I have no compunction in owning up to the fact that the original recipe for this truly wonderful dish, came from my favourite BBC Good Food website, here. However, don't think that I'm stealing their thunder, because although I did make some slight changes to the recipe, that's not the reason why I'm recording it here.
I'm recording my "adjusted" recipe here because it was so flipping good, I don't want to lose it! You know what websites are like - they can up and disappear overnight - and I'd hate to lose this one.
Now this recipe really is something a little bit different. It is basically a Spanish sweet and sour chicken recipe - but don't think oriental at all. Instead think saffron, orange juice, chilli and olives. It also has the benefit of not involving any sweet peppers at all. Not that I have a problem with sweet peppers, it just makes a pleasant change to not have to put them into something "Spanish". What makes it "sweet and sour" is the combination of sherry vinegar (my first time using that - and I love it!) and runny honey. Now I will say, you do need to like saffron for this one. Happily, I love it - it's by far and away my favourite of all the spices. If you're going to be picky, then Spanish La Mancha Saffron is the best type to use for this recipe. However, don't break your neck trying to find some - any old saffron is better than none, but do try to use the saffron threads rather than ground saffron.
The recipe is simplicity itself to both prepare for and make - it's another of my favourite "sit in one place and add ingredients to a pan in the right order" recipes. I like those.
It is most important that you reduce the sauce down to a syrupy consistency. It tastes good in the early, wetter, stage - but once you've reduced it down to being syrupy, my goodness but the flavour becomes so intense. I had a hard job to not taste it too often!
The next time I make it, I may very well include some sliced mushrooms - so you'll see I've included them in the recipe. The original recipe uses some toasted pine nuts and fresh coriander by way of garnish, however I didn't bother with either of these - I just sprinkled on some chopped parsley.
I served mine with plain white rice, but it could easily have taken some broccoli or green beans as a side dish, or been served with a side salad and some bread to mop up the sauce.
CHICKEN LA MANCHA (serves 3)
Ingredients :
a large pinch of saffron (Spanish saffron, ideally)
½ chicken stock cube, crumbled into 100ml boiling water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
1 red chilli, chopped and seeds removed if you prefer
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
half a tsp of ground cinnamon
150ml orange juice
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp clear honey
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 courgette, quartered and diced
4 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
6 stoned green olives, halved
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish.
Method :
In a small bowl, add the saffron to the hot stock and leave to soak.
Heat the oil in a good sized frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli until the onion is soft and just beginning to turn
golden.
Push the onion mixture to one side of the pan and add the chicken. Cook on a fairly high heat for a few
minutes until the chicken is browned all over.
Reduce the heat, add the cinnamon and stir through.
Add the
saffron stock, orange juice, vinegar, honey, tomatoes, courgettes, olives and raisins. Increase the heat to bring the contents to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes or until the sauce is reduced and the
chicken and vegetables are cooked through.
Serve with a scattering of chopped fresh parsley for garnish.
Printable version
I didn't set out to experiment with Trofie pasta, but it just turned out that way. I was planning the week's meals and wanted a pasta meal. I'm a bit bored with all the "something and bacon" or "leek and something" or "something in tomato sauce" pastas that we've had lately (well, you'd know if you've been following along on the blog's Facebook page! *wink*) when I remembered that useful substance that is pesto.
I hasten to explain, that I was also looking for an easy pasta dinner. I am just so fed up with meals that take for EVER to cook and mean I spend the whole day - in instalments - in the kitchen thrashing around, washing up, getting over it, doing it all over again - you get the picture.
So having remembered pesto, I had a quick peek on the Asda's online shopping website to see what types were available to us and decided upon their Ricotta and Red Pepper pesto. It sounded rather less aggressive than other red pesto (sundried tomato can be a bit caustic on the tummy) and I just didn't want to go for the green in this instance. I noticed that the label made mention of the fact that it hailed originally from Liguria in Italy.
I knew we didn't have any pasta in the cupboard that would be suitable for pesto, so had a look - well, I was there already - on the website for something suitable to put on the shopping list. Lo and behold, there was one which hailed originally from Liguria! Well, it had to be done. So now you know how come we wound up with Trofie pasta.
Trofie is very cute, being small pieces of pasta dough that have been rolled on a small dowelling to make an interesting shape that is tapered - a bit like a tiny, straight, croissant. When they cook - and they take a bit longer than the normal 9-10 minutes - they wind up a little chewy, with the thicker part - in the middle - remaining al dente. This is not the sort of pasta to throw down in a hurry because you have to be out soon!
Now, I had pasta, I had pesto - but pesto and pasta doth not a dinner make. At least, not in our house. I pondered on what meat to use and after quite a bit of consideration, decided on gammon. I reckoned that a couple of gammon steaks, cooked in the slow cooker (easy peasy) and flaked into the pasta would work.
Hmmn, what about veggies? Had to include some veggies - it's just not proper otherwise. Mushrooms were a definite - lightly fry some mushrooms off while the pasta cooked. Yup, that'd work. No need for onion or garlic, as it's all in the pesto. I had a half a jar of griddled red and yellow peppers that were in olive oil, so they could be sliced and added too. Sounds like a plan!
Well, it all worked very nicely. While the pasta was cooking, I got on with the mushrooms, then added the gammon, sliced peppers and pesto to warm through. I added a couple of ladlefuls of the pasta water (so make sure not to over salt it!) just to let the pesto down a little and once the pasta was drained, mixed the contents of the two pans together and we were ready for the off.
Son and heir really hates olives, so I plated up his portion and threw a handful of olives into the remainder for hubby and I. Some parmesan cheese on top finished the dish.
The verdict? It was really rather scrummy. I think it would go nicely with gnocchi as well as the Trofie pasta - and can see the Trofie pasta being really good with a tuna/lemon combination in the summer.
As an easy to prepare, tasty, comforting dish - it absolutely hit the spot. Can't ask for more than that!
GAMMON, MUSHROOM & PESTO PASTA (serves 3)
Ingredients :
550g gammon steaks
sufficient stock to cover
2 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper
300g Trofie pasta
1-2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
5-6 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
half a jar of griddled peppers, sliced
300g red pepper & ricotta pesto
a handful of green olives, rinsed and halved (optional).
Method :
1. Pour the stock into your slow cooker and switch to full. Add the bay leaves and a good pinch of pepper, then lay the gammon steaks in. Close the lid and leave to cook for 5 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove from the slow cooker and flake, taking care to remove all the fat.
2. Fill a large pan with water and add a small pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and add the pasta - cook according to packet instructions. When cooked, drain - but retain some of the cooking water.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the mushrooms until just softened. Add the flaked gammon, sliced peppers and pesto. Stir to combine - if the mixture is a bit stiff, add a ladleful of the pasta water to let it down until it becomes saucy. Keep the mixture on a low temperature until the pasta is ready.
4. When the pasta has been drained, return it to the saucepan and add the contents of the frying pan and the olives if you're using them. Toss to combine and add a little more pesto if required, or a little more of the hot pasta water, depending on your preference.
5. Serve into hot bowls and add some grated cheddar cheese or parmesan (to your preference). Tuck in!
Printable version
There now - I bet that got your attention. Chicken casserole with olives and raisins? Curious!
Well, that's the reaction it engendered in me when I saw it. Maybe I'm the only one. ~shrug~
I'm always in the market for another chicken casserole recipe - after all, it's one of the mainstays of our week's menus - or used to be! Since chicken is apparently particularly bad where being inflammatory is concerned, I'm thinking that perhaps it's going to appear rather less in the future.
However, I'm still getting my head around the anti-inflammatory thing - and I have got two growing lads to feed.
I found the recipe on Good Food Channel's website and immediately was struck by the novelty value of raisins and olives being included in a casserole that, apparently, didn't contain the middle eastern spices that are more usually found in conjunction with this type of fruit. Not only that, but the recipe also includes 100ml of dry sherry which is another unusual bedmate.
However, I could see how they would all potentially sit agreeably together, particularly with the tomatoes and green peppers that the recipe also demanded.
The end result was very nice indeed. I was careful to ensure that the sauce stayed good and substantial and no one flavour stood out from any other. We ate the casserole with some sweet potato wedges which were a great foil for the savouriness of the chicken mixture. However, I can't help but think that some plain rice and maybe some green beans would be just as good.
CHICKEN CASSEROLE WITH OLIVES & RAISINS (serves 3)
Ingredients :
2 tbsp olive oil
3 skinless chicken breasts
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tomato puree
100ml dry sherry
3 cloves
2 green peppers, sliced
2 carrots, sliced finely
100ml chicken stock (I used Knorr Chicken Stock Pots)
1-2 tbsp raisins
1 handful pitted green olives.
Method :
1. Pre-heat your oven to 200deg C/400deg F/Gas 6.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken breasts on each side for 3-5 minutes until golden. Transfer to a casserole dish, leaving behind as much of the fat as possible.
3. Add the onions to the frying pan and cook on a medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and flour and cook for a minute more.
4. Stir in the tomato puree, sherry and stock, stirring or whisking to ensure all lumps are mixed in. Add the cloves, carrots and green peppers and bring to a gentle simmer, then pour over the chicken.
5. Cover the dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and stir in the raisins and olives, then replace and cook for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Serve.
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Now this recipe really is something a little bit different. It is basically a Spanish sweet and sour chicken recipe - but don't think oriental at all. Instead think saffron, orange juice, chilli and olives. It also has the benefit of not involving any sweet peppers at all. Not that I have a problem with sweet peppers, it just makes a pleasant change to not have to put them into something "Spanish". What makes it "sweet and sour" is the combination of sherry vinegar (my first time using that - and I love it!) and runny honey. Now I will say, you do need to like saffron for this one. Happily, I love it - it's by far and away my favourite of all the spices. If you're going to be picky, then Spanish La Mancha Saffron is the best type to use for this recipe. However, don't break your neck trying to find some - any old saffron is better than none, but do try to use the saffron threads rather than ground saffron.
