Risotto Primavera with herby glazed chicken

The emphasis of this recipe is on the Risotto Primavera, as I will admit to having used a shop bought chicken glaze.  Now don't you go telling me that you never use such a thing, I refuse to believe it.

The glaze we used was one of the Maggi range of "So Juicy" cook-in-a-bag products.  In fact, it was really not bad at all.  We tried the mixed herbs one, which seemed to have a significant amount of tomato in its mixed herbs, but with no artificial colours, flavourings or Aspartame in its ingredients, we were prepared to give it a go.

Owing to the cooking method, which involves your cooking the chicken sealed into a cook-in bag, the chicken comes out the other end enticingly moist and tender.  I'd definitely give others of the same range a go.

As a fairly foolproof and easy way of obtaining a very acceptable chicken dish, I recommend it to you!

Now the big question was what to put with it.  I'm always on the lookout for interesting and easy vegetable dishes that can be use as a side to a meat dish, for just these moments.

We had a number of meals planned that included potatoes already - and owing to hubby's antipathy towards the 'umble spud, I needed to find something else to use as the carbohydrate in this dish.

Hubby suggested vegetable rice, but son & heir isn't always terribly keen on that.  As hubby was the one who was going to be cooking this meal, I suddenly hit on the idea of a risotto.  Well, he is the Risotto Cooking King!  I remembered that I had picked up a baked Risotto Primavera recipe from a magazine, but knew he wouldn't be struck on the idea of doing a baked risotto (being a newly crowned risotto purist, and all that).  So we just used the recipe as a guide for the amounts and types of vegetables to use - and he made a straight, cooker top, in a saucepan, ordinary risotto - but using frozen peas, asparagus, fine green beans, tenderstem broccoli, mint, chives and parsley instead.

The combination of the highly flavoursome chicken and the clean, fresh flavours of the risotto with its herbs, were just perfect together.

Hubby even reserved a few asparagus spears for decoration, which was good because although it is great in a risotto, I do love the flavour of asparagus and it was a treat to have some to enjoy on its own.

I'll have to remember to use vegetable risotto in this context again in future.  I have used Risotto Milanese (saffron risotto) in this way in the past and it worked exceptionally well there, too.  The light and springlike flavours were a lovely break from the somewhat heavier mid-winter flavours that we've been enjoying before and since, thanks to the awful weather.  Hopefully, we'll get a chance to put them to the test in another combination very soon!

RISOTTO PRIMAVERA  (Serves 3)

Ingredients :

150g asparagus spears

2 handfuls of frozen peas

150g tenderstem broccoli

50g fine green beans

3 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

2 banana shallots, very finely diced

25g butter

300g Arborio or Carnaroli rice

100ml of white wine

1.5 litres of vegetable stock (we used Essential cuisine vegetable stock powder)

10g fresh chopped parsley

10g fresh chopped chives

10g fresh chopped mint

50g grated parmesan

sea salt and finely ground black pepper.

Method :

1.  Bring a saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil and prepare the asparagus by snapping at the weak point (around one third of the way up the stem from the cut end).  Retain the woody ends for use in the stock and blanch the tipped ends for 60 seconds.  Drain (retaining the water) and then plunge into bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process.

2.  Repeat with the frozen peas, tenderstem broccoli and green beans - blanching for 3 minutes and adding them to the same iced water.

3.  Prepare the stock by adding the stock cube or powder to the cooking water and add the woody ends of the asparagus, cut lengthwise.  Bring up to a simmer and keep the stock over a very low heat until required, not allowing it to boil.  Remove the asparagus pieces just before use.

4.  Heat the olive oil and butter gently together in a large pan.  Add the shallots and cook until they are soft and transparent, not allowing them to brown.

5.  Add rice to the shallot mix and stir well to coat with the oils, then turn the heat up as hot as you dare - without burning - before quenching the pan with the white wine.

6.  Cook until the wine has reduced by two thirds and add a ladleful of the vegetable stock (minus the asparagus pieces).  Reduce heat to a simmer.

7.  Continue adding ladlefuls whenever the mixture runs dry, stirring well and keeping it moving to avoid catching on the bottom of the pan.

8.  Continue in this way until the rice is cooked al dente.  You may find you have stock left over, which is normal as different rices require different amounts of liquid.

9.  Drain the vegetables from the iced water and add them to the risotto to warm them through, stirring gently so as not to break them up.

10.  Add the parsley, chives, mint and grated parmesan, reserving a small amount of parsley for garnish.  Stir gently through and taste for seasoning.

11.  Serve and garnish with shaved parmesan and chopped parsley.

Printable version

Tenderstem Gnocchi al forno - a Tenderstem in Ten challenge dish!

Unfortunately, this is the last of the "Tenderstem in ten" dishes that we made - but only because we ran out of Tenderstem!

