#CaptureTheSunshine......{Tipsy Paprika Chicken}

How wonderful is it that the sun has been shining so much recently? Makes me really happy and one the best things about the warm weather is the opportunity to eat alfresco - nothing like it! I swear food tastes better when it's eaten outside in the fresh air.  And what better to accompany your alfresco meal then a nice glass of Lindeman's wine? I love the variety in the wine my favourites being the Chardonnay and if I'm in the red wine mood I'll go for the Shiraz - Perfect!

So thinking about your alfresco dining this is my suggestion for a perfect Spring menu, and hey if it rains (we are in England after all, not sunny Hunterland in Australia where the folks at Lindeman produce their lovely wine) just #CaptureTheSunshine in the comfort of you warm dining room!

My Spring Menu

Very simple Bacon Stuffed Dates

(perfect for nibbling on with a glass of wine)

***

Tipsy Paprika Chicken

(See recipe below)

***

"No Churn" Coconut and Lime Ice Cream with Grilled Pineapple

 



The perfect combination for the perfect meal in my humble opinion! And here is the very simple but very tasty White Wine Paprika Chicken. Lets face it no one wants to spend hours slaving over a stove when it's a beautiful day which is why I've kept the menu pretty easy but full of flavours - you can also make a lot of it in advance - Enjoy!

Tipsy Paprika Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts
11/2 tsp paprika
salt & pepper
2tbsp olive oil
3tbsp butter
2tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 large garlic cloves, finely diced
2 handfuls chestnut mushrooms finely sliced
300ml Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay white wine
2 handfuls spinach
4 tbsp double cream

season the chicken breasts with the paprika, salt and pepper rubbing it evenly over both sides. melt 1 tbsp butter and the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. add the chicken breasts and cook on one side for three minutes, until golden brown and then turn over. turn the heat down and after 3mins add the rest of the butter, the thyme, mushrooms and garlic. cook continuously stirring the thyme, mushrooms and garlic around, for approx 2 mins before adding the wine. bring to a gentle simmer and let cook for 20 minutes - you may need to add wine if it dries up to much (but adding wine is never a bad thing!). add the spinach and cream in and season with S&P make sure chicken is done and serve with new potatoes, salad, cous cous, rice - whatever takes your fancy! Great accompanied with another glass of wine!

Disclosure: I’m entering this recipe into the #CaptureTheSunshine competition run by Foodies100 in conjunction with Lindeman’s wines.

For that Special Occassion.....{Chilli Crab Linguine}

I love eating crab and it really comes into season in May and June so this is the time when I really start to use it in my cooking. I’ve found sourcing crab meat from an online fishmonger is the easiest way to get hold of really fresh produce and it works out a lot cheaper, often I'll do a job lot and get some yummy clams as well. I use Fish for Thought and have found their service to be wonderful, cannot fault them and their fish is delcicious!  So on to the food - many crab linguine’s use just the white meat but I find that the brown meat is full of flavour and so I use both for this dish. The quanities I have given serves around 6 people.  

Chilli Crab Linguine

600g linguine (I use dried but feel free to use fresh!)
2 TBSP Olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 banana shallots, finely chopped
White wine, just a splash!
300g brown crab meat
250g white crab meat
1 lemon – zest of half and juice of whole
Parsley, finely chopped

cook the pasta according to instructions (I like mine slightly al dente), drain the cooking water but reserve a few spoonfuls for the sauce. meanwhile heat the olive oil in a pan and fry off the garlic, shallots and chilli until softened but not browned. add in a splash of white wine, lemon juice and lemon zest and then stir in the brown crab meat.  let it warm through and add in the reserved pasta water if it looks a bit too thick. stir the white crab meat in gently and then toss in the pasta. season and add the parsley. serve!

