Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking for two. Show all posts
I love them any which way that I can get them. Baked, boiled, mashed, fried. I love them all. When we were children my brother, sister and I used to love it when my mother would make her famous twice baked potatoes for us.
She really didn't do anything too much out of the ordinary with them, but scoop out the insides, mash them with a bit of butter and onion, some seasoning and stuff them back into the potato and bake them some more.
They were quite different than plain old boiled or mashed potatoes however, which is how she usually prepared them. To us, as simple as she made them, they were still a real treat!
I spied this Boursin Stuffed Jacket Potato recipe over here one day last week. They looked so good. I also just happened to have some Boursin Cheese in the refrigerator that I had used for something else earlier this month that I wanted to use up.
I decided to cut the recipe in half and made a few changes to it, I think for the better. I was really pleased with how they turned out.
Twice baked potatoes are also a great option for something that you can make ahead of time when you are having company over. Of course in this case I was only cooking for two, but when doubled or tripled, they are a great make ahead side dish.
Sometimes if I am in a hurry, I will start baking my potatoes in the microwave oven. This can cut the initial bake time down by as much as half. I just wash, prick and then wrap them up in paper toweling. I bake them on high for 2 minutes each, and then finish them off in a hot oven to get that lovely crisp shell of a potato skin.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BOURSIN STUFFED JACKET POTATOES (FOR TWO)
All of these things combine to make the most incredibly delicious twice baked potatoes.
- 2 large russet baking potatoes
- olive oil
- 3 ounces (85g) Boursin, garlic and herb cheese, softened
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- paprika to sprinkle
- chopped fresh chives to garnish
My russet potatoes were about six inches long. This is a great size for these potatoes. You can use any good potato for baking. Potatoes that bake up with a nice and fluffy interior. Idaho potatoes are also good, as are King Edwards or Maris Piper (In the UK).
What you want is a potato that is long and oval shaped, not too round.
You also want to scrub them up really well so that you can also enjoy eating the skins. I use a vegetable brush and warm water for this. Make sure you also dry them really well after scrubbing them.
Another thing you really don't want to forget to do is to prick your potatoes all over with a fork. If you don't the pressure will build up inside the skin and they will explode. Trust me.
This has happened to me, both in the microwave and in the oven. It is no fun scrubbing exploded potato off the walls of a microwave oven and even less fun scrubbing it off the walls of a regular oven after it has baked on while you wait for the oven to cool down enough that you can get in there to clean!
They make a huge mess, not quite as bad as eggs, but not fun to clean up either.
You can freeze the unused egg white to use another time. I often have frozen egg whites in the freezer. They come in really handy for making pavlova or angel food cakes.
If you don't have regular heavy cream, you can also use sour cream in its place in this instance. It is really tasty and adds another layer of flavor.
You can also use regular cream cheese instead of the Boursin, but in that case you might want to add some minced onion and garlic to the potato filling. Spring onions are very nice.
HOW TO MAKE BOURSIN STUFFED JACKET POTATOES (SMALL BATCH)
They really are very easy to do and are oh-so-tasty when done! I could make a meal out of these and nothing else!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/20*C/ gas mark 6. Rub the skins of your potatoes with some oil and season a bit of salt. Prick all over with a fork. Place onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Turn the oven temperature down to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1/4 inch rim of flesh and skin around the outer edges of the potato. Mash the potatoes with a fork.
While the potato flesh is still hot add the butter and boursin cheese, mashing everything well together. Stir in the cream and the egg yolk. Season with the salt and some black pepper.
Spoon this mixture back into the potato shells, piling it up a bit. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of paprika and place into a baking dish.
Pop them back into the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Garnish with some fresh chives and serve immediately.
I enjoyed these Boursin Stuffed Jacket Potatoes for my tea one night, along with a few chipolata sausages I had baked, some baked beans and a bit of coleslaw. It was a thoroughly delicious meal!
They also go great with grilled steaks, chicken and fish. Crisp and golden brown on the outside and tops and fluffy and creamy delicious inside. These were a real treat! The boursin cheese gives then a really nice flavor!
Some other baked potato recipes that you might enjoy from my kitchen are:
CHICKEN AND PANCETTA STUFFED JACKET POTATOES - Baked jacket potatoes stuffed with a bit of chicken and pancetta, with a rich and creamy spinach and cheese sauce ladled over top. More, More, Moreish! A full meal in and of itself. All you need on the side perhaps is a salad.
