Seared Chicken And Balsamic Plum Salad
Ingredients
- 2 slices streaky bacon finely chopped
- 2 chicken thighs very thinly sliced
- 2 Plums halved
- 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 200 g cherry tomatoes
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 60 g goat or cheddar cheese
- 60 g salad leaves chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the plums in a bowl and drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil. Set aside for 2-5 minutes to lightly infuse the flavour.
- Preheat a sauté pan over medium heat.
- Place the bacon pieces and chicken thighs pieces in the pan and cook for 2 minutes or so until coloured and just cooked. ( the chicken sliced very thinly will cook very quickly)
- Add the plum pieces and continue to cook to allow some colour on the fruits. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In the meantime, in a second bowl, combine the honey, orange juice, 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil with salt and pepper until combined.
- Toss in the tomatoes, and red onion, cheese, salad leaves.
- Transfer the chicken and nectarine into the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Toss once more and serve immediately for best flavour.
Pea and Bacon Soup
A small portion of this soup will be enough but it is delicious to begin a dinner party.Sometimes I use fresh ginger to give the soup a kick or some smoked chorizo, or black pudding for deeper flavour.
Ingredients
- 20 g butter
- 1 onion finely diced
- 50 g smoked streaky bacon cut into lardon
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 700 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 250 g peas fresh or frozen
- 1 hand full baby spinach leaves
- 1 small handful parsley leaves shredded
- 50 ml cream optional
- 50 g crème fraîche or thick yoghurt
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat.
- Add the onion, thyme and a pinch of salt, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the parsley stalks, pour in the stock and simmer for 2-4 minutes.
- Add the peas. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach and remove the heat. Add some cream and seasoning.
- Using a blender, mix until smooth.
- Pass through a sieve and check the seasoning once more.
- Serve with a dollops of crème fraîche and a scattering of parsley leaves and a few extra fresh peas to decorate.
Tasty Chicken Stroganoff
A classic using Chicken instead of beef which will work perfectly for any weekday dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp-oil
- 2 tbsp-butter
- 2 onion thinly sliced
- 200 g mushrooms sliced
- 400 g Chicken fillet thinly sliced
- 50 ml brandy optional
- 150 ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100 ml cream optional
- 1 tbsp sour cream or cream
- 2 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 4 Gherkins thinly sliced – optional
- 300 g mash potato
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Warm up the mash potato and keep warm aside.
- Heat the oil and half of butter in a sauté pan over a medium/ high heat, drizzle a little oil and add the chicken pieces. Brown for 45-60 seconds until lightly coloured.
- Next, add the onions and mushrooms and cook for 2-4 minutes until browned.
- if using brandy, flambee the meat and vegetables by pouring the brandy carefully and then ignite.
- When the flame dies down, add the stock, mustard, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
- Pour in enough cream at the stage.
- Gently Scrape the base of the pan with a spatula to release all the bits that may have attached earlier and simmer for another 3-4 minutes until warmed through.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the gherkins and herbs to just warm them through.
- Check the seasoning and serve immediately with the mash potatoes, or alternatively with some rice depending on your preference.
Grilled Butter Striploin And Black Pudding Potatoes
For the best result ask your butcher to give you a thicker steak, it will be easier to cook to your favourite rare, medium rare. For a well done steak, get thinner steak to have it cook quickly so it retain enough juices.
Ingredients
- 6 potatoes
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 4 garlic cloves ( 2+2)
- 100 g butter 50+50
- 100 g black pudding
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 tsp mixed fresh herbs
- 4 tbsp oil
- 4 beef striploin 3cm thick minimum
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- First, Place the potatoes in a saucepan and add salt and rosemary. Cover with water.
- Place over medium heat, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25-35 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the heat, drain and set aside.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough, cut the potatoes into wedges or thick slices.
- In a sauté pan, over high heat, pour some oil and half of the butter. Add the potatoes, black pudding, onion, 1 clove garlic, and more fresh herbs.
- Over moderate heat, cook 8-10 minutes covered with a lid for the first 5 minutes, to help cook the potatoes faster.
- Shake the pan every so often to have the uniform colouration. Check the seasoning.
- Keep them warm while searing the beef.
- Preheat a griddle pan over medium high heat.
- Brush the steaks with a little oil on both sides and season with some salt and pepper.
- Add the steaks on the griddle pan and do not move for at least 2 minutes or until the edges are caramelised.
- Turn the steaks over and cook for a further 2 minutes for rare.
- On the griddle pan, add the rest of the butter and last clove of garlic to the pan and let it foam, while basting the steak using a spoon.
- Remove from the pan onto a serving board and leave aside for a minute or so to rest.
- Carve against to grain each steak and the potatoes.
Simple autumn Galette
a simple, delicious tart prepared in 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 200 g puff pastry
- 3-4 plums cut into slices
- 200 g berries
- 2 tbsp. caster sugar
- 1 tbsp. corn flour
- ½ tbsp. orange zest
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 egg wash
- 1 tbsp. pistachio chopped – optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, place the plum pieces with caster sugar, corn flour and orange zest. Toss to coat the peaches.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry into an approximate circle about 20cm in diameter and 3mm thick.
- In a bowl, combine the plums, sugar, orange zest and corn flour. Place over the pastry and drizzle with honey.
- Tidy the pastry edges over the fruits and brush the edges with egg wash and an extra sprinkle of sugar and pistachios.
- Place in the oven for 25 – 35 minutes until golden brown and the peaches are bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, serve warm or at room temperature.
Berries Crumble Traybake
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 50 g porridge oats
- 50 g ground almond
- 75 g brown sugar
- 75 g caster sugar
- 150 g butter diced into very small pieces
- 300 g selection of berries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C.
- Place the flour, porridge, brown sugar, caster sugar, butter in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Press half the crumble mixture into the base of the traybake.
- Add the berries then top with the rest of crumble mixture and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the traybake.
- Dust with icing sugar and cut into slices. Enjoy within a few days and store in a thigh container in the fridge.