A rather special meatball........{Chicken Meatballs with Chicken Gravy}

I love cooking for my friends, I love entertaining. I feel like there is nothing more satisfying then placing steaming bowls of nourishing food in front of those I love and then comes the joy of them enjoying my food. This Saturday I went to my friends Lu and Andy and I cooked for them. Seeing as it was cold and dreary (the joys of living in Blighty) I wanted to make a really comforting dish that warmed our souls and meatballs sprang to mind. Now, I usually go down the Italian route with my meatballs; pork and beef mince or sausage meatballs with a rich tomato sauce. More recently I've opted for my lighter Moroccan version with Turkey meatballs and a vegetable sauce. Neither was quite what I wanted on this occasion and then I remembered a recipe I seen by Tom Kerridge whereby he made pork meatballs and served them with a brown ale gravy. Again this wasn't quite my cup of tea but it was along the right track. So my dear readers I present to you my chicken meatballs with a chicken gravy. They are much lighter than your average meatball and are packed full of flavour, served on mashed potato with a rich gravy they really are something special. As I have mentioned before I have a crazy love for mashed potatoes which my diet pretty much omits these days so it was lovely to have them as a treat.  If I were having these in the week I would make the meatballs and serve them with a tomato sauce and courgette spaghetti which would be just as tasty and much healthier.

Chicken Meatballs with Chicken Gravy

For the meatballs:

460g chicken thigh meat (skinless)

200g chicken breast meat

1 onion, very finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

200g panko breadcrumbs

pinch of dried red chillies

2 TSP dried oregano 

1 TSP dried sage

2 TBSP fresh sage, finely chopped

1 TBSP fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

S&P

For the gravy:

500ml fresh chicken stock

250ml white wine

2 shallots, roughly chopped with skins still on

2 cloves garlic, cut in half with skins on

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

To serve:

mashed potato - I make mine with butter and milk with lots of black pepper

leeks - I used two, sliced and cooked in butter and a splash of wine

in a bit of oil cook the onions until soft and let cool. blend the raw chicken meat in a food processor until smooth and then place in a bowl. add in the cooled onions and all of the other meatball ingredients then get your hands dirty and combine all the ingredients. bring together in a large ball and then cover the bowl with clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least 2 and up to 24 hours. once you have chilled the mixture then roll them on to smallish balls about the sized of ping pong ball this recipe should make about 24. then place on a tray, cover with clingfilm and then place back in to the fridge for another hour or so. heat some oil in a frying pan and then cook of the meatballs in batches don't be afraid to get them nicely browned - they taste best this way. Once you have cooked them put them in an oven proof dish and but them in the oven on a lowish heat for 20-30 minutes just so they cook the whole way through and stay warm whilst you make the gravy.

to make the gravy put the wine, shallots, garlic and rosemary in a pan and then reduce down until it is more like a glaze - this takes approx. 10 minutes. add in the stock and then let simmer until you have a nice rich gravy. strain.

to serve add a spoonful of mash potato, top with a spoonful of leeks and 3-4 meatballs. spoon over some gravy to finish.

Linking up with Vicky at Honest Mum

Valentines Day Main Course........ { Boeuf Bourguignon}

 

No I haven't gone all unhealthy on you but if ever there was a time to indulge in some rich food then cooking your main for Valentines Day would be it. This is a favourite of mine that I developed over the years, it was also the first recipe I did for my magazine food column.  It's a winner and bound to make your beloved fall even more madly in love with you, food does that don't you know?! This does require some time to cook but once you’ve spent a little time on prepping you can just leave this to bubble gently on the stove whilst you get on with more important things...

