Lemon Chicken and Dumplings

We may have mentioned this before but you really do need to get yourself a slow cooker. This is another recipe from our ‘easy slow cooker’ book and one of the easiest (which is saying something for slow cooker recipes) so far. There are 3 parts to this recipe: marinade, dumplings and then everything else.

Marinade recipe:
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1/2 tsp salt dissolved in 125ml water

Everything else:
4 chicken breasts (cut into 3 long strips each)
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
2 celery sticks (halved lengthways and thinly sliced)
1 carrot (halved lengthways and thinly sliced)
1/2 onion (sliced)
150ml chicken stock

Dumplings recipe:
250g plain flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tbsp butter (melted)
4 tbsp milk

Method:
Mix the marinade ingredients in a shallow ceramic dish, add the sliced chicken, cover and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker and transfer the marinade liquid to a saucepan. Add the cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, celery, carrot, onion and stock. Bring to the boil on the hob, then add to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Make the dumplings by sifting the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the eggs, melted butter and milk. Stir gently with a fork until a soft ball forms. Do not overwork the mixture or your dumplings will be like cannonballs.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces of equal size and roll them into balls. Place the dumplings on top of the casserole, recover and cook on high for another 30 minutes.

We doubled the recipe so we had some to freeze but only did enough dumplings for what we needed immediately. I doubt they would freeze well but feel free to give it a go.

Optional kitchen porn:
Crockpot slow cooker (again)

The Spicery (Part III) with Lyn and Ruth

We’re continuing with the tradition of guest chefs and have renewed the Spicery subscription going forward. The last recipe of the original subscription was for a Szechuan hot pot followed by lemon and rosemary posset with green peppercorn shortbread. Guest chef duties were shared by Steve’s mum Lyn and sister Ruth, neither of whom are kitchen slouches. Working with people who are confident in the kitchen is fantastic, and when they happen to be family, all the better.

Szechuan hotpot recipe:
1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
100ml dark soy sauce
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
3-4 slices ginger (no need to peel it)
300g/2-3 slices pork belly
2 skinless chicken thighs
200g mushrooms (thickly sliced)
Bunch of green beans
Bunch of spring onions
300g bean sprouts
Rice for 4

Method:
In a large pan mix 1.5 litres water, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, garlic, ginger and the hotpot spices (birds eye chilli, star anise, root ginger, cassia quills, fennel seeds, Szechuan pepper, black pepper corns, mandarin peel, cut liquorice, cloves). Bring to the boil, then add the belly pork and simmer for 45 mins.
In a small pan, heat 2 tbsp oil with the chilli oil spices (chilli flakes, chilli powder, toasted ground Szechuan, garlic powder) until sizzling and the chilli flakes start to darken.
Add the chicken to the stock and simmer for a further 30 mins.
Cook the rice.
Remove the meat from the stock and strain out the spices. Cut the chicken and the pork, discarding the bones and return the meat to the stock. Bring back to the boil and add all the veg. Cook for 5 mins.
Serve bowls of rice topped with the hotpot and season with soy sauce and the chilli oil.

Lemon and rosemary posset with green peppercorn shortbread recipe:
350ml good quality double cream
3 lemons
165g caster sugar
120g plain flour
100g butter (at room temperature)

Method:
Put the cream, 120g sugar, zest of 2 lemons and the posset spices (rosemary, whole green peppercorns) in a small pan. Bring to the boil and immediately turn the heat right down and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the juice from all the lemons (approx 120ml). Bring back to the boil and then as it starts to bubble up, remove from the heat. Strain the liquid into 4 large ramekins or wide rimmed wine glasses. Refrigerate for several hours (or overnight) to set.
For the shortbread, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Dice the butter and beat with 45g sugar and most of the shortbread spices (crushed green peppercorns). Mix the flour in thoroughly. Roll the mixture carefully to resemble a large sausage and then slice into 1cm rounds. Arrange them on a greased baking tray, sprinkle with the remaining shortbread spices and bake for 10 minutes until golden on top. Sprinkle the shortbreads with a little sugar while they are still hot.
Serve the posset straight from the fridge with the biscuits on the side.

Optional kitchen porn:
Kitchenaid mixer

Roast Breast of Lamb with Lemon and Apricots

This recipe is from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Everyday book. I have to say that if you’re thinking of doing a roast of any kind, you won’t go far wrong if you check out a Hugh recipe. This one takes a little bit of work at the beginning but once you have all the prep done, the cooking is a breeze. Ask your butcher to prep the meat. I guarantee they will do it quicker than you can (unless you are a qualified butcher in which case, carry on).

Recipe:
2 breasts of lamb (bones, skin and excess fat removed)
2-3 fennel bulbs (cut into 6 pieces each)
2 large or 4 small onions (cut in quarters or half, depending on size)
2 lemons (you can use the zested ones from the stuffing)
A little white wine or water (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Stuffing:
Knob of butter
3 or 4 small shallots (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
125g fresh breadcrumbs
75g dried apricots (chopped)
Grated zest of 3 lemons
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 medium egg (lightly beaten)

Preheat oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
Make the stuffing by melting the butter in a small pan. Add the shallots and garlic, cook until soft and remove from the heat. In a large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the apricots, lemon zest, thyme and add the shallot mix with plenty of seasoning. Stir in the egg to bind.
Lay the breasts flat on a board, season well and then spread the stuffing evenly, leaving a little space at the edges and at each end. Roll the breasts up tightly and tie each one with 3 or 4 pieces of string.
Place the rolls in a roasting dish. Put into the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove and turn the temperature down to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Lift the lamb onto a board and scatter the fennel, onions and lemon wedges in the roasting tin. Turn them in the oily pan juices and season with salt and pepper.
Place the lamb rolls on top and return to the oven for another 1 1/2 hours, turning the fennel, onions and lemons occasionally, until both meat and veg are tender. If it starts looking a little dry, sprinkle with a little wine or water.
Allow the meat to rest for about 15 minutes, then cut into thick slices and serve with rice or couscous and the roasted fennel and onion.

Optional kitchen porn:
Dualit food processor (to make breadcrumbs)

Slow roasted chicken with lemon and garlic

If you’re looking for an alternative to a traditional Sunday roast, you won’t go far wrong with this Nigella recipe. The prep is extremely quick and easy and it doesn’t need much attention while cooking so if you have guests who you want to spend time with, this is perfect.

We got our butcher to cut the chicken. It took him 2 minutes…it would have taken me considerably longer.

We served it with new potatoes roasted in goose fat and some green beans but this would go equally well with all sorts of carbohydrates and greens alternatives.

Optional kitchen porn:
Nothing we can think of. This dish is so simple.