Another sunny Saturday, another barbecue! The idea to use Wagamama salad dressing as a marinade for tonight's chicken was inspired by having left-over dressing from our afternoon brunch salad! It is very tasty as a dressing with flavours that work very well together; soy sauce, oil, vinegar, shallots, tomato ketchup - here's the recipe:
Wagamama Salad Dressing
Makes about 125ml (4fl oz). Can be kept in the fridge for a few days.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon water
100ml (3½fl oz) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
Method:
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl or screwtop jar and set aside.
I usually make a double batch because it keeps for much longer than suggested in the refrigerator. Naturally, it's at its very best when fresh. I like the soy flavour (which really comes through) and the sweetness of the tomato ketchup - these flavours work surprisingly well together. Dead easy to make, and a little goes a long way.
I first skinned the chicken pieces (leg and thigh - the most flavourful part of the bird, in my opinion) and slashed them with a sharp knife to ensure that the meat cooks thoroughly and the marinade penetrates the meat. The chicken was left to marinate for about an hour, while the briquettes were heating up in my Weber kettle barbecue. Once the fire was ready, I shoved the coals to the sides of the grill, and put the whole, un-jointed chicken pieces in the centre of the grill so that they would cook more slowly by indirect heat. I covered the grill and went to watch Steve make his Lemon-Saffron rice:
Lemon Saffron Rice
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. butter
2 c. long grain rice
5 c. chicken stock
2 generous pinches saffron
2 tbsp. lemon zest (finely grated peel)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
Method:
1. Melt butter in large heavy saucepan. Add rice and cook, stirring until rice is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add chicken stock, saffron, salt, garlic and lemon zest. Stir well to dissolve saffron.
3. When stock begins to simmer, lower heat and cook, covered 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove garlic.
4. Before serving, gently stir in cilantro.
Now, back to the chicken: After about 30 minutes, I liberally dosed the pieces on both sides with the marinade and turned them over. I turned the pieces once or twice more after that.
When I brought the chicken pieces indoors, I knew I had something special. The chicken was well cooked and tender and smelled delightfully smoky, as though I'd used wood chips to flavour it - wonderful!!
This recipe is a 'keeper'.
Experiment with your food!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wagamama-style Chicken Barbecue
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Hake Steak & Puy Lentils
A Friday afternoon, a trip to the market, a visit to the fishmonger's stall... a meal to remember. There was sooo much gorgeous fish to choose from but only 3 meals in the weekend! I had to decide. I settled on a couple of hake steaks (they looked fantastically fresh!), some tiny baby octopuses and a couple of rainbow trout.
When we got home I decided I was really in the mood to cook the hake and I was soon trawling the web for a recipe to guide me. The search was made especially easy because I knew I wanted to have lentils with the fish. The recipe I found, from Delicious magazine (via Channel 4) is reproduced below (and includes my recipe for spring greens, an inspired addition):
Roast cod on spiced Puy lentils
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 tsp mild curry powder
4 x 200g pieces thick cod fillet (I used hake steaks)
For the spiced Puy lentils:
275g Puy lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp fresh chicken stock
Lemon juice, to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Low-fat natural yogurt, cayenne pepper and fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish
For the spring greens:
Enough spring greens for 4 people
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
100 g panchetta or bacon, cubed
3-4 tbsp water
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C
Make the spiced lentils: Cook the lentils in a pan of simmering water for 20 minutes, or until tender.
The spring greens were an inspiration and they worked very well with this dish. Prepare them now:
1. Rinse and dry the spring greens and cut them into 1 cm wide strips.
2. Heat a large sauté pan and add the olive oil, garlic and panchetta. Saute until the panchetta is lightly cooked but not browned, around 3 minutes.
3. Add the greens to the pan and use some tongs to lift and turn them in the oil/pancetta mixture, to coat.
4. Turn the heat to medium, sprinkle the greens with salt and pepper, add the water and cover.
5. Cook over medium heat, checking to make sure the greens don't dry out (add water, if necessary) for around 10 minutes or until the greens are limp.
Check seasoning.
