Curried Pasta Salad

Once upon a time, we used to eat quite a bit of pasta salad.  I do think, though, that we overdid it, as the very thought of a pasta salad has everyone groaning in that "oh gawd, not again!" kind of way - me included.

However, just recently, my tastebuds have been tickled by the idea of some pasta salads - mostly the type that have some twist or edge to them and aren't made with just mayonnaise.  My tolerance for high fat dishes has significantly reduced in the last few years, in direct correlation to how my waistline has disappeared, it would seem.

I remember last summer (remember summer?  You know, sunshine, barbecues, long tall glasses of cool citrus drinks?  I agree - it's difficult to recall when the rain is coming horizontally across the garden) when we had a barbecue and I made a pasta salad to go with the barbecued meats.  I ate some and we wound up throwing the rest away after two days of it sitting in the fridge.

As such, you might understand my nervousness at serving up this pasta salad.

However, it was a resounding success.  The big difference lies in the greek yoghurt that cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise, along with the curry flavours, sharpness of the apple and sweetness of the mango chutney.

As son & heir commented - it's a bit like a pasta salad version of Coronation Chicken, which is one of his favourite things to do to some leftover roast chicken.  In fact, if you were looking to make a more main course of this salad, just add in some cold roast chicken!

We had ours with some roasted pork chops and halved Tomkin tomatoes and it went down very nicely indeed.  Incidentally, if you ever come across the Tomkin tomatoes do give them a go, as they were deliciously sweet and juicy.

The recipe (from BBC Good Food Magazine) called for celery, but I didn't have any celery on hand at the time and the shops didn't have any either.  Apparently the dire "summer" we're having of torrential rain is causing havoc amongst the vegetable growers and loads of celery is just dying in the fields.  I did have a Braeburn apple, however, and cut that into matchsticks to use instead.  Next time, I'd definitely include the apple along with the celery as it gave a lovely piquancy and welcome juiciness to the mix.


We had a little left over that I didn't get to until a day and a half later, but it was just as good.  As such, it'd be a great salad to make in advance of a barbecue or pot luck buffet.  The apple didn't leak juice and the whole thing was, if anything, better for having sat for a while allowing the flavours to marry up nicely.


I won't push my luck and have this again too soon - but I will do it again and if you're going through a pasta salad liking phase, I would recommend it!


CURRIED PASTA SALAD   (feeds 4)


Ingredients :


200g pasta (penne or spirali are good)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp rogan josh curry paste
100g unflavoured greek yoghurt
juice of one quarter of a lemon
1 tbsp mango chutney
25g sultanas (or a large handful)
a large handful of fresh coriander, chopped finely
quarter of a large cucumber, deseeded and diced finely
1 Braeburn apple, cored, peeled and cut into matchsticks or fine dice
1 celery stick, de-stringed and cut into fine dice
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.


Method :


1.  Boil the pasta in salted water to manufacturer's instructions.  (Usually around 8-9 minutes).  Drain, then spread out in a flat layer on a plate, to cool.


2.  Mix the mayonnaise, curry paste, yoghurt, lemon juice, chutney and sultanas with plenty of seasoning.


3.  Add the pasta, coriander, cucumber, apple and celery and gently stir together until coated in the mayonnaise mixture.


4.  Serve.


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
.

We're sold on the Rootbeer Float, so now we try the Wedge Salad!

Wedge salad.  So what's that all about, then?

Well, you get an iceberg lettuce, cut a humungous wedge out of it - and dress it.  Done.

No, seriously - it's as easy as that.

I too, was a tad surprised when I learned that this "Wedge Salad" that I'd been hearing mentioned in various American blog posts was as simple as that.  After all, it was American!  Where was the dry soup base, or the American cheese, the sweetened condensed milk, or the pre-mixed seasoning?  But no - the classic American wedge salad contains none of these things.  Just lettuce, a creamy dressing of some sort and whatever extra bits you fancy.

So I included it on the menu list for that week.  After all, we were going to be pushed for time on a lot of those days and a simple salad was just the job.

