Spice Rack Chicken

This is a super quick spice rub that really packs a punch.

I have baked this in the oven but the chicken barbecues extremely well too, just turn regularly and baste with the remaining marinade.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1.4kg chicken, cut into 12 pieces

75mls olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

4 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and allow to marinade for 2-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Spread the chicken pieces out on the tray with the skin side upwards.

Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, baste a couple of times during the baking time.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Dukkah

Dukkah, what can I say, one of my favourite ingredients for so many things!

On its own with bread and olive oil, as a crust for chicken and fish, spooned over salads, sprinkled over rice, popped into soups, sprinkled over a mashed avocado, added to an egg for breakfast and even sprinkled over the top of barbecued meat.

This is a totally non traditional recipe, no hazelnuts and no roasting of spices but it works for us and keeps in a jar for a couple of weeks so this is the minimum quantity that I make.

Ingredients

60g macadamia nuts

50g pistachio nuts

4 teaspoons sesame seeds

3 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

a pinch of ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons nigella seeds

a really good grinding of fresh ly ground pepper

salt to taste

Method

In a frying pan, toast the nuts until just beginning to colour. Tip onto a plate to cool.

In a large mortar and pestle, crush the nuts so that it’s mostly powdery with a few bigger pieces, don’t over do it or it will be oily and stick.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Taste and add a little more salt if needed.

Store in an airtight container.

Dukkah Coated Chicken Breasts

This is a nice easy cheat using shop bought dukkah with a little extra kick.

It can be hard to find chicken breasts with skin on and bones in here in Perth so I tend to buy whole chooks and break them down into breasts, thighs, legs and wings.

By having the skin on and bones in the breasts have so much more flavour and really retain their moisture. I like to thinly slice the breasts and serve them on top of a big green salad.

Serves 4 if serving them up individually or thinly sliced in salad serves 8.

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, skin on, bones in

30g shop bought dukkah

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 pinch chilli powder

salt and pepper

olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Rub a little olive oil over the skin of each breast.

On a flat plate, combine the dukkah, cumin, sesame seeds, chilli, salt and pepper.

Dip the skin side of he chicken into the dukkah mix, ensure the skin is totally coated.

Repeat with the remaining breasts.

Place the breasts on the prepared tray and pop into the oven.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until fully cooked, baste half way through.

Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers

Burgers are always very popular with the boys, anything that they can eat with their hands and all that!

This is a bit of a double whammy recipe as any leftover cooked chicken and the cooked down marinade can be combined to become the starting point of teriyaki sushi, another popular meal in my house.

I use gluten free soy sauce, my local Asian shop is a treasure trove and I can buy an enormous bottle of GF soy sauce for the same price as a tiny one in the big chain supermarket, they also have mirin, Japanese cooking sake and the most beautiful fresh herbs, hence the coriander in these burgers.

Serves 6-8 depending on appetites and sides. For the gluten free option, I have my chicken with a side salad and some steamed rice.

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, mine were 1.2kg

175mls gluten free soy sauce

75mls mirin

30g caster sugar

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

40mls sesame oil

8 bread rolls

salad leaves

fresh coriander, stems and leaves

mayonnaise mixed with a little wasabi

Method

Take a chicken breast and cut it at an angle downwards to create one thick half and one thinner half.

Line a chopping board with baking parchment, place one of the halves on it, cover with more baking parchment and use the flat side of a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin to whack the chicken down to around 1 cm thickness.

Now, take a fork and pierce it all over.

Set aside and repeat with the other half and then continue with the other chicken breasts.

In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic and ginger. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Place the chicken into the marinade and allow to marinade for 30 minutes.

Let most of the marinade drip off and lay the chicken breasts on a tray.

Drizzle the sesame oil over the chicken breasts and rub in.

Pour the leftover marinade into a shallow pan and reduce over a high heat until thick and syrupy. Take off the heat.

Preheat the barbecue or non stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.

Cook the chicken, turning once and ensure its cooked through.

Remove to a warm plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you get the rolls ready.

I spread the base of the roll with a little mayo and wasabi, top with salad leaves.

Spoon a little of the concentrated marinade over the cut side of the top of the roll. It can be quite salty so check for flavour first, less is more with this sauce!

Place the chicken on the salad leaves, top with coriander and then the lid.

 

Fig And Macadamia Salad With Labne

Not really a recipe, more of suggestion with this!

Figs are in season for such a short time here I like to make the most of them, I also have to get them off the tree before the parrots find them!

I didn’t  dress this salad as I used shop bought Labne and it was in oil but a light dressing of oil and white wine vinegar would work well.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

150-200g mixed salad leaves

4 large figs, halved

90g macadamia nuts

100g Labne in oil

Method

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the nuts and toast them until the are colouring but not burning, pour onto a plate to cool.

Once the nuts are cool, chop them roughly.

Plate the salad leaves, top with the cooled nuts, halved figs and small, teaspoon sized scoops of labne.

Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes And Salmon

Fish is expensive compared to other meats here in Western Australia so I love a recipe that allows for the fish to go a bit further! By popping the cooked salmon on top of the pasta it doesn’t disintegrate and disappear and I think looks rather pretty with the smoked paprika covering.

I buy salmon with the skin on, it tends to be cheaper and as it is baked first it’s easy to remove the skin and scrape off the fatty brown meat. The skin also protects the surface of the salmon while it bakes.

The salmon can be cooked ahead of time which is what I do when the weather is so hot!

Serves 6. Use gluten free pasta if needed.

Ingredients

500g dried pasta

400g salmon, 2 fillets, skin on, bones removed

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper

30ml oil

1 red onion, sliced

6 anchovies, drained

a pinch of chilli flakes

350mls passata/sieved tomatoes

300g cherry tomatoes, halved

1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Take a large piece of foil and top it with a sheet of baking parchment.

Place the salmon on the parchment, season the salmon with salt and pepper and then sprinkle over the smoked paprika.

First wrap the fish in the paper and then the foil so that it’s completely sealed in the paper.

Pop this package onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave the parcel sealed for 10 minutes.

Once you are ready to cook dinner…..,,

Bring a large pan of water up to the boil and cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.

In a large, I use a 32cm deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion, anchovies and garlic, cook until the onion is soft, stir in the chilli flakes.

Pour in the passata and cherry tomatoes and stir over a high heat until the tomatoes are beginning to go squishy, around three minutes.

Pour the cooked pasta into the tomato mix, stir well.

Break the salmon up over the pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

 

 

Fudge Block

I’m reposting this fudge block after a weekend of birthday parties and morning teas to cater for, it saved my life and to be honest, I made triple quantities.

OK, not the healthiest of treats but oh, so delicious!

Unfortunately, they don’t last long so I use the quantities below which are actually double the original recipe but with hungry boys in the house it’s sometimes to use the more is less mantra!

If you really want a sugar hit, melt 250g milk chocolate and pour this over the cooled fudge block.

Makes 48 fingers.

Ingredients

200g butter

200g caster sugar

450g crushed digestive biscuits

60mls golden syrup

2 x 395g tins of condensed milk

Method

Line a 22x30cm roasting tin with baking parchment.

Weigh the biscuits into a large plastic bag.

Seal the bag and smash the biscuits with a rolling pin, young boys/men are very good at this!

In a large pan warm the butter, sugar, syrup and condensed milk. Stir constantly.

Bring this mixture up to bubbling and stir continuously for 10-15 mins until caramelised.

Add the crushed biscuits and mix well.

Spoon mixture into the prepared tin, smooth out with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.

Set aside to cool.

Once cool cut into fingers.

 

 

 

Chicken, Chorizo and Potato

I am a huge fan of one pot wonders and this is certainly a winner. The stock cooks right down so you have an amazingly flavoured sauce that the lemon juice, added at the end, makes extra zingy!

I had chicken breasts for this but you can use what ever you have, thighs work very well too, I cut each breast into three long pieces.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

30mls olive oil

400g mild chorizo, skin removed and sliced finely

3 large onions, sliced

1.5kg skinless chicken

2 pinches chilli flakes

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1kg baby potatoes

750mls chicken stock

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Method

You need a big shallow pan with a tight fitting lid.

Heat the oil in your pan and fry the chorizo until it begins to crisp up, remove with a slotted spoon.

Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft, add the chilli flakes and garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the chicken to the pan and stir often until the chicken has sealed.

Pour the stock and potatoes into the pan, cover, bring up to the boil and then allow to simmer, covered for 20minutes.

Remove the lid and cook the liquid down until it is quite syrupy.

Return the chorizo to the pan, allow to warm through.

Pour in the lemon juice, stir well and then sprinkle over the parsley.

Sweetcorn and Edamame Warm Salad

One of my freezer and pantry salads here!

We have this as a salad or as a wrap filling with rice and sometimes meat to make a kind of burrito.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

50mls olive oil

3 small onions, peeled and quartered

5-6 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

500g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted

450g prodded edamame

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

salt and pepper

Method

In a large frying pan with a lid, gently heat the oil over a low heat.

Add the onion and garlic, stir well and cover for 15 minutes, checking that the onions aren’t sticking to the pan.

Once the onion has cooked, it will now be falling into individual pieces, add the sweetcorn, edamame, chilli and seasoning, stir well and cover again for 5 minutes.

Now allow to come down to room temperature and stir through the chopped tomato and serve with a little coriander over the top.

Baked Cherry Tomatoes

My youngest son has a very productive veggie patch this year and has kept us in tomatoes for months now.

This is one of my favourite ways to serve them that isn’t a cold salad! You can cook these on a barbecue, ideally the flat plate on a low heat.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

450-500g cherry tomatoes on the vine

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

5 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh chopped French tarragon

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Lay the tomatoes on the prepared tray.

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, oil and salt.

Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and then sprinkle over the tarragon.

Pop the tomatoes in the oven for 10 minutes until the tomatoes are hot and beginning to change colour.

Carefully lift the tomatoes, still on their vines, onto a serving plate and give them a good grind of pepper. Serve while still hot.