My One Year Cooking Anniversary

This is a Devil Dog Cake, see the previous blog posting



Well, I did it. I have cooked a brand new recipe every day for the past year. It has been a really great experience. I’ve learned tons, and had a lot of fun. I didn’t manage to blog everything, but I tried to make sure all the best stuff made it on. There were a couple of days that I missed, due to illness or other extreme circumstances, but only a few, and I always made extra new things afterwards to make up for it.

I loved this experience and I recommend that everyone try it. If you feel like that’s too much of a commitment, try making three or four new things a week. You’ll still be learning a lot, but you won’t have to feel overwhelmed.

When I started this, I thought it would be tough to find 365 new recipes that I wanted to make, but I have found that just the opposite is true My year is up, and there are still so many things I never got around to.

That’s why I’m going to keep at it. From now on I’ll try to do four new recipes a week, and I’ll keep blogging the best ones. Don’t think we’re abandoning you. There will still be a few new posts a week. I also want to re-make some of my favorites from the year, to see if they hold up to my memory of them, I’ll be posting my re-reviews of those as well. We’ve also got a book coming out next Christmas, with all the great tips we’ve learned. We’ll keep you updated about that.

Devil Dog Cake

To celebrate my one year cooking anniversary, I made this Devil Dog cake. It’s not made out of devil dogs, it’s just resembles one. It got a top score (four out of four forks) on Epicurious, and it used a technique that I haven’t tried yet, so I thought it would be fitting for my last recipe of the year.


For cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process) plus additional for dusting
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups water

For frosting
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan (2 inches deep).

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well, then beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and water alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.

Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top, then bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 1 hour. Transfer cake to a cake plate.

Make frosting:
Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Mound frosting on top of cake. Dust with additional cocoa powder.

Cooks' notes:
• Cake, without frosting, will improve in flavor if made 1 day ahead. Cool, then keep, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Frost cake just before serving.
• The egg whites in the frosting are not fully cooked. You can substitute pasteurized or reconstituted dried egg whites if salmonella is a problem in your area.


The cake it’s self is pretty straightforward, creaming the butter and sugar, and adding in turns. My square cake tin doesn’t have a removable base, so I made sure to use baking paper for easy removal. The best way to do it is to let it cool for a couple of minutes, then put a dish over the top of the cake and flip the whole thing over. That way you can just lift off the pan, and peel off the paper. If you want to turn it back right side up, just put another dish over it and flip it again.

The frosting was new for me. It was an interesting method. Like making meringue, but in a double boiler. It sounded intimidating, but it was fine, once I got used to having an electric mixer in one hand and an oven glove on the other (the bowl kept slipping in the pot). It took the full 7 minutes, but it came out amazing. It was sticky and frosting-y and tasted just like marshmallows. I loved it.

The recipe mentions that the cake improves in flavor if you refrigerate it over night, and it’s no joke. This cake was good on the day it was made, but it was excellent the next day.

I would make this again, probably for a kids event more then a grown up event, thought it would be fine for either. I agree with the four forks rating, I will make it again.

Garlic and Rosemary Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Reduction

For balsamic syrup
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns

For chard
1 bunch Swiss chard (1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water

For lamb chops
8 rib lamb chops (1 1/4 lb total), trimmed of all fat
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Make syrup:
Simmer syrup ingredients in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart nonreactive saucepan (see cooks' note, below) over moderate heat until just syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a small bowl, discarding rosemary and peppercorns.

Sauté chard:
Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Broil chops while chard cooks:
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle chops with garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper, then broil on a lightly oiled broiler pan, 4 to 5 inches from heat, turning over once, for medium-rare, 6 to 7 minutes total. Serve chops and chard drizzled with balsamic syrup.

Cooks' note:
Stainless steel and enameled cast iron are nonreactive, but avoid pure aluminum and uncoated iron.


I got this recipe from Epicurious. It’s a really great website for recipe ideas.

I chose this one for Valentine’s day because lamb chops are good and pretty festive, and also because this recipe looks and sounds really impressive, even though it’s super easy and fast.

It worked out great.

I couldn’t find any Chard, so I used some other greens instead. They came out really wonderfully. The balsamic reduction takes no time at all, but tastes really good like a fancy sauce.

