Walnut Pesto

I realise this isn't quite seasonal, but it is really very handy to have something to change up the usual Christmas fare. Try adding a little pesto under the mash potato of a fish pie ala Nevin Maguires Killybegs fishpie, or why not add some fresh pesto to some wholewheat spaghetti and use up some of that leftover turkey! Add some garlic bread and a fresh salad and you have a wholesome meal in minutes.

Ingredients:

75g/3oz walnuts
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 handfuls fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
360ml good olive oil
30-40g freshly grated parmesan

Method:

Place the walnuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

 Enjoy!

Tiramisu

Serves 6

It took me well into my twenties before I would even try tiramisu. I always considered it a ‘grown-up’ dessert, and well, I’m not even sure I’m that yet! I think it was the combination of coffee and a
liqueur. I’ve never been a fan of alcohol in a dessert. Yet, when I did try Tiramisu there was no turning back. I was lucky, I had an amazing one, in Ibiza of all places. The barometer for desserts for me has always been my Mum. Let’s just say she has tasted one or two, in fact she may have been caught on one or more occasions eating desserts that weren’t even hers! (A video never lies!) So when she oohed and aahed and insists I try the dessert she had gotten i gave in.
Since my first taste, I spent a long time trying to recreate the creaminess of that Tiramisu. It had a
wonderful balance of coffee to liqueur, no one flavour over-powered the other.
So, here is what will be a beautiful, easily put together dessert, that could wow at your Christmas table this year.

Ingredients:

3 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites
4 tablespoons castor sugar
250g/9oz mascarpone cheese
150ml/5floz strong espresso coffee
3 tablespoons Tia Maria (coffee liqueur)
Approx 20 finger biscuits
Grated chocolate or cocoa powder to garnish

Method:

1.       Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the form soft peaks.

2.       Fold in the mascarpone.

3.       In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

4.       Add gently to the mascarpone mixture.

5.       Place the coffee and Tia Maria in a shallow dish.

6.       Dip the biscuits into the coffee mix but don’t let them soak up too much liquid.

7.       Assemble the tiramisu in your chosen dish with one layer of biscuit and one layer of   mascarpone.

 

8.       Finish with a dusting of cocoa powder or grated chocolate.

 

If you have any questions/comments please contact me, I’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget my Kids Cookery Course in Stamullen, Co.Meath over the Christmas Holidays. Wed 2^nd Jan – Fri 4^th.

www.facebook.com/jillskitchen2012/         Email: jillskitchen2012@gmail.com

Banana, walnut and chocolate chip bread

www.siobhanbyrnephotography.com

 
You may recognise this picture if you are a fan of my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Jillskitchen2012
as it's currently the profile picture. It was taken at a photoshoot I did with the fabulous Siobhan Byrne, you can check out her work at
http://www.siobhanbyrnephotography.com/.
We had a super time making and styling the photograghs and my willing assistants Fiona Cranwell & Gemma Brown, I can't thank you enough for all your help.
I only wish I could take such beautiful photograghs as Siobhan, but alas, my strength lies elsewhere.

So onto the recipe....

I remember making my first banana bread. I decided to just add bananas, no walnuts or choclate chips. i wanted unadulterated Banana Bread. But, in my enthusiasm I over worked the mixture and turned out a rather springy, chewy concoction.
So in my follow up attempts I decided to not only add in some extra ingredients but I also learnt NOT to over-mix (thank you Avoca for the lesson and the original recipe for this banana bread). Once you follow this simple rule you should have a wonderful, moist bread.

Ingredients:

225G/8oz plain flour
110g/4oz castor sugar
1 egg, beaten (if there are egg allergies omit this and add an extra tablespoon of sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75ml/3fl oz sunflower oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
65g/2 ½ oz walnuts, chopped
4 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed
25g/1oz milk chocolate chips

 

Method:

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl.
Stir in the sugar.
Mix in the egg, sunflower oil and vanilla essence, BUT DO NOT BEAT.
Fold in the walnuts, mashed bananas and chocolate chips, using a fork.
Spoon into a lined 900g/2lb loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven  - 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4
for 50-60 minutes.
Loaf should be golden brown and spring back when prodded with your finger.
Leave for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool and as always....

