Archive for the ‘Recipe’ Category

I’d not done this in a while but I cooked this for my dinner tonight.

• 60g Butter (Unsalted is best)
• 2tbsp Vegetable oil
• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 8 spring onions chopped
• 300ml White Wine (Chardonnay)
• 4 tbsp Clear Honey
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 4 Fresh, ripe Peaches stoned
• 250ml Double Cream
• 2 tbsp Cornflour mixed to a paste with cold water
• Salt and Fresh Black Pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large pan with the oil
2. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and brown them off
3. Remove the chicken breasts and set asside
4. Add the spring onions to the pan and saute for about 1 minute
5. Add the Wine, Honey and Lemon juice to the pan
6. Season well and stir
7. Return the chicken breasts to the pan
8. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes
9. If the liquid reduces to much add a little water
10. While the chicken is cooking roughly chop one of the peaches
11. Blend the other three peaches in a food processor till smooth
12. When the chicken is cooked remove it from the pan and set to one side
13. Add the cornflour to the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes till it has thickened
14. Over a low heat add the blended peaches, chopped peach and cream to the pan and stir
15. Heat gently but do not boil the sauce
16. Put the chicken on a plate and cover with the sauce
17. Serve with green vegetables and plain white rice

I’ve just seen another talking head piece where it was said that Britain doesn’t make gritty police shows. I like The Wire but there isn’t any need to get into self flagelation that all we ever make is Dixon of Dock Green and Heartbeat.
If I swore on this blog I’d use a single word to say just what rubbish that is but I don’t so instead I’d suggest the lazy look at a few shows that make their case look frankly stupid…

• Z Cars
• The Sweeney
• Edge of Darkness
• Between the Lines
• Cracker
• Dead Head
• Rebus
• Waking the Dead
• Red Riding

And thats without being able to remember the titles of a couple of British shows including the one where a witness had his nipples ripped off using pliers at the end of the first part…

Ok some of them look tame now, especially the older ones, but for their day they were gritty. I just hope the talking heads who are making their penny today complaining will keep their traps shut and not spout moral indignation when someone makes a British cop show or mystery that sets the bar way past The Wire.

Something I cooked last weekend and I was typing the recipe up for a friend so I thought I’d post it here too. Double the ginger if you’ve got a cold (triple it if you dare).

Makes: 4 to 6 Servings

Serve with plain rice or lentils.

• 500g Lamb Stew Meat Diced into 1 inch chunks
• 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 2-3cm Fresh Ginger Minced or 2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp White Wine or Rice Vinegar
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 2 tsp Dried Mint
• 1 Fresh Hot Red Chilli (Optional) or 1 tsp Chilli Powder
• 1 Red or Yellow Bell Pepper Sliced into Strips
• 1/2 Onion Roughly Chopped
• Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Add the Garlic, Ginger, Chilli and Sugar and cook for a few seconds till you smell the aroma
3. Add the Onion and stir cooking for a minute
4. Add the Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Mint, Lamb, Stock, Lamb and Bell Pepper
5. Bring to the boil
6. Season to taste
7. Simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes until the lamb is tender

A recipe I really enjoy that I cooked a couple of weekends ago and thought I’d share here today. I use all the optional ingredients because I like it spicky but I know thats not to everyones taste. I think I’ve been watching too many cheffy cooking shows because when I did this recipe last I collected the cooking juices and remaining marinate which I liquidized and reduced to make a sauce which was strong but tasty.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Breasts cut into rough 1 inch dice

Ingredients for the Marinate:

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Juice and rind of 1 Orange
• Juice of 3 limes
• 50ml Pineapple Juice
• Pinch of sugar
• 8-10 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• Salt and Pepper

Optional Ingredients for the Marinate:

• 1 bunch of fresh coriander roughly chopped
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tbsp paprika

1. Mix the marinate ingredients in a none metallic container then add
   the chicken and mix well to coat the chicken
2. Leave for an hour at room temperature or if possible for the
   refrigerator for 24 hours
3. Remove the chicken from the marinate and lay out on a baking tray
   or roasting dish
4. Cook in the oven for 20-25minutes at gas mark 6 turning
   occasionally and basting with the liquid from the marinate
5. Serve with rice, lime wedges and sweet corn