Chicken Prosciutto Rolls

Delicious moist chicken with a fragrant nutty, spinach filling – all rolled in crispy prosciutto. 

Another perfect Belinda Jeffery recipe.  I love serving it warm with lots of luscious vegies covering the plate.  Also a few months ago, I included this dish in my Diner en Blanc menu because of the lovely flavours and it could be eaten cold and was so easy to transport.  Definitely one to remember and include in an alfresco picnic or a hot summer’s day luncheon – and could work with so many salad combinations.

Serves  4.    Makes 2 chicken rolls - half per person.

Times   Times are approx. for a first attempt.  If familiar with techniques, prep times will be much faster.

Preparation 20 minutes plus 20 minutes    Chill 30 minutes   Cook 30 minutes   Cool down 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 large skinless chicken breast fillets. 

80 gram of herb and garlic cream cheese. (Boursin brand if available).

Option:  Make your own using some spreadable cream cheese, mixed with some very finely chopped garlic and herbs – add slowly for your taste preference -  and dash of salt.

2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves – stems removed

Pinenuts – toasted.  Cool before adding.   Not many – just to give some crunch, maybe 1/8 cup.

Some of the toasted pinenuts can be reserved for final garnish if desired

Salt and Pepper – to your taste.

10 - 12 large slices of prosciutto.  I trim a little of the fat off  - although Belinda Jeffery does not.

Method

Chicken: Place the 2 chicken fillets – boned side up facing you (and spaced apart  - because later the lower paper will assist you in rolling) -  between 2 pieces of baking paper and gently pound with a rolling pin until about 4 mm thick. 

Remove the upper paper from the top of the chicken, i.e. the boned side.

Spread the top of the chicken with the herb cheese.

Top with half of spinach leaves and a sprinkle of pine nuts. Reserve some nuts for garnish if desired.

Using the bottom paper as an aid (cut paper in half if necessary to do the 2 rolls separately), roll the chicken up like a jam roll – that means the longer edge of the rectangle is rolling over with the filling creating a spiral shape as it is being rolled up.  Keep rolling process as firm as you can.  The paper helps you keep it rolling firm – but not necessary to squeeze hard. Tuck any bits back in as you go.

Keep the formed chicken rolls in their baking paper to help maintain the rolled shape. Refrigerate whilst you get to work on the next step.  The chicken is raw.

For the Prosciutto wrapping layer:

On a large cutting board – put a piece of foil  large enough to later completely enclose one chicken roll onto the board and then cover the foil with same sized piece of baking paper. 

This step will be repeated for the second chicken roll .

From left to right, layer 4 – 6 slices of prosciutto with the long sides slightly overlapping on top (check against the length of your chicken roll to see how many slices you will need)

Halve the remaining spinach leaves because you will be repeating these processes for the second chicken roll. Set one half aside for the second chicken rolling process.

Using one of these halved spinach amounts - Place most of the spinach leaves in a row across prosciutto – top to bottom.

Unwrap one chicken roll and place on top of the spinach leaves so it sits across all prosciutto layers.

Cover with a few more spinach leaves.

Using the baking paper underneath the prosciutto layer as a guide, roll up the chicken in the prosciutto to make a neat parcel.  You need to roll it so you can see the slices of overlapped prosciutto covering the chicken. Then roll it so it is all encased in the baking paper.

Now roll the filled baking paper roll up in the foil to fully enclose it for the baking stage.  Twist the foil ends tightly to resemble a bon-bon. 

Repeat process for the second chicken roll.

Chill both rolls immediately upon wrapping with foil as chicken is still raw.  Chill min. 30 minutes.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 180 o C.

Using a baking tray with a narrow lip, sit the foil wrapped rolls apart and bake 30 minutes.

Although Belinda Jeffery does not say to do this – I unwrap the cooked rolls and return to the oven for 5 mins just to crisp up the prosciutto a little bit – up to you – unwrap the rolls and see what you prefer to do. 

You will need to re-wrap the baked rolls.

Remove from oven, still in the foil, and allow to rest and firm up for 10 – 15 minutes.

