Spiced Plum Chicken

This recipe combines oriental flavours and sweetness with a hearty rich approach for autumn and winter or even late spring. Considering my current love for all things sweet and spicy, I've included this dish as a pneumonicYou can substitute the noodles for rice or pasta if you wish, along with broccoli, asparagus, or chicory for the pak choi. Feel free to include mushroom,s bamboo shoots or water chesnuts for further enjoyment. Make it work for you.

(Serves 10 so divide by two for a family sized batch)

10 Chicken Supremes

4 Tablespoons of Chinese Five Spice

Olive Oil

1.25 Plum Victoria

Freshly grated nutmeg

100g of Caster sugar

400ml of Dry fino sherry

400ml of Chicken stock

Honey to taste

Seasoning

Mix together the five spice and some olive oil, this is to be rubbed on to the chicken breast prior to the chicken been sautéed. About 2 hours should be allowed for the marinade. Although the general rule is, the longer the better.

The sauce

Stone the plums then divide the plums into two lots, one half to be roast in a hot oven for 15 minutes in a deep roasting tray

Then add the stock and sherry and cook for a further 30 minutes check that the sauce is not getting to dry

Blend the sauce using a stick blender or food processor.

The other half of the plums, on a baking tray which has been pre oiled, season the plums with little sugar and nutmeg, place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes

Serve with steamed pak choi and egg noodles

Let put this together

In a pasta bowl place in the centre the well drained noodles and on one half the steamed pak choi

Carve the chicken breast into a fan, place on top and to one side of the noodles

Run the sauce around the noodle at its base

Garnish with three roast plum halves. Devour.

  

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Pan seared chicken with mixed bean cassoulet

Image courtesy of ptcfoods.com

This recipe is wonderful and hearty, and can be served year round for a filling dish. I do however favour eating this in the late autumn through spring. It is ideal for those cold days when you want to come home to a hearty warm and filling dish. It does take a bit of time, but you can make the cassoulet and freeze it in portions for later reheating. The rest is pretty much plain sailing. With this in mind you can have this ready inside 20 minutes, if the cassoulet is ready to go.

Posted at the request for James Crown, who required a hearty cassoulet dish.I hope it fits the bill :).

(serves 2-4)
150g OF Haricot beans
150g of Red Kidney beans
150g of Black eye beans
150g of Butter beans

All these to be soaked for 2 hours before cooking, drained then covered in fresh water seasoned cook for about 5 minutes then allowed to stand in this water for 30 minutes, then drain.

100g of smoked bacon or pancetta bacon
1 onion scored and studded with cloves (about 3)
1 Carrots diced
1/2 stick of celery stringed and diced
5 peppercorns tied in muslin
Fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1L  or roughly 2 pints of chicken stock
100g of chorizo sausage
Tomato puree to thicken

Place all the above ingredients into a pan omitting the chorizo sausage and simmer for about 11/2 hours.

Once cooked remove the onions and the peppercorns

For 1 serving:

Season the chicken and seal in a hot pan and finish in the oven

Reheat the cassoulet and add the chorizo sausage.

Serve in a pasta bowl with the chicken on top,

Finish with potato dish of choice

Lemon glazed chicken with chicory, asparagus & spring onion warm salad

This dish is typically a late spring / summer dish. I know its a cardinal sin by posting it now, on the verge of winter, however its too good not to share, and if you can get the ingredients, its a cheeky little uplifting number that wont impact the waistline.

if you're a fan of lemon chicken dishes and are  curbing the calories / carbs then by all means give this a try. It has a lovely balance of protein versus fibre, and also features the wonderful chicory and asparagus. Vitamin power!

As a salad feel free to add many other greens to it such as fennel, baby gem, cos lettuce etc. For more of a larger meal add a couple of bacon rashers to the mix (chopped), or chorizo or salami.

You will need:

1 chicken breast
4 spears asparagus (trimmed). You can keep the ends for soup or similar
1 heart of chicory (washed)
3 spring onions (chopped)
zest and juice 1 lemon
50 ml water
1/2 crumbled chicken stock cube or similar
tsp sweetener or sugar.
2 tbsp olive oil for dressing.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200C

In a frying pan add a little oil (or none if the breast has skin on). If there is a skin add it to the pan skin side down first. When one side is coloured flip over the chicken and add the pan to the oven. If the pan doesnt allow oven use, use a baking tray or roasting tin.

While the chicken is cooking seperate the leaves of the chicory and add to mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the spring onions and move gently together until salad has become uniform.  Feel free to add any fresh herbs you wish to the pan along with the chicken (rosemary, sage and thyme are ideal). If you are going to use a deliacte herb such as parsley, dill, basil, or fennel, we will wait and add them later.

In a saucepan combine water and sugar / sweetener and bring to the boil. Allow to reduce to a syrup then add the stock and zest of lemon and juice. Allow to reduce on a simmer to thicken and keep warm.

When the chicken is almost ready add the asparagus to the pan with the chicken and return to the oven. When the chicken is cooked the asparagus should have griddled sufficiently. Check how tender it is. if it needs further development return it to the oven whilst you are busying yourself with the next bit.

Add any delicate herbs you wish to use at this point such as parsley, dill, basil, tarragon etc, then drizzle a bit of the lemon liqour over the leaf and spring onion mix, with the olive oil. Add the asparagus when ready then layer in salad bowl. Serve the chicken on top and drizzle further with the lemon liquid. Serve immediately

Devour!