Empire Roast Chicken, Bombay Potatoes and Indian Gravy

Due to a day long hangover (see previous post), we weren’t going to bother blogging this but after the marinade was made and it started cooking, it smelled so good, we just had to share it. It’s another Jamie Oliver recipe from his ‘Jamie’s Great Britain’ book.

To be honest, the recipe is not the easiest read. We were going to just do the chicken part of it but the recipe was written to do the whole meal so we ended up with an even more delicious dinner than we first planned.

Chicken recipe:
1.4kg chicken
1 heaped tbsp each finely grated garlic, fresh ginger, fresh red chilli
1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
1 heaped tsp each ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala and ground cumin
2 heaped tsp natural yoghurt
2 lemons
2 level tsp sea salt

Gravy recipe:
1 stick cinnamon
3 small onions
10 cloves
3 tbsp each white wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
3 level tbsp plain flour
500ml chicken stock
Natural yoghurt to serve

Potato recipe:
800g potatoes
Sea salt and ground pepper
1 lemon
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Knob of butter
1 heaped tsp each black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric
1 bulb garlic
1 fresh red chilli (deseeded and finely sliced)
2 tomatoes (roughly chopped)
1 small bunch coriander

Method:
Slash the chicken’s legs a few times down to the bone. Place the chicken in a roasting tin, add all the marinade ingredients and mix well, then massage over and inside the chicken. Leave to marinade (ideally overnight).

Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, gas mark 6. Organise the shelves so the roasting tin can fit right on the bottom of the oven and there is room at the top for the potato tin. The chicken will sit directly on the shelf just above the bottom tin.

Parboil the potatoes for about 15 minutes in a large pan of salted boiling water and a whole lemon. Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry. Stab the lemon with a sharp knife a few times and then put it inside the chicken. Move the chicken to a plate.

Roughly chop the onions and add them to the roasting tin with the cinnamon stick, cloves, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the flour and then add the stock. Place the tin on the bottom of the oven and the chicken on the shelf just above it and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Put another roasting tin on the hob over a medium heat and add the olive oil, a knob of butter, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric. Work quickly otherwise the mustard seeds will start to pop. Halve the garlic bulb and add to the pan with the tomatoes and chilli. Add the potatoes, season well and mix everything together. Finely slice the coriander stalks and sprinkle on top. After the chicken has been cooking for 40 minutes, put the potatoes in the top of the oven.

Once the chicken is cook, move to a board and remove the charred bits. Pass the gravy through a coarse sieve into a pan. Make sure you get as much of the goodness from the roasting tin as you can. Bring the gravy to a boil and then allow to thicken or thin it with water if required. Put the gravy in a serving bowl and drizzle over a little yoghurt.

The potatoes should now be done. Serve and sprinkle over the chopped coriander leaves.

Optional kitchen porn:
Bosch hand blender (to chop the marinade ingredients)
Large roasting tins

The Spicery (Part V) with Lui and Trent

This is almost vegetarian with just one tin of sardines. We got very drunk sitting by our fire pit with Lui and Trent, chatting about everything, smoking a cigar and we are now suffering accordingly after a pancake breakfast. Delicious meal though and great fun cooking it, with a bit of designer flare in the presentation.

Asam laksa recipe:
120g tin sardines in oil (well drained)
6 small shallots – 3 roughly chopped, 3 thinly sliced
2 tbsp palm sugar
1 small pot pineapple (chopped into bite size chunks)
250g rice noodles
300g bean sprouts
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 limes
Handful of mint leaves

Method:
Pour 100ml boiling water over the paste whole spices (lemongrass, chilli flakes, ginger) to soak. Combine the fish, laksa whole spices (lemongrass, lime leaves, kokum) and 1.5 litres of water in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Blend the paste ground spices (tamarind powder, turmeric, galangal, cumin, shrimp powder, black pepper), 3 chopped shallots, sugar, 1 1/2 tsps salt, soaked paste whole spices and all the soaking water until really smooth.
Fry the 3 sliced shallots in plenty of oil until thoroughly brown and crispy and set aside.
Add the paste to the broth, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins, then remove the whole spices. The fish should have broken up to thicken the soup.
Add the bean sprouts, fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime.
Soak the noodles to soften them, then reheat by pouring over boiling water. Divide the drained noodles into bowls and pour over the broth. Add the mint, fried shallots, pineapple and add lime and any other toppings to your taste.

