Chicken Cacciatore

This dish is a fantastic excuse not to finish the bottle of red wine from the night before!

The rich flavours in the sauce and crisp skinned chicken make a very tasty combination.

He who doesn't like capers asked ' Are these small peas? '. 'Yes' I replied.

- 1 chicken jointed into 8
- olive oil ( not extra virgin )
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 70g pancetta cubes
- 1 glass of red wine
- 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes ( or chopped )
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
- 10 black olives, pitted and halved
- handful of basil leaves


Season the chicken all over. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large non stick frying pan and fry chicken until golden.
Take the chicken out of the pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook gently until the onions are soft.
Add the pancetta and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the wine and simmer until it has almost disappeared.
Add the tomatoes and season well ( taste it first as there was salt on chicken )
Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes until it thickens then stir in the olives and capers.
Heat the oven to 190 C/ fan 170 C/gas 5. Tip the sauce into the bottem of an oven proof dish and sit the chicken in the sauce. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Stir in the basil and serve.

I used thighs and drumsticks as thats what was on offer in the supermarket but I am about to do a complete U turn and say in future I would joint a chicken or use breast on the bone. I know I have said brown meat is my prefered choice, and I wouldn't go so far as to use boneless breast but I honestly would of prepered it in this instance. I served it with some small roasted potatoes.

He who doesn't like capers and was suspisious about them being peas asked 'Are these green lentils then?'. 'Yes' I replied.

Time taken 1 hour 25 mins
Effort     3/5
end result 3.5/5

Gnocchi with Morels

Ask yourself this.............supermarket bought gnocchi or window putty! are you 100% sure you could tell them apart in a blind taste test??? Tried it years ago and never give it a second glance nowadays. I had to try this recipe for 2 reasons. Its a John Torode recipe, I have only tried a couple of his before but they are keepers. And secondly, a bit like the flies at Greggs a million Italians can't be wrong. They are not, it was really nice. Gnocchi isn't a strong presence in a meal but when made fresh and served in the right sauce it was just right.

Firstly I had a bit of a grump on when I started peeling the spuds and found myself muttering 'why are you bothing, your to tired' blah blah and so on. I wasn't in the mood so it felt like quite the task ahead. However during the folding in of flour stage I came over all 'Play Doh' and really started enjoying mucking around with the dough.

How cute are they? I felt a tad smug at this point. I made them and it was easy.

This recipe serves 6. I made the full amount and refridgerated half the dough. I used the full amout of sauce though as it's very British, just chuck it all on. This recipe reads as if its a lot to do and may put you off but it really wasn't that complicated and was worth a little effort.

- 900g of floury potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 250g plain flour
- 30g dried morels
- olive oil
- butter (unsalted)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
- handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 100g parmesan, grated
- 200g creme fraiche

Boil the potatoes in as little water as possible until just tender. Drain very thoroughly and put back in the pan over a low heat for a moment to dry out the moisture.
Mash the potatoes while they are still warm (they must be warm for this to work), season then slowly add the flour, kneading slowly by folding the edges into the centre then pressing down lightly before sprinkling in each further addition of flour. Once its on the board it cools enough to handle but watch your hands. The recipe say's until soft and 'duvet like', ?????? OK! Don't overwork the dough or you will spoil the structure and end up with gnocchi thats powdery outside and pulpy inside.
Take little balls of dough and roll into long sausages about 2cm in diameter. Then cut these into 3 cm pieces. Press each against the back of a fork, to curve them slighly and leave indentations that will hold the sauce.
To make the sauce soak all but 2 of the morels in boiling water to rehydrate. Whizz the 2 remaining morels in a spice grinder to powder. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and a large knob of butter in a pan and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Add the chestnut mushrooms and cook til softened then add the soaked morels and heat through.
Cook the gnocchi in plenty of lightly salted simmering water for 3-4 mins. The gnocchi is cooked 2 mins after they rise to the surface.
In a clean pan add more olive oil and butter. Add the mushroom mix and gnocci, give it a toss then add the parsley, parmesan and creme fraiche and toss again. Season with the morel powder to finish.

Time taken     45 minutes
Effort     3.5/5
End result     4/5    It was delicious

Morels are not dry enough to pound to a powder with a morter and pestle and my food processer didn't quite acheive powder either. I am not sure if the larger than powder pieces effected the dish as I forgot to put them on. Therefore if you can't be bothered making dust a la morel, don't loose any sleep.

I must add that since I started this blob a few things have improved greatly. My confidence in tackling recipes that on paper seem a bit daunting. My chopping! (like a ninja). Finally and the reason for mentioning it.....MY SPELLING. Today for the first time I pressed spell check and the page didn't light up like blackpool illuminations, There wasn't a single yellow box :-)) I bet my spell check is just exhausted and given up!!!

Obviously I added that last bit after the spell check and am leaving it there to show what a berk I am

Chicken Glazed in Hoisin Sauce

This blog is about trying new recipes and seeing if they turn out as good as they look, so why oh why am I blogging a recipe I have been using for many years? Have I run out of recipes already? Have I just gone completely mad? Are you bothered?

