsicum diced - I like red for colour but up to you

A couple of small gherkins rinsed then diced

A tablespoon of rinsed then diced capers

The juice of half a lemon

A handful of fresh italian parsley washed and chopped

A teaspoon of mustard or chunky relish (optional)

Half a lemon rind grated and sprinkle of smoked or plain paprika as garnish

How to:

Add all the ingredients together in a bowl except the garnish. Mix and taste season as required and then chill till fish is ready. When ready top with garnish lemon rind and or paprika and serve.

Enjoy

                                       

Mamas easy brisket

 Hi everyone

Over the last couple of years Ive been working through options for an easy and flavoursome cooked brisket. I have smoked one, I have slow baked one, I have pressure cooked one and frankly one day out of desperation to get a hunk of brisket cooked before family arrived I did all three! Ironically that moment of desperation helped me produce one of my best versions of the dish but frankly three different processes is too much even for me. So this recipe uses two but I have found it to be generally bullet proof. .

Ingredients

1-2 kilo brisket fat trimmed 

charcoal rub - I use Jess Pryles Black Beef seasoning but generally others are fine and the world wont end if you dont have it

Sweet Baby rays Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce -  I use a lot of it but really its too taste. I did find that this brand unlike some others with brown sugar doesn't make the meat sickly sweet once cooked (husband wouldn't eat it if it did as he hates sweet foods).

salt and pepper

red cabbage, red onions, other greens to go under the brisket 

To do

Heat your oven to 160 degrees 

Because Im never organised or have unexpected visitors my brisket is often coming out of the freezer. I dont actually mind it that way but you can defrost if you prefer. I pull out a couple of large sheets of foil and lie them flat on the bench. I add a couple of smaller non stick foil sheets on top. I place the brisket on the non stick foil and shake the rub over then I pour the bbq sauce over and brush it all over the meat. I turn it over and do the same to the other side making sure that the sides are covered too. I then wrap that meat up making sure that its secure and there are no gaps for the liquid that will come out of the meat as it cooks to go. I put it in my dutch oven with the lid on and pop it in the oven for 6-8 hours or as long as I can. I check it regularly to add more bbq sauce on and make sure that the juices are not seeping out as that can spell disaster (code for tough dry meat). If that happens pull it out and pour the escaped juices back on top and wrap it in more foil to keep it all in. Then put back in the oven. 

An hour before you are due to serve pull the meat out and put it and the juices into the pressure cooker. If its too big you may need to cut in half to get it in. I then make sure there is enough liquid and add half a cup of water or beef broth if need. I also add a tablespoon or so of the bbq sauce ..yeah its all in the sauce. I pressure cook the meat on high for 45-60 minutes depending on the size. Once done I release the steam and pull it out. It should be melting soft and yummy. 

I carve and place on top of the garnish in a disposable tray. I brush on some of the juice including between each slice and season. The garnish ensures that the meat isnt stewing in its juices while it sits and if you like sliced raw red cabbage or onion like I do the hot sauce actually cooks it a bit and you can eat it and enjoy that tanginess alongside the meat.  I then reduce the juice to a delicious ju and put in a grave jug for anyone who wants to add more. 

Then with a mac n cheese or big salad we all tuck in. 

                                

Smoky beans, eggs and bacon..whats not to love?

 Hi everyone 

I make this dish in one pan and husband eats it on his own or with smoked sausages. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic diced

half a red capsicum sliced thinly

2 teaspoons of smoked paprika

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can of diced tomatoes in juice

3 rashers of diced cooked bacon or pancetta

handful of baby spinach

6 eggs lightly beaten

topping

another handful of baby spinach

half an avocado sliced 

2 rashers of pancetta

Splash of good balsamic

Add the shaved parmesan

Fry the bacon or pancetta with the onions, garlic and capsicums in the olive oil for 5 mins. Add the spices and stir for a minute. Add the tomato and beans and cook for 5 minutes, stir in the spinach and season. Taste

Pour the egg over the back of a spoon all over the tomato and bean sauce. Put a rounded lid on top and allow to cook on a low heat until egg is cooked and puffy again season.

Top with final spinach in the middle of the pan, pancetta and avo. Then sprinkle the balsamic lightly over add the parmesan and serve immediately and enjoy :)