The One-Pan Roast

After coming home with a chicken the other weekend (as you do), neither of us were in the mood to cook a full blown roast dinner, after a long week. Trying to work out what to do with it, we saw a copy of delicious magazine on the coffee table with a huge roasted chicken plastered on the front cover with the tag line “The one-pan roast”. Now that sounded ideal and looked ideal, once we opened it up to the recipe page – not much prep to do but looked great and only took 75 minutes to cook. Result!

After spending about 10 to 15 minutes getting it ready and letting the oven heat up, in it went and that was that. I have to say, the smells of the various ingredients cooking away, were lovely and actually made us want to eat it sooner rather than later.

According to the recipe creator Donal Skehan:

Home cooking starts and ends with a good roast chicken recipe. It’s the food I was brought up on. Every Sunday we had a roast chicken, without fail. The bones were turned into stock and the leftovers would be made into sandwiches for school.

And guess what… the leftovers were made for sandwiches, instead for work the following day!

If you want a quick win roast dinner without all the fuss, then this is a perfect recipe for you to try.

One-tray roast chicken with white wine, zesty potatoes and asparagus.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
800g baby new potatoes, halved
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated
1 lemon, sliced
Handful fresh thyme sprigs
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1.5kg free-range chicken
Large knob of butter
1 large bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
1 125ml glass white wine
Handful of flatleaf parsley, finely chopped


1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the new potatoes . garlic cloves and lemon slices into a large roasting tin. Scatter with the thyme sprigs and drizzle with the oil. Season well and toss to combine.

2. Remove the string trussing the chicken. Gently loosen the skin on the chicken’s breasts to form a pocket, being careful not to tear it. Push a little butter under the skin, then spread more over the outside. Season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken on top of the potatoes, then roast for 45 minutes.

3. Remove the chicken to a plate, add the asparagus and pour the win into the roasting tin. Mix everything together so the asparagus is coated in the wine and chicken juices.

4. Sit the chicken back on the veg. Return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender. Rest the chicken and veg somewhere warm for 10 minutes, covered with foil, then stir through the parsley and serve.

The juices are amazing!

Enjoy!

Advertisement

Roasted Red Pepper and Courgette Frittata

Visiting my parents over the Jubilee weekend, our family had tickets to the local Party in the Park and we had to come up with a picnic meal to take with us. Along with the usual wine, beer and other nibbles, we decided to make this delicious frittata, after my Mum found it in a Marks & Spencer Recipe magazine!

After I cooked the peppers, mixed the ingredients together with the eggs, I then sat watching the whole thing cook diligently for about 15 minutes and it turned out fantastic! We thought we could cook it last thing and it would still be warm when we arrived and started eating, which it was. After all the rain we had had throughout the day, this really did bring the sun out when we started serving and eating it. It is definitely a great foundation recipe that could have lots of other ingredients added to make different flavours.

Ready in 45 minutes and full of flavour, this frittata requires only a small amount of ingredients and can be created in five easy to follow steps:

Ingredients:
2 Red Peppers, halved and deseeded
500g New Potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 Courgette, trimmed and sliced
8 Medium Eggs
120g Mature Cheddar, grated


1. Heat the grill to high. Arrange the peppers cut-side down in a roasting tray and grill for 8-10 minutes until the skins are charred and blistered. Transfer to a plastic food bag and seal. Set aside for 10 minutes to steam.

2. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well.

3. Heat half the olive oil in a large non-stick, ovenproof frying pan, about 25cm diameter, and fry the onion and courgette for 4-5 minutes until softened and slightly coloured, then remove from the pan. Wipe the frying pan clean with kitchen paper.

4. Take the peppers out of the bag and remove the skins, then cut the flesh into thick strips. In a large jug or bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the onion and courgette mixture, peppers, potatoes and half the cheese. Season to taste.

5. Heat the remaining oil in the clean frying pan and pour in the egg mixture. Cook over a very low heat for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture is set on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and grill for 2-3 minutes until browned and completely set.

Enjoy!

Quick Recipe – Asparagus baked in Parma Ham

This is another recipe that we used over the Jubilee weekend when we went back to Somerset to visit the family. It is so simple and quick to cook up, either as a starter or to go with a main meal.

As my Mum has always said and to which I agree:

‘I love English asparagus and wait every year for it to appear at a local fruit farm or even supermarkets. It is a short season but I will not buy asparagus from foreign sources, somehow in the autumn and winter it just doesn’t seem right. One day when my vegetable garden is enlarged I shall grow it myself.’

Asparagus is really versatile and can be cooked in various ways, just steamed, with butter (plain or garlic), or hollandaise sauce. Grilled on the barbecue or baked in the oven. The woody ends, which are snapped off before cooking, can be added to stocks for an additional flavour.

