Chicken and Vegetable Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
375ml water
15ml olive oil, divided
5ml salt
250ml uncooked couscous
250ml chopped yellow bell pepper
125ml finely chopped courgettes
125ml chopped mushrooms
375ml chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken
125ml (1/8-inch-thick) diagonally cut carrot
60ml thinly sliced green onions
50ml dried currants
50ml finely chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
250ml plain low-fat yogurt
50ml fresh lemon juice
15ml honey
15ml white wine vinegar

Method:

To prepare salad, bring water, 5ml oil, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place in a large bowl; cool to room temperature.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining oil to pan. Add the bell pepper, courgettes, and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Add bell pepper mixture, chicken, carrot, onions, currants, mint, and black pepper to couscous; toss gently to combine.

To prepare dressing, combine yogurt and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over couscous mixture, tossing gently to combine.

Chicken and Mushroom Chow Mein

Chicken and Mushroom Chow Mein

A quick lunch for 1

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into think strips

15ml oil

2.5 ml garlic purée

75g beansprouts, rinsed

3 mushrooms, sliced

50g mangetout

4 spring onions, sliced

150g pk straight to wok noodles

30ml oyster sauce

30ml water or chicken stock

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok until smoking hot. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Mix in the garlic, beansprouts, mushrooms, mangetout and spring onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the noodles, oyster sauce, water or chicken stock and heat through, stirring well, for 2 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Puff Pie

Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Puff Pie

Ingredients:

2 large skinless chicken breasts, chopped into large pieces

25g butter cut into cubes

2 leeks, washed and finely sliced

30ml fresh thyme leaves

225g mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

200g cream cheese

275g ready-rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220˚C.

Heat half of the butter in a large frying pan until melted. Add the chicken, leeks and thyme and fry for 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Melt the remaining butter and add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the leeks and chicken and season well. Cover and allow to cool. Add the cream cheese and mix well.

Spoon the filling into a large pie dish with a lip.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of about 5mm. cut a long strip of pastry and fix to the pie dish edge with a little beaten egg. Brush rim with the beaten egg and lift the pie lid on top. Press the edges together. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Brush the pastry top with beaten egg and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry has risen and is golden brown.

Cheesy Braai Pie

Ingredients:
2 rolls of puff pastry, defrosted
15ml vegetable oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 Italian sweet red pepper, finely chopped
400g chicken fillet, cut into thin strips (as for stir fry)
250g streaky bacon chopped into bits
1 packet Thick White Onion Soup
1 bunch of Swiss chard (or spinach), washed, removed from the thick stems and roughly chopped
50g button mushrooms, sliced (optional... before using please check that there isn't anyone who is allergic to mushrooms)
200g Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese, grated
1 round of Feta cheese (about 50-60g), crumbled
1 egg, lightly whisked

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and red pepper over a medium heat until they are soft. Add the chicken strips and brown them before adding the bacon. Fry until the bacon is cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Prepare a cool braai with an elevated grid.

Brush the braai grid with a wire brush to remove any charred deposits, then brush the grid with vegetable oil.

Unroll a roll of pastry onto a pastry board. Place a layer of spinach over the pastry and top with the prepared chicken mixture. Sprinkle the White Onion Soup powder over this. Add a layer of mushrooms, if using. Top everything with grated cheese and finish the layering with spinach. Place the second roll of pastry on top. Seal the edges of the pastry as if making a pie. Lightly brush with egg wash. With a small sharp knife, make a few slits in the top pastry to allow steam to escape.

 Slide the pie onto the braai grid and allow to cook for about 20 minutes, turning the pie over half way through the cooking so that both sides are cooked through.

Cooks Note

If you only have a small braai, this pie could be made in small individual portions by cutting the pastry sheet into 4-8 rectangles, thus making smaller pies that can be put around the outside of the braai to cook while you are doing braaied vegetables or braai roasties.

Breakfast Bites

Preparing the muffin cups.

Ingredients:

12 eggs

6 strips of bacon cut lengthways to make 12 strips

12 bits of proscuitto to fill bottom of muffin tins

12 cherry tomatoes halved

12 slices of mushroom

12 large pieces of flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper

Breakfast Bites cooked and ready to devour.

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180 ˚C.