Unwrap the rolls, and with a sharp knife cut into rounds for serving. If you are transporting them or planning on serving cold later, an option could be to leave them wrapped until needed and slice later.

You can cut them into thin slices as I did for Diner en Blanc, but be careful not to go too thin or they will collapse and break apart.

Garnish with remaining toasted pine nuts if desired.

Serving Options

Delicious with salads. 

I have also served it warm with a serving of mixed warm grilled asparagus tossed with crisp green beans, charred slices of red capsicum, roasted pumpkin pieces, baby spinach leaves, herbs, toasted pine nuts and a teaspoon of remaining Boursin cheese melted through.

Belinda Jeffery suggests serving it with her sautéed yellow capsicums and basil.

                                           Enjoy!                                                     Colleen

Davidson Plum Jam

Davidson Plums are bush tucker that grow in the subtrobical rainforests of  Northern NSW and Far North Queensland.  It took me a little while to know how to make this extremely sour fruit palatable.  This gorgeous purple spread is tart and a perfect accompaniment with cheese, spread on toasted sourdough or poured over ice cream.  A friend recently used it to baste her Christmas ham.

 

 

Ingredients

1 kg Davidson Plums (yielded 885g pulp – pureed)
885g sugar
Several lemon myrtle leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Method

 

Cut plums and remove the stones there are two per plum. Puree with a stick blender to break down the skin. Place plums in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir in the sugar, add the lemon myrtle and the lemon juice and cook at a high temperature for about 20 minutes.

Test as you would for jam by placing a small amount on a saucer in the freezer for a couple of minutes, remove and run a finger through the jam, if it separates and wrinkles it is ready.

Don't worry if it turns out too thin, you have just made Davidson Plum sauce instead.

Place into sterilised bottles and label.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Country goodness

 

Mama Marmalade

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Donna Hay is to blame for this recipe and the calories ingested.  I made these tarts as an alternative Christmas Day dessert for those family members not fussed on the traditional Pudding.  I know!! Such people exist - in my family!! So, after months of preparation and love using my witch's cauldron to produce Christmas Puddings to yearn for - I then turn around and create extra little some-things to tempt the darlings' tastebuds. (Cue violin music)

The original recipe states it serves 6 - but these tarts are SO rich and caramelly sweet - I cut them into quarters to serve and I think that next time I would bake them instead  in much smaller tartlet tins.

The tarts have a baked chocolate pastry shell filled with a very, very rich caramel centre, then topped with a thick Chocolate layer that is sprinkled with sea salt flakes (I decorated mine with edible rose petals for a festive touch and added the salt after I took the photo).  They disappeared too quickly for a second photo - sorry!

The selection of this recipe was due to specific challenges about my dessert options:
- special, festive occasion dessert, and wanted it to be served as an option to Christmas Pudding
- needed to be made the day before (or not at all!)
- was being transported in a cold esky for 2 hours so needed to withstand travelling bumps and heat - so creamy, eggy desserts would not be suitable. Packing the tartlets, still protected inside their tins, into individual lidded plastic boxes kept them intact and they survived the journey perfectly.

So although my pastry making resembled a playdough activity, the filling covered the untidy tartshells and was a great success!   

Serves 6   -   but I think 8 - 10 smaller tartlet tins would be better 

Time:               5  1/2  - 6 hours including minimum 4 hours pastry resting and cooling times.
          Pastry:  15 min prep, 1 hour rest, 15 min covering tins, 30 min rest, 20 min bake, 30min cool.
          Filling:   10 min prep, 10 min cooling.
          Choc:    10 min melting.   2 hours setting - minimum.    Then 5 mins for final presentation.

