Chicken stew

Another day, another stew, although this did handily use up the chicken thighs.  It tasted pretty good, but nothing amazing.  I think i'd add a bit more harissa to give it more of a kick.  I used boneless chicken thighs, although nigella also suggests cutting up a whole chicken.

- Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil in a big pot and add 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, cumin and cayenne pepper, together with 2 finely sliced onions and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for a few mins until soft and then add 12 portions of chicken and fry for a couple of mins.
- Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, skim off any scum, then add 400g tin of chick peas, 1 bouquet garni, a stock cube, 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic, 500g sliced carrots, 4 sliced sticks celery and 2 teaspoons of harissa.
- Cook gently for 1 1/2 hours, and serve with couscous.


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Chicken noodle soup

I had some chicken thighs that i needed to use - originally defrosted for saturday night, but i ended up staying sat night at wittering having gone down to buy a sailing dinghy.  A successful trip though - fiona and i are now the proud joint owners of an RS Vision!  So, after easter lunch at Matt's (great salads - very ottolenghi), i started on a couple of chicken dishes - the noodle soup for supper, and the chicken stew to freeze.  The chicken stew asked for harissa, which we'd run out of, so i had to quickly make some harissa as well.

The chicken noodle soup was not quite how i imagined - a classic jewish feel good soup, i thought, but nigella marinades hers in mirin and sake - not the most jewish ingredients.  It was okay, but i think could be improved upon.

- Mix 4 tablespoons of sake, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 minced clove garlic and 1 dried red chilli.
- Cut 1 chicken breast into strips and marinade in the mixture for an hour.
- Cook 100g noodles and add choi sum or pak choi (i didn't have any green to cook, so just added pea shoots at the end) for the last couple of mins of cooking.
- Heat up 500ml chicken stock.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and a few drops of sesame oil in a pan or wok and add the pieces of chicken on a high heat.
- When cooked, pour in the marinade and when its nearly all bubbled away, put the noodles in a bowl, add the chicken stock, top with the glossy chicken, and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
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Marinaded leg of lamb with garlicky potatoes

I cooked this for myself for lunch the other day - not exactly a low fat lunch, but then i've got 8 weeks to get fit for the GR20 trek across corsica.  It is though, the kind of thing that would be just perfect to eat in a mountain hut after a hard days walking.  We can but dream!  However, if there does happen to be some lamb for sale, with some potatoes and garlic, extra virgin olive oil, some rosemary, pepper and an unwaxed lemon, then we are sorted, providing or course that we can wait 30 hours for the marinade!

- Put a large leg of lamb in a plastic bag together with300ml olive oil, zest of an unwaxed lemon, 4 squashed cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs of chopped rosemary, 6 peppercorns and 2 kg of potatoes, cubed.
- Leave to marinade for up to 30 hours (i managed an hour).
- Put the lamb into a baking tray and the potatoes into another, then cook the lamb for 45 mins and the potatoes for 1 hour at 200C.

Simple but very tasty and filling for about 6 people.  I cooked just enough for me obviously, not the full 2 kg potatoes - that would make the gr20 tricky.

Liver with sweet onions

All i can say, is its not easy to make liver and onions look good!  It was a success though - the sweetness of the pomegranate molasses was great.

- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan and gently fry 1 finely sliced onion for 10 mins.
- Add 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice (or pomegranate molasses diluted 50:50 with vermouth!) and cook for another 10 mins.
- Remove to a warm plate, add another tablespoon each of butter and oil, and cook 220g liver, coated in seasoned flour, for about 1 min on each side.
- Add to the plate of onions, then add another tablespoon pomegranate juice to the pan, deglaze, taste, then pour over the liver and onions.

The deglazed was delicious - i don't really like sweet and savoury often, but the sweet pomegranate sauce was great with the liver and what was a kind of onion marmalade.

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Roast shoulder of lamb

This tasted better than it looks in the photo!  My new japanese knife that i bought the other day in marylebone, made a slightly bigger hole than i meant.  It is phenomenally sharp and only needs sharpening every 6-9 months because it's made from high carbon steel and therefore very hard (about 64 on the Rockwell Scale)- an ordinary stainless steel knife apparently should be sharpened after every use.  It is a joy to use and i would recommend getting a decent chef's knife (16-22cm) to anyone.

