Category: paprika

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carrots chestnuts chorizo leftovers marsala paprika peppers polenta pork

pork and chestnut casserole with fried polenta

pork and chestnut casserole with fried polenta

A real pot of leftovers, this one. Tons of stuff in the cupboard, fridge and freezer that all needed using up. Leave it in the casserole, come back hours later… lovely.

Pork and chestnut casserole:

500g pork shoulder, chopped

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 carrots, diced

2 courgettes, diced

100ml marsala wine

1 teaspoon paprika

2 sprigs rosemary

50g chorizo

250g cooked chestnuts

2 tins tomatoes

500ml chicken stock

For the polenta:

100g quick-cook polenta

400ml vegetable stock

5 dried wild mushrooms

  1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
  2. In a large casserole, fry the pork in batches until browned. Remove to one side while you gently fry the onions and garlic in the same pan.
  3. When softened, turn the heat up, add the marsala wine and bubble furiously. When the wine has reduced, add the pork, carrot, courgette and paprika and give a ruddy good stir. Throw in the rosemary, chestnuts, chorizo, tomatoes and stock and stir thoroughly. Pop the lid on and leave in the oven for three hours. Check on it from time to time and add hot water if necessary.
  4. For the polenta, first grind the mushrooms to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Get the stock to the boil in a saucepan and gradually add the polenta and mushroom dust in a steady stream, whisking all the time. Continue stirring for another two minutes and turn on to a cold plate.
  5. When cool, cut the polenta into pieces and fry until browned and crisp. Serve with the casserole, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Categories
balsamic vinegar chicken food paprika potatoes

balsamic chicken with roasted new potatoes

I was keen to try out some Merchant Gourmet balsamic syrup I’d got hold of and chicken skewers seemed like just the thing. I marinated them for an hour and grilled them on each side. Unfortunately they were a little overdone and tough. It didn’t lend a lot of taste to the meat either – perhaps I should’ve basted again while cooking. A bit disappointing.

One the potatoes however it was smash – sweet and sharp, just the job.

(Served here with sweet and sour peppers)

Balsamic chicken with roasted new potatoes:

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, sliced

2 tablespoons Merchant Gourmet balsamic syrup

For the potatoes:

500g new potatoes

1 garlic clove, bashed

Couple of tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Merchant Gourmet balsamic syrup

  1. Marinate the chicken breasts in the syrup for at least an hour.
  2. Parboil the potatoes for ten minutes until knife tender. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  3. Squish the potatoes slightly with the end of a rolling pin to open them up. Drizzle the potatoes in oil, season well with sea salt and coat with balsamic syrup. Place into the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until crisp.
  4. Season the chicken and place under a hot grill. Cook on both sides until done. Serve with potatoes and sweet and sour peppers.
Categories
chicken chorizo food paprika peppers red onion

chicken and chorizo kebabs

As England melted under the usual immediate and surprising burst of sun + heat, I retreated to the paddling pool. Lovely it was too. Dinner has to feature a BBQ though. What’s in the fridge?

This is the result. A smoky and meaty BBQ skewered treat accompanied by a tangy and sweet pepper and onion salad. Marvellous. Make sure you really scorch the chorizo – the burn really accentuates the smoky flavour and encourages it to give up it’s powerful juices.

And a piece of advice when using chicken breast on the BBQ: it’s extremely likely all the juice will disappear from the breast meat before it’s cooked all the way through due to the not-so-controllable heat of the grill. Always brine poultry before barbecuing to ensure tender, juicy meat, powerful flavours and consistent cooking.

Chicken and chorizo kebabs with red pepper and red onion salad:

For the kebabs:

2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips

10cm chorizo, coarsely diced

For the salad:

1 red onion, sliced

1 red pepper

5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon chopped mint

  1. Make a 8% brine solution for the chicken. Add whatever aromatics you like to this, I used black peppercorns, a tablespoon of honey and a star anise. Leave the chicken to soak in this for at least a couple of hours and preferably more than 6.
  2. Just before you make the kebabs, get the salad started. Mix the red wine vinegar with paprika and a pinch each of sugar and salt. Leave the onion in this to tenderize and mellow.
  3. Leave the red pepper directly on the flames of the barbecue until charred all over. Seal in a freezer bag for ten minutes to steam and soften.
  4. Skewer the chorizo and chicken on to sticks and barbecue over a medium-high-heat, turning occasionally.
  5. Remove the pepper from the bag and scrape down with a spoon to remove the skin. Dice and add to the red onion and add a splash of extra virgin olive oil, and adjust the seasoning.
  6. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, serve with the salad and drizzle over the rest of the dressing left in the bowl.
Categories
cauliflower egg food paprika

smoky cauliflower frittata

A punchy treat from Yotam Ottolenghi’s new book Plenty. It’s a cauliflower frittata packed with smoky flavours. I used scamorza (you can buy it, or make your own as I did here), smoked paprika and smoked sea salt to amp up the aromatic flavour. It’s also important to ‘toast’ the cauliflower in a pan before pouring the egg mixture in to accentuate the cauli’s nutty aroma. This is really good – really good – and I even had it the next day cut into cubes and reheated in the oven. It left a lovely smoky flavour in the mouth a good while later. Very tasty indeed.

Smoky cauliflower frittata:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

Smoked sea salt

4 tablespoons creme fraiche

6 eggs

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 spring onion, sliced

150g scamorza, grated

50g cheddar, grated

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Parboil the cauliflower in salted water for 4 minutes, then drain. While it boils, whisk together the eggs, creme fraiche, mustard, paprika, onion plus two thirds of the cheeses. Season with smoked sea salt and white pepper.
  3. Fry the cauliflower in a little oil for a couple of minutes, without stirring, until the underside starts to brown. Pour over the egg mixture and when the edges start to set scatter the remaining cheese on top. Transfer to a hot oven for 15-20 minutes until set to your liking (I like mine past wobbly).
  4. Cut into wedges and serve with a green salad.
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