Category: fennel

Categories
chicken coriander cumin curry fennel food golden syrup nigella seeds turmeric

diamond jubilee chicken

heston blumenthal's diamond jubilee chicken

Another year, another royal celebration, another round of special dishes by Heston Blumenthal. Following last year’s trifle to commemorate the royal wedding, this year Heston produced a panoply of picnicky treats. I’ve had a stab at one here: Diamond Jubilee Chicken.

I’m really not a fan of coronation chicken, the dish originally commissioned for the Queen’s coronation. For me the fruit in there just really jars. Thankfully this version dismisses all that and you get a lovely curried chicken mayo. I read the summary of the ingredients and given it a go myself. You can skip the brining if you like, but brining gives you succulence and depth of flavour, with a lovely finish of peppery nigella seeds which I adore.

I haven’t been able to try the shop-bought version. It may or may not taste like the Heston dish but it makes a great buffet treat regardless.

Diamond Jubilee chicken:

3 chicken breasts

For the brine:

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 star anise

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon golden syrup

For the dressing:

300ml mayonnaise (home made if you can)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon nigella seeds

Lemon juice, to taste

  1. Put the chicken and all the brining ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with water and add enough salt to make an 6% brine solution. Allow to brine for 6 hours, then drain, rinse and pat dry.
  2. Grill the chicken until cooked through (I used a George Foreman Grill). Allow to cool on a wooden board and then slice into bite-size chunky pieces.
  3. For the dressing blend all the ingredients together, then stir in the chicken. Dust with paprika and serve with toast, crudites or salad.
Categories
bacon broccoli cream fennel food parmesan sausages

sausage and broccoli penne

This is one that swilled around my head for a while until coming together. It’s a hybrid of ideas from a recent appearance of Theo Randall on Saturday Kitchen and a Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal.

The most satisfying part of this is using the part of the broccoli you usually throw away, the stalk. Whizzed up and fried it’s as tasty as it’s flowery florets. Mixed with sausage and cream it’s almost rich. Whouda thunk it, broccoli being rich?! Make sure you’re generous with the chilli to balance it all out.

While I ate it I thought pine nuts would be great with this – must try it next time.

Sausage & broccoli penne (serves 2):

2 rashers bacon, sliced

1 head of broccoli

4 sausages, skinned

1 anchovy

Big pinch of chilli flakes

2 cloves garlic

200g penne

50ml double cream

Handful of parmesan

  1. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the bacon. Get a large pot of water on to boil.
  2. In a food processor blitz the broccoli to crumbs with the anchovy. Drop in the sausages and add a trickle of olive oil to make a paste.
  3. Add the paste to the bacon in the pan and stir fry for a few minutes. Crush in the garlic and get the pasta on to boil.
  4. After the pasta has cooked for about 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets and cook for 5 minutes more.
  5. Turn the heat down low and add the cream and parmesan, stirring well to combine. Add the drained pasta and broccoli and if necessary let it down with a little of the pasta water. When mixed nicely and all slick and creamy, check seasoning and serve with more parmesan.
Categories
egg fennel

cheddar frittata with zingy balsamic rocket salad

Just a quick, cheap and cheerful dinner. A simple and humble cheddar frittata with leftover spaghetti, plus a punchy salad on the side (gleefully stolen from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals). The dressing is dynamite, really sweetly acidic with a lemony punch.

Cheddar frittata with zingy balsamic rocket salad (serves 2):

For the frittata:

4 eggs

100g cheddar

150g spaghetti

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

For the salad:

2 slices pancetta

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ a lemon

  1. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking once it’s done. Get the grill on hot and a frying pan over a medium heat.
  2. Whisk the eggs briskly in a large bowl, with salt, pepper and the paprika. Stir in the cheese and add to a large frying pan. After a minute or so add the spaghetti.
  3. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the egg has set around the sides, then transfer to under the grill until the top has browned and set in the middle.
  4. While the omelette cooks get the pancetta into an empty frying pan and the squashed, unpeeled clove of garlic. Once the pancetta’s cooked on one side flip over and add the fennel seeds. Push everything to one side of the pan and tip it slightly. All the fat should run to this side, into which you should add the balsamic vinegar and a twist of pepper. After a minute add the squeezed lemon then pour the lot on to the salad leaves.
  5. Toss the salad well and serve with a wedge of frittata.
Categories
cabbage coriander fennel

pickled cabbage

A guilty pleasure of mine is a kebab from a kebab shop. I don’t even get drunk to have them. Part of the fun is reeling off the list of accompaniments you want with yours. One of my favourites is the pickled cabbage. As such, I’ve perfected my own kebab shop-style pickled cabbage.

Pickled cabbage:

¼ white cabbage, finely shredded

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

White pepper

Sea salt

  • Combine all the ingredients and toss well. Pick up the cabbage and let it drop back into the bowl through your fingers to mix. Add a really large pinch of salt at this stage, and you’ll adjust it later.
  • Leave for two hours or more, tossing every half hour. When it’s tenderised to where you like it (about two hours for me), check for seasoning. Use salt, pepper, more white wine vinegar and a maybe a pinch of sugar to get the flavour balance of salty and sharp. If it’s gone too far you can always rescue it by rinsing under cold water.
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