Additional Equipment:  
                   6 x 8 cm loose base tart shells      OR    8 - 10 smaller loose base tartlet tins 
                   food processor
                   Non-stick baking paper
                   Rolling pin
                   Blind baking weights      SEE: Notes below
Ingredients

      Pastry shells
1 cup (150g) plain flour - sifted.  PLUS   Extra flour for dusting surface to roll pastry later.
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa - sifted
1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar - sifted
125 gram butter - chopped  (I would reduce this to 120g as my baked shells were a little oily)
3 egg yolks  (Large but not XL size eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon iced water

     Caramel filling
Original recipe stated -  1 cup (250 ml) Dulce de Leche  - thick caramel cooked milk   
- but I needed  2  cups  to fill the 6 tart shells    - SEE: Notes below

     Chocolate Layer
1/2 cup (125ml) pure cream
200 g good quality chocolate - chopped.  Original recipe stated dark but I used quality Milk chocolate
Tiniest, tiniest pinch of sea salt to mix into the chocolate mixture

     Decoration
Pinch of Sea Salt flakes for sprinkling.      Option:  Edible rose petals 

Method

     Pastry

Place the sifted flour, icing sugar and butter in food processor with dough blade and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. While motor is still running add the egg yolk, vanilla and chilled water.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring together.
  
Donna Hay says to flatten into one disk.    SEE:  Notes Below
Wrap the flattened pastry portions in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Lightly grease your tartlet tins.
Remove pastry portions one at a time from fridge and roll each pastry out between 2 sheets of nonstick baking paper to 4mm thick.  Cut 6 x 12 cm rounds (or equivalent for smaller tins).  This is where mine resembled a kindy playdough project but I managed to make a pastry jigsaw to cover the tin.  (Was still good to eat!)

Trim the edges, prick base with a fork.  Place prepared tins onto an oven tray and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven 180 o C.
Blindbake the pastry shells by lining cases with baking paper and filling with baking weights. SEE Note above.
Keeping tins on an oven tray,  Bake 10 mins, remove weights and paper then bake for a further 8 - 10 mins until cooked through.
Remove from oven and cool completely.

Donna Hay says to remove pastry carefully from tins.  I checked they could be loosened, then returned to tin for ease of handling.

     Filling
       
Divide the Dulce de Leche between the pastry tartlets to fill 3/4 full. Smooth.
Refrigerate 10 minutes.

    Chocolate Layer

Heat cream and melt chocolate and cream over a double boiler.  
(never let water or steam get into the chocolate mix - it will then go grainy and awful)
Option:  microwave in a clean pyrex bowl on ''Low"  for 10 seconds at a time until melted.  
Never microwave chocolate on a high temperature or for more than 10 seconds at a time. Burns easily.
Stir together well, add salt and remove from heat.
Spread mixture over top of each of the caramel filled tarts.  Smooth and refrigerate minimum of 2 hours.

    Decoration

Prior to serving, remove from tartlet tins.  Sprinkle tartlets with dash of salt and /or rose petals.

TIPS AND HINTS

Dulce de Leche.  

Essentially this is what Nanna made when she boiled tins of condensed milk to turn them into thick caramel milky goo.  Many a kitchen had an exploding tin redecorate the walls with caramel blobs.
You can buy the bottles of Dulce de Leche from delis and some cookbooks prefer the brands made from goat's milk, but that is up to your preference.
I used one bottle (1 think it was about 350 ml) of Deli bought Dulce de Leche for half the tartlets and 1 tin of caramelised condensed milk (approx 350 ml) for the remainder to test the difference.  
These was some left over, but still, I needed much more than the 1 cup described in the original recipe.
The condensed milk filling was probably a little paler and marginally less thick and perhaps slightly sweeter when you tasted it on it's own.  However, once added to the tart shell and smothered with the chocolate and sprinkled with the sea salt - the flavour difference, for me anyway, would be minimal, and a quarter of a tartlet was more than enough for me.  The key difference was the minor variation of colour and thickness. 
Obviously, there will be taste and texture variations between brands of bottled Dulce de Leche too. 
So, use the Deli bottled Dulce de Leche if it is a special occasion - but the tin is a reasonable option.

Pastry preparation

Due to the heat where I live, I divided the mix and then flattened into 3 separate disks (ie 1 small pastry portion for each of the 2 tartlet tins - if you are using the smaller tins option, then divide pastry accordingly.  I took this step to try and avoid the pastry overheating.  
The first time I attempted this recipe, I (being slow and clumsy) prepared all the tins at the same time and therefore struggled with melting gooey pastry. 
The smaller portions definitely make for easier pastry handling if you are not a pastry whizz.

