Indian chicken

Hi everyone

I made this chicken recipe last night. Its a play on Pete Evans version. It was quite the hit with the husband and today I cut left over chicken and added to a kebab and it was delicious.  So I thought Id share the recipe

Ingredients

8-10 drumsticks or 6 thighs bone in
lemon juice and some coriander leaves for garnish

Marinade

2 Tablespoons olive oil
juice of a lemon
2 tablespoons grated ginger
4 garlic cloves finely diced
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala

I mixed the spices with the oil and lemon to make a paste. If its still too dry add a bit more oil and juice till its wet enough to smear on the chicken with your fingers or a brush.  Cover the chicken with marinade until covered. I usually do it all in the dish Im going to cook it in. Use some non stick foil to on the bottom of the tray to save cleaning.

I left the chicken in the fridge for 2-3 hours but you could leave overnight.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees

Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish and then place in the oven for 40 mins turning at last once. Once done transfer to a nice serving platter and squeeze some lemon juice one and scatter the coriander leaves over. Season too.

I served with an asian slaw

Indian chicken

Hi everyone

I made this chicken recipe last night. Its a play on Pete Evans version. It was quite the hit with the husband and today I cut left over chicken and added to a kebab and it was delicious.  So I thought Id share the recipe

Ingredients

8-10 drumsticks or 6 thighs bone in
lemon juice and some coriander leaves for garnish

Marinade

2 Tablespoons olive oil
juice of a lemon
2 tablespoons grated ginger
4 garlic cloves finely diced
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala

I mixed the spices with the oil and lemon to make a paste. If its still too dry add a bit more oil and juice till its wet enough to smear on the chicken with your fingers or a brush.  Cover the chicken with marinade until covered. I usually do it all in the dish Im going to cook it in. Use some non stick foil to on the bottom of the tray to save cleaning.

I left the chicken in the fridge for 2-3 hours but you could leave overnight.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees

Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish and then place in the oven for 40 mins turning at last once. Once done transfer to a nice serving platter and squeeze some lemon juice one and scatter the coriander leaves over. Season too.

I served with an asian slaw

Zesty Kumara Salad

Hi there

Summer is coming and the weather is warning. This little salad is a great accompaniment to bbq and smoked meats. 

Ingredients

4 - 5 kumara (orange is pretty) peeled and diced
a handful of nuts (Ive used macadamias, pecans or pine nuts)
a handful of coriander leaves picked off the stalks

Dressing
175 mls vege stock (I use the liquid stock you can buy from the super market not the powder ones)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (white or black the main thing is use the best you can get)
3 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
1 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 spring onion roughly chopped
1/2 to 1 chili diced


Cook the kumara in salted water until tender. Drain and let cool slightly o the side.

Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan.

Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and shake to mix.

Toss the kumara, coriander leaves and nuts with the dressing. Season with salt to taste and then enjoy :)

Pork belly

The other weekend I cooked a social dinner for the family. We had roast pork belly with vege and gravy. This is a play on Jamie Olivers recipe and Ive yet to find one better particularly the gravy the man is a genius with gravy!

Ingredients

1 x pork belly 1.5-2kg
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
100 mls olive oil
4 carrots and or turnips peeled and halved
3 x onions peeled and quartered
sprigs of thyme and rosemary
6 whole cloves of garlic
sea salt and pepper
1 bottle of white wine or 500mls of chicken stock
2 tablespoons of flour

Heat the oven to its highest temperature

Dry fry or roast the fennel seeds then put in a mortar with the tablespoon of seas salt and bash till the seeds are mixed with the salt. Score the skin of the pork then poor over some of the olive oil and rub into the skin. Add the fennel and salt mix and rub into the skin and cracks.  

Spread the veges and herbs on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the pork on top.  This enables the hot air to circulate around the pork. 

Place in the oven and cook for 15 mins till the skin starts to bubble.  Then turn the temperature down to 180C. Add half the bottle of wine or stock. Cook for an hour and then add the rest of the wine (bar a couple of tablespoons) and cook for another hour and half. 

Take the roast out and check that its cooked. It should come away easily and the crackling should be lovely crisp and golden. Place on a board and leave to rest.

