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Archive for November, 2012

Chicken with Mushrooms

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 27 November 2012| 2 Comments »

This is a quick and easy week-night chicken dish; French inspired and uncomplicated but good flavours.

Chicken with mushrooms – to serve 4

  • tbsp olive oil
  • 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • flour
  • 50g cubetti di pancetta
  • 300g small button mushrooms
  • 2 large shallots, chopped
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 50g frozen peas
  • small bunch parsley, finely chopped

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Season and dust the chicken with flour, then brown on all sides. Take the chicken out of the pan and fry the mushrooms and pancetta until softened, then remove.

Add the other tbsp of olive oil and cook the shallot for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and vinegar and bubble for a couple of minutes. Put the chicken, mushrooms and pancetta back into the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Add the peas and parsley and cook for another couple of minutes, then serve with potatoes if you like.

Wine Suggestion: This is an uncomplicated and tasty dish and therefore we suggest a glass of something equally tasty and uncomplicated to go with it. Try an easy French white, like an unoaked Chardonnay from the Mâcon, or an easy French red, like a Cabernet Franc from Chinon.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Kale and Mushroom Lasagne

Posted in Food, Pasta, Pinot Noir, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 24 November 2012| 2 Comments »

This is a really good veggie lasagne filled with curly kale and garlicky mushrooms – delicious! It is also much easier to put together than the usual meaty version and tastes much more luxurious.

Kale and mushroom lasagne – to serve 6

  • 300g curly kale, stalks removed
  • 30g butter
  • 500g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • a few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped
  • 175g lasagne sheets (fresh if possible)
  • 20g Parmesan, grated
  • olive oil

For the béchamel sauce 

  • 750ml full-fat milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • a few black peppercorns
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Heat the milk with the bay leaf, onion, celery and peppercorns until almost simmering. Take off the heat and leave aside to infuse.

Roughly shred the kale. Put into a large saucepan and just cover with cold water. Add salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, or until just tender. Drain well and set aside.

Heat half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add half the mushrooms and season. Increase the heat and fry, stirring, until the liquid released has evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to brown and caramelise. Stir in half the garlic and half the thyme, cook for another minute, then remove to a bowl. Repeat with the rest of the mushrooms, garlic and thyme and set aside.

Gently reheat the milk, then strain. Heat the butter for the béchamel in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat. Add about a quarter of the hot milk and beat vigorously until smooth. Add the rest of the milk in about 3 batches, until you have a smooth sauce. Put the pan back on the heat and cook for  a few minutes, stirring and allowing the sauce to bubble gently, until thickened. Stir in the mustard, then season well.

Stir roughly half of the béchamel sauce into the kale.

Spread half the remaining sauce over the bottom of an ovenproof dish (approx. 28 x 22cm). Layer a third of the lasagne sheets in the dish, then spoon the kale over the top. Add another layer of lasagne, then add the mushrooms,. Finish with a final layer of pasta and the rest of the sauce.

Scatter the cheese over the top and add a trickle of oil. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden. Serve right away.

Wine Suggestion: We went for a red Burgundy from a lesser appellation (Santenay) in Burgundy with five years of age. It had a delightful earthiness and red forest fruit character which really complemented the flavours of the mushroom and kale.

(Original recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Everyday!, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.)

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Chicken Sauté with Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , on 15 November 2012| Leave a Comment »

Not a million miles from a Coq au Vin but with a much more delicate and slightly sweet sauce. The Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise is a vin doux naturel from the southern Rhône and is a sweet wine with a characteristic grapey flavour.

Chicken sauté with Muscat de Minervois and crème fraîche – to serve 4

  • 1.5kg chicken – jointed into 8 pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 50g butter
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp Armagnac
  • ½ bottle Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (or any sweet Muscat)
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 150g small button mushrooms
  • 100ml crème fraîche
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Beurre manié (blend equal quantities of butter and flour together into a smooth paste. Keep any extra covered in the fridge)
  • Steamed rice and green salad to serve

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat half the oil and butter in a large deep frying pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Lower the heat, add the chopped shallots and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the Armagnac to the pan, light with a match and shake the pan until the flames go out. Add the Muscat, stock, thyme and bay leaves, bring to a simmer, cover and leave to cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms in a little butter and oil and season. Lift the chicken pieces onto a warmed serving dish and scatter over the mushrooms.

Mix the crème fraîche and egg yolks in a small bowl. Take the pan off the heat and skim any excess fat from the surface of the juices. Add the lemon juice. Add the cream and egg mixture along with the beurre manié, put the pan back onto a low heat and stir over a very gentle heat until the sauce has thickened slightly – do not let it boil! Check the seasoning, then strain the sauce over the chicken and serve with steamed rice and green salad.

Wine Suggestion: A light and southern Rhône red from the Cotes du Ventoux should complement the rich, creamy flavours of this dish and add a pleasant savoury contrast to the sweet sauce. Or, if you’d prefer a white see if you can find a very good Roussillon, like Domaine Gauby or Domaine Madeloc which would make the whole dinner  a real treat!

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey, BBC Books, 2005.)

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Roasted Pumpkin and Thyme Soup with Gruyère Cheese

Posted in Food, Soup, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , on 12 November 2012| 3 Comments »

Try and find a tasty pumpkin (i.e. not one of the huge varieties grown to make lanterns) or failing that a butternut squash will do. This makes an absolutely delicious starter or  lunch served with some crusty bread.

Roasted pumpkin and thyme soup – to serve 4

  • 1.5kg unpeeled pumpkin, or butternut squash
  • sunflower oil
  • 40g butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • leaves from 4 small sprigs of thyme, plus a few extra to garnish
  • 1.2 litres vegetable stock
  • 150ml single cream
  • 75g Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6.

Cut the pumpkin into chunky wedges and scoop out the fibres and seeds. Rub with oil, season well with salt and pepper and put into a small roasting tin, skin-side down. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender.

When the pumpkin has cooled down a bit, slice away and discard the skin and cut the flesh into small chunks.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and half the thyme leaves and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until very soft but not browned. Add the roasted pumpkin, any pumpkin juice from the plate, the stock and ½tsp of salt. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Leave the soup to cool slightly, then blend with the rest of the thyme leaves until smooth. Return to a clean pan and bring back to a gentle simmer. Stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve in warm bowls with a pile of grated cheese and a few thyme leaves in the centre.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey, BBC Books, 2005.)

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Roast Figs with Marsala and Muscovado

Posted in Dessert, Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 11 November 2012| 3 Comments »

Delicious served with a drizzle of cold cream.

Roast figs with marsala and muscovado – to serve 4

  • 8 figs
  • sweet marsala (or you can use dry marsala but add an extra tbsp of sugar)
  • light muscovado sugar
  • cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6.

Cut the stalks off the figs, then slice a deep cross into the top, going about half way down. Push the fruit around the middle so it opens up like a flower.

Place the figs in a baking dish (or individual pots) and sprinkle over the wine and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until very tender and the edges have started to caramelise. You can finish browning them under the grill if necessary.

Serve with the sticky pan juices and a drizzle of cream.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s Tender: Volume II, Fourth Estate, 2010.)

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