This is probably the easiest meat recipe in the book and tasted all the better for it!

- Mince 3 cloves garlic and finely chop a sprig of rosemary.
- Mash both together with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Make insertions with a knife into 1-2kg shoulder of lamb and push the mixture into the lamb.
- Coat the top of the lamb with some of the oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and cook for 30 mins per kg plus 20 mins.



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Steak and kidney pie

We had just started tucking the steak and kidney pie, when i remembered to take a photo.  That's it on the left, with Tara's mini vegetarian one on the right - portabello mushrooms to make up for the missing steak.  You would think, by the way, that Tara amongst others, is called a vegetarian because she only eats vegetables.  Apparently, though that is wrong - the word vegetarian doesn't come from the word vegetables, but from the latin word "vegetus", which means fresh and lively.

We had a lovely meal, even if i say so myself, with blinis to start (we managed to stop angus eating them all before everyone else arrived), the steak and kidney pie with the onion mush and petit pois a la francaise, followed by turkish delight figs, done deliciously by tara.  My crust didn't perform brilliantly - i forgot to add the pie tunnel in the middle, which apparently helps the steam escape and cook the pastry.

- Finely chop 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1/2 stick celery and 3 sage leaves and heat in a pan in 4 tablespoons olive oil for about 5 mins until soft.
- Remove and add to a casserole dish, then add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and cook 200g sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley for a few mins, then add the casserole.
- Spinkle 4 tablespoons flour on a plate, add lots of grated nutmeg and pepper, then coat 500g stewing steak chunks and 250g kidneys in the flour.
- Brown the steak in the pan in another 2 tablespoons of oil and remove to the casserole.
- Add 200ml beef stock and 200ml stout or red wine to the casserole, stir well, season and cook for 2 hours in the oven at 150C.
- Move to a pie dish and leave to cool.
- Make the pastry by adding together 200g self raising flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, fresh nutmeg and 100g suet, then gradually stir in 100ml water until you have a soft paste.
- Roll out into a fat disc about 1/2 cm thick, using the off cuts to coat the rims of the pie dish first.
- Cook for 30 mins at 190C, covering in foil if the top looks like burning.

Call me old fashioned, but i don't consider this to be a proper pie - for me, a pie has to have a complete covering of pastry, but i recognise that i might be in the minority here.  Despite some googling, this is also not a generally accepted definition - what i am talking about is a "two crust pie" apparently and this recipe is a "one crust pie".  However, i feel i have history on my side, as the origin of the pie, was to encrust the ingredients in pastry so as to preserve them - wikianswers confirms it just in case!

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Chicken and chick pea tagine

Half way!  120 recipes down out of 240.  It's taken me nearly 6 months though - 6 months to do the whole book is looking a bit amibitious.  I have no idea how julie powell cooked 550 recipes in a year.  She would have done 250 recipes by now, and i feel like i've been really going for it.  it must have completely taken over her life.  Anyway, i'm really enjoying it and learning lots, so here's to the next 120 recipes.

Had this with the chickpea couscous and it was a bit chickpea-tastic. i think i'd add fewer chickpeas next time, and more vegetables.  The chicken thighs were delicious in it though - much tastier than chicken breast and less bony than wings - from now on, its "Eat More Thighs".  I didn't cook it in the tagine above, because you can't use it on the hob, but it looks more authentic for the photo!

- Put 1 onion, 5 cloves garlic and 1 stick celery in a processor and finely chop.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a casserole on the hob and brown 10 chicken thighs.
- Remove to a plate, add the onion mixture and cook for 5 mins until soft.
- Add 2 carrots cut into batons and cook for a further 5 mins.
- Mix 1 tablespoon flour with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric, add to the pan and cook for a couple of mins.
- Put the chicken thighs back in, add 2 tins chickpeas, pour over 400ml white wine and 300ml chicken stock.
- Season and put on a low heat for about 1 hour.
- Sprinkle with coriander to serve.

