Fast and easy baked creamy tarragon chicken breast

June 25, 2014February 11, 2016 Belinda

I was asked recently if I had a really easy and quick boneless chicken breast dish and realized I hadn’t posted one of the simplest ones around.

Serves 8 but is easily halved.
1 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 heaped tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped roughly or 4 tsp dried tarragon, crumbled
4 cloves garlic, sliced lengthways
salt and pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a 13″ by 9″ baking dish, stir together all the ingredients except the chicken.
Season the chicken breasts well with salt and pepper then add them to the mixture, turning to coat well and arrange in one layer.
Bake the chicken in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Can’t get much easier than that!

Easy Thai pork satay

June 18, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

As you probably know by now, I am an Asian food freak, especially anything with coconut and lemongrass.
This is so tasty and tender with super flavors and is pretty simple to to throw on the bbq. Ideally a charcoal fire would be better, but if you have a gas bbq that is fine.

Makes about 10 skewers
1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp chopped fresh lemongrass (outer leaves pulled away, and only the tender inner stalks used)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp chopped galangal or fresh ginger if you don’t have galangal
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 & 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I roast my own)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1lb pork fillet, cut into 1/4″ thick sliced (silverskin removed)

Puree 1/2 cup coconut milk, the lemongrass, coconut oil, galangal/ginger, sugar, turmeric, coriander, salt, cumin and cayenne in a food processor.
Toss the paste and pork slices in a bowl, coating well and chill for 4 hours or more.
Thread 3 slices pork each on to 10 skewers, spoon the remainder of the coconut milk onto the meat and grill, turning until charred, about 7 minutes.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup · Vegetable-related

Gorgeous Greek gazpacho with feta cheese

June 16, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

This is such a lovely, refreshing and vibrant dish on a hot summers day and so easy as there’s NO COOKING!!
I saw Ina Garten making this on the Food Network and immediately ran to the computer to get the recipe. It’s richer and more interesting than the usual slightly watery and one dimensional gazpachos one gets in many restaurants.
When we start our kitchen remodel in a couple of months, this will be a staple, along with several other great chilled soup recipes as we will be without the kitchen for 2 months.

Serves 8 to 10
2 thick slices day-old bread, such as Ciabatta
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp freshly chopped oregano leaves
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp good olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 red onions, chopped
1 seedless cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 (46 oz) can good tomato juice, such as Sacramento
4 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz good Greek feta cheese, small-diced, not crumbled

Place the bread, garlic, oregano and parsley in a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped.
Add the vinegar and olive oil and process again until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Place the peppers, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and olives separately in the food processor and process until very coarsely chopped. Add to the mixing bowl.
Add the tomato juice, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste for seasoning, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours for the flavors to come together nicely.
Fold in the feta and serve chilled.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup · Vegetable-related

Chilled lemongrass and cilantro soup

June 14, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Thanks to the wonderful and foolproof Delia Smith for this refreshing, zingy soup for those hot summer evenings.
Delicious before a dinner even in a soup shooter. it’s even nicer when the soup and the bowls or shooters are chilled when serving.

Serves 4
4 thick stems lemongrass
2oz fresh cilantro leaves
5 green onions, finely chopped
2 oz butter
2 medium onions
10 oz new potatoes, scraped and chopped small
5 fl oz whole milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Firstly, strip the cilantro leaves from the stalks and reserve both the leaves and the stalks.
Lemongrass is dealt in exactly the same way as leeks; trim the root and the tough top away, leaving 6 inches of stem, remove the outer skin and chop quite finely. Then do the same to the green onions.
Gather up all the trimmings from both, wash them and put them into a saucepan together with the cilantro stalks, some salt and 1 1/2 pints water and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes to make a stock.
To make the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the chopped lemongrass, onions (reserve the green onions until later) and potatoes and keeping the heat low, let the vegetables sweat gently, covered for about 10 minutes.
After that, pour in the stock through a strainer, discard the debris from the strainer and add the milk and about 3/4 of the cilantro leaves.
Season with salt and pepper, bring the soup up to a simmering point and simmer very gently for about 25 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool a little before pouring it into a food processor or blender, puree it, then pour it through a strainer into a bowl.
When it’s cold, cover and chill thoroughly until you’re ready to serve it.

Serve in chilled bowls or soup shooters.

You can add an ice cube to each bowl if you like and sprinkle in the rest of the finely chopped cilantro and the green onions as a garnish. FYI, in my picture there is no garnish other than a blob of whipped sour cream and a mini basil leaf which is also nice, but more minimalist.
Make sure you serve this soup chilled!

Appetizers · Gluten Free · Meat

Glazed chorizo with figs

June 14, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

This dark, gooey, sweet, spicy mixture is rich and sumptuous and a great dish for a starter with some toasted bread slices.
You don’t need much and it definitely has the “wow” factor in flavor.

