Caribbean Style Chicken Curry with Rice and Peas

I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I am ashamed to say that I have been doing very little of the cooking in our household recently. This one is well worth the wait though.

Lovely tender chicken breasts smothered in a tasty Caribbean style curry sauce and served with the staple Jamaican side: Rice and Peas cooked in coconut milk.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

4-6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 scotch bonnet peppers, finely chopped

a small bunch of scallions/spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

juice of half a lime

2-3 tbsp light soy sauce

salt and pepper

2 tsp thyme

an inch of ginger, peeled and chopped

For the curry:

2 large marinated chicken breasts, skins removed

1 large brown onion, finely diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1/4 green bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

a couple of sprigs of thyme

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp tomato puree

a splash of Tabasco sauce

salt and black pepper

For the rice and peas:

2 cups of long grain rice, rinsed and drained

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can of coconut milk

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

a couple of sprigs of thyme

2-3 cloves of garlic

Method:

The night before: Put all of the marinade ingredients into a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth paste. Slash the chicken breasts and rub the marinade all over the breasts, then cover and put in the fridge overnight.

1. Heat some oil in a large casserole and fry the cumin seeds until aromatic;

2. Reduce the heat to low and fry over the onions and peppers for 5 mins. Meanwhile, thickly dice the marinated chicken breasts;

3. Add the tomato puree, garlic, curry powder, thyme and Tabasco and fry for a further minute, stirring well, then add half a cup of water and bring to the boil;

4. Add the chicken and potatoes and coat well with the sauce, season well and add another cup of water, bring to the boil again, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for approx. 45 mins;

5. Once the curry is simmering, prepare your rice and peas. Drain and rinse your kidney beans, reserving the liquid from the can. Add this to a can of coconut milk and a small amount of water to make up 4 cups of liquid. Add the garlic, onion, thyme and beans to the liquid and bring to the boil;

6.  Add the rice and cook on a rolling boil for 2 mins, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice;

7. Serve and enjoy!

Potato and chorizo soup

Surprise surprise, another recipe with chorizo in it. Cannot get enough of the stuff! This one's not spicy at all though as the potatoes calm it down somewhat.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, for frying
125g chorizo sausage
1 large onion, chopped
300g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
300g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
900ml chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives, to garnish
1 tbsp greek yoghurt per person to serve

Method:

1. Finely slice a quarter of the chorizo, then chop up the rest;

2. In a large casserole, fry the sliced chorizo in olive oil over a moderate heat until crispy, then set aside until the end;

3. Add the rest of the chorizo to the pan with the chopped onion and fry until the onions have softened;

4. Add both sets of potatoes and fry for a further 5 mins;

5. Stir in the chicken stock, put a lid on and simmer for 45 mins or until the potatoes are fully cooked;

6. Puree the soup in a blender in stages and return to a saucepan. Reheat gently and season to taste.

7. Stir in a swirl of greek yoghurt or soured cream and sprinkle over the chives and the crispy chorizo slices.

8. Serve with warm ciabatta and enjoy.

Roasted garlic and lemon chicken on top of a bacon, cabbage and leek 'fry-it'

The bacon, cabbage and leek 'fry-it' was a staple lunchtime choice for me at uni. Extremely quick and very tasty. I've added some marinated chicken legs for a more substantial meal that can be served at tea time.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

8 Chicken Legs

2-3 garlic cloves (crushed)

lemon-infused rapeseed oil (enough to coat the chicken twice)

some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

a splash of white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

some honey (optional)

For the bacon, cabbage and leek 'fry-it'

1/4 of a head of savoy cabbage (shredded)

2 leeks (sliced)

6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

half a glass of dry sherry

a knob of butter

a splash of lemon-infused oil

salt and pepper

Method:

Early Prep: Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade thoroughly, coat the chicken legs and marinate for at least 6 hours;

1. Preheat the oven to 190C and roast the chicken legs for 25-35 mins until cooked throughout, turning half way through to coat in more marinade;

2. Whilst the chicken is cooking, heat the butter and lemony oil over a moderate-high heat and fry the bacon until it starts to crisp;

3. Chuck in the chopped garlic and fry for a further minute;

4. Add the shredded cabbage and leeks and fry until the cabbage has shrivelled to about half its original size;

5. Add the sherry, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the sherry has all but disappeared;

6. Serve the chicken on top of the 'fry-it' and scoff immediately. It'd be nice with some roasted vine-ripened tomatoes on the side.

Alternatively, you could use grilled chicken breasts, which have been rubbed with dry spices for a different take on the dish, or simply eat the 'fry-it' on its own as a lunch or snack.

Chinese style lemon chicken soup

My recipes over the coming weeks will be focused on eating more healthily. As part of my weight-loss regime, I have been looking for low-fat, low-calorie meals that are still packed with flavour. I imagine soups will feature heavily in this - and why not?! This one is so tasty, it deserves to be in everyone's repertoire, whether they are dieting or not. The ginger and chilli pack a subtle punch but aren't overpowering and the beautiful poached chicken adds a bit of substance to this quite delicate dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (skinned)
3 lemongrass stalks (outer green leaves removed and inner white leaves sliced lengthways)
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 inches of ginger (trimmed and finely sliced) [For a more authentic asian flavour, try using galangal instead if you can find it)
1 large red chilli (seeds removed and sliced into rings)
1 litre chicken stock (the better the stock the clearer the broth will be)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp light brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
a carrot (thinly sliced into strips)
pak choi (cut off and discard the thickest part of the leaves)
mangetout
baby corn (halved lengthways)
baby spring onions (halved lengthways)
tenderstem broccoli
coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Put the lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger and chilli in a stock pot. Pour over the chicken stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Gently poach the whole chicken breasts in the broth for 5 minutes, then set aside and cut into strips. (Don't worry if there is a tiny bit of pink in the centre of the chicken at this point as it will cook through fully at the end.)

3. Add all the vegetables and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the sliced chicken, fish sauce, lemon juice and sugar and simmer for another minute or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Season to taste and garnish with sprigs of coriander before serving.

4. Enjoy!

P.S. For a more substantial meal you could add some cooked rice noodles when you reintroduce the chicken.

Smoked Salmon and King Prawn Risotto

Lovely fresh flavours combined with creamy richness make this recipe a winner any time of the year. It is quite labour intensive but, if you're anything like me and find stirring things therapeutic, it really is a doddle. Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

180g Raw King Prawns (peeled and de-veined)
120g Smoked Salmon
100g Frozen Peas
400g Arborio Rice
150ml Dry White Wine (I recommend Sainsbury's Peccorino - yum!)
1.2l Chicken Stock
1/2 large Onion (Finely Chopped)
4 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
Tabasco Sauce
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
2 Tbsp Creme Fraiche
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. In a large saucepan or wok, gently fry over the onion for about 5 mins until softened but not browned, then add the garlic for a further minute.

2. Add the rice and stir in the wine until it has been fully absorbed.

3. Add the hot chicken stock one ladle at a time, stirring continuously as you do, ensuring that each spoonful is absorbed before adding the next. (It may take some time before all of the stock is absorbed so you might want to keep the stock hot in a separate saucepan on the hob.)

4. Add the salmon, king prawns, peas, lemon juice and tabasco and cook until the prawns turn pink throughout.

5. Stir in the Coriander and Creme Fraiche until fully incorporated, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately on a bed of baby spinach or rocket with some lovely warm ciabatta for dunking.