My cooked pastry oozed a little bit too much oil from the butter, so I lightly dabbed with kitchen paper.

Blind Baking


Blind baking weights  - ceramic blind-baking beads or uncooked rice or dried beans - you can save                              this rice/beans to re-use for many future blind-baking procedures. 
Because the raw rice, uncooked beans will have dried out during the blind-bake, it cannot be later cooked as regular rice or beans - so needs to be stored and labelled separately ready for next time. 

Carrying and moving the tarlet tins

Placing tins on an oven tray makes moving them into refrigerator and also in and out of the oven easier. 


Hope you enjoy these indulgent chocolate tartlets (once a year!) and be sure to share with your friends

                                                                   Enjoy!     Colleen

Season's Greetings from the Feed Your Inner Cooks

Thank you for reading our recipe blog and we wish you and your families a Wonderfully Tasty and Happy Christmas 


May your cooking taste as wonderful as Belinda Jeffery's 

May your Christmas Day be as calm and effortless as Donna Hay  

May your guests' smiles be as beaming as Maggie Beer's

May you look as fabulous and unflustered as Nigella 

May the calories go to your darling Sister's (or skinny friend's) hips 

          and ...

May someone else wash up!   (anyone except Jamie Oliver - he spills stuff on the floor during his cooking videos)

Good Health,    

                       Contented Tummies

                                           Much Laughter

                                                          and   Safe Travelling

                      

We look forward to sharing more recipes with you in 2013 

                      Best Wishes 

                     The Feed Your Inner Cooks

  

                      PS - no doggie was hurt in the taking of this photo 
                           - just embarrassed and bemused.

Roasted Eggplant and Cumin Spiced Mince

I found this Margaret Fulton recipe that includes roasted eggplant, so it has a different flavour to most mince recipes.  It can be quite flexible  - depending on what  vegetables are in your fridge and what type of mince you select to cook. I have made a few alterations to the original.

You could serve this on a large platter as a one-dish meal because the vegetables are cooked with the mince and the salad is incorporated into the presentation of the dish. 

Because it does not need to be served piping hot, it could be a good option for a summer dinner as an alternative to a salad dish.

Serves 5 -6 people depending on how hungry they are

Preparation time  -  20 minutes including charring the eggplants        

Cooking              -  20 minutes

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants    or    8-10 finger eggplants (Note – See below  -  must be charred prior)

              or  -   if you are really pressed for time - Delis sell charred eggplants in bottles

2 onions – finely chopped

Small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

500g lean mince.  Either beef or lamb would work well with these flavours

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of ground chillies (this amount is mild/moderate)  Adjust to your preference.

1 x 400g tin of crushed tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of chick peas or lentils   -  very well rinsed and drained

¼ head of cauliflower – chopped into small florets

Good handful of green beans - sliced

2 tablespoons Tahini paste

½ to 1 cup of Low fat Greek yoghurt   (1 tablespoon of this is used with eggplant)    (Refer below) 

1 clove garlic – crushed

¼ - 1/3 cup pine nuts – toasted  (NB - need to be toasted prior to sprinkling on completed dish)

Small amount of parsley – very finely sliced

Small amount of mint – very finely sliced

Salt and pepper – taste at the end and adjust to your taste preference  (I did not need to use salt)

Lettuce leaves

Cucumber - sliced

sliced fresh tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.

Serving Options:   shake of paprika, 

                            fresh mint leaves, 

                            few fresh pomegranate seeds, 

                            lemon wedges

Method

Eggplants

Heat chargrill to high.  Place eggplants whole on the grill and turn regularly for about 10-15 minutes.  (Caution -can be smoky).  Skin will go crisp and brown, inside will be tender when pierced with a knife.   Allow to cool slightly so you can touch them.  Halve lengthways and scoop soft flesh into a bowl. Slice eggplant skin finely – keep separate – sliced eggplant skin will be added prior to final serving.

Mash eggplant flesh with a drizzle of olive oil, 1 tablespoon each of tahini and the yoghurt.  Reserve.

Mince

In a large frypan – gently fry onions til soft.