Enjoy!

Moroccan Lamb with Couscous



Picture courtesy of franceinlondon.com

If anyone reading this is planning on buying my affections with a Christmas gift I would suggest that a Tagine would be very much appreciated in my household!!
It's just one of those things I've never gotten around to buying but I've wanted one 'like forever'!
So this Moroccan Lamb is missing the word 'tagine' at the end because it was cooked in a casserole dish in the oven. I have no idea if it would taste different if it was cooked in a tagine, but it sure would look more spectacular when being served to the table.

Regardless of serving dishes, this Moroccan lamb is such a warming, satisfying and aromatic dish that how it’s served will become irrelevant fairly quickly!

Note: Some people seal and brown the lamb by tossing in flour and then frying, however, as I don’t like to use flour in dishes where I don’t expect it, I never toss my meat in flour. I do however brown it in a pan, just without the flour. So, it’s a purely personal decision.

Note 2: This is best made the day before you plan on serving it so the spices can infuse the dish, and then cook at the lowest setting on your cooker for about 2/3 hours before serving.


Ingredients:

Serves 8

1.5lbs/680g  tender lamb, cubed
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed and chopped
1 medium aubergine, cubed
1 medium courgette, cubed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 400g tins coconut milk
1 pint stock (bouillon or fresh stock)
150g apricots, chopped in bite size pieces
Rock salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil
Handful of chopped coriander – for garnish


Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and fry the onions until sizzling but not brown.
Add the garlic and fry for 20 seconds, just to release it’s flavour.
Remove from the pan and add to the casserole dish.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the cubed lamb, toss in pan, browning on all sides and remove to casserole dish.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil and gently fry the aubergine and courgette for 2/3 minutes.
Remove to casserole dish.
Add the spices to the pan and allow to cook for about 30 seconds on medium heat, this releases their aromatic flavour.
Deglaze the pan with the stock and pour this over the ingredients in the casserole dish.
Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and apricots to the casserole, cover with the lid.
If assembling the day before serving, you can make it to this point and refrigerate it.
Otherwise, place in preheated oven at the lowest setting for 2/3 hours.
If you don’t have the time you can cook it at 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas 4 for 45 minutes.
Serve, family-style, and garnish with fresh coriander.


This dish is great served with rice, but I love to serve it with couscous, which is traditionally known as a North African grain. I love it’s simplicity and  short cooking time.
Most couscous you buy now in your local supermarket will only take 6-8 minutes to cook.
TIP: Use stock or bouillon instead of water to add to the couscous as this gives it a wonderful flavour that you cannot get with just water.


For my Moroccan lamb I add 1 large handful of soaked raisins (soak in boiling water for 10 minutes) once the couscous is cooked. The sweetness adds another depth to the north African spices in the lamb and complements it beautifully.

Enjoy!

Sun-dried Tomato Bread

I adore this bread. My friends will lay testament to that fact because I’m sure at this point they have had sun-dried tomato bread over kill!

You can change it up and add olives instead of the tomatoes and add a few fresh herbs as well.

I make this bread with dried yeast as I find it easier to work with than fresh yeast. But, by all means fire ahead and use fresh if you like. The amount is included in the ingredients list.

My fabulous little bakers all made their own bread this week at their cooking classes in Jills Kitchen, so if the kids can do it so to can you!

Ingredients:

Makes 4 small loaves

675g/1 ½ lb/6 cups strong bakers flour
10ml/2 tsp salt
25g/1oz/2 tbsp castor sugar
1 sachet (7g) dried yeast  (25g/1oz fresh yeast)
400-475ml/14-16fl oz/1.5 – 2 cups warm milk
15ml/1 tbsp tomato puree
75ml/5 tbsp oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
75ml/5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
75g/3oz/3/4 cup rained sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped

Method:

Sift the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
(If using fresh yeast, mix with 150ml/1/4 pt/2/3 cup warm milk and add to the flour).
Mix the tomato puree into the milk and mix well (or remaining milk if using fresh yeast).
Add the flour and milk to the dry ingredients.
Mix together until a dough has formed.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
This will allow the gluten in the flour to work, it should be smooth and elastic.
Return to a clean bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place (e.g hot press/airing cupboard) for approx 2 hours, at least until it has doubled in size.
On a floured surface knock it back again (knead it), and add the tomatoes and onions.
Knead until these are evenly distributed.
Shape into four rounds and place on a greased baking sheet.
Cover with a cloth and leave to rise again for another 45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190⁰C/375⁰F/Gas 5 for about 45 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the underside.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.

