Spicy Chicken

I had this delicious chicken dish at my aunty’s house whilst in Melbourne over Christmas, and immediately had to try it myself when I got home. It did not disappoint, and was fabulous served with a light and refreshing Cucumber & Dill Salad and some steamed broccolini.

This salad was amazing! I did it exactly as the recipe stated, and bought a piece of Danish feta to sprinkle over the top as I thought this would be a great addition to the flavours of cucumber, dill and zucchini – however, I completely forgot until we’d finished eating, that the feta was still sitting in the fridge waiting to be used! Oh well, I’ll try that idea next time, as I fully intend to make this salad again.

You can use whatever chicken pieces you like – I love drumsticks, and they’re great for picking at cold the next day. This would be a great picnic dish too.

My quantities are double the original, so increase/decrease accordingly as you see fit!

Aunty Helen’s Spicy Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil

8 chicken drumsticks

Spice Rub:

2 tsp salt

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp ground pepper (I had a jar of ground pepperberries so used that)

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp dry mustard powder

Sauce:

6 tbsp mango or lemon chutney

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

a splash of white wine

Combine spice mixture and coat chicken in it (I placed it all in a plastic bag to shake it around easily). Leave for at least 1 hour (overnight is good) in the fridge.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken on all sides. Place in a casserole or baking dish.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Spoon over the chicken pieces.

Cover with foil or lid and bake at 180C for 40 minutes.

Remove foil/lid and cook, uncovered for a further 20 minutes.

Happy Summer Fooding!

Dill & Lemon Loaf

Straight out of the machine

Small but delicious, this bread machine recipe is from a new cookbook that crossed my path at work recently, Brilliant Breadmaking in Your Bread Machine, by Catherine Atkinson. The quantities are for a smaller loaf than I usually make, in fact it was less than half the size, but the flavours were really good – the lemon & dill was definitely present, but not overpowering – and the texture was light and fluffy.

I made sandwiches for lunch with some of the slices, but this would make an idea nibbles platter – cut the slices in half so that they are small squares, and top with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and a garnish of fresh dill.

To make, just place the ingredients in the bread machine in the following order:

325 mls water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 cup white bread flour (or plain flour if you can’t get bread flour – if the flour is good quality it shouldn’t make a difference)

3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped finely

grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 1/4 tsp dried yeast

cracked pepper, to taste

Cook on a basic white loaf setting.

Slices of lemon fluffiness

If you don’t have a bread machine, you should invest in one as they’re awesome!!

Happy Fooding!

Lemon Zucchini

I love dill – I know it’s a love-it or hate-it herb, and I’m definitely in the love-it camp. To me, it’s a strong flavour like caraway or fennel or cardamom or anise – all of which I love.

Here’s a simple side dish for when zucchini is in season…..this was inspired by The Intolerant Gourmet, Barbara Kafka’s latest book of gluten-free/lactose-free recipes, and is very lemony. I couldn’t get fresh dill – but of course use it if you can get it – it’s a hit and miss herb for me at my local shops.

Lemon Zucchini

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large zucchini, cut into 0.5 cm slices

1/2 tsp dried dill

2 wedges preserved lemon, chopped

1/4 tsp chilli paste

1/4 cup white wine

salt & pepper, to taste

Heat oil in medium pan; add zucchini, dill, lemon and chilli paste, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add wine, salt & pepper, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Serves 2-3 as a side dish.

Happy Fooding!

Barley Bliss

For my birthday recently (these birthdays seem to come around with increasing frequency, which I am not very keen about!), I received a wonderful new cookbook, The Food Clock. I’ve already tried a couple of recipes and will be trying many more as this book is mouthwateringly tempting. As well as recipes, there is a kind of storyline woven through the book, so it’s a very interesting book, and the food is arranged by season of the year, rather than dish categories.