Increase heat and add mince. Cook, breaking up any lumps. Stir well.

Add cumin, chilli and garlic. Mix through.

Stir in the vegetables, tinned tomatoes and lentils and cook until cauliflower is tender. 

Adjust seasonings if necessary.  Stir in the chopped parsley.

Yoghurt dressing

In a small side dish serving bowl, mix ½ cup yoghurt, 1 tablespoon tahini and some chopped mint.

If you want a larger amount of yoghurt dressing – use the full 1 cup.  I find ½ cup is quite enough.

Serving the yoghurt dressing separately allows everyone to moderate their fat intake.

Assembly

Spread the lettuce leaves on the base of a serving platter – this meal is good for sharing at table

-        Or   -  serve on individual plates if preferred

Dollop the eggplant flesh mixture over most of the lettuce.  (Allow space around edge for adding the cucumber and tomatoes later)

Pour the mince/tomato mix over these layers.

Sprinkle with the finely sliced eggplant skin.

Spoon over some of the yoghurt dressing.    I serve the remainder in a side bowl.

Scatter over the pine-nuts, mint and paprika.

Place the slices of cucumber and tomato around the edge of the platter.

Finally, it looks and tastes wonderful with a final sprinkling of pomegranate seeds - (which I put on after the photo!)

Serve lemon wedges in a side bowl.

Enjoy!     Colleen

David's Naughty Nuts

These moreish sweet, salty macadamias are always a treat.  No two batches ever quite taste exactly the same, but are always delicious. Thanks to Belinda Jeffery,  you too will be a star when you produce these "can't stop at one" nut snacks.

These nuts are named in honour of our neighbour David, who was not shy - when the first bowl emptied, he then pleaded for the hidden stash.



Ingredients

1 - 2 tablespoons Macadamia Oil (or light olive oil)
280g Australian macadamias
1/2 cup castor sugar
1  1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seeds
3/4  teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tablespoon castor sugar  -  extra
1 teaspoon salt flakes

Method

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Heat oil in a large frypan, when warm tip in the nuts, shake the pan to coat the nuts.
Reduce heat to low and sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over the nuts.
Stir constantly until caramelised to form a darkish toffee (don't worry if some nuts are darker than others).
Mix the spices and salt, add to nuts and toss about to coat.
Spread evenly on the prepared tray trying to keep the nuts as separate as possible.  Cool and then sprinkle with the salt flakes.

Tip
Try to freshly grind the spices, use a mortar and pestle or electric spice grinder, the results will be worth the extra effort.



Mama Marmalade

Chicken Marbella Chorizo

Chicken Marbella Chorizo

This baked chicken dish is simple and delicious.  Overnight marinating really helps bring out the flavours. This is a very popular traditional recipe, and this version was found in Charlotte Wood’s book “Love and Hunger”.  I made a few additions and modifications but have also included the original ingredient amounts –  so you can adjust to your preference. The method involves a few steps but it is still easy to prepare and cook in a hurry.  Hope you enjoy!

trimming fat from chicken thigh fillets - allow 5 -10 minutes

Marinade Preparation: 10 minutes.         
Leave to marinade:    at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Cooking Preparation:  20 minutes (including potatoes).           

Baking:  25 – 30 minutes.

             Serves 6    - will depend on how many thigh fillets allowed per person

Ingredients

For Marinade

8 chicken thigh fillets   (approx. 0.8 – 1.0 kg). Add a couple more if you have hungry folks. Please be fussy and remove as much fat from the thigh fillets as you possibly can - remember: fat is fat. 

3 cloves of garlic – peeled and crushed    (originally- 1 head of garlic – which would be very pungent)

¼ cup dried oregano leaves    – bit less is fine     – I used the Greek Oregano leaves from dried stems

1/3 cup red wine vinegar                            (originally ½ cup)

1/4 - 1/3 cup Good Australian Olive Oil     (originally ½ cup. I use 1/4 cup)

1 cup pitted prunes  - I suggest cutting the pitted prunes in half if very large  –  easier to eat later. (I ran out of prunes and substituted a few halved dried figs – was delicious - will always include the figs in future)

¾ cup pitted green olives   - have used black olives – was fine, though green are preferable, I think.  (original recipe used 1 cup olives). Best flavour is from olives you pit yourself - if possible.

