Recipe corner: A summery stew of chicken, broad beans, lemon and mint

This was just a very easy dish that basically sits on the stove and take care of itself while the cook potters.  It is pretty close to a Lucas Hollweg recipe that I copied out of the Sunday Times magazine aeons ago, although that was flavoured with mustard (also delicious).  I was in the mood for something zingy so subbed out the mustard for flavours of lemon and mint which I thought would be gorgeous with broad beans (it was).

The only problem is I haven't yet decided what would prove the best accompaniment for this kind of thing - new potatoes, perhaps, steamed and tossed in a knob of butter, or a lemony basmati rice or even mash (mash on the side is never wrong).  I actually ended up serving it over pasta which was not quite right.  Fortunately, there are two more portions in the freezer for me to have another go.

Ingredients

400g chicken thigh fillets, skinless and boneless, cut into chunks
3 tsp light oil
Onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
50ml Vermouth (or dry white wine if you happen to have some kicking around)
2 large bay leaves
500ml chicken stock (I tend to use Knorr stock pots)
100g frozen broad beans
4tbsp half fat creme fraiche
Zest and juice of half a large lemon
1-2 tbsps chopped fresh mint

Serves 4, 8pps per portion

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a large saucepan.  Season the meat and then add to the pan to brown - in batches if necessary.  Remove to a plate.

Heat the final tsp of oil.  Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften and then throw in the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes or so until all the vegetables are softened.

Pour in the Vermouth or white wine and briskly scrub at all the golden sticky bits of chicken and onion stuck to the bottom of the saucepan to ensure that the liquid deglazes them all.  Reduce the wine to almost nothing, then return the chicken to the pan and combine everything well.

Now you can add three quarters of chicken stock.  Bring up to a brisk simmer then cover and cook for around 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the creme fraiche with the lemon and mint and weigh out the broad beans.

After half an hour has passed, remove the lid and add the broad beans.  They will bring the temperature of the liquid right down and temporarily stop the cooking so you may need to turn the heat up to get it back to bubbling.  If it looks a little dry, add more stock - you want a decent amount of sauce.  The broad beans should cook in about 5 minutes in the hot stock.  The best way to check that both chicken and vegetables are cooked through are to have a quick try.

Turn the heat down and stir through the flavoured creme fraiche.  As long as the stew isn't too hot and the creamy mix is at room temperature you shouldn't have any issues with splitting.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Recipe corner: Hot and cold gin and tonic

This is the absolute perfect dish to serve as a palate cleansing pre dessert, if you are the type of person who likes to serve palate cleansing pre desserts.

 

You'll need one of those foamer canister things (we have an ISI Whip) but, given you're a person who is considering serving a palate cleansing pre dessert, you've probably got one.

 

Ingredients

 

150g sugar

150ml tonic water

 

4 egg whites

125ml lime juice

75ml gin

 

250ml lime juice

150ml gin

 

Serves 4, 8 pro points per portion

 

First make a sugar syrup by bringing the sugar and tonic water to the boil, and then allow to cool.

 

Mix 250ml fresh lime juice with 150ml gin and half of the cooled sugar syrup.  Transfer to the freezer, taking out to fork briskly now and then (obviously you will need to do this stage well in advance).

 

Loosen the egg whites with a whisk or a fork then add the rest of the lime juice and the gin and the other half of the sugar syrup.  Put all the ingredients into the canister.

 

Prior to serving, you want to warm the foam through; fill a large beaker with boiling water and sit the flask in it for 10 minutes or so.

 

To serve, put granita in the bottom of the glass (you may not need to use it all) and top with the warm foam.  You will need to move quickly as the granita will start to melt almost immediately.

Recipe corner: Roast chicken and leek pot pie

I wasn't intending to blog this recipe.  It was just something thrown together with various odds and ends to use up the remains of a rotisserie chicken that we accidentally managed to purchase last week.

 

You may ask how one accidentally buys a rotisserie chicken to which I say to you, if one goes to their favourite bar for a quick drink after a very pleasant couple of hours at the cinema ("Inside Llewyn Davis" - wonderful) and that quick drink turns into three glasses of wine on an empty stomach then one is quite likely, alongside one's partner in crime, to cross the road into the shining beacon that is Waitrose and do a bit of tipsy shopping.  It is the middle aged, middle class equivalent of buying a kebab on the way home after a night downing Jaegerbombs. 

 

So anyway, we ended up with a rotisserie chicken that we hadn't quite planned for, and it did for a few sandwiches but there was meat left that needed using and I thought, what about a nice pot pie.  I am firmly of the opinion, incidentally, that a pie is only a pie if it has pastry all the way around it.  A pot pie, on the other hand, is what a lot of pubs serve up under the guise of a pie, that is, it just has the pastry on top.  It is a lot more diet friendly, obviously, and feels naughty without being too many points (or calories).

 

It is important though that the filling is rich and savoury and has enough sauce that it will bubble up around the sides of the pastry and dribble down the sides of your beautiful new Le Creuset ramekins.  This filling fits the bill perfectly. 

 

 

As I said, I wasn't intending to blog this recipe.  But then I had the final portion of pie filling for lunch today (the amount of chicken I had stretched easily to three) mixed with pasta and topped with a bit of cheese and I thought it was utterly scrummy like that too. 

