Sultana Rice With Quinoa

This is a nice sneaky way of getting quinoa into the kids without them really noticing due to the sultanas and nigella seeds!

It would take a great deal of patience for a fussy child to pick the quinoa out and my boys loved the sweetness of the sultanas so never really noticed anything else!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

50g butter or oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

A pinch of chilli flakes

100g basmati rice, washed and drained

70g white quinoa, washed and drained

25g red quinoa, washed and drained

75g sultanas

400mls water

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons nigella seeds

Method

In a lidded pan, heat the butter over high heat and then add the onion, cook until beginning to colour.

Reduce the heat and add the chilli and garlic, cook for one minute.

Now add the rice, both quinoa and sultanas, stir to coat.

Pour in the water and season.

Cover. Bring the pan up to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes, do not remove the lid!

Turn the heat off, leave the lid on and let sit for ten minutes.

Remove the lid and stir in half of the nigella seeds and the parsley.

Spoon into a warmed serving plate and sprinkle over the remaining seeds.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Rub

It’s always handy to have a rub recipe up your sleeve!

This is one of my favourites, not too spicy and the boys love the sweetness.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon oregano, rubbed

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Freshly ground pepper

2kgs chicken wings, tips removed

Method

Combine all of the rub ingredients together.

Sprinkle the rub over all of the chicken and refrigerate for 4 hours.

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

Place the wings in the prepared tin, skin side up.

Bake for 60 minutes, basting regularly.

Tandoori Flavoured Whole Baked Cauliflower

I know that making the paste might sound like a bit of a faff but I highly recommend that you give it a go, the colour is amazing and it really makes the humble cauliflower a bit of a star turn.

Obviously liquid smoke doesn’t have a place in Indian cuisine, so I apologise in advance, but, it does give you a fab, just out of the tandoor oven flavour. If you don’t have any, consider swapping out some of the paprika for smoked paprika.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

1/2 brown onion, roughly chopped

3 ripe tomatoes, quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 thumb sized piece of ginger

100mls water

50mls oil or ghee

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 lemon, juiced

125mls natural Greek yogurt

1 large head of cauliflower, leaves removed and some of the inner stalk removed

Method

Whizz the onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and water in a food processor to make a smooth runny paste.

Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the tomato and onion paste, bring up to a simmer and simmer until you have a thick, dark red paste that the oil or ghee is separating from.

Add the dried spices and salt and cook for 1 minute.

Take the pan off the heat and add the liquid smoke, lemon juice and yogurt, stir well.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Line the base and sides of a large casserole, that will fit the cauliflower snuggly, with two large pieces of baking parchment.

Turn the cauliflower upside down and spread some of the paste over the base, pushing it into all of the nooks and crannies.

Turn the cauliflower the right way up and smear over the remaining paste until completely covered.

Carefully place the cauliflower in the prepared pan, cover the top of it with another piece of baking parchment and then the lid.

Bake for 50 minutes and then remove the lid and paper and bake for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is beginning to colour.

Pesto Meatballs

I love that you don’t need to make a sauce for these meatballs, the pan juices, passata and balsamic make a lovely sauce.

The quantity of pesto is a bit vague, I made a big batch of fresh pesto today and just used up the last little bit in these meatballs.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

1kg minced pork

80-100g pesto

Salt and pepper

36-40 bocconcini, drained

750mls passata

30mls balsamic vinegar

20g finely grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Centigrade.

In a large bowl, combine the pork, pesto, salt and pepper.

Divide the meat into 36-40 balls, flatten the meat, pop a mozzarella ball on top and gently bring the meat together to enclose completely. Repeat with all of the meat and cheese.

Place the meatballs in a roasting tin, a little spread out if you can.

Bake for 20 minutes until beginning to colour.

Turn the oven down to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Remove the roasting tin from the oven, pour the passata over the meatballs and then dribble over the balsamic vinegar.

Sprinkle over the parmesan and then return to the oven, bake for 25-30minutes.

Creamy Chicken With Fresh Peaches

It’s peach season in Western Australia and these beauties are from the Perth Hills, near where I live.

Don’t be tempted to put the peaches into the sauce for longer, they are just warmed through or they go to mush!

If you want make this ahead of time cook up to the stage of the cream thickening and then turn the heat off.

Once you are ready to eat, bring up to a gently simmer, add an extra 100mls cream, simmer gently until heated through and then continue as below.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

40g butter

40mls olive oil

6 chicken thighs, bone in skin on

1 brown onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, sliced

400mls cream

300mls chicken stock or water

3-4 large peaches, skinned, stoned and diced

1-2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Method

In a large frying pan with a lid, heat the butter and oil over a medium to high heat.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

Once the fat is hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the skin is crisp.

Turn the chicken and again cook for 4-5 minutes.

Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain most of the fat out of the pan, leave a couple of teaspoons worth in the pan.

Heat the pan over a medium heat and add the onion, cook until soft, scraping the dark bits off the bottom of the pan as you go.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Return the chicken to the pan, turn a few times in the onion mixture.

Turn the chicken skin side up.

Pour in the cream and stock, bring to a gently simmer, cover and simmer for 30minutes.

Check that the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce is still a little runny, remove the lid and simmer uncovered.

Stir in the peaches, just heat them a little, sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

Smashed Potatoes With Jalapeño Chilli

I like having more of a gutsy potato dish when we are having a gently seasoned meat or veggie dish.

These potatoes aren’t too spicy and make a nice change from a plain spud.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

40g butter

30mls olive oil

1kg baby potatoes, cooked

2 jalapeño chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

3 spring onions, finely sliced

Salt and pepper

Method

In a large pan, heat the butter and oil over a medium heat.

Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sliced chillies.

Cook for 3 minutes without allowing the garlic to colour.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon the garlic and chilli out of the pan and set aside.

Using your hands, gently squash the potatoes to break them into two or three pieces and place the pieces in the pan.

Sprinkle over the smoked paprika and turn the potatoes until they are all coloured with the paprika.

Now, over a medium to high heat, cook the potatoes until well coloured, around 15-20 minutes.

Add the reserved garlic and chilli to the pan and stir through.

Sprinkle over the spring onion, season well and serve.

Roast Chicken With Creamy Lingonberry Sauce

Six ingredients make this a seriously tasty dish that’s as simple as combine, bake and baste.

If you don’t have lingonberry sauce, cranberry sauce works just as well!

You can mix the ingredients the day before you bake them if you want and this freezes well, just add a little more cream when you reheat it gently in the oven.

If you aren’t keen on chopping up a chicken, drumsticks, wings and thighs will work just as well.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1.8kg whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces

4 tablespoons lingonberry sauce

2 tablespoons gluten free Worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, crushed

250mls cream

Salt and pepper

 Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

In a roasting tin, combine all of the ingredients.

Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes covered.

Remove the foil, baste with the sauce in the pan and return to the oven.

Bake for a further 30 minutes, basting regularly.

Once cooked and golden, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach And Edamame Curry With Feta

Don’t you just love the colour of this curry?

It started of life with the plan to make a spinach and paneer curry, one of my favourites but in a bid to fill the boys up and get even more green into them I added the edamame, otherwise known as soy beans, you can find them in the freezer of your local Asian supermarket.

If you can’t find edamame frozen peas would work well too, just add them at the end so they don’t get over cooked.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

380g baby spinach leaves

Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 onion, peeled and quartered

30ml oil

1 dried red chilli

1x5cm cinnamon stick

5 black peppercorns

400g shelled edamame/soy beans

200mls cream

200g feta, drained and cut into chunks

Salt to taste

Method

Boil a kettle full of water.

Place the spinach in a colander and slowly pour the entire kettle of just boiled water over.

Set aside to cool.

Once cool, squeeze the liquid out of the spinach by hand.

With a stick blender, whizz the ginger, garlic, onion, 100mls water and one third of the spinach to a paste.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Once hot, add the chilli, cinnamon and peppercorns and fry for 1 minute.

Add the spinach and ginger paste and slowly simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Now whizz the remaining spinach with 175mls water and add this to the pan.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the cream and edamame, simmer for 3 minutes and then add the feta, heat for around one minute and then serve.

Peanut And Lime Chicken Wings

In my house the boys go through real fads with what they will eat on their toast!

One of them went through a spell where lime marmalade was his spread of choice but it has gone out of favour so I wanted to use the leftovers up, coupled with peanut butter, garlic and soy sauce it makes a very tasty marinade!

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1.8kgs chicken wings, tips removed and jointed

120g peanut butter

80g lime marmalade 

50mls gluten free soy sauce

4 garlic cloves, crushed

Method

Combine all of the ingredients and leave to marinade for 2-8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade, line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Tip the wings and marinade onto the sheet, turn them skin side up.

Bake for 45 minutes, marinating with the pan juices regularly.

Double Oregano Chicken

The oregano is growing like a weed in the garden just now so I am trying to come up with ways to use it up.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

8 large chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

15g fresh oregano leaves

6 garlic cloves

12 sun dried tomato halves

5g fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons dried oregano

45mls olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

Whizz all of the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor to give you a thick paste.

Smear the paste all over the chicken and pop into the fridge to marinade for 4-8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Place the chicken in a roasting tin, skin side up. Cover with foil and slide into the oven for thirty minutes.

After thirty minutes, remove the foil and baste the chicken with the pan juices, bake for a further 30-40 minutes, basting regularly, until the chicken is cooked through and well coloured.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.