Tag: spices

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken

My daughter and her husband were flying in from a holiday Malaysia last Monday night – their first wedding anniversary celebrated with this overseas destination. And judging by the luggage plenty of shopping was done 🙂 as well as sight seeing.

The one thing you can guarantee in Auckland is the traffic will be appalling – and then add air travel and the likelihood of the flight being on time – I thought to put my slow cooker to work. At least dinner would be on time and waiting for us when we got home from the airport with our tired intrepid travellers, and meals in a slow cooker can not ruin if they stay cooking a bit longer than planned!

For this tasty Moroccan Chicken casserole you will need the following ingredients to serve 4 adults:

  • 8 chicken thighs bone in trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon minced ginger
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon cumin spice
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Place chicken and all of the above ingredients into a bowl and mix everything together well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-teaspoon  ground coriander
  • 3 teaspoons garlic minced
  • 1-teaspoon ginger mincedSlow Moroccan chicken
  • 1-teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 small bay leaves
  • ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • 1 can canned diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup green olives
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • ¾-cup chicken stock or water

Place canned tomatoes in the slow cooker base.
When ready to cook heat up a large pan with about 2 tablespoon oil, and then brown the chicken about 3-5 for about minutes until chicken is golden brown: remove and place in the crockpot. Drain any excess oil from the skillet
Add onions, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander. Salt and add cayenne pepper to taste. Stir for about 1 or 2, for the flavors to come together and bloom.
Then add to crockpot, deglaze pan with about ¾ cup of water and to slow cooker, together with chickpeas and olives
Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours.

We had a serving of mashed potatoes and green vegetables with our chicken, however I would normally serve this with couscous.

After two flights, 13 hours plus flying time and about 8,807 kilometres – our intrepid travellers tucked into this ‘comfort food’ dinner, and after a hot shower, crashed!

With the colder weather now, get the slow cooker into action and give this chicken dish a go. The family will appreciate the warm aromatics when they walk in the door after work or sports practice on a cold winters night.

Happy slow cooking xx

 

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Apricot Lamb Tangine

Tangine dishA couple of years ago we were gifted a small tangine – it is a gorgeous red colour, non-stick and perfect for a meal for two people.

A tangine is a cooking pot used in North Africa and in the Middle East. Most of the liquid is derived from ingredients and the water formed is turned into vapour, which condenses on the inside of the lid running down the inside to the edges of the tangine bottom. This way, Maillard browning reactions can occur, which would not be the case if it were a stew, where the meat/vegetables are covered with water.

Enough of the history lesson!

Continue reading “Apricot Lamb Tangine” →

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Spicy Plum Loaf

Do you love the smell of warm fragrant spices wafting through the house? Do you love a juicy plum? Team these two ingredients up and you have an unusual flavour which just happens to work!

Ingredients:

  • 8 medium, firm & ripe plums

Halve and stone the plums. Cut each half into 3 wedges and set to one side.

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice

Combine these 3 ingredients in a small bowl and set  to one side.

  • 180g butter
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract/paste
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  1. Beat the butter sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Add in the beaten eggs and continue to beat/stir.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt gently mixing into the mixture.
  3. Spread half of the  cake mix into the bottom of a loaf tin, top with half of the plums and then sprinkle half of the sugar mix over the plums.
  4. Repeat this step ending with the sugar mix.
  5. Bake for about 1 hour 10/15 minutes or until the cake skewer comes out clean. Cool before removing from the tin.

Serving – I made a thick but pourable icing with icing sugar and a little lemon juice. You could dust this with icing sugar if time is not on your side. We had it with a spoonful of marscarpone which was quite decadent 🙂 but totally yummy – healthy option would be a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

This is a lovely dense, moist loaf which is worthy of a testing out – perhaps when the mother-in-law is coming over for afternoon tea!

Happy baking xx

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One Pan Breakfast or Brunch!

Bacon,eggs, beans & tomatoes – all in one pan and all in under 10 minutes!

Seriously?

Yes!

I made this for a late breakfast this morning with the following pulled-together ingredients from the fridge:

  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/4 each of a red & green capsicum or pepper
  • 4 rashers of bacon, chopped
  • 1/3rd of a can of baked beans
  • 1/3 can of tomatoes (any variety)
  • 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or powder
  • 2 eggs
  • Sprinkle of fresh herbs – whatever you have in the garden!
  • salt & pepper to season.
  • Crusty bread or toasted ciabatta to serve.

 

Okay, oil & onions in the pan, chop the capsicums/peppers and add to the pan. Next comes the bacon, cook for about 2 mins. Tip in the tomatoes and beans…stir in the spices and let the aroma fill the kitchen! Make a little dent in the mixture to settle an egg into – repeat! Pop a lid over the pan and turn down the heat for about 2-3 minutes depending on how you like your eggs cooked. 

While the eggs cook, cut up your crusty bread or toast a slice or two from the freezer (that was me this morning!) 

Sprinkle fresh herbs over the top with a little cracked black pepper and salt. And there you have it 🙂

 

 

I have presented this for dinner on the odd occasion I have not ‘felt kitchen love’ after a day at the office and it has gone down well.  I have added spinach to the pan before adding the eggs to get a dose of greens too. Just let the spinach wilt before adding the eggs.

ps….first time I have taken photos as I went – what do you think?

Happy cooking!

xx

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Beetroot…so good!

Sharon Webber, 21st January, 2016.

I am a big lover of beetroot – love the colour, love the taste, love it in a salad, raw, or as a side-dish for a BBQ and in a home-made burger. I remember saying that to my then new-husband who looked at me like I was mad! They don’t do beetroot in burgers where he comes from 🙂

Here is a quick & easy recipe to do with beetroot for that side-dish – great with a BBQ.

Home-Made Spiced Beetroot

Leftover juice from 12 medium-large beetroot
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups white sugar
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 cinnamon sticks

Scrub the beetroot and place it in a large pan. Cover the beetroot generously with cold water and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the beetroot for 40-50 minutes, or until it is tender when pierced with a knife. Drain off the liquid, reserving 3 cups. Set aside the beetroot until it is cool enough to handle. When it is cool, rub off the skin and slice or quarter – however you like really, the beetroot thickly.
Clean the pan and add the reserved beetroot juice, vinegar, sugar and spices. Simmer for 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved. Add the sliced beetroot back to saucepan to heat through then spoon it into jars. Top up with spiced juice and seal.
Makes about 4 medium jars.

Beetroot

TIP
You can use rubber gloves to prevent hands staining when you’re rubbing the skin off the beetroot 🙂

I discovered this next recipe in my favourite food magazine – Dish  It is a New Zealand magazine that not only has great recipes, it showcases NZ produce, chefs & places to eat.

Beetroot Relish 

  1. 1 kg of beetroot, peeled, and grated                  
  2. 1 apple, grated                                          
  3. 2 red onions, finely chopped                               
  4. 2 cloves garlic, crushed                                      
  5. 2 teaspoons of sea salt                                        
  6. finely grated zest 1 orange                                 
  7. juice of 2 oranges                                                
  8. 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  9. 1/4 cup water
  10. 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  11. 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

I used my new food processor to deal to first 4 ingredients! Feeling lazy and it is a hot day Put all of the ingredients in a large heavy-based pot and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Reduce the  heat and cook, uncovered over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 – 2  hours, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick & glossy. Spoon into hot, sterlised jars and seal tightly.  (Refrigerate after opening).  Makes about 4 cups.

IMG_0780

Give these a go if you like beetroot – if you haven’t tried it before, give it a go! It really tastes great.

xx

 

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