Hubby had the great idea of pairing it up with some Scampi and his home made Crunchy Krauters (or crunchy croutons, as they are probably known everywhere else).  With the last minute addition of some cherry tomatoes, it made an absolutely lovely meal.

On our Wedge Salad, we went for a blue cheese dressing along with some grilled streaky bacon pieces, spring onion and sweetcorn.  Now you seriously wouldn't expect something that was just cut differently, to be quite so successful.  However, I think the thing with this salad is indeed the shape.  When the dressing is drizzled over, it seeps in through the cut sides of the wedge of lettuce and when you cut through, every leaf has had its own little bath in dressing.  Some rather more, some rather less.  Add together a few of the bits and pieces that are sprinkled over and adhering to the dressing - and you've got an amazingly satisfying salad forkful.

Hubby's crunchy krauters are simplicity itself to make.  You take a piece of two day old baguette and cut it into large cubes.  Pre-heat the oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas 4 and while it's warming up, place the cubes into a bowl and drizzle over some Rapeseed oil or extra virgin Olive oil.  Add some seasoning - this is definitely one for the sea salt flakes - and toss to coat each cube in seasoned oil.

Tip the cubes out onto a baking sheet and spread them out into one flat layer.  Bake for just 5 minutes, then check them to see how they're doing.  They should be golden and crunchy on the edges.  If not, leave them for - literally - just another minute or two.  Don't leave the kitchen or take your eyes off them, or they'll burn.

As soon as they're done, serve.  They make a delicous and crunchy change from potatoes or pasta!

Oh, and the rootbeer float?  Easy peasy.  Get yourself some root beer (most major supermarkets sell it now) and if you like the stuff (I think it's redolent of cough mixture and hate the stuff, but the chaps love it) pour into a glass.  Take vanilla icecream and scoop out a good sized ball and drop it (carefully) into the glass.  Add a straw, a deckchair and some sun.  Sorted.

WEDGE SALAD  (serves 3)

Ingredients :

A fresh, clean, whole Iceberg lettuce
3-4 rashers streaky bacon
Blue cheese dressing (feel free to make your own - I didn't have either time nor inclination)
2-3 spring onions, sliced finely
3 tbsp sweetcorn (from a can is easiest).

Method :

1.  Grill the bacon rashers until crispy, then cut into small pieces and set aside to cool.

2.  Take your Iceberg lettuce and trim off the brown stump end, to 2-3 leaves back.  Remove the outer leaves and discard (or give them to your rabbit/guinea pig/goat etc).

3.  Taking a sharp knife, make one cut from top to bottom through one side of the lettuce, then make another cut some 2-3 inches away - again from top to bottom, so removing a wedge of lettuce.

4.   Place the iceberg on its back on your serving plate and trickle the blue cheese (or dressing of your choice) over it.

5.  Sprinkle over the bacon pieces, spring onion and sweetcorn.

6.  Serve.

Printable Version
.   

Sausage & Butternut Casserole - one for Nanna!

As I expect you know by now, my Dad has been in hospital for heart surgery (and now is back home, doing brilliantly!)*.  So as to help out a little bit, we made a few meals that could be extended to serve four people and put one serving into a freezer box for my Mum.  Doing this just meant that when she came home from a potentially stressful day of getting to and from the hospital and visiting (because it can wear you out, visiting people in hospital!), she wouldn't need to worry about making anything good to eat.  She'd just need to get one of the dinners out of the freezer in the morning, then pop it in the microwave in the evening.  Done.

This is one of those "easy but yummy" meals.

I suspect that everyone has a Sausage Casserole recipe tucked behind their ear for the moment when nothing else will do.  My Sausage Casseroles always involve beans in some form or another - well, sausage & beans?  They're one of those matches like cheese & pickle, or chicken & stuffing!  I tend to make them as a true "one pot" dish that contains all the necessary protein, carbohydrate and vegetable in one.  However, it's a bit like Cottage Pie - everyone has their own ideas as to what goes into one and they all taste that little bit different.  In the case of Sausage Casserole, they all contain sausages and vegetables.  After that, the world is your oyster.

