Chicken with Lentils and Rosemary

It's April Showers week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), dishes to enjoy on rainy days. 

I made Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's, Chicken with Lentils and Rosemary. Accordingly to him, this is an easy one-pot supper for a cold night. Well, our cold nights here are usually our rainy nights, though not necessarily cold on rainy nights. Warm shower nights? 😄

I was reading through his recipe, and thought how easy it is! Cook in one pot! With only a few ingredients. How tasty can it be? 

To cook this dish, using an oven safe pot, saute sliced onion in some oil till softens, about 6 to 8 minutes, then add chopped garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir for a further 5 minutes or so, then stir in the red lentils and stock. Season the chicken pieces with some salt and pepper, then place them skin side up, on top of the  lentils mixture, and place the pot in the preheated oven, uncovered, for about 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through and the skin has browned.

I baked the dish for 1 hour 15 minutes, the last five minutes with the broiler on, just to brown the skin a little more. The chicken is moist, tender and so delicious ! The red lentils turned yellow upon cooking, became soft, mushy and so tasty. We had this dish with rice and some stir-fry french beans. We really enjoyed this dish! There were no leftovers!  So delicious! Yum! 

Coincidentally, it started to rain when we had this at dinner time. I did not see that coming, as it was blasting hot and humid the whole day! 

Chicken with Lentils and Rosemary
(River Cottage Light & Easy, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 4
2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary
200gm red lentils, well rinsed
500ml chicken or veg stock
8 skin-on, bone-in, free-range chicken thighs, or 1 medium chicken, (about 1.75kg), 
    jointed into 6-8 pieces
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
flat-leaf parsely, chopped, to finish

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Choose a flameproof casserole dish or a wide, ovenproof pan that will hold all the chicken pieces snugly but comfortably.

Put the casserole on a medium-low heat. Add the oil, then the onion and cook, stirring regularly, for 6-8 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, rosemary and some salt and pepper. Cook gently for a further 5 minutes, then stir in the lentils and stock.

Season the chicken thighs and place skin side up in the casserole. You want most of the chicken skin to remain exposed above the liquid in the dish so it can brown in the oven. Bring to a simmer on the hob, then transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. Check that the chicken is cooked through and the lentils are soft. If not, return to the oven for 10-15 minutes and test again. Skim off any excess fat from the surface.

Taste the lentilly liquor and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve, scattered with chopped parsley, just as it is or with steamed broccoli or spring greens on the side.

This post is linked to :
I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC)
Cookbook Countdown #40

Oven-Baked Shallot and Mushroom Risotto

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), we are saying goodbye and thank you to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. His time as our featured chef is up after a delicious 6 months of cooking from his recipes. It's time we move on to another selected chef, Ina Garten. To say Goodbye Hugh!, I've made his Oven-Baked Shallot and Mushroom Risotto

This is really quick and easy, no cooking on the stove at all, it is all cooked in the oven. I've used fresh shiitake mushroom instead of chestnut mushrooms, and did not have any fresh thyme, so I've used what I had, fresh coriander stalks. 

Shallots are peeled and quartered, then toss with some oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a large roasting tray. Bake for 30 minutes, then add the garlic, mushrooms and balsamic vinegar. Into the oven for another 15 minutes. Then add the risotto rice, stir to coat the rice, then add the stock. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes, stir once halfway through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I must say that this is quite a tasty rice meal. The rice is drizzled with some chilli oil before serving. Even though the risotto is good as it is, but it is even better with the chilli oil. I've used my homemade chilli oil. This is such a simple, tasty and filling meal.

The next featured chef at IHCC is Ina Garten. We will be cooking from her recipes for the next six months starting from Oct 2nd. Everyone is welcome to join us, you can get the full details here.


Oven-Baked Shallot and Mushroom Risotto
(adapted from River Cottage Light & Easy, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 4
2 tablespoon extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil
300gm shallots, peeled and quartered lengthways
a few good sprigs of thyme
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
300gm chestnut mushrooms, destalked and cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (ideally apple balsamic)
250gm risotto rice
1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chilli oil (bought or home-made), to fnish

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Put the oil, shallots, thyme and some salt and pepper in a large roasting in and toss together well. Roast for 30 minutes, then add the garlic, mushrooms and balsamic vinegar. Stir well and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Tip the risotto rice into the tin and stir to coat lightly with the oils and flavourings, then add the hot stock and stir again. Return to the oven for 30 minutes, giving it a good stir halfway through.

