Chicken Lasagne

This is lasagne with a twist!

It is made with chicken....

You'll need:

• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Onions
• Ground nutmeg (adds a little bit extra to the taste)
• Ready to cook lasagne sheets
• Mince chicken / or strips of chicken
• Butter
• Salt & pepper
• Chopped tomato
• Grated Parmesan

For the bechamel sauce:

• Butter
• Flour
• Milk

The first thing to do is get all the chopping out of the way. Chop all the mushrooms, onions and garlic.

Add some butter into a large pan/pot and add the onion and butter. Fry on a medium heat until the onion and garlic are soft. Then add all the mushrooms and fry.

After the mushrooms have shrunk and become soft, add the mine chicken, season with salt & pepper to taste and add about half a teaspoon of nutmeg. Mix well and allow the chicken to cook.

Once the chicken has been cooked through, add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes.

Leave the chicken and mushroom filling on a low heat and make the bechamel sauce now.

Add some butter to a sauce pan and add some flour. Keep mixing and stirring until everything is combined.

After the mix has come together, start adding milk a little at a time and mix thoroughly. Once you get a cream like consistency, the sauce is ready.

Now you can start layering the lasagne.

Start with the chicken and mushroom mix, then add the bechamel sauce, some grated parmesan and then the lasagne sheets.

Keep layering and finish with the bechamel sauce topped with cheese!

Happy eating!!

Light Reading!

Something I have just acquired and just had to share!!

Found this book in one of my favourite markets, Spitlefields! 

This book, as the title suggests, has 1000 recipes and was written in the early 1940's for women to make due with what ingredients they could find during the second world war.  

Might try some eel soup....... or something different!

Light & Fluffy Buttermilk Cake!

This is my first sweet dish on the blog!
Its been a long time coming as I love making cakes, cupcakes, muffins and many other sweet dishes.

This is one of my favourite cakes as its easy to make, light, fluffy and just the right thing to have when you just crave something sweet. Perfect to satisfy that need. Lovely with a cup of tea!

Ingredients;

• 200g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 150ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or a whole vanilla pod)
• 125g soft unsalted butter
• Icing sugar for dusting

To get the vanilla out, cut through the middle along the pod and scrape the insides.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix in the sugar.

Place the egg yolks together with the vanilla and 2 table spoons of buttermilk, and beat until combined but not frothy.

Add the butter and remaining buttermilk to the flour mixture and beat for a minute.

Gradually add the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches, beating well each time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix well for one last time. Pour into a prepared cake tin lined with butter.

Level the filling in the cake tin and place in the middle of the oven.
Check that the cake is not browning too much from the top after 20 minutes. If so, cover.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Yo can tell when the cake is cooked when it has risen and springs back when touched.

Remove from the over and leave to cool for about 15-20 minutes before turning out.

After turning out, dust with some icing sugar!

Light and fluffy!!

Sweet eating......

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

So I know it's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy settling into a new job & getting adjusted. As it's a new year (Happy New Year!), I've decided to make one new years resolution and to (hopefully) stick to it! My new years resolution is to keep up with my blog and to try a new ingredient that I've never tried before at least once a month.

So for my first blog of 2012, I've used an ingredient I never had before - butternut squash.

Here's my recipe for a scrumptious butternut squash soup....

Ingredients;

• 1 large or 2 small butternut squash (cubed)
• 1 medium sized potato (cubed)
• 2 small onions (chopped finely)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp butter
• Salt & pepper to taste

To start off with, melt the butter in a pot and then add the onions. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the butternut squash, potato, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well so that all the ingredients are coated with butter.

Then add the vegetable stock.

 

Bring to the boil, then allow to simmer for 30 minutes so that the butternut squash and potato are very soft.
Use a hand blender or a stand alone blender to turn the ingredients into a soup consistency. If you prefer the soup to be thick, remove about half a cup to a whole cup of the liquid from the pot, blend and add liquid as you like to make it as thick or as thin as you want it.

Enjoy with some crusty bread.

Happy eating!

Chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce

This is a simple dish to make and doesn't take very long. The creamy mushroom sauce adds that extra little touch to the chicken.

For this recipe you'll need:

• 2tbs olive oil,
• Chicken breasts
• 15g butter
• Variety of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 100ml crème fraiche
• Grated parmesan cheese (as much or as little as you like)
• A little chopped parsley to serve

To start off with, heat the oven to 180C, 350F or gas mark 4.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the frying pan and add the chicken. Fry for about 2-3mins on each side or until the chicken is golden, then place on a baking sheet in the oven for 15-20mins.

