Paprika Chicken HD

This is a recipe from the first Hairy Dieters' book. We cook it a lot - usually making half the amount here and serving it with rice - and the book keeps going walkabout, so I'm recording the essentials here.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions
12 chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp smoked paprika
400g can chopped tomatoes
400ml chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp mixed herbs
3 large peppers
1 tbsp cornflour

Heat the oil in a large pan. Finely chop the onions and fry on a medium heat until softened.

Bone the chicken, if necessary; cut away the fat and cut each thigh in half. Season with pepper and add to the pan, turning occasionally until browned on both sides.

Finely chop or crush the garlic. Stir into the pan along with the paprika.

Add the tomatoes, stock and herbs. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

De-seed the peppers and chop into chunky pieces. Add them to the pan and cook for another 20-30 minutes.

Mix the cornflour with a tablespoon of the cooking juices and return to the pan. Cook another 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Chicken Paella

This is one of my signature dishes. It's kind of involved, but well worth the effort. Your classic paella is full of seafood, but it can be made with anything and I'm not a fan of shellfish. I usually use chicken, but sometimes substitute game.

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
250g chicken breast or thigh, cubed
1 red pepper, roughly diced
2 green pepper, roughly diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100g diced chorizo
100g diced pancetta
20g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
200g chopped tomatoes
1/2 tbsp paprika
180g bomba rice
500ml chicken stock
Pinch of saffron
200g peas

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan on a medium-high heat.

Fry the chicken and peppers until the chicken is browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the saffron to the stock to infuse.

Clean out the pan and heat the remaining oil on a medium-high heat.

Fry the onion, chorizo, pancetta, parsley and garlic (the sofrito) until the onion begins to soften.

Add the tomatoes and paprika, then cook on a medium heat until the liquid from the tomatoes is mostly evaporated.

Restore the chicken and peppers and add the rice. Stir so that the rice is coated in the other ingredients.

Add the peas and then the stock. Cook at a high simmer for c. 10 minutes without stirring or covering.

Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, until all of the stock is absorbed and the rice has just a little bite left. If the liquid is used up too quickly, top up with a little boiled water.

Cook on a high heat for a minute to scorch the bottom of the paella.

If cooking game - pigeon, pheasant etc - instead of chicken, omit the pre-cooking, as the meat will end up too dry.

Veg Box

This weekend, we mostly cooked using Hannah's organic veg box. Ingredients from the box are marked with an asterisk (*).

Friday - Chicken Casserole
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 medium carrots*
350g chicken breast fillet, cubed
500g mushrooms, chopped*
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
2 medium leeks, sliced*
1/2 glass white wine
2 chicken stock pots
1 red pepper, sliced*
1/2 cup rice

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over a medium-high heat.

Add the onion, garlic and carrot. Stir well, cover and sweat until the onion begins to soften.

Add the chicken and mushrooms and the paprika and oregano. Keep turning until the meat is sealed on all sides and beginning to brown.

Add the leeks, stir, then add the wine and one of the stock pots, stirring until it melts. Melt the other stock pot in 500ml of boiling water.

Add the stock, stir and cover. Bring to an easy boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the peppers and the rice and simmer until the rice has absorbed enough liquid to be al dente.

Saturday - Lamb Tagine
This is the same recipe as my last entry, but with lamb shoulder from the local butcher. Being mostly fruit, we didn't use the box veg.

Sunday - Chicken Soup
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped*
1 leek, sliced*
200g chicken breast fillet, cubed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
500ml chicken stock
2 nests rice noodles

Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Sweat the onion, garlic and carrots for a few minutes, then add the chicken and leek. I was using the chicken from frozen, so I actually sweated the vegetables in a separate pan until the meat was defrosted and sealed.

Add the herbs and stock. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the carrots are almost cooked through.

Add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes.

Sunday - Sausages and new potatoes with cabbage and bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

6 sausages (I used Fen Farm venison and pork, which at 100% meat are also entirely gluten free)

6 medium new potatoes, roughly chopped*

2 small carrots, roughly chopped*

1 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cloves garlic, halved

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 rashers unsmoked bacon, chopped

1 medium cabbage, shredded*

Coat the base of a large roasting dish in oil. Arrange the sausages, potatoes and carrots in the dish and season with the garlic, rosemary and pepper.

Place in a preheated oven at 180C, turning the food in the dish every 10-15 minutes for 30-40 minutes.

