Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken

A while ago, we received a festive hamper that contained a large bottle of organic honey and some delicious looking mustard.  It remained in my kitchen cupboard, waiting for me to get inspired to use it in my culinary endeavours.  Well, last week was the auspicious day and I finally used the honey and the mustard extravagantly to create a memorable baked dish.

900gms skinless chicken, jointed, washed and drained; 1/4 cup prepared mustard; 1/4 cup honey; 2 tbsp curds; salt and pepper to taste; 2 cloves garlic, minced; a few basil leaves- I used Italian basil which grows in my garden, chopped; salt to taste; 1 tbsp olive oil.

Garnish: More Basil Leaves according to taste.

Whisk the honey, mustard, curds, olive oil,  salt and pepper to a smooth consistency.  Stir in the garlic and chopped basil leaves.  Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the mixture over the chicken.  Make sure all the pieces are covered.  Cover and keep aside for 20 minutes.  Bake in preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 45 minutes to 1 hour until chicken is cooked and juices run clear.  Garnish with the basil leaves.  Rest for 10 minutes. Serve with a salad for lunch or dinner. 

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Baked Brinjals with Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar

Baked Brinjals with Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar

Although I have been a fan of Nigella for years, I never tried out any of her recipes until I saw her on MasterChef recently.  Brinjals are not a favourite in our family and eaten under protest when confronted with it.  This sounded really good, so since I had some brinjals in my vegetable basket decided to give it a try with the ingredients I had in my kitchen.  The original recipe is from

http://www.chatelaine.com/recipe/vegetarian/nigella-lawsons-baby-eggplant-with-oregano-and-red-onion/

Mine is different and tastes so good.

The Recipe:

500 gms medium sized brinjals- any variety will do; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2-3 fresh Oregano leaves ( I have then growing on my balcony); 1 medium onion, sliced fine- used the Indian Onions that we always use; 4 tbsp pomegranate balsamic vinegar that was a gift and just waiting to be used; salt to taste; 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 tbsp cold water; 1 large clove garlic, minced fine; a few fresh oregano leaves for garnish.

Preheat oven to 225 C.  Slice brinjals in half lengthwise, keeping the stalks on. Mix olive oil with fresh oregano in a bowl.  Place the eggplants, cut-side down in a baking pan and drizzle the mixture all over.  Grill in centre of oven 5-7 minutes each side until golden brown.  Mix onion, pomegranate balsamic vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Gently whisk in extra-virgin olive oil, cold water and garlic. Transfer brinjals to a serving plate. Pour onion dressing over eggplant. Keep aside for 10 - 15 minutes.    Sprinkle with fresh oregano and serve as an appetiser or side dish.  Tastes too good to be true and I can't wait to make it again!

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Baked Seer Fish With Gravy

Baked Seer Fish With Gravy

This is a wonderful recipe to serve at parties and to make an impression.  It is not only a visual treat and  a gastronomical delight- it is easy to prepare.  Just get everything ready the night before and throw it in the oven the next day.  Multi task and get everything done together.

The Recipe:

1 small seerfish ( about 900 gms), gutted, washed and drained. Slash the fish on both sides to enable the marinade to go in.

Masala Paste:1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 1 dsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera powder; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp chilli powder or more to taste; 2 tbsp vinegar.
  Mix all the ingredients together into a thick paste.

3 large potatoes, parboiled and sliced thickly.

Rub the masala paste inside and all over the fish and potatoes.
Marinade the fish and par boiled potatoes in the masala paste  overnight.  Next day bring to room temperature and bake fish and potatoes in a pre heated oven at 200 C or 400 F for 20 minutes each side.  Test with a metal skewer for doneness.  Rest for 10 minutes, garnish with greens and tomatoes and serve hot with boiled rice or any bread. 

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Apple Rose Cake

                                                               Apple Rose Cake 

I love baking cakes and especially cakes that have a creative twist to them.  Today baking is an art and the internet is full of fantastic recipes and cakes that are works of art.  Some are simple, some very intricate and there are enough and more recipes to choose from.  I particularly like to browse through Pinterest and save them to my various boards.  This is a combination of a couple of cakes  I enjoyed baking and giving as a gift to various people. 

The Recipe:

2/3 cup brown sugar; 1 2/3 cup white caster sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon powder; 1 cup butter; 4 medium eggs; 3 tsp vanilla essence; 3 cups flour; 3 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 cup milk; 2 apples- Wash and cut the apple into quarters.   Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half  as thin as you can. Keep in 1 cup water with 1/4 tsp salt for 5 minutes to prevent the slices from going brown.  Drain and  use as required.

