Week 7
I’m back from holiday now, refreshed and raring to go! I’ve been South of the Equator
(Winter!) visiting family I haven’t seen for ages, which has been really nice but cold, so it’s
good to see that the sun is still here. Here’s another set of recipes of things that I cook
regularly and are enjoyed by my family. Just regular family dishes, nothing fancy. Hopefully
you’ll find something among them that you can use.
Sweet and sour chicken
I love a good stir-fry. I don’t know what it is. Lots of fresh
vegetables? Tender pieces of meat/fish? Thousands of
varieties of sauce and flavors? Quick prep and cooking time?
This easy to prepare sweet and sour ticks all the above
boxes. It’s made in a microwave which may sound odd but
works really well. If you don’t like the idea of using a
microwave this can be cooked as easily in a wok. Cook the
chicken first, then add the veg and then the sauce. This
appears regularly on our family menu as it’s so easy and
quick to make (a bonus on weekdays!) and tastes great. As usual, you don’t have to stick
with the vegetables suggested here, use whatever vegetables you have or use a stir fry mix.
Serves 2
Ingredients
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6 tablespoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoon malt vinegar
2 tablespoon dark muscovado sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
2 spring onions or ½ small onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
100g pineapple pieces in juice, drained but save the juice
sugar snap peas, roughly sliced
handful salted, roasted cashew nuts, optional
Method
1. In a large microwaveable dish, mix the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and garlic
thoroughly with the chicken, onion and peppers. Microwave, uncovered, on High
for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is starting to cook and the sauce is sizzling.
2. Stir in the pineapple pieces and sugar snap peas. If the sauce is looking too thick
add some of the reserved pineapple juice.
3. Return to the microwave for another 3-5 minutes until the chicken is completely
cooked.
4. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then stir in the cashews, if using, and serve
with rice or noodles.
Boston Fish Chowder
This is a great tasting chunky soup come stew. Fish
chowders are really popular in New England and
allegedly, originate from when fisherman would
through bits from the days catch into a cooking pot
to make a stew. You can use any fish in this recipe. I
like to add some smoked haddock as I like the
flavour it brings to the soup but leave it out if you
don’t like it. I often add some prawns as well if I have
them lurking in the fridge or freezer. I also usually
add some red lentils, which aren’t traditional and
there’s probably someone in Boston shuddering at
the thought, because they act as an extra thickener
for the soup making this a hearty meal in a bowl.
Serves 2
Ingredients
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100g each smoked and unsmoked haddock fillets
250ml whole milk
250ml vegetable stock
1 sprig thyme or bay leaf
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion , finely chopped
1 garlic clove , finely chopped
1 small leek , washed and sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
100g sweetcorn, frozen or canned
Handful red lentils
small handful parsley , chopped
crusty bread , to serve
Method
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Place the fish in a deep frying pan and add the milk, stock and thyme.
Bring to the boil and take off the heat; leave until cool enough to handle.
Take out the fish (reserving the liquid), peel off the skin and flake the fish onto a
plate, to use later.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry the onion, garlic and leek for
8-10 mins until soft and translucent.
Add the sweet potato, sweetcorn and lentils, then pour over the liquid you cooked
the fish in.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins. Check the seasoning and semi-blitz with a
hand blender –leave it quite rough.
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Add the flaked fish and chopped parsley. Serve with some crusty bread.
Swedish supper
This is another ‘not really a recipe’. It’s more a suggestion
of foods to put together for a fresh, light dish with
textbook Swedish flavours – salmon, dill, pickled
cucumber, beetroot. Easier to put together than an Ikea
flat-pack and much tastier! Instead of cooking the salmon
you could use the ready cooked fillets that are available in
the supermarkets. I’ve used the lemon and parsley one in
this dish and it was really good. I’ve also used cottage
cheese with chives instead of adding onion and dill and
that worked well too. Accompany the dish with rye bread
or a toasted bagel, which isn’t as authentic but equally as tasty.
Serves 2
Ingredients
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2 skinless salmon fillets
150g cottage cheese
dill, chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
1/2 cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and very thinly sliced
cooked beetroot, sliced
rye bread/bagels toasted
Method
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Cook the salmon in the microwave on High for 3 mins or until just cooked
through.
Remove and break up into large flakes, then allow to cool slightly.
Mix the cottage cheese, dill and spring onions with some seasoning.
In another bowl mix the white wine vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves,
then add the cucumber.
Divide the fish, cottage cheese, beetroot and cucumber between two plates and
serve.
Turkey kebabs
I’ve given you two recipes here for turkey kebabs.
Both of them taste delicious but you may prefer one
over the other. Each marinade is enough for 250-300g
turkey breast strips (2 servings). You could make both
to have one skewer of each (as in the picture) and
freeze the rest for another day or cook them all and
have the leftovers next day for lunch in a wrap with
salad.
I used turkey breast mini fillets which I sliced but you
could use chicken instead if you prefer. Serve with
vegetables/salad and rice.
Ingredients
Satay marinade
 1 tablespoon oil
 1 onion, very finely chopped
 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
 1 clove garlic, crushed
 1 teaspoon curry powder, strength to suit
 4 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
 200ml water
 2 teaspoon honey
 1 tablespoon soy sauce
 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Soy-honey marinade
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2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
Method
1. If you are using wooden skewers soak them in water for at least half an hour
before you use them to avoid them burning.
2. Mix together the ingredients for each marinade.
3. Add the sliced turkey to the marinade and mix until coated.
4. Line an oven tray with a double layer non-stick baking paper and preheat your
oven to 180C.
5. Thread the turkey onto the skewers
6. Lay the kebabs on the prepared oven tray and cook in your preheated oven for
15 - 20 minutes until the turkey is cooked and the juices run clear.
Chicken cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore (Hunter’s chicken) is a classic Italian dish.
The simple combination of flavours-chicken, tomatoes,
garlic, herbs works really well. It is typical of the sort of food
cooked in the hunting regions of Italy.
If you can’t find tinned cherry tomatoes use ordinary
chopped ones instead and you could always add a handful of
fresh cherry tomatoes before cooking in the oven. The garlic
and herb soft cheese adds flavor and depth to the sauce and
brings the dish together.
This dish is rich in protein - essential for repairing and rebuilding muscles and vital organs
and is packed with lycopenes, antioxidants which gives the tomatoes their red colour and
may have a protective role in the body. Serve this delicious Italian classic with potatoes or
pasta and veg.
Serves 2
Ingredients
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2 chicken breasts
1 small onion, finely chopped
olive oil
1 x 400g tin cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoon garlic and herb soft cheese
a small handful fresh basil
stoned black or green olives, optional
Method
1. Heat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Cook onion and garlic 1 tbsp olive oil until softened
but not coloured.
2. Add the cherry tomatoes, season, then simmer for 10–15 minutes or until thick
and glossy.
3. Take off the heat and stir in the soft cheese and half a handful of basil, roughly
torn.
4. Heat a little olive oil in another pan and fry the chicken breasts on both sides until
golden.
5. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over the sauce. Cook for 25–30 minutes or
until the chicken is cooked through. Scatter over the remaining half handful of
basil and the olives.