Chicken Freekah and Fetta Kale pilaf

Lemony freshness seems to pop out of this photo. All the family loved my version of a delicious Donna Hay recipe. Freekah is roasted green wheat grains which give a rich nutty flavour that works so well with the chicken and kale.  The plumped up lemony currants give it zing whilst the nuts add crunch and the fetta rounds it out with creamy saltiness.

Perfect served warm for a family dinner but equally satisfying as leftovers the next day with a green salad.

Serves 5 -6

Preparation 10 minutes

Cook             50 minutes (of which 40 minutes is simmering time)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Australian olive oil

2 brown onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red chilli finely sliced (optional – to your taste)

1 cup freekah – rinsed well then drained

2 cups (500 ml) Chicken Stock  (Salt reduced)

2 chicken breast fillets – skinless. (250 gm).  Cut into bite size slices

¼ cup pistachios – roughly chopped

¼ cup dried currants – soaked in a dash of lemon juice to plump up

½ bunch of kale. Removed from tough stem and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

200 gram fetta – crumbled

Pepper and salt – if needed.  To your taste.

½ cup mint leaves

¼ cup dill sprigs

Method

Heat a dash of oil in a large frypan. (use one that has a lid for later).

Add the sliced chicken and quickly brown until almost cooked.  Remove from pan and place in a bowl. Cover with alfoil and keep warm.  Chicken will be returned to pan towards ending of cooking.

Add onion to the pan.  Stir until softened slightly then add the garlic.

Add freekah, stock and chilli.  Stir and bring to boil.

Cover pan with lid and reduce heat and then simmer for 40 minutes.  Check and stir if needed.

If it is drying out too quickly, reduce heat slightly and add a little water.

Taste a little of the freekah to check it is cooked and not hard. Adjust cooking time if needed.

Return the chicken to the pan and then stir through the kale. 

Continue simmering the covered pan for another 5 minutes.

Stir through the nuts, currants, zest and fetta.

Taste and add pepper and salt as needed.

Top with mint and dill.

Serve.

                                              Enjoy!  Colleen

Oaty Almond Cranberry Biscuits

Oaty spiced biscuits with a nutty crunch and the sweet tang of plump cranberries - great to have on hand and will keep for 5 days (apparently!).  Good alternative to choc chip biscuits.  For a change you could use macadamias instead of Almonds - whatever you like - easy!

Quick to prepare and cook - but hard to stop at just one!

Preparation and mixing  10 minutes

Cooking                   12 – 15 minutes

Makes 36 biscuits

Ingredients

125 gram butter – softened

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 ¼ cups Plain Flour – sifted

½ teaspoon each of : ground cinnamon, ground cloves

½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

¾ cup Rolled Oats

1 ¼ cups dried Cranberries (try to use ones that are still plump and deep red)

¼ cup slivered almonds

Method

Prepare 3 flat un-lipped biscuit trays

Preheat oven to 160° C

Using electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and eggs until pale and creamy.

Add the sifted flour, Bicarb and spices and stir through

Gently stir through the Oats, cranberries and almonds

The mix should make 36 biscuits ( 3 trays of 12) so divide mixture into 3.

Roll 12 (walnut sized) balls from each third of the mixture and place on tray spaced apart

To flatten the biscuits just slightly – use the tines (prongs) of a fork that has been dampened with water

Bake for 12 minutes. Check that biscuits are golden and cooked. They will harden a bit more on cooling.

If not cooked through, leave in oven for an extra 3 mins.  Should be cooked within 15 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

When cooled store in an air tight container. Hide.

                                                    Enjoy!  Colleen

Bread and Butter Pudding

Now winter is approaching it's time to indulge in some comfort foods.
Why not give this classic a go? You will enjoy the extra flavour boost the Grand Marnier adds.

Ingredients
6 slices of buttered bread crusts removed
1/3 cup of marmalade
6 eggs whisked
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier


Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Spread the bread slices with marmalade cut into 4 triangles.  Arrange slices butter side up into an 8 cup capacity ovenproof dish.
Whisk eggs, milk, cream, sugar and Grand Marnier together.
Pour over bread slices and let soak in for 15 minutes.
Place the dish in a large roasting pan and pour in boiling water to come half way up the side of the dish.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the custard has set.

Delicious !!
Mamma Marmalade

Chocolate Ganache

Who can resist a slice of this glossy chocolate cake? The essential ingredient is the chocolate ganache. Looks tricky to master, but it isn't.

 

 Pour 500ml of cream into a saucepan and heat until nearly boiling, bubbles will appear around the edges. Take off the heat and add equal quantity (500g) of roughly chopped, best quality dark chocolate. Let stand for a minute or two, then with a metal whisk stir to combine. Continue to whisk until smooth and glossy.  Any excess ganache can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. (If it lasts that long!) Simply heat in a microwave or small pot when wanting to serve.

 

 

Mama Marmalade