This was a great dish. It was tasty and easy to make and it felt very special. Perfect Valentine’s day fare.

Double Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I thought I had a photo of these, but I guess I forgot to take one. You can see what they look like Here. I got them from the magazine, but they are also on Epicurious.


For dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 pound fine-quality white chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cookie cutter
Garnish: decorative sugar (optional)
Preparation

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half and form each piece into a 6-inch square, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, 2 to 3 hours.

Make ganache while dough chills:
Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan, then stir into melted chocolate. Stir in butter and vanilla until smooth. Cover surface with parchment paper and chill, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 30 minutes.

Cut and bake cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter 2 large baking sheets.

Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Slide dough in parchment onto a tray and freeze until dough is firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut out as many rounds as possible from first chilled square with cutter, reserving and chilling scraps, then quickly transfer cookies to a buttered baking sheet, arranging them 1/2 inch apart. (If dough becomes too soft, return to freezer until firm.)

Sprinkle half of cookies with decorative sugar (if using), then bake cookies until baked through and slightly puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on sheet on rack 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely (cookies will crisp as they cool).

Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll only once).

Assemble sandwich cookies:
Beat ganache with an electric mixer at high speed just until light and fluffy. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag (snip off 1/8 to 1/4 inch from 1 corner with scissors). Pipe ganache onto flat sides of plain cookies, then top with sugared cookies to make sandwiches. Chill, layered between sheets of parchment, in an airtight container until filling is set, at least 1 hour.

Cook's notes:
• Dough can be chilled up to 2 days.
• Ganache can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with parchment. Bring to room temperature, then beat with mixer before using.
• Sandwiched cookies keep, chilled, 4 days.

These came from a copy of Gourmet magazine . that cookbad sent me from the States. What a great magazine! This was the Christmas cookie issue, and it had so many amazing looking cookies, I hardly knew where to start.

I chose these because of their double chocolate-ness. I couldn’t resist.

The recipe looks pretty complicated, and I’m not going to pretend that it’s a quick and simple one, but if you just get into the idea of doing it in phases, then it’s no big deal.

I left the dough to sit in the fridge for much longer then it said to because I made the dough before going out in the morning. It’s fine to do that, but you have to keep in mind that you’ll have to let it warm up a bit before it is soft enough to roll. That actually worked out even better for me because although it was really hard to roll, I was able to roll them out, cut them and transfer them to a baking sheet without having to re-chill the dough.

The cookies come out really beautifully crispy and light.

Then the filling… my advice to you is to use the best quality white chocolate you can find. I skimped a bit, and I felt like it made a difference to the quality. They were still really good cookies, but they could have been even better.

I don’t have a piping bag, so I used a freezer bag with the corner cut off. That worked really well. Using a spoon, did not. I only did that for one cookie.

I will definitely make these again, they were like fancy Oreo cookies.

Hoisin sauce, & some things you can make with it

These are the tofu snacks..

They were pretty good.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the amazing, wonderful, fabulous lamb chops, but the recipe is here if you want to try them.


Hoisin Sauce
½ cup dried adzuki beans, rinsed
2tbsp toasted sesame oil
1tbsp minced garlic
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ tsp Asian chile garlic sauce, or ¼ tsp dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste

Place beans in a medium sized saucepan and add 5 cups of water. Bring the water to boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Let the beans simmer gently, uncovered, until they are very soft, 1.5 to 2 hours. Drain the beans in a colander and let them cool. Puree the beans in a food processor until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, but not smoking, add the garlic. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally, until it is soft but not browned, 2-3 min.
Add the bean puree and the brown sugar, cider vinegar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and 2 tbsp of water to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 10 – 15 minutes.
Add the chili garlic sauce to the hoisin sauce and sir to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding more chili sauce as needed. Let the hoisin sauce cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 10 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator over night.

I was always under the impression that Hoisin sauce had plums in it, and this recipe has none to be found, but I really wanted to try the Hoisin tofu snacks, and I happened to have some adzuki beans lying around, so I gave this a go.

It’s from Food To Live By, which is one of my all time favorite cookbooks. The two recipes that follow are from the same book.

This was easy to make, and it made enough to make two batches of tofu snacks, and a lamb chop dinner, so it’s worth making.


