Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 26 April 2022

• Chicken
• Gluten Free
• Dried Fruit

These Chicken breasts had been loitering in the freezer for long enough!

Ingredients:-

2 Chicken Breasts
12 Dried Apricots, chopped
40g of Apricot Jam
1 Onion, diced
240ml of Chicken Stock
½ Tsp of Cinnamon
½ tsp of Fresh Rosemary, chopped finely
2 Tsp of Tabasco Sauce
Milk to soak
Olive Oil and Margarine to fry
Fresh Parsley to garnish
Salt & Pepper to season

Method:-

(1) Pound out the Chicken Breasts with a meat mallet and season with Salt & Pepper.
(2) Place in Milk and leave in the fridge for up to 2 hours to soak.
(3) In a large pan over a high heat add 1 Tbsp of Margarine and 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
(4) Add the Chicken Breasts and turn down the heat to medium.
(5) Cook of both sides until browned. Remove and set aside.
(6) Add a little more Oil and then add the Onions, frying until softened.
(7) Add the Stock and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
(8) Combine the Apricots and Apricot Jam and add to the Stock.
(9) Stir in the Cinnamon, Rosemary and Tabasco Sauce. Continuing to simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
(10) Return the Chicken and simmer for 5 minutes.

We sliced the Breasts diagonally and served over plain boiled Rice and garnished with the chopped Parsley. Very tasty and lighter than some of the dishes we’ve prepared recently.

 

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 22 April 2022

• Quick and Easy
• Gluten Free
• Turkey Mince

This Yellow Sticker pack of Turkey Breast mince was £1.29. Probably the least inspiring and dry mince you can get? Well actually not.

Meatball Ingredients:-

750g of Turkey Mince
50g of Gluten free bread, wuzzed into Breadcrumbs
25g of Italian Style hard Cheese, grated
1 Onion, finelt diced
1 Egg, beaten
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of fresh Parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp of fresh (Foraged!) Chives, chopped
1 Tbsp of Milk (Lactose free for us)
2 Tbsp of Margarine
1 Tsp of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to season

Sauce Ingredients:-

1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes + Water
1 Tbsp of Tomato Puree
2 Tbsp of Red Chilli Sauce (Sue’s secret, until I type the recipe up!)
1 Onion, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tsp of Mixed Dried Herbs
Oil to fry
Salt & Pepper to season

Sufficient Spaghetti to serve two, cooked according to the packet (Gluten free for us)

Method:-

(1) Combine all the Meatball ingredients and roll into small balls.
(2) Heat Oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and fry the meatballs until golden brown on all side and cooked through, turning as required.
(3) In a separate pan add Oil and fry the Onions until softened.
(4) Add the Garlic and fry for a further minute.
(5) Stir in the Tomato Puree, Red Chilli Sauce, mixed Herbs and season with Salt & Pepper.
(6) Add the Tinned Tomatoes and half a Tin of Water and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
(7) Cook the Spaghetti and drain.
(8) Serve the Spaghetti an plates, top with half of your Sauce.
(9) Add the Meatballs and then dress with the remaining Sauce.
(10) Garnish with Grated Italian Style Hard Cheese and fresh Parsley.

It fed both of us, Smooh the Cat and the Foxes. Not bad going and I’m guessing all humans and animals enjoyed it. There was certainly nothing left in the morning!

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 20 April 2022

• Quick and Easy
• Duck Breasts
• Gluten Free
• Asian Recipes

I’m guessing this whole Duck was another Easter special offer. But we’re not complaining, it’s normally well out of our price range. I butchered it and we effectively have enough in the freezer for another two good meals. So at £7, it wasn’t actually frighteningly expensive - £1.17 per person per meal plus the veg, rice and other cupboard ingredients…..

