Posted in I'm Enjoying

I’m enjoying…. in December 2012

I’m enjoying…..

….revamping the blog.  ‘Gimme the Recipe’ will be ‘out’ once a month now and hopefully will have a more of a magazine style feel.  I hope you like the new look.  (This means that a few posts will come out together so if you’re a subscriber and find this annoying I won’t be offended if you choose to unsubscribe and prefer to visit when you will rather than have a stuffed mailbox).  I’m also no longer going to curate a Food Festivals Page as when I started mine in 2010 there were none and now that there is a plethora to choose from I also feel that Discover Ireland is stepping up to the mark and doing quite a good job now of listing food festivals – they have the resources for this so if you think a food festival should be listed do let them know.

….listening to Christmas FM on my new cassis coloured Roberts Radio – I meant to hide it until Christmas (as one of my husband’s presents to me!) but I just couldn’t wait.
Roberts Radio_01_opt

….experimenting with different bars of chocolate (well one must experiment!) and being sucked in by beautiful packaging…
Home Cook Chocolate Bar_01_opt
Be Generous with Dark Chocolate Bar_01_opt
….avidly using and enjoying Lorraine Pascale‘s ‘Fast, Fresh and Easy Food’ recipe book.  The latest I’ve tried is the sweet potato tortilla.
Lorraine Pascale  Sweet Potato Tortilla_01_opt
…..anticipating getting snuggled up in this gorgeous throw from Meadows & Byrnes (it’s been stashed until Christmas)
Throw_01_opt

…..suggesting this amazing present for the budding or even the well established Food Writer in your life – the Food Writing Course at Ballymaloe.  I’ve been on three of their courses over the years and each has been varied and valuable.

& finally
Mulled Wine
….wishing you a wonderful Christmas.  If you’re looking for some recipe ideas or suggestions do check out the other December postings. { Christmas Day Nibbles, Starters, Side Dishes, Desserts }
Enjoy,
x Sheila.

Posted in What's for Dinner Mom?

Chicken Curry

Chicken curry, well now that’s a very generic sounding dish isn’t it?
Chicken Curry Close Up
What originally started out as a ‘biryani’ transmorphed into a good old curry when an instruction or two into Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Lazza’s lamb biryani’ recipe I realised that the recipe is indeed unfinished and the reader/cook is left abandoned with browned meat.  She turns her attention to cooking coconut rice pumped up with sundried tomatoes and herbs and the meat is never again mentioned in the dish.
Coconut Rice
I’ve googled the recipe a bit and what turns up is some other confudled cooks left with half-cooked dishes.  So what does one do, one improvises.  With no mention of liquid in the ingredients list it would appear that this would be a dry dish which in my household would not go down well with he who shall remain named as The Gravy Man.  An addition of tomatoes and chicken stock merged with the spice dusted chicken to produce a wonderfully aromatic and moist chicken curry.  I’ve since cooked it for a girls night in, trebling the quantities below ensuring plenty of leftovers.  Leftovers are a very good thing when this cooking girl is feeling precious on the day after such a gathering.
Chicken Curry Dish
The fact that there is a half-finished recipe in Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Fast, Fresh and Easy Food’ only endears me to her further.  I’m often asked which cooks I like and what cookbooks I use and Jamie will always feature among my favourites along with Nigel Slater who is the food writing Deity in my opinion and now Lorraine is up there too.  They are my Culinary Trinity at the moment.
I am loving Lorraine for her practicality and oneness with us ‘normal’ people.  What other chef would admit to this : ‘I am not at all embarrassed to say that on many occasions I have returned home to the waiting party laden with food that just needs a simple peeling back of the plastic and a slight turn of the oven dial…’  Three cheers for Lorraine, I love her.
Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice
Lorraine’s lamb biryani dish started off with 500g lamb chump steaks so go with that if you would rather a lamb version.
Feeds at least 6 hungry people.
Chicken Curry
You will need:
1 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
5 cardamom pods
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot or medium chilli powder
1 bunch spring onions
6 chicken breasts
400g tin chopped tomatoes
250ml chicken stock
Small handful fresh coriander
Method:
Bash the cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar (or whack with a rolling pin if you don’t have one) to release the seeds and then discard the husky outer pod.
Heat the oil in a large deep pan over a medium heat and add in the cardamom seeds, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and chilli powder and cook for a couple of minutes.
While the spices cook cut the chicken into bite size chunks and chop up the spring onions (green & white bits)
Turn the heat up to high and then add the chicken pieces and spring onion mixing well to coat with the spices and allow the chicken to begin to brown.  (You may wish to drizzle in a little more oil if things are catching too much on the bottom of the pan.)
After a few minutes cooking the chicken in the spices add in the chopped tomatoes and the chicken stock.  Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or so.  Check your chicken pieces are cooked through before serving with a scattering of finely chopped coriander.
Suggest you serve with boiled or steamed rice and naan bread to mop up the sauce.
Enjoy.
‘Til next time, Sheila.