Chicken with chorizo, potatoes, chickpeas and lemons

Tags

Chicken, chickpeas, chorizo, lemons, potatoes, spanish, stew

The smell when this simple, one dish meal is cooking, is simply fabulous. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then you sit back and enjoy a glass of white wine and wait for the oven to do its job. Make sure to have lots of fresh baguette on hand to mop up all that superb juice at the bottom of the dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lemon, quartered (preferably organic)
6 to 8 pieces thighs and drumsticks
1 tablespoon paprika (sweet)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
200g / 8oz strong chorizo, cut into small chunks
12 cloves of garlic, peeled
400ml / 1 3/4 cup hot chicken stock
2 pinches saffron
1 tin chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
Parsley, fresh, roughly chopped
1 cup Greek yoghurt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
Mix the paprika, the salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil together and massage into into the chicken pieces
Place the chicken in a roasting dish
In a medium bowl, mix the potatoes with the chorizo and the rest of the olive oil
Scatter around the chicken
Cover with a lid or aluminum foil
Place in the oven for 30 minutes
Remove the lid or foil, stir all, add the lemon quarters, garlic, hot stock, saffron and the chickpeas and return to oven for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked
Sprinkle with parsley
Meanwhile mix the yoghurt with a pinch of paprika and a pinch of saffron and stir well – serve alongside the chicken with lots of crusty baguette
Enjoy!

Beef cheeks/ Daube de joue de boeuf

Tags

Beef, beef cheeks, cheeks, comfort food, daube, joue de boeuf, Pasta, stew

When it is cold and grey and wet outside, there is nothing better than a hearty stew cooking for several hours in wine and infusing your kitchen with the most tantalizing aromas. Now, you could do a Boeuf Bourgignon but you could also try something different – tender, melt in the mouth morsels of succulent meat bathed in a rich, deep sauce and served with pasta. Perfect.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1.2kg / 2 1/2 lbs beef cheeks (about 3 cheeks)
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 branch of celery, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bouquet garni
grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 bottle of red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g / 4 tablespoons butter
15ml / 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon piment d’Espelette
30g / 2 tablespoons flour
225g / 8oz chopped tomatoes
30g / 1oz good quality dark chocolate (at least 80%) , optional
1 to 2 cups beef stock (as needed)
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Preparation:

Place the beef cheeks,, carrots, celery, leek, shallots, garlic, bouquet garni, lemon and orange zest and red wine in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours, even overnight
Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F
Drain the meat and the vegetables, reserving the liquid
Pat dry the beef and season with salt and pepper and the piment
Melt the butter and oil in a large dutch oven , I use a Le Creuset, over medium heat
Add the meat and sear it, until browned on all sides, then leave to one side
Add the vegetables and cook for about 1 minute
Return the meat to the pan
Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes
Pour in the reserved wine from the marinade
Add the tomatoes
Grate in the chocolate if using
Pour in enough stock to just cover the meat and bring to the boil
Cover the dish and place in the oven for 4 hours, stirring once or twice
Remove from the oven and place on the stove top
Remove the cheeks from the dish, then place the dish over a high heat
Cook rapidly until the sauce reduces and thickens
Return the meat to the pan to warm it and coat with the sauce
Sprinkle with parsley
Serve with pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta
Enjoy!

Spicy yoghurt chicken

Tags

cape malay, Chicken, rainbow nation, South Africa, spicy, yoghurt

This is a Cape Malay classic recipe that is so easy and yet so flavourful. The smell of the spices cooking will have everyone waiting around the table for the meal to be ready. If you do not have Greek yoghurt, regular plain yoghurt will do but the sauce will be thinner. It might not be the prettiest looking dish but it is one of my favourite go to recipes.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
500ml / 2 cups hot water
375 ml / 1 1/2 cups natural Greek yoghurt
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala

Preparation:

Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan
Sauté the onion until translucent and starting to colour slightly
Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes over medium low heat
Add the chicken portions and brown well
Pour in the hot water and simmer for about 45 minutes
Add the yoghurt, cilantro, turmeric and garam masala and stir well to combine all
Do not allow to boil but cook gently for 1 to 2 minutes to heat the sauce
Serve with rice or naan bread and some chutney
Enjoy!