For the cod (or hake!):
1. Once the lentils are ready, mix the olive oil for the fish with the curry powder.
2. Brush the oil and curry powder all over the cod and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat.
4. Grease the pan with a little oil and add the cod, meaty-side down.
5. Fry for 2 minutes until light golden in colour.
6. Turn over and and immediately transfer the pan to the hot oven. Roast for 5 minutes.
Once the fish is in the oven, finish preparing the lentils:
1. Drain the lentils.
2. Heat the oil in a clean pan. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin.
3. Once sizzling, stir in the lentils, onion and stock, until warmed through.
4. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Stir in the coriander.
To assemble:
Spoon lentils onto warmed plates, top these with spring greens and perch the cod on top of the mound to achieve an artistic effect. Garnish with coriander sprigs and a dollop of yoghurt.
Serve, with additional yogurt in a separate bowl, inviting your dinner guests to help themselves.
Enjoy shopping, cooking AND friends!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Lasagna!
What do you do when you have fresh lasagne pasta, tinned tomatoes, minced beef, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella in your larder? How about making... lasagne!! So we did.
I made the meat sauce and the béchamel, chopped the tinned tomatoes very finely (alright, I used the food processor!) and flavoured it with onion and garlic (sautéed in olive oil) oregano, thyme, a bay leaf and salt and ground pepper. This cooked on a low heat (covered, for about an hour), until the oil separated from the juices from the vegetables. I tasted the sauce for seasoning and then assembled the lasagne in an oiled lasagne pan.
But not before we discussed the best sequence of layers! We finally decided on: pasta, meat sauce, béchamel, and cheese...pasta , meat sauce béchamel and cheese... ending with cheese.
The whole thing went in a 180˚C oven for about 40 minutes - until the dish looked toasted and browned on top. We took it out of the oven and let it rest on the stove-top while we prepared the salad and dressing.
It was lovely. We'll be cooking this again!
Eat. Love. Laugh. Live.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Cauliflower Gratin
I'm not too sure where the inspiration for this dish came from - could it have been inspired by the *two* heads of organic-box cauliflower that seemed to be conspiring to ambush us at the first opportunity? I don't really know for sure... but I do know that we were very, very aware of that cauliflower and constantly of interesting ways to prepare them.
Finally, Friday evening (Good Friday, in fact) presented the perfect opportunity - we were well-rested and refreshed having had a long lie-in and, towards the end of a mellow, relaxed day, we were wanting something relatively simple yet rich, warming and interesting to eat. Cauliflower gratin seemed the perfect thing - once we'd established that we had everything we needed to make it, in the store-cupboard, of course. Best of all (at least for me!) we had rigatoni - my current favourite pasta - in the cupboard!
So we set about preparing the various components of the dish I had in mind - We prepared the béchamel, the cheeses (grated cheddar and emmanthal). Once ready, everything except the pasta was put in a gratin dish and baked in a 180˚C oven for approximately 45 minutes (until the crust was well-browned). Ten minutes or so before the gratin was ready to come out of the oven we cooked the rigatoni, as per the directions on the packet.
Once cooked, the pasta was served with generous lashings of sauce and cauliflower spooned over the top. Absolutely *devine*... rich... decadent, almost!
Be generous with the sauce...
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Roast Chicken Dinner Provençal
Our first full day in Nice was very domestic - we went shopping in the local supermarket and cooked and ate at home.
On our first shop this visit at the local Monoprix, I was very impressed with the Meat and Poultry section - the meat was very fresh-looking (and included veal, fresh brains and pig trotters among its many delights) and the poultry didn't look anything like what I've become accustomed to living here in Britain: besides the usual chickens (which were all 'corn fed') there were chickens from several different farms. While I didn't spot any 'poussin', (the British equivalent of the 1-2 person Rock Cornish game hen we have in the States), there was something called a "coquette" which was just a little bit larger and perfect for 2 - 3 people.
Duck (both mature and duckling) appeared in several forms in the poultry cabinet - there were, in addition to whole duck and duck breast, duck drumsticks and duck wings (the latter, presumably, used to make stock). I was in heaven!
I can't overstate the freshness and delights of the "wet fish" counter - everything 'delivered daily'... or the deli counter with its salami, saucisson and fois gras... or the meat counter - a groaning board of veal, fresh farmed rabbit, pig tails and things I'd never even seen before (but wouldn't shy away from trying to cook).
Hmmmm... I digress.
To sum up this particular evening: we bought a regular, farmed chicken, some (really good, La Molisana) pasta, and some screamingly fresh-looking lettuce and tomatoes for a salad.