This is delicious sliced, drizzled with pesto and covered with mozzarella, then toasted in the oven or under a grill until the mozza melts!

Enjoy!

Pecan & Cinnamon Pastries

This recipe is a great Sunday morning treat. I love how the whole house smells of cinnamon and the warmth and comfort that creates. It's a great recipe to add to your brunch repertoire aswell!

 

 

 

I’m not sure where I got the recipe, but as far I remember it was from the Barefoot Contessa. So thank you Ina! And if I'm wrong then thank you to whoever created this wonderfully decadent sticky mess!

 

Ingredients:

6oz/60g/1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1oz/25g/ ½ cup pecans, chopped in medium pieces
2oz/50g/ 1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 packages (2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

For the filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4oz/100g/2/3 cup light brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5.5oz/150g/1 cup raisins

Method:

Preheat the oven to  200⁰C/400⁰F/Gas Mark 6.
Have a 12-cup muffin tin to hand. No need to use cases or extra butter.
Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, combine the 6oz butter and 2oz of light brown sugar.
Place 1 tablespoon of mixture into each cup of the muffin tin.
Distribute the pecans evenly on top of the mixture.
Lightly flour your work surface and unfold a sheet of puff pastry.
Have the folds going left to right.
Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter, leaving approximately 1-inch around the edges.
Sprinkle the sheet with half of the sugar, cinnamon and raisins.
Starting with the part closest to you, roll the pastry snugly around the filling and keep rolling until you finish with the seam side down.
Trim the ends of the roll about ½ inch and discard.
Slice the roll into 6 even pieces and place each piece, spiral side up on top of the mixture in the muffin tin.
Repeat the procedure with the 2^nd sheet of puff pastry.
Bake for approx 30 minutes, until  the buns are golden brown on top.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes only before inverting the buns onto greaseproof/parchment paper.
You may need to ease the topping of pecans out and place ontop.

Allow to cool and serve!

Enjoy!

No bake Lemon Cheesecake

This cheesecake takes about 10 mins to make, not including the time it needs to sit in the refrigerator.
I've kept the ingredients list to a minimum. It's inspired by a recipe Nigella has for a lemon cheesecake, I've just changed it up a bit.

As I mention in my facebook post https://www.facebook.com/Jillskitchen2012
I had a few disasters while making this. Not least of which was that my food processor broke! It goes to show just how important having the right tool for the job is!

I also was in such a hurry I didn't refrigerate the base and as you can see from the picture it's crumbling. But the taste is sensational so I'll let myself off this time!



Ingredients:
100g ginger nut biscuits
275g digestive biscuits
110g soft unsalted butter, melted
400g cream cheese or cream cheese light
300g lemon curd

Method:
Blitz the biscuits and butter together in a food processor until resembles a crumb mixture.
Turn out into a 10" deep sided flan tin.
Spread around tin with the back of a spoon, making sure to make nice and compact.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the lemon curd and cream cheese until smooth.
After the 30 minutes, pour the lemon mixture onto the biscuit base.
Refrigerate again for 1 hour.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and fresh berries.

Enjoy!

Brunch

For those of you that have liked my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Jillskitchen2012
I promised you some brunch recipes. So here they are, it's all about the flavour and simplicity.

To up the weekend feel you could serve some bubbles for the adults. Mimosa is my favourite, made with prosecco and fresh orange juice, but a classic brunch cocktail is Bloody Mary and can be made virgin for those that don't fancy the alcohol. Just don't add the vodka to the tomato juice, dash of tabasco, fresh lemon and lime juice and celery stalk to garnish.

