Red Cabbage with Pears and Dried Cranberries (4)

Posted in side dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian by

IMG_7421

Probably not a combination you have thought of but it works well and is naturally a little sweet because of the pears and dried cranberries. I layered this dish starting with cabbage then onions then I sandwiched the pear slices and cranberries in the middle before adding another layer of onions and finishing with cabbage on the top. The addition of apple cider vinegar keeps the cabbage looking red and a little broth provides enough moisture for the mixture to braise in the oven either in a lidded dish or an ovenproof dish covered with aluminum foil.  Goes well with pork.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

1 smallish red cabbage – sliced quite thinly

1 large onion – finely sliced and then the rings separated

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of chicken/vegetable broth

2 pears – peeled, quartered and sliced

A good handful of dried cranberries

Place half the cabbage on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cover with half the onion.

Pour over 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of broth.

Add a layer of pears and sprinkle with the cranberries.

Follow this  with the rest of the onion, top with cabbage and pour over the remaining vinegar and broth.

Cover the dish and cook in oven for 45 minutes

Advertisements

Haddock with a Tomato-Red Pepper Sauce and Parslied Potatoes (4)

Posted in fish, Sauces, side dishes by

IMG_7414 (2)

White fish needs a sauce otherwise it can be very bland. The tomato-red pepper sauce is easy to make and cooks in just about the same time as the fish as do the potatoes so all is on the table in about half an hour. The haddock is poached with lemon juice and olive oil. The recipe for the sauce is a good one to keep on hand as it goes well with pasta  and, if diluted with some broth, makes a nice soup. New potatoes cooked in their skins are then squashed with a potato masher before being sprinkled with parsley and lightly sauteed in oil.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

4 pieces of haddock (about 5 oz. per person)

Juice of 1 lemon

3 – 4 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion – roughly diced

2 cloves of garlic – grated

1 can of diced, roasted tomatoes

1 red pepper – diced

10 oz. new potatoes

2 tbsp. parsley – finely chopped

Place the fish on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking tray, pour over the lemon juice and 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook in oven for 25 minutes until cooked through.

Pour 1 tbsp. oil into a frying pan and when sizzling add the onion and let soften and brown slightly. Add the garlic and stir in well. After a couple of minutes pour in the        tomatoes and add the diced pepper. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes. Process mixture in a food processor.

Place potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. Heat 1 -2 tbsp. oil in a frying pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squash the potatoes slightly with a potato masher and when the oil is sizzling add them to the pan and sprinkle the parsley over them. Cook until slightly brown and crisp.

 

 

 

Thai Beef Curry (4)

Posted in Thai by

IMG_7412

The word curry is used as a blanket term for spicy food when, in reality, there are many differences in ingredients and flavors. Indian curries tend to use blends of dry spices as a basis for their taste, whereas in Thailand a paste is used. There are many other countries that have curried dishes as part of their diet – the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, South Africa to name a few.
Red curry paste, as opposed to green or the harder to find and creamier yellow, is used in this recipe and the finished dish is fairly mild with the coconut milk offsetting some of the heat. This Thai Beef Curry is quickly prepared and there are lots of nice juices to soak up the rice, quinoa, noodles or whatever you wish to serve with it.

8 oz. flat iron steak – thinly sliced
1 shallot – thinly sliced and separated
1 red pepper – thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic – grated
4 oz. frozen peas
1 can of lite coconut milk
2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. cilantro – finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Prepare the first 4 ingredients on a chopping board.
In a mixing bowl pour in the coconut milk and whisk it together with the curry paste, peanut butter and fish sauce, then pour into a frying pan and bring to a boil.
When boiling add the steak, shallot, red pepper and garlic to the curry sauce, turn down to a simmer,let ingredients cook for about 7 minutes then add the peas, lime juice and cilantro and cook for a further 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
Sprinkle with a little cilantro for garnish and serve.

