The Kitchen Affair

Chicken, Broad Bean & Pea Risotto

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 20:18:29 +0000

Stock in a pan on low heat to keep warm.
Meanwhile in another pan, cook celery, onion and leek in olive oil gently for 10 mins.
Add rice and stir for a couple of minutes.
Add white wine vinegar or wine.
Add 1 ladle full of stock (don't be tempted to continuously stir the rice).
Once liquid is absorbed by the rice add another ladleful.
Continue last two stages of adding ladlefuls of stock for 16-17 minutes until rice is al dente.
(Add peas and broadbeans 6-7 minutes before the end of your cooking time)
Take off heat and stir in parmesan, lemon juice, butter and cream if using.
Obviously you can season it for yourself and Marc if you are having any.
Also add your cooked chicken (you can use any other fish or vegetables instead)
Risotto should be oozing like the consistency of volcano lava.

Pizza Cheat

Sat, 7 Jun 2008 21:06:07 +0100

Sometimes I just want pizza. I could tell you how I made my own dough, how Italian mamas bake it, how I made my home made tomato sauce, but sometimes, I just want pizza. Going into the kitchen to open and close the oven door doesn’t constitute as cooking but when there’s a bit of chopping to do , well that’s another story. That little extra work, however minimal it is has a wonderful physiological effect of soothing away my guilt trip for having a lazy pizza night. Perhaps it’s the fact that I know that at least the ingredients I put on are fresh and traceable.

Supermarkets will always have an offer on there slightly less interesting pizzas such as Margherita or Pepperoni, so I got both for the price of one. I will nearly always have something at home to make it a deluxe. I have two basil plants which to my surprise are still alive and thriving. I alternate leaf picking between them and water regularly and that seems to have worked so far. Using plenty of chopped basil will freshen up any pizza and somehow makes it taste less stodgy. Halved cherry tomatoes, black olives, spinach, goats cheese, rocket are just some of the extras I threw on top. I’d like to try a Sophia next time and crack an egg on one before baking. Perhaps even mussels and clams, cooked or cured meats, fresh or dried chilli, pesto and pine nuts, hell why stop there, where’s my marmite?

Ice Magic

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 21:07:33 +0100

Prep: 5 mins
Well this isn’t a recipe, just a way of making my plain tub of ice cream a bit more special. It’s been in my freezer slowly accumulating a thick blanket of frost I had to use a knife to pick around it and yank it out ( I need a new freezer, mine won’t let me have anything back without a fight anymore). I’ll adorn the ice cream with chocolate and nuts as a peace offering for my negligence.

I melted some dark chocolate in the microwave, Bournville actually as it’s the best tasting dark chocolate for eating. It was an attempt to make chocolate sauce for my sundae but as I drizzled it over it hardened just like Ice Magic that mum use to put on my ice cream when I was a kid. I love the way the weaving chocolate falls off the ice cream in it’s new drizzly ‘Pollock’ type shapes (was that a bit ostentatious?) . All it needs now is some chopped almonds and a tea spoon for eating with (eating ice cream with a tea spoon makes me feel like a kid again, and it makes it last longer!).

Tips 
I haven’t tried using other chocolate bars in this way but I’m excited by the idea of trying Mars Bars, though I’m not sure how the nougat will cope in the microwave. Crushed Maltesers are also good over ice cream.

Toffee Popcorn

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:50:08 +0100

Prep: 5 mins Cook: 10 mins
Popcorn is actually very good for you. It’ virtually fat free, it’s only the topping you use that contain the calories. Popping corn kernels are about 70p for half a kilo and will last you ages! You can get them in the supermarkets now in the foreign foods aisle or in Middle Eastern or Indian shops. The paper packed microwave popcorn isn’t worth the money in my opinion, there’s much more satisfaction doing it yourself and it’s certainly better for your wallet.

The popcorn and oil are placed in a saucepan on a medium heat with a tight fitting lid. I’m careful not to lift the lid as the popcorn will fly out though I couldn’t resist a peak once I heard them starting to pop. I’ll give them a shake every now and again but they’ll only take a few minutes. In the meantime I place the toffee ingredients in another saucepan and allow to melt down and combine until smooth. Once the sound of the popping corn dies down I remove the lid and stir in the toffee sauce. After allowing them to cool slightly I’ll scoff the lot through a good movie.

Tips 
If you’re after a healthy snack have the popcorn plain whilst still hot or add a little salt, cinnamon or paprika. Otherwise go for sugar, melted chocolate, butterscotch sauce or melted butter.