Hoisin Tofu Snacks
14 to 16 oz extra firm tofu
½ cup home made hoisin sauce
2tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1tbsp hulled sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350f/180c
Cut the tofu into rectangles, approx 1 inch wide by 2 inches long by 1/3 inch. Arrange the pieces in a baking pan just large enough to hold them in a single layer. To make sure the tofu get crispy all over, the slices should be slightly separated.
Combine the hoisin Sauce, tamari, and sesame seeds, if using, in a small bowl and pour this mixture over the tofu. Turn the tofu so that both sides are evenly coated.
Bake for 30 min. Remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula and a large spoon to flip the tofu pieces. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes longer. Then turn the tofu over again, and bake until deep golden brown, 10 min more. Remove from the oven and allow the tofu to cool for at least 5 min. The longer it sits out the firmer the tofu will become. Serve warm. The tofu snacks will keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to three days (although they will lose their crispness).


These were incredibly easy to make. I pressed the tofu first so that it would have a better texture. It’s easy, just wrap it in a clean towel, and pile an absurd amount of books on it, then wait. I thought they were fun, my husband loved them. I made a second batch by request.

Just to let you know, About halfway through they start to smell a little like they are burning. They’re not, they just smell that way. It happened both times, and both times they came out fine.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Mongolian Sauce
2tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2tbsp minced garlic
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
½ cup ginger vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
2tbsp firmly packed, light brown sugar
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1tbsp Asian Chili Garlic sauce
8 loin or rib lamb chops

To make the marinade, place the ginger, garlic, shallots, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, tamari, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, and chili sauce in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the lamb chops in a large re-sealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Let the chops marinate in the fridge for at least 8 or up to 48 hours, turning the bag occasionally to distribute the marinade evenly.
Set up the barbecue grill and preheat it to medium.
Remove the chops from the marinade and transfer them to a platter. Strain the marinade through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Discard the solids. Bring the marinade to a boil over high heat and cook until it thickens to a sauce, 3-5 min.
Place the lamb chops on the hot grill and cook them for about 2 min on each side. Baste the chops with some of the boiled marinade. Cover the grill and cook the chops , turning once, until cooked to taste, about 6 min longer for medium rare. To test for doneness, insert an instant read thermometer through the side into the center of a chop without touching the bone. It will register 145f when the chop is done to medium rare.
Let the chops rest for 5 min, then serve them with the boiled marinade on the side.

These are amazing. I don’t make lamb chops very often, but I might start now. My advice to you is to make the hoisin sauce, portion it out and freeze it so that you can make these whenever you want to. Because once you make them once, you will want to make them again.

I used the grill in my oven because we don’t have a barbeque. It worked fine, though I had to cook them for 2 minutes longer then the recipe instructed. I think that the cooking time might vary slightly from one grill to another.

Try this recipe for yourself and find out.

Pad Thai

225g wide dried rice noodles
450g raw prawns (I used tofu instead)
2tbsp ground nut oil
3tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
3tbsp finely sliced shallots
2 large fresh red or green Thai chilies, seeded and chopped
175g fresh beansprouts
2 eggs, beaten
1tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp lime juice
2tbsp fish sauce
1tsp sugar
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
1 lime, cut into wedges
3tbsp coarsely chopped fresh coriander
3 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
3tbsp coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
1tsp dried chili flakes

Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of warm water for 20 min. Drain them in a colander or sieve.
Peel the prawns and discard the shells. Using a small sharp knife, remove the fine digestive cord. Wash the prawns in cold water with 1tbsp of salt, then rinse well and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the oil, and when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the prawns and stir fry for about 2 min. Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reheat the wok, add the garlic, shallots, and chillies, and stir fry for 1 min, then add the noodles, and stir fry for another minute. Finally, add the bean sprouts, eggs, soy sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and pepper, and continue to stir fry for 3 min. Return the prawns to the wok, mix well and stir fry for 2 min.
Turn the mixture onto a warm platter. Garnish and serve at once.

This was from Ken Hom Cooks Thai. Ken Hom is a Thai cooking god. You should buy this book. I have made a ton of recipes from it, and the worst of them have been good, the best of them have been all time favorites that will blow your mind they are so good.