This recipe was first made when my Mum had a bunch of asparagus and some Parma Ham and wanted to stretch both to make a starter go further. The Parma ham can be cut into strips and rolled around each spear before baking, but it is fiddly and this is the simplest and quickest method as the Parma Ham always breaks up during cooking. We have made this loads over the years, so thought I would share it with everyone.

The flavour of the Asparagus is simply delicious after roasting with the Parma Ham!

Ingredients:
1 Bundle of fresh Asparagus – (English)
8 Slices of Parma Ham or Prosciutto
Olive or rapeseed oil
Parmesan shavings
Freshly ground black pepper
1 non-stick baking tray

Oven 200C; 400F; Fan 180C Gas Mark 5/6

1. Wash the asparagus then take hold of the woody end and snap it.

2. Lay four slices of Parma Ham onto the baking tray and place the asparagus on top, brush the spears lightly with a little of the oil.

3. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste

4. Lay the other slices of Parma Ham on top.

5. Put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, checking to make sure the ham is not burnt and the asparagus is soft (al dente is preferred)

6. Remove from the oven and put on a warm dish and using a potato peeler shave Parmesan cheese over the top if required.

7. Serve with crusty bread and/or a rocket and tomato salad, dressed with a balsamic and oil dressing.

NB – this can be part of an antipasto or a starter.

Enjoy!

Monkfish Moilee

I thought it was about time I tried a new curry recipe on here, after having had several requests from family and friends, for something they could try too!

Gordon Ramsay’s big yellow ‘Great Escape’ Curry book was staring at me from the bookshelf as soon as I thought about doing a new blog post, so decided to use it, to look for a fish curry recipe, as a change from all the meat I normally use.

As soon as saw this recipe, I knew it was perfect, as I had never cooked with Monkfish but it was something I had always wanted to try, especially after seeing countless chefs on TV show how easy it was to remove the large bone and then cook with it.

According to Gordon, a fish moilee is simple coconut fish curry from Kerala on the west coast of India. Some consider it an Anglo-Indian dish as it was commonly found in other Southeast Asian cuisines connected through the British Empire.

It is perfect for this time of year, especially with the warm weather we have been having, as it is not too heavy, even with the meaty Monkfish tail. Definitely one recipe to pin on the side of the fridge!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
500g skinless and boneless Monkfish tails
¼ tsp Ground Turmeric
½ tsp Sea Salt
Juice of 1 Lime
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Large Onion, peeled and finely chopped
3cm Ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely crushed
3 Green Chillies, deseeded and sliced in half lengthways
4 Curry Leaves
400ml tin Coconut Milk
6 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
Coriander leaves to garnish

1. Cut the monkfish tails into bite sized chunks and place in a bowl.

2. Mix together the turmeric, salt and lime juice to create a wet paste, then mix this with the monkfish chunks and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium to high heat.

4. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, chillies, curry leaves and salt. Stir frequently for 5-6 minutes until the onion is translucent and soft.

5. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the marinated fish and cherry tomatoes and gently simmer for another 4-5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

To serve, ladle the curry into a warm bowl and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with plain rice.

Enjoy!

Satay Chicken

Having purchased a lot of different Asian sauces and spices at the weekend, I decided it was about time to try something new and found this amazing recipe for Satay Chicken.

Satay or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. It usually consists of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers made from coconut palm fronds.

Satay originated in Java, Indonesia where it has now become a national dish. It is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand as well as in the Netherlands, as Indonesia is a former Dutch colony.

‘Satay sauce’, often referred to as peanut sauce, is widely used in Indonesian cuisine, Thai cuisine, Malaysian cuisine, and Chinese cuisine (under different names). It is also used in some European cuisine. Initially the sauce was meant as a sauce for Satay when being grilled, as well as for dipping.

This recipe from ‘Yeo’s’ is easily adaptable to being done on skewers or in the pan, as I tried.

Ingredients:
400g Chicken, Beef or other meat or tofu
3 tbsp Satay Sauce
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Pure Seasame Oil
2 tsp Malaysian Curry Powder
3 tbsp White Sugar
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Small Onion and Garlic Clove, chopped

1. Mix the ingredients above in a bowl and marinate the meat or tofu for around 1 hour.

2. If you are cooking in the marinade, then cook it through in the pan, on a medium heat, so that the sauce does not burn, until it is thoroughly cooked.