Brunch Menu

Country French Omelette
Smoked Salmon Pate
Basil & Goats Cheese Dip

Brunch for me is good friends, simple, tasty food and great conversation. Also an essential element for it is eggs. They can be served in my forms but I find the recipe below for Country French Omelette covers a lot of ground for very little effort.

Country French Omelette

I came across this recipe courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa and it has been relished by young and old.

Ingredients:

Serves 2/4

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 bacon rashers – thick cut preferably – cut into 1 inch pieces
250g potato, diced into 1 inch pieces
5 extra large/6 large eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 180⁰/350⁰/Gas Mark 4.

Heat the olive oil in a 10” ovenproof pan over a medium heat.
Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until bacon browned but not crisp.
Remove bacon and place on plate with kitchen paper to drain.
Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Cook over medium heat for approx. 8 minutes, tossing occasionally to brown evenly.
Remove with slotted spoon to same plate as bacon.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together with a fork.
Pour the fat from the pan and discard.
Add the butter to the pan, lower the heat, and pour the egg mixture into the pan.
Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set.
Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Pate  - Takes 5 mins!

If you don’t believe me you have to try it. This is fantastic spread on warmed crusty baguette

Ingredients:

6oz smoked salmon
3oz unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons single cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
pepper

Method:

Put all the ingredients except the pepper into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
Season to taste with pepper.
Spoon into a dish and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Basil & Goats Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

75g walnuts
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
40g basil leaves
250g soft goats cheese
3 tablespoons garlic oil

Method:

Put walnuts, spring onions and basil leaves in a blender and blitz.
Add goats cheese and oil and blitz again.
Turn out to serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Great served over crackers or a French stick or tomato bread

Winter Veggie Power Soup

It's the time of year when coughs and splurts are heard all around. I find I need to make sure I have my manuka +15 in the fridge ready to ward off any sign of a cold and a few soups at hand to warm me up.
This soup, from Super Duper Soups, is jam packed with nutrients from the array of vegetables used. If you have little ones in the house you may like to puree it and use it as a smooth soup rather than a chunky one.
You can of course add any vegetable you litke to it but below is my favourite combination.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespons olive oil

1 large, finely chopped spanish onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced small

2 carrots, diced small

250g/9oz courgette, cubed
1 small leek, finely sliced

1 small parsnip, diced small

1.5 litres/51fl oz vegetable stock. Use a good stock cube if you dont have homemade stock. I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon (in fact I use it for most sauces I need stock for) it's vegan, gluten free and has amazing flavour.

400g/1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

 

Method:

 

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently saute the onion.

After a couple of minutes, add the garlic and saute until soft.
Add the vegetables, stock, tomatoes and tomato puree.
Bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are cooked.

 

If you are pureeing it you can do it now with a handhelp soup blender.

 

Serve with nice chunky bread warmed through in the oven and real Irish butter! Yum!

 

Enjoy!



A quick side dish for this evening anyone? Green beans, lemon vinaigrette and goats cheese

It's been far too long since I posted. So I apologise to those of you waiting for more delicious (even if I do say so myself!) recipes.
Things have been kinda crazy in my house and very busy. But all in a good way.
My son turned 7 which meant a soccer party and naturally a soccer cake. As you can see from the smiling face he was happy which meant so was I and add to that it only took me about 15 minutes to make, our home was a stress-free zone!
Under that green ready roll fondant is a cake of chocolate krispies and marshmallows which was devoured by kids and adults alike! I simply melted a few bars of milk chocolate and mixed in the rice krispies and some mini marshmallows. I filled a buttered rectangular 12" baking tray with the mixture and let it set. Voila! Cake turned out onto board, green fondant rolled and placed over cake. Shop bought cake decorations to top and we have a cake that all the 7 year old boys gasped at and thought was fabulous! Go Me!

I've also been busy getting myself set up to host my first 'official' kids cooking lessons. After having lots of practice with the local kids being my helpers, with making everything from my lamb rissoles to chocolate lollipops, I feel the time is right to set up my cooking school.
So the first one starts in the mid-term break, and hopefully I'll have lots of great photos to share with you aswell as the recipes we will be cooking.


Now back to the recipe!

