Tag Archives: parsley

Sep11

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

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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.

Jul4

pork sausage + bacon + beer + veg = modern irish coddle

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Porks sausages + bacon + beer + vegetables – my version of the Irish coddle is one of Rick’s favourite dishes. I am married to a man of Irish descent and what I have learned from our family visits to Ireland – and my husband is that the Irish love beer (Guinness only when in the Emerald Isle) + whiskey + eating potatoes + pork sausages + salmon + they only start a party at 9pm and even if you are around the ripe age of 75 there is still nothing wrong with partying till 4am and passing out on the couch at you friends house if you had too much to drink!! I just love the Irish, it is their spirit, their joviality and perhaps the fact that they are never shy to drink more than me.

For this recipe I have added a few herbs, mustard seeds and some beer and then also added some lemon. I think it’s a bit of modern Coddle and it’s hearty and just perfect in the dead of winter. It is so easy to prepare …everything is in one bowl, meat, veggies etc. So between my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law I think we have come up with a rather decent local version of the Irish coddle! Sleinte!

Serves 4 or 6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 1h

Ingredients

6 Pork sausages
4 Garlic cloves finely chopped
125g Bacon finely chopped
4T Olive oil
2 Onions – sliced
2 Celery sticks – chopped finely
2 Large carrots – chopped
2 t Mustard seeds – if you dint have just add 2t mustard
30 g Flour
3 Large potatoes – peeled and cut in quarters
50g Tomato paste
1t Lemon juice
1t Balsamic vinegar
2.5 Cups of stock – I used beef stock
1/2 cup of beer (I used a lager – no Guinness on hand I’m afraid)
2T Chopped parsley
1T Fresh sage (optional)
1t Black pepper corns

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Fry the sausages in an oven proof dish with 2T olive oil. Just brown them and then remove from dish. Now fry the fry the bacon and take out.
3. Add the other 2 T oil and fry the onions till golden brown.
4. Add carrots and the celery and garlic sweat veggies till translucent.
5. Add 30 g flour, let it fry for a minute or two.
6. Now add all the other ingredients.
7. Put the lid on and bake for 1hour.
8. Serve with fresh bread.

May17

malay infused seafood soup

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This is my all-time favourite winter soup recipe. It lies very close to my heart for two reasons – I was introduced to this recipe by my wonderful chef friend, Louis Verwey (the recipe was very different then and I developed it as I went along into what it is today) and secondly this recipe took me through to the Top 50 of Masterchef SA and earned three overwhelming and resounding yes’s from judges Andrew, Bennie and Pete. My Masterchef journey was an incredible experience, it was an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions, nerves and sheer excitement but the best part was meeting all the fantastic people who all share a common passion – cooking! This adventure re-ignited in me the fire and a burning desire to learn and share in the fun, frivolity and sheer pleasure that comes with cooking and everything culinary. I am very proud to have made it into the Top 35 only to be booted out on the potato challenge. Needless to say I have not cooked or peeled a potato again – but that is a story for another day…enough about me…back to this exquisite soup …

Serves 6
Preparation and cooking time: +- 45 minutes

Ingredients
For the stock:
1 celery stick, chopped (with the leaves)
1 onion, cut in half (I keep the skin on – I only peel the onion if I want to make a clear stock)
1 carrot, chopped (…again keep the skin on – didn’t we learn that all the nutritional value lies in the skin?)
5 black pepper corns
2 cardamom pods
1 clove of garlic cut in half
1 small bunch of parsley
350g white fish – I use small whole hakes which I cut into chunks
800ml water
1 clove garlic, finely grated
Seafood:
24 mussels in ½ shell
400 g kingklip (or any other firm white fish), cut into cubes of +- 2.5cm x 2.5cm
12 de-veined prawns with shells – I love to keep heads on – if you do take the heads off, don’t discard these….add them to your stock
Other ingredients:
30g butter
45 ml flour
10 ml masala (I mix my own from the following ground ingredients: 15 ml turmeric, 15ml cumin, 10 ml coriander, 10 ml fennel, 15 ml hot “curry powder” this you can get from your local spice shop or supermarket)
30 ml tomato paste
1 ½ chicken stock cube, crumbled
2 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
Juice of ½ small lemon
For the gremolata:
30 ml chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, finely grated
Zest of one lemon
One big squeeze of lemon juice
30 ml olive oil

Method
1. Prepare your stock by adding the first 9 ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Take the mussels and place them in a sieve and then put it in the stock to cook for 2 minutes. I do this to infuse the juices in the stock (and to defrost if still frozen). Take out and leave aside.
3. Repeat the same process with the prawns – leave to simmer for about 3-4 minutes in the stock. Take out and set aside
4. Take the stock and strain through a very fine sieve. Set aside. (You can discard the stock ingredients but it does make for a very nutritious and fishy treat for my two canine children!)
5. Add the finely grated garlic to this stock.
6. Now, melt the butter in a pot. Add the flour to make a roux. Stir for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and masala. Stir well.
7. Add the warm stock – ladle by ladle – whisking briskly to make sure it does not form lumps. Once you have added the stock, bring it up to simmer – you will see that it has now thickened.
8. Add the stock cube and the chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir well.
9. Now add the raw fish and let it simmer for +-3 minutes, then add the prawns and mussels.
10. Add the lemon juice and stir lightly – be careful not to break the fish! Season for taste by adding salt and pepper, lemon juice.
11. Simmer for a 5-10 minutes.
12. Lastly, mix the last 4 ingredients together to make the gremolata and set aside
13. To serve – in the bottom of a soup bowl put a dollop of the gremolata. Take the prawns out of the soup and place 2 prawns on each plate, add 3 or more pieces of fish. Strain the fish soup through a sieve and pour in the bowl around the fish and prawns. Add 3-4 mussels on top.
14. Garnish with a few drops of gremolata on top.
15. Serve immediately.

Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy.