Chicken Cacciatore in the Thermomix

Sometimes all you need is a little pat on the back to give you the motivation you need to keep on going.

This week was the annual pilgrimage out to the Children's Hospital for the usual pokes, prods, and WEIGH IN for "The Child Who Cannot Be Filled!". The words the doctors uttered were not so much the pat on the back I needed, although I was told that all things considered we were traveling very well along the bumpy road of Prader Willi Syndrome. It was more the look of utter disbelief that I encountered when I met up with a doctor, and please excuse me if that is it not your actual title, you probably are a Professor now! But anyway, when I ran across this particular medical professional in the stairwell, as we travelled between appointments, to say that she literally had to pick up her jaw up off the floor would be a little bit of an understatement. She could not believe that this child that had been given the sentence of "PWS" 14 years ago, was the same child/young man that stood/towered above her now!

The look on her face, was the pat on the back that I needed to say "hey you are doing a great job". It made it seem like all the hard, hard work that I have put into the last 14 years have not been in vain.

As you face these hurdles in life, you often belittle the hardships and challenges you face? Do you take it all in your stride, buckle down and just get on with the job at hand? Do you say to yourself, it's not that bad, it could be worse, what am I complaining about? Sometimes though, inevitably, you leave to take stock, and you realize that what you are actually doing is in fact something out of the norm.

So as I face the week with a renewed sense of self. I pat myself on the back and say "good work, you are doing ok!"

After we came back from the hospital "The Child Who Cannot Be Filled" was also feeling pretty good about himself, so we sat down to a meal that night without a challenge. He seemed to understand (maybe) the reasons why the meals etc are the way they are. He accepted that he could have a massive plate full of food, if it was the right kind meal! So we had a beautiful Chicken Cacciatore, with a mega serve of vegetables!  Everybody was happy!

Chicken Cacciatore
Original Recipe by CateCanCook

Serves 6

1kg Chicken Breast, sliced into 2cm thick pieces
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
100g pancetta, roughly chopped
1kg tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 carrots, sliced thickly
10g oregano leaves
1tbs TM concentrated vegetable stock
100g white wine
200g swiss brown mushrooms, quartered
olives (if desired)


Place the pancetta into the TM bowl, pulse on turbo twice (1 second each).  Remove from bowl, set aside.  Place the onion and garlic in the TM bowl, chop on speed 7 for 3 seconds.  Add a small amount of olive oil.  Saute for 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1 (with the MC off).  Add the pancetta, and saute for an additional 2 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Add the roughly chopped tomatoes, stock concentrate, oregano leaves and wine, and cook for 20 minutes at 100 degrees on Reverse, Speed Soft, with the basket over the lid to stop any splatters.

Place the sliced chicken in the varoma tray and receptacle, making sure you don't cover all the holes.

Add the carrots and mushrooms to the tomato mixture in the TM bowl.  Place the varoma on top of the TM bowl.

Cook for 45 minutes at varoma temperature on Reverse, Speed Soft.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Place the tomato mixture into a prewarmed (put boiling water in it for 5-10 minutes).  Add the chicken and mix through.

At this point you could either then steam your vegetables in the varoma, by putting 1 litre of boiling water into the TM bowl, and cooking for 30 minutes at varoma temperature on speed 4.  OR you may just wish to steam your vegetables separately.

If you are not on a low carb diet, serve with some steamed rice.

This was an incredibly satisfying meal, and you really did not feel deprived by not having the rice with it.  The best part though - the scales continued to decline in numbers the next day too!!!

So another pat on the back!!!

So Dear Readers how do you face those tough obstacles in life?  Do you buckle down, or buckle in?  It's OK either way!

Salad Days!

Well we made it!  Sailing around the Whitsunday islands in a yacht is not all it appears in the glossy pictures!  We started the journey with some high wind conditions, which didn't make for smooth sailing for the first few days.  The poor "Darlings" didn't quite know what had hit them!  On day one I was already doling out the seasickness pills, and that was before we had even made it out of the harbour!  (mind you we were sitting in the Harbour for four hours, while they briefed us on how the boat worked!)  Day two had me sitting there, holding my head, wondering what the rest of the trip would be like!  Thank goodness it all calmed down after about day three!

