Baked Potatoes
Lemon Chicken
Method:
Grilled Chicken in Hot Tomato Sauce
3. Once done and after you place the drumsticks on the plate, pour over the remaining sauce from the foil on the chicken and garnish it with fresh parsley. Make sure your foil does not tear throughout the process.
Bacon and Egg Omelette
Ingredients:
10 gms bacon
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Method:
5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and spread the egg mixture to make the omelette. Cook on both sides.
Celery Chicken
I love potatoes in any
form. And I think most people do. This sauce used to stuff these babies is a delicious
combination of cream, cheese, butter and lemon juice and can be used with many
other things. You can use large potatoes for this but I have used small ones
making sure that they are more or less the same size. The best part is there is
no peeling!!
Ingredients:
8-10 small size potatoes
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cheese
2 tbsp cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 Jalapeno pepper finely
chopped
½ tsp chili flakes
½ tsp pepper
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Clean and scrub the
potatoes, poke them from all sides, then place each potato in a foil and bake for
45 minutes at 225 degrees.
2. In a bowl mix together
all other ingredients that should have a paste like consistency.
3. Remove potatoes from
the oven when done and then cut them into half taking care you don’t disjoint
them completely.
5. Fill them with
generous dollops of the sauce.
6. Put them back in the
foil and place it in the oven again and change the feature from bake to grill.
7. Grill for 10 minutes
at 225 degrees.
When I am not in
that spicy kind of mood, I go for flavours such as lemon or different types of
herbs. Thyme is one of my favourite herbs and I think that thyme, lemon and
garlic go a long way. In fact I use these often to grill chicken. I prepared
this no-grill lemon chicken which is very simple and very quick. Note that the
same sauce described in the recipe can be used to for grilling the
chicken.
Ingredients:
500
gms chicken cut into equal size pieces
Juice
of one large lemon
Zest
of one large lemon
2
tbsp garlic finely chopped
1
tsp freshly ground black pepper
Few
sprigs fresh thyme
Two
tbsp olive oil
1
cup white wine
Salt
to taste
Method:
1. In a pan, heat the
olive oil and add the chopped garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes and do not let
it burn.
2. Now add the lemon zest,
lemon juice and thyme.
3. Add the white wine and
let all the flavours rise.
4. Now add the chicken
and cook from one side for a bit.
5. Turn the chicken and
cook from the other side. Repeat the process for some time.
6. Now add the salt and
pepper.
7. Let the chicken cook thoroughly
in the liquid stirring occasionally.
8. Make sure you remove the
thyme sprigs before serving.
Grilled Chicken in Hot Tomato Sauce
When I come back from
work really tired and have no energy to cook an elaborate meal, I usually grill
the chicken with an assortment of sauces or pastes along with some spices and
herbs. Avoiding any kind of chopping and grinding, I simply wrap the chicken in
these sauces and flavours and it is ready to go into the grill. Of course, I
cheat by using a ready to consume hot tomato sauce, but what to do, I am too
tired!
Ingredients:
4 chicken drumsticks
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp hot tomato sauce
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
2-3 sprigs of fresh
parsley
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Place the chicken
drumsticks into an aluminum foil while it is already in your baking dish and add
all ingredients to this. Make sure you have poked the chicken well with a fork before
placing into the foil.
2. Now marinate well using
your hands, wrap it up and set it aside for 20 minutes and then grill it at 200ºC for about 30 minutes.
3. Once done and after you place the drumsticks on the plate, pour over the remaining sauce from the foil on the chicken and garnish it with fresh parsley. Make sure your foil does not tear throughout the process.
Bacon and Egg Omelette
Leftovers can make a very
good breakfast at times. I had some left over egg yolks after I made meringue
and decided to make a nice omelette. I found some super fresh parsley and some
really fine quality Bacon in the fridge. The freshness of this omelette made my
day.
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 small onion cut into
rings
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp black
pepper
½ tsp chili flakes
2 -3 small parsley
sprigs
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to tasteMethod:
1. Beat the egg yolks
with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce till you get a frothy texture and
set it aside.