Rose petal baklava recipe:
270g filo pastry
100g ground almonds
100g unsalted pistachios (coarsely chopped)
70g sugar
1/2 a lemon
200g honey
80g melted butter
20cm square baking tray 3-4 cm deep

Method:
Pre heat oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 6.
Mix the nuts with the baklava ground spices (rose, cinnamon, cardamom, ground cloves) and sugar. Butter the base of the tray and layer 1/3 of the filo pastry, brushing each layer with melted butter before adding the next.
Spread 1/2 the nut mix, then repeat the filo process with 1/3 more sheets. Spread the remaining nut mix and finish with the rest of the filo. Cut the pastry In diamonds right through to the base. Bake for 20-30 mins.
Break the cinnamon quill and crush the cardamom pods in the baklava whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, rose petals). Heat them with 100ml water, honey, juice of 1/2 lemon and most of the rose petals. Simmer for a few minutes to infuse.
When the baklava is golden and crispy, remove from the oven and strain the fragrant honey syrup all over it while it is still hot. Sprinkle the remaining rose petals over the top.
Leave it to cool, then cut out and serve.

Optional kitchen porn:
Bosch hand blender

The Spicery (Part IV) with Anni

We have finally got back to our Spicery menus. It has been in the cupboard for far too long and it was a great pleasure to cook tonight with the fabulous, amazing Anni. It has been a while since we’ve caught up and what better way to reconnect than by rolling some nuts in meat and eating cake for dessert.

Lamb Kibbeh with Tabbouleh menu:
500g minced lamb
1 large onion (coarsely grated)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
300g bulgur wheat
1 tbsp tomato purée
Large bunch parsley – roughly chopped
250g cherry tomatoes – halved
A couple of spring onions – sliced thinly
2 tbsp Tahini paste
100g pine nuts – toasted
1 lemon
Veg oil for frying and olive oil for the salad
Natural yoghurt to serve
Salt

Method:
Blitz 150g of the bulgur wheat to a fine powder and add to the lamb, onion, tsp salt, half the garlic and the Kibbeh spices (cinnamon, cumin, parsley, allspice, mint, black pepper, ground coriander, marjoram). Mash together to a smooth texture. Roll into golf ball sized pieces, press a hole in the middle, fill with the pine nuts, seal and roll into torpedo shapes.
Pour 225ml boiling water over the remaining bulgur wheat with 1 tbsp of tomato purée, the rest of the garlic and the tabbouleh spices (ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground coriander, mint, black pepper, allspice). Cover tightly for 10 minutes.
Fluff up the bulgur with a fork and then mix in the parsley, tomatoes, spring onions, 1/2 tsp salt, juice of half a lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.
Mix the tahini, the juice of the remaining half lemon, pinch of salt, 3 tbsp water and the Tahini spices (paprika, black pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder).
Serve the kibbeh with the tabbouleh, tahini sauce and a spoonful of yoghurt.

Kulich recipe:
60ml milk
100g caster sugar
100g butter (at room temperature)
3 eggs (beaten)
250g self raising flour
100g dried cranberries
50g candied peel
40g flaked almonds
200g mascarpone
50g icing sugar
1 lemon

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C, 325F, gas mark 3.
Put the kulich spices (cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla powder, allspice, saffron) in the milk and leave to soak. Beat the sugar and butter until very light in colour. Mix the egg in a little at a time, alternating with a bit of flour to keep,it together. Mix in the remaining flour and a pinch of salt. Mix in the milk with the soaked spices, zest of the lemon, dried fruit and almonds.
Pour into a greased baking tin and bake for 30-40 mins or until golden on top.
Mix together the mascarpone, icing sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice and the pasha spices (cardamom and vanilla powder).
Serve the slices of the cake with a spoonful of pashka.

Optional kitchen porn:
Bosch hand blender
Kitchenaid mixer

Soda Bread Farls

I’ve never made soda bread before but if I’d known how easy it is, I would have. It only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Recipe:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

Method:
First of all I had to make buttermilk as we don’t have any and it can sometimes be hard to come by. All you have to do is put 1 tsp of vinegar in a cup of milk and leave for about 15 minutes.
Preheat a large flat frying pan or pancake skillet on a low heat. Add the dry ingredients to a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the milk. Stir into a dough. Knead on a floured surface for less than a minute and then shape into a circle. It should be about 8-10 inches in diameter. Cut into four.
Add a sprinkling of flour to the dry frying pan and then cook the dough for about 7 minutes on each side. The farls should be golden brown.