This recipe was the first recipe I actually ever tried. Its from a wonderful book called Yan-kits Classic Chinese Cookbook. I bought it with my first wage packet from working Saturdays on the photographic counter in 'Boots the Chemist', s it was known then. My pal Teresa and I bought all the ingredients and set about making an almighty mess.We were more than surprised how well it turned out, as through pure luck we had stumbled upon an idiot proof recipe. I remember it took us ages to clean up and my mum was seriously peeved with us. Its not like we were down the local industrial estate drinking Thunderbird cider. Anyway she forgot all about it a few weeks later when we tried a Chinese dessert involving caramel and covered half the kitchen in it. Doesn't come off as it turns out.

- 2-3 chicken breasts skinned and boned
- 6 tbsp groundnut or corn oil
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (4 if fat ones)
- 4-5 spring onions cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces, white and green parts separated
- 1 1/2 tbsp shaohsing wine or medium dry sherry
- 50g roasted cashew nuts
Marinade:-
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 turns of white pepper mill ( black pepper won't work)
- 2 tsp shaohsing wine or sherry
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1/2 egg white lightly beaten
- 2 tsp of sesame oil

Dice the chicken into 2 cm cubes. Place in a bowl then add the salt pepper and wine then sprinkle over the cornflour and stir in the egg white. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes then blend in the sesame oil.

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoke rises ( obviously just a very hot wok will do - non stick woks don't smoke like the metal ones so please don't keep going till it melts). Add 5 tbsp of the oil and give it a swirl. pop in two-thirds of the garlic and the white spring onion. Toss a few times then add the chicken. Stir fry for 2 minutes making sure you get the spatula underneath and turn the chicken. lower the heat then splash the wine around the sides. As soon as the sizzling dies down remove the chicken still a little undercooked to a warm plate.

Increase the heat and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and swirl it around. Add the remaining garlic and as it sizzles add the hoisin sauce and stir well. Return the chicken to the wok and toss it in the sauce to glaze until just cooked. serve in a warm serving dish with some egg fried rice.

Ok before we go to the picture, I believe I have worked out why my food snaps are so bad. Its my dinner, I haven't made it to sit around taking pictures. Its getting cold and I want to munch it now! Did think last nights was ok till I checked this morning. Wipe the bowl - rookie mistake!

Use chicken thigh if possible but this recipe is one I wouldn't mind using breast for as the cooking method makes it less dry. I have always got a bottle of shaohsing wine somewhere so have never tried it with sherry. Oh yes all the gear - No idea !!!

Time taken     30 mins + 30 to marinade
Effort     3.5/5
End result     5/5

He who eats my cooking everyday says it's his favourite

One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice

There is something very satisfying about cooking a meal that's all in one pot. No side dishes and once it's cooking you can relax with a nice grape juice and just wait to get fed. This is enough to feed the whole family too.

- tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
- 8 chicken pieces or a whole chicken jointed (4 legs cut into thighs and drumsticks works well)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 red pepper deseeded and chopped into large chunks
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed
- 225g chorizo skinned and sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 150ml/14 pint white wine
- 850ml/1 1/2 pints chicken stock
- 400g/14oz long grain rice
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the chicken on all sides. you may have to do this in batches, then put to one side.

Lower the heat and add the onion and red peppers and cook gently for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chorizo and cook for a further 2 minutes until the chorizo has released some of its juices into the dish. Then add the tomato puree and cook for another minute stirring it in.

Return the chicken to the pan along with the thyme wine and finally the stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes covered with a tight fitting lid.

Tip in the rice and cook for a further 15 minutes then remove from the heat and leave to sit with the lid on for 10 more minutes so the rice can soak up more of the liquid. Season to taste, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Another painfully bad picture I am afraid. It was that grape juice sorry.

I have a mental list of things that life is just to flipping short to be doing and cleaning the bit from a garlic crusher is near the top of it, even my dishwasher can't be bothered. Squash the garlic cloves under the flat side of your knife then chop it up.

I can't see why you couldn't do this dish in 2 stages stopping the cooking after the pot has been boiling for 20 minutes, then once reheating cook for 5 mins before adding the rice and carrying on from there.

Time taken     1 hour 20 mins
Effort     3/5
End result 3.5/5

Butterflied leg of lamb with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme

My love affair with lamb continues and I may consider marrying this one.

The 'experts' warned this would be the last sunny day for a while. Perfect I thought, I can do the charring stage of this recipe on the bbq. The rain started about 6 so I used a griddle pan and can only imagine how nice it would of been with that extra bbq flavour.