Let the risotto settle for 5 minutes, then taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Spoon into warm dishes, removing the thyme stalks as you go. Serve, trickled with the chilli oil.

****** 

This is not really goodbye Hugh, rather goodbye for now, till we meet again in Potluck Weeks! Here's the top three of my favourite dishes which I've cooked from HFW's recipes ;

Tempura Spring Veg with Sesame Dipping Sauce

French Beans with Tomatoes

Pork and Root Vegetable Stew

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Goodbye, Hugh!

and 

 I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #21 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Cabbage, Carrot and Caraway Broth

Theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), is Slide Into September ! As our friends in the US and some other parts of the world is entering into fall, with the summer season ending soon, it is time to use up the extra produce from the summer harvest. I am not familiar with which veggies are grown in each season,  I googled for info and read that cabbage is a late summer-early fall harvest. As we are in the tropics, our cabbages and other veggies are grown whole year round, mostly in the highlands, where the weather is cooler. So our cabbages and other veggies are available throughout the year.

This is a simple, easy, affordable and quick soup to make. It is light and tasty. We do love veggie soups like this. I have cooked veggie soups like this often and most of the time with stock made from simmering dried anchovies. But for this, I have used Rapunzel organic veggie broth cubes. For the cabbage, I have used our local Chinese cabbage (Napa Cabbage), which is sweet and great in soups. I have never used caraway seeds in a soup before, and was surprised to see it being used in this recipe.  I find that I like it very much. The other ingredients are chopped onions and sliced carrots. 

I made this soup for dinner as part of a meal with white fluffy rice, a vegetable stir-fry and a chicken dish. We like to end our meal with a bowl of clear, light veggie soups such as this.

Cabbage, Carrot and Caraway Broth
(River Cottage Light & Easy, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 4
1 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots (about 150gm in total), peeled and sliced about 5mm thick
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
300gm cabbage, such as Savoy, core removed, leaves roughly chopped
1 litre hot vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil, to finish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion along with a pinch of salt, cover and sweat gently over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes or until translucent and softened.

Add the carrots and caraway seeds to the pan and stir until well combined. Cook, covered, for a further 3 minutes or so.

Add the cabbage, stir well and then pour over the veg stock and season with pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the carrots and cabbage are both tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary.

Ladle into warmed bowl, making sure everyone gets a share of the caraway seeds, which tend to drift to the bottom of the pan. Give each bowlful a swirl of extra virgin oil and serve.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Slide Into September!

and 

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #21 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Fruity Muffins

Say Moo! At I Heart Cooking Clubs, "Time to get out the milk and/or cheese and SAY MOO!". That's our theme for this week, Say Moo !

It has been a pretty busy week for me, so I've made a simple tea time snack, Muffins. Originally, this recipe is Lemon Curd Marble Muffins, from HFW's book River Cottage Everyday. I've made one of his variations which he calls as Fruity Muffins, using frozen blueberries, as I've recently bought a big pack of frozen wild blueberries. 

Just like any other muffins, these are easy and quick to make. 

Moist with tender crumbs, bursting with blueberries, and these are not too sweet, which is really a plus for me, as I tend to reduce the sugar for most bakes, but there's no need for these. Delightful with a cup of tea.

Fruity Muffins
(River Cottage Everyday, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
makes about 12
225gm plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
a good pinch of sea salt
100gm caster sugar
1 medium egg
125gm plain yoghurt
125ml whole milk
75gm unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
75gm blueberries

Put 12 large paper cases into a muffin tray. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar in a large bowl and whisk lightly to aerate and combine.

Mix the egg, yoghurt, milk and melted butter together in a jug. Pour them into the dry ingredients and mix lightly, stopping as soon as everything is combined - it's essential not to over-mix or you'll get dense, cakey muffins.

Stir the fruit into the mixture lightly and quickly.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases, to three-quarters fill them.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180C/Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Eat on the day you bake them, ideally while still slightly warm.

I'm linking this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Say Moo!

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #20 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Tempura Spring Veg With Sesame Dipping Sauce

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme is Dippity Do Dah!, such a catchy theme! We are to make any dip or spread using any recipe from our current featured chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

I've made Tempura Spring Veg With Sesame Dipping Sauce, from HFW's fabulous book, River Cottage Light & Easy, a gift from a lovely friend.

HFW made the tempura using spring veg, I have however used our local veggies which are available the whole year round. 

