Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter

Serves 4

Quick, simple and delicious.  One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken.

4 TBS plain flour
2 large chicken breasts cut into 4 escallopes
(Cut them in half lengthwise through the middle into two
long thin pieces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 tsp freeze dried sage leaves
the juice of half a lemon

Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit.  Dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess.  Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Once it begins to foam, add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, seasoning it to taste with some salt and black pepper.   Add the garlic and the sage to the pan along with the remaining butter.   Squeeze in the lemon juice and let it bubble up a minute.  Serve immediately with some of the lemony juices spooned over each cutlet. 

Sweet & Spicy Chicken

Makes 4 servings
4 free range chicken breasts
12 slices of smoked rind-less streaky bacon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp oregano
4 TBS soft light brown sugar
125ml of pure maple syrup (1/2 cup)

Barbeque sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 200*C.400*F/ gas mark 6.   Butter a large baking dish well.  Set aside.

Cut your chicken breasts lengthwise into thirds, giving you 12 pieces in all, chicken tender sized.   (Alternately you could use 12 chicken tenders).   Mix together the salt, black pepper, garlic powder and chili powder.   Sprinkle this mixture over all of your chicken pieces, coating them well.   Using one slice of streaky bacon for each piece, wrap it around the chicken, making sure that the beginning and ending of the wrap are on the same side.  Place into the baking dish with the ends of the bacon side down.  Sprinkle them with the oregano and brown sugar.   Drizzle the maple syrup over top.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon has begun to glaze and become crisp.   Serve hot with some barbeque sauce for dipping if desired. 

Seekh kebabs with coriander

 

Ingredients
250g minced lamb
250g minced pork
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chilli
1/2 teaspoon salt
small bunch of finely chopped coriander


Method

1. Put the mince in a large bowl, sprinkle all the other ingredients over it and mix very well with your hands. If you have time, leave to stand for an hour or so.
2. Take a small handful of the kebab mixture and shape into a sausage around a skewer. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture. (500g of meat should yield around eight kebabs, depending on the size.)
3. Grill over a nice hot charcoal barbecue and serve with pitta bread and a chunky vegetable salad (lovingly prepared by your other half).

 

Pork meatballs with squid, in a green curry sauce

Ingredients
meatballs
100g squid, cut into small pieces
1 leek
2 cloves of garlic
1-inch piece of fresh ginger
500g minced pork
2 tbsps light soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine
2 tbsps green chilli chutney (substitute with 1 tbsps of minced green chilli and 1 tbsps lemon juice)
4 tbsps breadcrumbs

sauce
vegetable oil
1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1-inch piece of fresh ginger
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk of lemongrass
1/2 tin of coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsps green chilli chutney (substitute with 1 tbsps of minced green chilli and 1 tbsps lemon juice)


Method
meatballs

1. Peel and chop the garlic and ginger, and wash and chop the leek. Put the cuttlefish, leek, garlic and ginger into a food processor, and chop finely. Transfer to a large bowl, add the pork, soy sauce, wine, chilli chutney and breadcrumbs, mix well, return to the food processor and whizz briefly.
2. Form the mixture into walnut-sized chunks and fry in vegetable oil until browned. (You will probably need to do 2 or 3 batches.) Remove to a plate.

sauce

1. Peel and chop the onion, garlic and ginger, transfer to food processor and chop finely.
2. In a medium saucepan, fry the onion mixture gently in vegetable oil. Once the onion has softened, add the coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, fish sauce and green chilli chutney, and stir well.
3. Bring to a simmer, then add the meatballs, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Pork ribs with chilli and ginger (pressure cooker version)

Ingredients
1 kg pork ribs (cut into small pieces, if possible)
2 tsps chilli powder
2 tsps ginger powder
1 tsp salt
100 ml chicken stock
100 ml red wine
vegetable oil

Method

1. Mix the chilli, ginger and salt together, rub into the ribs and leave to sit in the fridge for anything between 1 hour and 1 day.
2. Heat a little vegetable oil in an open pressure cooker, add the ribs and fry for a couple of minutes until browned.
3. Add the stock and the wine, bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes uncovered to release the alcohol.
4. Put the lid on the pressure cooker, bring to full pressure, turn heat to minimum and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool slowly.
5. You can serve the ribs straight from the pot, or if you want that 'sticky ribs' effect you can bake them in an oven dish.

Bengali lamb and chickpea curry

Ingredients
400g dried chickpeas
50ml mustard oil
2 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspooon cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1kg boneless lamb (from the leg) cut into 2.5cm chunks
2 tsps minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. The next day, change the water, bring to a boil, skim off any scum from the surface, and simmer covered for 1.5 hours. Drain, and reserve the cooking liquid for later.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, fry gently for 30 seconds or so, add the cumin seeds. When the pop, add the onion and fry gently until golden.
3. Add the lamb pieces, turn heat back up to maximum and brown.
4. Add the garlic and the ginger, cook for 3 minutes, then add the turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder, ground cumin and salt. Fry for another 30 seconds or so, stirring well, then add the chopped tomatoes and enough of the reserved cooking liquid from the chickpeas so that the lamb is covered by about 1 cm of water.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on minimum for 1 hour, unitl the lamb is tender.
6. Add the cooked chickpeas and more liquid if required to cover them, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
7. Serve, sprinkling each bowl with a little garam masala and chopped coriander.

Lamb rogan josh

Ingredients
1kg of boneless lamb chunks
4 tbsps vegetable oil
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tin of tomatoes
500 ml water
1 tsp salt
100g whipped cream

Method

1. Put the oil in a saucepan, together with the cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon, and heat gently for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the onions, and fry for a few minutes until they begin to brown, then add the ginger and garlic and fry for another 30 seconds or so.
3. Add the ground spices, fry for 30 seconds, then add the meat and brown all over.
4. Add the tomatoes, water and salt, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on a very low heat for 2 hours, until the lamb is tender.
5. Add the whipped cream, mix through and cook for another 10 minutes or so.