Ingredients:-

2 Duck Breasts
4 Tbsp of Chinese Five Spice
2 Tbsp of Honey
6 Tbsp of Soy Sauce (Gluten free for us)
4 Spring Onions, finely sliced
1 Sweet Red Pepper, diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Thumb of Ginger, grated
1 Lime, half cut into wedges to garnish, half juiced
1 Tsp of Sesame Oil
200g of Rice Noodles
Sesame Seeds & Spring Onion to garnish
Salt & Petter to season
Oil to fry

Method:-

(1) Score the fat on the Duck and season with Salt & Pepper.
(2) Rub in the Five Spice on both sides.
(3) Heat Oil in an oven proof pan.
(4) Place the Duck Breasts in the pan skin side down and cook for about 3 minutes, until the skin is golden brown.
(5) Turn over and cook for a further minutes or so.
(6) Place the pan in a pre-heated oven at 170c for 3 to 5 minutes.
(7) Remove from the oven and set aside.
(8) Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add a little Oil.
(9) Add the Onions and Red Pepper and cook until softened.
(10) Add the Garlic and Ginger & stir in.
(11) Cook the Noodles according to the packet instructions.
(12) Drain the Noodles and then add the Onion mixture and stir through.
(13) In a pan heat the Honey and Soy Sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
(14) Add the Sesame Oil and Lime Juice the the Noodles & stir in.
(15) Slice the Duck Breasts.
(16) Plate the Noodles and lay the Duck Breasts over the top.
(17) Pour over the Sauce and garnish with Spring Onions and A Lime wedge.

It sounds quite complicated. But actually this was quick and easy, also very tasty.

 

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 15 April 2022

• Sea Food
• Gluten Free

OK we have day dyslexia and at Easter we should have done “Fish on a Friday” but let’s not be pedantic. At £1.26 two intact Squid seemed like the foundation of a good meal.

Ingredients:-

2 Whole Squid. To prepare pull the contents out of the body cavity. Cut the Tentacles off the head and make sure you remove the ‘Beak’ in the middle. Also pull out the transparent ‘Quill’ from the body cavity.
25g of Capers
50g of Breadcrumbs ( Gluten free wuzzed up bread works for us)
1 Egg, beaten
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
15g of grated Italian Style hard Cheese
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Onion, finely diced
10 Cherry Tomatoes, chopped
400g of Passata
2 Sheets of Kelp, steeped in cold Water to rehydrate. Cut into Tagliatelle sized strips
100g of Pickled Cockles
Rice Noodles
1 Tsp of Cuttlefish Paste (Chinese Supermarket gig again, but it’s cheap and lasts for ever in the fridge)
1 Tsp of Red Chilli Pepper Sauce (Home made as we had a few too many Red Peppers in the fridge)
Salt & Pepper to season
Fresh Parsley to garnish (Picked from our balcony plant usually)

Method:-

(1) Add ½ of the Capers and ½ of the Cockles to a bowl with the Breadcrumbs, Egg, 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil and 2 Tbsp of Warter.
(2) Add the grated Cheese, Garlic and Parsley and mix well.
(3) In a large frying pan over a medium heat add the Onions, with the  Red Chilli Pepper Sauce, Cuttlefish Paste, 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil and season with Salt & Pepper. To create the sauce.
(4) Fry until the Onions soften.
(5) Add the Tomatoes & Passata and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
(6) Put the Tentacles to one side.
(7) Stuff the bodies of the Squid with the Breadcrumb mix, so they about ½ filled.
(8) Secure the opening with toothpicks.
(9) Add the remaining Capers & Cockles to the sauce and continue to simmer.
(10) Add the stuffed Squid and the Tentacles to the sauce and simmer over a very low heat for 25 to 30 minutes.
(11) In salted Water boil the Kelp for 10 minutes.
(12) Drain and refresh the water, bringing it back to the boil.
(13) Add the Rice Noddles and cook according to the packet instructions.
(14) Remove the stuffed Squid and after removing the toothpicks, set aside.
(15) Drain the Kelp and Noodles and place on your plates.
(16) Slice each Squid diagonally to reveal the filling.
(17) Add the Squid to the top of the Kelp / Noddles and pour the Sauce over.
(18) Garnish with the remaining grated Italian Style hard Cheese and fresh Parsley.


We got the dried Kelp from a Chinese Supermarket within walking distance (for me). Cut into Tagliatelle sized strips it adds to real “Sea” taste. But next time I might cut it a bit thinner, for various digestive reasons……!