Tag Archives: basil

Sep11

herby chicken + stem broccoli + parmesan and lemon pasta = healthy springtime surprise

Posted on by
Standard

My mom, Babs, is in her eighties, extremely healthy and has been a size 10 her whole life. She is one of those “odd” people who does not like butter, cream, fatty foods, deep fried foods, chips and crisps or anything unhealthy and then she also does’nt like too much spices either – not like her not-so-small-foodie-wine-drinking-spice-loving-daughter! Lean proteins, huge salads, vegetables, different kinds of fruit and whole grains are part of her daily regimen – washed down with a cuppa tea or two or ten – and then … always a healthy strong whiskey every single night. I have to admit though that she has been prone to a bit of strong cheese and a dash of olive oil here and there just to keep the body parts in good working order.

So when Babs comes to visit I have to cook something healthy and therefore for our Sunday lunch recently I prepared a chicken breast covered in fresh herbs, some stem broccoli and I served it on parmesan + lemon flavoured pasta. It was delicious, fresh with a light and dreamy springtime flavour… but most importantly … mom approved. Enjoy!


Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients

For the chicken
4 Skinless deboned chicken breasts
1T Olive oil
1 Clove garlic – peeled and sliced in 4 slices length ways
2 T Fresh coriander – chopped
2T Fresh parsley – chopped
1T Fresh basil – chopped
1 Lemon
Salt
Black pepper

For the spaghetti
Cook enough spaghetti for 4 people
2T Olive oil
75g Grated parmesan cheese
2T Fresh parsley – chopped
1 Lemon
Salt
Black pepper

For the stem broccoli
4 or more stem broccoli
Salt
Black Pepper
Drizzle of olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Chicken
1. Make small incisions into the chicken breasts and insert a sliver of garlic into each breast.
2. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix all chopped herbs together – parsley, coriander and basil.
4. Then press the breasts in the fresh herbs – so that the herbs coat both sides of the chicken breasts.
5. Using a non-stick pan fry the breasts till done – while frying squeeze a bit of lemon over the chicken.
6. When done put aside.

Pasta
7. Add the parmesan, olive oil and lemon in a bowl – mix well and add to the cooked pasta.
8. Then mix the parsley through.
9. Taste the pasta for seasoning – add some more salt and add the black pepper.

Stem broccoli
10. Cook as per packet instructions – normally only 3-4 minutes.
11. Immediately put in a bath of ice water.
12. After a while, warm the broccoli up again in the same pot you have cooked them – add a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble
13. Place the cooked pasta the bottom of the bowl. Add the stem broccoli and then the chicken breast. To serve, add another drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and parmesan shavings.

Jun27

tomato pasta sauce + 10 variations to spice it up

Posted on by
Standard


I made a tomato pasta sauce with well-renowned and fabulous Nina Timm at her home earlier today. What an honour and absolute delight to meet and spend a day with this amazing woman! Yip, she is the wonder behind the much followed www.my-easy-cooking.com blog. We laughed, we cooked and shared so many stories from our past and talked about the thrills of living in today…. I will be chatting to her tomorrow on her RSG radio broadcast between 9 and 10 am and share what we did today. I am so inspired and so alive … Nina I thank you for one of the best days of my life and to cooking up many more memories in the future!

Back to the sauce … I am a freakishly mad about tomatoes. So obviously my most favourite pasta sauce is a tomato-based sauce … made from fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes that brim with flavour. I read about this method to make tomato sauce a few years ago in a magazine – unfortunately I cannot remember or find the magazine between the thousands of foodie magazines lying around in my house – please try this, it is definitely the most delicious tomato sauce you will ever taste!!