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Italian broth

I had this just as a soup, but it's actually more of a stock - nigella says it makes a great base for a rissotto.  A lot of meat goes into making this, and i'm not sure its worth it.

- Put 500g piece beef flank, 2 pieces ossobuco, and 500g chicken wings in a large saucepan.
- Add 1 onion cut in half, each stuck with a clove, 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced stalks celery, 2 sliced leeks, 1 ripe tomato halved, 1 peeled clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, 6 parsley stalks, 6 peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cover with water by 6cm, bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 3 hours, skimming the scum off every hour.
- Remove the large pieces of meat and strain through a cheesecloth or muslin.
- If storing, cool in the fridge and remove the fat from the top of the jelly with a kitchen towel.

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Oxtail with mackeson stout

Another marathon cooking time, but at least you get to eat the meat at the end of it this time.  I have to say this is one of the tastiest stews i've had - the bones of the oxtail add real meaty depth, and you can really taste the stout.  The one change i would make is to add additional stewing steak because i didn't find that there was that much meat on the oxtail i bought.

- Heat 35ml vegetable oil in a large pan that will go in the oven and gently fry 4 onions, sliced thinly, for about 15 mins until soft..
- Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (i used thyme), and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
- After a couple of mins, remove to a plate.
- Mix 65g flour with 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground mace, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, salt and pepper.
- Coat 1.5 kg oxtail and 1kg stewing steak in the flour, heat 35ml oil and brown the meat well.
- Add the cooked onions together with 4 carrots sliced into batons, 1 tin plum tomatoes, 2 whole celery sticks, and 2 bay leaves.
- Pour over 400ml mackeson stout (i used bottled guiness) and 300ml beef stock.
- Put the lid on the pan and move to the oven, cooking for 3-4 hours at 150C.
- If storing, allow to cool, then remove the surface fat.
- Serve sprinkled with parsley.
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Consommé

It doesn't look much in the bowl, but it tasted good and took 8 hours to make.  I started early and had something to show for it by the end of the day.  It seemed strange to cook a whole chicken and a lot of beef, to then throw it away and just keep what's left over.  But i tasted the chicken and beef and its flavour had left it.  It seems a huge waste, but apparently its common in france to use a fresh chicken to make stock, rather than just a carcass.  Nigella suggests making a lot and freezing it.

- Put a whole chicken in a large pot, and add 1kg shin of beef, cubed (i used stewing steak).
- Cover with 3.5 litres of water and bring to the boil.
- Remove the scum, adding 100ml or so of water to replace, repeating a couple of times as necessary.
- Simmer for 1 hour, then add 2 large carrots, 2 onions, and 2 leeks, each thickly sliced, together with 3 stalks parsley3 sprigs thyme, 1 peeled clove garlic, salt, pepper and 2 cloves.
- Simmer for 7 hours, then strain through a cheesecloth, muslin or j-cloth.

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Baked veal and ham pasta

This recipe is from the "cooking in advance" chapter, and i now have a freezer full of baked veal and ham - 8 large servings i got from it!  And nigella only uses 325g veal and 75g pancetta.  It's far too mean on the veal and ham, so i have suggested cooking 300g pasta rather than nigella's 500g - and that's from someone who loves their white carbs.  If you have a massive freezer, then double the amount of veal and ham.

- Boil 6 cloves garlic for 7 mins, then remove the skin and put in a processor together with 75g pancetta, 2 sticks celery, 1 onion, 1 carrot, and a handful of parsley, processing until finely chopped.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan, add the mixture, and cook for a minute or so.
- Add 3 tablespoons marsala, 1/4 teaspoon each of ground mace and paprika.
- Cook on a low heat for 15 mins, stirring regularly.
- Turn up the heat and add 325g finely chopped/minced veal, cook for a min or so, then turn down the heat and cook for a further 15 mins.
- While this is cooking, make a bechamel by melting 95g butter in a large saucepan, add 95g flour and a pinch of mace, and cook for a couple of mins.
- Season, then slowly stir in 1 litre milk.
- When the milk is incorporated, add a bay leaf and cook for about 15 mins until the sauce thickens so its velvety.
- Season, add 1/4 teaspoon mace and some grated nutmeg, take off the heat, and stir in 110g parmesan.
- Cook 300g penne pasta till al dente, then add the sauce and the veal mixture.
- Put in a large shallow casserole dish, season to taste, grate over some more parmesan and bake for 30-40 mins at 190C.