¼ cup capers-drained (originally was ½ cup but I think that would be too strong and salty –up to you)

6 fresh Bay Leaves – crush them a little in your hand to release the aroma (used dried if none fresh)

For adding later during the cooking stage

1 chorizo sausage – sliced in thin rounds

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Potatoes – cut into quarters, part-cooked – I used 4 medium -  but add a couple more to extend meal

1 red onion (preferably) – peeled and sliced

Salt (probably won’t need) and Pepper to taste

¼ cup  brown sugar  - may not need the full amount

½ cup  dry White Wine  or substitute Chicken stock if you don't use wine

Parsley – good handful including stems if they are soft – chopped (save some for final flourish)

Method     Chicken Chorizo Marbella

              

This marinade step can be done the night before – only takes five minutes or so – easy

I like adding my marinade ingredients to a big freezer bag (which I later place inside a mixing bowl in case of leaks – never happened yet but …. ).  Then I can splodge it about and massage into the meat – which I try to do whenever I remember as I open the fridge during the marinading process. Not essential but makes me feel very ‘Nigella’.  

If you prefer marinading using a covered glass bowl etc –that’s fine.

Combine all the marinade ingredients – garlic, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, figs, olives, capers and bay leaves.  Squish them all together in the bag to combine well before adding the meat. 

Add the chicken thigh fillets.  Squish again to evenly cover meat with marinade.

Marinate in the fridge preferably overnight (massage whenever / if -  you remember) 

Method – the cooking stage

You will need a large frypan and

an oven-proof dish / tray -  large enough for the chicken, potatoes and marinade to bake 

- or 2 smaller dishes would be fine

Preheat oven to 200 o Celsius

Check you have the potatoes quartered and part- cooked – they will continue baking in the tray later

Using a large frypan -  brown the chorizo rounds. Should not need oil as the chorizo will release fat.

Remove the chorizo and set aside.

Take chicken pieces from the marinade and brown on both sides in the frypan.  It could spit a little due to the liquid coating.

Arrange browned chicken pieces in the ovenproof tray.

Sprinkle the paprika into the leftover frypan juices and mix in well.

Brown the prepared potato quarters and the sliced onion in the frypan residue til golden.

Remove from heat and toss in half of the chopped parsley.  Mix through.

Add this fried onion potato mix to the tray of chicken.

Spoon the remaining marinade over the chicken.

Mix in some pepper if desired.  I did not need to add any extra salt.

Scatter the chorizo pieces around the chicken.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the chicken and veg.  (You may not need the whole ¼ cup).

Gently pour the white wine around the chicken pieces in the tray.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes at 200 o C.  (will depend on your oven) – til chicken is cooked.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley (will help counteract that garlic).  Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.

Serve with your choice of

steamed green vegetables, carrots etc

salads

Chunks of crusty bread

Lemon wedges 
                                                                                                                                 

Enjoy!             Colleen

Indian Spice Rubbed Lamb / Chicken / Beef

Indian Spice Rubbed Lamb

This is a super tasty spice rub mix, perfect to keep in a bottle in the pantry or mix as needed. I have included the measurements for an immediate dinner use and also a larger amount to prepare and save for later. 

It is fragrant and the heat can be controlled by you – if you like it mild – reduce the cayenne pepper, or add more if you like a bit of heat. The amount I have mentioned, I think, makes it flavoursome but not too hot.

It is based on a Nigella recipe and I have used it to spice up lamb chops, lamb steaks, butterflied chicken breast fillets and beef steaks.

Once you have made the rub mixture, it is patted onto the meat and you  cook your steak / chops in the usual way.  The rub cooks to a delicious crust and is a quick way to jazz up a mid-week dinner with almost no effort.  

I have also dusted the spice rub onto raw chops, popped them in a freezer bag, defrosted and cooked them a week later and they were equally good.   Let me know how you cooked this!

Nigella recommends to avoid cooking the chops on too high a heat – you don’t want burnt spices and smoke – patient cooking will reward you with aromatic smells wafting from your kitchen. Yum.

