The Cooking Coach

This has to be one of my quickest, yet satisfying mid-week meals.  A lightly spiced simple curry, easy to prepare, great with the addition of fish, or you can leave out the fish and make it a chickpea curry.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

 Ingredients for 4 Servings
2 x tbsp olive oil
4 x filets of cod (or other meaty white fish) each about 125 to 150gr chopped into quite large chunks
1 x large onion chopped finely
1 x red chili de-seeded and chopped finely
2 x cloves of fresh garlic, chopped finely
4 x tsp of turmeric
1 x tsp of cumin seed
A thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 x tbsp honey (or to taste)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 x tins of chopped tomatoes (2 x 400 gr)
2 x tins of chickpeas. drained
Optional – fresh coriander leaves chopped as garnish

Method 

1. Put the oil into a pan and set the pan on a medium/high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, place the onion, chili, garlic, and ginger, in the pan and let them cook for a few minutes until the onion begins to get soft and a little transluscent.
3. Add the turmeric, cumin, honey and salt, let this cook for another 2 minutes.  If the mix becomes to dry and starts to stick, just add a little water.
4. Add the tin of tomatoes, when this starts to bubble gently add the fish.  Keep the heat medium, just a gentle simmer letting the fish poach until it is cooked through.  This should take about 5 minutes.  Try not to stir too much so that the fish doesn’t break up.
5. When the fish is cooked (it will turn from translucent to white) add the chickpeas and stir carefully until they are covered with the sauce.  When the chickpeas are warmed through and the fish is cooked this dish is ready.  Check for seasoning.

Tips and Variations 

• If you use coriander, chop the stalks finely and add this at the same time as the onion.
• Should you wish a warmer spice taste, swap the fresh red chili for a teaspoon of chili powder.
• For a really hot version, leave the seeds in the chili.
• Instead of the chickpeas you can leave them out and serve this dish with rice or noodles.
• Halibut is another fish that works very well with this dish.
• You can also try chicken filets, chopped into bite sized pieces.  The difference here would be that you would add the chicken to the dish to cook after stage 3 as above, so before adding the tomatoes.
• For a vegetarian version, leave out the fish and just serve with chickpeas, or swap chickpeas for lentils or other beans.  You can also swap the fish for aubergine.

It feels like time for quick easy pasta dishes.  I love to make my own pesto, and I like to mess around with the recipe a bit too.  This is one of my versions of the classic, but instead of basil, there is lots of parsley, and the nuts I use are not pine nuts but walnut, this gives a really creamy result.

In the picture you will see that I have served it with some good quality pasta and a simple side salad drizzled with an excellent reduced balsamic vinegar.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

 Ingredients for 500gr

200gr shelled walnuts
4 or five anchovy filets
2 x large cloves of garlic
75gr of flat parsley (use the stalks too)
About 100 to 150 ml extra virgin olive oil (depending on the viscosity you want the pesto to be)
50gr aged pecorino cheese (or parmesan, aged manchego or other aged hard ewe’s or goat’s cheese)
Pinch of salt

Method

1. Place the walnuts in a food processor with a little of the oil and whizz up until they are finely crumbed.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and whizz again until you get a smooth paste.

 Tips and Variations

• Add oil until you get the consistency you wish, the quantity may vary from the recipe.
• You can play around with the ratio of ingredients as you wish, perhaps you want more cheese or more parsley in relation to nuts – it’s your call!
• You can of course add some basil to the recipe too.
• I like to make this in bulk and freeze it in portions to enjoy whenever I feel like it.
• Great of course served with pasta or I like it straight on crackers as a snack

It has taken me a bit of time to get the hang of white asparagus.  Having grown up not even realising that such a thing existed, since living in the Netherlands, I have had to acquire the taste.  I say I have HAD to acquire the taste because here, they go a little bit crazy for it.  I don’t mind telling you that in the begining I really didn’t like it that much, but this seemed to be the kind of thing where if you can’t beat them, join them.  So, every season (which is very short, but as the years roll by, I am finding it sweeter each year), I try out a couple of new recipes.  This year, I have taken my inspiration from the Belgian chef Jeroen Meus and tried one of his recipes.  After adjusting it a little (sorry, I can’t help myself) it has become my current favourite.   There is something about the combination of white asparagus (or green for that matter) with eggs that really works.  I was already a fan of the soft boiled or poached egg, broken over asparagus to give a rich and creamy sauce.