 

 Boeuf Bourguignon

1kg chuck or shin of beef cut into large pieces – this is important so it doesn’t break down in the cooking process
20 Shallots, peeled
30 button mushrooms – I used chestnut button mushrooms
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
150g streaky bacon, cut into short strips
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
Bottle of red wine – French is best here; a Burgundy works well but I have also made it with a Merlot
300 – 400ml beef stock, add 300ml to start and then add more if you need to

firstly, the night before you need to marinate the beef in the wine and herbs (not the garlic) and use the marinade as the cooking liquor - this will add a depth of flavour to the dish. toss the beef in a little seasoned flour and then colour the meat in a little oil and butter – make sure you use a heavy based casserole dish or pan.  remove the beef and then add the shallots and cook for around 5 minutes, until they go slightly golden, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes. remove them from the pan and set aside. add a little more oil to the pan if needed and add in the onion and bacon. once they have browned slightly add the beef to the pan along with the garlic, stock and the wine and herbs. season and then simmer on a very low heat for around 1 ½ hrs – alternatively, you could pop it in the oven at around 140°C for the same amount of time. add the shallots and mushrooms and cook for a further 30 minutes. i served this with my homemade dauphinoise potatoes and baby carrots which worked well. you could actually make the whole dish the day before and just heat it up for 30 minutes or so before you need it – a bourguignon that has mellowed overnight is a tasty dish indeed! 

 

Linking up with the lovely Miriam for the "Lets Grow Together" series - Welcome to my blog!

Valentines Day Starter.........{Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail boats}

Valentines Day is fast approaching and today I share with you an old classic which makes a great starter! It's a old favourite of mine - a twist on a classic, and whilst it's not the healthiest, omitting the bread makes it that much healthier!

Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail Boats

250g large peeled prawns
120g crayfish tails 
3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
Couple of drops of Tabasco 
Squeeze lemon juice 
Half a cucumber, shredded into ribbons (I use a peeler to do this)
Little Gem lettuce, remove the outer leaves you will need around three depending on size

take the mayonnaise and ketchup and mix them together. add the Tabasco and lemon juice and season. have a try and adjust to taste (I usually end up adding a bit more lemon and black pepper). add in the prawns and crayfish tails (reserving some of the tails for garnish). take your lettuce leaves and use them as “boats";  first add a couple of ribbons of cucumber and then the prawn cocktail and finish with a garnish of a couple of crayfish tails. Serve on a lovely wooden platter and let people just help themselves. 

 

Linking up with Vicky at Honest Mum

A Cheesecake of the chocolate variety......... {Chocolate Cheesecake}

Fact # 1 - I am not great at making puddings look pretty

Fact # 2 - I do make great tasting puddings, so yes, there's that

I made this for a friend's dinner party we went to at the weekend. I always offer to do dessert if I am going to a dinner party. Or the starter. An I always take a bottle or two of wine and some flowers / chocolates for the host. Because it's not easy to host dinner parties but they are such wonderful occasions. I add the baileys because it tastes good but you can leave it out if so wish. The inspiration for this recipe came  from Lorraine Pascale's Home Cooking Made Easy 

Chocolate Cheesecake 

450g chocolate digestives or oreo cookies, crushed 

75g butter, melted 

800g cream cheese 

5 TBSP baileys liqueur 

2 TBSP icing sugar

500g milk chocolate 

100g white chocolate 

vegetable oil 

take the crushed biscuits and the melted butter and combine in a bowl. press the mixture in greased spring form tin, cover and place in fridge for half an hour. combine the icing sugar, cream cheese and baileys in a bowl. melt 350g of the chocolate in a bowl (a little vegetable oil helps) and spoonful by spoonful add the cream cheese mixture in the melted chocolate until combined and you have a silky smooth chocolate mixture. pour on top of your biscuit base, level off and then refrigerate for a further hour or so. melt the remaining milk chocolate and white chocolate (separately) and spread the milk chocolate on top of the cheesecake. take the white chocolate and pipe thin lines on to the cheese cake and use a cocktail stick to drag the pattern - this is where I struggle to make things look pretty, but who cares, everyone loved the taste! 

Today I'm linking up with Fitness Blondie - I know this isn't healthy but it's great as a treat! Happy Hump Day!