3. If you are cooking on skewers, grill them until cooked.

Serve with rice and/or stir fried vegetables and warmed Satay sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Savoury Palmiers

I am not exactly sure where recipe came from but it is a very good one – so much so that my younger brother told various people, when they asked where they came from, that it was “probably M&S!” Not sure whether that is a compliment or not. 🙂

They taste fantastic and are fun to make. They are perfect for a Dinner Party or family gathering and whenever we go home and my Mum has made them, they don’t last long!

Makes 20/30

Ingredients:
1 Packet Ready-rolled Puff Pastry
1 packet Boursin Cream Cheese with herbs
1 or 2 Packets of sliced Parma Ham or the equivalent
4tblsps Grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh sprigs parsley and chives or thyme, chopped finely
1 Large free-range egg, beaten for glazing
Flour for dusting

Oven 200ºC (400ºF); 180ºC Fan Oven; Gas Mark 6

1. Take that pastry out of the packet and lay on a floured board.

2. Cut to size 18cm X 35cm.

3. Take the Boursin that has softened from being out of the fridge, put in a basin and mix together until smooth.

4. Spread this carefully over the pastry, being careful not to cut through it.

5. Arrange the slices of Parma Ham over the top and scatter with the herbs and Parmesan cheese.

6. Taking one of the long sides roll up tightly to the middle and then repeat on the other long side so that the two rolls meet together in the middle and touch one another. If they won’t stick brush a little of the beaten egg down the long join. Do NOT worry if they are not quite exactly the same size.

7. Place on a baking tray, cover with cling-film and chill for at least 20 minutes.

8. Trim of both the ends to make it look neat, brush with the beaten egg and then cut crossways into 1cm thick slices.

9. Put the slices on a lightly oiled non-stick baking tray, or use non-stick baking paper, and cook for approx 12/15 minutes when they should be golden brown.

10. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm – they will disappear in seconds!

NB These freeze well so can be made in advance, and defrosted before eating, when they will need to be reheated in the oven (see temperature above) for 5/10minutes. If this is the case cook them until lightly browned before freezing as they will turn golden when they are reheated.

Enjoy!

Easy Lamb Koftas

When my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, they decided to hold a ‘Drinks & Nibbles’ party at their home for our family and special friends. We put up a pergola, as English weather can be temperamental, cleaned the house, sorted the garden and we were ready. As my Mum suffers from coeliac disease and likes to know the source of food, organic if possible, she decided to cook the nibbles herself. 40 guests needed at least 12/15 nibbles each, so she cooked, froze and made fresh on the day. The weather could have been kinder, but the showers didn’t seem to dampen anyones spirits, and the sun shone for some of the day. They had a great day – just what everyone wanted.

The recipe for ‘Easy Lamb Koftas’ came from a friend and they are delicious.

Ingredients:
400g Minced Lamb
1 Onion, chopped and cooked in a little oil
1½ slices of bread made into breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free bread)
2tblsps Aubergine pickle – chop small any large pieces
2tblsps Mango chutney - chop small any large pieces
Salt and Pepper

1. Using a food processor, or just your fingers, process the lamb until smooth.

2. In a large bowl put the lamb and add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Add a little oil to your hands and shape into sausages – small ones for nibbles and large ones for the BBQ.

4. Cook in the oven at 180 Fan, 200C/400F, Gas 5. The nibbles are ready after 10/12minutes and the larger ones 15/18mins.

5. If making in advance cook until just done and then freeze. When required unfreeze and cook until nicely coloured.

Finally push sticks in one end and serve with a yoghurt dip.

Enjoy!

Red Curry Pork with Peppers

Another post that I have had queued up for a couple of months to finish off and publish, is this delicious curry, from the Curry Bible that I got last Christmas… Red Curry Pork with Peppers.

As the author writes, it is a delightful combination of succulent pork, mushrooms and sweet red peppers. The mushrooms act as sponges, soaking up all the coconut sauce beautifully.

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Vegetable or Groundnut Oil
1 Onion, roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
450 g/1 lb Pork Fillet, thickly sliced
1 Red Pepper, deseeded and cut into squares
175 g/6 oz Mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
115 g/4 oz Creamed Coconut, chopped
300 ml/10 fl oz Pork or Vegetable stock
2 tbsp Thai Soy Sauce
4 Tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
Handful of Fresh Coriander

1 Heat the oil in a large fry pan and cook the onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes until they are soft but nor brown.

2 Add the pork slices and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until brown all over. Add the red pepper, mushrooms and curry paste.

3 Dissolve the creamed coconut in the stock and add to the pan with the soy sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and thickened.

4 Add the tomatoes and coriander and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Garnish with extra chopped coriander and serve with cooked rice or rice noodles.

Enjoy!

Fantastic Fish Pie

It is about time to finish off a post I actually started a couple of months ago!