And … if you don’t have time to make the spice rub, Nigella says

3 teaspoons of Madras Curry powder (which is a mild, fragrant turmeric mixture)combined with ½  teaspoon of salt will also work …

Indian Spice Rub  for the meat of your preference (as a guide – this is enough for 8 lamb chops - using about 1/2 teaspoon of mix per chop - approx)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper -   this makes it mild/medium.  Adjust to your preference

½  teaspoon salt  OR   1 teaspoon Sea Salt flakes  -  Nigella uses much more, but I think this is plenty.

Your choice of meat -   eg   8 lamb chops (trim off the fat)  OR  12 small lamb cutlets (trim off the fat)

Tiny splash of oil for cooking

Combine all the spices and salt in a wide shallow bowl. 

Dust the meat pieces with the spice mixture and pat into the meat.

Warm a small amount of oil in a frypan and cook the meat as usual.

Chops will be burnished with a coating of the dusted spice rub.

Serve with lots of steamed veges or salads and maybe a small dollop of yoghurt mixed with mint.

And    …

Indian Spice Rub – Pantry Ready Quantity    to have ready in a bottle (just be sure to name it!)

I have included the teaspoon and the tablespoon measurements – use whichever you prefer

                               4 Teaspoons = 1 tablespoon using Australian Metric system

10 teaspoons ground coriander   = 2 ½ tablespoons

10 teaspoons ground cumin         = 2 ½ tablespoons

10 teaspoons ground ginger         = 2 ½ tablespoons

5 teaspoons ground cinnamon    =  1 ¼ tablespoons

2 ½  teaspoons ground cloves

2 ½  teaspoons cayenne pepper -   this makes it mild/medium.  Adjust to your preference

5 teaspoons  salt  OR   10 teaspoons Sea Salt flakes    OR  1 ¼ tablespoons salt 

OR   2 ½ tablespoon Sea Salt flakes  -   Nigella uses much more than this, but I think this is plenty.

Measure spices into separate bowls (refer Tips and Hints)

Combine all the spices and salt in a bowl. 

Pour into an airtight bottle, label and store in a dark pantry.

Shake the bottle well prior to using to evenly distribute the spice and salt mix.

Tips and Hints:

When making large quantities of spice mix:

Get all your spices out prior to starting.  Check you have enough of everything for this quantity.

Write down the name and amount of each spice – ie if you decide to mix using the tablespoon measurements provided – write down eg 2 ½ tablespoons cumin etc etc.

Cross off as you go. 

Because you will need the 1/2 teaspoon, the  1 teaspoon and the 1 tablespoon spoons – keep them on different areas of your bench  or even place them on a piece of paper detailing ¼ , ½  etc etc.

Measure the spices into individual bowls during the measuring process.

Only combine them at the end when you are confident the amounts are correct.

It is much easier to re-measure the ginger from a single bowl than after it has been tossed all together.

I know it sounds pedantic – but  I have learnt from experience  (!!!)– someone will interrupt you with a question halfway through or the phone will ring  …  and some days  …  counting 1, 2 , 3  is really, really, really hard.

This method really only takes a minute to set up but it will save you – it is shattering to realise you picked up the wrong spoon and the combination then is totally out of whack. 

So, do whatever works best for you – and every time you reach for the bottle of your fragrant spice mixture to rub onto the meat, enjoy the aromas and ......   smile!   – dinner is almost ready!

Enjoy – Colleen

Alaskan Nachos

Alaskan Nachos

This cool dip has been a family favourite for years.  

Although we never ate it in Alaska! There is something 

completely addictive about the classic combination of 

refried beans, fresh tomato, shallots, and lemony lime 

avocado topped with the cold, oozy sour cream spiked 

with chilli.  Half the pleasure is in the family battle to 

scoop up your favourite layers with the crunchy corn chips.  

It is great to share if the family is craving something a little 
‘bad’ and it is a great way to get the troops to the weekend table 
and share the events and dramas of the day.  

There is a good serving of 3 different vegetables with the option of using low fat sour cream and beans.