Spray olive oil in the muffin tin and place proscuitto on the bottom , and bacon around the sides of each muffin spot.

Place mushroom slice, two halves of cherry tomato and a piece of parsley in each muffin tin. Crack open an egg on each muffin and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

September Fruit and Vegetables

September this year has been a fickle month of misty mornings, an inordinate amount of rain that has come late in the season, which can’t be making the farmers very happy, cool breezes that have turned into gales and the leaves have seemed to turn to the russet tones of autumn earlier than normal.

We spent the first part of this month on the Isle of Mann with friends, which has made me a bit late in posting my normal suggestions for the month, but better late than not at all.

Where fruit and vegetables are concerned, September is the end of summer rather than the beginning of autumn. It’s still quite hot in southern Europe, even if the weather here in the UK is beginning to get a bit nippy.

This month is the best for tomatoes, with UK farms producing their best long-ripened varieties, often selling them at a premium low price because of the end of summer glut. If you like to make tomato preserves and sauces for storage, this is the time to buy. Local farmers’ markets may have plenty to offer, perhaps not as perfect as the EU would expect, but still perfectly good for cooking. Perhaps the best to use for sauces, and even for chutneys too, are the small cherry tomatoes because the skins give such a good colour to the resultant product. Tomatoes are also great roasted, sun-dried or dried overnight in a very low-heat oven, or in salads and soups. Consider making ketchup too.

The same end of summer abundance makes this the time to eat and cook all the soft fruits you can: peaches, nectarines, plums, damsons, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. For UK fruit there is nothing better than Scottish raspberries, considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The first UK pears should also be coming on to the market now, and the first Cox apples as well. Until they arrive, the fruit to look for are the melons from France, and figs and grapes from the Mediterranean. However, if you are impatient for the British Cox’s season to start, there are other varieties available. The best places to look for them are at farmers’ markets as these apples will come from small growers who don’t usually sell through the big supermarkets.

The end of summer theme follows through with vegetables: courgettes and marrows, peppers, beetroot, aubergines, fennel, garlic, carrots and the last of the sweetcorn for the year. There is certainly no shortage of good things to cook and serve at your table.

You’ll also start to see the first arrivals of squash in all sorts of varieties. Experiment with them in soups, stews and curries, roast them in olive oil or try stuffing them with rice or forcemeat. Don’t forget the last of the summer beans and the new season leeks, which will be coming into the shops this month.

Most of all, remember to look for a group of edibles that are not only world-class, but free: wild mushrooms, that is if you are a seasoned forager; if not, find someone who is to teach you or buy a reliable guide book for proper identification. But beware: some mushrooms can cause illness and occasionally death!

The season for wild mushrooms is dependent on weather conditions, but the message is clear: you should eat these delectable morsels every chance you get. Even though they are not for me, as I am allergic to mushrooms, I hate to spoil the fun for others who love them, so here’s the deal...

Some supermarkets keep them, but the prices are astronomical and quality that varies greatly. The much better option is to collect them yourself; they may be closer to your home than you realise. There are so many varieties, so I won’t go into much detail about habitat, but generally speaking woodlands is where you will find them. One exception: common field mushrooms, which can grow in open grassland.

The best know varieties found in the UK are ceps, or penny buns, chanterelles, which usually begin earlier than others, and oyster mushrooms, but you may find dozens of other varieties. Once you get the fungi-foraging bug and the taste for these delicacies, it bites hard and tends to last a lifetime. For now, even if you don't get to search for them yourself, buy wild mushrooms from a reputable supplier and enjoy preparing these seasonal splendours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mini Pork Wellingtons

Beef fillet is so expensive and pork fillets are always available

and inexpensive in comparison

so I like to use them for this twist on a British classic.

I'm allergic to mushrooms, so I use corgette,

which has a similar flavour and texture,

but you are welcome to use mushrooms if you choose.

It's nice to make individual wellingtons like this;

they are so impressive when entertaining friends.

.

Ingredients:
sunflower oil for frying
1 x 150g pork tenderloin fillets
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
25g butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 a cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced
half a courgette, peeled and sliced (or thinly sliced mushrooms, about 100g)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
30ml double cream
500g ready-made puff pastry
palin flour for dusting
100g parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg, beaten
30ml milk

.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190C.