CHEESE AND BROCCOLI STUFFED JACKET POTATOES - This is one of my favorite ways to stuff a jacket potato. The flesh is mixed together with chopped cooked broccoli and plenty of cheese as well as a few other bits before stuffing back into the potato skins. More cheese is sprinkled on top and they are baked until the filling is ooey gooey and the cheese all melty. Yummilicious!
Yield: 2
Boursin Stuffed Jacket Potatoes (small batch)
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 1 H & 45 M
Who doesn't love twice baked potatoes. These Boursin Cheese stuffed baked potatoes are even more delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 large russet baking potatoes
- olive oil
- 3 ounces (85g) Boursin, garlic and herb cheese, softened
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- paprika to sprinkle
- chopped fresh chives to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/20*C/ gas mark 6. Rub the skins of your potatoes with some oil and season a bit of salt. Prick all over with a fork. Place onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1/4 inch rim of flesh and skin around the outer edges of the potato. Mash the potatoes with a fork.
- While the potato flesh is still hot add the butter and boursin cheese, mashing everything well together. Stir in the cream and the egg yolk. Season with the salt and some black pepper.
- Spoon this mixture back into the potato shells, piling it up a bit. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of paprika and place into a baking dish.
- Pop them back into the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Garnish with some fresh chives and serve immediately.
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If you are like me, you will be a fan of quick and easy meals. Meals that don't really require a lot of effort. If it is a meal that basically cooks itself with minimal effort on your part, so much the better!
I can have days where I know I am going to be too busy to really cook. On days like that the slow cooker/crockpot is my best friend. I know that I can just throw something into it and get on with my day, no fuss, no muss.
I am a huge fan of Tex Mex flavors. I don't like them overly hot and spicy however. That's why this recipe is a great option. You can tailor the spiciness of it according to the spiciness of the ingredients you decide to use.
I also love nachos, and these have to be one of the simplest and easiest nachos ever invented. This fabulous, easy recipe yields deliciously tender and flavour-filled chicken in a rich, spicy and creamy tomato sauce, ready to ladle over crisp and salty tortilla chips.
When finished, just top with some rich melty cheese. The heat from the chicken will melt that cheese to ooey gooey, and they are ready to go.
These are fabulous when topped with traditional Nacho garnishes for eating. Sliced black olives, chopped peppers, sour cream, tomato salsa, guacamole, etc. All work very well. Pick your poison and tailer them to your own tastes!
Not a fan of tortilla chips? Ladle the delicious chicken mixture over cooked rice. Winner/winner chicken dinner!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CROCK POT CHICKEN NACHOS
Obviously you will need a crock pot. For the small batch that I have made I used my 2 1/2 quart mini casserole crock pot/slow cooker. I got it on Amazon and it is just the perfect size for a small family sch as mine.
For the chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups (415g) tomato salsa (You can use mild or hot, depending on your family's tastes.)
- 1 1/2 TBS dry Taco Seasoning
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
- 1/2 cup (138g) salsa con queso
To serve:
- half of a large bag of salted corn tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup (45g) grated jack cheese
- Toppings as desired (chopped spring onion, sliced black olives, chopped peppers, sour cream, etc.)
I wouldn't normally eat chicken two days in a row like this, but having used half a pack of chicken breasts yesterday for my curry, I had two breasts left and I didn't want to freeze them.
This way I got two tasty meals from it and two more meals to pop into the freezer, and I got to eat two completely different chicken dishes.
I used a medium store bought tomato salsa as well as a store bought salsa con queso. Both work very well.
I am not a huge fan of ready made spice mixes, so I always make my own taco seasoning. Its really a very easy thing to do.
To make your own Taco Seasoning: Mix together 1 TBS mild chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
Tastes so much better and you know there are no nasties in it like msg.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT CHICKEN NACHOS
Dinner really could not get any easier!
Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle all over with the taco seasoning.
Whisk together 1 cup (275g)of the tomato salsa and the chicken broth. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour.
Uncover and add the remaining salsa. Cover and cook on low for two hours.
Uncover. Using two forks shred the chicken. Stir in the con queso. Recover and cook for a further 30 - 45 minutes.
Divide your tortilla chips between two plates. Divide the chicken mixture between the two, scatter half of the cheese on top of each and serve immediately with your favorite nacho toppings.
When I say to serve this immediately, I really mean you want to be eating this almost as soon as you ladle it onto your tortilla chips. They will go soggy if you leave it to sit too long, but that is the same with any kind of topping I find.
About the only ones that don't go soggy are corn chips and they are not quite the same thing as tortilla chips.
As I said, this is also delicious served on top of cooked rice. Leftovers are also really great in quesadillas, or used as a delicious taco salad topping.
