Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
I learned to love two things over the 20 + years that I spent in the UK. One of them was lamb, and the other was the cooking of Nigel Slater.
Lamb was not something I had ever really had when I was growing up. My mother did buy lamb chops once, but they smelled like burning mittens when she was cooking them so nobody would eat them.
It was probably not good lamb. I only came to love and appreciate lamb after moving over to the UK. Our wedding supper was held at a restaurant and we were allowed to pick whatever we wanted from the menu.
I decided to be brave and picked Saddle of Lamb. It was delicious. I fell in love at first bite and have been cooking lamb ever since. They had beautiful lamb in the UK.
I know you are all familiar with what lamb is, but you may not be so familiar with who Nigel Slater is. Nigel Slater is a cook who writes. He is not a classically trained Chef, but he is every bit as popular as any celebrity chef.
He's been writing a food column for the Observer every weekend for 27 years, and is the author of multiple cookbooks. He has also had several very popular series on the television, and a movie made about him called simply "Toast."
He is a man who loves to cook and who loves to eat and who loves to write about it. He cooks the way I love to cook and to eat. Its that simple.
I have a few of his cookery books. Not as many as I used to have because I am having to replace the ones I left behind, but I am starting off with his best (in my honest opinion), The Kitchen Diaries. There are three volumes and they are exactly what the title says. Kitchen Diaries.
Taken from Diaries he kept throughout the year of his adventures in the garden, kitchen, etc. Recipe journal, kitchen chronical. I find them fascinating and filled with loads of inspiration and great recipes.
What I love most about his recipes is that they are great jumping off points for doing my own thing. I have replaced all three of the kitchen diaries (one at a time) and have just gifted myself with the two Volumes of Tender (again one at a time.)
The recipe which inspired what I am sharing with you today comes from the first volume of The Kitchen Diaries, which is something which he cooked on the 7th of May. I am cooking it a tiny bit later in the year.
When my sister and I were at the Super Store the other day I spied some lamb chops. I have not had lamb since I arrived back in Canada last November and I was so tempted by them that I picked up a small package.
They were a bit pricey at over $8 for three chops, but sometimes you just have to fill your yearnings for what you love and enjoy, especially food wise. I have only me to please now, so why not
They were nice thick chops as well, with abundant tenderloin bits on the sides. Loin chips are like the T-bones of the lamb kingdom, with a nice little chunk of meat on one side of the T-bone and a little nugget of tender lamb on the other. (No surprise that is my favorite part!)
Of course I wanted to cook them perfectly. I didn't want to be wasting these prime cuts of meat. I looked to Nigel for inspiration and found this recipe, amongst a few others.
This felt and read like what I wanted to cook today and I happened to have some new potatoes in my cupboard. I did improvise on the recipe quite a bit, but most good cooks do.
He starts off by boiling some new potatoes in a pan of lightly salted water. I did that as well. His chops were simply seasoned with salt and black pepper.
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to be exact.
He heated some olive oil in a heavy based skillet along with the finely grated zest of one fresh lemon and some fresh mint. I did not have fresh mint, so used dried and it worked fine.
I took the liberty of adding two fat cloves of garlic that I peeled, bashed and split open. These helped to flavor the oil that the chops were going to be fried in.
Simply fried, just until golden brown, seared really so that the lamb inside stays nice and pink and tender. But the juices of the lamb mingle with the olive oil, mint, lemon and garlic to make a lush pan juice.
He had merely crushed the potatoes into the pan juices at the end. I decided that I would fry them in the pan juices and brown them off a bit, before adding the lemon juice at the end.
The potatoes are boiled until tender. I lightly crushed them before adding them to the pan. Cracked them more or less, that way there were lots of craggy bits to brown and get a bit crisp. (I removed the lamb to a plate, keeping it warm and tented.)
That afforded me the time to really get the potatoes a bit crispy. And then I added the lamb back to the pan and squeezed over the lemon juice.
Leaving the skin on the potatoes and cracking them open rather than slicing or mashing them, gave them added interest I thought.