Coronation Chicken (4)

Posted in Curry, Salad by

IMG_7403

The original recipe for Coronation Chicken was created in 1953 for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Any dish that has to cater for large numbers of people with a wide range of tastes cannot be too unusual and although the Coronation Chicken that was served at the coronation lunch contained curry powder it was hard to detect among the other ingredients – tomato puree, red wine, apricot puree, mayonnaise and whipped cream. My mother made a version that included curry powder, some canned Mulligatawny soup and apricot jam. Personally, I use a combination of mango chutney and concentrated curry paste and a little mayo diluted with the chicken juices from the poached chicken. I serve it surrounded by slices of melon and grapes but if you want to bulk it up you could accompany it by rice or a rice salad.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

2 chicken breasts – poached in chicken broth

1 dessertspoon of hot mango chutney (Patak’s brand)

1 tsp. hot concentrated curry paste (Patak’s brand)

1 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. chicken juices

1 x 1 oz. packet of raisins

A handful of sliced almonds plus extra for garnish

Cantaloupe melon and a mixture of green and black grapes cut in half for garnishing

Place the chicken breasts on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet, pour over 1/4 cup of chicken broth and make into a parcel. Cook for 45 minutes. Let cool and slice into small bite size pieces.

Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and add the raisins and almonds.

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the chutney, curry paste, mayo and cooled chicken juices.

Add the curry mixture to the chicken mixture and stir together well.

Place in a serving dish and surround with slices of melon and grapes and scatter with almonds.

Chicken Sausage with Peppers (4)

Posted in Dinner, Italian by

IMG_7401

Italian-Americans have a traditional dish made with Italian sausages and peppers. It is a hearty dish but it can be quite oily as the fat leaches out of the sausages. If you substitute chicken sausages and cook them on a rack above a roasting tin before adding them to the mixture of roasted red, orange and yellow peppers, onion and garlic you will have a much lighter but just as tasty a meal.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

1 pound of chicken sausages

1/2 a large onion – sliced and the slices separated into individual pieces of onion

6 garlic cloves – peeled and cut in half

3 peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange) – de-seeded and cut into slices

1 – 2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the sausages on a rack above a roasting tin.

Put the onion, garlic and peppers in a mixing bowl, pour over the oil, toss well and season with salt and pepper.

Tip mixture onto a roasting tray and cook both sausages and pepper mixture for 30 minutes.

Slice sausages and add to the peppers and onions and serve immediately.

Chicken One-Pot with Mushrooms, Peas and Potatoes (4)

Posted in Dinner, One-pot by

IMG_7393

As summer draws to a close I find the type of food I eats changes too – the same as pulling out of winter into Spring. This recipe is lighter and less intense than a stew but is equally as filling and using dark thigh meat gives it a good flavor.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 tbsp. olive oil, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion – finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic – finely grated

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

8 oz. new potatoes – cut into small chunks

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms – chopped into small chunks, if necessary

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

8 oz. frozen peas

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a frying pan and when sizzling add the onion, turn heat down a bit and let soften and brown. Then add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. Remove from pan and place in an ovenproof dish.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and when sizzling add the chicken thighs and sear on all sides until browned. Remove from pan and place alongside the onion mixture.

Add the potatoes and mushrooms, pour over the broth and cook in the oven, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through.

Cook peas separately andn add to the dish at the last moment.

 

Black Beans and Quinoa (4)

Posted in side dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian by

IMG_7391

Just as I substitute rice noodles for pasta, I do the same thing with quinoa for rice. It is like a blank canvas and soaks up flavors whilst at the same time providing protein. Tomatoes, black beans, garlic and some spices (depending on how spicy you like your dishes you can use less than I do) round out this recipe.

2 cups of boiling water

1 cup quinoa

1 tbsp. olive oil seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion – finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic – grated

2 cups of canned chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp. harissa paste (or less)

1 tsp. cumin (or less)

1 x 15oz. can of black beans

1 1/2 cups chicken or veg. broth

Pour the boiling water into a saucepan, add the quinoa, bring to a boil and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff through with a fork and leave to stand for 15 minutes.

Place oil in a frying pan and when sizzling add the onion and let soften and brown slightly, then add the garlic and cook for another few minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, mix in the harissa paste and cumin , add the beans and broth and bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the cooked quinoa and serve immediately