Miso Chicken

A dinner recipe that can be mostly prepared ahead of time is always a great .  This is my take on Donna Hay’s recipe.  You can marinate the chicken, pop it in fridge and later on whilst chicken is cooking, make some delicious salads or greens to serve alongside.   Great flavour and easy to adapt to veggies you have to hand.   Enjoy!  Colleen  

miso chicken by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation     10 minutes  
TIP:  Prepare chicken in marinade in morning, pop in fridge ready for quick cook dinner that night.
Cooking            30 minutes
Serves               I usually allow 1 sometimes 2 thigh fillets depending on how hungry folks are, because I serve with heaps of veggies
 
Ingredients
6 (approx. ¾ - 1 kg) chicken thigh fillets – trimmed, halved
Marinade
¼ cup white miso paste  - use 1/3 cup if you prefer -  Miso is very salty
¼ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ - 1 tablespoon soy sauce – use 1/2 , taste then add more if needed.  Soy sauce is also very salty.
 
Option: layer some par-cooked sliced veg (pumpkin, cauliflower, potato) on base of tray if desired
 
Garnish options: Sesame seeds, coriander leaves, Shredded shallots
 
Serve with Green veggies, salad, noodles etc
 
Method
Preheat oven to 200 – 220 C◦ and prepare baking tray
Layer Par-cook sliced vegetables into prepared tray OR cook sliced veg with a drizzle of oil for 20 minutes before adding chicken fillets
 
Marinade
Use a deep bowl (fits chicken in later) to thoroughly whisk and combine all marinade ingredients.
Taste and check if you need the extra miso/soy
Add the chicken fillets and mix to cover well with marinade.
If preparing ahead of time: cover and store in fridge.  Remove from fridge 10 min before cooking.
 
Place the marinated chicken pieces over the par-cooked veggies, pour over any remaining marinade
Cook for approx. 30 minutes until chicken cooked and golden.
Garnish as desired and serve with Green veggies, salad, noodles etc
         Enjoy!   Colleen

Greens and Goat Cheese Pie

This fantastic recipe from Belinda Jeffery ensures you "eat your greens" in the most delicious way.  Packed full of nutritious dark leafy greens, you feel virtuous just eating it.  Don't be put off by making the olive oil pastry, it is remarkably elastic and very forgiving.  After all it is meant to look rustic.

 

Ingredients

Pastry

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chilled water

Filling

1 kg of well washed leafy greens (spinach, cavolo nero, chard, kale, mustard greens whatever you can lay your hands on) and chopped. Keep the chopped stalks separate from the chopped leaves.

1/3 cup olive oil

2 large leeks or onions, finely chopped

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

100g parmesan, grated

300g ricotta

freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/2 teaspoon

200g marinated goat's cheese

1/3 cup dill, finely chopped (if available)

1/3 cup mint, finely chopped

2 tablespoons, chopped parsley

2 teaspoons salt

freshly ground black pepper

extra olive oil for brushing onto pie

2-3 teaspoons of nigella seeds (if available) to sprinkle on the top

Method

To make the pastry, combine flour and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to distribute.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the olive oil.  Mix it in with a fork. 

Drizzle the cold water, mixing until the the flour becomes a dough and starts to clump together.  Briefly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball, turn out onto a floured board and knead for 3 to 4 minutes until it feels smooth and elastic.  Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap, place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a large round pizza pan with baking paper allowing a 3cm overlap all around.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add the chopped stalks, leeks/onions stir until softened (approx 10 minutes).  Then add the chopped green leaves and stir until wilted.

Put greens into a bowl and allow to cool a little.

Add eggs, parmesan, ricotta and nutmeg. Mix everything together (hands are the perfect tool).

Finally add in half the goat's cheese, along with all the herbs you are using and salt and pepper.

Take the dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured bench top, roll out using a rolling pin and your hands to stretch the dough until it forms a very thin circle that will overhang the pan by 8cm all around.

Easiest to pat it out to begin with and then use the rolling pin, it is very elastic and stretches.

Using the rolling pin to lift the pastry off the bench and drape over prepped pan.

Place the green filling on the centre of the pastry and using a large pallet knife spread to the edges of the pan. Dot the remaining goat's cheese over the top.

Now the impressive part!

Gently pull an edge of the overhanging pastry up with your fingers so it stretches and stretches and becomes quite thin, then fold it towards the centre of the torta, mine reached the centre but you can leave a little peek through by going about an inch from the centre. Repeat this all the way around the edge until the filling is partially enclosed in the pastry.

Using your finger tis to gently "stipple" the surface of the pastry and using a pastry brush, gently paint with olive oil, if using Nigella seeds sprinkle these on top.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes, or until it's puffed up and golden (I could have left mine a little longer).

It's best to slide the pie onto a board or serving plate within a few minutes, otherwise it is hard to transfer.

So good for you and so tasty.

Note: Slices freeze well.