After 30 minutes, heat the oil in a saute pan. 

Sweat the onion, garlic and bacon until softening, then add the cabbage a few handfuls at a time, stirring and adding more as it reduces in size.

Cook the last of the cabbage for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Cover the pan while cooking if you want to soften the crunch.

Serve the sausage and potatoes on a bed of cabbage. The carrots in this recipe were the last in the box, included mostly for show (and because we know that our baby daughter will eat them), but they could be scaled up easily.

The veg was excellent quality. The carrots and cabbage were notable for their flavour, and the richness of the mushrooms created a much darker and earthier casserole than I had been expecting.

Lamb and Apricot Tagine with Moroccan Spiced Quinoa

This was a slightly experimental mish-mash based on what I did and didn't have in the cupboards. I had to improvise on the spices due to an absence of ras al hanout, mace, allspice, saffron or coriander leaf. The end result was very successful, however; sweet and spicy, and the meat just about right.

The recipe would work just nicely with couscous, for a fraction of the price, but quinoa is gluten free, as well as being the miracle superfood of our age. If using couscous, the cooking time is much less than quinoa. I imagine you'd pretty much mix it with the spice and onion, then cover with the stock and leave for five minutes.

I've used my approximate amounts, which served two and a baby, but it would double up nicely for a party.

ETA: I did this again a week later, replacing the slightly fancy lamb leg steak with about 400g of shoulder (once I'd trimmed out the fat and bone and cubed the meat). I had to cook it for about another 20 minutes, but the result was wonderfully succulent. As an additional lesson, be careful in sourcing the dried fruit; if the figs are very sweet you might want to consider adding a little more of the sharper spices (mainly turmeric and cumin).

I also don't have a tagine, so I cooked this in a saucepan.

Tagine
250g lamb, diced
1/4 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Put the lamb, flour, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon into a bag and shake to coat the meat in the spiced flour, then shake off the excess flour.

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
200ml chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
150g dried apricots, halved
75g soft figs, quartered
1 tbsp honey

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat. Add the paprika and cinnamon to the oil and mix well.

Add the lamb to the pan, turning to brown all sides well.

Add the onion and garlic and cook with the meat until the onion begins to soften.

Add the stock, pepper and coriander to the pan and stir well. Reduce to a simmer and cover.

Put the fruit in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 20 minutes.

Drain the fruit and stir into the pan with the honey. Recover and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Quinoa
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
50g dried apricots, chopped
150ml quinoa (I realise that quinoa is traditionally measured by weight, but like rice it absorbs liquid at about a 2:1 ratio, so volume is more useful)
300ml chicken stock

Rinse the quinoa in cold water.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan.

Add the spices, onion and apricot; stir together and sweat until the onion begins to soften.

Stir in the quinoa, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes, until the stock is absorbed and the quinoa become transparent.

Chilli con Carne

This is one of my favourite one-pan recipes; excellent with rice or wrapped in tortillas with grated cheese and sour-cream.

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Up to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
240g drained red kidney beans
1-3 chillies*, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped

500g beef mince
1/2 glass port

400g tinned tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano or 1/2 handful fresh
1 bay leaf

1 beef stock cube or pot

* The level of chilli should be varied according to taste. A single chilli will make a mellow dish; three plus cayenne will have some serious kick (if it doesn't, check your chilli supplies). If you like it volcanic, you can go higher, but that's as much as I'd want to do.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the spices and mix into the oil, then turn the heat up for about 30 seconds to get the oil really hot without giving the spice time to burn.

Add the beans, onions, garlic and chillies to the pan and stir well. Reduce the heat again, cover and cook until the onions start to soften.

Add the mince, stirring and cutting with the spoon until it breaks up and browns. Make sure that the spice mix is well mixed in with the ingredients.

Add the wine, then the tomatoes, stirring well. Finally, stir in the herbs and stock cube until the latter is melted/dissolved and stirred thoughout the pan.

Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. If the heat isn't too high it won't suffer from being cooked longer, especially if you add some water to keep it from getting dry.

Paprika Chicken 'Lite'

Based loosely on a Hairy Dieters' recipe to use up some leftovers.

1/2 tbsp olive oil
250g chicken breast
1/2 medium onion
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
1/2 red pepper
200g chopped tomatoes (1/2 regular tin)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2/3 cup rice

Heat the oil in a saute pan.