Serves 6 to 8
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. Spanish chorizo, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, sliced lengthwise
2/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup good liquid honey
1 1/2 cup dried figs, trimmed and quartered
1 stick cinnamon
3/4 tsp. whole cloves

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and chorizo and stir for about four minutes, until the garlic and onion is soft and starting to brown.
Add the honey and stir vigorously for approximately 30 seconds, being sure to coat all the ingredients.
Add the wine, vinegar, dried figs, cinnamon and cloves. Heat to a simmer and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and created a glaze for the chorizo and figs.
Serve immediately, or let cool and reheat for serving.

Appetizers · Gluten Free

Salami chips with sour cream and basil

June 6, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

Last night we had close friends for dinner and I made these as an hors d’oeuvres with drinks. They were super.
The recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis.

Our starter was “Papaya,avocado and prawn salad with a Raratongan curry mayonnaise” followed by “Garlic studded beef pot roast”, both of these recipes being on my blog. I highly recommend them as they are always highly successful and foolproof for a casual dinner party.

Salami chips with sour cream and basil

The crispy salami slices turn into a bacony bite and the cool sour cream and fragrant basil is a lovely contrast.
Makes 24, but beware they go fast.

24 thin slices Italian dry Genoa salami (about 4 ounces) Pre-sliced is okay.
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange the salami in a single layer over the baking sheets.
Bake until the salami slices are amber brown, watching closely to ensure they brown evenly, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the salami crisps to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to absorb the excess oil. Set aside to cool.
Spoon a dollop of sour cream on top of each salami crisp. Sprinkle the basil over and serve.

Do-Ahead Tip: The salami crisps can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in airtight containers and keep at room temperature. How easy its that!

Gluten Free · Vegetable sides

Simple parmesan roasted cauliflower with garlic and onion.

June 2, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

Last night I didn’t feel like much to eat, certainly not any meat and as I was looking in the fridge for inspiration, I noticed a very large cauliflower lurking in the back of one of the shelves.
It was still okay, but just starting to react to the restrictive plastic wrapping and time sitting in the fridge, so I decided to turn it into nutty, cheesy slices of roasted cauliflower.
MY, was it good! I even had the leftovers straight from the fridge for breakfast.

Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 425 F
Cut 1 head of cauliflower into florets or slice straight through the whole cauliflower making 3/4 inch “steaks”.
Toss these (don’t worry if the “steaks” fall apart.) in a large bowl with 1 medium chopped onion, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 – 6 tbsp olive oil, 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic (or garlic powder to your liking) and salt and ground pepper.
Toss around gently with your hands until well coated and tip onto a baking tray, roasting and tossing occasionally until almost tender, 20 mins or so.
Grate 4 to 5 heaped tbsp parmesan cheese straight onto the 1/2 cooked cauliflower and return to the oven for another 20 mins or until they are tender when pierced with a fork and browned and crispy. Remove the thyme stalks, squeeze the garlic out of it’s peel, or leave in it’s peel and serve. The onions should be starting to blacken which gives an even nuttier flavor.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat

Meaty melanzane parmigiana

May 27, 2014October 9, 2022 Belinda

There is not much to say about this as it’s a complete meal and all you need to do is make a green salad. Simply divine!
What could be nicer than ground meat in with the Melanzane Parmigiana? This comes direct from the one and only BBC Good Food magazine.

Serves 6
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
2lbs ground lamb
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 thyme sprigs
4 rosemary sprigs
3 large bay leaves
2 x 14 oz or (1x 28 oz) can chopped tomatoes or tomato passata
a good glass of drinkable red wine
1 lamb or chicken stock cube
1 good handful of fresh basil, sliced roughly
1 tbsp sugar
5 large eggplants, sliced lengthways into 1/4 inch slices
2 x 7 oz balls mozzarella cheese, torn into chunks
8 oz good parmesan cheese, grated
6 oz mascarpone cheese

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or flameproof dish. Add the ground meat and brown over high heat, breaking up with a fork as you go. You may need to do this in batches. Once well browned, tip onto a plate and set aside.
Add more oil, the garlic and herbs to the pan and gently cook for 1 minute. Tip in the tomatoes and red wine and bring to a simmer, stirring up any meaty bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the ground meat to the pan, crumble in the stock cube and add the sugar and seasoning.
Gently simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally, splashing in more water (or lamb/chicken broth, if you have some) to keep it saucy if you need to. If you have time to simmer for longer, go for it – the longer the better for great flavor and intensity. Now fish out the herb stalks and bay leaves.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle or frying pan. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil, then griddle in batches. You want each slice softened and slightly charred, so don’t have the heat too high or the eggplant will char before softening. Remove to a plate as you go.

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Set aside some of each cheese to go on top. In a large baking dish, spread a large spoonful of meat mixture over the base, then a layer of eggplant and season well. Spoon over more meat sauce then scatter over some fresh basil, mozzarella, parmesan and blobs of mascarpone cheese.
Add another layer of eggplant and some seasoning. Repeat, layering everything up and finish with a layer of meat sauce. Top with your reserved cheese and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is crisp and golden and the meat mixture is bubbling.