This one was fabulous. It was as good or better then what you would get at a Thai restaurant. I love this recipe.

I made a couple of changes. For one thing, I used the precooked noodles that are meant to go right into the wok. The only reason was because it was all I could find on short notice that had the right shape to it. You really do want flat noodles for this dish. I used more then the recipe said, because dried ones would have expanded, whereas mine were already cooked. I think I used almost twice the weight, and it made just enough to serve four.

The other change I made, was using Tofu instead of prawns. Partly because prawns are so expensive, partly because I was looking for a tofu recipe, and figured this one would convert well. It did.

I pressed the tofu first, which worked out really well. You just wrap it in a clean towel and put a baking sheet on top of it, and then weigh it down. I used four heavy cookbooks, and left it for a couple of hours (in the fridge). It gets rid of excess moisture, and gives the tofu a much nicer, more firm texture.

Because of the substitutions, I skipped the first couple of steps. I didn’t need to soak the noodles, or to precook the tofu, I just added it at the end, when you would have been adding the prawns back in.

I have to stress that this dish is all about the garnishes:



That is what makes it so super, crazy, unbelievable, over the top good. Also, it took about 10 min of chopping and measuring, and about 10 min of cooking. So if you make it this way, then in only 20 minutes time, you have a fabulous dinner, that is a little something different.

Beef and Broccoli noodles

225g wide dried rice noodles
450g Chinese or ordinary broccoli
450g lean beef steak
2tsp, plus 1tbsp light soy sauce
1tsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp cornflour
3tbsp groundnut oil
2 eggs, beaten
2tbsp fish sauce
1tsp sugar
1tsp chilli flakes or powder
3tbsp oyster sauce
Garnish:
1tbsp ground nut oil
3tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
3tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of warm water for 20 min. Drain them in a colander or sieve.
If you are using Chinese broccoli, cut into 1 inch pieces. If you are using ordinary broccoli, separate the florets and peel and thinly slice the stems on the diagonal. Blanch the broccoli in a large pot of boiling salted water for 3 min, then drain and plunge into cold water. Drain thoroughly.
Put the beef into the freezer compartment or the refrigerator for 20 min. This will allow the meat to harden a little for easy cutting. Then cut into thin slices 1.5 inches long. Put the beef slices into a bowl and add the 2 tsp soy sauce, the rice wine, sesame oil, and cornflour. Mix well and let marinate for 20 min.
Heat a wok or a large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the groundnut oil, and when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the beef and stir fry for about 2 min. Remove the meat and drain it in a stainless steel colander set inside a bowl, leaving about 1tbsp of oil in the wok.
Reheat the wok, add the noodles and the broccoli and stir fry for 2 min. Then add the eggs, the remaining soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and chili flakes, and continue to stir fry for 3 min. Then add the beef and oyster sauce, mix well and stir fry for 2 min more. Turn the mixture onto a warm platter, wipe the wok clean and reheat until hot. Add 1tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle the garlic on top of the noodles together with the peanuts. Serve at once.

This is a Thai take on a classic Chinese dish from Ken Hom Cooks Thai.

I liked the trick about putting the meat in the freezer for 20 min. It worked like a charm, it was really easy to cut.

The marinade doesn’t have to work long, but it really does make a difference to the flavor of the meat. We don’t eat beef too terribly often, and all through dinner my youngest kept saying “I love the brown chicken, can I have more brown chicken please”. Needless to say, this was a big winner, clean plates all around.

All that and quick and easy to make. Thanks again Ken Hom!

Apricot Glazed Chicken

½ cup finely chopped shallots
¼ cup finely chopped, peeled ginger
2tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup apricot preserves (12oz)
16 chicken drumsticks

cook shallots and ginger in oil in a small heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 min. Stir in vinegar and boil until reduced by about half, about 2 min. Add soy sauce, preserves and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 min.
Puree sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then cool to room temperature.
Divide chicken into two large sealable bags and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bags, pressing out excess air, and marinate, chilled, turning bag over occasionally, at least 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 425f with rack in the middle
Line a shallow heavy baking pan with 2 slightly overlapping sheets of foil, then lightly oil the foil. Arrange chicken with marinade in 1 layer in the pan. Roast, turning once, until deep brown, cooked through and glazed, about 40 min total.
Can be marinated up to 24 hours.