Sea Bass with Green Chilli & Turmeric Sauce

Fri, 23 May 2008 19:16:24 +0100

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins
This is a surprisingly quick and easy dish to prepare, the sauce doesn’t need to be reduced or cooked for very long. You might think it’s quite an unusual combination but in fact I would say that it’s a modern way of using Indian spices. The crushed potatoes soak up the turmeric sauce which is another take on Bombay potatoes.

The oven is preheated to 180∘C. The new potatoes are steaming away, they’ll be done by the time I’m ready for them. I warm a little oil and butter in a pan whilst making slits in the skin of the sea bass fillets. I dry them thoroughly with kitchen paper so they go nice and crispy when I place them skin side down in the pan. They fry until the skin in crispy on one side and 2 minutes on the other side before going in the oven while I start the sauce. In the same pan I lightly fry the onion until soft then add the onion seeds, chillies, garlic, ginger, cloves and turmeric powder for a few extra minutes. The milk goes in and is allowed to reach boiling point before bringing down to a simmer. I add the sugar, salt and bay leaf then concentrate on steaming the spinach and lightly crushing the cooked potatoes. The turmeric sauce will thicken slightly after a few minutes, I stir it frequently but will add a splash more milk if it needs thinning. I plate the vegetables by piling them in the centre, a sea bass fillet goes on top of each and the sauce is spooned around. Dave and I tucked into this immediately, somehow it felt like a light, healthy Indian meal!

Tips 
I sometimes use steaming bags which come in packs of 10 from Sainsbury’s at £1.99. You put your vegetables in, seal the tops and place in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. I wouldn’t consider this cheating, I’m not actually micro-waving them, they do steam. It takes the hassle away from having to wash up an awkward shaped steamer or a few extra pans, and you’ll also have a hob free. I also don’t mind using stock cubes or tinned tomatoes (which are actually very good for you). We are home cooks not Michelin star chefs! 
Another short cut I use for steaming is by placing a small covered colander of spinach over boiling potatoes a few minutes before they are cooked. You can buy one of those little metal steamers for a few quid which fold out, you can use them in various sized pans and are good for smaller portions. 
You could also try this with coconut rice instead of the potatoes and spinach. Cook 150g white basmati rice in 100ml coconut milk, juice of 1 lime and boiling water for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked.  
You could also use sea bream or haddock instead of sea bass. Try also adding fresh clams or mussels to the sauce, they only take a few minutes to cook. Click here to see my notes on preparing mussels. 
Try mixing all the spices raw with some yoghurt and use as a marinade for fish then throw it on the barbecue.

Warm Tuna Nicoise

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:28:21 +0100

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins
We had this for Sunday lunch in the garden a week or so ago when it was 21∘C outside. It gave us the slightly false illusion that the summer may have arrived early this year. However, the soups and casseroles have made way for warm salads and a more redeeming choice of ingredients to play with. There are a few elements that can be cooked in advance so keeping a few hard boiled eggs, cooked salad potatoes and steamed French beans in the fridge at the start of the week means you can throw this together in no time.

Two eggs are placed in a pan with cold water and brought up to the boil. They are removed after 4 minutes and allowed to cool. I have a steamer which comes in quite handy for this so the new potatoes go on the first level for 5 minutes, then the French Beans on the next level for 3 minutes, and finally the spinach for just 1 minute until it has wilted slightly. The anchovies are warming up in a pan with a little olive oil. They will begin to break apart when they heat up so I’ll help them a little by mushing with a whisk or fork. Then I season the tune steaks with white pepper on each side but no salt as the anchovies are already quite salty, and fry them in the anchovies for 2 minutes on each side. This will sear the tuna on the outside leaving it pink in the centre. I mince the garlic and place in a small jar with the remaining dressing ingredients and shake vigourously. Each new potato is sliced into three and placed in a bowl with the French beans, olives, spinach and tossed in the dressing. I place a large handful in the centre of each plate with the tuna resting on top. Finally I peel and half each egg and place on the side with any remaining anchovy sauce in the pan drizzled on top. Serve with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

Tips 
If you do make the potatoes and French beans in advance I would recommend tossing them in the dressing whilst still warm and then refrigerate. This will allow the vegetables to soak up and cling onto the flavours until you are ready to use them . You can also keep extra dressing in the fridge for a few days but don’t add the soft herbs until you are ready to serve as they won’t keep for long once chopped. 
If you are serving this salad cold use different varieties of lettuce instead of spinach such as cos, frisee and lollo rosa. 
This salad also works very well with mackerel and trout, just don’t use anchovies and try horseradish sauce instead of the mustard for the dressing.