Well, the picture speaks for itself. Nothing there but the pan juices and golden crispy edged potatoes, lightly flavored with the lemon at the end.
And then I threw them into the pan with the potatoes and the lamb, coating them with some of those lush pan juices as well.
This was a beautiful combination. Tender moist pieces of lamb . . . crispy tender potatoes . . . lemon, mint and garlic pan juices.
Crispy tender beans . . .
You can see how perfectly cooked the lamb was. Just pink. Succulent. Delicious.
This combination made for a really wonderful dinner for myself. Cooking for one or two doesn't have to be boring. In fact if it is, then you're doing something wrong! (Now you know why I look the way I do.)
Many thanks to Nigel for the delicious inspiration!!
Lamb with Lemon, Mint & Potatoes
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min
I wanted to take advantage of the flavors of the new potatoes that are showing up in the shops and paired them with some tender lamb chops. Inspired by Nigel Slater.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound smallish new potatoes
- 4 lamb loin chops
- one medium fresh lemon, zest and juice
- 1/2 tsp dried mint
- two fat cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- light olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and bring back to the boil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until they test tender when prodded with the sharp end of a knife.
- While they are cooking, heat the olive oil, mint, mashed garlic cloves and lemon zest in a large heavy bottomed skillet. Add some seasoning.
- Season the lamb chops all over with some salt and pepper.
- Once the oil begins to sizzle, add the lamb chops. Cook for two minutes on one side until it begins to color, then flip over and cook the other side, again until brown. Remove from the heat and tent with some foil.
- Scoop out your cooked potatoes into the pan with the oil, mint, garlic, etc. Mash lightly with a fork. Allow them to brown before flipping them over to brown lightly on the underside. Add the chops back to the pan. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over top and heat everything through.
- Serve two chops each, along with some of the browned potatoes and pan juices.
- I like to eat mine with some mint sauce or jelly.
My sister and I went shopping up in New Minas this morning. Since lockdown has lifted and we have both had all of our vaccines we feel a bit safer doing so. We had a lovely morning doing sister stuff.
Its nice to just be able to spend time on our own without any men around, talking girl stuff, having a laugh and being able to window shop, etc. without listening to a man huff and puff in the background.
Letting you know they are bored without saying any words. You all know what I am talking about.
First we went to Michaels the craft store. I wanted to pick up some felt to make some Christmas ornaments. I don't like to just sit and watch television in the evenings.
I like to keep my hands busy with something and since I will be decorating a tree from scratch this year I figured there is no time like the present to get started! Since I am also soon going to be getting a kitten, I figure felt ornaments are the safest route to go.
When we had finished there, we hopped over to Winner's/Homesense. I had a gift certificate to use and it just has the best prices in kitchen ware. I am in need of props etc. to use in my food photography.
And a few gadgets as well, and its the best place to get things like that.
I got myself a set of small dessert bowls, and a relish set, both in what is called Dublin Crystal. Made in China so I don't know how fine it is, lol.
I also got a six inch cake tin. I really wanted two, but there was only one. A quarter sheet pan. Some tart tins, chopsticks. A set of egg poachers, some mini utensils and a wide based spatula/egg flipper.
All will come in very handy in any case. I do miss my Poachies from the UK. They were little paper bags to poach eggs in, very similar in looks to the Myleta coffee filters, except on a much smaller scale.
They were the best things for poaching eggs, but never mind, I will get used to these silicone thingies.
Anyways, it was getting rather late by the time we got back to hers and then I got home and I was starving. I had some cooked chicken in the fridge, and I remembered this delicious Chicken salad recipe I had seen in one of my cookbooks.
The cookbook is by Mary Younkin and is entitled, the Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook. It has lots of lovely recipes in it. It is a book I had had in the UK and one of the ones I decided to replace here in Canada.
I decided to halve the recipe however. I actually cut it in half yet again to make only one, but am giving you the measurements to make two to three servings.
The recipe is called Dill Pickle Chicken Salad Croissants. The photo in the book looked delicious and the recipe was very simple to make, using only a few ingredients.