Once home we decided to prepare the chicken simply with salt, pepper, butter and herbs de Provence. We ended our meal with a fresh salad, simply dressed, with home-made vinaigrette...
Voilà!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Ham hocks and beans
Okay! Last post of a heavy day of blogging and Twittering and all that...
In amongst all the internet activity, I managed to cook dinner for us. This was thanks, in no small part, to the pressure cooker (once again):
Because I've recently been so distracted and doing too much at once, I hadn't soaked the red kidney beans beforehand, so I cooked them in the pressure cooker with an onion and six peppercorns before I started cooking the ham.
Once they'd cooked for 10 minutes, I let them cool at their own pace until the pressure dropped and I could remove the lid.
Then I added the ham and some bay leaves and 4 cloves of garlic. I let them cook (with slow rocking of the weight on my cooker) for 15 minutes and let them cool. This turned out to be insufficient time for the meat to be 'falling off the bone" so I put the pot back on the heat and let it cook an additional 10 minutes. That seemed to do it.
I served this with rice and Romanesco cauliflower (from the vegetable box!) and my "must have " side salad/salsa of chopped tomatoes and red onion mixed with olive oil, vinegar and salt.
Scrummy!
Have some.
Lemon Sole à la Lisa
Tonight's repast... Lemon sole from the fishmonger in Cambridge Market, baked on a bed of lightly sautéed chunks of vegetables - Zucchini, tomato, red onion, scallion and garlic seasoned with lashings of (very good) balsamic vinegar and olive oil:
Cook the vegetables until they begin to 'give'. Once softened, use them to line a baking tray and lay the fish on top. That done, 'garnish' the fish with a flurry of freshly ground black pepper and flakes of sea salt. Scatter everything with a half dozen fresh bay leaves and a generous handful of flat leaf parsley and the zest of a lemon. Anoint the tray with further lashings of olive oil, the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon and some more balsamic vinegar. If you're feeling frisky, add a splash of white wine, too!
Bake in an oven (pre-heated to 200˚C) for 17 minutes. Test for doneness - the fish should separate from the bone when poked - and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
Serve with roasted Jerusalem artichokes and sautéed vegetables.
Mmmmmm! Now, isn't that good?
Love, laugh, cook, eat.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday's Chicken
This could almost be called "Kitchen Sink Chicken" or "Chicken Whatever" but that wouldn't do it justice, really. This was an invention necessitated by the need to use up sweet red peppers and onions - and a taste for an easy, warming and fresh-tasting chicken dish. The basic elements of this repast were:
Chicken legs and thighs
1 large red pepper, sliced into strips
2 medium onions, sliced
250 ml white wine
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, bashed with a knife
100 ml olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves, crushed
These are the basics - see what you make of it OR tune in a few days time to see what I did with them!
Cooking is such good fun!
--
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Sunday Dinner
It's been a good weekend, full of fun and food and, er, photography!
Yesterday we went to the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens so that I could try out my new camera on something other than food. The trip was a success and we both enjoyed our day out in the fresh air. After uploading a (very) small selection of my photographs to my Flickr site, I decided that the best way to keep track of the photos was to start a new blog. Sorting through 300 photos didn't leave any time for that this weekend. When I get the new site up and running I'll post a link here.
Today we did somewhat of a reprise on last weekend's Chinese style meal:
Steve bought, at my behest, a piece of belly pork from the Farm Market on his way home from work on Friday. It was the last one on the shelf and it turned out to be quite big so I decided to separate the belly from the rib portion and have the ribs tonight. I did them Chinese style (again!) and served them with a medley of stir-fried vegetables - mange tous (snow peas), bak choi and bean sprouts. The verdict from Steve was "delicious!" It wasn't bad, really...
Plenty of left-overs means that we're due a quick meal during the week - something that we both appreciate with our hectic schedules.
Enjoy cooking, eating, drinking and living!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Saturday Night Chinese Feast
Sichuan Stir-fried Aubergine Originally uploaded by Lisa Fagg
Saturday night at our house means more time for cooking! After a very lazy day (too lazy for words...) we were inspired to cook something out of the ordinary. A careful examination of the refrigerator revealed lots of ginger, garlic, an aubergine ('Eggplant' to you 'mericans) and a head of Chinese cabbage. Together these ingredients suggested the perfect foil for the belly pork I'd picked up from the Farm Market in Lensfield Road Friday evening.