2 x 9 inch round pans, greased and lined

Makes 2 Cakes

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Keep aside till required.

Beat caster sugar and butter at room temperature till creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and then beat in the vanilla essence.  Add the sieved flour and baking powder to the batter 1/2 cup at a time, gently stirring to incorporate the mixture.   Divide the batter into two portions.

1. For The Apple Rose Cake: Cake Number One

Pour half the batter of portion number 1 into one of the greased and lined pans.  Arrange slices from half an apple on the batter, gently pressing to position the slices.  Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the sliced apples.  Pour the remaining half of the batter from portion number one over the apples and  cinnamon mixture and layer with slices and sprinkle with 1/4 of the cinnamon.   Bake in pre heated oven at 175 Degrees Celcius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.  Cool completely and arrange the roses and leaves on the cake attaching them with honey or icing to stay firmly in place.

How To Make The Roses:  See the video on how to make the roses.  It's pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgetvGCoEFQ&list=FL6DSUpL_0eJvs5jBwg33_Kw

 For Roses:  1 red apple; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp water.

Wash and cut the apple.  Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half very thin.  Place in a small saucepan with the sugar, honey and water.  Bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the slices are soft.  Take out the slices and cool on a plate.

For the Pastry:  1 cup plain flour, sifted; 1/2 stick butter- 55 gms approx; 3 tbsp cooked apple water.

Knead the sifted flour, apple water and cut butter until smooth.  Shape into a ball and cut into two pieces.  Roll out each piece into a rectangle.  Cut into strips 1 inch in width and 8-10 inches in length.  Take a strip and place 5 to 6 cooked apple slices on it overlapping each other.  Roll from one end to another into a rose.  Repeat with all the strips until the cooked apple slices are used up.  Make a few leaves too.    Place the roses  in  cup cake cases.  Arrange leaves on baking paper  and bake  both together in a preheated oven at  175 Celcius for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and glaze with honey using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.   Arrange on Apple Rose Cake when cool.

2.  For The Apple Cake:  Cake Number Two

To see how to arrange the sliced apple go to  

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/294422894367566766/

Pour all  the batter of portion number 2 into one of the greased and lined pans.   Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the batter.  Arrange slices from remaining apple all around  the batter, gently pressing to position the slices to look like a rose.     Sprinkle remaining cinnamon mixture over the top and gently tap the pan to release any air bubble in the mixture.   Bake in pre heated oven at 175 Degrees Celcius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.

Serve both cakes warm or at room temperature with Vanilla Ice cream for an unforgettable experience.

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Lemon Garlic Pepper Fish

Baked Fish Fillet

I have been hosting dinners for various friends and family this December and tried out some very intriguing recipes.  One of them was a lemony baked fish that was unbelievably flavoursome and extremely enjoyable.  This recipe can be made in large quantities and the bonus is that it gets ready in 10 minutes flat.  You could bake it after your guests arrive and set the timer for the right moment.

The Recipe:

500 gms boneless fish fillet; rind and juice of 1 lemon or large lime; 1 tsp fresh pepper powder; 1 tsp crushed garlic; salt to taste; 2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese for garnish and a few coriander leaves to taste.

Wash, drain and cube the fish.  Pat dry with kitchen towels.  Marinade overnight in the lemon juice, rind, salt, pepper and garlic mixture in the refrigerator.  Next day bring to room temperature and bake at 220 C in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Take it out of the oven and sprinkle the cheese all over.  It will melt within a minute.  Scatter the coriander leaves on top and serve hot as a main course or with crispy garlic bread.  This dish has a lot of  soupy gravy that is very gratifying.

Baked Soy Chicken

Chicken With Wine

One of my favourite occupations when I have the time is browsing through cook books and magazines for different recipes and then creating my own recipe.  I am also doing my best to come to my ideal weight and have just 2 more kgs to go.  So I have changed my cooking method to baking or grilling and counting my calories while eating delicious meals every day.

The Recipe:

1 kg chicken, skinless- jointed, washed and drained; 1 small head of broccoli cut into finger sized pieces; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; a small bunch of celery leaves (about 1/2 cup); 3 spring onions, cut fine; 1 small onion, sliced fine; salt and pepper to taste.