I've got at least two more ideas that I want to try out - so I'll have to find some Tenderstem broccoli in the shops and carry on.

This one was another of hubby's brilliant ideas - and it worked beautifully and can be done in the ten minutes.  Well, so long as you're quick on your feet, that is!  I am sure it would take me a whole lot longer, at the speed I amble around the kitchen!

Well, what's not to like?   Italian gnocchi, blue cheese, tenderstem broccoli and bacon - seems like a match made in heaven, to me - and so it was.

Gnocchi are brilliant little things, in that they take a fraction of a second to cook (oh alright then, two to three minutes tops) and are just divine in a cheese sauce.  The thing that takes the time with this dish is making the roux and grilling the bacon - but if you're able to multi-task and do the two at once (which I'm not), then you too should be able to put this dish together in just ten minutes.

The recipe is fairly flexible, too, in that you don't need to use just blue cheese if you're not keen on it.  A lovely mature cheddar would be gorgeous, as would some of the Swiss cheeses that melt well, like Emmental or Gruyere.  Don't forget to give the sauce a good pinch of some freshly ground black pepper, as that gives the lovely depth and warmth.

Equally, if you have some leftover chicken or gammon - then substitute that for the bacon.  I'm quite sure they would be just as delicious - and would have the benefit of already being cooked - so saving you a couple more minutes.

The sprinkling of breadcrumbs over the top of the gnocchi was a masterstroke, in that it gave another texture to the dish.  The soft gnocchi are always gorgeous and the Tenderstem broccoli is sweet and juicy, but to have a little crunch every so often kept your interest going.  It was only a shame that we ate this for lunch, or we could have had a glass of some chilled white wine with it - which would have rounded the whole thing off deliciously.

TENDERSTEM GNOCCHI AL FORNO   (feeds 3)

Ingredients :

250g streaky bacon
150g tenderstem broccoli
700g gnocchi
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml milk
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
200g Castello blue cheese (or your cheese of choice)
2 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
a small grating of parmesan cheese for sprinkling.

METHOD :

1.  Boil a kettle.  Whilst you wait for the kettle to boil, begin grilling the bacon rashers.  Once cooked, cut into chunks and reserve to keep warm.

2.  Once the kettle boils, pour into a warm saucepan and bring back to the boil.

3.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Stir to combine, then add the milk bit by bit stirring all the time, until thickened to double cream consistency.  Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and the cheese.  Stir to melt.

4.  Once the water has boiled, drop in the tenderstem and the gnocchi, as both take the same amount of time to cook.  2-3 minutes later, when the gnocchi are all at the surface of the water, drain and return to the hot saucepan.

5.  Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi & tenderstem and add the bacon.  Stir gently to combine, then pour into a flat serving dish that will go under the grill.

6.  Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, then grill until crispy and golden.

7.  Serve.

We ate ours with a simple side salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Printable version
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Tenderstem & Smoked Haddock Stack - more Tenderstem in 10!

Hubby and I just couldn't think of a suitable name for this one which described all of its attributes in one snappy title.  It is, after all (and from the bottom up) toasted sourdough bread, tenderstem broccoli, smoked haddock, poached egg and hollandaise sauce.  I defy you to think of some sharp-sounding title, we couldn't!

This is another recipe for the Tenderstem in 10 challenge, where bloggers have been asked to dream up a recipe that can be put on the table in 10 minutes, using 10 or less ingredients - one of which is lovely Tenderstem Broccoli.

Now, this Tenderstem in 10 recipe is entirely reliant upon you having some leftover Hollandaise sauce available - although I'm quite sure it would work just as well with a knob of butter on top!

I love poached eggs and since discovering that hubby makes a creditable Hollandaise, we've often got a little pot of it lurking in the fridge.  Poached egg on ham, on toast, with Hollandaise.  Oh yum.  Provided you are very, very careful and heat it through so, so gently and mix well, there's no reason why you can't have a little pot of Hollandaise too.  I generally put my little pot into the water I've just cooked the egg in, just to take the chill off of it.

So, this beautiful stack of loveliness is hubby's creation.  He is a great one for using fish in every which way he can - and my goodness but it worked well here.

Our local supermarket is currently selling perfectly sized portions of smoked haddock, all neatly packaged in a little microwaveable bag with its own pat of butter and quite affordable at the moment at a special offer price of 99p.  Just a couple of minutes in the microwave, slit the top and you've got a perfect piece of fish - which is just the job for this recipe.

So, once you've cut your bread and put it on to grill, chucked the fish into the microwave and got it twirling, the only thing left to do is put the kettle on for some boiling water for the tenderstem and the egg.  Once it boils (and I recommend getting the heat on under the saucepan, so as not to knock all the heat out of the water by pouring it into a cold pan) three to four minutes later your tenderstem is done and you've a lovely poached egg to go on top.  Drop your little bit of Hollandaise in its pot into the hot water and seconds later it's ready to drizzle over the top.  After that, it's just an assembly job!

