Salsa Piquante

A hot salsa, suitable for spicing up those meals made with people less able to enjoy chillis in mind.

2 shallots

1 salad spring onion - white part only

2 tomatoes

5 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon dried jalapeno

1 teaspoon dried habanero

Mexican Oregano

Boil a little water an put the chillis in to soak for 5 mins.

Finley chop the onions & tomatoes.

Vigorously whisk the oil & water together to form an emulsion. Whisk in the oregano.

Place the onions, tomatoes & chillis in a blender, and pour over the oil & vinegar. Blend to a fine paste.

Cover, and leave in the fridge for an hour.

Makes quite a bit!

Red Pepper Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts, chopped into ~1 inch cubes

1 medium onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 bell peppers (red & orange?)

8 small mushrooms

1 leek

10-12 new potatoes

Cheddar Cheese (only a little)

Parmesan (even less)

2 chicken stock cubes in 1 pint of boiling water

1 large teaspoon of smoked paprika

1 small teaspoon of mild chili powder - Ancho

Lea & Perrins

Tomato puree

Mixed herbs

Groundnut Oil

Chop the onion finely, then put it through the food processor until all but a paste. Chop the peppers into large chunks - ~1" square. Half the leek and chop that into large pieces.

Put a large amount of groundnut oil in a large pan with a lid. Heat, then add the paprika, chili powder & a good sprinkling of mixed herbs. Stir to keep from burning, but keep the oil hot. After a minute or so, add the chicken, and cook until browned, not that you will be able to see!

Add the onion and garlic, and keep stirring.

Put the potatoes and leeks in a steamer & cook for 15-20 mins (once boiled).

After frying the onions for a few minutes, add the stock, a good few dashes of Lea & Perrins, and a medium squeeze of tomato puree. Stir and bring to the boil. Add the mushrooms and put the lid on for 15-20 mins. The take the lid off and reduce down, thickening with cornflour if needed.

When the potatoes are done (hopefully well before the chicken), place on a baking tray covered with foil, and mix in with the leeks. Crush the potatoes open with a masher, but don't make too much of a mess. Grate the cheddar over them, and then a fine bit of Parmesan on top.

Place under the grill for 5-10 mins until the cheese is browning nicely.

Serve the chicken in sauce alongside the potatoes.

Serves 2.

Chicken with Tomato sauce

2 Chicken breasts, skin on.

5 large round tomatoes

8 green olives, pitted & sliced

butter

lea & perrins

zest from 1/6 or so of a lemon

thyme

mixed herbs

garlic Italian seasoning

chicken stock cube, in 1/2 pint boiling water

Tomato puree

level teaspoon of sugar.

Place the chicken breasts, skin on on tin foil. (Even if you don't eat skin, cook them in it). Cover with finely sliced butter and sprinkle with mixed herbs. Wrap the foil into a loose parcel and place in the oven @ 200 degrees for 1/2 an hour. 20 mins in, open the foil up so that the chicken browns slightly.

For the sauce, skin the tomatoes (score a cross in the base, cover with boiling water for 5 mins, then drain, and cover with cold water for 2 mins), and chop them crudely.

melt a thick slice of butter (about 20g) in the bottom of a small saucepan. Add the tomatoes and olives once fully melted. Cook vigorously, stirring often.

Add in the garlic Italian seasoning (a little), the thyme (generous), lea & perrins (good few dashes), puree (good squeeze), sugar and the lemon zest. Reduce the heat and add the stock in small amounts to stop the sauce getting too thick and burning. It will need attention. Once all the stock is in, turn up the heat again, and cook down until thick and saucy. Turn off the heat and add another slice of butter (thin slice). 

Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over it, with leeks, carrots, broccoli & new potatoes.

Serves 2.

Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta

4-6 large slices smoked salmon

1 medium onion

2/3 small pack chestnut mushrooms

1 small (1/4 pint) pot of double cream

capers (2 teaspoons)

green jalapenos - from jar (3 slices)

white peppercorns (6) Crushed.

Lea & Perrins

Parmesan

Vermouth (extra dry)

Dill

2 handfuls of pasta.