I must say that sailing can certainly be a test of endurance.  Being confined in such close quarters for long periods of time certainly tests your limits.  Majority of the day is taken up sailing to particular locations.  Along the way you may stop and snorkel, and get to see some of the visual wonders that the area is famous for.  The beauty of the area is breathtaking.  The water is that lovely azure colour everywhere you look.  At times you would be snorkeling, seemingly alone, only to find yourself in the middle of a school of fish.  It was amazing, because until they changed direction, and the sun reflected off them differently, you had absolutely no idea that they were there with you!

One night, this guy decided that he liked the look of us, and spent a lot of time circling the boat, he would  occasionally would jump up out of the water so we could get a better look at him.  He was quite large, around about dinner plate size!

It's quite amazing, it takes you several days to get acclimatized to the sea, and quite some time to get your land legs back again too!  I am sure that I was swaying with the water for several hours once we were back on dry land!

Thank goodness once were back home the weather had improved, and we were actually getting some summer weather!  It has been a long time coming, but I think it is here now -  that is if the summer storm we had the first night back is anything to go by!    (And boy am I glad I didn't experience that one at sea!)

So life goes back to normal again.  I was pleased to be able to cook something light and healthy for a change.  The meals that we prepared on the boat were somewhat limiting (we were very poorly provisioned - due to a  lack of forward planning!)

This is a recipe that I found in the current edition of Good Food magazine.  I did pretty much follow the recipe, but of course, I did tweak it a little.  It was great, lovely fresh zingy flavours, courtesy of the lime juice!  Just what the doctor ordered after the bland meals of late!

Sweet Chilli Chicken And Corn Salad

Adapted from Recipe found in Good Food Magazine, February edition


Serves 4


3 x single chicken breasts

2 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce, plus 2 tbs extra

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 corn cobs, husks and silk removed, cut into 4 pieces each

400g tomato medley

2 limes, quartered, plus juice of 1 lime extra

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 head of baby cos lettuce, leaves separated, and torn into pieces

2 avocados, cut into wedges

Place the garlic, olive oil and sweet chilli sauce into a large ziploc bag.  Add the chicken, and allow 

to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Place the corn, lime quarters, and tomatoes in a large bowl.  Add a good couple of tablespoons on olive oil, and toss to coat well in the oil.

In a small bowl wisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce, and the juice of one lime. Add the chopped green onion. Season well with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Pre heat the barbecue to medium high.  Place the chicken breasts and the corn onto the BBQ.  Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through, and rotating the corn to ensure it browns evenly.  Add the lime pieces and tomatoes to the grill.  Cook until the limes are caramelized, and the tomatoes are browned slightly.

Slice the chicken breasts into thick slices.

Place the lettuce into a large serving bowl.  Add the chicken, lime wedges, avocado, tomatoes, and the corn.  Add the dressing, and toss lightly.

What a great light, tasty salad to have on a warm summer's evening!

Oh, it's good to be home again!

What did you do over the Christmas New Year's break Dear Readers?  Did you have fun?  Please share!

Chicken with Mango Apple Salad

I know, I have been slack again with the posts!!!  I could tell a lie here and come up with a story that could possibly be plausible, but the truth is that I have been spending far too much time playing with my new toy (the ipad) and hence daydreaming via the ipad about my upcoming trip to Italy!!!  Don't quite have all the details worked out yet, so expect to see more breaks in transmission until it is all booked and sorted out!!!

A meal that I did make last week that I thought was bloggable was a lovely fresh spring time meal, and that was Thai Chicken with Mango and Apple Salad.

I will give you the recipe as it is printed, but as per usual I did make a couple of adjustments - see the notations!

Thai Chicken with Mango and Apple Salad
Recipe from Good Food Magazine, November edition

Serves 2

6 french eschallots, peeled, halved
1-2 small red chillies, seeded * I used 1 long red chilli
1cm piece ginger, finely chopped
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, skin on
1 tbs coriander, finely chopped

Mango and Apple Salad
2 red apples, unpeeled, cored, cut into matchsticks
1/2 mango, peeled, cut into matchsticks * I used 1 whole smallish mango
1/3 cup mint leaves, roughly torn
2 green onions (shallots) thinly sliced
1/4 cup coriander leaves, roughly torn
2 tbs lime juice
3 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar * I doubled this

Steamed jasmine rice to serve

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan).  Place the eschallots and half of the chilli in a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped.  Remove half, and set aside to use for the sauce.  Add the ginger, lime rind and remaining chilli to the food processor.  Process to form a paste.

Het the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Cook the chilli paste, stirring for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Let cool slightly.

Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from each chicken breast, to form a pocket.  Place half of the cooled chilli paste unter the skin of each breast.  Place the chicken, skin side up, in a small baking dish.  Season and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the skin is golden, and the chicken is cooked through.  Transfer the chicken to a plate, and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes.

Place the baking pan with pan juices on the cooktop.  Add the lime juice and 1/2 cup of water.  Heat on medium, stirring to lift any cooked on pieces, until boiling.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, until reduced slightly.  Add the chopped coriander and reserved chilli mixture.  Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Mango and Apple Salad

Combine the apple, mango, mint, green onion and coriander in a bowl.  Whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add to the salad, and toss to combine.

Serve the chicken with steamed rice and the Apple and Mango salad on the side.

Yum, got to love it when the first mangos hit the fruit markets!!!!  My all time favourite summer fruit!!!

So how did I drag myself away from daydreaming to blog????  Well I still have not got the blog to work on the ipad, and I have two cakes in the oven at the moment (for our school's 60th birthday celebrations tomorrow) and so I find myself at a loose end and near the main computer!!!!

What's in the oven??  A Finnish Buttermilk Cake and a new recipe - a Thermomix Coconut Butter Cake - can't wait to try that one - I have heard good reviews from a friend with a TM!!!  Hope they both sell well at the cake stall tomorrow!!

The buzzer has just rung on the oven - so I can get back to daydreaming now - perfect timing I say!!!!

Chilli Coconut Chicken with Basil and Coconut Cream

Well life as we know it is now back to normal.

"The Darlings" have returned from their adventure in Japan with many stories to tell.  The one who was scared to go because he was afraid there would be nothing there that he would like to eat tells how the food there was really good!!!!  He even tried something that he thought looked disgusting - but it wasn't!!!  My how an adventure on your own can change your perspective!  Let's hope it continues.

Life here went on pretty much as usual (albiet a lot quieter!)  Spent the first few days they were away pulling their room to pieces and starting the arduous task of painting and giving the rooms a fresh look.  I wanted them to be "magazine perfect" when they returned - but that was not to be - am still waiting on several pieces of furniture in order to fully assemble - but they look a lot better than when they left.

After a hard day of slogging away in their rooms it was time to think about dinner.  I had not had a chance to go to the shops - what with one thing and another, so it was a matter of scrounging through the fridge to see what I could assemble!

We had some chicken, basil, coconut cream and some chillies....  I remembered a recipe I made many, many years ago, and went from there.....

Chilli Coconut Chicken with Basil and Coconut Cream
Adapted from Australian Women's Weekly Easy Thai Style Cookbook

Serves 4

1kg chicken breasts, sliced into 1cm strips
2 tbs sesame oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 cup shredded fresh basil
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp chopped fresh coriander root
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup coconut cream
1 tbs ketchap manis

Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat.  Add the onion and chillies. stir fry until the onion is soft.

Add the chicken and stir fry until the chicken is cooked through and tender.  Add the basil, fish sauce, coriander root and sugar.  Stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the coconut cream and ketchap manis, stir mixture until heated through.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

What a lovely, quick and easy dinner this was - great flavours too.  I know the ketchap manis is not usually in the recipe - but I just love the flavour that it adds.

Sorry, too tired for any fancy photos - it was just a matter of let's just eat!!!!

Chicken Wings with Ginger Caramel Dipping Sauce

Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for.

Until recently I felt like I needed something to fill a void I felt in my life.  I was a stay at home Mum who was becoming tired of all the "mundaneness" that being a stay at home Mum involves.  So I embarked upon some new avenues in life.  The first being this blog - even though it didn't get me out of the house - I felt like I was getting out and about in the world - meeting new people - although rarely if ever in person.  Still though, I felt I needed something else - and I started the Thermomix adventure.  Now, I feel that I have so much going on that I don't have time to do anything properly anymore.

It feels like a million years since I wrote my last post - don't worry I have been cooking away, and taking photos - but I just never seem to find the time to get around to writing the post.

I am here now to make amends for this error in my ways!!!

Recently I was sent some samples of Real Stock from the people at Campbell's - they have a new range  of stock pastes available - chicken, beef and vegetable.   I don't really think they are that new - they have just been repackaged and re-introduced to the market.  I actually used to buy these several years ago, and was disappointed when they were no longer available.  Along with the samples there was a lovely little recipe book - with some great recipes in it.  A couple of weeks ago I was tempted to make King Prawn and Chive Ravioli with Saffron Butter Sauce.