I wanted to share a nice side dish with you that could go particularly well with fish or chicken this week for one of your dinners.
It's a simple dish that punches above it's weight in terms of flavour and will only take a few minutes to prepare.

Green Beans with Lemon Vinaigrette and Goats Cheese





Ingredients:

1lb green beans, trimmed
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Approx 30g goats cheese, crumbled (use according to taste, I love lots of goats cheese!)

·       Method:

In a large pot, bring the salted water to the boil.
Add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes, drain well.
Set the beans aside in a colander, do not rinse as they will continue to cook.
In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest, juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Add the beans and toss.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with crumbled goats cheese.

Enjoy!

 

Tzatziti

I first tasted this dip when I spent a few wild weeks on Ios, a greek Island, in my late teens. (Yes, some may ask how can I remember this far back?!) Myself and my friends probably ate the local giros every night before heading out, and possibly a few more on the way home!
These giros are flatbreads filled with succulent aromatic lamb smothered in a wonderful fresh tzatziki, when you throw in a handful of fresh cut french fires and roll it up, you have a little pocket of heaven.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Cool and creamy, you can use this tangy cucumber dip flavored with garlic to make your own giros and it is also the perfect accompaniment to meat and vegetables. My Lamb Rissoles (the recipe for which you will find in my posts) taste delicious when this dip is served on the side.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
240ml/1 cup greek yogurt
240ml/1 cup of sour cream
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill

METHOD:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream.
Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well.
Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill.
Chill for at least two hours before serving.

 

Lamb Rissoles

This dish is a great one to make with kids and a great way to disguise a few vegetables if
you have a fussy eater or two in the family.
I have found that kids are more adventurous with their food if they have had a hand in helping to
prepare it. And who doesn’t love to get their hands into a squishy mesh?!
The simplicity of this recipe also means that if you need something nutritious and fast after a long
day but still want to get in some bonding time you can get it all in one foul swoop.

I like to serve these with homemade sweet potato wedges (peel and cut the sweet potatoes into
wedges and place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and cook alongside the rissoles), but you can
make regular potato wedges/chips using the same method of peeling, slicing and then drizzling the
potatoes with olive oil. If you put these in while preparing the rissoles you can place on the lower shelf once the rissoles go in the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

Before preparing any of the meal soak 8 wooden skewers in water (it helps to stop them from
burning). If you are using metal skewers you do not need to soak them.

Serves 4

1lb Lamb Mince
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tomato puree
½ red onion
½ large carrot
½ pepper – red or yellow
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash tobacco sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon maple syrup (honey will work either but the sweetness of the maple really works its magic here)

METHOD:
Place all the ingredients (except the mince) into a food processor and pulse until everything is finely diced.
Place minced lamb in a bowl and add the ingredients from the food processor.
Using your hands (or little helper hands) mix the ingredients together.
Mould a handful of the mixture onto each skewer into a sausage shape.
Place on baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 180⁰C/Gas Mark 4 for approx 30/40 minutes. (depending on whether it is fan assisted or not).
That’s it. You now have a fabulous, quick, nutritious meal.

Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake

This bake uses the tantalising smoky Spanish sausage, chorizo, but if you don’t have it in the house you can substitute bacon.  Although, chorizo is so readily available in supermarkets now,  I’d definitely recommend to use it if you can.

I’ve used whole wheat pasta here because it uses the entire grain seed, unlike white pasta. Which means more fibre and minerals without any more effort. I’m all for more health benefits without sacrificing flavour!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4

2 large chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
100g chorizo sausage, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ pint chicken stock
400g chopped tomatoes
400g butter beans
3 tablespoons crème fraiche
200g grated mozzarella cheese (cheddar will work too)
300g whole wheat penne pasta

METHOD:  You will need an oven proof dish

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions
Drain and set aside 5 minutes before cooking time is up
Meanwhile, Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onions
Fry off for about 2 minutes
Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds
Remove from the pan and set aside in a small bowl
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and when hot add the chicken
Fry the chicken and brown a little
Add chorizo (or bacon if using instead) and fry for 1 minute with the chicken
Add the chopped peppers and cook for  another minute until softened
Add the chopped herbs  and let them cook and release their flavours for about 30 seconds
Return the onion and garlic mixture to the pan
Add the chicken stock and deglaze
Season with salt and black pepper
Add the chopped tomatoes and butter beans
Stir in the crème fraiche
Place this into the casserole dish
Add the nearly cooked pasta to the casserole dish
Sprinkle with grated cheese
(If preparing the night before you can do it to this stage and refrigerate overnight)
Cook in a preheated oven at  180⁰C/Gas Mark 6 for approximately 25 minutes.
 