You don't even need to butter your toast - depending on how much Hollandaise you've got.  Just pop it onto a plate, lay the tenderstem across the toast, then the fish on top of that, the egg crowns the lot and the Hollandaise drizzles beautifully across everything.  Knockout!

Hubby is sensitive to eggs - as you probably remember - so he made one for himself that didn't have the poached egg.  I reckon that it looks every bit as tasty and inviting as the poached egg version - so if you're egg sensitive too, why not go for the egg-free version and pop a knob of butter on top of your fish.  Delicious!

I can see this recipe appearing again at the weekends, for lunch.  Son & heir was distraught that he'd missed it because he was at school.  Ooops!

TENDERSTEM & SMOKED HADDOCK STACK  (feeds 2)

Ingredients :

2 slices of sourdough bread or some other robust bread
butter for spreading
4-6 stems of Tenderstem broccoli
100g of smoked haddock (microwave in the bag is perfect)
a capful of white wine vinegar
1 egg
a small amount of leftover Hollandaise sauce, or a knob of butter.

Method :

1.  Boil a kettle and, while it boils, place two saucepans onto a gentle heat.  (Not if they're non-stick, or you'll damage the non-stick coating).

2.  Put the bread into your toaster to toast, or under the grill - but remember to keep an eye on it!

3.  Place the fish into the microwave for the prescribed time.

4.  Once the water boils in the two saucepans, add the tenderstem to one and the white wine vinegar to the other.  Crack the egg into a ramekin and pour it gently into the water.  Cook for 3-4 minutes (or to taste).


5.  When the toast is done, put it onto the plate and spread a little butter onto it.


6.  When the tenderstem broccoli is done, drain well and lay 2-3 stems across the toast.


7.  When the fish is done, slit the bag carefully (those things are evil for scalds!) and tip the fish onto the tenderstem.


8.  Carefully lay the poached egg on top and drizzle over the Hollandaise.


9.  Season to taste and dig in!


Printable version
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Tenderstem Rarebit - a "Tenderstem in Ten" recipe!

Hubby will complain bitterly about broccoli appearing on the menu too often, but even he has been heard to exclaim that where tenderstem broccoli is concerned, "it is as nice as asparagus".  With which I completely agree.

I remember when son & heir was a little chap being weaned onto veggies, we used to call broccoli "trees" and he was sufficiently intrigued to eat them.  Since then, he's been accepting "trees" on his plate without too much complaint and has even been known to enjoy having "tall trees" (or tenderstem broccoli) for dinner.

For those who think that it is just a matter of difference in shape, rather than flavour, the tenderstem has a much sweeter flavour than "ordinary" broccoli, with less of a cabbage flavour than Purple Sprouting broccoli.  It is true that it is more expensive than your ordinary broccoli, but for a meal that you want to be a little bit special, it makes the grade beautifully.

So, when I was asked whether I'd like to take part in the "Tenderstem in Ten" challenge (to create a recipe that can be on the table in ten minutes or less), it seemed like it could be fun!

I had my first go at the challenge yesterday and my recipe for a lunch time Tenderstem Rarebit had a few teething troubles - none of which involved the tenderstem itself, I hasten to add - which sent it over time.  Add to that my inability to get around my kitchen with anything faster than a snail's pace - and you begin to realise that making anything edible within ten minutes is quite a feat!

For instance, is the time from when you set foot in the kitchen, or from when you start the cooking process?  If it's the former, then I've had it for all the challenges - but if it's the latter, then I'm in with a shout.

I often find, when I'm cooking something that involves a number of different processes, that my disabilities get right in the way.  Take the Tenderstem Rarebit, for instance.  I needed to grill the Ciabatta rolls to toast them, whilst the tenderstem simmered and the rarebit cooked on the hob.  Now, I forgot that I can't use the grill at the same time as the hob - it's one or the other, because I need to sit at the cooker.  Our cooker has the grill immediately under the hob and with the grill door open, I can't reach the back burners on the hob!  Anyway, I'm always scared I'll set my t-shirt on fire trying to see into the pans on the front burners.  That'd be a bit of a distraction, if ever that happened!

So, for you, you'll be able to combine operations in a way that was impossible for me - and save at least seven minutes doing so!  For me, I'll be grilling the cut rolls on a grillpan in future - at least then I can see what's going on without fear of combustion.

I can tell you that it is very worthwhile.  Hoooo, yes!  This Tenderstem Rarebit recipe is going to go on the list of "can we have it for lunch again soon" recipes.

I figured that as broccoli and cheese are natural partners, and cheese on toast is another natural partnership, that bringing them all together in this recipe might just work.  It did.  With bells on.  As a control experiment, I made one Tenderstem Rarebit and one just with the Rarebit topping - and the Tenderstem Rarebit was far easier to eat as the flavour of the tenderstem allowed some relief from the enormous (and gorgeous) flavours of the rarebit.  The sweetness of the tenderstem was a lovely foil for the big savoury flavours of the cheese, mustard and stout.