Italian Tomato Toasts..... {Bruschetta}

I love Italy for so many reasons (I wrote about it here) but one of the main reasons is the food. It's where I first fell in love with cooking, where I learnt to ramp of my cooking, to appreciate flavours and textures and most importantly to respect ingredients. If you have a piece of fish fresh from the boat cook it simply with the gentlest of seasoning, if you have a piece of fresh bread rub it with a juicy fresh garlic and a drizzle of local olive oil, ripe peaches are amazing if you grill them and serve with a drizzle of honey... you catch my drift. Simplicity is the key to beautiful Italian cooking and having a glut of tomatoes growing in the garden I used them to make this simple, traditional Italian starter which is done so badly throughout the UK in fake Italian restaurants. This is how it should be done. 

 Italian Bruschetta

400g cherry tomatoes, roughly diced - I used red and yellow

1/4 red onion, very finely diced

balsamic vinegar

good quality olive oil

Ciabatta loaf (or any other stone baked white loaf), cut into thin slices and toasted

clove of garlic

S&P

basil

take the tomatoes and onion and mix together with a small dash of balsamic vinegar and a good glug of olive oil. season well and then leave to rest at room temperature for at least half an hour so flavours can develop. Take the toasted bread and rub one side of each piece with the garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. when ready to serve, add a spoonful of bruschetta onto each toast and a couple of the really small leaves of basil for decoration. This is a great canape or starter and goes very well with a chilled glass of prosecco

Linking up with Honest Mum 

And with Delcious Dish Tuesday with  Full Time Mama 

Fish in Paper........ {Fish en Papillote}

It's a funny thing when people say to me that they think cooking fish is laborious and a pain. Many a friend of mine will turn their nose up at cooking fish but to them I say "try this dish, it's simple, healthy and tastes delicious"

Cooking en papillote basically refers to the parcel you cook it in - this is a French dish and it's basically a parcel encasing the fish and vegetables which then steam cook in the oven. Mmmmm so delicious. You can be adventurous on what veg you want to use - celeriac and fennel as well as cherry tomatoes work particularly well. You don't have to make my simple creme fraiche sauce, often I will just use a bit of white wine which works just as well.

The best thing is that this dish takes very little prep and is quick to cook - a fish supper couldn't be simpler but at the same time its a pretty fancy way of cooking so you could serve it at a dinner party to much fanfare and no one would ever know - you're welcome. 

Fish en Papillote

2 fillets of halibut, or you can use any white fish plus salmon is good too

1 potato very thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced batons

1 leek, thinly sliced

4 TBSP creme fraiche

4 TBSP dry white wine

zest half lemon

2 bay leaves

S&P

Mix the creme fraiche, wine and lemon zest in a small bowl,  season. take a piece of grease proof paper and create 1 or two layers of the potato - I often add a couple of bits of butter in between to help cooking. season. layer on the leek and carrot, a bay leave and a spoonful of the sauce. place fish on top with another spoonful of sauce and season again. 

fold the grease proof paper loosely and then tuck in the sides to create a parcel (see photos). 

Cook at 200oC for approx 25mins. when out of oven make a small cut in the top so that the steam escapes and leave for a couple of minutes before serving. I just serve these in the parcel as I like the rustic look but feel free to serve nicely on the plate.

Linking up with Honest Mum 

And with Delcious Dish Tuesday with Eat Drink and Be Mary and Full Time Mama 

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy ... {aka Lemon Posset's}

Dessert. Something to be enjoyed and lingered over, preferably whilst coffee is brewing in the background. I don't have a great sweet tooth though and I always lean toward citrusy and slightly tart tastes when it comes to pudding. We had a friends over for dinner the other day and this is what I served, Little pots of lemony cream. Simple but effective

  

Lemon Possets

600ml Double cream

150g Caster Sugar

2 large lemons, zest and juice

On a low heat warm the sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil slowly. Boil for approximately three minutes, before taking of the heat and cooling for a while. Whisk in the zest and juice and then pour into 6 dishes / glasses (they look lovely in little espresso cups) before refrigerating. I served these with little Ameretti biscuits but they also taste great with homemade shortbread!   

....... I said it was easy!



I'm linking up this post with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

 

And  Supergolden bakes!