Serve with a delicious fresh salad or some French beans and ENJOY!

 

 

Spinach, Bacon and Egg with vinaigrette

I love the combination of the hot bacon and egg and the salad leaves in this simple dish.

It's brilliantly easy to make, and I love it so much I'm about to have it for lunch again today!
I have a habit of finding something I love to eat and then making it over and over again! So, no surprise that for the third lunchtime in a row I'm having this easy peasy dish. I also feel quite good because I use spinach as my salad leaves so I get the goodness from them,(see some interesting facts below) helps to counteract the processed bacon effect!

You can add whatever takes your fancy and you can substitute the bacon for avocado to make it a tasty, wholesome vegetarian dish. 

Some spinach facts: This leafy green is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. It’s a very good source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zinc, dietary fibre and copper. Plus, it’s a good source of selenium, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids. Now you know why I have changed from my regular salad leaves to this beauty!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 1

Handful of mild spinach leaves
1 soft boiled egg
2 cooked slices of bacon
Vinaigrette dressing:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
squeeze lemon juice
Place all ingredients into a jar and shake igourously to combine. If you dont have an empty jar you can put the ingredients into a mug or a jug and use a fork to combine.

METHOD:
Place the leaves on the plate, drizzle vinigrette over them, coating generously.
When soft boiled egg is cooked, peel it and place on top of spinach, slice open and let the yolk
ooze out. Yum!
When the bacon is cooked to your liking chop into bite size pieces and sprinkle around salad.
I like to cut the bacon up after I put it into the slaad as it means I get to cut up the leaves and egg and it all binds together so the flavours join forces and help ecah other to taste delicious!
It doesnt get much easier,

Enjoy!

For those of you lucky enough to live on the Irish North East Coast you can now check out my recipes in the monthly Meath Coaster that gets delivered to yor door. My section is Jill's Kitchen. My recipe from last month, Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake will be posted here tomorrow.

Gnocchi Italiano

Gnocchi are thick dumplings.
They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, flour and egg, flour, egg, and cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, or similar ingredients. They are Italian in origin, however you will find them in various guises all over the world, from Croatia to South America.

The potato dumpling variant that we are using today is probably the most recent innovation yet would still date back to the 16^th century.

These potato gnocchi are available in all supermarkets, vacuum packed and reasonably priced. They are usually used as a starter or main course to replace pasta, so feel free to do a variant on the sauce I give you here based on your own preference of pasta sauces.
Ingredients

Serves 4

1 packet of potato Gnocchi
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
125g pancetta (grilled bacon will work either)
75g frozen petit pois (cover with boiling water and leave sit while cooking dish)
150g mascarpone cheese
½ pint stock
80oz white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

Cook Gnocchi according to packet instructions, meanwhile,
Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onion for 2 minutes until it is cooked through and browning a little
Add the garlic and cook to release the aroma, about 30/40 seconds
Remove onions and garlic from pan
Add pancetta (or bacon if using) and cook through
Return onion mixture to the pan
Add the white wine and let it reduce, deglazing the pan
Add the stock
Stir in the mascarpone cheese
Drain the petit pois and add them to the sauce
Gently stir together and leave to simmer gently for 20 mins allowing all the flavours to infuse together
When ready to serve add the gnocchi and gently coat with the sauce
Serve immediately with a fresh green salad and some homemade garlic bread!

