Thai sweet chilli chicken rissoles

Preparation Time

15 - 45 minutes

Cooking Time

30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g chicken mince
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• Salad, to serve

Method

1. Combine mince, curry paste, onion, milk, breadcrumbs and peas in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Using wet hands, shape mixture into 12 rissoles. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook rissoles, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a baking tray. Brush rissoles with half the sweet chilli sauce. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through, brushing halfway through cooking with remaining sweet chilli sauce.
3. Stand for 2 minutes on baking tray. Serve rissoles with salad.

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs with Beets & Green Beans

SERVINGS: 20 meatballs
PREP TIME: 45 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes

Ingredients for meatballs

• 3 tablespoons oil or unsalted butter, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¾ pound ground veal
• ¾ pound ground pork
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons flour
• sea salt or salt-free seasonings
• fresh ground pepper
• fresh flat leaf parsley

Ingredients for gravy

• 2 cups broth (beef or chicken)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• sea salt or salt-free seasonings

Method

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil (or butter) over low to medium heat. Saute onions for 7 minutes, or until tender. Combine cooked onions with ground veal, ground pork, allspice, eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Allow flavors to combine for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Form 20 meatballs. In a large skillet, heat oil (or butter) and add the meatballs. Cook for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer meatballs to an ovenproof dish and keep warm in a low temperature oven. To the skillet, add stock, and flour. Whisk over low heat until sauce thickens. Cover meatballs with sauce and garnish with parsley.

Ingredients for beets & green beans

• 6 beets, boiled for 45 minutes and peeled
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed and boiled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice from ½ lemon

Method

Slice beets, and combine with green beans. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.

Classic Cheeseburger

Classic Cheeseburger

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef, preferably chuck

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 ounces cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 hamburger buns

2 tomatoes (12 ounces), sliced

8 leaves Bibb lettuce (1 small head)

1 small red onion, sliced

Directions

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Season meat with salt and pepper, mix very lightly, and shape into four patties. Grill hamburgers 4 to 6 minutes per side for rare and 9 to 11 minutes for well done. If making cheeseburgers, lay cheese slices on top of the hamburgers after they have been flipped.

Serve immediately on buns (toasted, if desired), topped with tomatoes, lettuce, and onion slices.

Caribbean Jerk Turkey Burgers

Caribbean Jerk Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground turkey breast
4 T soy sauce
4 T red wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp garlic salt
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 hamburger buns
Guacamole
Red Onion

In a shallow bowl, mix together soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. On a plate, mix together all spices. Divide meat into 4 equal portions and form into patties, making them slightly thinner in the middle. Roll patties in spice mixture until coated on all sides. Dip patties into soy sauce mixture and transfer to a plate or rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate about 1 hour. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Cook about 5 minutes on first side until browned. Don't try to flip to early or they will have a tendency to stick. Cook on remaining side about 5 minutes more until cooked through. Toast buns under the broiler for a couple minutes until golden brown. Top burgers with a tablespoon of guacamole and a couple slices of red onion.

Baked Paprika Mustard Chicken

Baked Paprika Mustard Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut into thick strips

2 tablespoons good quality paprika

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus extra)

Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine mustard, paprika, olive oil, parsley, sesame seeds, and garlic. Stir to combine. Add chicken and make sure to fully coat. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Arrange chicken in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Drizzle extra olive oil on top of the chicken. Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and bake a further five minutes or until chicken is cooked and crispy.

Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu

Baked Italian Chicken Cordon Bleu

These were large breasts and still only took about an hour to cook completely. I use a meat thermometer to test the center. While poultry is generally well cooked at 185 degrees F, I almost always cook these to 175 because the center is not chicken but cheese and at 175 degrees F the provolone is melted perfectly while the chicken is not dried out. I also like to serve this particular stuffed chicken breast with Roasted Tomato Jam.

Serves 4


4 large chicken breasts, butterfly cut
6 ounces provolone cheese
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cups, bread, cracker or cornflake crumbs
2 tbsp dried mixed Italian herbs
6 ounces thinly sliced capicola ham
egg wash, 2 eggs + 2 tbsp water whisked together
salt and pepper to season

Lay each butterflied chicken breast flat. Season with salt and pepper on both sides and rub 1/2 clove minced garlic on the inside surface of the meat. Cut the provolone cheese into 4 sticks and wrap each one in 1 1/2 ounces capicola. Place the ham and cheese in the center of the flattened chicken and fold all sides of the breast meat toward the center to overlap. Flip the breast over so that the overlapped edges are on the bottom.

Mix the crumbs with the Italian herbs. Dip the stuffed chicken breast into the egg-wash and then into the seasoned crumbs. Place fold side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 175-185 degrees F on a meat thermometer. 

Asparagus and chervil quiche

Asparagus and chervil quiche

Asparagus and chervil quiche filling

1kg of asparagus, peeled and cut into 6-8 cm lengths

140g of Parma ham

1 handful of chopped chervil

1 pinch of chopped chives

100g of spring onions, chopped

350g of mascarpone

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

0.5 tsp of Bart salt

1 pinch of Bart black pepper

Shortcrust pastry

400g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting

200g of butter, cold and diced, plus extra for greasing

1 pinch of Bart salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk, for brushing the pastry

ice cold water

1.     Place the flour into a bowl with the salt and the diced butter. Transfer into a food mixer set to a low setting and mix until like fine breadcrumbs - about 1 minute. Alternatively, you could rub the mixture between your thumb and forefinger until it resembles breadcrumbs

2.     Add the egg and then add the iced water, little by little, until the dough comes together (it should not be too dry, otherwise it will just crumble when you roll it out). Place the dough in cling film and transfer to the fridge to rest for 30 minutes