I got this recipe from an issue of Gourmet Magazine that a friend sent to me. It’s a shame we can’t get this one out here. It’s beautiful, and the recipes all look amazing.

I tried this one right away because it looked so child friendly, and because it doesn’t require any real work on the day you are going to eat it. The sauce was easy enough to make while I was doing other things the day before. I only made half the amount, because the original recipe makes quite a bit.

Just a note, they are not kidding about being careful when you blend hot liquid. I used a stick blender, and a bit splattered onto my arm. The burn mark lasted all night.

The next day it was just pour and bake. Easy as pie, and it came out wonderfully. Both boys loved it, and so did we. It’s sweet and sticky and all the things you want drumsticks to be. I will use this recipe anytime I am cooking for kids. I also think it would make great summertime barbeque or picnic food.

Thai Grilled Salmon

4 salmon fillets
1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1tbsp fish sauce
1tbsp sesame oil
2tbsp runny honey
¼ cucumber, diced
½ red onion, diced
4tbsp Sweet chili sauce, mixed with a squeeze of lime juice

Put the salmon in a bowl with the chili, garlic, coriander, fish sauce, sesame oil, and honey. Season with pepper and refrigerate for at least 20 min, or overnight.
Grill the salmon until it is crisp at the edges. If you like it cooked all the way through rather then rare in the idle, then keep cooking till the fish feels firm to the touch. Serve with the cucumber and onion sprinkled over and the sweet chili dipping sauce.

This was part of the Thai kick that I was on last week, but it was from 101 Global Dishes.

These books are really fun, and though once in a while you get a stinker, many of the recipes are really, really good.

This was one of the really, really good ones. Simple to make, super quick. I set mine marinating at lunch time, and then cooked it for dinner, but you could do it the night before too, if you are out all day. The cooking it’s self took about 10 min.

I have to say that this recipe was so good, that even thought I totally forgot to serve it with the garnishes or the dipping sauce, it was still loved by all (even my more fussy older son).

This is sweet and flavorful, and an all around great thing to do with salmon.

Chicken with Chorizo, Beans and Spinach

1tbsp olive oil
8 chicken pieces (4 drumsticks, 4 thighs)
175g fresh Spanish chorizo, cubed
1 onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1tsp mild chili powder
3 red Romano peppers, halved, seeded and cut into chunks
400g passata
2tbsp tomato puree
150ml chicken stock
1X400g and 1X200g can of butterbeans, drained
a small bunch of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g bag of baby spinach leaves
3tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander or parsley

Preheat to 190. Heat the olive oil in a heavy flame proof casserole, and brown the chicken pieces all over. Lift them out onto a plate and add the chorizo to the casserole. Cook the chorizo for 2-3 min, until the red oil starts to run, and then add the onion, garlic, and mild chili powder. Cook over a low heat for about 5 min till soft.
Now add the peppers and cook for another 2-3 min to soften them. Stir in the passata, tomato puree, stock, beans, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 10 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Return the chicken pieces and any juices to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Then cover and bake in the oven for about 25min. Remove from the oven and uncover. If the sauce looks too watery, place the casserole over a medium heat, and boil to reduce until nice and thick. Stir in the spinach and coriander or parsley. Allow the spinach to wilt into the stew. Remove the thyme and bay leaf from the casserole and serve.

This is the first recipe I’ve tried from Nick Nairn’s top 100 Chicken Recipes. The book looks promising, the recipes are quite varied, and many of them looked intriguing.

I started with this one because I was feeling uninspired, and I asked my husband to make a suggestion about what I should make for dinner. His suggestion was something with Chirizo in it. Good suggestion, not terribly specific, but it gave me something to go on, and it led me to this.

This was delicious. It had all of the deep flavor that you expect from a chorizo recipe, and it had beans and greens al in the same pot with the chicken and chorizo, so it was really a complete meal all by it’s self.

Do be careful of the passata that you choose though. There are a lot of them out there these days, and I accidentally got one that had basil mixed into it. It worked out ok, and my husband was totally over the moon for it, but I’m sure it would have been even a little better if I had paid more attention to the passata that I bought.

Serve it with crusty bread, and it will be a big winner.