Crazy For Cauliflower

I do like cauliflower. A lot. It doesn’t have to have cheese/white sauce on it or be anything too fancy, and I adore it as cauliflower rice. So the idea of roasting a cauliflower whole, slathered in a yoghurt/spice mixture, was something I could not resist trying when a friend shared the post on facebook recently. You can find the recipe here at PureWow blog.

This was very easy and smelt fantastic when cooking. I’m using an unfamiliar oven at the moment, whilst in my temporary home for a few weeks, and I wasn’t sure how it would go – it did start to burn on the top so I covered it with foil for the last 10 minutes.

The result was pretty good (apart from a pan with the bejeezus burnt out of it because I didn’t think to put baking paper underneath, and the yoghurt mixture kind of dripped down the sides like icing on a cake!), but I do think it needed something more. Maybe a type of gravy or some extra yoghurt, or a drizzle of lemon juice/EVOO would have given it a finishing touch. It was cooked beautifully without being soggy, which surprised me after such a long cooking time.

This would be well worth trying with broccoli too, I think! We had it with very easy Honey Baked Chicken, for a simple Sunday night lazy meal, as we’d already been out for lunch with friends at Edgecombe Bros winery in the Swan Valley. We had shared platters of delicious local nibbles, and tasted wines – a very relaxing way to spend a Summer Sunday afternoon!

Happy Fooding!

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!

Relishing Royalty

Finally Summer has hit with a vengeance, and I’m loving it. My social life is crazy right now, as everyone is just happier in the warmer weather and there are so many outdoor things to enjoy in Perth when the sun is shining :), not to mention the silly season is upon us – Christmas parties, lunches, concerts, street festivals – so much is going on right now and I’m really having a ball.

I was recently reading historian Kate Williams‘ book Young Elizabeth : The Making of Our Queen, which mentioned the dish created by royal chefs to be served at the Queen’s coronation lunch in 1953. Aptly titled Coronation Chicken, this dish has become an iconic British chicken salad dish, with many variations.

Basically this is poached chicken, dressed with a mixture of mayonnaise, curry powder and fruit chutney.

You can see both the original recipe and a healthier, modern take by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, here. I made mine above by taking elements from both – I used low-fat mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt for the dressing base, and fruit chutney rather than apricots, but I did poach 2 chicken breasts rather than use leftover cooked chicken. I also topped with shaved parmesan to cut through the sweetness, but actually it was still too sweet for me – too kind of “fruity” in an overpowering kind of way.

I like the concept, and it was easy to make, but I will try it again with just yoghurt and no mayo next time, and chopped dried fruit instead of the very strong fruit chutney.

Happy Summer Fooding!

 

Cuban Chicken

Something quite unusual for me, this recipe grabbed my attention because of the inclusion of banana. I am totally not into “sweet and sour” usually, or any sweet additions to meat dishes (like pineapple – ugh), except for prunes or dried apricots in a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern type dish ie lamb.

When I saw this chicken recipe (I totally love my RSS feed to Best Recipes – I get so many great recipes and ideas from this site), I thought hmmmm that sounds so easy and interesting. Wasn’t sure if I would like the addition of so much banana, but figured what the hell, let’s give it a go.

WELL, it was delicious!!! Super simple and quick, and the banana was subtle and not overwhelming. Definitely one to make again. Below is my version, almost the same as the original but slightly different quantities and using real garlic – I mean, what the heck is the point of “garlic powder” when you can use real crushed up stuff.

I served this with pearl couscous, which I’ve been wanting to try for a while as well – I use regular couscous a lot, especially for a quick-fix healthy salad for lunch – but had never cooked the large pearls. I followed this microwave version of how to cook it – and it was lovely – great as a substitute for rice or noodles with a chicken dish like this one.

Cuban Chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

6 chicken thigh fillets, chopped into large chunks

1 large brown onion, thinly sliced

1 pkt dried Spring Vegetable soup

1 cup orange juice

1 cup water

splash of light soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, crushed

cracked pepper, to taste

3 ripe bananas, cut into 2cm slices

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan; saute onion and chicken until browned. Add remaining ingredients except banana and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Add banana slices and cook for a further 2 minutes until banana is heated through.

Serves 4.

Happy Fooding!

Back to Summer Salads…

Enjoy this simple pasta salad with your next BBQ. You can use any type of pasta – shells, bows, penne etc. or even a filled tortellini or ravioli.

Quantities are approximate – I just throw it all in until it looks about right!

Curried Pasta Salad

400-500 gms dried pasta

1 tsp curry powder

3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use low-fat)

1/4 cup milk

6 spring onions, chopped

3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

cracked pepper, to taste

Mix curry powder with mayonnaise and milk, and blend well.

Cook pasta in boiling water with a splash of olive oil, until al-dente (either on the stove or in the microwave). Drain and add the curried mayonnaise mix, stirring through while the pasta is still hot. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until serving, giving it a toss before using (and add a splash of extra milk just prior to serving, if it looks/feels too thick & stodgy).

Variation – add some finely chopped red capsicum or mushroom.

Happy Fooding!