If you are as big a fan of Tex Mex flavors as I am, you might also enjoy the following:
TEX MEX SMASHED POTATOES - Potatoes boiled in the skin, smashed down on a baking tray. Drizzled with oil and Tex Mex seasonings, and then baked until golden brown and crispy edged. Delicious served with sour cream and chopped spring onions!
QUICK AND EASY BAKED CHICKEN TACOS - These are fabulous. Crispy corn tortilla taco shells, filled with a layer of refried beans, a delicious spicy, honey sweetened chicken filling. Topped with cheese and baked until everything is heated through and the cheese is all melty. Serve hot with your favorite taco fixings. You can actually prepare the chicken filling ahead of time, ready to fill and bake your tacos when you are ready to cook them. Delicious!
Yield: 2
Crock Pot Chicken Nachos
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min
This delicious simple supper with its spicy Tex Mex flavors cooks very easily in the crock pot, leaving you hands free to get on with other things. Serve hot with your favorite nacho toppings. This is a small batch recipe. To serve more people, simply double the ingredients.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups (415g) tomato salsa (You can use mild or hot, depending on your family's tastes.)
- 1 1/2 TBS dry Taco Seasoning
- 1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
- 1/2 cup (138g) salsa con queso
To serve
- half of a large bag of salted corn tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup (45g) grated jack cheese
- Toppings as desired (chopped spring onion, sliced black olives, chopped peppers, sour cream, etc.)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle all over with the taco seasoning.
- Whisk together 1 cup (275g)of the tomato salsa and the chicken broth. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour.
- Uncover and add the remaining salsa. Cover and cook on low for two hours.
- Uncover. Using two forks shred the chicken. Stir in the con queso. Recover and cook for a further 30 - 45 minutes.
- Divide your tortilla chips between two plates. Divide the chicken mixture between the two, scatter half of the cheese on top of each and serve immediately with your favorite nacho toppings.
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Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
One thing which I really came to love during my years living in the UK was a good Indian curry. A really good curry is something to be enjoyed and the top of the range has to be a Chicken curry.
Tender pieces of chicken, infused with home ground and tempered spices, in a lush rich sauce and served with rice. Food just doesn't get much better than that!
Chicken Tikka Masala is a popular Indian dish that has gained worldwide recognition and popularity. It is a flavorful and aromatic dish that is loved by many due to its unique blend of spices and tender chicken pieces. It is also a dish that is easy to prepare and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Tikka Masala consists of marinated chicken pieces that are grilled and then simmered in a creamy tomato-based sauce. The sauce is made with a blend of spices such as cumin, coriander, and garam masala, which give the dish its distinct flavor.
Typically it is served with rice or naan bread, which helps to soak up the flavorful sauce.
Chicken Tikka Masala has a rich history that is steeped in controversy. Some claim that it originated in India, while others believe that it was created in the United Kingdom. Regardless of its origins, one thing is certain - this delicious chicken curry has become a beloved dish that is enjoyed by people all over the world.
Authentically, the marinated chicken will be grilled in a Tandoor oven and then cut into pieces and added to the sauce. I don't have access to such a thing and so today I have gone to one of my favorite food writers, Tamasin Day-Lewis and adapted her recipe from the book, Food You Can't Say No To.
It is a bit simpler, but truly delicious and authentic flavor wise. If you are not familiar with Tamasin Day-Lewis, she is the sister of the actor Daniel Day-Lewis. She is a well known food writer in the UK, but also has written for several American publications. I trust her recipes emphatically.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
It might look like a lengthy list of ingredients, but most of them are spices and seasonings.
- 10 ounces (300g) boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast meat
- 1 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 green chili, seeded, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp hot chili powder (use less if you don't like things really spicy)
- 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin seed, toast in a dry pan and grind
- 1/2 TBS dark soft brown sugar
- 1/2 TBS tomato paste (tomato puree)
- 1 cup (200g) tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot chicken stock
- 5 dried curry leaves
- scant half cup (100ml) of thick Greek yogurt
- 1 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 TBS roughly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
Make sure you chop your onion, chili, ginger root, and garlic very fine. You want them to actually form a bit of a paste in the skillet.
Full disclosure when I went to make my curry I did not have any fresh coriander/cilantro and so I used dried coriander/cilantro leaves. To use dry, use roughly half the amount.
Curry leaves have a distinct flavor that is quite unlike any other herb or spice. You cannot replace them with curry powder. It is not the same thing.
You can find them in the foreign food aisle of the grocery store, or they can be purchased online. I get mine on Amazon. Two other substitutes that you could use are lemon balm leaves or lime zest.