Fry the onion and chicken on a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until the chicken begins to brown and the onion is softening.

Add the oregano and paprika; stir well and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the tomato, stir in and cook for another 2 minutes.

Combine the water with the stock and puree.

Add the rice, stir in and then add the stock mix; lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.

Creamy mushroom pasta

This is a really good, simple recipe. It's also very flexible, if you fancy something more substantial.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
600g mushrooms, sliced
4-5 tbsp creme fraiche
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
Black pepper

Optionally
3 rashers bacon, chopped and fried with the onion and garlic
150g chicken thighs, replacing 300g of mushrooms

Heat the oil in a saute pan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, lower to medium heat and fry until soft.

Add half the mushrooms and stir. After about a minute, add the other half. I usually use half plain white mushrooms and half portobello or chestnut.

Add the herbs and spices, cover the pan and allow the mushrooms to saute in their own juices, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the creme fraiche and simmer while stirring.

Serve with tube or thick ribbon pasta.

Ghoulish

It's like goulash, but not quite. This can be made as a sort of a recipe of necessity with just the italicised ingredients, but provides a basis for something more substantial.

Ghoulish
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chilli, chopped
500g braising beef, cubed
250g mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 glass port
1 pint beef stock
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin seed
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp sour cream

Heat a small quantity of oil in a large saucepan. Fry the onion and garlic until soft, then add the meat, turning until browned all over. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, cumin and paprika and stir. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomato puree. As we were short on other ingredients, we also added some frozen broccoli here.

Add the wine, stock and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a near-boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Stir in sour cream to finish.

Serve with rice or thick noodles.

Le Weekend en mangeables

Yeah; it's been a while since I sat my GCSE French exams.

Friday was white fish day. As I had the family over, I pushed the boat out and made a rather splendid risotto (props to Andrew for fetching things I'd forgotten from Waitrose twice). The recipe follows at the end of the entry. In this instance I was 'forced' to use cod loin because the more affordable fillets of cod and haddock were sold out; I may try using smoked fish at a future date.

The wine was a pinot grigiot, for those who care, and the vegetable stock was Marigold vegan (entirely gluten free, as a bonus). I used white cup mushrooms for economy; adding another 500g of portobello or other, darker and meatier mushrooms and leaving out the fish converts this into an equally yummy vegetarian dish.

In terms of seasoning, I used oregano and paprika.

If you're feeling flush, you can also use fresh peas, of course. You could also use fish stock, but commercial fish stocks are usually made with a lot of shellfish, a taste I do not care for.

Saturday was 'anything you like day', so Andrew and I had all-day breakfasts at the pub during Geist and Hannah had a chicken salad. For dinner we had macaroni cheese, made with cheddar and brie and cherry tomatoes in the sauce, followed by a lettuce, tomato and beetroot salad.

Sunday was vegetarian day (I slightly cheated and had a tuna sandwich, but they're relatively cheap and the alternative seemed to be Marmite). Dinner was a carrot and lentil loaf from Mean Beans, a cheap veggie food cookbook I've owned since my student days and rarely used (self-catering facilities in college having been a bit of a joke) with new potatoes and corn on the cob, as Waitrose were selling bags of 6 cobs for £2.

The loaf was experimental for me, and not unsuccessful; although in the end a little loose for a loaf, it was most tasty with a little chutney. It would also have gone well with Andrew's homemade ketchup.

Fish and Mushroom Risotto (serves 3-4)
Olive oil
350g white fish
1 chilli, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
White wine
500ml vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
500g mushrooms, chopped
Herbs and spices to taste
150g rosotto rice
1 cup frozen peas or petit pois
1/2 cup crated parmesan

Heat a little olive oil in a small frying pan and add the fish, whole, and the chilli. Add the lemon juice and almost cover with wine. Simmer, turning the fish occasionally, until it is just cooking through and flakes easily.

Meanwhile, heat some more oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms and seasoning, and cook for approximately five minutes.

Add the rice and stir until coated, then add the cooking liquor from the fish. By this stage, this is a sort of lemon and white wine half-way fish stock with a pretty serious chilli kick.

Stir regularly until the stock is absorbed, then add another glass of white wine. Once that is absorbed, add vegetable stock gradually, until the rice is almost cooked to your preference.

Add a final portion of stock, the peas and the parmesan, and then flake the fish into the dish and stir. Once the rice is completely cooked, serve.