Chicken, Ginger and Chickpea Hotpot

Ingredients

½ tbsp veg oil

2cm piece ginger, cut into matchsticks

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ onion, thinly sliced into half moons

1 tbsp fish sauce

½ tbsp soft brown sugar

250g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut in half

125ml chicken stock

50g chick peas

1 tbsp chopped coriander

steamed rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and onion, and stir fry for about 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Add the fish sauce, sugar, chicken and stock. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

2. For the final 3 mins of cooking, add the chickpeas. Remove from the heat and stir through half of the coriander. Serve with steamed rice and the rest of the coriander scattered over.

Greek Pork Patties

Makes 6 (serves 2)
 
Ingredients
250g (9oz) lean pork mince
handful fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oregano leaves, finely chopped
1 medium egg
a little olive oil

Instructions
1. Put the pork, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, lemon juice, oregano and egg in a bowl and season generously. Mix together well and form into 6 patties. Chill until ready to use.
2. Rub the patties with a little oil and cook for 2-3 minutes each side.

Taken from BBC Good Food - March 2013

Masala Chicken Pie

Serves 6-8


Ingredients
2 tbsp veg oil
4 skinless chicken breasts
2 onions
finger length piece of ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp medium curry powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp white or red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 x 400g chopped tomatoes
150ml light coconut milk
1 large red pepper, deseeded and cut in to large chunks
1 large green pepper, deseeded and cut in to large chunks
1/2 small bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped

For the topping
1.5kg floury potatoes, cut in to large chunks
150ml light coconut milk
1 tsp turmeric
juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
stalks from 1/2 bunch coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp kalonji seeds (black onion seeds)

Instructions
1. Heat a deep frying pan and add 2 tsp of oil. Brown the chicken breasts quickly but well on both sides, then remove to a plate. Turn down the heat and add the remaining oil, the onions, ginger and garlic. Fry gently until soft. Add the spices and cook for a few mins, stirring.
2. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and bubble for 10 minutes. Roughly chop the chicken breasts and stir into the pan with any chicken juices and the peppers. Simmer for another 20 minutes until cooked through and the sauce is reduced a little. Take off the heat, stir in the coriander leaves and season to taste.
3. To make the topping, put the potatoes in a big pan of water, bring to the boil and then boil until cooked (10-15 minutes). Drain really well, then tip back in to the pan and steam dry for a few minutes.
4. Add the coconut milk and turmeric to the pan, and mash really well. Season with the lemon juice and some salt, then stir through the spring onions and coriander stalks.
5. Spoon the chicken masala into a baking dish. Dollop on spoonfuls of mash to cover, then sprinkle over the kalonji seeds.
6. Heat oven to 200c (180c fan/gas 6) and bake for 25-30 minutes until hot through and crisping on top.

Taken from BBC Good Food February 2013

Notes: Can be covered and chilled for up to 2 days following stage 5 (just add an extra 15 minutes to cook from chilled) 

Sausage and Fennel Meatballs with Lentils

Serves 4

Ingredients

450g pack low fat sausages

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

100ml full bodied red wine

200g puy lentils

1 tbsp tomato puree

850ml hot chicken stock

juice ½ lemon

handful parsley

 Instructions

1. Squeeze the meat from the sausages into a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds and mix well with your hands. Shape the meat into 16 walnut sized balls.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large non stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins, turning regularly, until golden but not completely cooked through. Remove to a plate.

3. Add the rest of the oil to the pan, tip in the onion, carrots and fennel, cover and let the veg sweat over a gentle heat for 10 mins until softened. Stir now and then.

4. Uncover the vegetables, turn up the heat and let them start to colour. Stir in the garlic, sizzle for 1 min, then splash in the wine and let it reduce by half.

5. Stir in the lentils, tomato puree and stock. Cover and simmer for 25 mins or until the lentils are almost tender. Add the sausage balls, plus a splash of water if the pan is looking a little dry. Cover and simmer for a further 10 mins until the meat is cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season to taste and scatter with parsley.

Taken from BBC Good Food - February 2013

Winter Chicken Stew

Ingredients

½ tbsp sunflower oil

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

700ml chicken stock

½ large potato, finely grated

½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves

8 skinless chicken thighs

3 carrots, halved lengthways and cut in to chunks

1 parsnip, halved lengthways and cut into chunks

2 small leeks, well washed and thickly sliced

Mashed potato to serve (optional)

Instructions

1.Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the onion and garlic for a few mins until soft, then pour in the stock and stir in the potato and herbs.

2. Add the chicken and bring to the boil. Stir in the carrots, parsnips and leeks, then cover the pan and leave to simmer on a low heat for 40-45 mins, stirring every now and then, until the chicken is tender.
3.Serve with mash and veg, if you like

Taken from BBC Good Food February 2013 

Layered Lemon Sponge

Ingredients
(Cake)

250g (8oz) butter
250g (8oz) self raising flour
250g (8oz) caster sugar
4 medium eggs
2 tbsp milk
rind of 2 lemons
(Syrup)
4 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp water
juice of 2 lemons
(Filling)
 3 tbsp lemon curd
(Icing)
125g (4 oz) butter
250g (8oz) icing sugar
4 tbsp lemon curd

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Make cake: Beat butter. Add remaining cake ingredients and beat until smooth. Divide between tins.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
4. Make syrup: pour 4 tbsp water into a pan. Add the sugar. Place on a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice.
5. Remove cakes from the oven. Pour syrup over. Leave for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
6. Spread lemon curd between the layers
7. Make icing: Beat butter until soft. Add remaining ingredients and beat well. Ice cake.

Taken from Delia Online

Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp mild curry paste
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in to bite-size pieces
4 tbsp red split lentils
300 ml chicken stock
400ml can coconut milk

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Stir in the curry paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken, sweet potatoes and lentils, stir to coat in the paste, then pour in the stock and coconut milk.
2. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.




Taken from BBC Good Food

Notes: Original recipe had 175g frozen peas in. We omitted, but could replace with chickpeas.