Cubed cooked chicken. Check. Chopped spring onions. Check. Diced dill pickles. Check.
A variety of seasonings and spices. Salt, pepper, dried dill weed, garlic powder. Check, check, check, check.
A good mayonnaise. I like Hellman's. I buy the olive oil one here. Its really rich and delicious.
You also need some fresh baby greens, arugula (rocket) and spinach. I adore both of those and am trying to get as much iron into me these days as possible, so any way I can eat it, works well with me.
Finally some fresh crisp Croissants to fill with the delicious salad. I picked up a small bag of two on the way home.
Croissants are always best if you pick them up on the day don't you think? Of course you don't have to use croissants.
Any bread will do. Rye bread would be particularly nice, especially the marbled rye, because of the dill pickles in the salad.
Sour dough, white, whole wheat, any kind of bread really. Just pick your favorite kind. I think large crispy and buttery cathead biscuits would be lovely.
If you aren't doing bread in your diet, then this tasty chicken salad would be lovely spooned over a bed of salad greens, or stuffed into a ripe tomato, with some cold rice or pasta, etc.
It would also be great in a wrap or a pita bread. In short, delicious no matter which way you choose to enjoy it.
Its as simple as stirring everything together. Takes all but five minutes to make. And it is truly delicious.
I loved the dill pickles in this, but then again, I am a real dill pickler lover. When my children were growing up I think I made about 52 quarts of dill pickles every year and they always all got eaten.
I just used plain dills, but you could use the garlic dills if you want. I also chose to use baby dill pickles instead of the larger ones.
The chopped pickles really add a lovely crunch, and a nice flavor to the salad. Some of the juice is also used in the dressing.
Chopped spring onion adds a nice hint of sharpness, a bit of color and some nice crunch. I think if you wanted to you could also add some chopped nuts to this if you wanted to, although I am not sure what kind you would like.
Pistachios perhaps? They are green at any rate!
The dressing is a really simple one. Mayonnaise, dill pickle juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Simple. Easy.
Goes together in a flash and all you need to do then is fold in the chicken, pickles and onions. You're done.
All ready to tuck into that moreish croissant on top of those lush greens. Oh boy but this is some good, and I felt very generous.
A chicken salad sandwich should be messy to eat. That's part of the enjoyment I think, don't you? Pass the napkins and enjoy!
Quick, easy and fairly healthy. Shhh . . . don't burst my bubble.
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad Croissants
Yield: 2 - 3
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
Tender pieces of chicken combined with crisp dill pickle and sharp green onions in a simple dressing to make a delicious sandwich filling. Serve here in croissants, it also works well on its own on a bed of lettuce, or with rye bread, in a wrap, stuffed tomatoes, etc.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS pickle juice
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 tsp dried dillweed
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups (220g) cooked chicken cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 2 medium dill pickles, ends trimmed off and cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 3/4 cup/110g)
- 1 spring onion, washed trimmed and chopped
- 2 to 3 fresh crisp croissants
- a mix of baby arugula and spinach to line the bottom of your croissants
Instructions
- Stir the mayonnaise, pickle juice, pepper, salt, dried dill and garlic together in a bowl. Fold in the chicken, pickles and onions, mixing everything together well.
- Cut your croissants in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. Line the bottoms of the croissants with the greens, then top with the chicken salad, finishing off with the tops of the croissants. Serve immediately.
Notes:
This delicious chicken salad will keep well in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to three days. It is also nice served on a bed of salad greens, without any bread at all, as part of a salad plate.
I am sure many of you have heard of Tuna Melt sandwiches. They are a real favorite here. I have several recipes for them on the blog.
There is the Classic Tuna Melt, which is a really good sandwich and my absolute favorite. Then there is the Parmesan Pesto Tuna Melt, also very good.
Then there is the Tuna Melt Casserole. All the flavours of a traditional tuna melt, except in a casserole dish. Delicious! With broccoli, a tasty cheese sauce, pasta and melting cheese on top.