If you want to add a little bit of heat you can add a dried bird's eye chili to the sauce. I prefer my curry a bit milder than that!
This is a really simple and easy curry to make and is really not all that time consuming.
Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large heavy based skillet. Add the onion and a bit of salt. Cook gently, without browning, for about 15 minutes. Add the chopped chili, grated ginger, and garlic. Cook further for a few minutes until very fragrant. Add the spices and cook a few minutes longer and then scrape out into a bowl. Set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the chicken pieces. Brown on both sides. Add the spice mixture back to the pan, stirring to coat the chicken.
Add the sugar, tomato paste, tomatoes, hot stock and curry leaves. Grind over a bit of pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Warm the cream and whisk in the cornstarch, cook stirring for a minute, then remove from the heat and whisk in the yogurt. Whisk this into the chicken and sauce along with half of the chopped cilantro/coriander.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining coriander.
VARIATIONS OF CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Chicken Tikka Masala is a popular dish that has been adapted and modified in various regions and cultures. Here are some of the different variations of this classic dish:
Regional Variations
Different regions have their own take on Chicken Tikka Masala. In India, the dish is typically made with bone-in chicken and a spicier sauce. In the UK, the sauce is creamier and milder, often served with rice or naan bread. In the US, the dish is often made with boneless chicken and a tomato-based sauce.
Vegetarian and Vegan Options
For those who prefer a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are many options available. Tofu or paneer can be substituted for chicken to make a vegetarian version of the dish. For a vegan option, coconut milk can be used instead of cream and tofu or chickpeas can be used as the protein source.
Other variations of the dish include adding different vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, or potatoes. Some recipes call for different spices or herbs to be added to the sauce, such as coriander, cumin, or turmeric.
Overall, Chicken Tikka Masala is a versatile dish that can be adapted to suit different tastes and dietary needs, and is delicious no matter what!
Instead the chicken was marinated in some herbs and spices and then grilled over a bed of onions. It was a lot spicier than this version.
Our instructor was the head chef at the Queen's Hotel in Chester in the UK. Although it was training that I took much later in life, it was something I really enjoyed. I had worked in the food industry off and on through the years and wanted to have a piece of paper to prove my skills and to get a better job.
I found myself wishing that I had done it a lot earlier in life. Instead I went to Secretarial school and guess how many secretarial jobs I have had! zilch! That's right, nada!
I really hope that you will be inspired to want to try Chicken Tikka Masala for yourself. Traditionally it would be served with rice or Naan bread, with perhaps some mango chutney or cucumber raita on the side.
All I had in the house was rice and so that is what I had!
If you are a fan of curry you might also like to explore these other curries that I have cooked in The English Kitchen:
CRISPY CHICKEN KATSU CURRY - Not quite an Indian curry but more of an Asian curry. Crispy breaded and fried chicken breasts served with a deliciously spiced sweet sauce drizzled over top. Very nice served with rice and a scattering of chopped green onions on top.
SWEET AND EASY CURRIED CHICKEN - No fuss, no muss, no sauce. Just a tasty, sweet glaze with a hint of curry, honey and orange. It's a simple thing really, and the oven does all the work. This is an old family favorite.
Yield: 2
Chicken Tikka Masala
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Chicken Tikka Masala is a popular Indian dish that consists of marinated chicken pieces that are grilled and then cooked in a creamy tomato-based sauce. It is a dish that is enjoyed by people all over the world and is often regarded as the national dish of the United Kingdom. This recipe is sized for two, but can easily be doubled.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (300g) boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast meat
- 1 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 green chili, seeded, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp hot chili powder (use less if you don't like things really spicy)
- 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin seed, toast in a dry pan and grind
- 1/2 TBS dark soft brown sugar
- 1/2 TBS tomato paste (tomato puree)
- 1 cup (200g) tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot chicken stock
- 5 dried curry leaves
- scant half cup (100ml) of thick Greek yogurt
- 1 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 TBS roughly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large heavy based skillet. Add the onion and a bit of salt. Cook gently, without browning, for about 15 minutes. Add the chopped chili, grated ginger, and garlic. Cook further for a few minutes until very fragrant. Add the spices and cook a few minutes longer and then scrape out into a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the chicken pieces. Brown on both sides. Add the spice mixture back to the pan, stirring to coat the chicken.
- Add the sugar, tomato paste, tomatoes, hot stock and curry leaves. Grind over a bit of pepper and bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Warm the cream and whisk in the cornstarch, cook stirring for a minute, then remove from the heat and whisk in the yogurt. Whisk this into the chicken and sauce along with half of the chopped cilantro/coriander.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining coriander.
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Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
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