I must say I was very disappointed with the recipe.  Although the flavours were lovely - they were ruined, I felt, by the Saffron Butter Sauce - the basis of which was vinegar.  I felt the vinegar totally overpowered the flavours - if I made the dish again I would make it a purely creamy saffron sauce.

My next choice of recipes was Chicken Wings with Ginger Caramel Dipping Sauce.  "The Darlings" and Mr. CCC love chicken wings, so I felt that this would be a "Dinner Winner".  I was not let down with this recipe.  One component that I loved was the Caramel Dipping Sauce - again the basis of this sauce was vinegar (do Campbell's have a vinegar range as well??? Will look next time I am at the store!!).

I have of course modified this recipe - 1) to use the Thermomix to make the marinade even easier - and 2) to increase the servings.

Chicken Wings With Ginger Caramel Dipping Sauce
Adapted from For The Love of Real - Real Stock - Campbells Cookbook
Serves 4-6

2kg chicken drumettes

Marinade
4tsp Campbell's Real Chicken Stock Paste
4 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch coriander leaves
3cm pice of ginger, roughly sliced
240g ketchap manis
45g olive oil

Place the garlic, ginger, and coriander in the TM bowl.  Process for 3 seconds on speed 7.  Scrape down bowl and repeat if necessary.  Add the ketchap manis and olive oil and process for 3 seconds on speed 4.  Place the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag, along with the chicken drumettes and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to cook.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Place drumettes in a large roasting pan and bake for 60 minutes, turning regularly to allow even browning.

Meanwhile make the Ginger Caramel Dipping Sauce.

Ginger Caramel Dipping Sauce

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 star anise pods
200g brown sugar
2cm piece of ginger sliced thinly

Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan.  Mix to combine.  Bring mixture to the boil, then simmer for 6-10 minutes, or until the mixture is syrupy.

Serve the chicken wings with steamed rice, or fried rice, accompanied with the Dipping Sauce, and garnished with thinly sliced green onions (if desired).

These wings were a huge hit!!  Not a scrap left over - just what every cook likes to see.  The Ginger Caramel Sauce was also a lovely accompaniment to the wings.  This dish will definitely be made again.  A great dish to get ready in the morning and the just throw in the oven when you walk in the door in the evening!!  Also would make a great entertaining meal - finger food!!!

So Dear Readers have you ever wished for something, only to find that after you have "got" it, that perhaps that wasn't what you were looking for, and that you were actually doing ok in the first place??

I will try and find a little more time to get some more posts up here!!!

A Taste of Veneto (A Taste of Venice)

OMG!!!! 


What a week it has been!  I have been so busy that I haven't had time to scratch myself, let alone write a post.

The week started off badly last Saturday when one of "The Darlings" broke his arm at rugby - that of course has meant several trips to the doctor during the week - getting the X-rays, then the temporary plaster on, then the fibreglass cast, and then of course the check up to check the cast!!!!     ..... But wait, that's not all..... the dog had a stroke on Sunday/Monday - so that has meant many, many trips to the vet during the week (having  a "special needs" child that is very attached to an animal confounds, and confuses the issue so much - what is the right and moral thing to do by both the child and the animal - it has been an incredibly emotional week - for all of us).  We have brought the dog home today, but I am still in a quandary as to what is the right thing to do.  So being unable to make a decision, I now find myself the nursemaid to an invalid animal - what a joy that is, as I am sure you can imagine!

In that mix there has also been the fact that my Thermomix business has taken off with a flying start - I have demos booked left right and centre - which is great - but - wow - I need a little time to breathe to take it all in.  Several people have bought, and that has meant that I need to go and spend time with them, making sure that they are confident and happy with their new little buddy in the kitchen.  That is not hard though, as I love Thermie and I want them to love theirs as much as I love mine!!!

So you see, life as we know it has sort of ground to a halt in this house this week.  Food has come and gone - some meals has been microwaved frozen leftovers, others have been - well, just fling something on the plate and hope for the best.

It seems a lifetime ago, but last weekend I made a lovely Italian Style Roast Chicken Dinner.  In the current edition of Good Taste Magazine Guy Grossi has a  segment called "Taste of Veneto"  - it is basically a whole Italian Feast - I simply took the components that I wanted, to produce our meal. I made the roast chicken with a "bread" sauce and a side dish of peas.