This version of Sausage Casserole, which was one of hubby's creations, involved using the other half of a Butternut Squash that didn't have a home to go to.  We'd bought some decent quality Cumberland sausages (Cumberlands are less herby, more black peppery and contain a good quantity of pork) and together with onion, celery, carrot and some green peas for colour, it made a lovely combination.

He also made use of one of the Stock Pots that Knorr had kindly sent us recently - a chicken version - which together with a teaspoon of tomato puree, some mushroom ketchup and a little thickening from a teensy touch of chicken gravy granules (don't faint - they have their place!) it made a lovely flavoursome gravy.

 

Mum broke this one out as the first of the "meals on wheels" as we called them and said it was delicious and just the job.  Inevitably, we'd packaged up far too much for one person - but as I said at the time, better to have too much than too little!

We ate the casserole with plain white rice, whereas Mum made a couple of potatoes to go with it - so the choice is yours.

Sept 2015 : I made this casserole again today, but jazzed it up a little bit as Mum wasn't going to be eating this one!  Not "jazzed" by much, but I added two sliced mushrooms, two cloves of finely chopped garlic, a tbsp of chopped chargrilled peppers in oil and a tbsp of chopped sundried tomatoes in oil.  Of necessity (because I didn't have the chicken stockpot), I used a Knorr Ham Stock Cube and a tsp of reduced salt Knorr chicken stock powder.

As you can see, I served the casserole with mashed potatoes this time and the clean plates all round were testament as to how good it was!  I really should make this one more often, as it really is a perfect autumn dinner.

* Updated since to say that in April 2015 he sadly passed away following a fall at home.

SAUSAGE & BUTTERNUT CASSEROLE  (feeds 4)

Ingredients :

8 Cumberland sausages
1 tbsp rapeseed oil (vegetable or olive oil would be fine)
1 onion, chopped small
1-2 sticks celery, diced small
1-2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1cm chunks
half a butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into 1cm chunks
1 tsp tomato puree
a Knorr chicken stock pot (or 200-300ml chicken stock)
200ml water (leave out if you're using liquid stock)
1 tbsp mushroom ketchup or Worcestershire sauce
1 dessert spoonful of good quality chicken gravy granules
2 handfuls of frozen peas
freshly ground black pepper.

Method :

1.  Begin to heat a large wide-bottomed saucepan and add the sausages and oil.  Fry until the sausages are coloured all over, then remove and retain somewhere warm.

2.  Add the onion and fry on a gentle heat until transparent, softened and just beginning to colour - around 5 minutes or so.

3.  Add the celery and continue to cook until the celery has begun to soften.

4.  Add the carrot and butternut squash.  Cook gently and stir, until the vegetables are heated through.

5.  Add the tomato puree, stock pot (or liquid stock), water (if appropriate) and mushroom ketchup and stir to combine.  Bring up to a lively simmer.

6.  Cut each sausage into three or four pieces and add to the saucepan.  Again, stir to combine.  Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pan.  Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the carrot and butternut squash are tender.

7.  Add the frozen peas and bring back up to a lively simmer.

8.  2-3 minutes later, if necessary, stir in the chicken gravy granules to thicken and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Once the gravy is at your preferred consistency, serve.

Printable version

.

Pepperoni & Mozzarella Millefeuille - or pie!

I suppose it all depends on how much you want to befuddle your audience, as to whether you call this one a "Pepperoni & Mozzarella Millefeuille" or a "Pepperoni & Mozzarella Pie".

Because I'm feeling quite classy today - and it doesn't happen often, so it's good to make the most of it - I shall be calling the dish a Millefeuille.  However, don't be thinking of layers of crisp pastry interspersed with common old pepperoni and squishy mozzarella - oh no.  Be thinking of lovely golden puff pastry, filled with a luxuriant mixture of pepperoni, mashed potato (oh, sorry, did your expectations just crash and burn? *chuckle*), mozzarella cheese and spring onion.