Milk Poached Chicken with Chilli Soy Dressing

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:59:08 +0100

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15 mins
Chicken breasts can be notoriously dry, and because it does need to be cooked through properly the tendency for most people is to over cook them as a precaution. The lack of fat also contributes to this, and lack of flavour, which is why I prefer legs and cooking on the bone. In Eastern parts of the world the breast is the cheapest part of the chicken and less desirable because of this reason. This is why one of my favourite ways to cook chicken breast is to either steam or poach them. They stay beautifully moist and tender by soaking up the surrounding liquids. Poaching in chicken stock adds flavour and by adding milk the chicken breasts have a beautiful creamy white texture.

I bring the chicken stock, milk and bay leaf up to the boil and place the chicken breasts in, allowing them to simmer gently until cooked, about 8-10 minutes depending on their size. Meanwhile the carrots are peeled and sliced into batons, the French beans trimmed and the Broccoli florets left fairly large. The vegetables are steamed until tender but with bite, the carrots and French beans will take a minute or two longer than the broccoli. To make the dressing, I place all the ingredients into my small trusty jam jar and shake vigourously for 1 minute. When the chicken breasts are cooked, I lift them from the poaching liquid onto a chopping board and slice diagonally. Discard the poaching liquid. To serve, the vegetables are arranged between the two plates, the chicken slices on top, the dressing is drizzled over and finished with a sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander.

Tips 
You can serve this with a bowl of sticky rice if you like though I prefer it without.

Cardamon & Pistachio Rice Pudding

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:46:54 +0100

Prep: 5 mins Cook: 20 mins
Rice pudding is so easy to make, three ingredients, all in the pan at once and 15-20 minutes later you have comfort food. Make a big batch and keep it in the fridge. The sun has been poking through the rain over the last few days but I can't think of anything better than a small bowl of rice pudding, a dollop of raspberry jam and a good film when it's been raining for hours.

Put all the ingredients except the pistachio nuts in a pan, bring to almost boiling point then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Once the rice is cooked serve with crushed pistachio nuts. If the mixture looks a little dry or thick, add more milk or cream for the desired consistency. Remember, it will thicken as it cools.

Tips 
You could also add double or clotted cream to rice pudding towards the end of cooking to make it richer and creamier. 
You can also bake the rice pudding in the oven which takes about 40-50 minutes at 150∘C. Place a tray underneath incase it over flows and check it regularly. 
Here are some ideas of other flavours you could add:  - mushed banana  - milk, dark or white chocolate  - 2 tsp of rosewater  - cinnamon & nutmeg  - golden syrup or honey  - flaked almonds  - traditional jam  - lemon curd  - stem ginger  - elderflower  - plums or pears

Doh!

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:40:06 +0000

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 40 mins
We were out of bread yesterday. I rarely have the patience to make bread with all the kneading and resting that goes with it. I decided to try soda bread which doesn’t use yeast and therefor doesn’t need to be proofed. The two ingredients you usually need which I wouldn’t normally have in the kitchen are wholemeal self raising flour and buttermilk. So I decided to try it with ingredients I do normally have, white self raising flour, and yoghurt and milk mixed to a similar consistency as buttermilk. The result was a bread that resembled the flavour of scones, scone bread! It was delicious, we had some sliced and toasted with butter and jam, and again for lunch toasted with cheese and Worcester sauce, chutney or caramelised onions. It was so easy to make as well, the only difficult thing is waiting for it to cool before eating it. Scones are made in much the same way with the addition of sugar.

I preheat the oven to 180∘C. I sift the flours, salt and bicarb into a bowl, mix and create a well in the centre. The yoghurt and milk are stirred together and poured into the well. In circular motions I use a fork to bring the flour into yoghurt until a dough forms. I knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes using extra flour if it seems to sticky and shape into a circle. The dough is very soft but not sticky and not dry. I place the dough on the floured surface of a baking tray, sprinkle with more flour and cut some slits in the top. I bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes. When it’s cooked it should sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. I allow it to cool on a wiring rack. I have tried to cut bread straight out of the oven in the past but the inside tends to clump up. I think allowing it to cool lets the inside steam slightly and settle into it’s bread like texture.

Tips 
You can also make rolls instead of a loaf, cook for 20 minutes. 
Use wholemeal self raising flour and buttermilk for a traditional soda bread. It’s really nice with soup. 
I’ll put my scone recipe up next time I make them.