Potato Topped Chicken and Leek Bake

A delicious meal of chicken and leeks in a white wine and cream sauce topped with thinly sliced potatoes, sprinkled with cheese and baked until golden.  What more can I say?  Except sumptuous!

25g Butter

15ml Rapeseed Oil

2 Leeks, finely sliced

4 Chicken Breasts, cubed into bite sized pieces

15ml Chopped fresh parsley

30ml White Wine

60ml Single Cream

Salt and Pepper to season

4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced (3-4mm)

25g Butter

50g Cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃.

2. Melt the butter and the oil in a large pan.

3. Gently sauté the leeks until softened.

4. Add the diced chicken and cook gently for 5 minutes.

5. Add the chopped parsley, wine and the cream

6. Season to taste.

7. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

8. Meanwhile bring a large pan of water to the boil and drop the sliced potatoes in.

9. Boil for 4-5 minutes until starting to soften.

10. Pour the chicken and leek mixture into a large ovenproof dish.

11. Drain the potato slices and layer on top of the chicken and leek to cover completely.

12. Dot with the butter and sprinkle the grated cheese on top.

13. Cook for 20-25 minutes until browned and bubbling on top.

14. Serve with steamed vegetables.

I cooked and paired this dish with a Central Co-Operative Fairtrade 2013 Pinot Grigio which I reviewed on my post {here}

Chicken a la King

An old recipe I copied down from a magazine in the late 1980's when I first got married was for the very 'exotic' Chicken a la King.  We thought we were so sophisticated when we sat down to our meal in our first house and it's something we've enjoyed eating every so often since then.  My apologies for not being able to give credit to the original recipe writer, but it's been with me for over 25 years on a scrappy piece of paper.  I've changed it slightly as I really don't like mushrooms, so they're no longer in my own version of this recipe, but please feel free to 'add the fungus' if you so wish!

4 Chicken breasts, skinned
40g Butter
10ml Oil
1 Onion, diced
100g Mushroom, sliced (not on my plate!)
2tbs Cornflour
60ml cold Water
20ml Tomato purée
Black Pepper to taste
250ml Chicken stock
1tsp dried Basil
2 Tomatoes, skinned & sliced
150ml Single cream
1/2 Green Pepper, sliced
1/2 Red Pepper, sliced

1. Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Heat the butter & oil in a frying pan.
3. Fry the chicken on both sides until golden.
4. Remove the chicken breasts to a casserole dish and set to one side.
5. Fry the onions and mushrooms (if using) until softened, but not coloured.
6. Mix the cornflour and water together until smooth.
7. To the pan, add the tomato purée, black pepper, stock and cornflour/water and bring to the boil, continuously stirring until thickened, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
8. Add the basil, sliced tomatoes, cream and sliced peppers and stir through.
9. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and cover with the lid.

10. Place your casserole dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Serve with roasted potato and sweet potato wedges with broccoli and cauliflower.

I'm entering this 'old favourite' in to the Community Cooks Competition with the Central Co-Op.

I received a gift voucher from the Central Co-Op with which to purchase ingredients for my competition entry. 

Yorkshire Pudding the Rosie Way

For as long as I remember, mum always lovingly made us a Sunday roast dinner with home made Yorkshire puddings.  Though I always make mine by eye and estimate my quantities, just the way mum taught me all those years ago, in order to publish a recipe for you, I've had to translate my 'eye' into measurable quantities, so here goes!

30ml Oil (vegetable, rapeseed or olive oil - you choose your favourite)
125g Plain flour
2 Eggs
150ml Milk
Pinch salt
½ medium Onion, chopped

1. Heat your oven to 240˚C.
2. Pour your oil into a 25cm/10" square Pyrex dish and put it into your oven to heat up.
3. In a bowl, add the flour, eggs, milk and salt.
4. Beat or whisk until smooth and lump free.  The consistency you're looking for is that of single cream.
5. Stir in your chopped onion and set to one side to rest.
6. When the surface of your oil is shimmering, but not smoking, reduce the oven temperature to 220˚C and give your batter a quick stir.
7. Quickly remove the dish from the oven, but keep the oven door open for as short a time as possible.  It's ESSENTIAL to keep as much heat into the oven as is possible.
8. Pour the batter into the dish. It should sizzle as it hits the hot oil.
9. Swirl the batter around and up all sides of the dish. This will help it start to rise up the dish as it cooks.
10.  Quickly open the oven and place your dish straight back in, closing the door before the heat escapes, then DO NOT open the door until it's cooked.
11. Stand back and watch your Yorkshire Pudding cook. You can see when it's cooked as it'll be risen into golden crowns and be an amazing golden brown colour.

* I always cook my Yorkshire Pudding in a Pyrex dish as you can guarantee that it'll get wonderfully hot ready for your batter to go straight in and then it also won't stick.
* Have your oven door open for the shortest time possible.  Don't open it, take out your dish and leave it open whilst you pour your batter into it and then return it to the oven.  It's essential that you keep that oven HOT so it starts to cook the instant that it goes in.
* Reserve a couple of tablespoons of your Yorkshire Pudding batter to transform your meat juices into the most incredible tasting gravy by following yesterday's recipe.