Do I win worst blogger if I own up to having to google 'pared' zest? As it happens its strips you peel off with a vegetable peeler, not a grater.  Might try that in my 'Vera Lynn' (gin)

-2.5kg(5 1/2ib) leg of lamb butterflied, I got my butcher to do this for me
-Marinade;-
 -2 large garlic cloves, chopped
 -1 medium - hot red chilli, finely chopped
 -1 tsp rosemary, chopped
 -the leaves from 6 thyme sprigs
 -1 fresh bay leaf, finely chopped
 -3 strips of pared lemon zest
 -juice of half a lemon
 -1 tsp sea salt
 -half tsp of coarsely ground black pepper
 -6 tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a shallow roasting tin. Add the lamb, turn it a few times until well coated, turn skin side up, cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. Be sure to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking as it will cook more evenly

BBQ or griddle the leg for 5-7 minutes each side until well coloured then transfer to an oven set at 200 C/180 C fan/400 F/gas 6 for 20-25 minutes or, if your a Nervous Neris, until it registers 60 C/140 F on a meat thermometer at the thickest part

Lift the lamb onto a board and let it rest for 5 mins then carve into thick slices. If you've managed not to eat it all whilst carving then serve with anything you fancy. I had chips and salad because I have convinced myself they cancel each other out.

If you are cooking the lamb completely on a bbq - light it 40 minutes before (10 if gas). The lamb has enough fat to cause a few flare ups so keep an eye on it and move it to different parts. Cook for 10- 12 minutes on each side

Time taken     45 mins excluding marinade time
Effort     2/5
End result 4.5/5

If I dare criticise this recipe at all I would of made it with a little more chilli and rosemary. But we loved it and its going in my little black book and most importantly I sneakily tucked a bit in the back of the fridge for sandwiches. GOOD TIMES

I saw Rick Stein making this on tv

Steak sauce madness

Steak, lovely lovely steak. Please tell me shes not gonna try and tell us how to cook steak. Nooooooo!

No I wouldn't dare but I have had a month off posting so having a lazy evening eating steak and sauteed potatoes gave me a twinge of guilt. Now I believe steak is best with a dollop of mustard and probably always will, but when I saw someone make this on the TV it just looked so out there it stuck in my head. The third and probably most inspiring reason is that 'He who is in the dog house', feels cheesy creamy sauce on steak is the stuff of nightmares. Enough said.

You cook your steak as normal, for me medium rare if sauce is involved. Once they are ready and resting add a large piece of blue cheese to the frying pan the steaks were in. I used gogonzola but any one would do, but if a very strong one I would cut the quantity slightly. As it starts to melt down add some double cream ( I didn't weigh but I reckon it was about a 150g of each). Now the sauce is nicely bubbling away add - brace yourself - 1/4 tsp of curry powder. I know, this is so wrong in so many ways. Stir and serve. Don't forget to season.

Time taken     10 mins
Effort     1/5
End result     3/5

3?????? Yeah strange as it may seem it wasn't as bizarre as I thought it might be and a nice change for a Tuesday night teatime. There was a little bit of me wanted to asked the sauce if it was related to coronation chicken, but on the whole - harvester eat you heart out. The major downside was 'He who begged me not to add curry powder' actually liked it. Curses, oh well will try torturing him with anchovies instead.

I didn't make this recipe with the intention of posting it so please excuse the fact that it appears I have thrown the food at the plate from a great distance in the following picture.

Laughing out loud posting that picture - what would Ramsey say

Sweet Ricotta Fritters

This was one of those recipes where the picture draws you in and you can't imagine not trying them (anyone who has read previous posts may have raised an eyebrow, I do mean the original recipe picture and not my ones). The only sweet thing I ever make is eton mess because its delicious but I don't really have a sweet tooth, ignoring the occasional Drifter bar. I was a bit nervous as I very rarely deep fry anything either, but having done it now I am not sure why I thought it would go wrong.

These fritters are almost like little doughnuts but with a surprisingly different taste

- 400g ( 14oz )  fresh ricotta
- 3 free range eggs
- 5 tbsp castor sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tbsp of sultanas
- 200g ( 7oz ) plain flour
- 500ml ( 18 fl oz ) vegetable oil
- icing sugar for dusting

- Drain any excess moisture from the ricotta and place in a large mixing bowl with the eggs. Beat until smooth
- Add the sugar, lemon zest, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and flour and stir well to combine the ingredients. Cover with plastic film and rest the dough in the fridge for an hour
- Set out a plate lined with kitchen paper. Heat the oil, testing the heat by dropping a pinch of flour in, if it starts to sizzle its ready
- Scoop some dough into a tablespoon and drop it into the oil. Fry a few at a time depending hoe big your pan is. Once they are golden brown pop them onto the kitchen paper
- Serve piping hot dusted with the icing sugar

I would recommend breaking one of your first ones open to ensure they are not still soft in the middle. I dusted them with the sugar then thought to test them. As it turned out the middle was a little soft hence why the second of the pictures sees them slightly darker as they had sugar on them when they went back in. Somewhere in between is what your looking for. They were perfect regardless of being quite dark and dipping them in the icing sugar scattered around the plate was an afternoon well spent.

Personally I feel these are perfect with friends and a coffee in the afternoon rather than a dessert as they are quite filling. Admittedly I didn't have to eat 5 of them. Hmmm would they be nice with ice-cream I wonder. They are not to sweet and the lemon zest really makes them work so don't forget to put it in.

Time taken     15 mins + 1 hour resting
Effort      1.5/5
End result     3.75/5