Pollo Arrosto with Salsa Veronese Peara
Adapted from Good Taste Magazine - Recipe by Guy Grossi - August Edition

Serves 5-6

1 1.2kg whole chicken
1 x drumsticks
1kg kipfler potatoes, peeled thickly sliced
1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
1 celery stick, trimmed, coarsely chopped
9 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
10 fresh sage leaves
80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 lemon, quartered
500ml (2 cups) white wine

Salsa Veronese Peara
300ml chicken stock
90g (1 1/4 cups) fresh breadcrumbs - made from day old bread
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
20g butter

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.  Rinse the chicken (inside and out) and drumsticks under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Place the potato, onion, celery and 6 of the garlic cloves in a large roasting pan.

Remove the leaves from 2 rosemary springs.  Finely chop the rosemary leaves and half the sage leaves.  Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic.  Combine the rosemary, sage and garlic with the oil and chilli in a bowl.  (Or place all ingredients in the Thermomix and pulse on Turbo until chopped to desired consistency).  Rub the oil mixture over the chicken.  Place the chicken on top of the potato mixture in the baking dish.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Insert the lemon, remaining rosemary and sage in the chicken cavity.  Pour the wine into the roasting pan.

Roast, basting occasionally, for 1 1/4 hours, or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer.

Meanwhile, to make the salsa, place the chicken stock in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to the boil.  Add the breadcrumbs, oil and butter and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat to low.  Simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes, or until thick.  (you may need to add a little of the liquid from the peas to the salsa to make the mixture a less stodgy consistency).

Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables,  peas,  and the salsa.

Piselli con Pancetta
(Peas with Pancetta)

1tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
100g pancetta, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups frozen peas
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
4 fresh mint leaves, chopped
sea salt flakes

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook the pancetta, onion ans garlic, stirring for 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

Add the peas, stock, sage and mint.  Cook for 10 minutes or until the peas are heated through.

Season with the sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.

I really loved this dish, it seemed to add a whole new slant on the usual roast chicken.  The salsa veronese peara was quite a nice change from the traditional gravy that we usually have.  Although I did find that it was quite thick, so I added most of the liquid from the peas to thin it down a little.

I really liked the peas - I make my "Italian style peas" in a similar way - with chicken stock, onions and mushrooms - but adding the pancetta made them a little more special.   I highly recommend trying this next time you are thinking of making a roast chicken dinner!

So now we head off into another new week.  What will this week bring??  Let's hope it is not as hectic as last week!!!  I am counting the fact that my washing machine died a week or so ago into the equation, so I figure the series of three things happening, has happened to me and that I should be home free now!!!

So tell me Dear Readers do you find that when one thing happens to you, that you have a series of misadventures?  Or is it just me????  Please tell me it is not just me!!!!

Chilli Lime Prawns and Caramel Chicken

What to have for dinner - the never ending dilemma!!

I raided the freezer to see what we had - I didn't really want to go out and buy anything as it was the end of the week and the big shop was looming.  I knew I had some chicken thighs somewhere in the freezer.  Now just what to do with them?  Lots of grand ideas - I could make a chicken and bacon gnocchi - had all the ingredients, but the trouble was I didn't have enough time in between taxi runs with afternoon activities.  Pasta? No - going to have that tomorrow!  A quick flick through the current cooking magazines and I found a recipe for Caramel Chicken.  Great that will do, but will there be enough for us all?  Probably not, another scrounge through the frozen tundra resulted in some green prawns.  Ok we will have 2 dishes now!!!

Chilli Lime Prawns is an old stand by in this house.  Always quick and simple to make - great on the BBQ, and always a welcome addition to any meal.

Chilli Lime Prawns

500g green prawns, peeled, but tails intact
juice from 1 lime (if you like it extra sour you might like to add the zest as well)
1/2 bunch of coriander, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce

Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour - longer if time permits.

Heat a large frypan or wok over high heat, quickly stir fry the prawns until they turn pink, and are cooked through.

Serve immediately.

Caramel Chicken with Pickled Cucumber and Carrot
Adapted From Super Food Ideas Magazine - August Edition

Serves 4 

800g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbs dark soy sauce
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tbs fish sauce
juice of 1 lime

Pickled Cucumber and Carrot

1/4 rice vinegar
2 tbs caster sugar
2 lebanese cucumbers, cut into thin ribbons
1 carrot, finely shredded

To make the pickled cucumber and carrot.  Place the vinegar and caster sugar in a small saucepan with 1 1/2 tbs cold water.  Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved (approx 2 minutes).  Place mixture in a heatproof bowl.  Make the cucumber ribbons using a vegetable peeler.  Place the cucumber ribbons and shredded carrot into the vinegar mixture.  Set aside to cool completely.

