Easy but delicious Weekend Meal

Last weekend I cooked for my family, for some reason (don't ask!!) my family absolutely love chorizo. So when I came across a recipe for Chicken and Chorizo pie I just had to make it.

The recipe is very simple, but soo delicious. It also looks great so is perfect to serve at a dinner party.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
10 chicken thighs, skin and bone removed
2 onions, chopped
200g chiroiza, skin removed and slices into discs
50g plain flour, plus a little for dusting
100ml dry sherry, or white wine
600ml chicken stock
150ml single cream
large pack parsley, chopped
500g pack puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Method:

1 - Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Brown the chicken thighs until golden, then transfer to a place.
2 - Add the onions to the dish and cook for 5 mins until soft, then add the chorizo and cook for 2 mins until the orangey oils are released into the pan.
3 - Stir in the flour for 1 min, then add the alcohol and bubble for 2 mins until most has evaporated.
4 - Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, cover with a lid and simmer for 40 mins, or until tender.
5 - Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken pieces out of the pan and transfer to a place. Use two forks to shred the meat into chunk bite-sized pieces.
6 - Meanwhile, add the cream to the pan, increase the heat and bubble for 10-15 mins until the liquid has reduced to a white sauce consistence.
7 - Add seasoning and return the chicken to the pan along with the parsley.
8 - Transfer to a pie dish (roughly 20cm x25cm) and place a pie funnel in the centre.
9 - Set this aside to cool whilst you prepare the pastry
10 - Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin.
11 - Brush a little beaten egg around the rim of the pie dish, then using your rolling pin to help lift the pastry over the dish.
12 - Trim away and excess pastry, then pinch the edges with your forefingers and thumb to crimp.
13 - Brush with a thin layer of beaten egg, and use the left over pastry to decorate.
14 - Bake for 45 mins or until golden brown and the filling is piping hot.

For dessert I make the easiest ever shortbread!

Ingredients:
Plain flour, 200g
Butter, 200g
Golden caster sugar, 50g plus extra for dusting

Method:

1 - Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4
2 - Whizz the flour ad butter in a food processor
3 - Add the suagr and whizz until the mixture is crumbly
4 - Press the mixture into a buttered fluted 22cm round tart tin with the back of the spoon
5 - Bake for 30-35 min until golden brown
6 - While still warm, cut into wedges, prick with a fork and dust with caster sugar
7 - Leave to cool completely in the tin

Enjoy baking both of these at the weekend, especially on a cold winters day! I often serve the shortbread with a mousse, such as lemon posset or passionfruit mousse.




*both recipes from BBC Good Food

Venetian Duck Ragu

I had lots of holiday to use up from work, so on one of my days off I decided to treat the family to this duck recipe for dinner!

We rarely eat duck in or family (usually only when we have a Chinese takeaway, duck pancakes mmm!!), so this was a treat! Additionally this is a very authentic Italian recipe, and we love Italian food in my family!

I stumbled across this recipe when it was the feature recipe on BBC Good Food website and the picture caught my attention. It is one of the most flavoursome pasta recipes I have ever made, and this will be because it is left to simmer and bubble away for 2 hours! It is simply divine!

Ingredients:

4 duck legs

2 onions, finely chopped

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp plain flour

250ml red wine

2x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

1 chicken stock cube, made up to 250ml

3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

2 bay leaves 

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp milk

600g paccheri or pappardelle pasta

Method: 

1) Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the duck legs and brown on all sides for about 10 mins. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute , then stir in the cinnamon and flour and cook for a further minute. Return the duck to the pan, add the wine, tomatoes, stock, herbs, sugar and seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hrs, stirring every now and then.

2) Carefully lift the duck legs out of the sauce and place on a plate – they will be very tender so try not to lose any of the meat. Pull off and discard the fat, then shred the meat with 2 forks and discard the bones. Add the meat back to the sauce with the milk and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes while you cook the pasta.

3) Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, and add the pasta to the ragu. Stir to coat all the pasta in the sauce and cook for 1 minute more, adding a splash of cooking liquid if it looks dry. Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like!

Buon appetito!! xoxo

Lemon curd & blueberry loaf

On Saturday I tried out a tasty recipe from bbcgoodfood, for lemon curd and blueberry loaf. It was the perfect day to try out the recipe as the sun was shining and outside was feeling more 'spring like'. This is definitely the perfect recipe to bake and eat on a lovely spring afternoon.

The addition of the yogurt and the lemon curd means that this cake is very moist and will last a couple of days, which is an added bonus. The lemon is not too strong but not too subtle and the blueberries add a delicious fruit twist.

I used 100g of blueberries rather than the stated 85g as this didn't seem enough.

Try out the recipe yourself and let me know what you think!

Happy baking xoxo

Recipe from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/358609/lemon-curd-and-blueberry-loaf-cake