Son & heir thoroughly enjoyed his helping and munched his way stolidly through, murmuring in appreciation, uttering "gorgeous!" and "cor!" every so often - so I think he approved.  Hubby and I were both agreed that it was a do-again recipe that was much nicer with the tenderstem than without - and one that could easily be a substantial snack on those days when one has missed lunch!

Hence, I leave it up to you to have a go and tell me whether you managed to create your Tenderstem Rarebit in ten minutes.  I am quite sure it's do-able, so long as you do all your preparation (getting everything out, separating the eggs, grating the cheese, etc.)  before you start the ten minute timer!


TENDERSTEM RAREBIT   (serves 3)


Ingredients :


3 ciabatta rolls, cut in half lengthwise
12 stems of Tenderstem broccoli (or more if they are thin stems), cut to fit the ciabatta rolls
1½ tsp English mustard powder
4 tbsp stout
45g butter
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
 250g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
3 egg yolks
freshly ground black pepper.

Method :

1.  Boil a kettle and pour enough boiling water into a saucepan to cook the tenderstem, and place on the heat.

2.  Place the rolls, cut side up, under the grill or onto a grillpan and toast until lightly browned.  Turn and toast the other side.

3.  At the same time, add the tenderstem to the boiling water and set a timer for 3 minutes.  When they are cooked (when a knife inserted into the stem goes through without complaint), drain and set to one side.

4.  Place the mustard powder, stout and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted.  Add the worcestershire sauce and the cheese and stir until the cheese is all melted but take care not to let it boil.  Set aside to cool for a moment, while you rescue your rolls that are threatening to burn.


5.  If you've used a grill pan, now is the time to get your cooker's grill heating up.


6.  Place the roll halves onto the grill pan and distribute the tenderstem broccoli across the roll halves.


7.  Add the egg yolks to the cooled (and hopefully thickened) cheese mixture and beat them through until completely incorporated.  Add a little black pepper.


8.  Spoon the cheese mixture across the tenderstem and place under the grill until browned and bubbling.


Serve.

Printable version

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Chicken & Tenderstem® Broccoli Casserole with Cheesy Dumplings

This casserole, from Jo Pratt via the Tenderstem® Broccoli website, is just perfect autumnal comfort food.  Perfect for those days when a Beef Stew would be too much, yet you're wanting something one-pot for ease.  Something that's rich with flavours and vegetables, yet that bit naughty with its cheesy dumplings.

I'd found myself "going off" of chicken just recently.  I suppose it's not that surprising when you consider how much chicken we've eaten over the last 12 months.  You only have to look at the Recipe Index to see that!  I'd started to not want to do the trimming of the raw chicken breasts and was slightly revolted by the smell of raw chicken.


Hence, I'd given myself a bit of a rest from chicken for a few days.  I am pleased to say that when it came to trimming up these chicken breasts, I had no such qualms.  All of which is good, because it was beginning to colour my enjoyment of chicken dishes.


I hadn't really left myself enough time to prepare this dish and was flapping a bit in the early stages.  I seem incapable of working out how long I need, if I don't have a clock face to work it out from.  Now I know I've got number blindness, but really, that seems a bit much!  However, I shall just have to grab a clock the next time I am trying to work out how long I need for preparation, as rushing through it because you're scared it's going to be late, just isn't on.


However, it is testament to the ease with which the casserole came together, that it wound up only 20 minutes late instead of an hour.  The last 10 minutes of that were probably superfluous, as I was just making doubly sure that the dumplings were done.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal, although I wasn't as wedded to the idea of the cheesy dumplings with the chicken as the chaps were.  They were very appreciative of their cheesiness, but I wonder how much of that was just because they were dumplings - and my chaps do love a dumpling!


One note for future reference, was that the gravy wound up being in excess of what was wanted and also rather on the thin side.  In fact, for speed, I broke out the gravy granules and threw a spoonful of those in to thicken the gravy.  In future, I think I would reduce the amount of stock involved to begin with - and have reflected that in the recipe below.  The only other changes were that I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs - so go ahead and use thighs if your family like them and omitted the herbs from the cheesy dumplings.  The only reason I had for doing so, was because I am totally fed up with Thyme at the moment.  I seem to be putting it in every-flipping-thing, so decided against it in this instance.  I've included it in the recipe though, so it's up to you whether you want to include it or not.


Having made the casserole, I think that I might include some mushrooms for the next time around.  They would improve the vegetable quota without affecting the texture or flavour all that much.  Likewise, you could also add some cubes of swede, or pieces of parsnip, if you wanted to increase the vegetable quota.