Marinade chicken overnight in the above ingredients in the refrigerator.  Next day bring to room temperature and bake in a preheated oven at 425 F or 220 C for 30 minutes until brown.  Turn the pieces over and bake for another 10 minutes or till cooked (metal skewer inserted into a piece of chicken should come out clean and there should not be red liquid coming out).  Serve with crusty bread or wholemeal toasted buns. 

Stuffed To The Gills

Stuffed Capsicum

This is a lovely recipe that can be made with left over mince.  While growing up, we had mince on more than one occasion and it remains one of my favourite foods today.  The aroma of mince being cooked is enough to send me into a frenzy and coupled with capsicum, this is literally to die for.  Those who have eaten it will vouch for it.  So add it to your list of Absolute Must Recipes To Try!

The Recipe:

2 green or yellow capsicums.  I used one of each.  Wash the capsicums and slice off 1/4 from the top.    Reserve the tops to cover the stuffed capsicum.  Gently de seed with a sharp knife retaining the shape of the capsicums.

Mince:

1/2 kg mince; 2 onions, chopped; 2 spring onions, chopped; 3 flakes, garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced;  few coriander leaves, chopped; salt to taste; 2 tbsp oil for frying; a handful of green peas; 2 slices stale bread, crumbled.

Wash and drain mince.  Heat oil and add chopped onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, corriander leaves and minced chillies.  Stir fry on medium heat until onions are golden browm.  Add the mince and fry till brown.  Add peas and 1/4 cup water and cover and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and the crumbled bread.  The bread will soak up all the liquid.  Cool.  Keep aside while you make the white sauce

White Sauce

 White Sauce:  1 whole egg; 1/2  cup chicken stock; 1/2 cup milk; salt & white pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste; 1 dsp flour; 1 small onion minced.

      Heat oil in non stick pan.  Fry the minced onions until glazed and transparent.  Add flour and stir fry for a minute till crisp.  Lower flame and slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring all the while to avoid lumps.  Next add the milk and keep stirring until thick and creamy.  Add the whole egg and gently mix.  Season with salt & white pepper.  Pour the sauce into a pyrex dish.  

a    Take a few spoonfuls of the mince and stuff it into the hollowed capsicum, to the brim.  Top with the sliced off lid.  Repeat with second capsicum.  Place capsicums in the dish on the white sauce and sprinkle remaining mince around it.  Bake at 200 Celcius in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until done.  Serve hot with crusty bread.

Baked Herby Chicken

Lemony Mint Chicken

I have been trying out various baked recipes with chicken from a cook book I was gifted decades ago.  The best part about these recipes is that you spend a few minutes preparing the ingredients, marinade it overnight and then throw it in the oven and leave it to cook while you get other things done.  Very suitable for a busy day and a great way to save time and multi task.

The Recipe:

1 large chicken (about 2 kgs) skin, joint, wash and drain; 1 bunch mint leaves, washed and chopped; 3 spring onions, washed and minced; 1 medium onion, sliced fine; 1 large tomato, cubed; rind and juice of 1 lemon; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely crushed; salt to taste and 2 cups thick home made curds or yoghurt.

Mix all the ingredients together and marinade the chicken overnight in the refrigerator.  Next day, bring it to room temperature and transfer to a large pyrex dish.  Bake in preheated oven at 250 C  for 45 to 50 minutes or until done ( insert metal skewer in the chicken and when the juices run clear it is done).  Serve hot with any flavoured rice and cucumber salad.

Leftover Pie

Five Star Pie

It's fascinating to see what one could make from leftovers languishing in the refrigerator.  I had some pasta,  mince, mint rice (rice cooked with 1 sliced onion and a bunch of mint leaves) and a piece of dry cheese.  Oh and some chicken soup too.  Put them together in layers, pour the soup over and you have a gorgeous  Five Star Pie.

The Recipe:

For The Mince: http://www.fromthefryingpan.blogspot.com/2013/07/family-trade-mark.html

2 cups leftover pasta- whatever you have will do.  I used spaghetti; 1 cup mince; 1 cup chicken soup; 1/2 cup of Mint Rice;  50 gms of dry cheese, sliced thin; salt and pepper to taste.  Baby tomatoes for garnishing.

Oil the pie dish and arrange ingredients in layers starting with the spaghetti, then the mint rice, followed by the mince.  Pour the soup all over the mince and let it seep down on to the spaghetti.  Arrange the cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven at 150 Degrees Centigrade or till cheese is brown and bubbly.  Garnish with baby tomatoes and serve hot.  Watch your favourite TV programme as you tuck into this delicious Five Star Pie.