Heat a little sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Season the pork fillets, then fry for 8-10 minutes, turning regularly, or until browned on all sides. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside to cool.

Add the butter to the frying pan and fry the garlic, shallots and apple for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.

Add the courgettes and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; then stir in the cream. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured work surface. Scatter over the parmesan, then fold the pastry in half. Roll the pastry out again and cut into four rectangular pieces.

For the egg wash, beat the egg and milk together in a bowl.

Spoon some apple and courgette mixture into the middle of each piece of pastry and place the pork on top. Brush the edge of the pastry with the egg wash. Form the pastry into a parcel around the pork and seal the edges. Brush the remaining egg wash over each wellington.

Place the pastry parcels on a baking tray with the pastry seam on the bottom. Bake the pork Wellingtons in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is risen and golden-brown.

To serve, carve the Wellingtons into thick slices and place on top of a vegetable serving and pour over a sauce or gravy. These go well with Rosemary Braised Cabbage and Port and Red Wine Sauce.

Potato, Mushroom and Parma Ham Terrine

This luxurious starter is quick and easy to put together,

but needs to be done the day before it is required

so that it can be pressed overnight and set in the fridge.

Buy the Parma ham freshly sliced and laid out on waxed paper

to prevent the pieces sticking together.

You can use any mushrooms you prefer,

but I find button or chestnut mushrooms work the best

because they keep their firm texture when sauteed.

.

Ingredients:

650g firm potatoes like Maris Piper or Desiree

12 slices Parma Ham

200g butter

100g mushrooms, thinly sliced

30ml chopped fresh chives

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

.

For the dressing:

2 plum tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped

45ml balsamic vinegar

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

100ml olive oil

15-20ml chopped fresh parsley

.

Method:

Boil the potatoes in their skins in a pan of lightly salted water for about 15 minutes until tender.

Drain and leave to cool a little.

When the are cool enough to touch, peel and cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Melt the butter in a pan and saute the mushrooms for a couple of minutes until they take on a translucent appearance.

Line a loaf tin with clingfilm, pressing it into the sides firmly and smoothly. Line the tin with half of the slices of Parma ham, allowing the ends of the slices to hang over the sides.

Arrange a layer of about 1/3 of the sliced potatoes in the base of the tin, then spoon over about half of the melted butter, a layer of half the mushrooms and cover with Parma ham. Sprinkle with half the chives and seasoning. Add another layer of potatoes, spoon over more melted butter, the rest of the mushrooms and cover with a layer of Parma ham. Sprinkle with chives and seasoning. Add the remaining potatoes and melted butter and finish with a layer of ham. Fold over the hanging pieces of ham from the base of the terrine. Cover the whole terrine with clingfilm and press down lightly to firm.

Place a flat plate in top of the terrine and weigh down with a large can or something similar. Chill overnight in the fridge.

Before serving, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing.

Demould the terrine onto a board, peel off the clingfilm and cut into 6 - 8 even slices. Place each serving on a plate and spoon around the dressing.

Serve lightly chilled.

.

Welsh Wellington of Lamb

Welsh lamb's distinctive quality has been recognised

as having unique regional characteristics.

The lush green pastures in Wales provide the ideal habitat for sheep,

producing tender meat with oodles of flavour.

Ingredients
2 Welsh lamb neck fillets of about 225g each
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
45ml olive oil
150g mushrooms, finely chopped
2 leaks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml white wine
puff pastry, 1 pack of pre-made
flour for rolling the pastry
1 egg, beaten

Method
Heat the oven to 180-200C
Sprinkle the seasoning and rosemary on a chopping board and roll the lamb in it.
Heat half of the oil in a frying pan and sear the lamb on all sides until brown all over. Takes about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and gently fry the mushrooms, leeks and garlic for 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the wine and cook until evaporated. Leave to cool.
Cut pastry in half and roll each piece into a large rectangle big enough big enough to wrap around the lamb pieces.
Spoon half the mushroom mixture down the centre of each rectangle and place the lamb on top.
Brush the exposed edges of the pastry with the beaten egg and then wrap the pastry around the meat.
Seal tightly and trim any excess pastry from the ends of the rolls.
Place the two rolls on a baking tray, seam down and brush each roll with the remaining beaten egg.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving into thick slices.
Serve with creamy mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables.