Chicken Chasseur - Cooking With Sheryl

My friend Sheryl was a Runner Up in the Miss New Zealand Contest in 1970
In the weekend ,we found this clip of Sheryl, holding a Graham Kerr Cookbook

Apparently  this was her “original” recipe, which caused us quite a bit of mirth
as Cooking was not really in her repertoire back then
Of course things have changed and she is a very competent cook now

So I decided we should cook her favourite recipe
As I read through I realized it was a Classic French Recipe…Chicken Chasseur
But we shall continue to call it Sheryl’s Original…Perfect

The actual recipe was using a whole chicken,
But I used Chicken Thighs, as that was what we had on hand 
So I have adjusted the recipe 

For 4 people

750 gms Chicken Thighs
60 gms Butter
60 mls Olive oil
1 Onion peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Mixed Herbs
4 tablespoon Tomato Paste
280 mls Chicken Stock
280 mls Dry White Wine
3 slices Shoulder Bacon, chopped
300 gms Mushrooms chopped
Lemon Juice
Arrowroot for thickening
Parsley for Garnishing

In a large pan brown the chicken in the oil and butter
Add onion and fry till tender
Add herbs, tomato paste, stock and wine
Season with salt and pepper
Cook till the chicken is tender

Remove chicken when cooked and cut into bite sized pieces

Liquid will have reduced
Thicken with arrowroot (1 tablespoon)  mixed with  a little water

In a separate pan fry the bacon till just cooked

Add the mushrooms, squeeze of lemon and continue cooking till tender

When the liquid has thickened, add the chicken back plus the bacon and mashroom mix
You can cook up to this point, earlier in the day
Then reheat when needed

Serve over rice and garnish with a little chopped parsley  

Beautiful,  Well Done Sheryl

Pinto Bean Dip - Another addition for your Appetiser Recipe File

Pinto Bean Dip
Here’s a treat to serve with drinks
Corn chips or some crispy vege such as celery, radish  to dip in
Appetizer sorted
We needed to whip an appetizer to take out
Had all the ingredients on the pantry and fridge
So I popped into the Epicurious Site
Found this
When completed
It was tasting a little dull so I made a couple of additions, oil, lime and coriander
Those added extras just lifted the dip and it was just great

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 x 400 gm can pinto beans, rinsed and drained 
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper 
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
Good squeeze of fresh lime juice
Olive oil

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium.
Add onion and cook until softened, 4–5 minutes.
Add beans, garlic, and bell pepper and cook,
stirring, until softened and warmed through, 4–5 minutes.
Stir in chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Pulse bean mixture, vinegar, oregano, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper,
and 1/4 cup water in a food processor,
adding water by the tablespoonful if needed, until smooth.
Add lime juice and chopped coriander
Pour over a slug of olive oil
Whiz again

Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Best Apple Crumble Slice - Take A Favourite and Make it Better

Apple Crumble is always a favourite and this recipe takes it up a notch
Turn it into a slice and nibble away at a crisp bottom, beautiful moist filling, with the crumbly top
Excellent

n.b. I think it is better the next day, after a night in the fridge
I found this recipe on the goodfood.com.au site
It was a recipe by Helen Goh

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
3 Pink Lady apples, peeled and cored
Zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon
½ Vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise
2 Vinnamon quills
3 Cloves
3 tbsp Castor sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp Cornflour
30g unsalted Butter
50ml brandy or apple juice
 
For the Crumble Base and Top
150g plain Flour
75g Brown sugar
50g Castor sugar
80g Oats
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
¼ tsp Salt
130g unsalted Butter, cold, cut into 2cm cube


For the filling,
Slice apples thinly (about 2mm) and place in a large bowl.
Add all the remaining filling ingredients except the cornflour, butter and brandy (or apple juice). 
Stir gently to combine, then cover and set aside for at least one hour
 (or overnight in the fridge) for the apples to soften and release their juices.

Strain the liquid from the apple slices into a large frying pan,
then return the apples to the bowl,
toss the cornflour through and set aside.
Remove the vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon quills and cloves from the apple mixture
and add them to the juices in the frying pan.
Place the pan over high heat and when it begins to boil,
add the apples and butter.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and toss the apples through
until completely coated in the syrupy juices.
Add the brandy (or apple juice) and cook until there is almost no liquid left.
Remove vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves
Set the pan aside to cool completely.

For the crumble base and top, 
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan-forced)
and line a square pan measuring 20cm x 20cm (I like to use one with a removable base)
with baking paper.
Place the flour, sugars, oats, cinnamon and salt in a food processor 
and pulse a few times to combine.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Divide the mixture in half. 
Scatter one half evenly over the bottom of the lined tin and pat the crumbs down firmly with your fingers.

Use the back of a spoon to even the layer and compress the mix further, then place into the oven for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 210C (200C fan-forced).

Spread the apple mixture (now at room temperature) evenly over the pastry base, and
sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top.

Cook for about 30-40

minutes or until the crumble is golden brown. 
Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool completely before cutting.

A short stint in the fridge will make it easier to slice if you are feeling impatient!

If you are feeling really decadent...plop on some Whipped Cream
Everything tastes even better with Cream

What do you do with A Large Marrow - Stuff It

Spanish Stuffed Marrow

The Gardener in the Family came in proudly with an armful of Courgettes/Marrow

One of the Marrows was too big and it went into the compost But...we did find a use for the medium one though
I went on-line and found a suitable recipe on the bbcgoodfood.com site
And I stuffed it.
It was very tasty and went down a treat with the family
The courgettes, of course  no problem... plenty of things to do with them

It seems I didn’t get around to taking a photo of the finished product, so you will have to imagine it
If you haven’t got Manchego cheese just replace with Tasty Cheddar

1 Marrow
Sea salt and Freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
100 gms Chorizo Chopped

1 tsp smoked/normal paprika
1/2 tps cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp each dried oregano and dried thyme
2 x 400 gms chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper chopped
Handful chopped parsley
85 gms fresh breadcrumbs
100 gms Manchego or Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 200C or 180C if using your fan bake
Cut the marrow in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle
Put the halves outside up in a large roasting pan and season well with S & P

Heat the oil in a pan
add the onion and sweat on low  till just tender about 10 mins

Add the garlic, chorizo, spices and dried herbs

Cook for a few minutes and add red pepper and tomatoes

Turn down to low simmer and cook for 10 mins, then stir in the parsley
Spoon the tomato mixture into the marrow halves

Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins

Test the marrow with a knife to see if the marrow is getting tender
Then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Cheese

and return to the oven for 10 minute

until the crumbs are golden and crisp and the marrow is tender
Cut into large slices and serve
It was excellent the next day for lunch at room temperature

And here are the Gardeners at work

Best Way to get Your Kids to eat Carrots and Parsnips - Roast them like this

Sometimes it is a chore to get your kids to eat vegetables
I can guarantee they will love these Roast Carrots and Parsnips. throw and onion in too
Everyone loves roasted onions
So simple, really quick and very very tasty

3 carrots, washed and cut into sticks
2 Parsnips peeled and cut into sticks, remove core if too woody
1 onion peeled and cut into wedges
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 200C
Peel carrots and parsnips and cut into sticks
Peel onions cut into wedges

Mix together the syrup, mustard, oil and S & P

Toss together with vegetables on a large baking sheet
Roast, stirring occasionally until browned and cooked through about 25 mins
Good served hot or at room temperature

Cooking with Jamie - Greek Chicken

A few years ago I decided to try and replicate Jamie’s 15 minute meals.
It wasn’t entirely successful as it definitely took longer than...but I had fun and we loved the food

This time, I have to say this meal took a little longer to prepare but once again very popular with the family
I have made a few changes for instance we didn’t have any couscous so I used Bulgar Wheat.
It was an excellent choice
But please use couscous if you wish
I had some beautiful chicken stock from poaching a chicken earlier in the week and it did add that extra wonderful flavour, I even used the Schmaltz and it was excellent
But use any other chicken stock even powdered stuff that just fine

For 4 people and Leftovers the next day

Ingredients
1 red pepper
6 spring onions
20 g black olives
100 g ripe cherry tomatoes
2 cups Bulgar Wheat
4 cups chicken stock  
1 medium cucumber
4 free-range chicken breasts
olive oil
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lemon, juice and zest
200 gms greek yoghurt
½ a bunch of fresh mint (15g)
2 carrots
extra virgin olive

Add chicken stock to a pan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Add Bulgar Wheat lightly stir
Cover and leave for about 30 minutes
Lift cover. Fluff up with a fork and set aside

Meanwhile, halve, deseed and finely chop the pepper.
Trim and finely slice the spring onions.
Bash the olives and tear out the stones, if needed, then roughly chop.
Halve the cherry tomatoes,

Add to Bulgar Wheat
Dress with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, juice of half a lemon and season with freshly ground black pepper

To Make the Tzatziki
Coarsely grate the cucumber into a bowl, add a pinch of sea salt and leave for 5 minutes. 
Using clean hands, gently squeeze the moisture from the grated cucumber into the sink, then return to the bowl. 
Stir in the yoghurt, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of pepper. 
Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, then stir half into the yoghurt mixture.
The Chicken
Meanwhile, place the chicken on a plate. Drizzle over it olive oil, the oregano and a pinch of black pepper. Finely grate over the lemon zest, then turn the chicken over to coat.