Serves: 6
Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

900g Rosa tomatoes
200ml Olive oil – good quality (I know this sounds a lot but the tomatoes burst open to combine with the olive oil, garlic and basil – and creates the most amazing sauce )
8 Garlic cloves – peeled but kept in whole segments
Handful fresh Basil
Salt and black pepper
150 – 200g Fresh parmesan cheese – shaved with potato peeler
500g Penne pasta (or spaghetti)

Method

1. Add the olive oil to a large pan / pot and add the garlic and about one handful of torn basil leaves. Heat the oil very slowly on low-medium – we want to infuse the oil with the garlic and basil. Infuse for about 5 minutes – please don’t burn the garlic.
2. Add all the tomatoes, turn up the heat to medium high and cook for +- 20 minutes without the saucepan lid.
3. You will see the tomatoes will start to burst open and infuse with the olive oil.
4. Season generously with salt and freshly grounded black pepper. Please be sure to taste when you season!
5. Just before serving, add the rest of the basil and sprinkle generously with shaved parmesan
6. You can use the sauce just as is or see the 10 variations below you can add at the end for an interesting twist.

10 Variations you can add to the tomato sauce + remember always sprinkle generously with shaved parmesan!

1) Cut chorizo sausages in slices and add – this makes it a rich and spicy dish.
2) Bacon (+ chilies optional) – everyone loves bacon! Adding a somewhat smoky flavour to your pasta.
3) Meatballs – you can make this on Sunday and just add in the week to your pasta dish.
4) Lots of fresh chopped chilies – simple, yet always deliciously and one of my favourites.
5) Capers + olives + anchovies + chilies – my absolute favourite!
6) Any seafood – prawns, calamari, fish, mussels – add them to the tomato based sauce at the end of the cooking process – let it simmer through for 5 minutes – taste for seasoning again after you have added any seafood.
7) Fresh herbs (basil, parsley) and lots of rocket – mix it with the sauce – yum.
8) Roasted vegetables + olives + capers + crumbled feta – these produce lovely Mediterranean tastes.
9) Artichokes, creamy feta cheese + sprinkle of dry oregano (use the oregano very sparingly).
10) Fresh slices of buffalo mozzarella + sprinkled with smoked Maldon salt .

lifeisazoobiscuit.com

Apr17

the simplicity of mince meat + chillies + basil . a thai match made in heaven

Posted on by
Standard

When I arrived at home on Friday night there was a huge red gift on my kitchen table from my loving husband. It was a huge, huge bag of red chillies – do you perhaps think he wanted to tell me something? Anyway, seeing these beautiful chillies took me back to Thailand – and my dear friend Pierre (kitchenbabble.com) in Bangkok. In 2010 I was privileged enough to spend a week in Bangkok where we shared the most wonderful times preparing all sorts of Thai dishes and specialities … but back to the chillies … chillies can be found in nearly every Thai dish or element of Thai cuisine – and rightfully so. I left Bangkok with the most fantastic memories and loads of recipes … but this one – Pierre’s Grapua Moo Sub is my ultimate favourite. Its easy to make and soooo tasty! Just so you know though … I added a bit of lemon juice and black pepper to the dish. Its heaven when that yellow of the egg breaks and spills over the cooked mince and rice. This recipe serves 3-4 people.

500g extra lean mince meat
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
8 cloves of garlic – finely crushed – I love grating my garlic on the smallest side of the grater
2 teaspoons of fish sauce – I tend to use more – taste and see what your palette says
3 – 4 red chillies – chopped -I don’t take the seeds out – I do like things hot
nice big pinch of freshly grounded black pepper
big squeeze of lemon juice
huge handful of fresh basil leaves – please be generous
3-4 eggs (1 egg per person)
cooked basmati rice or if you prefer normal rice

Heat your oil add your mince and loosen the meat with your fork – brown your mince in the pan.
It must be loose, fine and brown. Fry slowly till the meat is cooked. Now all you do is add the garlic, fish sauce, chillies and pepper. Stir it and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the lemon juice, taste and correct the seasoning with salt (I prefer fish sauce) and pepper. Poach or fry the eggs( if you fry your eggs make sure that these are sunny-side up and soft).

To serve:
Add the fresh basil to the mince. Scoop some rice into a bowl. Then add some mince to the rice. Top the dish with a soft poached or fried egg – season you egg with salt to taste. Enjoy!