Quick Mustard Chicken
28 October 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

CHICKEN

  • a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 4 x 180g chicken breasts, skin on
  • 4 teaspoons Colman’smustard powder
  • 1 large leek
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • white wine
  • 75ml single cream 
  • 1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain mustard
 
GREENS
  • 200g  greens; cabbage, baby bok choy or similar
  • 1 x 150g bag of baby spinach
  • 1 lemon

Instructions

CHICKEN
 
Turn the heat under the frying pan up to medium. Pick and finely chop the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and sprinkle them into the pack of chicken. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of mustard powder over each breast, then season and drizzle some olive oil over the chicken and into the frying pan.
 
Massage and rub these flavours all over the meat. Put the chicken breasts in the pan, skin side down. Wash your hands well. Use a fish slice to press down on the chicken to help it cook. It should take around 18 minutes in total.
 
Quickly trim the leek and halve lengthways. Wash them under the cold tap, then finely slice them and add to one side of the chicken pan.
 
Crush 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the pan of chicken. Flip the chicken breasts skin side up, then press down on them again. Stir the leeks and add a good swig of white wine.
 
Check the chicken is cooked through, then pour 75ml of cream into the frying pan. Cover the pan with tin foil. 
 
Turn the heat off. Transfer the chicken breasts to a board and slice into uneven pieces. Stir 1 heaped teaspoon of whole grain mustard into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
 
Spoon the sauce on to a platter and put the sliced chicken on top. Drizzle over some extra
virgin olive oil and take straight to the table.
 
GREENS

Finely slice the stalks so they cook quickly. Wash the leaves. Put the stalks into the saucepan, cover with boiling water, add a good pinch of salt and put the lid on.
 
Add the green leaves to the saucepan. Add another splash of boiled water if needed.
 
Empty the bag of spinach into a colander and pour the greens and the boiling water over the spinach. Add a lug of olive oil to the empty saucepan, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon, then return all the drained greens to the pan and use tongs to toss and dress in the flavours.
 
Season to taste, then take straight to the table

Lamb cutlets wrapped in bacon with cannellini bean salad
21 October 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 frenched lamb cutlets
  • 2 tsp English mustard
  • 4 rashers of streaky bacon, halved widthways
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
  • 800g canned cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
  • 1 fenel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbs white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

Spread cutlets with mustard and wrap meat in bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
 
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frypan over high heat. Cook cutlets (in batches) for about 3 minutes each side until bacon is crisp and lamb is medium rare.
 
Meanwhile, place beans and fennel in a pan with 2 tablespoons of water. Warm for 5 minutes over medium heat, then stir in vinegar, parsley and remaining oil.
 
Season and serve with lamb cutlets.
 

Mikala's Thai seafood hot pot
21 October 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons peanut oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
  • 400ml coconut cream
  • 2 cups (500ml) fish stock
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves cut finely
  • I eggplant cut into fingers
  • 100g green beans, trimmed
  • 750g white fish fillets or a mix of seafood
  • 5 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 red chilli
  • 3 table spoons of sweet soy
  • steamed rice, to serve

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add the chilli and yellow curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
 
Add the coconut cream, stock and lime leaf. Cover pan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
 
Uncover, add the eggplant and beans and cook for 10 minutes.
 
Add the fish, fish sauce, sweet soy and cook for another 8 minutes.
 
Serve with steamed rice.

Blueberry & ricotta pancakes with lemon butter
14 October 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250g tub ricotta
  • 100ml milk
  • 1 tub blueberries 
  • 75g flour
  • .5 tsp baking powder
  •  2 eggs, separated
  • 1 Tbsp caster sugar
  • 3 Drops vanilla extract
  • 4 slices of bacon (optional)
  • butter for frying
  • Farmers wife lemon butter

Instructions

Make the batter by whizzing the ricotta with the rest of the batter ingredients, except the butter, in a food processor until it makes a smooth batter. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Add most of the tub of strawberries saving some for decoration. Melt a little butter in a non-stick frying pan, drop in spoonfuls of batter and cook in batches, about 4 at a time, until golden. Turn and cook the other side. If you have been clever and kept the batter light, you may need to place them in an oven to cook right through.It is always a good idea to under cook them and let them finish in the oven. This way you willl have a stack rather than serving as you cook them.

Set it for 140 degrees add as you cook them, no more than 10 minutes though.

Finish with remaining berries and serve with lemon butter, maple syrup or honey.

Caramelized Ginger Chicken recipe
14 October 2011

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 2 chicken thigh fillets, cut into thick strips
  • 3cm piece ginger, peeled, cut into strips 
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed 
  • 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tsp fish sauce 
  • 1 green capsicum, thinly sliced 

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add sugar and chicken, cook, tossing often for, 3-4 minutes or until caramelized.
 
2. Add ginger, garlic, chilli, chicken stock and fish sauce, bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 3 minutes until sauce reduces slightly. Add the capsicum, cook for 1 minute until capsicum softens slightly. Serve.