Using a speed-peeler, peel the carrot, then continue shaving it into long ribbons.
Or as I did make carrot noodles
 Place into a small bowl, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar and add a good squeeze of lemon juice
Alternatively you can dress with French dressing of your choice

My friend an eminent Chef gave an idea to improve this salad and I am going to make that
I will post separately

Heat a non-­stick frying pan on a medium high heat
Place the chicken into the hot pan and fry for 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning from time to time, then slice into rough strips.
Divide the Bulgar Wheat between plates, top with the carrot salad and chicken,

then serve with the Tzatziki.

Just like a bought one. Beautiful

Easy Vietnamese Style Beef Strips with Coconut Rice

Last week we  had a delivery of Hello Fresh
4 meals arrived and we were very impressed with the choice
The idea was to get the kids involved which we did
But as it turns out a lot of Grandma time was needed too, did this one on my own 

Vietnamese Style Beef Strips with Coconut Rice
This recipe fed 5 of us, with leftovers for lunch the next day
Perfect... thumbs up from the Family
I have made a couple of slight changes in the method
e.g. the vege and the rice
other than that I followed the recipe

Olive oil
600 gms sliced beef
Big knob ginger
4 cloves garlic peeled
4 lime leaves finely sliced
Soy sauce - 1/3 cup
Sweet Chili sauce - 100 gms

Red onion finely sliced
Rice wine vinegar  - 1/2 cup
Water -  1/2 cup
Sugar. Large pinch
Salt - Large pinch

Carrots 🥕 2
Broccoli 🥦 1 head
Roasted peanuts 🥜 handful

Rice
1 1/2 cups Jasmine Rice
1 400 ml tin of coconut milk
Water
Sea salt 2 tsps

To Prepare the Beef
Grate the ginger and garlic
In a medium bowl add ginger, garlic, soy sauce, Chili sauce and lime leaves
Add beef strips and set aside to marinate

To Pickle the Onion
Add sliced onion, vinegar, water and a pinch each of salt and sugar
Scrunch the onion in your hands and leave aside

To Prepare The Vegetable
Slice the carrots and cut the broccoli into small florets
Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil
Add the vegetables and blanch. (Bring back to the boil and simmer for about 2 minutes)
Drain and set aside
( you can prep the beef and the vege to this point, earlier if you wish)

When you are ready to go
Place the Coconut Milk in a large measuring jug
Top up to 3 1/4 cups with water
Place in pot and bring to the boil

Add the rice, bring it back to the boil
Stir well cover and lower the heat
Let simmer for about 10-12 minutes
Check… it should have absorbed the liquid
Stir to fluff up and set aside , Cover to keep warm

Heat a large pan to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Add blanched vege
Season with Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toss and sauté till just cooked
Remove and place in a bowl, keep warm

Wind up the heat in the pan and add the marinated beef
Cook until just browned 1-2 minutes

In a large serving dish
Place cooked fluffed up rice
Cover with the vegetables
Add the cooked beef

Serve with the side dishes of onions and peanuts

An excellent dinner
Thank you Hello Fresh

Cauliflower Cheese Soup - Perfect for An Autumnal Day

Autumn is here
We have had a wonderful summer and I'm sorry to see it slowly disappear but with the advent of slightly colder temperatures there is the excitement of different food
So I made a "real soup" instead of the chicken soup (which is really the only appropriate hot soup  in the summer) and very nice it was too


1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
40g (1.5 ounces or one-third US stick) butter
1/2 medium cauliflower
1 courgette 
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tablespoon grain mustard
900 ml boiling water or Chicken Stock if you wish
50 ml double cream
50 g (2oz) grated cheddar cheese
Chopped Spring Onion Greens to Garnish

Method:
Heat the butter in a large pan.
Add the onion and the garlic and leave on a medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes, until they are soft and clear.
Whilst the onion and garlic are softening,
Chop the cauliflower and courgettes as fine as possible.
Add them into the onion mix, season witn S & P
then stir in the boiling water.
Bring back to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Stir the soup well and add the grain mustard and the grated cheese.

Adjust seasoning to taste.
Blend the soup with the cream in a liquidiser.

 Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped green onion

Nothing like some Toasted Garlic Pita Bread on the side

Perfect for Lunch