Sunday Dinner

Traditionally when we grew up, mum always made a proper Sunday Roastof a joint of meat, vegetables, roast and/or mashed potatoes with a light and crispy Yorkshire pudding and home made gravy.

Since I married many, many years ago and then with a growing up family of our own to feed, it's our favourite meal of the week.  Family time to enjoy amazing food, lovingly prepared, to be the final meal of the weekend before the working and school week commences the following day.

I've broken my Sunday roast dinner down for you into three parts:

The pork and sage stuffed chicken.

The gravy.

The Yorkshire pudding.

Just add your vegetables, sit down around the table with family, friends and loved ones and enjoy!

Rosie

x

Pork and Sage Stuffed Chicken

I don't generally buy stuffing mix as it's really easy to make yourself. The only time that I do use it is as a crumb coating for chicken portions, but that's for another day. Today is all about getting stuffed!

1 medium Onion, finely chopped
225g Pork stuffing meat
4tbs dried Breadcrumbs
1tbs dried Sage
2tbs boiling water
1 whole chicken

1. Oven to 190˚C/170C ˚fan.
2. In a medium sized bowl, add all of the above ingredients and thoroughly mix together with your hand (or for those of a squeamish nature, you can use a spatula).
3. Use the mixture to stuff your chicken cavity.
4. Weigh your stuffed chicken and cook for 25 minutes per 500g plus an additional 25 minutes.
5. To check if your chicken is cooked through, pierce the thickest part (generally where the leg joins the body.  If the juices run clear, then your chicken is cooked.  If there is still some colour to the juices, cook for another 25 minutes and check again.
6. Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
7. Serve with gravy made from the meat juices.

*The pork stuffing meat I've used here is the type that you get in a long plastic tube, sealed at each end with a metal clip, usually about 450g in weight.  Alternatively you can use ready made sausages which are your favourite and omit the Sage.

Jerk Chicken with a Pineapple Salsa

Make this as hot or as mild as you like by adjusting the seasoning.  Enjoy with the hot pineapple salsa and a fresh, crisp salad.  Also great with some proper, crispy chips (sprinkled with sea salt) for an extra special treat!

For the Salsa
175g Fresh Pineapple (tinned and drained if you can't get fresh)
4 Spring Onions, chopped
50g Red Pepper, chopped
5mm piece root Ginger, grated
15ml Cider vinegar
15ml Soft brown sugar
60ml Barbeque sauce
Jerk Chicken
4 Chicken breasts, boned and skinned
60ml Rapeseed oil
30ml Lemon juice
15ml Jamaican Jerk / Cajun seasoning (adjust to taste)

1. Preheat your grill to a medium/hot setting.
2. To make your salsa, into a saucepan place all of your ingredients and warm through over a gentle heat.
3. Make 2/3 incisions into the chicken breasts with a sharp knife and rub all over with 30ml of the oil.
4. Sprinkle over the Jamaican Jerk/Cajun seasoning.
5. Mix the remaining 30ml oil with the lemon juice to use as a baste for the chicken breasts.
6. Grill the chicken breasts, seasoning side up for 4-5 minutes.
7. Baste occasionally with the oil and lemon juice mixture.
8. Turn over the chicken and grill for 3-4 minutes on the other side.
9. Turn over the chicken breasts back over to the seasoning side up, baste with the remaining baste and turn up the grill to the highest setting.
10. Grill for 5 minutes until crisp and dark in colour.
11. Serve with some of the warm pineapple salsa.

For the chicken breasts, if you prefer, you can either
a) Fry strips of the seasoned chicken for 8-10 minutes, or
b) Baste, season and cook the whole chicken breasts for 15 minutes at 190°C

Veggie Pasta Pie

Continuing the pasta and vegetarian theme of recipes.  This is a mixture of pasta, vegetables and a creamy, cheese flavoured béchamel sauce.  Simply delicious!

30ml Rapeseed oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 each, red, green and yellow pepper, sliced

2 medium courgettes, sliced

225g Mushrooms, sliced

400g can Chopped tomatoes

15ml Tomato Puree

Salt & Pepper to taste

275g Pasta shapes

25g Plain flour

25g Butter

300ml Milk

115g Cheddar cheese, grated

50g Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Parsley to garnish

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C.

2. Heat your oil and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft.

3. Add the peppers, courgettes and mushrooms, then fry for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, bring to the boil and simmer (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.

5. Season to taste.

6. Meanwhile cook your pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes until al dente (just firm).

7. Drain your pasta and rinse well under cold water to cool.

8. Place your flour, butter and milk into a saucepan and heat gently, whisking constantly until you have a smooth, thick sauce.

9. Add your pasta and half of your grated Cheddar cheese to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melted.

10. Spoon the vegetable mixture into a shallow, ovenproof, dish and top with the pasta and cheese sauce.

11. Sprinkle with the remaining Cheddar cheese and the Parmesan.

12. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden.

13. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.