The veggies I've used are pumpkin, sweet potatoes, French beans and brinjals. I have made some changes to the batter. In the recipe, Hugh has used only two ingredients ; white rice flour and chilled sparkling water. I do not have any sparkling water, so I have used ice cold water. And I have added one teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of salt to taste. (thus, I have omitted the sprinkling of salt on the fried tempura at serving time). The batter was quite thin and did not really coat the veggie when I dipped some veggies into the batter for test-frying. So I have added another 2-3 tablespoons of rice flour. 

For the dipping sauce, mix the ingredients together ; toasted sesame seeds, grated ginger, grated garlic, tamari (or soy sauce), lime juice, and honey. I've used soy sauce, so I have added 1-2 tablespoons of water to dilute the taste of soy sauce a little, as the dipping sauce I've tasted at Japanese restaurants are always so light yet so tasty.

The batter coats the veggies beautifully without being too thick or too thin and fried to a light crispiness. The tempura veggies are delicious, crispy and tasty!

And we love the dipping sauce. So good with the crispy fried veggies! Yum!

I will definitely be making this again!

Tempura Spring Veg With Sesame Dipping Sauce
(River Cottage Light & Easy, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
Serves 2-4
a selection of vegetables, such as asparagus, small radishes, baby carrots
and spring onions (I've used pumpkin, sweet potato, French beans and brinjals)
sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
sunflower or groundnut oil, for frying
fine sea salt

For the batter :
100gm white rice flour
160ml chilled sparkling water (I've used chilled plain water)
1 teaspoon baking powder
added a large pinch of salt to taste

For the dipping sauce :
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon runny honey
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

To prepare the vegetables :

Slice and cut the veggies to the same uniform thickness, making sure that they are not too thick so that they can cook quickly.

To prepare the batter :

Mix the ingredients together and used immediately.

Pour a 5cm depth of oil into a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat to about 180C.

Use a cook's thermometer to check the temperature of the oil, or drop in 1/2 teaspoonful of batter - it should fizzle enthusiastically and just start to colour in about 1 minute.

Dip the vegetables, a few at a time, into the batter, dunking them down to the bottom of the bowl so they get a good coating. Then lift them out, briefly letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl, and swiftly drop them into the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes until crisp and very lightly golden. Don't let the vegetables clump together in the oil or the batter won't cook properly - it helps to drop them in one at a time.

Tansfer the cooked veg to a plate lined with kitchen paper, and, while still sizzling hot, sprinkle with a little salt. Serve as soon as they are all cooked, with the dipping sauce.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

Dippity Do Dah!

and 

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #20 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

French Beans With Tomatoes

I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) is cooking with tomatoes this week, as the featured ingredient/dish for this month of August is Tomatoes! I've decided to cook with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, our current featured chef at IHCC. Made his French Beans with Tomatoes.

A simple and easy dish to cook, with just minimal ingredients ; chopped onions, chopped garlic, canned chopped tomatoes and French beans. For the tomatoes, either canned or fresh tomatoes can be used. I have one last can of chopped tomatoes in my pantry which I wanted to clear, and seems perfect for this dish. 

Does not takes much effort at all to cook this dish, the only thing is to stir every now and then, to avoid the bottom from sticking to the pan. I did add a little water just to keep the sauce moist and nice. 

This is a delicious dish. There's the usual slight sourness from the canned tomatoes, but at the same time, you can taste the sweetness from both the onions and the French beans. Very tasty. My son seems to be taken with this dish, he loves it. At first, he thought that I have added some sugar to this dish. Well I did not, the sweetness are naturally from the onions and French beans! We had this dish with rice and a few other dishes. No leftovers!

French Beans With Tomatoes
(River Cottage Every Day, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 4
1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400gm tin of chopped tomatoes, or 1 kg fresh tomatoes, blanched, skinned,
deseeded and roughly chopped
500gm French beans, topped, tailed and cut into 4-5cm lengths
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or frying pan, add the onion and sweat for at least 10 minutes, until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook gently for another minute or two, then add the tomatoes and stir well. Stir in the beans, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and season well. Turn down the heat, partly cover the pan and cook very gently, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes, until the beans are fully tender. If the mixture seems to be in danger of sticking, add a splash of water or stock. Serve warm or cold.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

August Monthly Featured Ingredient/Dish Challenge : Tomatoes !

and 

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #20 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Marinated Cucumber with Mint

I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) is going raw this week, with the theme, In The Raw! There's certainly not short on recipes for this theme. There's tons of recipes using fresh raw veggies in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage series of cookbooks.  I've made Marinated Cucumber with Mint from HFW's lovely book, River Cottage Veg every day! I love cucumbers, especially when eaten raw.