Caramel Chicken

Heat a small amount of oil in a wok over medium high heat.  Cook the chicken in batches, stirring until just cooked. Transfer to a bowl.

Add a little more oil, then the onion, cook stirring for approximately 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.  Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Add  the chicken back to the pan.  Add the soy sauce.  Cook, covered for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the sugar, and cook stirring for 1 - 2 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling.  Add the fish sauce and lime juice.  Cook stirring for 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice, and the pickled cucumber and carrot.

If you have tried my Chinese Spag Bol and liked it, then you will love this recipe too.  Lovely sweet, juicy pieces of chicken - a good one for the kids!!!  Yes, "The Darlings" liked it, but one did pick out the onion!!!!

Oh if only it would stop raining.

I have to go out now and get a new battery for the car - don't you just love it when the battery starts to go,  and it is the most absolutely crappiest weather outside.  You don't want to go out - but you know that if you test the boundaries, that battery is going to fail you in the worst possible way, at the worst possible time otherwise!!!  Wish me luck - now I have to sit at the mechanics, held a prisoner in the waiting room because of the weather!!!

Hope the weather is nicer wherever you are reading this blog!!!!

Malaysian Chicken Curry with home made Naan Bread

Do you ever see a photo of a dish and know that you just have to make it?  I do it all the time.

I saw the photo for this dish in the MasterChef magazine several months ago.  It looked so good, I just knew I had to make it.  I even went out and bought all the ingredients, but just never seemed to get around to making it.  Anyway I was revisiting the magazine and ran across the picture again. That was it, I just had to make it now!  The trouble was after going to all the effort of making the dish I was really let down by the flavours.

I think if I ever made it again I would do it all a little differently.  It needed a little more flavour - perhaps a little more chilli, and I really think the curry leaves need not only to be a garnish, but cooked within the dish as well.

Malaysian Chicken Curry
From MasterChef Magazine April edition

Serves 4

2tbs vegetable oil
20 curry leaves *
1/2 tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste
1 cinnamon quill
1 onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
185g jar Malaysian Curry Paste **
800 - 1kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and cut into cubes
2tbs coconut milk ***
2 large desiree potatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 tsp sugar
50g unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
coriander sprigs, hard boiled eggs and steam rice to serve

Heat oil in a deep frying pano voer medium high heat.  Add curry leaves and chilli flakes, and fry for 1 minute or until curry leaves are crisp.  Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Add the cinnamon, onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft.  Add the curry paste and stir for 2 minutes or until fragrant.  Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes until well coated.  Add 1/2 cup water, coconut milk, potatoes and sugar.  Season with salt and stir to combine.

Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked.

Divide the curry among bowls and scatter with the curry leaves, peanuts and coriander sprigs.  Serve with quartered hard boiled eggs.

* I think you need to double the amount - fry off half and put the other half in the curry while cooking
** I used Ayam brand
*** I omitted the water and added more coconut milk - around 200ml

Homemade Naan Bread

FromMeat on the Menu Thermomix Cookbook

1 egg

50 olive oil

200g milk

210g greek style plain yoghurt

2 tsp yeast

600g bakers flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

Place the egg, oil, milk, yoghurt and yeast into the TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 3.  Cook for 4 minutes at 50 degrees on speed 3.  Leave in TM bowl for approximately 10 minutes to activate yeast.

Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into the TM bowl.  Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 3 minutes on interval speed.  Place the dough into a large oiled bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to at least 200 degrees C.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand until smooth.  Divide the dough equally. Roll out to 1/2cm thickness.  Stretch by hand into a pear shape.  Place onto a baking sheet that has been lined with baking paper.  Bake in the hot oven for around 5-8 minutes, or until golden. You do not need to turn them over.

 Serve with curry....

Has anyone else made this curry - I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it.  I just think it lacked a little something - I was so disappointed after all that anticipation.

It does look nice though!!!!

Spaghetti Carbonara

I was under the misconception that spaghetti carbonara was a creamy sauce.  This is apparently incorrect.  A true carbonara sauce is a combination of raw eggs, cheese, bacon, and butter or olive oil with black pepper.  The addition of cream was to come later.

The history of this dish is a little unclear - but some tend to believe that it started making appearances on dinner tables during World War 2, when the American troops were stationed in Italy.  The troops bartered their rations of powdered eggs and milk with the Italian peasants, and hence spaghetti carbonara was born.  When the troops returned home they then replicated the dish, but "Americanised" it with the addition of cream.