The casserole wasn't a great one from an Inflammation Factor point of view (being chicken), so I just did my best with it in that I had less chicken and fewer dumplings, but more carrot and Tenderstem® broccoli.  Hopefully that will have evened the score up a bit!

CHICKEN & TENDERSTEM® BROCCOLI CASSEROLE WITH CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS

(serves 3)

Ingredients :

2 tbsp olive oil

200g smoked streaky bacon, diced

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 heaped tbsp plain flour

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

3 banana shallots (or equivalent amount of any other kind of shallot)

2 sticks of celery, sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp tomato puree

400ml chicken stock

200g Tenderstem® broccoli, each stalk cut into 2

For the dumplings :

100g self-raising flour

100g white breadcrumbs

140g butter, cubed

100g mature cheddar, grated

1 tsp dried thyme

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method :

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180deg C/fan 160deg C/gas mark 4.

2.  In a large casserole, heat 1 tbsp of the oil and add the bacon.  Fry until golden and slightly crunchy, then remove from the casserole and reserve.

3.  In a plastic bag, toss the chicken in the seasoned flour.  Picking out the chicken, reserve the flour and add the chicken to the casserole and fry until browned all over, then remove and reserve.

4.  Add another tbsp of oil, then add the shallots, celery and carrot and cook until the shallots have softened.

5.  Add the remainder of the flour to the casserole and cook for a minute or so.

6.  Add the chicken stock and stir to combine.

7.  Return the bacon and chicken to the pot, then add the bay leaf and tomato puree.  Stir to make sure everything is combined and well mixed.

8.  Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

9.  While the casserole is in the oven, make the dumplings.

10.  Place the flour, breadcrumbs and butter into a food processor and whiz to a crumb-like consistency.  Add the cheese, thyme, eggs and seasoning and pulse whiz to bring it all together.

11.  Take spoonfuls and form them into dumplings.  You should have enough for around twelve.

12.  When the casserole has had 30 minutes in the oven, remove and stir in the Tenderstem® Broccoli.   Sit the dumplings on top and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the dumplings are cooked.

Serve.

Printable version

Inflammation Factor (approx) : -494 (-165 per person).

Tenderstem Broccoli, sundried tomato & goat's cheese tart

This lovely crisp savoury tart came into life as a suitable accompaniment for the Zesty Beetroot Salad (see previous blog post).

However, because I'm aware of not wanting one item to steal the show, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to put into my tart shell.

Oh now, the tart shell!  Yes, now that's another story too.  You see, because of some Meal Planning malfunctions a few weeks ago, I had a pack of Filo pastry taking up space in our freezer that really didn't need to take up space therein.  It's only a teensy freezer, you see, and well - we've just bought a new ice cream machine.  Need I say more!

I have made Greek style pies that use filo pastry in the past - and most successfully.  So I decided to go down a similar route except not to enclose the contents this time.

I used olive oil instead of melted butter to grease each sheet (with a view to the health aspect) and laid them into the bottom of a spring form tin, in a vaguely star-like shape.  Let me tell you, it was a complete labour of Sisyphus to try and keep the points of the star to stand upright against the wall of the tin, but I sort of got there in the end.  Suffice to say that none of the filling escaped, which was the main thing.

So, getting back to the filling.

I knew I wanted it to go with the Zesty Beetroot Salad, so I knew I wanted flavours that would offset those in the salad.  So we were looking at mild, fresh, creamy, savoury flavours, to accentuate and blend with the powerful, earthy, zesty and sweet flavours of the salad.

Mild and fresh were both catered for with the tenderstem broccoli, and the goat's cheese - which also catered for the creamy and savoury.  Savoury also applied to the sun dried tomato, which added a slight piquancy to a tart which otherwise might have been a bit short on dimensions.

As it turned out, the tart was just gorgeous.  Paired with the beetroot salad, it was transformed into something sublime.  Rarely have I managed to pull off such a virtuoso performance in balanced flavours.  In fact, son & heir (who enjoyed the tart, but couldn't pluck up the courage to try the beetroot) requested that we stop "mmnnn-ing", for fear that we were beginning to resemble contented cows.

Well, if a contented cow enjoys flavours such as those demonstrated in this combination, just by eating grass, I might be convinced to look at the lawn mowings a bit differently.  Somehow, sadly, I don't think it works that way.


TENDERSTEM BROCCOLI, GOAT'S CHEESE & SUNDRIED TOMATO TART  (feeds 5-6)


Ingredients :


150g tenderstem broccoli (or asparagus, when in season), cut into 3 pieces
a pack of filo pastry
olive oil for brushing on
5-6 pieces of sundried tomato, chopped small
3 eggs, beaten
150ml double cream
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
100g creamy goat's cheese
20g cheddar, for grating.