Whatever you call it, it was flipping lovely.

The filling, before the top layer went on

This was another one of hubby's creations, in that he knew we had a pack of pepperoni and two balls of mozzarella in the fridge, left over from an expected pizza voyage that never happened.  The mozzarella is used up easily at lunchtimes, but the pepperoni was a different matter.  So he devised a use for it - and very nice it was, too.

All pleated up and egg washed - ready for baking

For simplicity, we bought some ready-made puff pastry and even a tub of ready-made mashed potato.  Now shop bought mash isn't my favourite by any means, but I have to admit that it did make what could have been a right old palaver a lot easier.  Of course, the best thing of all would be to make a bit extra the day before (presuming you have a dinner with utilises mash the day before).  For us, our meal plan that week had gone completely to worms and the rhythm of our dishes was completely up the creek - hence the shop bought mash.

The only two changes we'd make when making this again, would be to use a better quality of mozzarella - which would give better flavour, plus to use a small quantity of grated cheddar, just to increase the cheese flavour by a tiny bit.

The addition of the spring onion to the mixture was a stroke of genius, though.  Far nicer than straight chopped white onion, or a sweated off onion.  It gave a lovely bite to the texture plus a welcome splash of colour - not to mention the sweet, mild onion flavour which of course went so well with the other ingredients.

Mmmn, squidgy!

This is a recipe that I suspect would appeal to menfolk everywhere - and you could even get away with serving with a little salad, so long as you promise that there's lots of cheese involved in the pie!

Son & heir definitely approved and even ate his salad without complaint.  Hubby was, of course, super critical of the dish as it was his own creation - but agreed that it was definitely one that he'd do again.  I was pleasantly surprised by the flavours as I'm not the biggest fan of pepperoni outside of a pizza and found that the pepperoni flavour was muted by the mashed potato, which allowed the cheese to come through most agreeably.

One note that is worth mentioning, is that the fat content of this dish is off the scale.  It would be impossible to substitute chorizo, for example, as the fat that chorizo brings would just swamp out the texture.  If you consider that every single ingredient - the pastry, mashed potato, pepperoni and mozzarella - all contain a significant amount of fat, this is very definitely a dish for "once in a blue moon".  I'm sure it has a place, though - perhaps as a sharing dish for a mixed buffet, or as a picnic dish (it was very good cold, too!).  Something where you don't need to have a huge slab of the stuff.

Definitely one of those meals that are naughty, but very nice!

PEPPERONI & MOZZARELLA MILLEFEUILLE  (serves 4-8)

Ingredients :

400g puff pastry, rolled out into two sheets approx. 15" x 8"
120g sliced pork pepperoni
400g mashed potato (leftover mash is best)
250g mozzarella, grated
50g cheddar cheese, grated
5-6 spring onions, trimmed & chopped into quarter inch pieces
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten.

Method :

1.  Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick aluminium foil and pre-heat your oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas4.

2.  Slice the pepperoni into strips and place into a good sized bowl.  Add the remainder of the ingredients and season with a good pinch of black pepper.  Mix with a fork until evenly combined.

3.  Place one of the sheets of pastry onto the baking sheet.

4.  Tip the pepperoni mixture out onto the pastry piece and form into a rectangle, at least an inch in from the edges of the pastry.

5.  With a pastry brush, brush a little of the egg wash around the edges of the pastry.

6.  Lay the second piece of pastry across the top and press down around the edges, to seal.  Make sure you're not trapping air inside the pastry, by cutting two or three slots into the top of the rectangle.

7.  Pleat the edges of the pastry, to seal and neaten.  Then give the pastry a good coating with the egg wash.

8.  Place into the oven for some 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

9.  Serve with a side salad.

Printable version
.

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
.

Marco Pierre White's Chicken Chasseur ... oh dear.

My version - doesn't look too bad ..

I - honest, swear to god, hand on heart, scout's honour, the lot - didn't do anything other than follow Marco Pierre White's recipe faithfully.