2. In a non stick pan, saute
the onion rings in little olive oil till they turn slightly brown. Remove from
pan.
3. Fry the Bacon in the
same pan till it starts leaving the oil. Do not fry them too much.
4. Now add all ingredients,
i.e the fried onions, fried Bacon, parsley, red chilies into the egg and mix
them together.
5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and spread the egg mixture to make the omelette. Cook on both sides.
Celery Chicken
This is an appetizer with minimum ingredients and a
combination quite different. Chicken flavoured with celery ribs and celery leaves
with the usual spices. Very simple and very quick to make.
2 tbsp paprika
3. In the remaining oil, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for about a minute.
Jambalaya
2 cups long grain or
basmati rice
3-4 small celery sticks chopped
1 tsp black pepper 
5. Now add all the dry spices, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper and mix them together stirring constantly till all the spices are fully incorporated with the vegetables and you see the oil from them separate.
6. Now add the roasted sausages and mix it properly with the spices and stir thoroughly till the sausages get coated with the spices.
11. Now jumble up!
1 bunch
fresh parsley
Method:
For the puree
Fish and potato chops flavoured in parsley
2 tbsp
chapped ginger
Method:
Ingredients:
500 gms chicken
3 tbsp cornflour
2 medium size onions
diced
8 green chilies chopped
2 sticks celery ribs
chopped
2 tbsp celery leaves
chopped
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground black
pepper
1 tbsp ginger-garlic
paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Method:
1. Cut the chicken
breasts into cubes of equal sizes and marinate with the paprika and cornflour adding
a little water so that the chicken gets nicely coated. Set it aside.
2. In a sizable pan,
heat the vegetable oil and bring it to a smoking point and add the marinated chicken
pieces and fry them till they turn golden brown and become crispy. You will get
nuggets like consistency. Take the entire chicken out of the oil and put it
aside.
3. In the remaining oil, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for about a minute.
4. Now add the onions
and fry them till they turn translucent.
5. Add celery ribs and
mix well with the onions.
6. Add all the spices,
cayenne pepper, ground black pepper and green chilies and mix well.
7. Now stir in the fried
chicken pieces and fry till all spices get mixed with the chicken.
8. Add salt, celery leaves
and lemon juice and mix well.
Jambalaya
I was absolutely fascinated
by this rice dish which owes its origin to Spanish cuisine. The word Jambalaya
comes from the word jumble and this magic is created by mixing together the
various hot ingredients to the trinity of meat, vegetables and stock. The meat
usually is andouille sausage or chicken. I didn’t find andouille sausage so I
used a normal spicy chicken sausage. The rest of the ingredients are easy to
find. Again, a very filling and a very interesting rice dish.
Ingredients:
2 cups long grain or
basmati rice
600 gms spicy chicken sausage
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken stock
1 green pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
3-4 small celery sticks chopped
3 medium onions finely
chopped
2 tbsp garlic finely
chopped
7-8 fresh red chilies
chopped
1 can of tomatoes
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh basil
Salt to taste
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Chop each sausage
into four equal parts and roast them in little butter. Roast till it browns
from all sides. Set it aside.
2. Melt the butter and
add olive oil to prevent it from burning.
3. Add the garlic and
onion to the butter and olive oil and fry for a bit.
4. Now add the celery,
peppers and fresh red chilies and fry them together for 5-7 minutes.
5. Now add all the dry spices, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper and mix them together stirring constantly till all the spices are fully incorporated with the vegetables and you see the oil from them separate.
6. Now add the roasted sausages and mix it properly with the spices and stir thoroughly till the sausages get coated with the spices.
7. Mix in the rice and add
salt.
8. Add canned tomato and
mix together.
9. Add the chicken stock
to the rice and let it simmer away on a low flame till the rice gets cooked. Put
the lid on.
10. Once the rice is
done, cover it with the fresh basil and parsley.
