Roast Chicken With Maple Syrup and Mustard

When I made this recently I stupidly left all of the chicken on the dinner table without saving some for myself, my three boys and a friend ate the lot so it must be good!

Serves 4-6 depending on sides and appetites!

Ingredients

2.4kg chicken, cut into 10pieces or chicken pieces, skin on and bone in

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Combine the syrup, mustard, salt and pepper and then pour onto the chicken, covering it completely.

Place the chicken pieces, skin side up on the roasting tin.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, basting regularly until cooked through and crispy.

Vanilla Crepes

As my youngest has recently been diagnosed with coeliacs/celiacs I am back to experimenting with gluten free baking again.

We had these crepes, spread with a little softened salted butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. Brilliant for breakfast, dessert or as we had them for an afternoon tea treat.

Makes 24. If freezing, seperate each crepe with a piece of baking parchment so you can just peal off what you need.

Ingredients

225g buckwheat flour

50g caster sugar

4 eggs

400mls milk

150mls water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

30g butter, melted

softened salted butter and maple syrup to serve

Method

Put your crepe pan on to heat over a medium to low heat.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Make a well in the centre.

In a jug, whisk the egg, milk, water and vanilla. Slowly whisk in the melted butter.

Take your whisk and as you pour the liquid into the dry ingredients slowly draw the flour in from the sides to avoid lumps.

Pour just enough batter into the hot pan to allow you to swirl it round and cover the base of your pan.

Cook until the top looks dry and the edges are beginning to colour.

Flip over and cook the other side for a few seconds, just to colour it up a little.

Tip the crepe onto a plate, cover with a clean, dry tea towel and continue making the rest of the crepes.

Yakitori Chicken Wings

Obviously not authentic barbecued yakitori chicken here but still delicious and rather moreish with the sticky sweet marinade.

I use Tamari or gluten free soy sauce but regular works too and you can cook these on the barbecue for a more authentic flavour.

Leftovers, if you have any, are great for lunch boxes.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1.4kg chicken nibbles, tips removed and wings halved at the joint

60mls gluten free soy sauce or Tamari

60mls mirin

80mls maple syrup

2 spring onions, very finely sliced

Method

Combine all of the ingredients, except a few slices of onion, in a zip lock bag and allow to marinade for 2-8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade and line two baking trays with baking parchment.

Lay the chicken on the baking trays skin side up and scoop out the spring onion slices and spread them over the top.

Pop in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, basting regularly , first baste with the leftover marinade and the remaining bastes with the pan juices.

Keep and eye on the chicken, towards the end it will want to burn!

To serve, pile the wings on a plate and then sprinkle over the reserved spring onion.

 

Sticky Carrots with Thyme

For years the boys would only eat raw carrots!

This way of cooking carrots brought them back to cooked carrots and the fact that they are called sticky makes them even more attractive to kids!

I like to make these when the oven  is on for something else, maybe a roast chook? I cut my carrots into discs with a corrugated knife to give the cute ridges, regular discs work a treat too or even cut into sticks, just adjust the cooking time to suit the size of your carrots.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

800g carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 – 1cm disc

1 tablespoon maple syrup

10mls olive oil

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

In a bowl, combine the carrots, maple syrup, oil, thyme, salt and pepper.

Spread over the lined baking sheets in a single layer.

Pop in the oven and bake for 20 mins.

Turn the carrots over and return to the oven for a further 15-20 mins until darkening and a little sticky.

Corned Beef Meatloaf

To make a change with leftover corned beef try making a loaf with it.

The trick with this loaf is that I start baking it in the tin and then turn it onto a baking sheet so that I can glaze a larger surface for extra crunch and sweetness.

Ingredients

1kg leftover cooked corned beef, shredded fairly finely

2 carrots, peeled and grated

2 onions, finely diced

4 tablespoons tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper

GLAZE

6 tablespoons tomato ketchup

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment or a loaf tin liner.

In a large bowl, combine the meat loaf ingredients.

Press the meat loaf into the tin and smooth the surface.

Combine the glaze ingredients and brush a little, lightly, over the loaf.

Bake in the oven for 40 mins.

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Carefully, tip the loaf onto the baking sheet so the top now becomes the bottom.

Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the glaze.

Pop back in the oven for 20mins, re glaze and return to the oven for a further 10-15mins to crisp the glaze up.

Bacon, Beans and Eggs

A slightly deceptive title!

This is super for breakfast, lunch or dinner served over toast or a baked potato for a gluten free option.

You can make the bean mix the day before, refrigerate and then warm through gently before continuing with the eggs.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

400g bacon, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 x 420g kidney beans, drained and rinsed

750mls passata or sieved tomatoes

400mls water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup

salt and pepper

6-12 eggs

Method

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon over medium to high heat until it is a little crispy. remove bacon but leave the fat in the pan.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until softened.

Return the bacon to the pan and add the  beans, passata, water, tomato paste, maple syrup, smoked paprika and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper

Bring up to the boil and then let gently simmer for 30mins until the sauce is thickened. Check the seasoning.

Make slight wells in the bean mix and crack an egg in, repeat for each egg.

Cook the eggs until the white is set and the yolk is still runny.

Serve over toasted bread or a baked potato.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

This is a great way to use up fresh tomatoes and is an easy sauce if you don’t have tinned tomatoes or sieved tomatoes to hand.

The idea of processing the tomatoes, garlic and onion makes a smooth sauce but you need to cook it through, I use a large frying pan to speed up the evaporation process to help thicken it up. If making in bulk, I use a big stock pot and it does take longer to thicken.

To freeze, I allow it to cool and then bag in ziplock bags without the extra basil.

To make this vegetarian, omit the anchovies and add a few drops of mushroom ketchup.

Ingredients

12 large Roma tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1/2 red onion

100mls water

bunch of fresh basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 anchovies in oil, drained

2 teaspoons maple syrup

salt and pepper

Method

Process the tomatoes, garlic, onion, water and half of the basil leaves.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan pour in the tomato sauce and bring up to a gentle simmer.

Add the anchovies and simmer gently for 30mins, until the sauce has thickened and darkened.

Add the maple syrup and season well.

Check seasoning again.

Shred the remaining basil leaves.

Pour the sauce over your cooked pasta and sprinkle over the remaining basil.

Smokey Baked Beans with Bacon

Not quite baked beans in the traditional sense but a quicker stove top version using chipotle chilli for a little heat and smokey ness and good old caramelised onions, check the recipe out on the blog, to save time and add some sweetness along with some maple syrup!

Served in a baked potato or on toast with a little grated Cheddar on top and some avocado on the side, a very filling meal.

For a vegetarian option,  omit the bacon and maybe use two kinds of bean and use a vegetable stock instead of water.

Leftovers are even better the next day, perfect with an egg for a gluten free breakfast.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

400g bacon rashers, cut into 1cm pieces

1 clove garlic, chopped roughly

120g caramelised onions

2 chipotle chillies with adobe sauce

1tablespoon smoked paprika

2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes in tomato juice

2 x 400g tins borlotti beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

500mls water

150mls maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large pan, cook the chopped bacon, over a medium heat, until colouring and the fat is rendering.

Add the garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chilli and paprika followed but the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and water.

Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 60. Stir occasionally to stop beans sticking to the base of the pan.

Add the maple syrup, stir well through.

Simmer for 15mins until thickened and deep red. Season with salt a pepper to taste.