So why, then, did my Chicken Chasseur turn out to be such a disappointment?


Let's start with the recipe (for once), so that you can see what I had to deal with :

CHICKEN CHASSEUR

Ingredients :

• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tbsp plain flour, for coating
• 1 small chicken jointed into 8 pieces or 8 chicken thigh portions (skin on or off as preferred)
• 2 shallots, very finely chopped (100g)
• 50ml brandy, optional
• 100ml white wine
• 1 Knorr Chicken Stock Pot
• 600ml tomato juice (with an optional touch of gravy browning added in for extra colour if desired)
• 250g button mushrooms, peeled and finely sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 2 tbsps chopped parsley
• 2 tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded, finely diced.

Method :

1.    Gently heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. You want the oil to be hot but not so hot that it scorches the floured chicken.
2.    Spread a layer of flour on a plate or a tray. Flour the chicken pieces, coating them in the flour evenly and thoroughly and shaking off the excess.
3.    Add the floured chicken pieces to the hot olive oil, skin side down. Fry the chicken without moving the pieces until golden-brown underneath, around 8-10 minutes; turn over the chicken and fry until browned on the other side.
4.    Add the finely chopped shallot to the chicken pieces in the frying pan, placing them under the chicken so that the shallot cooks.
5.    If using brandy, pour it in around the edge of the pan so that it runs underneath the chicken pieces. Cook for 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
6.    Then add in the wine, again pouring it in round the sides of the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes so that the alcohol from the wine cooks off and its acidity is reduced.
7.    Now add in the Knorr Chicken Stock Pot and the tomato juice. Shake the pan to gently work it in, turning the chicken pieces to coat them in the liquid.
8.    Slowly bring to the boil, dissolving the Knorr Chicken Stock Pot. Add the tarragon to the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes.
9.    While the chicken is simmering, heat remaining olive oil, in a separate frying pan.
10.    Add in the sliced mushrooms and fry them for 3-5 minutes. Add in the parsley, shaking the pan to mix it in well. Add in the diced tomato, shaking to mix in well.
11.    Spoon the mushroom mixture over the chicken pieces, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve at once.

Marco's version - looks totally different!

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?  Well, it certainly wasn't difficult - apart from jointing the chicken that is, but I'll talk about that later - once you've done all your preparations (which took me an hour!).

First up, I'll say that I did tinker with the given recipe slightly in that I fried off the mushrooms and tomato first, then retained them under the grill to keep warm whilst I fried the chicken and made the sauce.   Well, it seemed daft to lose that mushroom flavour by using a separate pan!

The end result, both hubby and I felt, was nothing like the traditional recipe from France being completely washed out by the final addition of the fresh tomato, which seemed to gang up with the tomato juice involved in the sauce.  All traces of brandy and wine (which had been deliciously apparent right up until the inclusion of the mushrooms and tomato) were totally obliterated - as was the flavour of the mushrooms!  The overwhelming flavour wound up as being simply tomato.  Looking at Marco's version above, it doesn't look like it has had 600ml of tomato juice involved in the sauce at all - it looks rather more like as though it's had more stock and gravy browning!

Now the whole point of this exercise - the making of the Chicken Chasseur - was to spotlight how delicious Knorr's Stock Pots are, instead of making your own stock.  However, where was the stock in the recipe?  I know that one of the points of Knorr's Stock Pots is that you can either dilute the contents of the pot to make stock, or just use it direct in a dish to flavour the gravy or sauce - as in this case.

The trouble, it seems to me, is that the tomato juice was used in such quantity (I even didn't use as much as is stated in the recipe - just 400ml instead of 600ml) that the sauce didn't taste an awful lot different after the addition of the stock pot, than before it.  The tomato juice was very definitely the dominant flavour, albeit that you could still taste the brandy and the lovely wine at this stage.

Why, oh why, didn't I just make my own version of a Chicken Chasseur?  You may well ask.  I suppose, I was being what I thought was true to the spirit of the challenge in following the given recipe.  You live and learn.