Braised Pork Belly Originally uploaded by Lisa Fagg
We decided to braise the belly pork Chinese style and in the absence of a recipe I winged it - based on having watched our friend Emma prepare this this dish for us one evening. As I've been trying my hand at using the pressure cooker lately, the belly pork seemed a perfect candidate for this method - it would cut the cooking time down considerably.
White-cooked Chinese Cabbage Originally uploaded by Lisa Fagg
We needed a simple vegetable dish to round off the meal so I chose White-Cooked Cabbage from Kenneth Lo's New Chinese Cookery Course cookbook.
The resulting meal was very good and I'm committing the recipes herein - so I don't forget them!
Hot and spicy Sichuan-style aubergines
450g aubergines (the best ones to use, according to MJ are the long thin Japanese kind)
3 tbsp vegetable or groundnut oil
2 spring onions (white and green parts) cut into fine rings
3 thin slices fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine dice
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 tsp soy sauce
2-3 tsp chilli bean sauce
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt, if needed
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Roll cut the aubergines or simply cut them across, at a diagonal at 4cm (1-1/2 inch) intervals.
- Put the aubergines in a colander or on a steaming rack and steam for 15 -17 minutes or until tender*.
- Put the oil in a large well-seasoned (or non-stick) wok or frying pan and set over high heat. When hot**, put in the spring onions, ginger and garlic, Stir-fry for 1 minute. Put the aubergines in the pan and stir for another minute, Next add the soy sauce, chilli past, sugar and vinegar, Stir and cook for 3 minutes, Taste and add a little salt, if needed, Add the sesame oil and stir once.
- Remove from the heat, Sprinkle the coriander over the tip before serving. Serves 4.
*I found the aubergine too soft to retain their shape during the subsequent stir-frying step after this amount of steaming so I recommend reducing the steaming time to 12 - 15 minutes.
**Make sure the oil is very hot (but not smoking) before cooking commences.
White-Cooked Cabbage
1-1/2 tbsp dried shrimps
1 medium Chinese white or Savoy cabbage
2 slices fresh root ginger
4 tbsp vegetable or groundnut oil
20g butter
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
8 tbsp good stock (I used some pork stock from a cube)
1-1/2 chicken stock cubes (or equivalent of powdered stock)
1 tsp sesame oil
Preparation:
Soak the dried shrimps in hot water to cover for 15 minutes.
Drain. Remove the cabbage stalk (I didn't!) and any discoloured leaves before cutting to 6X5 cm pieces. Finely shred the ginger.
Cooking:
- Heat the oil and butter in a wok or large saucepan.
- When hot,. stir-fry the ginger and shrimps for 15 seconds.
- Add the cabbage and sprinkle with salt, pepper, stock and crumbled stock cubes. Bring to the boil.
- Toss a few times and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Braised Pork Belly (Pressure cooker method)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
300 ml stock (I used pork stock)
3 slices fresh ginger, finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 small or 1 large onion, sliced
4 tbsp chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
2 tsp castor sugar
2 pieces star anise
salt to taste (approx. 1/2 tsp, to start)
freshly ground pepper to taste
- Wash the pork belly and cut into large 3X4 cm (or larger) pieces. If the meat contains ribs, cut the ribs away from the main meat, cut into 2 or 3 pieces and cook with the rest of the meat.
- Put the pork into the pressure cooker, fill the pot with water to cover the meat and bring to the boil. Boil for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pork from the heat, pour the meat into a colander discarding the water, and wash the scum from the meat.
- Return the meat to the pressure cooker and add all of the remaining ingredients. The liquid should come 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the meat in the pot.
- Close the lid of the pressure cooker and turn the heat on high to bring the pot to the boil. When boiling rapidly, turn the heat down until a steady rocking of the weight is achieved. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the pot to cool gradually. This will take an additional 20-30 minutes, during which time the meat will continue to cook.
- Once cool and returned to atmospheric pressure, remove the lid and poke the meat. It should be soft enough to break with a pair of chopsticks. [If not, return to the heat, boil again and cook under pressure for an additional 10 minutes.]
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings.