Sheelagh’s chicken - aka Guildford chicken

My mother’s recipe (which she originally got from someone who lived in Guildford). Serves 8-10 so good for large gatherings especially if you ask each of your children, of which she has four - to make one each. If making ahead of time then the base freezes well. I have also successfully frozen it with the topping on, as in prior to the last step of cooking in the oven. 

If you cook the chicken by poaching them then you also get a good stock for soups and other recipes!

4lb cooked chicken (2x4lb chickens or 3x3lb chickens = 4lb cooked meat) chopped into bite size pieces
4oz butter
Small onion chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
0.5lb sliced mushrooms
4oz flour
1pint milk warm
1 rounded teaspoon of celery salt
1 level tsp salt
Cayenne pepper
0.5 teaspoon dry English mustard
4oz mature cheddar grated
1 cup dry cider
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Topping:
9oz grated cheese

2oz butter melted

4 cups white breadcrumbs

Cook onion in butter until soft. Add mushrooms, garlic and flour. Cook for a few minutes stirring to avoid sticking and browning. Gradually blend in the warm milk and then the cider. Simmer for 5 minutes until creamy consistency. Add grated cheese and seasoning (salts, mustard and cayenne pepper to taste) and combine with the chicken. Put in a shallow dish.

For the topping, toss breadcrumbs in the melted butter. Add the grated cheese. Mix well and spread over the chicken. Cook at 180C for about an hour.

Left over Chicken - 70s style Chicken Curry

 Based on recipe from Saturday Kitchen

Melt 30g/1oz unsalted butter and add one finely chopped onion and one finely chopped green eating apple. Cook over a medium heat until soft. 

Add 2–3 tsp curry powder. Cook for a minute then add 1 tbsp plain flour. Pour in 350ml chicken stock and stir to combine.

Add ½ leftover roast chicken, torn into pieces [I need to work out what kind of weight this is - as in are we talking a medium chicken, large or even extra large] and cook until chicken is warmed through.

Add a tablespoon of yoghurt (original recipe is for a splash of double cream and a squeeze of lemon juice)

Taste and season if required

Serve with rice, sultanas and toasted almonds .... and sliced bananas to give full 70s style feel!

One pot pasta - chicken, mushroom and broccoli

Can see this recipe being used again, varying the vegetables or even just with vegetables. No need for a white sauce - cooking the pasta in milk gives a creamy texture. I might par boil the vegetable(s) prior to adding next time so I can control more accurately when everything is cooked perfectly (the broccoli was a tad crunchy).

Serves 4

Cut 2 chicken breasts into bite size pieces. In a large/deep frying pan sauté the chicken in 1tbsp olive oil for about 3 minutes - you don't want it cooked through at this point.  Season with salt and pepper. Add one chopped onion and 4 minced cloves garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes until the onions are beginning to soften. Add 225g dried pasta (any shape) and 450ml milk and bring to boil. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally until the pasta cooks through. Add more liquid if required. Don't worry if the milk splits - it all gets absorbed. 

Add 325g broccoli florets and a couple of handfuls of mushrooms sliced when the pasta is getting close to al dente and simmer until pasta is fully cooked.

Stir in quarter tsp nutmeg, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and grated cheddar (recipe I based this on said two cups - I'm guessing that's 225g. Will weigh it out next time). Season further to taste.

Serve!

Chicken Piri Piri and Tofu Piri Piri

Based on Lorraine Pascals recipe we're close to perfecting a chicken roast with a vegan roast combination Sunday meal.

For a 1.6kg chicken and a block of extra firm tofu.

Heat oven to 180C

Make peri peri sauce/marinade by finally chopping 5 red chillies (does depend on what chillis you use of course!), Add to a small bowl with 6 crushed cloves of garlic, 3cm piece of ginger grated, 3tbsp smoked paprika, 3tsp oregano, 4tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp Tabasco (yes tablespoons - it is meant to be hot), 3tbsp red wine vinegar, 4tbsp veg oil, zest and juice of a lime and combine.

Slice the tofu, put into a dish and use a third of the marinade to coat.

Put the chicken into a roasting tin breast side down, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Roast for 40 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the oven and turn oven up to 200C

Put 2 peeled and quartered red onions and 500g of baby potatoes in to a roasting tray with the tofu plus marinade. Gently toss. Cover with foil and put into oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil after that and cook for a further 30 minutes until potatoes and any other veg added are crisp.

Having got the tofu into the oven, cover the skin of the chicken with three quarters of the remaining peri peri sauce. Peel and quarter another 2 red onions and put them around the chicken with another 500g baby potatoes, tossing then in the juices. Put the tray of chicken and veg back into the oven for 40 minutes. 

Remove the chicken and leave to rest in a warm place. Same for veg (potatoes going back into oven if not quite done)

Remove any fat from the roasting tray. Put on hob and add rest of the peri peri sauce along with 150ml red wine or stock (or water) and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with crisp green salad!

Rhubarb sauce to go with pork

Taste test time. Both of the below cooked and sampled with some roast pork. 

Jury is out, as in neither were 'wow, must cook that again'. If anything a mixture of the two was the nicest. As in need to tweak. 

One bit to tweak is the sage. I used purple sage leaves which is milder than green sage and could have done with a couple more leaves if I use purple sage leaves again

Rhubarb, ginger and sage sauce

Cut 400g rhubarb stalks into 2cm chunks (halve if thick stalks). Stew lightly in 20g butter with 2 finely chopped shallots, 2cm grated fresh ginger, 10 sage leaves chopped and some salt and pepper for 15 minutes.  Increase heat to get desired consistency. Add honey to taste.

Rhubarb sauce - an alternative

Slice an onion and gently sauté in oil until translucent.  Add 2tbsp water and continue cooking until very soft. Stir in 300g chopped rhubarb, 50ml red wine vinegar and 46g brown sugar. Cook for 5 minutes / until the rhubarb has broken down 

Another recipe for rhubarb sauce within this blog. 

Lamb - Making two meals for two from left over lamb roast

Using up leftover lamb from a roast

Last time we had roast lamb I made two meals for two from 400-500g of leftover meat from the roast. 

Cube half of the leftovers for the curry and use the rest/slightly scrappy bits for the Shepherds Pie as they'll get minced

Shepherds Pie

Whizz up (or chop very finely) 200-250g left over lamb with any leftover gravy, 1 chopped small/medium carrot, 1 sprig parsley, 1 chopped shallot, 1 crushed clove garlic with 2tbsp ketchup.

Put in an ovenproof dish. Cover with mashed potato. Cover with foil and bake in oven at 180C for 30 minutes. Up the temperature to 200C, take off foil a bake for a further 10 mins to crisp the top

Lamb Rogan Josh

Gently fry  a large chopped red onion and a large crushed garlic cloves in oil for 10 minutes until very soft.

Add 0.5tsp turmeric, quarter tsp chilli flakes, half tbsp medium curry powder, half tbsp ground coriander and half tsp tomato paste. Fry on a higher heat for a minute. 

Add the cubed lamb (200-250g), 100 ml water, 3 quartered tomatoes and the juice of half a lemon.

Simmer for 15 minutes, season to taste and serve with sprinkling of fresh coriander and rice

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Feta and Beetroot with Poached Egg

Feta and Beetroot with poached egg. 

Serves three. Use 150g feta etc if for four.

100g feta, crumbled, add 3tbsp yoghurt, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1tsp olive oil and mix until smooth (use blender if you wish), taste and season if needed.

Pat dry two thirds of a 'vac pack' of beetroot. Cut into wedges and fry the beetroot in olive oil on each side until lightly caramelised.

Poach eggs. Toast slices of sour dough (it also goes well with olive sourdough)

Spread each slice toast with the feta mix. Add layer of beetroot. Add a poached egg. Sprinkle with dukka (if you have it - there are recipes for it online) and chopped parsley .