A very simple, easy and quick salad to put together. Sliced cucumber are tossed with cider vinegar, sugar, salt, olive oil, black pepper and leave to marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

A refreshing salad indeed! Especially with the chopped fresh mint.

Marinated Cucumber with Mint
(River Cottage Veg Everyday, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 3-4
1 medium-large cucumber
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil or rapeseed oil
a good handful of mint, finely chopped
a pinch of sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice into thick half-moons. Place in a dish with the cider vinegar, oil, mint and a pinch each of salt, sugar and pepper. Toss together thoroughly.  Leave for 15-30 minutes, toss again and then serve.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

In The Raw!

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #20 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Pork And Root Vegetable Stew

It's Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I've made our current featured chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's delicious stew.

In the recipe, either good quality sausages or pork chops can be used, or a mixture of both. I have used pork shoulder, as I love it for braising and slow cooking dishes. I have omitted the celeriac as it is not an ingredient which is easily available over here. For the parsnip, I have replaced with carrots. I did not tie the bouquet garni together, I merely drop into the pot, the bay leaves, parsley stems, and some dried thymes. Firstly the meat has to be browned first in some hot oil, which are then removed and keep aside. White wine is then poured into the casserole to deglaze all the caramelized bits that got stuck in the pot, smells really nice, and pour onto the pork. The vegetables are then sauteed in some oil for 10 minutes until they are softened, then return the pork along with their juices, to the casserole along with all the other ingredients. Simmer over a low heat until everything is tender, about 1 hour to 1-1/4 hours. I've added the potatoes during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

This is a delicious stew. The meat and vegetables are tender and the soup is so tasty and full of flavour. We enjoyed this stew with slices of homemade bread, Rustic Country Bread for dinner. There's no leftovers! Yum!

Sausage and Root Vegetable Stew
(River Cottage Everyday, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 4
2-3 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
6 good sausages, cut into large chunks, or 4 pork chops (or 4 of each) (I use pork shoulder)
1 glass of dry cider or white wine (use white wine)
2 onions, chopped
1 leek, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4-1/2 celeriac, cut into chunky cubes (omitted)
2 medium floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky cubes
1 large parsnip, cut into chunky cubes (replace with carrots)
1 bouquet garni (a bay leaf, 2 sprigs of thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together with string)
1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a casserole or large saucepan. Add the sausages (and/or chops) and brown them well over a medium heat - if you're using chops, you might need to do this in 2 batches. Transfer them to a dish.

Pour the cider or wine into the casserole and stir to deglaze, scraping to release any bits of caramelised meat from the base of the pan. Pour the pan juices into the dish with the sausages (and/or chops).

Heat another 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the casserole, add the onions, leek and celery and cook gently for 10 minutes or so, until softened. Then return the sausages (and/or chops) to the casserole with their juices and add the celeriac, potatoes and parsnip. Tuck in the bouquet garni, season with salt and pepper and add enough water to almost cover everything. Bring to a very gentle simmer.

Cook uncovered, or partially covered very gently over a low heat (or with the lid on in the oven preheated to 140C/Gas Mark 1) for about 1 hour, until everything is tender.

Take out the bouquet garni and check the seasoning. The potatoes should have started to break down and thicken the liquor a little. If not, just mash some of the vegetables against the side of the dish with a fork. Scatter over some chopped parsley, if you like, and serve.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

July IHCC Potluck

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #19 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Two-Root Slaw

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme is Salads & Sides. I made some slaw to serve alongside some roasted chicken. Recipe uses two types of root veggies ; carrots and celeriac. Since it is almost impossible to find celeriac over here, I've used what I had in my fridge ; stalks of celery instead, since we love celery in  salads. So I should really call this slaw as "Root-Stem Slaw"! 

Very easy and quick to put together. I sliced the veggies into matchsticks instead of grating. As for the lemon juice, I've only added a squeeze or two, instead of from 1/2 a lemon, as we do not like sour slaw.

A very nice slaw indeed. Great side dish for roasted chicken.


Two-root Slaw
(River Cottage Everyday, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
serves 6
2-3 large carrots
1/2 celeriac (about 400gm) (I've replaced with 2 stalks of celery)

for the dressing :
4 tablespoons good mayonnaise
2 teaspoons English mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon, or a dash of cider vinegar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan (optional) (omitted)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel the carrots and celeriac and coarsely grate them into a bowl (or use a mandolin on the matchstick setting, if you have one).