I have even made a Tuna Melt Tart. Equally as delicious. I just love Tuna Melts.
I usually have leftover chicken in the house that needs using up. I eat a lot of chicken. Its probably my protein of choice.
I am always looking for tasty ways to use it up. Today I decided to create a Chicken Melt sandwich recipe. A sort of a riff on the classic tuna melt, but open faced, and with some different flavors in the mix.
I decided to go with some Tex Mex flavors and make it a tiny bit spicy. I love interesting sandwiches, don't you? Boring is highly over-rated!
And this delicious open faced chicken melt sandwich is anything but boring!
I shredded some cooked chicken, leaving it rather chunky. I have a confession. I am not overly fond of shredded meat. Its a consistency thing.
Yes, I am not a lover of pulled pork, or pulled anything else. I just don't like stringy meat. Call me crazy.
So some of it is shredded, but I left a lot of it chunky as well. I mixed that with some mayonnaise for creaminess, and some sparky spice.
Taco seasoning. (You should how much heat you want to add.) Lime juice. Salt, pepper. And Tabasco sauce.
You can use the red tabasco if you want, but I really love the green tabasco sauce. I splash it on all sorts.
Eggs, in soup, on sandwiches, etc. And it goes fabulously with the other flavors in this sandwich, I have to say. I just love the stuff.
I also added some grated Jack cheese. Spicy Jack. With Tex Mex flavors. Just enough to bind the chicken together with everything else.
I also added chopped spring onion, or scallions as they are also called. These add a bit of color, some sharpness and some crunch.
This all gets mixed together and then piled onto slices of rustic bread. I used a sour dough boule I had bought at the shops.
You want a sturdy bread. Something which is going to stand up to that filling. No wimpy bread allowed!
Just pile the chicken filling onto the bread, spreading it out a bit. Then sprinkle on some more cheese. I like to be a bit generous with the cheese.
But that's me. Your sandwich (s) is/are ready now to pop under the grill. It doesn't take very long to warm them up and melt the cheese. Not long at all. Your chicken should already have been warmed anyways.
I usually pop it into a bowl and warm it in the microwave while I grate the cheese and chop the onions. Easy peasy.
Once they are heated through the the cheese on top has melted, and the edges of the bread are turning golden brown, you sandwich is ready.
Just pop them onto a plate and sprinkle some more chopped spring onions over the top. I like to serve some salad leaves on the side. For health reasons. (ROFL)
If you want to you can splash a bit more hot sauce on top. Yum!!
These are delicious knife and fork sandwiches. The quantities I have given are for two sandwiches, but you can easily double it to serve more.
Or half it yet again to serve only one, which is what I did.
This made a delicious light lunch. Perfect for one or two. Nothing else needed, although if you wanted to serve them with a light soup, that would generally go down well also.
Something light though. Like a tomato soup or some such. You won't really want anything hearty.
And there you have it. The Southwest Chicken Melt Sandwich. For two. Deliciously simple and incredibly filling.
Southwest Chicken Melt Sandwich
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 10 Min
Tangy spicy chicken salad on a slice of sour dough, topped with cheese and grilled. This makes a delicious lunch with some salad on the side!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (135g) cooked and shredded chicken, gently warmed
- 2 tsp taco seasoning
- 1 TBS fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp tabasco sauce (red or green, you decide)
- 1/8 cup (30g) mayonnaise
- 3 ounces (85g) Jack cheese, shredded and divided
- 3 spring onions, washed and thinly sliced, divided
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 thick slices of a sour dough boule
Instructions
- Place your oven rack about six inches away from the broiler and preheat the broiler.
- Combine the chicken, mayonnaise, taco seasoning, lime juice, hot sauce and half of the cheese and spring onions in a bowl.
- Place the slices of bread onto a baking tray. Divide the chicken mixture between each slice, covering them completely. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
- Pop the baking tray under the broiler and cook the sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread are turning golden brown. Watch carefully so that they don't burn.
- Serve topped with the remaining spring onions and some salad on the side if desired. Delicious!
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