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.

Tortilla Soup

The boys have been watching a serious amount of Food Network recently on the television and requested this after one particular programme.

Here in Australia, it can be hard to find the correct chillies to make this a truely authentic tortilla soup so I’ve improvised with what I can find.

I like to make a batch of chicken stock from chicken wings for this and then use the meat from the wings in the soup at the end, I love the no waste way it works!

I start this recipe by making a paste that has tonnes of flavour, using the same technique as I use for starting my curries off. By the time you have cooked he paste down you shoul have half to a third of the original quantity and it should be really thick.

With two chipotle chillies this is pretty spicy so play around with your chilli amounts, younger kids might like one chilli with the seeds removed.

Tonight I didn’t have any corn tortillas lying around so nachos did just as well!

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2 chipotle chillies in Adobe sauce, seeds removed

6 large roma tomatoes, quartered

80mls water

30mls olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 litres chicken stock

juice of 1 lime

EXTRAS

Chopped chicken

Sliced avocado

Grated cheese

Tortillas

Method

Using a stick blender, whizz up the onion, garlic, chipotle chillies and Adobe sauce, tomatoes and water.

Heat the oil over medium heat in your soup pan, once hot, pour in the tomato mix and cook down, stirring regularly, allowing the water to evaporate until you have a thick paste in the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock and bring up to the boil, add the lime juice.It’s now ready to serve, I fill the soup bowl with chicken, top with the soup, cheese, avocado and fried tortilla strips or nachos.

Cheesy Corn Chip Chicken Wings

To be honest these wings have never been near a corn chip but the masa lista and Parmesan give them a fabulous texture without frying and the coating does taste like corn chips!

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

1.5kgs chicken wings, tips removed and cut in two

1 cup masa lista, Mexican corn flour

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salta and pepper

2 eggs, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

In a bowl, combine the masa, Parmesan, oregano, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Take a piece of chicken, dip in the egg and then in the flour mix.

Lay on the baking sheet skin meaty side up and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, turn once and then bake for a further 10-15 minutes until fully cooked.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving with some sour cream dip.

Potatoes, Chorizo, Chickpeas And Eggs

I love tapas and this dish has lots of Spanish influence in it.

As I make this for my boys I tend to buy my butchers mild chorizo so I can add the chilli later on. Something worth remembering for people with coeliacs is checking that your chorizo is gluten free, it should be but sometimes wheat is added.

This serves 10-12 as part of a tapas meal. When I make it for our dinner as the main dish I just serve it on thick slices of rustic bread for the non coeliacs in the family and coeliac son and I just have it as is! Leftovers are fabulous, reheated the next morning with a fresh egg on top.

Ingredients

500g mild Spanish chorizo, skin removed and sliced thinly

1kg potatoes, peeled and diced, 1cm

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2-1 teaspoon chilli flakes

3 teaspoons smoked paprika

400g baby tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

eggs

Method

I use a large, 32cm frying pan to make this.

Heat the pan over a high heat, add the chorizo and cook until crispy and the fat has rendered out.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chorizo and then add the potatoes to the pan, stir well to coat in the fat and then turn the heat down to medium, fry, stirring frequently until fully cooked and crispy.

Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside with the chorizo.

Pour most of the fat out, return the pan to the medium heat and add the onion, cook until soft and then add the garlic, cook for 1 minute and then pour in the rinsed chickpeas, chilli,if using, and smoked paprika, cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the halved tomatoes and most of the parsley. Season with pepper and check if you need salt.

Return the chorizo and potatoes to the pan, stirring well, heat through and then make wells in the mixture and crack however many eggs you need into the individual wells.

Cover the pan with a lid or foil and cook until the egg whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny.

Sprinkle over the remaining parsley and serve.

Cajun Chicken Schnitzel

These are so popular, I could only take this fleeting photo before they were all eaten!

I use fresh gluten free breadcrumbs that I make myself with GF bread rolls, I never cut off crusts as the dark crumbs help to  give you a darker colour and the bread is so expensive I can’t handle any waste!