If you are searching for a crowd-pleasing ‘bring a plate’ dish  – this is perfect.  It can be made in advance and just needs to be topped with the sour cream layer prior to serving.  

The dip will be cleaned up in record time by all ages! 

Ingredients

1  tin Refried Beans  (approx. 400 grams)

2  large avocadoes – skinned, pitted and mashed  to a medium consistency (not runny)    
with
Juice of 1 lemon or 1 lime – your preference (put juice in a jug, add slowly – may not need all the juice)

3 medium tomatoes – very finely diced. 

It is important to squeeze out as much juice as possible from the diced tomatoes. I use a clean “Chux cloth” and squeeze firmly but not so hard that you only have pulp - you still want small pieces of tomato flesh.  
If you add excessively oozy tomato juice to the dish it will make it soggy later.

1 long stalk of green shallot – very, very finely sliced into thin slivers.  (Or, could use fresh chives)

1 tub of Thickened Light Sour Cream.  Regular is too runny.  (I think a tub is approx. 180 -200 ml??)

Chilli powder  (start with ¼ teaspoon and adjust to your taste)      And for chilli fans - chopped fresh chilli

Parsley – finely chopped – approx. - leaves from 1 -2 stems  or Fresh Coriander leaves

Packet of Corn Chips.  These scoop up the mix, so buy good quality strong chips – not thin or crumbly

Method

Use a serving plate about dinner plate width with approx. 2cm lip. 

Dip can be made a few hours ahead of serving. Keep the sour cream layer separate until ready to serve.

Spoon the Refried Beans onto plate but not right to the edge (this makes scooping easier later). 

Press down but don’t press this layer down heavily. It is easier for scooping if beans are not flattened but have a bit of lightness so they can be scooped up with the other layers.

Then the Avocado mashed with the lemon or lime juice is spooned over beans, allow edge of beans to show

Scatter the squeezed diced tomato and finely sliced shallot slivers together over the avocado

Mix Chilli Powder through the Sour Cream (use amount preferred - to your taste preference).  
Don’t layer  onto dip yet.  Keep in a separate container. Chill until ready to serve.

Keep the plate of dip (loosely covered) and the prepared sour cream - in the fridge until ready to serve. 


Just before serving: 

spoon over the Sour Cream mixture

then sprinkle with parsley and shake of chilli (if desired). 

Non-spicy Option – a shake of paprika instead

Serve with corn chips around edge of plate or serve corn chips in a separate bowl if you prefer.

                                                                           Enjoy     –     Colleen

Would love your feedback about any of our recipes! 
Just go to the blog page and post in the 'comments'  section linked to that recipe and let us know - cheers!

Asian chicken, cucumber, coriander and chilli salad

This is the perfect dish to impress family and friends over the summer months when you are asked to bring a dish to share.  Could even be tasty enough to include in a Christmas lunch with seafood and Asian inspired buffet.

Ingredients

600g chicken breast
200ml coconut milk
3 tbsp grated palm sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 telegraph cucumbers (any cucumber will work)
2 long red chillies, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 bunch of picked coriander leaves
2 green spring onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 lime juiced
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts roughly chopped

Method

Combine coconut milk, palm sugar and fish sauce in a wide shallow pan.  Add chicken to the cold liquid and bring to a gentle simmer.  Cook for 15 - 20 minutes turning the chicken breasts for even poaching.  Leave immersed in liquid for 30 minutes.  You can leave in placing liquid overnight if you have started this the day prior.
Remove chicken to a board and with two forks shred the meat.
Return poaching liquid to the stove, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly reduced.  Set aside to cool.
Using a vegetable peeler cut the cucumber into long thin ribbons place on a platter then add the shredded chicken.  Top with chilli, coriander and green spring onions.
Take 1/3 cup of the cooled reserved poaching liquid and add the lime juice.  Drizzle over the salad.
Toss gently to combine and sprinkle peanuts over the the salad.

Tips n Hints

Looks great if you can source a banana leaf to line the platter.
Like Fast Ed advised from Better Homes and Gardens, rub some oil onto your fingers before chopping the chilli, to prevent the burning sensation on your fingers.

Mama Marmalade