Method :


1.  Pre-heat your oven to 350deg F/180deg C (fan)/gas mark 4.

2.  In a large saucepan, boil some salted water and cook the broccoli for 3-4 minutes depending on stem size.  If the stems are very large, then allow a little longer to cook. Drain and refresh in cold water, to stop the cooking process.  Leave to drain.


3.  Line an 8" spring form tin with each sheet of filo pastry, brushing oil inbetween each layer and using the oil to help stick the corners of the pastry to the tin, until you have a random star shape.


4.  In a bowl, mix the eggs with the cream and season well.  The tart can take a good deal of pepper, but be careful with the salt - remember that the goat's cheese is salty.


5.  Into the pastry case, sprinkle the pieces of sundried tomato, then the broccoli and arrange pleasantly, so that nothing is sticking up and likely to catch and burn in the oven.  Pour over the egg mixture and roll the tin to ensure the egg reaches every nook and cranny.


6.  Crumble the goat's cheese over the top and press down lightly to ensure it melts into the tart's contents.


7.  Sprinkle with a light coating of cheddar, then place into the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and there is no evidence of any wet egg in the centre.


8.  Allow to cool slightly, then remove the outside of the spring form and slide the tart onto your serving plate.


9.  Serve.


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Meal planning for a sudden summer : w/b 27.9.11

Where has all this lovely weather come from?  *blink*

Just this time last week, I was shivering under several layers of clothing whilst writing blog posts for Rhubarb & Ginger and resisting putting the heating on!  Now, I'm sitting here with the window open beside me, perfectly comfortable again.

So all of this made meal planning for this week a bit tricky.  I didn't much fancy sitting in a hot kitchen for hours making hot meals, but the natural cautiousness borne of mistrust of the weather forecasters made scheduling light salads unlikely.

There is one other change to the parameters for scheduling, which is that I am now no longer working at the Hotel Piccadilly.  It was with very great regret that I handed in my notice last week, due to the onward march of my arthritis and accompanying pain.  Coincidentally, I also discover that I am suffering with cellulitis (which has nothing to do with cellulite, interestingly) in my lower legs - which is also causing huge amounts of discomfort.  I'm now on some big antibiotics which have stopped my legs appearing to be horribly sunburned (thank goodness), but the itching (which just about drove me mad) is slow to leave.  I could do the work okay, it was just getting there, getting up the stairs, sitting for four hours and then reversing the whole procedure, that I couldn't do.

So the upshot of all this is that now Hubby can choose which days he wants to cook on - and it also means that I'll be here more to be able to do some prep. in the afternoons, if necessary.

Here's how this week is hoping to shape up :

Tues : Pizza for boys, Peppered Mackerel & Sweetfire® beetroot couscous

with horseradish cream for us adults

Wed : Spicy chicken pittas with salad

Thur : Tenderstem broccoli & Goat cheese tart with zesty beetroot salad

Fri : Tortellini with garlic bread

Sat : Chicken Caesar Salad

Sun : Pot roast bacon, accompaniments depend on the weather

Mon : Sausage, mash and baked beans.

I've been just busting to tell you all about the Smoked Peppered Mackerel and Sweetfire® beetroot couscous that we had on Tuesday, but as I try to keep the blog postings in chronological order according to the menu plan, I had a couple of postings to get through before I could - and that includes this one!  So, watch out for the next blog post - oh, but it's a good one!

Wednesday's Spicy chicken pittas unfortunately got stamped all over by Son & heir volunteering to help with a school open evening.  We wound up grabbing a quick burger (or a sweet chilli wrap, in my case) and back to school.  However, because the chicken is marinading (in lime juice and curry spices - mmmn!) hubby and I will have a (hopefully) spectacular lunch today.  I'll let you know!  lol

Which of course, begs the question about whether we'll have room for the Goat's Cheese tart and zesty beetroot salad for dinner tonight.  Hang on a minute - Tenderstem broccoli and Goat's Cheese in a filo pastry base?  Yes, I think we'll find room.

Tomorrow's tortellini is hubby's night to cook and before you all get excited and think he's making his own tortellini, stop right there because he's not.  It's good old shop bought, put into a home-made sauce (which hasn't been decided on, until we decide which flavour tortellini we're getting).  I haven't had filled pasta of any type in probably two years, so it will be a nice diversion from the norm!

I understand from the weather forecast that Saturday is going to be the hottest day of the week, so hence I've scheduled a Chicken Caesar Salad, as a method of self-preservation.  The chicken will cook in the oven and the rest is a simple case of assembly, with a bit of grating and whisking involved.  I should be able to manage that, even if the temperatures are in the high twenties!

Sunday is another "left open to eventualities" dinner.  The one bit we can be sure about, is the pot roast bacon, which I'll do in the slow cooker.  As to whether we have a salad, or a courgette bake, or roast vegetables with it, is all dependent upon what the weather forecast for Sunday is likely to be!