What got me wondering about the dish was the fact that it is in the current edition of Good Food Magazine as one of George Calombaris' mum's dishes - they are after all Greek, are they not?  Perhaps spaghetti carbonara is a dish that knows no international boundaries?

Spaghetti Carbonara
From Good Food Magazine - June edition

Serves 4-6

1 litre chicken stock
5 chicken wings
1 cup parmesan rinds (optional) *
3 thyme sprigs
1 clove garlic
500g spaghetti
1 tbs olive oil
200g piece of bacon, cut into 1cm cubes (I used speck)
5 egg yolks
20g butter, diced
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

* Parmesan rinds are the ends of the block of cheese - use them to flavour stocks, risottos or soups.  Discard them before serving.


Bring the stock to boil in a large saucepan on high heat.  Add the chicken wings, parmesan rinds, if using, them and garlic.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, removing any scum from the surface.  Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids.  Return the stock to a clean saucepan and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until reduced to 2 cups.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water according to packet directions.  Drain and return to the pan.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on high heat.  Cook the bacon for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on a paper towel.

Remove the stock from the heat.  Using a stick blender, blend the egg yolks and diced butter into the hot stock, until smooth and thickened.  Add the sauce to the spaghetti along with the parsley.  Toss well to combine.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Scatter with bacon and serve.

As you can see reading the recipe - there is no use for the chicken wings.  I thought to myself I am not going to just throw these away, but I didn't want to add them to the pasta either, so what should I do with them?

I was baking a loaf of multigrain bread to go with the meal so I decided to put the chicken wings in the oven at the same time.  I had used 7 wings in total.  I lined a baking tray with foil.  Placed the chicken wings on the tray and then sprayed them with garlic infused olive oil spray.  Next I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on them - and into the oven for the 20-25 minutes that the bread would take.

As for the bread - I made my usual bread mix, but added 30g each of sunflower seeds and linseeds, and 15g of sesame seeds.

After 25 minutes ......

How beautiful are these??

So to go with our bowls of spaghetti carbonara we had a lovely crispy chicken wing.  "The Darlings" declared the wings "better than KFC!"  Now that's some compliment coming from them!

MR. CCC was not with us when we ate, and unfortunately "The Darlings" liked the wings so much that they ate his share - oops!!!!

I will definitely make the wings again - I wonder if it was just a fluke - or can I replicate them again???

So Dear Readers have you made any little gastronomic discoveries whilst in the pursuit of making another dish?  Do tell.

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves

This meal is an incredible budget buster if ever there was one!!

I know that you can't always find chickens that are cheap - but if you scout around they are out there waiting to be found.  Yesterday my local butcher was selling three (yes 3) roasting chickens for $10!!! What a bargain!  After I smiled sweetly at him (and made a rather large purchase of beef ribs - which I can guarantee you cost a lot more than $10) he cut the chickens into 1/4's for me - so not only was this meal going to be cheap, - but oh so simple as well!

I found this recipe in the little booklet that came with the current edition of Good Food.

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves
Adapted from Booklet with Good Food Magazine - June edition

Serves 4-6

3 x chickens, cut into quarters
3 tsp sea salt
40 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2-3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 rosemary springs, leaves picked
2 thyme springs, leaves picked
3/4 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock

Rub the salt over the chicken.  Stand for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Cook the chicken in batches, skin side down, for 5 minutes, or until browned.  Transfer to a baking dish (disposable foil - no washing up!!!).

Add a small amount of olive oil to the frying pan.  Cook the celery and garlic for 8-10 minutes, or until the garlic is golden.  Stir in the herbs.  Add the wine and cook on high until the liquid reduces by half.  Add the stock and bring to the boil.

Pour over the chicken.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the chicken, with the garlic on the side.  The idea is to serve a crusty loaf of bread alongside, and spread the roasted garlic over the bread!  Yum!!!!

Add some roasted potatoes and sweet potato and you have a lovely roast chicken dinner - and the best part is I fed the family for $10!!!

Here's some bread I whipped up in the Thermomix!

There was half a chicken left over, so I shredded the meat, and added it to some Corn Chowder - you can't beat that for value can you?

So Dear Readers do you have a budget buster meal?  What is it?