11. Now jumble up!
Chicken
Steak with Spinach and Parsley Puree
When it comes to giving a nutritional makeover to my
food, I usually opt for a continental meal. A homemade chicken steak coated
with a barbecue sauce and a healthy spinach and parsley puree on the side. The
chicken is flavored essentially in garlic, thyme and some salt and pepper. The
puree is delicious. If you get this puree right, there is a lot you can do with
it. I use it as a spread in a sandwich. I sometimes use it as a sauce for the
pasta. However, you use it, the puree is simply delicious.
Ingredients:
For the chicken steak
 |
| Fresh Spinach |
100 gm whole
chicken breast
1 tbsp
thyme
½ tsp
chili flakes
1 tbsp
garlic crushed
1 tbsp
olive oil
For the puree
1 bunch
fresh spinach
1 bunch
fresh parsley
1 tbsp
chopped garlic
1 small
onion finely chopped
2 green chilies finely chopped
2 green chilies
½ tsp
pepper
½ tsp
salt
1 tbsp
butter
1 tbsp fresh cream
Method:
For the chicken steak
1. Place the chicken on a foil as shown
and coat it with all the ingredients. It helps to make holes in the chicken.
2. Wrap the chicken and set it aside for an hour.
2. Wrap the chicken and set it aside for an hour.
3. Grill it at 220ºC
for 20-30 minutes.
1. Boil the parsley for a about 2 minutes
and add spinach to the same boiling water for about 15-20 seconds.
2. Drain all the water from the two and let
it dry.
3. In a pan, add butter, chopped garlic, chopped onion, green chilies and
sauté for a minute.
4. Mix in the spinach and parsley and add
salt, pepper and cream. Mix all of this together.
5. Turn the gas off and let this mixture
cool down.
6. After the mixture has cooled down,
place it in the blender and bring it to a whiz. The puree is ready.
Fish and potato chops flavoured in parsley
When I made these chops for the first
time, I felt I had discovered the simplest way to make fish chops. Reason, my
choice of the fish which was Bassa. It so simple to handle that the whole
process becomes smooth. I mix in potatoes and flavor these chops in parsley. The
chops you see in the image are flat in shape and have been shallow fried. If you
like to indulge sometimes, make balls and deep fry them. Simply delicious!
Ingredients:
 |
| Our Bassa fish |
½ Kg Bassa
fish
100 gms
butter
3 boiled
potatoes
1 tbsp
freshly ground pepper
Juice
of 1 lemon
½ tsp
lemon zest
2 onions
finely chopped
2 tbsp
chopped garlic
 |
| Potato, butter and pepper |
3-4
green chilies
2 tbsp chopped
parsley
1 tbsp Worcestershire
sauce
2 tbsp
olive oil
1 egg
1 tbsp Panko
bread crumbs
Salt to
taste
 |
| Our other ingredients |
 |
| Our fried onions |
1. In a sizable pan, add one cup water and
place the fish.
2. Now turn the heat on and add all the butter, pepper, chopped ginger and chopped garlic.
2. Now turn the heat on and add all the butter, pepper, chopped ginger and chopped garlic.
3. Let all these boil together till all the
flavours mix well and the water starts reducing.
 |
| Adding butter, pepper, chopped ginger and chopped garlic |
 |
| Water reducing |
4. In another pan, fry the onions and set it
aside. The onions should be fried till they turn brown.
5. Once the water has reduced, turn the heat off and add mashed boiled potatoes, fried onions, Worcestershire sauce, green chillies, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and mix them well with your hands.
5. Once the water has reduced, turn the heat off and add mashed boiled potatoes, fried onions, Worcestershire sauce, green chillies, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and mix them well with your hands.
 |
| Mashing all other ingredients |
6. Heat a non-stick pan and add olive oil for
shallow frying the chops. Use your hands to give the chops a flat shape.
7. Dip each chop first into the beaten egg and then into the bread crumbs for coating. Now they are ready for shallow fry.
7. Dip each chop first into the beaten egg and then into the bread crumbs for coating. Now they are ready for shallow fry.
8. Shallow fry on both sides and serve it with
your choice of sauce.
 |
| Shallow frying after dipping it in beaten egg and coating with bread crumbs |