I'd love to know how you get on so please don't be afraid to comment or ask any questions below.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

www.siobhanbyrnephotography.com
 

 

Makes 12 cupcakes

 

Ingredients

 

2 eggs
140ml (5fl oz) vegetable oil
200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
300g (11oz) grated carrot (weight when grated)
180g (6.5oz) wholegrain spelt flour
Pinch of salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp mixed spice

Orange Cream Cheese Icing
250g (9oz) cream cheese (straight from the fridge)
50g (2oz) butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
275g (10oz) icing sugar, sifted
Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Method

Preheat oven to 180⁰C/Gas Mark 4
Prepare your cupcake tins
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add the oil, brown sugar & grated carrot
Sift the dry ingredients into the wet mixture
Combine, using a wooden spoon or spatula
Do not over mix
Use a tablespoon to fill the cupcake cases ¾ of the way
Cook for 20 minutes (check they are cooked by inserting a cocktail stick into the middle of one of the cakes, if it comes out clear it is cooked)
Allow to cool completely before icing

For the Icing

Beat the cream cheese and butter together
Add the vanilla extract and orange zest and beat together
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and combine using a handheld mixer
Using a tablespoon ice the cupcakes and twirl the icing on the top with a cocktail stick

NOTE: As you can see from the photo my son Dylan, Lily and Kate had great fun icing these although they may get more topping on the table and in their mouths than on the cakes!! You have been warned! Thanks to Siobhan Byrne who did an amazing job at our photo shoot and to our models who did such a great job :)
 

Curried Chicken Salad

Things have been crazy busy in my household this week. With back to school to organise as well as prepare for a family get together this coming weekend, things have been been pretty fraught.

But, I'm getting through everything now and wanted to share this recipe with you.
With our 'India Summer' well under way I was looking to put together a light lunch that wouldn't keep me in the kitchen for long.

I was able to cook the chicken the night before, which left me more time for the garden when it came to serving.
I served it with a crisp white wine, I'm biased towards new Zealands Sauvignon Blancs, warm crusty baguettes and lots of salad.
Unfortunately I was so busy eating and chatting I forgot to take a picture and rather than not putting the recipe up I found this picture here courtesy of www.cookinglight.com

Ingredients:

Serves 6
4 large chicken breasts
Salt & Fresh ground black pepper
240ml (2 cups) water
2 tbsp olive oil
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
60ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine
2 tbsps (1/4 cup) mayonnaise
2 tbsps (1/4 cup) plain non fat yogurt
3 tbsps (1/3 cup) creme fraiche or sour cream
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 celery sticks, finely chopped
1/2 small white onion finely chopped
2 tbsps (1/4 cup) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsps (1/4 cup) coarsely chopped cashews (optional)

Method:

Poach chicken in pot with the water, wine and rosemary for approx 8 minutes until just cooked. You can fry it in a pan, but poaching the chicken for this recipe ensures it retains its tenderness and doesn’t dry out.
When cooked, remove from liquid, let it cool and chop into bite sizes pieces.
(You can do this the day before you need it. Keep refrigerated and uncut until constructing salad).
In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, crème fraîche, cumin, cayenne, turmeric,
1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Add the bite sized chicken, celery, onion, chopped parsley and nuts (if using).
Turn to coat with the mayonnaise mixture.
Serve with your choice of salad leaves.
However, as my favouriye salad is rocket and spinsch i'd recommend taht. I have taken to using a mild spinach in all my salads. See note below as to why!


Note: Spinach is rich in lutein and beta-carotene, two important anti oxidants with cancer fighting properties. This tasty leafy green vegetable is also loaded with magnesium, manganese, vitamin K and folic acid

Flavoured Butter

Have you ever found yourself looking at a piece of chicken or fish and wondering what can I do to this to make it tasty and interesting?
Some days it’s just not enough to leave it in ‘it’s natural state’ and only a great flavoursome meal will do.

Well here’s at least one solution to that problem.

Flavoured butters are a fantastic way of adding oomph to a dish with no effort.
I love that they can be made when you have a little time on your hands, frozen and removed when needed, like when impromptu guests arrive.

I find it is handy to have a few versions available, but really you can flavour it any way you like.
I’ve listed my favourites and how I serve them.

Sundried tomato, roasted pepper & parmesan butter

There are so many ways to use this, a baked potato anyone? What about on a chicken breast? Tuck the butter under the skin throw in the oven to bake and eat a succulent tasty chicken breast in no time.