Optional kitchen porn:
Large crepe pan

Steve’s Chilli

In the middle of summer when there is thunder and lightning outside and the rain can only be described as ‘biblical’, what else are you going to do but cook. I’ve been making chilli for years and it’s one of those recipes which is never the same twice. I always make a huge pot and this is roughly what I did today.

Recipe:
2 lb mince beef
1/2 lb chuck steak (cut up very small)
2 slices bacon (I used Fermanagh Black bacon today)
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
3 fresh chillies (use as many as you like)
3 tins chopped tomatoes
2 tins kidney beans
1 tin taco beans
Cumin
Cinnamon
Chilli powder
Mixed herbs
Fresh oregano
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Method:
Heat oil in large saucepan and sweat off onions, garlic and chillies. Add all the meat and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chilli powder and cinnamon. You only need very little cinnamon as otherwise it will overpower the other flavours. Add the tomatoes, all the beans, fresh oregano and season to taste. Cook on a low heat for as long as you can and eat the next evening if you can wait that long.

The bacon adds some flavour. I would recommend Black bacon if you can get your hands on it but any bacon will make a difference. The chuck steak isn’t essential but makes it a bit more rustic. If you could be bothered, you could make the whole thing by chopping up chuck steak as small as you can. Cumin adds depth, as does the chilli powder.

Optional kitchen porn:
Kamata Japanese knife – thanks Liz (she purchased this on her trip to Japan)
Large Le Creuset saucepan

Beer Can Chicken

You might be surprised to know that despite the fact that we have been eating for a combined 70 years and drinking for a combined 40 years (don’t work that out), neither of us have ever had or cooked a beer can chicken. I know a number of friends who have done this and we are open to suggestions for how to tweak this recipe but we used the following.

Recipe:
1 1/4 kg chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can beer (we used Carlsberg)

Dry rub:
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard powder

Method:
Mix all dry rub ingredients together. Heat barbeque to medium heat. Spread olive oil over surface of chicken. Cover surface of chicken with dry rub. Open beer can and insert open end into orifice of chicken. (If your not sure which orifice to insert beer can into, please defriend us immediately and give up trying to cook). Place directly onto barbecue and cook for about 1 1/4 hours or until internal chicken temperature is 180 degrees Fahrenheit at the thigh.

Optional kitchen porn:
Giant barbecue/grill

General Tso’s Chicken

We got a new cook book. No real surprise there but our first recipe from this one is excellent. It was extremely tasty, quite spicy and it took half an hour from start to finish. That includes cooking the rice and all the prep. The recipe came from Ching’s Fast Food by Ching-He Huang and according to the book, there are a lot of variations of this dish.

Recipe:
2 skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1.5cm cubes)
Salt and ground white pepper
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 clove garlic (crushed)
4 dried red chillies
1 tbsp rice wine
4 spring onions (cut into 2.5cm lengths)

For the sauce:
1 tbsp yellow bean sauce (we couldn’t find any today so used black bean instead)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp chilli sauce (we used Sriracha)
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce

Method:
Put the chicken in a bowl, season with the salt and pepper, add the corn flour and mix well. Put the sauce ingredients in another bowl and stir them together.
Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the oil, then the garlic and chillies. Fry for a few seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes. As the chicken starts turning opaque, add the rice wine. Cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and bring to the boil.
Cook the chicken in the sauce for a further 2 minutes or until it is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened and is slightly sticky. Add the spring onions and cook for just under a minute. Serve immediately over rice.

Not many photos of this one as it’s too quick and we couldn’t stop to photograph it.

Optional kitchen porn:
Giant wok

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Shanks

We know, we know. It’s been 2 months since we blogged. We have cooked a few things which we’ve blogged previously in the last 2 months but, no matter how much it shouldn’t, sometimes life gets busy. However, we are the half-assed gourmets. We therefore apologise to everyone that reads this drivel that we neglected to blog the fish finger sandwich.

Today, for the first time in a long time, our kitchen smelled of proper cooking. I’m starting with one of the easiest dishes I’ve cooked in ages. No surprise to anyone who reads this blog regularly, it comes from a slow cooker cookbook, Sunil Vijayakar’s ‘Slow Cooker curries’.