Beat together all the ingredients for the dressing, pour them over the grated vegetables and stir to coat thoroughly.

Pack in you lunchbox or serve at home, allowing the flavours to develop for an hour or so beforehand. It's good with cold meats, especially ham and tongue, or after a stew or shepherd's pie.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Salads & Sides

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #19 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Egg Tartare

It's Potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), and I've made Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Egg Tartare for lunch.

Quick and easy lunch snack to make. I've omitted the dill and have replaced the parsley with cilantro. And added a pinch of paprika instead of Tabasco sauce.

I thought that my Egg Tartare was a little runny, maybe because the yolks are quite runny to begin with. But I am not complaining! 😉 We had the Egg Tartare with some store bought bread, makes a nice, quick lunch, and a full tummy! With a mug of hot black coffee.

Egg Tartare
(River Cottage Everyday, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
6 medium eggs, at room temperature
4 spring onions, or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
3-4 gherkins (about 30gm), finely diced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill (optional)
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 dab of Dijon mustard
2-3 dashes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
slices of wholemeal, sourdough, rye or your favourite bread, to serve

First, boil the eggs. They should be what I call soft-hard-boiled that is, the whites completely set but the yolks just a bit runny in the middle. I achieve this pretty reliably by putting them in a pan of hand-hot water, covering it and bringing it quickly to the boil, then boiling for exactly 4 minutes - 5 if they are extra large. Then I run the eggs under the cold tap and peel them as soon as they are cool enough to handle.
Roughly chop the eggs and mix with the spring onions or shallots, gherkins, capers, parlsey and dill, if using.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard and Tabasco, if using, Gently combine this mixture with the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Serve on wholemeal, sourdough or rye bread, as closed or open sandwiches.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

June IHCC Potluck

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #19 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Cornbread

It is potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I have missed a few weeks of cooking with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, our current featured chef at IHCC, so for this potluck week, I've made one of his recipe, Cornbread. 

I like eating cornbread and have made a few versions from different chefs recipes. In HFW's recipe, he has given a few variations like adding chilli, sweetcorn, spring onions and cheddar. Even diced chrorizo, chopped olives, mushrooms and fresh herbs.

To his original recipe, I have added some fresh chives from my garden pot, two each of jalapenos and red chillies, which are deseeded and chopped.

The Cornbread bakes up moist, soft and very tasty. I like the heat from the red chillies and jalapenos.


Cornbread
(River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnleyt-Whittingstall)
Makes 12 pieces
125gm cornmeal or fine polenta (or use half fine and half coarse polenta for a crunchier texture)
125gm plain white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 medium eggs
1 tablespoon runny honey or soft brown sugar
150gm buttermilk (or plain whole-milk yoghurt)
150ml whole milk
25gm unsalted butter, melted

Grease a 23cm square baking tin, about 4cm deep.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Make a well in the middle.

Whisk together the eggs, honey or sugar, buttermilk or yoghurt, milk and melted butter. Pour into the well in the dry ingredients and stir until everything is just combined. Don't overmix; a few lumps in the batter are fine. You need to get it into the oven as quickly as possible once the bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk start reacting.

Pour the batter into the baking tin and place in an oven preheated to 220C/Gas Mark 7. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cornbread is golden and has shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before cutting the bread into squares. Serve warm.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

May IHCC Potluck

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #18 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Wholemeal Drop Scones

This week' s at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), we are celebrating all Bready Things! I've made Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstalls, (our current featured chef at IHCC), Wholemeal Drop Scones.

These are super easy to make. The drop scones are tender, moist and very tasty. Great with a dollop of salted butter and some honey.

We had the drop scones with some sliced bananas which I've cooked for a few minutes until the bananas are softened, with some butter and honey, with a handful of dried cranberries. Yummy!

Wholemeal Drop Scones

(River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

Makes 20-30

250gm self-raising wholemeal flour (or plain fine wholemeal flour mix with 2 tsp baking powder)

a pinch of baking powder

a pinch of sea salt

25gm caster sugar

2 medium eggs

about 275ml milk

50gm butter, melted

a little sunflower oil

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Pour in about half of the milk. Whisk, gently at first, and then as you start to get a thick paste, add more milk and the melted butter. Beat until you get a creamy batter a little thicker than double cream - you might not need all the milk.

Put a large, heavy-based frying pan or a flat griddle over a medium-high heat. Add a few drops of oil and rub with a thick wad of kitchen paper to oil the pan very lightly. Pour (or drop) a scant tablespoon of batter into the pan - to get a disc about the size of a digestive biscuit; you should be able to fit 4 or 5 in the pan.