Chop onions and fry until starting to turn translucent. Slice mushrooms and add those. Roughly chop the salmon and add that once the mushrooms are staring to cook and the onions turn translucent. Fry for another minute.

Add capers & jalapenos (finely chopped).

Grind peppercorns and add. Add a good dash of Lea & Perrins and a good sprinkling of dill.

Splash a little vermouth in the bottom of the pan, and turn up the heat. Liquid will come out of the salmon & mushrooms making it hard to reduce down, so just wait until it starts to boil. Pile up the salmon etc in the pan and add the cream, slowly, stirring through the salmon.

Cook the pasta according to the packet.

Once the sauce is cooking nicely grate in some Parmesan. Reduce down slowly.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce.

Serves 2.

Spicy Pepper Pasta

3 bell peppers - red, yellow & orange work best.

1 large onion

1/4 pint single cream

3 handfulls of pasta (shells, twists, etc)

Veg Stock

Ketchup

Lea & Perrins

Cajun seasoning

Garlic Italian Seasoning

Olive Oil & Cooking oil

Chop the peppers up into large squares (1-2cm a side).

Put them in a dish lined with foil and cover in olive oil. Mix them thoroughly so they are all covered in oil. Put in a hot oven (as hot as you can get it for about 1/2 an hour or until they are just starting to scorch.

Meanwhile chop the onion into small squares, and fry in plenty of oil, slowly. Stop just before they start to brown, but when they are soft and translucent.

Add the peppers to the onions.

Make up a teaspoon of vegetable stock in a little boiling water and add to the vegetables. Add in a small squirt of ketchup, and a couple of dashes of worcestershire. Add a generous sprinkling of cajun seasoning, and a little garlic italian.

Cook on medium heat until the stock is reducing down.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to instructions - but stop a minute or two before it's finished and drain.

Once the stock has reduced, take it off the heat, leave to cool for a minute, and add the cream, slowly, stiring all the while. Once all the cream is added, return to the heat and cook down until it's starting to thicken.

Add the pasta and stir until covered by the creamy sauce, and cook for the last two minutes the pasta needs.

Serves 2.

Moroccan Chicken Curry

2 chicken breasts

1 red pepper

2 medium - large onions

2 tomatoes

Large handful of mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

2 chicken stock cubes

2 tsp dried chipotle chillies

3 heaped tsp coriander seeds, finely crushed.

2 heaped tsp garam masala

2 heaped tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

Cous-cous

Chop up the onions finely and fry until almost transparent. Remove skins from the tomatoes and chop the other vegetables into good sized chunks. Cube the chicken breasts into about 3/4 inch cubes.

Remove the onions from the pan and replace with the chicken. Fry up for a bit until pretty much browned on all sides. Add the onions and the other vegetables and fry up for another few minutes.

Make a well in the center of the pan, and fry up the spices for a minute and then stir into the rest. Crush the garlic and add.

Make up the stock in a pint of boiling water and add to the pan. Add more water to cover everything in the pan.

Heat until boiling, and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and leave for an hour or more, checking periodically to make sure it's not boiling dry.

Remove the lid, and turn up the heat, and reduce down until you get to the desired consistency (1/2 hour?). Make the cous-cous up as per the packet once almost ready to go.

Serves 2, generously.

Chicken & Pepper Pasta

A quick (relatively) and easy pasta dish

4 small chicken breasts, chopping into small bits
3 medium onions, chopped into small pieces
2 Peppers, chopped into small pieces
½ bottle cheap white wine
1 tin tomatoes
8-12 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into medium pieces
1 small pot (1/4 pint?) of double cream
1 Chicken Oxo
Garlic Italian Seasoning
Lea & Perrins
Oil for frying
8 handfuls of pasta (about 400g) – I used rigatoni.

Fry up the onions until starting to turn transparent. Add in the chicken and cook until browned. Add the peppers and cook for another minute.
Pour in the wine, add the seasoning, oxo, lea & perrins and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes
Add the tin of tomatoes. Cook for another 20 minutes or so on high heat until it has reduced down considerably – should be a good saucy consistency.
Cook the pasta as instructed on the packet.
Reduce down again, stirring often until a light sauce. Add in the pasta once cooked and mix together carefully.

Serves 6