Chicken with Roasted Cherry Tomato and Basil Sauce

There are some really simple partnerships in food that just work so incredibly well.  Tomato and Basil is one of them.  Add a little cream, and some seasonings and you have a sauce that you can serve with either seafood or chicken.

This is fast, simple, and very flavoursome!  Combine it with with some simply prepared vegetables and dinner is on the table in no time!

Chicken With Roasted Cherry Tomato and Basil Sauce
Adapted From Grill by The Australian Women's Weekly

Serves 4


500g cherry tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tbs olive oil
4 x 200g chicken breast fillets
1/2 - 1 cup shredded basil leaves (I used the Philadelphia reduced fat cooking cream cheese)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Combine the tomatoes, garlic and olive oil on a baking sheet lined with foil (saves washing up!!).  Roast for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften.  When the garlic is cool enough to handle, peel the skin from the bulbs.

Meanwhile cook the chicken in a large frying pan that has been heated to medium high.  Cook for 5 minutes each side, or until cooked through (will depend on actual thickness of each piece).

Blend or process the garlic and half of the cherry tomatoes until smooth.  Pour into a medium saucepan.  Add the basil and the cream, cook stirring over low heat until heated through.  Season and add the remaining cherry tomatoes back into the sauce. (Note, this can be done really easily in the Thermomix - less washing up!! - Process the tomatoes and garlic on speed 7 for 3 seconds.  Add the cream and basil, cook on 90 degrees for 2 minutes. Add the reserved tomatoes, use reverse speed for 30 seconds to combine).

To serve I added "smashed potatoes" and baby carrots that I baked in foil with a little butter and brown sugar.

Boil the potatoes until tender.  Place on a baking sheet and gently smash.  Spray with olive oil spray and bake in the oven along with the tomatoes and garlic (they will take around 25 minutes to become golden - so add 5 minutes before the tomatoes!!)  The carrots will only take around 5 minutes to cook.

Simplicity at it's best!!!

Baked Moroccan Chicken and Rice

When I started this blog my aim was never to repeat a recipe - either in the kitchen on here in the blog.  In hindsight the reality of that was quite absurd.  365 new recipes a year!!!  Of course that never happened - there were repeats (the family requested something - usually Chinese Spag Bol or Mexican of some kind) and hence no post was written for that day.

I got to thinking this past week yes a recipe may already be in the blog - but unless you were a) reading the blog at that time, or b) specifically looked up that recipe either via the archives or google new readers may never see the recipe.  Some recipes are so good they need to be repeated - such as the one I made last night.

This was one of the very first recipes I made when I started the blog and we revisited it again last night - and guess what - it is still good.  It is a great recipe because it is easy - it is made in one pot - and I found out last night that it is quite forgiving.  We are back into the thick of afternoon sport - which can mean being gone from the house from anything from an hour and a half to several hours.  I set about making this dish - placed it into a cold oven.  As luck would have it, Mr. CCC was late home from work last night - but you know what - even after 2 hours in the oven this meal was still great.  Now of course I don't advocate cooking it for that long - but it did hold up!

Baked Moroccan Chicken and Rice
From Taste.com.au Recipe by Michelle Lucia

Serves 4 *


1/4 cup apricot jam
1 1/2 tbs Moroccan seasoning
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tbs olive oil
500g chicken thighs, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
2 cups long grain rice, rinsed
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.  Combine the jam, seasoning, garlic and oil in a bowl.  Add the chicken and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. **

Place the rice in a 5cm deep 22cm x 26cm baking dish.  Top with the onion, tomato and peas.

 Pour over the stock and the lemon juice.  Top with the chicken.

Bake uncovered *** for 30 -35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the rice is tender.

* Here is the adjustments I made to serve 4-6 people
1/2 cup apricot jam
3 tbs Moroccan Seasoning
2 cloves crushed garlic
tbs olive oil
1kg chicken thighs
2 1/4 cups rice
1 onion
2 tomatoes
2 3/4 cups rice
(I forgot the lemon juice - was fine without!!)

** I really didn't think it needed any salt - so just added pepper.

*** I covered it with foil - put it into an oven that had NOT been preheated at 150 degrees and planned on having it there for about 1 1/2 hours.  I think covering it with foil helps retain the moisture.  Ours was a tad dry last night - but it had been in there for close on 2 hours!!!!  The foil was the saviour!

If you have seen this recipe first time around perhaps it will jog your memory, like mine, to make it again - it's worth revisiting!

So Dear Reader tell me do you have a favourite recipe that you perhaps haven't made for a while that you would like to share with us?