After about a minute, little bubbles will start to appear on the surface of the drop scones. As soon as they cover the surface, flip the scones over with a spatula - be warned, the first batch may stick. Cook the other side for 40-60 seconds or so, then transfer the drop scones to a warm plate and cover them with a clean tea towel so that they stay soft - or hand them over to those waiting eagerly to get stuck in.
Cook the remaining drop scones in the same way, adjusting the heat level if they start browning too quickly and re-oiling the pan with kitchen paper as necessary.
To serve, top with a little butter and sprinkle with some sugar, and a fine dusting of cinnamon, if you like. Or serve buttered and spread with jam, honey or macerated fruit. Eat quickly, while still hot.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week,

Monthly Featured Dish : Bready Things!

and

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #17 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and Rice

I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC),  is cooking from a new selected chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall starting this month, until September. I love watching his shows on TV, River-Cottage, his life on his farm with fresh veggies, herbs and fruits, organic-raised chickens, fresh milk and meat from the cows he raised, and other wonderful fresh produce around his farm like wild mushrooms! All the food and breads he made in his kitchen always look so, so, good! So I am looking forward to cook with Hugh along with my other friends at IHCC. Anyone is welcome to join us, just hop along to IHCC for more details.

To welcome Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall into our kitchen, we can cook any of his recipes. There are many which I am so tempted to make, but I'll start with a one pot meal, Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and Rice. I love one pot meal, especially when it has rice it it! 

The chicken parts are cooked three times. Firstly, they are to be browned in a skillet, then roast for 20 minutes, then roast again, this time together with the rice until both the chicken and the rice are cooked. This may sound like a lot of work, but really there isn't much work at all. Recipe states that 125gm of arborio rice to serve 6, which I thought was way too little rice! It is slightly more than half a cup, how could this amount feed 6 people? I increased the rice to about 450gm to feed 4, since this is a meal all on its own.

The rest of the ingredients I pretty much followed the same amount except that I did not use the white wine. I do have a bottle of white wine, but I was struggling to open the bottle! After almost ten minutes, and getting impatient by then, I put that bottle aside and replace with chicken stock instead. Increase the stock accordingly if more arborio rice is used. The recipe says to prebaked the chicken first, while the rice stir-fried with the other ingredients as per the recipe instructions. The rice is then tipped into the chicken dish, taking care that not a grain of rice is left on the chicken, as it might not be fully cooked. I have however reversed the other way round. I stir-fry the rice briefly in a oven-safe saucepot, add the stock, let it come to a boil, then place the pre-roasted chicken on the rice, scatter the olive and baked uncovered until both the chicken and the rice are cooked, about 30 minutes. Remove pot from the oven, put the lid on and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Delicious one pot meal. Love the tender, juicy chicken and the tasty delicious rice. I scattered chopped fresh coriander leaves as I did not have any thyme. Works deliciously with the coriander. I chopped a generous amount of chopped fresh coriander, place the bowl at the table so that everyone can help themselves how much they want, cos in my house, we love fresh coriander, perfect garnish with rice meals like this! 

Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and Rice

(source from guardian.com)

Serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken, jointed into 6 pieces (or 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken portions)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
125gm risotto rice, such as arborio (I use about  450gm)
150ml dry white rice (omitted)
1 tbsp tomato puree
400gm tinned tomatoes, crushed
500ml chicken stock (add more stock if more rice is used)
about 150gm black or green olives (optional)
a litte fresh thyme, to finish

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Put a large frying pan on a medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the chicken pieces well, and in two batches, brown in the hot pan. Transfer to a large oven dish, skin side up, and when all the chicken is browned, roast it for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, turn the heat right down under the frying pan. If need be, pour off any excess fat (you want only one to two tablespoons of fat left in the pan). Add the onions and sweat gently for 10 minutes, until soft, then add the garlic and oregano, and cook for a few minutes more.

Stir in the rice for a minute or two, then add the wine and increase the heat so it is bubbling. Simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring, until  the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the tomato puree, then add the tinned tomatoes and stock, and bring back to a boil. Season to taste.

All this should fill the chicken's initial 20 minutes' cooking. Tip the rice mix into the chicken dish, making sure no grains are left on top of the meat, where they won't cook. Scatter in the olives, if using, and roast for 30 minutes longer, by which time the rice should be swollen and tender. Leave to sit for 10-15 minutes, check the seasoning, scatter with thyme and serve.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Welcome Hugh!