Mamma Marmalade

Wilbur's Spiced Lamb Sausage Rolls

There is a traditional and passionate football contest in Australia between Queensland and New South Wales teams known as "State of Origin".   In our home it is known as the one time of the year that I cook Wilbur a 'footy feast' such as sausage rolls.  I have previously posted the Chicken and Fetta Sausage Rolls but I also do a spiced lamb version - of course it is filled with lots of veggies too! These freeze really well, unbaked, for later and I have included tips for freezing. If you don't want to use all the mixture for sausage rolls, it is equally delicious as a Savoury Mince on Toast retro brekkie or brunch served with fresh tomatoes and more greens.

So, turn on the telly, wear Maroon, eat some lamb sausage rolls and shout "Queenslander!"  Enjoy! Colleen (and Wilbur)

Spiced Lamb Sausages by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation

Cooking

Serves

Ingredients  (You can make the full amount and freeze excess for next time)

500 grams Lamb Mince

5 sheets frozen Butter Puff Pastry - defrosted. Leave pastry on the plastic paper.

splash of Olive Oil

1 onion - finely chopped

2 garlic cloves - crushed

1 carrot - peeled and very finely diced (or thick grated)

3 large celery sticks - finely diced

1 generous knob of ginger - peeled and finely grated

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon dried mint leaves

good pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)  and/or tablespoon Tomato Chilli Relish 

1/2 teaspoon Celery Salt (optional)

4 tablespoons bread crumbs

2 handfuls baby spinach - chopped

1 loose cup parsley (and mint) leaves - then finely chop

2 eggs - keep separate  and lightly beat one for mixture NB the other beaten egg for brushing pastry at end. You can thin the egg wash out with a little water to extend if needed

salt and pepper to your taste

Sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 200 ℃ and line 2 -  3 oven trays with baking paper.

Heat a small splash of olive oil in a large frypan (lamb will give off fat too) and gently fry the onions then add garlic, diced carrot and celery until they soften slightly.

Add the minced lamb and brown, stir, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.

Add the spices and salt and pepper to your taste.

Stir a tablespoon of bread crumbs in at a time.  You might not need all - needs to be moist but not too dry.

Toss in and wilt the spinach then add the parsley/mint

Stir in one of the beaten eggs (2nd egg is for brushing the pastry later)

Mix well. Taste and season (add chilli or spices etc if more needed).  

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly

Prepare pastry

cut pastry in half length ways to create 2 rectangles. Leave on the pastry plastic paper.

Place a small  roll of the filling mixture in the centre of each of the pastry rectangles length ways (ie long roll of mixture with an inch or so of pastry either side long length way.

Brush the exposed pastry lightly with a little of the beaten beaten egg You can thin the egg wash out with a little water to extend if needed

Fold one long side of pastry over the filling roll then fold the remaining pastry over that pastry to encase the filling in a sausage roll shape. Check the pastry is enclosing the filling and pastry is connected together.

Gently roll the pastry roll over so the seam is at the bottom of the roll.

Using a sharp serrated knife cut the rolls into portions - I usually make mine about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches long

Remove from the plastic pastry paper and place onto the prepared oven trays.

Lightly brush pastry tops with a little beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds if desired.

Bake for approx 20 minutes until cooked and golden.

Serve with variety of dipping sauces - Tomato, chilli, bbq etc etc

To Freeze - filled and rolled  but   unbaked

Prepare as above and place either back onto the pastry plastic paper or baking paper.

Keep a little space between each mini roll then place flat into either a freezer safe container or bag.  Freeze keeping flat.

When ready to use

Remove from freezer and allow to defrost (a few hours preferably) in the fridge.

Bake as per above but increase time if needed by 5 minutes or so.

Option

Keep any left over filling mixture and reheat for a very Retro Brekkie or Brunch of Savoury Mince on Toast with fresh sliced tomatoes and extra greens.

Enjoy!  Colleen

Banana Cream Pie with Maple Caramel

Well it's celebration time in house. From November right through to Christmas it is Birthday season!  For my combined Daughter In Law and Granddaughter's birthday lunch I tried this easy to make but utterly decadent pie.

Banana cream pie.  Feed Your Inner Cook 

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits

1/3 cup of salted peanuts

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

100g melted butter 

500g mascarpone

1/2 cup of thickened cream

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 large bananas sliced thinly

Maple Caramel

1/4 cup maple syrup

20g butter, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt flakes

1 tablespoon whiskey (optional)

2 1/2 tablespoons thickened cream

Method

Maple Cream

Put maple syrup into a small saucepan heat on high for 2-3 minutes or until the syrup starts to thicken slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and salt. Then stir in whiskey (if using) and the salt.

Place in the fridge to cool.

Grease a 22 cm loose bottom tin and line the base with baking paper.

Tart

Place the biscuits, peanuts and cinnamon in a food processor.  Process until finely crushed.  Add the melted butter and process to combine.  Spoon into the prepared tin and using a spoon press down and make it level.  Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Combine in a medium bowl, mascarpone, thickened cream, sugar and whiskey (if using), beat with an electric mixer until firm peaks.

Transfer the biscuit base to a serving plate.

Spoon half the mixture onto the biscuit base.

Top with half the sliced banana.

Repeat with the remaining mascarpone mixture and banana.

When ready to serve drizzle over the maple caramel.

Delish !

Mama Marmalade