Recipe Blogging - Za'tar Chicken with Orange Couscous



Ingredients

1/4 cup (3 tbs) Zaytoun's za'atar
4x 180g skinless chicken breast fillets
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1 large red onion
1/3 cup (80ml) white wine
3/4 cup (185ml) chicken stock
1 1/2 cups (270g) Zaytoun large grain couscous (maftool)
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds
2 oranges peeled, segmented, juice reserved (about 50ml)
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 tsp ground cumin

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC

2. Rub the za'atar all over the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep frypan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes each side until golden. Transfer to a roasting pan and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.

3. Wipe the frypan with a paper towel, then heat over a medium-high heat. Add the red onion, saute till soft, then add the wine and cook for 1 minute.

4. Then add the stock. Bring to boil, add the Palestinian couscous (maftool), remove from heat, cover and stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the pine nuts, orange segments and coriander leaves.

5. Whisk the remaining olive oil and reserved orange juice in a small bowl with cumin. Add to the couscous and gently combine.

6. Slice the chicken breasts and serve on top of the couscous.

Christmas Day Blogging

Roast Beef Marinated in Red Wine


before the topside of beef goes in the oven

Ingredients (serves 6)
2kg beef scotch (rib-eye) fillet
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups red wine (such as shiraz)
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 red onions, peeled, thickly sliced
horseradish sauce, to serve

Method
Trim fat and sinew from beef. Tie with cooking string at 2cm intervals to help beef keep its shape during cooking. Rub beef with pepper.

Combine wine, mustard, garlic and bay leaves in a deep ceramic dish. Add beef. Turn to coat in marinade. Refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 4 hours or overnight if time permits.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Remove beef from marinade. Pat-dry using paper towels. Heat butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add beef. Cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned. Set aside.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add onions. Toss to coat in oil. Arrange onions in the centre of a lightly greased roasting pan. Place beef on top of onions. Roast for 55 minutes for medium rare, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes for medium and 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours for well done.

Remove from oven. Cover with foil. Stand 15 minutes. Remove string. Slice. Serve with onions and horseradish.

Halloween Blogging

My niece in her Halloween costume



White Mice Graveyard



Ingredients

Marshmallows
Dark Chocolate
Nice biscuits
Halloween Decorating Kit
White Mice
Wine Gums

Melt 200g chopped marshmallows, 50g unsalted butter and 200g dark chocolate over a low heat and then leave to cool slightly. Crumble in 13 biscuits (in chunky crumbs). Decorate 5 biscuits with the writing icing pens from the Halloween decorating kit to look like gravestones. Whip 300ml double cream until thick, then fold through the chocolate mixture. Spoon into 1 1/2 litre dish and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of each of the Halloween sprinkles. Position the mice and wine gums on the surface. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour to set. When ready to serve, arrange the gravestone biscuits in the mousse and poke in sprigs of fresh mint for a fun and frightening treat

Peruvian Recipe Blogging

Chicken Stew Creole

1 chicken 3 ½ Ibs
1 tablespoon of oil
1 oz of butter
Salt, garlic, ground black pepper (to taste),
1 heaped tablespoon Oregano
4 oz of streaky bacon
1 large tin of tomato
½ bottle of sweet wine
Chicken stock
1 oz sultanas
1 oz almonds
1 oz vinegar
4 oz mushrooms

Simmer the chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover. When cooked, cool bone and cut into bitesize pieces. Melt the fats in a pan add the diced bacon, salt, pepper, oregano & chopped onion and fry until the onion is soft. Mix in 1 tablespoon of flour then add tomatoes, wine & stock. Simmer for 15 mins, add vinegar, almonds (blanched and split), sultanas and chopped mushrooms. Simmer until mushrooms are soft (a few mins only). Add the chicken and serve hot with rice & salad.

Recipe Blogging

Marcus Wareing's Turkish Delight Cheesecake



Hands-on time 30min, plus 2hr chilling.
Serves 10

80g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
2tbsp honey
200g (7oz) rich tea or other plain biscuit, crushed
3tbsp cocoa powder
4 gelatine leaves
250g (9oz) cream cheese
25g (1oz) caster sugar
250g (9oz) sour cream
2tbsp semi-skimmed or whole milk
3 x 50g bars chocolate covered Turkish delight, chopped
Rosewater to taste

1. Mix the melted butter and honey together, then add to the crushed biscuits and coca powder. Mix well, then press into a greased 20cm (8in) springform cake tin and refrigerate

2. Bloom the gelatine leaves in a little cold water and leave in the fridge. Beat the cream cheese until soft, then add the sugar and sour cream and mix well.

3. Heat the milk, then add the strained gelatine, stirring well. Add four spoonfuls, of the cream cheese mix to the milk. Stir well, then fold in the Turkish delight and rosewater to taste. Blend lightly with a stick blender or pulse in a blender.

4. Pour the mixture on the base. Chill in the fridge for couple of hours until firm

Recipe Blogging

Mango Chicken

1-2 tablespoons groundnut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated root ginger
2 skinless chicken breasts fillets, cut into thin slices
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 1/2 ripe mangoes peeled and stoned - puree the flresh of 1 mango and slice the 1/2
150ml (5fl oz) pineapple juice
1-2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Instructions

Heat a work or frying pan over a high heat and add the oil. Add the ginger and stir fry for a few seconds, then add the chicken and toss together. As chicken starts to cook add the wine or sherry, stirring all the time. Add the chili and red pepper and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the mango puree and the pineapple juice and season with the soy sauce and freshly ground black pepper. Let it bubble and reduce for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the mango slices and cook for a further 30 seconds or so before serving with steamed jasmine rice

Recipe Blogging - Fruity Flapjacks



Makes 16

You Will Need:

4 tablespoons golden syrup h/t to reader jawbone for the link
200g (7 oz) brown sugar
250g (9 oz) butter
350g (12 oz) porridge oats
150g (5 oz) mixed dried fruit, like cherries, cranberries, apricots or prunes (chopped if necessary)
Optional: 3 pieces of stem ginger, finely chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150oC/300oF/gas 2. Lightly butter a 20 x 30cm (or similar sized), 4cm deep baking tray

2. Put the syrup, sugar and butter into a large saucepan. Place on a medium heat until the butter has melted and everything is bubbling and caramel-coloured. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the oats, dried fruit and stem ginger. Pour mixture into the baking tray and press it down with the back of a wooden spoon to make it smooth and flat.

3. Bake in the preheated over for 40 to 45 minutes. Leave it to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before cutting into portions with a sharp knife. Don't take the individual flapjacks out of the tray yet though; leave them until completely cool then use a fish slice or spatula to get right down to the bottom of the tray and lift them out.

This is a recipe from Jaimie Oliver, for Red Nose day this year. My mum had been looking for a good flapjack recipe as she had trouble in the past making them, so she was delighted that this worked.

The flapjacks are delicious and a favorite of my niece.