Kashmiri Curry

This recipe was inspired by Mary Berry’s kashmiri chicken curry but modified somewhat. It was amazing and the chicken was so tender. A truly delicious curry with a real depth of flavour. I hope you like my take on it.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon hot curry powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

Half tablespoon turmeric

Half tablespoon ground all spice

2 tablespoons ground nut oil or sunflower oil

Teaspoon chilli flakes

2 tablespoons flour

4 chicken breasts – chopped

1 onion – diced

450ml vegetable stock

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Thumb sized piece of ginger – grated

2 garlic cloves – minced

Method

Measure out all of your spices into a large mixing bowl except the ground coriander and chilli flakes, stir to combine and set aside.

Add your chopped chicken to a separate bowl and sprinkle over half of the spice mix and coat thoroughly. Marinate for at least an hour but overnight if time permitting.

Add your oil to a large pan and heat. Add your chopped chicken and brown. Set aside still reserving the oil in the pan.

Add our diced onions, grated ginger and minced garlic and cook down until the onions are soft and translucent.

Now add the chicken back to the pan along with the rest of the spice mix, stock, chilli flakes and flour.

Stir to combine and add your lime juice and zest. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer to an oven proof dish with a lid and cook in the oven for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir in your ground coriander.

Serve with soft pillowy naan breads and some fluffy basmati rice.

Braised Beef

What can I say about this recipe except that it’s utterly divine. The richest winter soul food there is. The beef is cooked low and slow until it is so tender it falls apart when you bite into it. Rich sauce full of root veg and peppers compliments the dish perfectly.

I once knew a girl who managed to salvage her relationship with a similar dinner and she’s married to him with two children now! Just saying.

Ingredients

500g extra lean diced beef

2 carrots – chopped

1 large onion – chopped

2 peppers – 1 red, 1 yellow – chopped

3 cloves garlic

Tin chopped tomatoes

200ml beef stock – the richer the better

1 tablespoon tomato pureé

Salt and cracked black pepper to season

Dessert spoon Bovril

Tablespoon vegetable oil

Method

Pre heat oven to 160c / 140c fan

Start by coating your beef pieces in flour and brown in a hot pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add the beef to an oven proof casserole dish with all the ingredients except the Bovril.

Cook low and slow for approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes making sure you stir every half hour or so.

Carefully take out the oven and try a piece of the beef to make sure it is tender and falls apart. If not you need to pop it back in the oven 10 minutes at a time more each time until this happens.

When the beef is ready stir in your Bovril and serve with buttery mash and green veg of choice.

Chicken Stew

My mum used to make beef stew and dumplings all the time in the Winter when we were little and I think of it as the ultimate comfort food. I’ve made a chicken version that’s a twist on a classic but still really rustic, delicious and full of flavour.

What’s better it’s a one pot dinner so it’s nice and easy with hardly any washing up which is always a bonus.

Thick slice of bread and butter obligatory.

Ingredients

800ml vegetable stock (x2 veg cubes)

1 medium potato – chopped into about 8 cubes

1 medium red onion – chopped into about 8 cubes

1/2 can butter beans

1/2 can lentils

Salt and cracked black pepper to season

3 cloves garlic – minced

Teaspoon dried rosemary

Can of cream of chicken soup

Dumpling mix – feel free to make your own.

Method

Pre heat oven to 180C / 160C fan

This is literally the easiest dinner ever.

Get yourself a large cook pot that is oven proof and put all your ingredients in except your dumplings and soup.

Pop in the oven for approximately 1 hour making sure it’s covered with a lid.

Now’s the time to mix up your dumplings and leave them to rest in the fridge for a while.

After about an hour remove stew from the oven and put on a low heat on the hob for another 20 minutes or so. 15 minutes before the end of cooking time add in your dumplings and 5 minutes before the end stir in your chicken soup. Simple!

Hoisin Chicken

This is one of the loveliest dinners I’ve had in ages, so quick and easy. Hoisin is always a winner in our house. So rich and full of flavour. The spring onions and cashews add a nice crunch. It’s great served with some jasmine or coconut rice and prawn crackers.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

5 spring onions – chopped

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Handful of cashews

Juice of half a lime

1 teaspoon honey

Salt and cracked black pepper to season

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic – minced

Method

Cut your chicken into cubes.

Mix up your hoisin sauce, honey, ground ginger and lime juice in a large mixing bowl and add the chicken pieces. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a pan over a fairly high heat. Add the spring onions, cashews and garlic. Stir for a minute or 2 then set aside.

Now add another tablespoon of sesame oil to the hot pan and pan fry your chicken cubes until they are cooked through. You need the heat fairly high to make sure your chicken browns nicely. Add your spring onions and cashews back in and season to your taste.

Serve right away with rice of choice.

Chilli Con Carne

I always make my chilli the day before as I think it tastes so much better the next day. The flavours are so much stronger and richer.

Serve it with rice, crunchy jacket potatoes or wrapped in a burrito with fresh lettuce and all the sour cream, guacamole, and salsa or simply in a bowl with jalapenos and loads of nachos to dip in.

It’s amazing with all the above dips as well as mango chutney which incidentally I’m obsessed with.

A lovely thick chilli that you can stand the wooden spoon up in on it’s own.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

750g steak mince

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons paprika

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cloves garlic – minced

3 tablespoons tomato pureé

1 tin kidney beans in chilli sauce

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 red onion – diced

2 tablespoons chilli powder

100ml water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons Worcester sauce

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine.

Method

Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan. I cook my chilli in a wok. Cook down the onions until they are nice and soft. Set aside on a separate plate.

Add another glug of oil and brown your mince.

Add all the spices, salt, pepper and garlic, then pour your onions back into the pan along with your tomatoes and kidney beans in their sauce, red wine, tomato pureé, water and worcester sauce.

Stir to combine all the ingredients and leave to simmer for 25 minutes or so.

Kung Pao Chicken

What a burst of flavour this was. So much better for you than the take away and you can probably make it quicker than it would take to pick it up. The sauce is so authentic and something you can knock up at home in minutes.

Serve with white rice, prawn crackers and a glass of chilled white.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1 red pepper – diced

1 green pepper – diced

2 medium onions

4 spring onions

Glug of sesame or chilli oil

Marinade

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Sauce

200ml chicken stock

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Chinese wine vinegar ( or rice wine or cider vinegar)

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

Half tablespoon ground ginger

4 cloves garlic – minced

Half teaspoon chilli flakes

Method

Dice up your chicken and rub over your marinade. Set aside while you chop up all your peppers and onions.

Pan fry your chicken in your hot sesame oil for 5 minutes, moving round the pan all the time.

Now add your diced peppers and onions and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Mix up your sauce, pour over and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes to thicken.

Tip: Serve with your white rice and prawn crackers. Pour yourself a nice glass of chilled white.

Chilli Salmon

Healthy can still be filling and delicious. I’m a little more mindful of what I eat in January in order to balance out the excesses of Christmas. Give or take the odd cookie ha ha. Salmon is a dish that features high on the menu.

Chilli helps fight off Winter colds and boosts metabolism. A tiny drizzle of honey adds a little sweetness and pairs perfectly with the chilli.

I serve with a beetroot salad to add a few antioxidants and a smidge of feta. Delicious!

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets

Teaspoon chilli flakes

1 red chilli – thinly sliced

Drizzle of honey for each salmon fillet

Juice of half a lemon

Method

Pre heat oven to 180c / 160c fan.

Place salmon fillets on a foil lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, squeeze over the lemon and drizzle over a little honey. Top with the sliced red chilli and fold the foil around the salmon forming a little parcel with just the top of the salmon visible.

Pop in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Serve with a salad. I like adding beetroot, feta, chilli and spring onion to mine.

Tip: Make double and have some for lunch the next day with a little white rice and salad.

Smokey Maple Chicken Skewers

Let’s change up chicken, rice and salad. Such a good option when keeping meals light. I love mine with lots of fresh lemon squeezed over.

Smokey maple chicken skewers are even better on the bbq so don’t forget to save this recipe for when the sun comes out later in the year.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Juice of a lemon

2 tablespoons maple syrup

4 lemon wedges to serve

4 skewers – soak in water before cooking

Method

Pre- heat oven to 200c / 180c fan.

Firstly make sure your skewers have been soaked in water for few minutes if they are bamboo. This will stop them burning.

Cube your chicken and set aside.

Mix up your marinade in large mixing bowl and place all of the chicken cubes in it. Mix to coat all the chicken fully. Leave for as long as you have but 20 minutes or so will be fine, overnight all the better.

Thread your chicken cubes onto your skewers. Place on a lined baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and with lots of fresh lemon squeezed over. Can be served hot or cold.

Healthy Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Such a great mid-week meal to cheer up January. It’s healthy but won’t leave you feeling hungry.

Tomato is the base of the sauce to keep it on the lighter side. Coriander, cumin, garlic, chilli and ginger bring the flavour. Bulk it out with as much veg as you like to pack in the vitamins and fill you up. I like peas and courgettes. Lentils for added texture and protein. This is one I make on repeat.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1 cup of frozen peas

1 onion – diced

Thumb size piece of ginger – grated

1 red chilli – thinly sliced

Half tablespoon ground coriander

Half tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon medium curry powder

1.5 tins of chopped tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon mango chutney

1 courgette – sliced into discs

Pinch of salt

Carton of ready cooked lentils – drained 230g

Half cup of water

Glug of ground nut oil

Method

Cook your diced onions in the glug of ground nut oil until they start to soften. Now add your ginger, chilli, garlic and 2 tablespoons water along with your spices, salt and chicken cubes and courgette.

Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring all the while.

Pour in your tomatoes, peas and lentils and simmer for approximately 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the courgette is tender.

Stir in your mango chutney to add a little sweetness and your water to loosen. Stir to fully combine and serve with white rice, chapatis and extra mango chutney.

Chicken Schnitzel

We eat chicken quite often and I never tire of thinking up different ways to serve it. Chicken schnitzel is a delicious recipe that’s so versatile and I serve it with cheese and bacon potato skins, salad and a sour cream and chive dip. It’s lovely in a brioche bun with mayonnaise or in a wrap with some green salad and chilli jam.

It smells amazing when the rosemary in the breadcrumbs is sizzling away in the pan. Imagine how chuffed I am that it’s rosemary growing in my garden especially since it’s the only surviving herb in sight!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 teaspoon onion granules

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 slices brown bread

Cup of plain flour

1 egg – beaten

2 chicken fillets – flattened

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Add your onion granules, salt, pepper and mix to fully combine.

Whizz up your bread snapped into pieces and your rosemary in a separate mixing bowl with a stick blender or pop in your blender. Add your onion granules, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Wrap each chicken breast in cling film or wax wrap and flatten with a rolling pin.

Heat your olive oil in a frying pan.

Remove cling film or wax wrap and dip the chicken into the flour, then the beaten egg and lastly the crumbs mixture making sure every inch is coated.

Pan fry turning every now and then until fully cooked through.

Serve when they are golden and crispy.