Monday brings hubby back to the helm in the kitchen and he's doing our ultimate family favourite of sausage and mash.  I suspect we'll wind up just having baked beans with them, but that tends to depend on how creative hubby is feeling at the time, what vegetables we have left in the fridge and how hot the kitchen is likely to be!

Oh, and speaking of hubby being creative - we've a new toy to play with!  We bought an ice cream maker (on special offer at Comet).  So far, he's made a Salted Caramel ice cream which is truly To Die For, but doesn't really suit his diabetes, so next he's exploring frozen yoghurt, so that at least he gets the chance to eat some of his creations!

I dare say I'll be blogging the Salted Caramel ice cream, as it is just SO gorgeous, it has to be shared.

Incidentally, I just just give over a line or two to hubby's Sausage Plait that he made at the end of last week.  I thought it was yummy, son & heir agreed with me, however hubby wasn't keen on it at all, so I won't be passing on the recipe.  He says he's sure he can improve on it, at which stage the recipe can be passed on - which is fair enough.

He mixed Cumberland sausagemeat with caramelised onion, sage, pepper and apple which he'd finely diced.  I thought it was as nice cold with chutney the next day as it had been the previous night, with hash browns and salad!  If this was the less-than-good version, then I'm looking forward to the improved version!

  

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Tarragon chicken with gnocchi

What a find this recipe is!

It is based upon the "Chicken Hot Pot" from Olive Magazine (which you can see here), except without the new potatoes and with some gnocchi.  Also, why buy Kenyan beans when there is lovely tenderstem broccoli out there?  Okay, the country of origin is still Kenya, but then I'd rather have tenderstem over squeaky beans any day!

I cut the recipe out of the magazine absolutely ages ago - probably close to two years ago, now.  When I first mooted having it, hubby obviously didn't quite understand what was involved in the recipe, as he wasn't keen.  So I kept hold of the little slip of paper, because I really wanted to try it.

I slipped it onto the menu list at the beginning of last week and crossed my fingers.  I was hoping that the use of the word "gnocchi" might overshadow any memories of having rejected the recipe earlier.  I also, strategically, didn't call it "Hot Pot" as I know that brings connotations of a casserole with a layer of sliced potatoes on top - which is not one of hubby's favourite things.

Having read through the recipe again, I could see that it should turn out a sauce that would be acceptable with gnocchi and, as both hubby and son really like gnocchi, was hopeful that those little puffy potato clouds would suit them - and they did.


As is so often the way, the recipe is superbly simple to produce and right from the word go you can tell that it's going to be a corker.  I mean, leeks and garlic cooked in butter - if ever there was a great start, it's that one.  Capitalise on that great start by adding wine, tarragon and creme fraiche (especially creme fraiche D'Isigny, as I did) - you just can't go wrong!

Because the leek I had bought was only very thin, I used three spring onions just to boost the oniony flavour.  I figured that spring onion, being sweet, is about as close as you can get to a leek!  I also used chicken breast instead of the chicken thighs, basically because the chaps here prefer chicken breast.  So owing to that plus the lack of potatoes, the sauce didn't require as long to cook as the original recipe said.  I will try to make a bit more sauce next time - and there will be a next time - as it was absolutely gorgeous and I ran out a bit early, when it was on the plate.  Those gnocchi are too good at absorbing sauce!

TARRAGON CHICKEN served with Gnocchi and Tenderstem broccoli  (serves 3)

Ingredients :

A knob of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into 3 pieces each
1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
1 glass (generous) white wine
400ml chicken stock
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves (or fresh, if you can get it - use a little more)
3 tbsp creme fraiche (use half fat if you want to reduce the fat content)
sufficient gnocchi for 3 people
a pack of tenderstem broccoli (or other green vegetable of your choice).


Method :


1.  In a large frying pan, heat the knob of butter and olive oil.  Once heated,  add the chicken and, on a high heat, fry until golden brown on at least two sides.  The chicken doesn't need to be cooked through at this stage.  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve in a warm place.

2.  Add the leeks and spring onion to the pan and cook on a reduced heat until beginning to soften.

3.  Increase the heat under the pan, then return the chicken to the pan and add the wine.  Allow it to frizzle for a moment or two, then reduce the heat again.

4.  At this stage, boil some salted water in two pans - one for the gnocchi, one for the tenderstem broccoli.


5.  Add the chicken stock, tarragon leaves and season to taste.  Allow to simmer for some 10-20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by almost half and the chicken is cooked through.

6.  Slot the gnocchi into the cooking process around this time, according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Mine took just 3 minutes.  Likewise with the tenderstem broccoli.  Mine took around 5 minutes to cook.


7.  Getting back to the chicken, add the creme fraiche and stir to combine.  Taste to check the seasoning and allow to simmer so as to thicken the sauce slightly whilst you drain the gnocchi and tenderstem.


