Author: PK

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  Simple Chicken And Rosemary Casserole

  It is the classic Italian pairing of rosemary and chicken that makes this simple casserole a winner.

  I tend to make it later in the week and take advantage of what ever vegetables are lurking at the back of the fridge. I always aim to the use Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ‘trinity’ of carrot, onion and celery though.

  You can even make it in larger batches as it freezes well and also makes a great pie/pastry pocket filling. 

  Note: Takes about 2. 5 hours but most of that is the occasional stir on the hob.

  

  INGREDIENTS

  • A good slug of olive oil
  • 800g chicken thighs, boneless, cubed
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, whole and bruised
  • Several small rosemary sprigs
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp cornflour

  STEPS

  1. Browing the chicken
  2. Sautéing the vegetables
  3. Simmering on the hob (2hrs)
  4. Serving

  EQUIPMENT

  • 1 chefs knife
  • 1 casserole dish
  • 1 wooden or slotted spoon

  ---

  Browning the chicken

  1. Chuck a slug of olive oil into the caserole dish and bring to medium heat.
  2. Brown the 800g cubed chicken thighs and reserve.

  

  

  Sautéing the vegetbles

  1. Add a bit more oil if required to the casserole dish.
  2. Throw in the:
     • 3 celery stalks
     • 1 brown onion
     • 2 carrots
     • 2 garlic cloves
     • The rosemary sprigs
  3. Sauté evertyhing for about 5 minuts.
  4. Add the 500ml chicken stock and return the chicken to the pan.

  

  

  Simmering on the hob

  This is the easy bit. Simmer for about 2 hours or until the liquid has reduced to your liking. Just give it a few gentle stirs to stop it sticking. 

  

  Serving

  I love serving it on a bed of rice or with chunky boiled potatoes.

  

  I also like to make pastry pockets or pies with it.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are a few stews, casseroles and Italian cuisine posts . 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  July 13, 2019

• 

  Banana Blossoms

  A friend of mine recently gave me a banana blossom. 

  I had never seen one before so I had to find out how to prepare and eat it. The process is fascinating and isn’t hard. It just takes a bit of time.

  The blossom grows at the end of each cluster of bananas. 

  

  By Daniela Kloth – Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73500454

  They look and smell amazing. 

  

  There are two parts of the blossom that can be eaten. Part two is the inner heart which we get to as we peel away the tough purple outer leaves.

  Part one though consists of the many long thin florets that would grow to be fruit. You can see them in the next two images. They need to be stripped of their pistil and hard outer layer and immediately put in salty water or a citrus, water and vinegar solution. Otherwise they discolour rapidly.

  

  

  Once prepared and soaked they loose their initial bitterness and are great in stirfries.

  Eventuall you get to the tender leaves and pale heart. They also need soaking for a few hours. 

  

  

  I then sliced the heart and leaves inor rings and used them in a thai fish curry.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more Southeast-Asian cuisine and curry posts.

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  July 9, 2019

• 

  Pasta: Orecchiette

  Italian for ‘little ears’, the pasta shape called Orecchiette does indeed look like little ears. They are a heartier pasta shape being smaller and thicker than some others.

  Their shape and rough inner side make them perfect for grabbing sauce and small bits of meat and vegetable. Capers for example fit perfectly.

  I like to make my own by kneading my egg pasta dough into long thick noodle shapes.

  

  I then use this technique:

  TIme consuming to make but fittingly rewarding  🙂

  

  You can serve Orecchiette so many ways. From bacon, cheese and onion to carbonara to tomato based sauces to white wine and mushrooms and back. 

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are a few more pasta shape and recipe posts. 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 26, 2019

• 

  Pasta: Pappardelle

  Pappardelle is a long flat pasta shape that is perfect for twisting around your fork, trapping sauce as you go. Its narrower cousin Tagliatelle is similar in length and use.

  I like to make my own, about 55cm long and 1.8cm wide, using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker. 

  

  The machine imparts a roughness perfect for holding thicker sauces and meat. Tagliatelle is also perfect for lighter sauces showcasing eggs, cheese, nuts and vegetables. 