The recipe below feeds 4 but as usual with our massive slow cooker, I doubled it.

Recipe:
2 tblsp olive oil
4 lamb shanks
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 large onion (chopped)
400g tinned chopped tomotoes
1 tsp salt
250ml (approx) chicken stock or water

Method:
Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the lamb shanks. Remove from the pan and set to the side.
Reduce the heat slightly and fry the spices lightly for 1-2 minutes. Add the onions and fry for a further 4-5 minutes.
Add the onions to the slow cooker. Place the lamb shanks on top, making sure they stand together in a single layer. Add the tomatoes, salt and enough stock or water to almost cover the lamb shanks. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with couscous (and Harissa).

Optional kitchen porn:
Crockpot slow cooker

Arabian Roast Lamb and Potatoes

Thank goodness we’re back on the red meat. This recipe is from Antony Worrall Thompson’s ‘Slow Cooking’ book. (No shop lifting jokes please.) A slow cooker is not required and another variation on a roast dinner. Really easy as well.

Recipe:
1 leg of lamb
6 garlic cloves, halved
2 tbsp Harissa paste
Juice and zest of a lemon
Pinch of saffron strands, soaked in 1 tbsp very hot water
1 tsp mint leaves
1 tbsp coriander leaves
4 tbsp olive oil
450g (1lb) floury potatoes, cut into 1cm slices
2 large onions, thickly sliced
Salt and pepper
Couscous, spinach and Greek yoghurt to serve

Method:
Make a number of incisions in the lamb. In a mini food processor, blend the garlic, Harissa, lemon zest and juice, saffron and water, mint, coriander and half the oil into a rough paste. Spread 3/4 of the paste over the lamb, pushing into the cuts. Place the lamb in a large bowl, cover with cling film and leave overnight (or at least 2 hours).
Preheat oven to 180C, 350F, gas 4.
Mix the onions, potatoes and the rest of the oil and spice paste together and then tip into a roasting tin. Place the lamb on top, season well and cook for 2 hours. Baste and turn the potatoes a few times.
Place the meat on a platter and cover with tin foil for 15-20 minutes. Turn the oven up to 200C, 400F, gas mark 6 and return the potatoes to the oven for another 20 minutes. The onions will caramelise (burn) but the potatoes will be delicious.
Serve with the couscous, spinach and drizzle with yoghurt.

Optional kitchen porn:
Bosch mini food processor
Large roasting tin

Roasted Teriyaki Tofu Steaks with Glazed Green Vegetables

After a week in Ireland and the excesses of red meat and alcohol consumed in that seven day period (meat the same weight as a small child and enough drink to drown the same), this week we have been alcohol and meat free. I’m not going to lie. I have struggled. Not so much with the alcohol but I was brought up on a meat, potatoes and veg (occasionally) diet. I like meat. I love my local butcher and I don’t begrudge a single penny of the money we spend on quality animal products. Anyway, I’m drooling now.

Last night we cooked this. I have to admit it was very tasty but they have the cheek to call it tofu ‘steaks’. It’s still pressed bean curd in a block.

Recipe:
500g fresh tofu (cut into 4 pieces)
4 fresh shitake mushrooms
200g egg noodles
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
200g broccoli (chopped)
1 leek (white and light green parts finely chopped)
200g pak choi (quartered lengthways)
1 fennel bulb (finely sliced)
2 tsp cornflour mixed with 4 tbsp cold water
Marinade:
125ml dark soy sauce
125ml mirin
125ml sake (or sherry)
1 tbsp sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 220C, 425F, gas mark 7.
Put the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a large frying pan and heat until sugar has dissolved. Place the mushrooms and tofu steaks in the liquid and simmer for 15 minutes, turning half way through. Remove the mushrooms, squeeze dry and finely chop. Remove the tofu and place them on a greased baking tray. Spoon over a little of the marinade (leave the rest aside) and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
Heat a wok and add the oil. Add garlic, broccoli, leek and sliced mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the pak choi and fennel and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the marinade and 75ml water, stir, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Push the vegetables to the back of the wok, add the cornflour mixture to the sauce and stir until thick. Then mix the veg back in. Cook the noodles as instructed on the packet and serve with the vegetables and the tofu on top.

Optional kitchen porn:
Large wok
Le Creuset frying pan