Ingredients:

100g unsalted butter
4/5 Sundried tomatoes – from a jar in their oil
2 large pieces of roasted pepper – from a jar is fine
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Method:

Blend the above in a food processor
Remove and place in a sausage shape on a piece of cling film
seal the cling film by twisting the ends  (as per picture below)
Freeze as it is
Slice as needed to use on anything from chicken to lamb and even as butter on
a wonderful crusty farmhouse bread.

ENJOY!

Other flavour combinations you can do would be:

(Use 100g unsalted butter for each of the following)

Garlic & Parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 crushed clove garlic

Chili, Coriander & Lime
Zest of 1 lime
1 red chilli deseeded an finely chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander

Lemon & Caper – Perfect for Fish

Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1 teaspoon of dill, chopped

Hot Spiced Lamb

I wanted to do something quick and easy with some lamb chops I picked up.
Normally I do an apricot glaze which is really to die for, but as I’d no apricot conserve I needed to come up with something else  which I could make from what I had in my cupboard.

And so hot spiced lamb was born.

Along with the other spices I have used here I have added in Turmeric. There is growing evidence that this humble spice has amazing medicinal purposes including but certainly not limited to anti-inflammatory properties.

This recipe calls for a mortar and pestle because everything goes into it to make a dry rub, with no need for a bowl.

  

Serves  4

4 lamb chops
1 teaspoon of cardamom pods
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne chilli pepper
Fresh ground black pepper and pinch salt

Ground the cardamom pods and cumin seeds in the mortar & pestle
Add the rest of the ingredients except the lamb
Mash together until everything is combined
Remove the hulls of the cardamom pods
Put lamb chops in oven proof dish, and rub spice mix over them, covering both sides
Cover with a lid or tinfoil
Cook for 40 minutes at 160⁰C/Gas Mark 4

Serve with your choice of vegetable

I served it here with steamed broccoli and couscous

Chicken Goujons for the darlings!

I mentioned in my musing on How do you get Kids to eat healthier, http://jillslifelovefood.blogspot.ie/2012/08/how-do-you-get-kids-to-eat-healthier.html
if all you can do is bread some chicken or fish it’s a great start.

Since then I’ve been asked to put up my oh so simple recipe for chicken goujons. This recipe can just as easily be applied to fish. My oldest friend still has fond memories of coming to our house for dinner and been privileged to sample my Mums monkfish goujons, with homemade tartare sauce. Monkfish! Nice if you can stretch to this it’s definitely worth it, as this robust flavoursome fish makes the perfect goujon. However, these days any white fish from Cod or Pollock and Blossom will work just as well.

Below, my little helper is making chicken goujons for his dinner. Some kids will turn their nose up the first time you give them these homemade varieties especially if they are used to the frozen ones. But persistence, like anything else is key and I find they soon come round to loving them!

I always make enough to throw extra in the freezer for a handy midweek, in a hurry dinner.

Serves 2 (kids) with a portion left over for the freezer

 

 

2 large skinless chicken breast
100g breadcrumbs (I make my own from whole wheat bread and put any extra in the freezer)
1 egg
4 tablespoons of flour  (I use a wholegrain spelt, put plain flour is great)

 

Method:

Slice the Chicken into thick pieces
Whisk the egg in a bowl, place flour in another and breadcrumbs in another
Line up the three bowls in the following order;
Flour, egg, breadcrumbs
Using a fork, dip the chicken slices into first the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs
Have your sheet pan ready at the end to place them on, ready for the oven
When all goujons are made, place in a pre-heated oven, 180⁰C/Gas Mark 6 for 15/20 minutes.
If you are freezing the goujons ensure you don’t over- cook otherwise when you re-cook them they will be too chewy!
You cant be too careful with chicken, especially when giving it to children so I always cut a goujon in half to check it is cooked through.

 
If you fancy slicing a potato into chips and placing in the oven while the goujons are cooking it’s a great way to give the kids, ‘nuggets & chips’ without all that processed gunk from pre packaged stuff!

My little guy is nuts on mash potato so I served it here with mash potato and marie rose sauce
(tomato ketchup & mayo mixed with a dash of worchestershire sauce for a kick!)


Enjoy!