8.  Serve.

Feeding eggs to egg-phobics : Mediterranean Frittata

I love eggs.  There's no two ways about it.  I can't think of any incarnation of eggyness that I would turn down - and I've always said to Son & heir that you won't go hungry all the time there's an egg in the house.

Hubby, however, is a different story.  He has a valid reason (two, in fact) for his reticence towards embracing the loveliness that is all things egg.  When he was just a little chap, he suffered a collapsed lung following on from eating an egg.  Now he admits that it may not have been the egg that did it, but as there was nothing else to blame at the time, the egg copped it.  He also has a big texture issue.  He can cope with runny egg yolk, but that's it.  No solidity to the egg yolk and certainly not the white of the egg.  These two things bring a quite marked reaction in his ability to keep the food down.  If you understand what I'm not saying, here.

However, he will happily chomp his way through an Impossible Quiche, or any pastry-based Quiche and will even contemplate an omelette on occasion.  Eggs in baking are okay too, as they just become a part of a whole and are indistinguishable in their form.  The same goes for meringue, however that's pretty much off the menu list owing to the sugar content.  Eggs in custard are fine - but not a custard tart, as that switches on the texture alert.

Now I like to include eggs in our diet on a regular basis as they are so good for you.  Low in fat, high in protein, they're the perfect little package.  So, when I saw the recipe for this Mediterranean Frittata on www.food4two.wordpress.com and realised that it didn't contain any potato (which hubby has had more than enough of in his life, already), I was very keen to make it.  Needless to say, I love any kind of frittata and am famous for making one which contained defrosted oven chips as its potato component.  It works, if you're brave enough to try!

This little frittata is really lovely.  We all felt that it lacked a little in substance (which is where the potato comes in) and when I make it again (which I will) I'll include some sweet potato, or maybe butternut squash, together with mushrooms - which would be just fabulous with it.

I opted for Basil as my herb of choice, which naturally went very well with the courgette and sun dried tomato.  One note on the courgette - instead of slicing it into rounds, I cut it into ribbons with a potato peeler.  This was largely to camouflage it from Son & heir, who has declared a hatred of the poor old courgette.  It worked, as he never noticed it and ventured the opinion that he liked it but for the sun dried tomatoes.  Well, I'm quite prepared to admit that one can never win when trying to feed an almost-teenager.

Where the cheese was concerned, again owing to Son & heir's long list of dislikes I steered clear of Feta.  Instead, I used a creamy and crumbly Cheshire cheese which has an almost lemony flavour and which went just beautifully with the remainder of the ingredients.  When I mentioned the cheese to Son & heir he commented "there was cheese on it?" which I consider to be a positive, even though he didn't notice how lovely it was.

Yet another deviation from the original recipe was that instead of using green beans, I pressganged some leftover Tenderstem Broccoli into use.  I honestly think that you can't go wrong with Tenderstem.  Just cut it to the size that would be manageable in the recipe it's intended to work with and it does its job beautifully.  Incidentally, asparagus would do a similar and just as tasty, job.  I cut each piece of tenderstem into three - two pieces of stalk and one fluffy piece is far easier to handle than trying to manhandle a long piece of broccoli into the pan!

So the recipe I'm including here is my version of the original, which you will find if you click on the link to Food4two above.  However, I'm quite sure that like a lot of these frittata recipes, anything along the veggie line that you would like to include would go just as nicely.  The only thing you need to watch is that a) you don't make the mix too wet by putting something pulpy in it and b) that whatever you're including, goes well with its fellows.

MEDITTERANEAN FRITTATA (serves 4)

Ingredients :

1 courgette, cut into ribbons
1 tbsp olive oil
a handful of Tenderstem broccoli, cut into 3 pieces
5 eggs (I used lovely Burford Brown eggs, just to make it a bit more special)
a handful of sliced basil
freshly ground black pepper
six or so halves of sun-dried tomato, chopped
75-100g of Cheshire cheese, crumbled.

Method :

1.  In a deep frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the courgette slices.  Fry gently until the courgette is tender.

2.  At the same time, heat a saucepan of salted water to boiling and blanche the Tenderstem pieces for 3 minutes, then drain and reserve.


3.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the basil and pepper.  You can add a teensy pinch of salt, depending on how salty your cheese is.  I opted not to do this, as the Cheshire cheese was quite salty enough.


4.  Once the courgette is cooked, add the tenderstem pieces and the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and pour over the egg.


5.  Once you're happy that the vegetables are evenly spaced, add the cheese in crumbles over the top.  You can push the bigger pieces down into the egg to secure them a little if you wish.


6.  Cook on a medium heat for a few minutes - or until the bottom and sides have set.  Then slide the pan under a hot grill for another 2-3 minutes until risen, golden and cooked through.  There should be no wet egg visible if you press down in the middle of the frittata.


7.  Serve warm with salad and crispy croutons.
  
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