This recipe makes 12 schnitzel, you can freeze them uncooked, layered between baking parchment to save them sticking. Cooked leftovers are a treat the next day in a gluten free wrap with salad.

Ingredients

3 large chicken breasts, cut into four chunks

180g gluten free fresh breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

4 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Zest of one lime

salt and pepper

oil to fry

Method

Line your chopping board with baking parchment, place a piece of chicken on top, cover with another piece of baking parchment and whack it with the flat side of a meat tenderiser until thinner than 0.5mm. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, paprika, cayenne, herbs,  onion powder, garlic powder, lime zest, salt and pepper, mix well.

Dip the chicken into the beaten eggs and then into the breadcrumbs. Set aside and repeat until all of the chicken is done.

Heat a frying pan with the oil and shallow fry the chicken in batches.

Serve hot with a wedge of lime.

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.

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.

 

 

Paprika Chicken Skewers With Haloumi

Perth, Western Australia, has a heat wave coming this weekend! That will mean minimal cooking inside, lots of barbecuing and salads for us!

Get the kids involved in making these as it is a bit mind numbing! Make sure they have an apron on and no white shirts in sight as the paprika infused oil does not wash out easily!

Makes 22-26 skewers. Serves 6.

Ingredients

6 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

3 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2-1 teaspoon ground chilli

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

salt and pepper

60mls olive oil

1.2 kg skinless chicken thighs, fat removed and cut to 1cm dice

180g Haloumi, cut I to 20-30 cubes

1 large red onion, cut to 1-2cm pieces

Method

Combine all of the ingredients except Haloumi and onion in a large zip lock bag and leave in the fridge to marinade for 2-24 hours.

Soak your wooden skewers for 30 minutes.

Preheat the barbecue flat plate to medium hot.

Prepare your first skewer, I like to start with onion and then chicken, onion, chicken, onion, Haloumi, onion, chicken, onion, chicken, onion, but that’s just me!

Prepare all of the skewers and then pop them onto the barbecue and cook, turning regularly, until the chicken is cooked through.

Barbecued Prawns With Smoky Chipotle Butter

These prawns are epic according to one of my boys!

The butter quickly melts over the prawns so I like to serve them with some of the melted butter spooned over the top to no one misses out!

Serves 4. You can make the flavoured butter the day before and keep it rolled in the fridge or make it and freeze it for a week.

Ingredients

800g large prawns, deveined, peeled but leaving the tail intact

100g butter

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Method

Make the flavoured butter first, combine all of the ingredients except the prawns in a processor and process until smooth.

Scrape the butter onto a large piece of platic wrap, cover and gently roll, twisting in the edges as you go.

Pop the butter into the fridge to harden.

Prepare the prawns and season with a little salt and pepper.

Heat the BBQ, once hot, cook the prawns.

Plate the prawns in your serving dish, top with slices of the butter and serve with slices of lime.

Baked Carrots With Smoked Paprika

As simple as these are they are very popular with my boys!

For years the boys would only eat raw carrots and even today would choose raw over cooked, enter smoked paprika to jazz up their cooked carrots!

If you are wanting to make this vegan or fat free, omit the butter and add around a teaspoon of water. If you are cooking on a BBQ then just slide the foil packet onto the grill.

Serves 4-6 depending on the size of you bunches of carrots. Ours come with their green tops still attached, these go straight out to the chooks for a treat.

Ingredients

2 large bunches of baby or Dutch carrots, greenery removed

10-20g butter or a little water

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

a really good grind of fresh peppper

a little pinch of salt flakes

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Take a long piece if kitchen foil and top it with a slightly shorter piece of baking parchment.

Pop the carrots onto the baking parchment, dot with butter or water and sprinkle over the smoked paprika, pepper and salt.

Fold the parchment to create a sealed parcel and repeat with the foil so no steam can escape.

Slide the parcel onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

Allow to sit for three minutes before opening.