This barley dish is so delicious and SO simple. The book says it serves 4 but I find that it is only enough for 2 as a main dish, or 4 if it was served as a side dish or as part of many offerings. It is quite spicy from the chilli flakes, enough to pack a bit of a punch but not blow your head off. You could leave those out I supposed but it would not be the same, as the chilli blends with the olives and fresh dill to give a really great flavour. I love fresh dill – I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea as it has a distinctly strong flavour, but it works really well with this combination of ingredients.

I increased the cooking time by an extra 10 minutes as the barley wasn’t quite cooked enough/liquid absorbed, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly as stated in the book.

This is perfect warming food for eating in a bowl in front of the TV on a cosy night in.

Pearl Barley in Tomato, Olives & Chilli

200 gms (1 cup) pearl barley

500 mls (2 cups) chicken stock (I use Massel which is a vegetarian one that is also gluten-free and contains no MSG)

300 mls tomato juice

100 gms pitted black or kalamata olives, diced

100 gms pitted green olives, diced

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 handful of dill, chopped

Combine the barley, stock and tomato juice in a large saucepan and set over moderate heat. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid is completely absorbed and the barley is tender, then serve.

Happy Fooding!

Cucumber Salad….and The Winner Is….

I’ve based this easy Spring side dish on Maggie-via-The-Ranting-Chef’s cucumber salad, with a couple of variations. I love fresh dill in things like this – a strong flavour but one which really melds well with fresh salad ingredients.

This would go well with a curry or other hot, spicy dish, as a cooling side dish or substitute for raita.

Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber, sliced (use a V-slicer/mandolin if you have one)

3 spring onions, chopped

1 cup frozen peas, cooked in microwave or boiled, drained

Dressing:

1/2 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1-2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

pinch of salt & pepper, to taste

Place cucumber, spring onion and peas in a bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients together, whisking until blended, then pour over salad. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, to blend flavours together.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Fresh asparagus or broccoli, lightly blanched, would also work well in this salad.

Congratulations to Michelle from Virginia Plantation blog, who is the winner of last week’s Poachies giveaway! Michelle’s little prize is already on its way across the oceans.

Happy Fooding!

Using Up The Rest of The Haloumi….

Well after my egg & haloumi easy supper, I still had half a packet of haloumi needing to be used up……no problem….I marinated it in cubes just like before, sauted it along with a salmon fillet, which I then cut into pieces (well it just flaked apart really). I then mixed both of these with some blanched green beans, a few slices of red onion, a large pinch of dried dill (couldn’t get any fresh today), cracked pepper and a splash of lemon juice and soy sauce.

Not bad for a delicious, healthy main meal salad, and ideal for the hot weather.

Happy Fooding!

Light & Healthy Pasta

This was an interesting meal – I am now doing some casual library work, and after arriving home last Saturday I was pretty exhausted. Did not feel like cooking anything too time consuming, but I was hungry and really wanted something healthy and refreshing. I decided to try this recipe from the current Super Food Ideas magazine – literally just cooked pasta with salmon, herbs and lemon juice folded through.

The original recipe called for rocket, which I find too bitter, so I substituted baby spinach instead, and I also added some green beans, as I had bought some lovely fresh ones that day.

I really loved this dish; however, my boyfriend hated it! He is usually very appreciative of my cooking efforts and has a reputation at work for bringing in delicious leftovers for his lunch. Not this time though – I ate the rest cold as a salad for my next two lunches, which I was quite happy to do as it meant I didn’t have to share it and could be a complete pig lol.

See what you think anyway……

Smoked Salmon Penne

500 gms dried penne pasta

2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

130 gms smoked salmon, chopped

100 gms baby spinach leaves

180 gms green beans

extra lemons, cut into wedges, for serving

Cut green beans into 5cm lengths and cook for 2 minutes in a little water, on HIGH in the microwave. Drain.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, until tender. Drain and return to pan.

Add all ingredients to the cooked pasta and toss gently to combine until the spinach wilts.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Happy Fooding!