Place the roasting dish on the stove top and heat to medium high. Add the flour and stir till thick. Add the rest of the wine or stock if too thick.  Break out the masher and mash those veges up so that they further thicken the gravy. I then put it through a sieve and serve with the pork and vege sides.

Enjoy :)

Corn fritters fast and furious

Its been a bit miserable in our home the last couple of days with husband sick with a cold. So Ive been cooking him nice food to keep his stomach happy at least.  This morning I made him corn fritters with spinach, bacon, roast tomatoes and salsa. It was very much a case of what I had in the pantry. 

Ingredients

Corn fritters

150g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 x eggs
1 x can of extra sweet corn kernels
1 x onion chopped
2 teaspoons coriander flakes or a handful of fresh coriander chopped
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
seas salt and pepper
vegetable oil

Roast tomatos

2 x large tomatos - roma or juicy heirloom if you can get it if not some vine ones would be good
sea salt and pepper
sprinkle of dried herbs - I used thyme
splash of olive oil

Salsa - I used a store bought tomato salsa today but a fresh one is great too. Add half an avocado with a splash of olive oil and salt and pepper and bacon ..yumm

Heat your oven to 180 C and halve the tomatoes. Put in a small one dish and sprinkle on salt pepper and herbs. Drizzle over the olive oil and put in the oven to cook for 20 mins.

So basically I didn't feel like chopping and mixing etc (yes was feeling slightly lazy) so I drained the corn and put 3/4 in a food processor with all the other ingredients and whizzed away till combined. I then threw in the rest of the corn.

I heated a small pan to medium high and added a tablespoon of vege oil. I put some batter in the pan to the size I wanted and cooked a couple of minutes. Make sure to check as these fritters can burn if not watching. Turn over and cook for a further couple of minutes. If your worried that the inside isn't cooked enough (but don't want to burn the outside) put in the oven with the tomatoes and let the fritter finish in the oven for 5 mins.

Cook the bacon and drain on a kitchen towel. Have the baby spinach leaves washed and drained ready to go. Fry an egg if you want to place it on top too.

Once everything is ready stack the fritters, bacon, spinach and salsa until its the height you want. Then place the egg on top if using. Place the roasted tomatoes and the avocado half on the side and season with salt and pepper. 

Enjoy :)

Easy Honey Soy Chicken

Hi everyone

Another easy chicken recipe made for my mum who likes easy!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons soy
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons honey
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger 
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce or if you don't have it bbq sauce (optional)
4 chicken thighs or 6 legs or a mix

Put everything bar the chicken in a sealable bag or a dish and mix. Put the chicken in and let marinate in the fridge. Heat your oven to 220 degrees.

Line a roasting dish with foil (saves time on the clean up and place the chicken skin side up and marinade in. Season and then place in the oven and cook (if thighs) for 15 mins on one side and and then turn over and cook for a further 15 mins or until the juice is clear when checked with a fork or skewer. If cooking just legs cook for 10 mins each side.   

Season and enjoy with some stir fry asian greens or just on their own.

Enjoy

Chicken for all seasons

Hi everyone

Ive been developing a few recipes for my mother who eats a lot of chicken.  This one can be cooked in a pan or in a pressure cooker. 

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs 
2 tbsp olive oil
a tablespoon of thyme or a few sprigs of fresh
20g butter
a cup of chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic sliced

In a frying pan or pressure cooker heat the oil to high and brown the chicken. Add the rest of the ingredients and if in a pan cover simmer for 45 mins till cooked. If using a pressure cooker cook for 25 mins. Once the chicken is cooked take it out and reduce the liquid by half. Season. When serving place the chicken on top of the onions and peas below and spoon over the reduced liquid.

I found this great accompanying dish to go with them which you may want to try.

Ingredients

30 gms butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions - I like red as they are sweeter but white is fine. I cut in half and and then cut along the grain 4-5 times so they are still connected at one end
2 teaspoons of thyme or a couple of sprigs or parsley or mint which ever is to hand
2 cups of peas frozen is fine just defrost before using
half a cup of chicken stock
250 grams of baby spinach

In a pan heat heat the olive oil and butter and add the oinions. cook on medium heat until soft (don't burn). Add all the rest of the ingredients bar the spinach and cook for a further 5 mins watching that the water doesn't completely cook off. Add the spinach and stir to wilt. Season and enjoy with the chicken. 

Enjoy :)