  My favourite way to prepare it however is by drowning it in a brown butter and sage sauce. 

  

  Or perhaps in a richer Crème Fraîche and cheese sauce.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are a couple more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts. 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 23, 2019

• 

  Homemade Garlic Bread

  I had a hankering for garlic bread the other day. When I went to the freezer to see if we had some in I came up empty handed however.

  I did a quick google and there were a lot of posts using bread, ground garlic and butter. So easy and the result was perfect. I will never buy frozen garlic bread again. 🙂

  For the perfect garlic bread simply butter slices of bread and sprikle them with garlic powder.

  

  Then pop them on an oven tray and into an oven on 210 C for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

  

  You can even add cheese!

  

  Perfect with some spaghetti carbonara.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  

  If you liked this post you might like these too. 🙂

  Bread:

  More Italiano (yes I know garlic bread is American haha)

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 22, 2019

• 

  Asian Style Chicken Stock Base

  This simple chicken stock is a great base from which to make a huge range of Asian dishes. I use it to make Udon soup and when I am poaching chicken thighs for example.

  There are three stages in making this stock. 

  Firstly throw ginger, garlic and sliced onion into a large pot of water. Add a chicken frame and bring the whole lot to a rolling boil.

  You could also add a few abalone feet for extra flavour. It all depends on what you intend to use the stock for.

  

  Then turn down the heat and simmer the stock. There will be a layer of fat scum that you can scoop of with a slotted spoon or sieve.

  

  

  Simmer for at least 2 hours and then strain the liquid. 

  Enjoy,

  PK

  

  If you liked this post you might like these too. 🙂

  Asian cusine:

  Using stock:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 15, 2019

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  Pasta: Farfalle

  Farfalle is an amazing versitile pasta shape. It is perfect for cream, light tomato sauces and even soup.

  I like to make my own by rolling out freshly made pasta sheets and cutting them into small rectangles. Then I roughen the sides with a knife and pinch them in the middle to get that classic butterfly/bowtie shape.

  

  Here I have sautéed shallots, garlic and mushrooms in some white wine. I then added the cooked pasta and some of the pasta water to the pan with some Crème Fraîche. Once mixed I added a large handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano and some baby spinach. 

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are a few more pasta shape and recipe posts. 

   

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 13, 2019

• 

  Welchy’s Roasted Tomato Soup

  Welchy knows how to make soups that will warm any winter’s day. Her roasted tomato and garlic soup is a prime example and, of course, is so easy to make.

  She writes:

  Roast a good amount of tomatoes for about an hour, set aside.

  Saute some diced garlic and onion, then add them and the tomatoes to a stock pot. Add enough vegetable stock to cover everything and simmer for 20 minutes.

  

  Add some paprika, all spice, salt and pepper. Then blitz to the consistency you like.

  Serve with what you love. In this case some cream topped with pork rind for a low carb option.

  

  Love Welchy.

  Here are some more soup and Welchy posts.

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 11, 2019

• 

  Parboiling Potatoes

  Some dishes using potatoes, like roast potatoes, benefit greatly by first parboiling them.

  Simply put, we put the potatoes in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes so that their cores are partially cooked.  Try and keep all the potato pieces the same size otherwise the smaller ones will be overdone by the time the larger are ready.

  

  A quick drain and they are perfect for roasting using Jamie Oliver’s methods.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are a couple of potato posts to help you plan dinner. 🙂

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 9, 2019

• 

  Pasta: Tagliatelle

  Tagliatelle is a long flat pasta shape that is perfect for twisting around your fork, trapping sauce as you go. Its wider cousin Pappardelle is similar in length and use.

  I like to make my own, about 55cm long and 1cm wide, using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker. The machine imparts a roughness perfect for holding thicker sauces and meat. Tagliatelle is also perfect for lighter sauces showcasing eggs, cheese, nuts and vegetables. 

  

  

  Here I am serving it with 12 hour slow-cooked lamb shank in a white wine sauce with Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil. My other favourite way to serve Tagliatelle is simply cooked Al dente and drowned in browned butter sauce.   

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  ---

  Here are a couple of more pasta shape and recipe ideas. 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  May 29, 2019