While the chicken is in the oven, melt the butter in a deep frying pan and add the mushrooms.

Season with salt and pepper. Fry until slightly browned then add the crushed garlic.

Reduce the heat a little and stir in the crème fraiche and parmesan. Allow to simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Serve the sauce poured over the chicken with potatoes and green beans on the side, or any other vegetables you have.

Enjoy!

Simple Cod!

This is a very quick, easy, tasty and healthy recipe!

For this you'll need:

• Cod fillets
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• Lemon

For this recipe, you'll need some baking paper for each piece of cod.  Lay the baking paper flat out, drizzle a little olive oil on the sheet and sprinkle a little salt and pepper.

Next step, lay the cod fillet on the oil, salt and pepper then drizzle a little more oil on the code and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Final step is to slice thin pieces of the lemon and lay them on the cod to cover it.  Fold over the baking paper allowing some space between the baking paper and cod and twist the ends.  Place in a hot oven and leave to bake for about 20-30mins.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Cypriot Chicken!

It has been a while since I last posted a recipe but every time I cook something, I forget to take step by step pictures.

So for this post I combined 2 dishes from a couple of my favourite chefs. The main is courtesy of Jamie Oliver's 30minute meals and the side dish to accompany the main is from Rick Stein's Mediterranean escapes.

For the stuffed cypriot chicken we need:

• a small bunch of flat leaf parsley
• a small bunch of basil leaves
• 8 jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 100g of feta cheese
• 4 x chicken breasts (skin on if you can)
• 4 sprigs of rosemary

To start this off, put the parsley, basil and sun-dried tomatoes with a little of their oil and a pinch of pepper onto a chopping board (or a food processor) together with 2 or 3 crushed garlic cloves.

After processing or chopping these ingredients together, crumble in the feta cheese and mix together.

Next step is to get a large sheet of grease proof paper or a baking sheet and place the chicken breasts skin side down.  Carefully, cut a small pocket under the fillet in each chicken breast.

Now divide the filling between all the chicken breasts neatly.

Fold over the pockets and make sure everything is secure and in place.
Add a couple of lugs of olive oil to a pan big enough to add all the chicken.  Lay the chicken skin side down into the frying pan.  Scrunch up a sheet of baking paper under the tap.  Flatten out  the sheet and tuck it over the chicken and leave to cook, shaking the pan every now and again.

After a little while, check the under side of the chicken to see if its golden.  Once this is the case, turn the chicken over, add the 4 sprigs of rosemary to the pan and cover again.  This time, get a medium frying pan or pot and place it over the chicken, just to add pressure on the chicken and for it to cook all over evenly.  Once the chicken is cooked through and is crisp and golden from the outside, its ready!

For the side dish of Parmigiana Di Melanzana (baked sliced aubergines with tomato, taleggio and parmesan cheese) we'll need:

• 2 medium sized aubergines
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200g taleggio cheese (delicious!)
• Fresh basil leaves, shredded
• 1/2 quantity tomato sauce 
• 50g grated parmesan cheese (or more)
• Salt

Firstly, top and tail the aubergine (take off the top and the bottom).  Slice the aubergine lengthways in 1cm thick slices.  As aubergines retain a lot of water, its best to drain them before cooking them.  Sprinkle some salt on the aubergines and leave to drain for about 20-30mins.  This will also help to stop the aubergines from absorbing too much oil.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.  After allowing the aubergines to drain the water, pat them dry to remove the salt and any excess juice.  Heat about 2 table spoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and add a layer of the aubergine slices.  Fry them off for about 2min on each side until they are tender and golden.

 

Do this to all the slices, you may need to add some more olive oil as the aubergines will absorb all the oil.

After all the slices have been fried, leave on the side.

To make the tomato sauce you'll need:

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 2 x 400g cans plum tomato or chopped tomatoes
• Salt & pepper

Put the olive oil and garlic into a pan and as soon as the garlic begins to sizzle add the tomatoes and leave to simmer for 15-20mins, breaking up the tomatoes and until the sauce has reduced and thickened.  

Now, cut the piece of telaggio into this slices without the rind.  

the next step is to assemble this dish. 

Lay half the aubergine slices over the base of an oven proof dish, scatter over the basil and then spread over half the tomato sauce.  

Cover with half the telaggio slices and then sprinkle half of the parmesan.  

Repeat the layers once more and then bake for about 20mins until bubbling hot and the cheese has melted and is a bit golden.

Delizioso!!!