The ingredients for the Chicken Chasseur had come from Knorr and been supplied by Foreman & Field - who are famous in bloggerland for providing some real quality goods.  Our Seasonal Box was no different, in that the ingredients were all top notch - and don't think that I'm being ungrateful, I'm not!  I am very grateful to be given the opportunity of cooking with such lovely things, but it makes it all the more disappointing when your recipe doesn't work out how you thought it might.

Take the chicken, for instance.  It came from the Rhug Estate and if you take a look at their website, you'll see that they purport to give their chickens a lovely life, which winds up with a tender and flavoursome bird.  Well maybe we've eaten a lower grade of chicken for too long, but hubby's description of the chicken was "a tough old bird", as his breast portion left something to be desired in the tenderness department.  Incidentally - and interestingly, to buy direct from Rhug the chickens cost £12.  From Foreman & Field, they suddenly shoot up to £19.95.  I refer you all back to my comments on the British Rose Veal posts, about buying direct from the farm!  (Aside from all that - £20 for a chicken?  OMG!).

I'm afraid I don't really know how my thigh portion tasted, as it was still bloody even after frying, then cooking in both brandy and wine, together with simmering in sauce for a good half an hour.  I even started it before the breast portions, with its longer cooking time in mind!  So I had a dinner of tomato sauce with tasteless mushrooms over new potatoes, carrots and tenderstem broccoli.  ~sigh~

It was the first time I'd broken a whole chicken down into individual portions.  However, I'd watched enough people do it and even had a pull-out magazine "how to" to hand.  Even with all that help, it took me FOR EVER to break that chicken down into portions.  It has to be that the bones on this free range organic chicken were so much stronger than "normal" chickens (i.e. free range, from the butcher), because my feeble grip was having significant trouble getting my brand new and sharp as anything poultry shears through it.  I was determined not to call for help though, as I knew hubby really dislikes anything remotely yukky - and dismembering a chicken could quite conceivably be termed "yukky".  That chicken fought back.  Yes, alright, passively - but it fought back.

I hadn't really considered the waste that is involved with breaking into portions, either.  I could have cried if I'd have stopped long enough to think about what I was throwing away and how it could have been put to making a chicken soup or suchlike.  I considered putting it all in the freezer until another day, but as we've just a tiny freezer that is absolutely bursting at the seams at the moment, it just couldn't be done.  It fair broke my heart to throw that carcass and all the rubble away.

I did manage to put the other leg portion and the wings into the freezer for another day, though.  We had a tiny corner left that I wedged them into.  I also have a drumstick in some of the tomato sauce in the fridge, for lunch tomorrow.  (Today's lunch is taken up with a Tenderstem in Ten challenge!).

Still, when I think how (potentially) nice that chicken would have been if we'd have roasted it .... 

The wine that was supplied for the cooking deserves a word or two, as it was really lovely.  Now, when I say "really lovely", you need to sit up and pay attention - not because I'm a great wine buff, but because I'm anything but and normal everyday wines leave me fairly cold.  Every now and then, though, I find one that I really like - so enter the Biddenden Wines' Ortega 2011.  Looking at their website, it is described as "Winner of  "Best Kent Wine" at the Taste of Kent awards 2012. A medium full fruit wine, well balanced with a distinctive fragrance and good acidity. Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif or with food.  Silver Medal UKVA Awards 2012; Bronze Medal SEVA Awards 2012".  Well, I can understand why!

The wine has a very pale colour which leads you to expect a delicate flavour - not the big fruity flavours that burst upon your tongue, ricocheting back and forth across your palate, leaving shooting stars and sparklers in their wake.  Then comes the warmth as the back of your throat radiates a deliciously comforting glow in the aftermath.  This is a wine that makes you purse your lips and nod appreciatively in the way of wine buffs everywhere.

So it was a terrible shame that it all got obliterated by the addition of that last dose of tomato.  ~sigh~

I tried.  I really, really tried.

.

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

.