Anyone For Seconds? celebrated its first anniversary on the 1st September 2010 and with around 400 visitors a day at the moment, all the posts for foraged related recipes, written this time last year, are suddenly all the rage again and the top viewed posts on the blog. It’s been fun re-reading what I wrote a year ago.

With a promotion at work, only 6 months in after joining the company, life has been hectic to say the least, not giving me as much time to write up recipes I have cooked. I still love cooking, taking photos of dishes I have done and have 3 more posts already queued up to be finished off – it’s just been a case of finding the time to do it.

I thought of using this Jamie Oliver recipe for my return, as it is a massive family favourite and at parties it always get demolished before anything else!

This recipe is a variation of his Fish Pie dish from his book “The Return of the Naked Chef” as we use more seafood and different fish in our version.

As Jamie says and which I totally agree with, “The whole fish pie thing is one of the most homely, comforting and moreish dinners I can think of. This is a cracking recipe which does it for me.”

As my mum told me:

“My grandmother used to make a fish pie that I loved but couldn’t eat it any more as the white sauce was made with wheat flour. When I saw Jamie Oliver make his fish pie without a traditional white sauce, I thought this is for me. I adapt it sometimes by adding Salmon or smoked haddock and always use prawns and use Dijon mustard instead of English.”

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
5 large Potatoes, peeled and diced into 2.5cm/1 inch squares
Salt and Ground Black Pepper
2 Free-range Eggs
2 large handfuls of Spinach
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, halved and finely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
285ml/½ pint Double Cream
2 good handfuls of grated mature Cheddar or Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon Mustard (Dijon is Gluten Free)
1 large handful of Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
½lb Cod Fillet, skin removed and sliced into strips/chunks
½lb Salmon Fillet, skin removed and sliced into strips/chunks
1 large handful of frozen prawns, defrosted
Nutmeg (optional)

Pre-heat oven 210C, Fan 190C, Gas 7

1 Put the potatoes on to boil.

2 Boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Once cooked, remove the eggs from the heat, cover with cold water and set to one side.

3 In a non-stick saucepan, gently fry the onion and carrot in a little oil until softened.

4 Put the fish, eggs and prawns in a oven-proof dish and press the spinach in between the fish and eggs. If you wish to cook the spinach first, do so for one minute but squeeze out any moisture.

5 In the pan with the onion and carrot, add the double cream and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat and then add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard and parsley. Pour the mixture evenly over the fish.

6 Drain the potatoes when cooked and mash them with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg. Spread it on top of the fish very roughly.

7 Place in oven for about 20-30 mins until the potatoes are golden.

Serve with green vegetables.

Enjoy!

Homemade Beef Burgers

I make my own beefburgers as most bought ones contain rusk or breadcrumbs, which is fine if you don’t suffer from coeliac disease. Not only can you get your butcher to mince you some good quality free-range beef but you can get more for your money.

I always make mine the same way but was intrigued to read in the Sunday Times, in a cookery article by someone whose name I forget, that his stepson – William – made his beefburgers with the same ingredients that I use, only he added an egg to his basic mixture. He also gave the recipe for a ‘Ploughman’s burger’ this just had some added extras to the basic mixture. I had to try his recipe and they are very good indeed, and I’m sure he won’t mind if I share his recipe with you.

I also make a spicy burger just by adding sweet chilli sauce to the basic mixture, but if you like them really hot just chop an extra chilli into that mixture.

I imagine that any flavouring could be added to the basic mixture including a curry paste – though that is one flavour I have not tried yet!

I serve the plain beefburger in warm soft rolls with a tomato relish or a garlic mayonnaise. The Ploughman’s burger the same way. But I think would serve the chilli burger with some soy sauce, chopped spring onions and red peppers and the curry burger with mango chutney mixed into some plain yoghurt.

All of them go well with a salad, a glass of wine, a warm summer’s evening and family and friends.

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

Basic recipe:
2lbs/900g Good minced beef
1 Large onion very finely chopped
2 Cloves of garlic finely chopped
A good handful of chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper

Ploughman's version:
To the basic mixture add 3½-4 ozs/100g of grated mature cheddar cheese
3tblsps Dijon mustard
4 heaped tblsps Onion marmalade

1 In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together with your hands until well mixed.

2 Shape the mixture into burgers; they can be whatever size you wish to make them.

3 Place them in the fridge for an hour or two before using, as the chilling helps stop them falling apart when cooking.

4 They can be cooked medium-rare or well-done depending on taste, and a BBQ gives the best flavour.

NB The burgers can be made in advance and frozen, but they are best used within 2 weeks. Important defrost thoroughly before cooking.

Enjoy!