3.     When the dough is ready to roll out, preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4, and grease and flour your quiche tin. Roll out the pastry to a 0.5cm thickness and lay this into the tin. Line the pastry with a sheet of foil and fill with baking beans

4.     Blind bake the pastry with the baking beans in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry achieves a light golden colour. Remove the baking beans and foil, and brush the base of the tart case with egg yolk. Bake for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Allow the pastry to cool while you make the filling
Reduce the oven temperature to 170ºC/gas mark 3

5.     Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 3 minutes and then refresh in iced water for two minutes. Drain and dry well

6.     Mix the chervil, chives, mascarpone, spring onion, eggs, egg yolks, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside

7.     Lay the asparagus spears in the cooled pastry tart, pointing outwards in a circular pattern, then lay the ham in between the asparagus. Pour on the chervil and mascarpone mix

8.     Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until it is light brown and firm to touch in the centre. Allow to cool to room temperature, slice and then serve

Szechuan roast gammon with pear and port chutney

Szechuan roast gammon with pear and port chutney

Serves 8

Cooking Time 180 mins

1.75kg joint of prime gammon
1 onion, peeled and cut into rough wedges
1 carrot, peeled and cut into rough wedges
2 bay leaves
12 peppercorns

For the Crust:

45ml (3tbsp) runny honey
60ml (4tbsp) wholegrain mustard
Juice 1 orange
60ml (4tbsp) Szechuan (Sichuan) peppercorns, finely ground
45ml (3tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Pear and Port Chutney:

25g (1oz) butter
450g (1lb) red onions, peeled and cut into rough wedges 
1 bayleaf
50g (2oz) caster sugar
30ml (2tbsp) good quality balsamic vinegar
150ml (¼pt) red wine 
2 large ripe dessert pears, peeled, quartered and sliced into 3
45ml (3tbsp) port.

Place the gammon in a large saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Add the vegetables, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil slowly, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Allow the joint to cool in the cooking liquid for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F.

Remove the gammon from its cooking liquid and using a sharp knife carefully remove the skin and some of the underling fat, leaving a thin layer of fat. Cut a lattice pattern over the gammon.

In a small bowl mix together the honey, grainy mustard and orange juice. Smear the mustard and honey mixture over the gammon and scatter over the ground szechuan pepper and finally drizzle over the olive oil.

Bake the joint for about 25-30 minutes or until golden and caramelised. Serve hot or cold with the pear and port chutney.

For the Chutney:
In a medium saucepan heat the butter. Add the onions and gently fry for 10-15 minutes until softened and golden brown.

Add the bay leaf, caster sugar, balsamic vinegar, red wine and pears. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer rapidly for 10 minutes. 

Remove the lid and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes until reduced and syrupy and chutney like in consistency. 

Stir in the port for the final 2 minutes of cooking, then set to one side.

Albondigas

	Albondigas spicy Mexican meatballs with red rice
Ingredients For the bravas sauce: ·         3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped ·         1 tsp olive oil ·         1 sprig thyme ·         1 bay leaf ·         1 tsp ground cumin ·         1 tsp smoked paprika ·         2 tbsp sugar ·         2 tbsp red wine vinegar ·         2 x 400g cans tomatoes ·         ¼ bottle red wine	Method To make the bravas sauce, fry the garlic in oil until golden. Add the herbs, cumin, paprika and sugar. Stir briefly then add the red wine vinegar. When this has almost evaporated, add the tomatoes and turn down the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes and season. Add the wine and continue cooking so the alcohol evaporates.
For the meatballs ·         250g pork mince, from the Family Butcher ·         250g beef mince, from the Family Butcher ·         2 plain sausages, skins removed ·         50g black pudding, chopped (optional) ·         1 large egg ·         2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped ·         50g breadcrumbs ·         50ml dry sherry ·         25g caramalised  onion chutney ·         (Morrisons) ·         2 tsp ground cumin ·         1 tsp each ground black pepper and salt ·         50ml vegetable oil	While the sauce is cooking, mix together all the meatball ingredients except the oil (reserving a sprinkle of parsley) in a large bowl until well combined. Roll the mixture between the palms of your hands into golf ball-sized meatballs. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan and fry the meatballs on all sides, turning frequently, until evenly browned. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F/Gas 3½. Pour the bravas sauce into a deep oven tray and add the meatballs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and no pink meat remains. Garnish with parsley.

For the red rice 3 large plum tomatoes, cut into quarters 500g/1lb 2½oz long grain rice 2 cloves garlic 10 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp paprika 1 tbsp brown sugar 2 limes, juice only

2 spring onions, finely chopped 1 tsp dried oregano 3 tbsp tomato purée 500ml/18fl oz vegetable stock (if you need more liquid use hot water) salt

1.   For the red rice, place the plum tomatoes on a baking tray with the garlic, drizzle over two tablespoons of the olive oil and place into the oven to roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.       2.     Once cool enough to handle safely, remove the skin from the tomatoes and peel the garlic.      3.     Place the garlic, tomatoes, paprika, sugar, lime juice, spring onions and oregano in a food processor and blend until smooth.      4.     Soak the rice in a fine sieve for ten minutes. Drain thoroughly.      5.     Heat the remaining eight tablespoons of olive oil a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the rice and fry, stirring to coat the rice in the oil, for 5-6 minutes, add the blended tomato mixture and the tomato purée and stir well, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid.      6.     Slowly add ladlefuls of vegetable stock, stirring constantly, as you would with a risotto, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed by the rice before adding the next.      7.     Cook until the rice is al dente, or to your liking and season with salt.      8.     Serve hot in bowls.