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Posts Tagged ‘Mediterranean’

Chicken Provençal

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 6 October 2025| 4 Comments »

Hanging onto summer like rosé in October… As Autumn seems to appear intermittantly in Dublin, we’re clinging to the flavours of sunnier days. This simple Chicken Provençal is sunshine in a frying pan. You can’t beat the cheerful tones of this French classic, perfect for lifting spirits as the evenings draw in. Serve it with buttery new potatoes or a chunk of crusty baguette.

Wine Suggestion: We paired it with a classic dry Provençal rosé from Château Léoube – textured and full-bodied (for a rosé), yet still elegant and crisp on the finish.

Chicken Provençal – serves 4

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 anchovies in oil, chopped
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 red peppers, cut into strips
  • 1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 big fennel bulb, quartered, core removed and thinly sliced
  • 2 courgettes, cut into 1cm thick slices
  • 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 200ml white wine
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 100g pitted black olives
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 15g flatleaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
  • a handful of small basil leaves
  • a small handful of capers

Warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown well. You will probably need to do this in two batches. Put the browned chicken aside on a plate.

Turn the heat down and add the onion, anchovies, bay leaves and thyme with a good pinch of salt. Sauté gently for about 15 minutes or until very soft.

Turn the heat up a little, then add the peppers, fennel and courgettes, then sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a further minute.

Pour in the wine and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes, stock, rosemary and olives. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan with any juices on the plate and simmer very gently for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is very tender.

Stir in the parsley, half the basil and the capers. Taste and season again if required.

Serve with the rest of the basil scattered over.

(Original recipe from Lickedspoon with Debora Robertson on Substack, 4 Jun 2025.)

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Albondigas – Spanish Meatballs

Posted in Food, Spanish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 15 November 2018| Leave a Comment »

Albondigas

These spicy Spanish meatballs are delicious and just the sort of casual thing we feel like on a Friday night with some patatas bravas, a green salad, and a glass of wine.

Wine Suggestion: Our choice for this tonight was the Dominio de Tares Baltos, a Mencia from Bierzo in Spain. Velvety and dark fruited with a fresh finish and medium body.

Albondigas – Spanish Meatballs – serves 4-6

  • 600g lamb mince
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • small bunch of flatleaf parsley, finely chopped plus 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley to serve
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 100g breadcrumbs
  • 50ml double cream
  • 1 egg
  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cayenne
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 400g tin of tomatoes
  • 1 tsp honey

To make the meatballs put all the ingredients, except the oil, into a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Shape into 16 meatballs of about 50g each.

Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6.

Put the meatballs onto an oiled baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until browned and cooked through, keep them warm.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and fry gently for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, spices, and bay leaves and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring, then add the tomatoes and honey. Pour in 200ml of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.

To finish the dish, put the meatballs into a large, deep frying pan, and cover with the sauce. Simmer gently for 5 minutes to heat the meatballs through and reduce the sauce a little. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.

(Original recipe from The Hairy Bikers Mediterranean Adventure, Si King & Dave Myers, Seven Dials, 2017.)

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Josh’s Mediterranean Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , on 16 February 2011| 2 Comments »

Here’s a recipe from my friend Josh. I was a bit confused when I read it – I’m all for easy recipes but chucking it all in a pot and sticking it in the oven made me think there was a step left out. Anyways apparently not. So chuck the following ingredients in a casserole with a lid and put it in the oven for 1 hour at 180C (don’t add the olives until 10 to 15 minutes before the end). Very tasty and easy-peasy. It can also survive waiting for half an hour in the oven if someone arrives home late…. can’t it Jono?

  • tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2-4 chicken breasts or thighs (leave them whole or cut them in two like I did)
  • 8-10 shallots
  • chopped sun-dried tomatoes (to taste – I used a small handful)
  • 200-300ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 onion, grated
  • basil and oregano (I used a tsp of dried basil and a tsp of dried oregano)
  • salt and pepper
  • a big handful of olives

Serve with something starchy – rice, pasta, potatoes – whatever takes your fancy.

Thanks Josh!

Wine suggestion: We had a glass of a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend from Bordeaux (Le G de Chateau Guiraud – a dry wine from the famous chateau making gloriously sweet Sauternes) and it worked well or if you fancy a red you could try a nice Italian Barbera.

Julie

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