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Greek lamb stew

I cooked this for ginny and matt for saturday lunch and it seemed to go down well.  The only thing greek about it was the feta crumbled over the top - a bit weird for a stew but tasted pretty good.  It was slightly dominated by the small pasta (shaped like rice as you can see), so i have suggested using slightly less than nigella.

- In a large pan that will also go in the oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and brown 2 1/2 kg lamb shoulder, cut into large cubes, in batches.
- Remove to a plate, then add 750g finely sliced onions, adding more oil if needed, season with salt and cook until soft.
- Add 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 stalks finely chopped celery, 4 sprigs thyme and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Remove half the mixture after a few mins, add the meat on top, and put the other half of the mixture back on top.
- Add 3 bay leaves, 2 carrots halved, 3 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, 300ml lamb stock, and a bottle of dry white wine.
- Bring to the boil, remove the scum, bubble for 3 mins then transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- If you are doing this in advance, let cool in the fridge, and before re-heating, skim the fat off the top.
- Add 500g small pasta (such as ditalini or macaroni) partially cooked beforehand, and then finish off cooking it in the stew, adding more liquid as necessary.
- Crumble 300g feta cheese in a bowl with some parsley, oregano or basil, and let people sprinkle it on top.

This feeds about 10 people.



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Spanish stew

I was feeling quite ill yesterday with a bad cold, unfortunately missing Tara's grandmother's memorial service, and i made this comforting stew to cheer myself up and bolster my system.  It was just what i needed and certainly replenished any salts and fats i was missing!  And that was with no added salt or fat.  I think in future, i would add more vegetables and less chorizo so it's a bit less salty and fatty -  i have suggested below, the addition of a parsnip which is not in nigella's original.

- Gently fry a chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, in a pan that will go in the oven.
- After 5 mins, add 3 cloves chopped garlic and cook for a further 2-3 mins.
- Add 400g chorizo, cut into thick slices, a bay leaf and 100ml sherry.
- Add 1 kg potatoes, cut into large chunks.
- Cover with boiled water and simmer for 10 mins.
- Taste for seasoning (i didn't add any!) and put in the oven for 30-40 mins at 200C.
- Sprinkle with chopped coriander serve with fresh bread.


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Garlic chicken

These chicken wings have been marinading as instructed, for a couple of days in the fridge, and i've just finally eaten them for lunch.  4 chicken wings, straight down, nothing with them - delicious, atkins diet lunch!  The wings themselves were a bit meagre, even though i bought free range ones.  I think this recipe would work even better with chicken thighs.

- Boil 1/2 head garlic, with the cloves unpeeled but separated. for 10 mins.
- Remove the skins and chop in a food processor.
- Add 100ml olive and process until you have a milky-white mixture.
- Add the juice of  1/2 lemon and pour over 4 chicken wings/thighs.
- Leave to marinade for 24-36 hours, then cook for 45 mins at 200C.


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Steak Mirabeau

I've just cooked this for myself while tara is out buying a winter coat, in a snow storm, and marni is sleeping soundly like the dove she is.  This must be a new fastest record - it took me about 7 mins.  1 min to heat the oil and butter, 2-3 mins each side  for the steak, and 1-2 mins for the sauce.

- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a pan on a high heat.
- When hot and foaming, add 4 fillet or sirloin steaks, and cook for 3 mins either side (for medium-rare done).
- Add black pepper and remove to a plate.
- Criss-cross each steak with 2 anchovy fillets and add halved black olives to the 4 quarters.
- Add 4 anchovy fillets to the pan juices, mash up, then add 1 glass red wine and reduce.
- Add to the steaks and serve.

Nigella seems to love olive and anchovies with her steaks and it does seem to work.
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Beef fillet with red wine, anchovies, garlic and thyme

Another of nigella's beef with anchovies recipes, this one with red wine, garlic and thyme.  This recipe makes enough for 8 people.  I made it just for 1!

- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 30g butter in a casserole dish or heavy baking tin.
- Add 8 finely chopped shallots and a little salt and gently fry for 5 mins until soft.
- Then add a few sprigs of thyme and 8 cloves of garlic, just peeled and squashed.
- After 2 mins, add 12 anchovy fillets and cook on a low heat, until they've fused with everything else.
- Remove this mixture, turn up the heat, and sear 2 x 750g fillets of beef, sprinkling with 2 teaspoons sugar as you do.
- Add 4 tablespoons brandy, let it bubble up and then add 300ml red wine.
- Return the shallot mixture to the pan, turn the beef in it, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 mins.
- Check it and give it another 5-10 mins if necessary, then remove from the pan.
- Turn up the heat to bubble up a bit, add 30g butter and use as a sauce for the beef.

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Tarragon French Roast Chicken

There are a lot of roast chicken recipes in nigella's book so i thought i'd better tick another off.  And I had some tarragon which i bought to make bearnaise sauce, but haven't yet.  Most roast chicken recipes are slight variations on the same basic theme - add lots of herbs, lemon and butter and cook covered until the last 15 mins.  This one is quite different in that you cook the chicken on a base of chicken stock which i guess slightly steams it and makes it juicier.  And the tarragon flavour is makes a great change from lemon chicken.

- Mix some chopped tarragon, 1 teaspoon sherry and 30g soft butter, then smear this over the chicken and under the breat skin.
- Put the chicken in the a roasting pan, but raising it off the bottom with a grid or some such (i used pastry cutters!)
- Pour in 250ml chicken stock in the bottom.
- Cover with tinfoil and cook at 200C for 1 hour.
- Remove the foil and cook for the rest of the time (20 mins per pound and 20 mins over)
- Leave the chicken to rest for 5 mins upside down to let the juices drain into the breast.
- Pour the stock into a saucepan and reduce to make gravy.


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Duck with Orange Salsa

The uncooked salsa (i assume salsa is always raw?!) really lifted the roasted duck - its a salsa to always bear in mind whenever you cook duck, particularly as its so easy to make.  Nigella suggests duck breasts but i used a duck leg which worked just as well.

- Slash the skin of 4-5 duck breasts, sprinkle with soy sauce and cook for 20 mins on a rack at 200C.
- Meanwhile, peel 2 oranges (i used clementines) and slice into small chunks.
- Finely chop 1/2 red onion and a fresh chilli, and add to the oranges, along with a good clump chopped coriander and 1/2 as much mint.
- Sprinkle with salt and squeeze 1/2 lime over it.
- Take the duck out of the oven and add the salsa.

I cooked this back in camden, together with the panchphoran potatoes and the pomegranite aubergine for tara, and it all seemed to work together.

Cinnamon Hot Rack of Lamb

Cinnamon and lamb don't sound good bed-fellows, but this dish was great.  So good, ian, annabel and myself had eaten most of it before remembering to take a photo!

- Mix 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon chilli oil.
- Rub over the meat, place on a baking tray and cook for 30 mins at 220C and the meat should still be pink.
- Let stand for 5 mins and serve.

Simple but delicious.  As you can see, we had it with the couscous and some mushroom ragout that i made tara.

Cambodian Hot and Sour Beef Salad

There were some lovely crisp flavours in this recipe, and what is great about Cambodian and Vietnamese cooking is the raw-ness of the cooking and the ingredients.  I don't think though that grilling the beef, complements the other flavours - next time i would definitely sear the beef in a pan.

- Cook 225g fillet steak - Nigella says grill but I say sear in a hot pan.
- However you cook it, thinly slice the beef and keep the juices from the cooking and slicing..
- In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon fish sauce, the juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1-2 red/green chillies and 1 finely sliced shallot.
- Add the beef juices to the sauce and pour over some rocket and lettuce leaves.
- Add the thinly sliced beef.

I think i slightly overdid my beef on the grill, which i think is also part of the problem with grilling.  Overall however, a simple tasty way of enjoying beef.