Mushroom Chicken

Mushroom Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
60ml flour
45ml + 30ml vegetable oil
30ml butter
300g mixed mushrooms
5ml thyme leaves
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml wholegrain mustard
15ml sour cream
125ml dry white wine
125ml chicken stock
30ml lemon juice

Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and beat them so that they are an even thickness.
Pat the meat dry, season with salt and pepper and dredge them through the flour.
Add 45ml vegetable oil to a pan set over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until golden on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add 30ml vegetable oil and the butter to the same pan and wait for it to heat up.
Add the mushroom and thyme leaves and fry for about 4 minutes – the mushroom should be caramelised and golden on the edges.
Turn the heat down, add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the mustard, sour cream, white wine and chicken stock and stir to mix.
Place the chicken back in the pan, cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid, drizzle the lemon juice over and serve immediately.

Punchy Tomato Tart

Punchy Tomato Tart

2 sheets frozen pastry
100g cream cheese (I used garlic and herb flavoured), room temperature
350g mixed tomatoes
100g blue cheese
egg-wash: one egg yolk whisked with 15ml water
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Place one sheet of pastry on the baking sheet and trim it neatly into a square or rectangle.
Cut 1cm wide strips, the length of the other pastry and place them neatly on the outer borders so that it forms a frame.
Spread the cream cheese on the inside section of the “frame” and spread it out evenly.
Slice the tomato into thick slices and arrange a layer on the cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Break up the blue cheese and arrange pieces of it all over the tomato.
Finally add another layer of tomato and drizzle over some olive oil.
Brush the outside edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden.
Remove the tomato tart from the oven and drizzle with some more olive oil.
Sprinkle the basil over when you are ready to serve.

Kale and Quinoa Salad

Kale and Quinoa Salad

125ml uncooked quinoa, prepared according to the packet instructions and cooled down
250ml thinly sliced kale
250ml thinly sliced baby spinach
2 red apples, cut into sticks/julienned
100g goat cheese, crumbled
60ml flaked almonds

Dressing:
60ml apple cider vinegar
30ml honey
15ml Dijon mustard
60ml olive oil

Add the quinoa, kale, spinach, apple, goat cheese and almonds to a large salad bowl and set aside.
Add the apple cider vinegar, honey and mustard to a small bowl and drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously.
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix through to serve.

Polenta Baby Dutch Pancake with Beef Ragout

Polenta Baby Dutch Pancake with Beef Ragout

Ragout:
30ml vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely diced
500g cubed beef
50ml tomato paste
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomato
30ml Worcestershire sauce
30ml thyme leaves
500ml beef stock

Polenta Baby Dutch Pancake:
45ml butter
3 eggs
150ml cake flour
30ml polenta
a pinch of salt

For the ragout:
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and carrot. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the beef and cook until browned.
Add the tomato paste, chopped tomato, Worcestershire sauce and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the stock and bring the beef to a low simmer.
Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and you have beautifully tender beef covered in a thick sauce. 

For the Baby Dutch:
Preheat your oven to 220℃.
Add the butter to a cast iron frying pan of about 24cm diameter and place the pan in the oven to heat up.
Add all the ingredients to a food processor or a suitable container for a stick blender and blend until the batter is completely smooth.
Open the oven door, swirl the hot butter around and up the sides of the pan and immediately pour the batter into the pan.
Close the door and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Do not open the door before 20 minutes, the pancake won’t rise!!
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a serving plate.

Spoon the ragout into the pancake and add some tomato and fresh spinach leaves on top.
Serve with a glass of crisp white wine.


Potato Omelette

Potato Omelette

45ml olive oil
200g ham, cubed
200g potato, cooked and cubed
50g mushrooms
15ml thyme leaves
5 eggs
100ml milk
1,2ml salt
2 handfuls of croutons
250ml grated cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Add the oil to an oven friendly frying pan set over medium-high heat.
Add the cubed ham, potato, mushrooms and thyme and stir-fry until the ingredients become golden on the edges.
Add the eggs, milk, salt and a few grindings of black pepper to a bowl and whisk together.
Turn the heat down to medium and pour the egg mixture into the pan.
Cook the omelette until it sets.
Sprinkle the croutons and cheese over and bake in the oven until cooked.
Serve with a fresh salad on sliced tomato.

Prawn Paella

Prawn Paella

1 onion, chopped
100g chorizo sausage, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet pepper, sliced
300g long grain rice
10ml smoked paprika
1,2litre chicken stock
a pinch of saffron
450g uncooked prawns
100g frozen peas
2 lemons

Place a heavy-base saucepan on medium-high heat and add some oil to it.
Add the onion and chorizo and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the garlic and sweet pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
Now add the rice, sprinkle over the paprika and stir to cover.
Add a pinch of saffron to the chicken stock and pour the stock into the saucepan.
Add the prawns, stir through and place a lid on. Cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender.
Add the peas and cook for another 6-7 minutes without covering.
Season the paella with salt and lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve the paella with fresh lemon slices.

How to make a Creamy Salad Dressing

How to make a Creamy Salad Dressing

This recipe yields about 200ml of dressing and can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.

15ml honey
60ml apple cider vinegar
125ml oil
45ml greek yoghurt
the juice of half a lemon

Add the honey and vinegar to a small bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle in the oil, a little at a time while whisking continuously until all the oil has been incorporated.
Add the yoghurt and whisk until amalgamated.
Finally add the lemon juice and season the dressing with salt.
Keep unused dressing in a glass jar in the refrigerator.