 

Ingredients

 

110g roast chicken, mixed, roughly shredded

Onion, finely chopped,

Carrot, finely chopped

2 leeks, sliced

Tsp dry thyme

2 tbsp white wine

 

20g butter

20g plain flour

400ml chicken stock

Heaped tsp Dijon mustard

 

100g puff pastry

 

Makes 3 pies, 8pp per pie (chicken filling is 4pp a portion if eating without pastry)

 

Put a large, non stick pan over a low heat and gently start to cook the onion and carrot pieces, with a good pinch of salt so that they will sweat.  Meanwhile, rinse the leeks to remove any grit from the layers and do not dry too thoroughly - the residual water will help steam the veg.  Transfer the leeks into the veg plan, season well with salt, pepper and the thyme.  Pour in the wine and allow to bubble off to nearly nothing.  Continue to cook gently.  The carrots may still be on the al dente side when you come to make the pie filling but don't worry - they will finish their cooking in the oven.

 

In a second pan you can prepare the sauce.  Start by making up the chicken stock and have it standing by.  We use Knorr stock pots but any decent stock will do.

 

Melt the butter and then add the flour and stir briskly to make a paste.  Add the stock a splash at a time, combining well at each stage.  Sometimes it will feel as if the sauce is not going to come together - the flour paste will appear as lumps in the liquid.  Be firm with it - vigorous stirring and it will amalgamate.  Keep going until all the stock is added.  Allow to bubble briefly, finally adding some more seasoning and the mustard.

 

You can now combine the sauce and the vegetables and stir through the chicken.  Transfer the mix to three ramekins. 

 

To finish off the pies, preheat the oven to 180.  Cook the chicken mix for fifteen minutes and, while it is in the oven, roll out the pastry on a floured surface.  Cut out circles that fit on the top of the ramekins, using any trimmings to make leaves for the pie top.  Or birds.  Or splodges.  Top the pies and bake for a further fifteen minutes until puffed, golden and delicious.

Recipe Corner - A simple but excellent little potato salad

Potato salad is not something I think to make very often. But I think I must have been inspired by Jenny’s recent post on the German style sausage with potato salad, because when I saw that I had half a bag of new potatoes leftover in the bottom of the fridge I developed something of a craving. One swift adjustment of the meal plan later, potato salad and smoked sausage was on the weekly menu.

Now in the past, I would have just gone down the route of combining potatoes with some mayonnaise (probably extra light – for shame!) some chopped veggies, seasoning, nice enough but nothing particularly exciting. But a couple of tweaks later, inspired by a recipe I found online of Diana Henry’s (a cookery writer who earned my enduring adoration with her fabulous Gastropub cookbook) it was elevated several notches. The notion of soaking the potatoes in stock beforehand is genius, as is the combination of mayonnaise and crème fraiche.

I have used full fat mayo here, and half fat crème fraiche. This latter ingredient is fast becoming a staple in my fridge – I often use it in place of cream and absolutely adore it – it is rich, creamy with a slight edge of sour and significantly lower in points than cream.

Hopefully, the summer will continue in a similar vein to the amazing week we have just had and then this salad can make its barbecue debut! As one of several side dishes, this would comfortably serve four. Oh, and it would probably work very well with some fresh herbs added to the dressing – I wondered about mint while I think Diana suggested chervil and parsley.

Ingredients

400g new potatoes
50ml good vegetable or chicken stock
30g mayonnaise (be a divil and go full fat)
40g half fat crème fraiche (Yeo Valley is an excellent brand)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Small bunch of spring onions, chopped
Seasoning

Serves 2 (as a generous main course), 8 pro points per portion

Put the potatoes in a pan, cover with salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, chop the spring onions and combine with the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

When the potatoes are cooked, slice and, while still warm, pour over the stock. Part cover and leave to stand for about 10 minutes to allow the potatoes to absorb it.

While the potatoes are still warm, mix through the dressing. This can be served chilled but is probably best slightly warm or, at least, at room temperature.

Recipe corner – Best Ever Braised Red Cabbage

Well, two sleeps left to go until what might just be the most important meal of the year, and like all good foodies I’m getting quite excited. We’re planning to be quite organised and do the majority of the prep work beforehand so on the big day itself we don’t have to worry about anything more then bunging stuff in the oven. But what do they say about the best laid plans?

Tonight, the main job will be to put together the best braised red cabbage in the world, ever and I’ve reproduced the recipe below (I believe it was originally by Marcus Wareing, but I’m not sure where exactly it came from). This is not a low point option – I have calculated the pro points, but more for the sake of interest than anything else; if I were in counting mode I’d probably use little if any butter and sweeten the vegetable with grated apple and onion, and it would be lovely. But just occasionally, this is worth the hit.

Ingredients

1 small red cabbage, cored and sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
150g unsalted butter
200ml red wine vinegar
50g clear honey
100g demerara sugar
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
Large pinch of salt

Serves 4-6, 8 pro points per person (if 6)

Set the oven to 150.

Mix together all of the ingredients and place in a roasting tray. Cover with foil and cook for about 1 ½ hours, stirring regularly, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

(Note: if, after the 90 minutes have elapsed you still have a lot of liquid, it might be worth sticking the tray over a high hob to reduce – we did this last time we cooked it in order not to muck up the timings of other dishes, and it tasted just as nice).

Edited 23/10/2017
This recipe also works really well if you just bung everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for around 8 hours (or overnight).  The colour of the cabbage will be slightly less vivid but the flavour and texture will be utterly perfect.  If you use this cooking method, I would suggest reducing the amount of vinegar by half.