Preparation Time: 7 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

 Ingredients for 4 servings
12 large white asparagus spears, cleaned.
200gr brown shrimps, bought peeled and cooked
6 large eggs
1 x heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh chives (about a handful)
1 x heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh flat parsley leaves (about a handful)
2 x tsp olive oil
1 x tbsp crème fraîche
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop the asparagus in to cook for about 7 minutes.  Make sure the pan is large enough and has enough water in it to give the asparagus enough room to cook.  Check if they are cooked after 5 minutes by inserting a sharp knife into the thickest part of the asparagus.  When they are ready there should still be a little resistance.  Asparagus are best cooked al dente.
2. Whilst the asparagus is cooking you can make the scrambled egg.  Break the eggs into a bowl, add a little salt and pepper and beat them together with a fork.
3. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, when the pan is hot add the egg mix.  Stir the eggs around and keep them moving.  After about 2 minutes add the herbs and a pinch more salt.  Keep stirring until the eggs come together and are almost cooked, then add the crème fraîche, mix through until it is evenly incorporated and melted into the scrambled eggs.  Remove from the heat.
4. Drain the asparagus and share them out on your plates, place the eggs on top of each serving.  I like to cover the thicker end of the asparagus.  Sprinkle over the shrimp and serve.

 Tips and Variations

• This recipe also works with green asparagus.
• Try crayfish instead of shrimp.

This is such a simple way to jazz up chicken – its pretty healthy too, using hardly any fat and a lean cut of meat.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 Ingredients for 4 Servings
400gr of skinless, boneless chicken breast filet, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 x tbsp olive oil
2 x medium onions chopped roughly
3 x garlic cloves, chopped finely
50gr of fresh ginger, chopped roughly
1 x medium butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into dice of about 2cm
4 x large tomatoes chopped roughly
2 x tsp turmeric
1 x tbsp of each ground cinnamon, cumin and coriander
Juice of 2 x lemons
2 x tbsp honey
400ml chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

To Dress

1 x red onion chopped finely

75gr of feta, crumbled

Some fresh mint leaves and flat parsley chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a non stick pan which has a close fitting lid.  When hot add the onions to brown, cook for a couple of minutes until they have softened a little on a medium high heat.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and pumpkin, stirring everything round, stir fry for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken pieces.
3. Allow the chicken to cook for a couple of minutes moving it around, then add the tomatoes, spices, honey, juice of one lemon, a little salt and pepper and the stock.
4. Bring everything to the boil, then turn to a low/medium heat and cover with your lid.
5. Making sure the pan is at a gentle simmer cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the squash is softened and cooked.
6. As the dish has been covered whilst cooking, you may find that there is a little too much liquid.  I like to reduce this by keeping the lid off and turning up the heat, allowing the liquid to evaporate, the sauce thicken and intensify in flavour.  This takes about 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally, just to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan.
7. Check for seasoning, dress and serve.

Tips and Variations

• Serve with some cous cous which has been flavoured with some mint, parsley, lemon juice and a little butter.
• You can add some tinned chick peas before serving (drain and rinse first) this makes a more complete meal of the Moroccan Chicken.
• For a vegetarian version, I like to add more butternut squash (2 instead of one), or make it with half squash and half sweet potato.  When I use sweet potato, I cut the pieces of this larger than the squash as it cooks slightly quicker.  And of course just stick with vegetable stock in this version.

I always think of this recipe as a ray of sunshine, both in colour and in flavour.  Normally, I would cook more stews in the winter time, but this one works all year round.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

 Ingredients for 4 servings

8 x chicken thighs
2 x large onions chopped in half and thinly sliced in half rings
3 x large garlic cloves chopped finely
3 x red capsicum peppers, de-seeded and chopped in rough strips
75gr piece of chorizo, chopped in small cubes
1 x tbsp of sunflower oil
100ml of white wine
1 x tsp of rosemary chopped finely
1 x tsp of thyme removed from stalk
2 x tsp of turmeric
2 x tsp tomato purée
2 x bay leaves
1 x tbsp honey
2 x tsp of smoked mild paprika powder (or normal paprika powder)
Knife tip of dried chili flakes (optional)
2 x tins of borlotti, or butter beans (optional)
1 x tin of tomatoes
1 orange – the rind of half, the other half of the skin cut into 2 or 3 large strips and then juice the orange.
Salt, pepper and honey to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil on a high heat and brown the chicken in a stock pan (with a close fitting lid), making sure the oil is hot enough, otherwise the chicken will stick.  This will take about 5 minutes.
2. Add the onion, garlic, chorizo, red peppers and soften, cover the  pan with the lid, set to a medium low heat and allow the vegetables to sweat for 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Then add the flavourings. Honey, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, bay leaves, tomato purée orange rind and juice, and a little salt and pepper.  Stir round for 1 minute allowing everything to heat and release flavour.
4. Then add the tin of tomatoes and the wine, stir through, bring to the boil, then cover and allow to simmer gently for about 40 minutes.  Checking the temperature after a few minutes to make sure that the stew is not sticking to your pan because it’s too hot or not bubbling gently because the heat is too low.
5. After it has had its cooking time, remove the lid and check if the chicken is cooked.  You can do this by inserting a sharp pointed knife into the chicken and just prize it gently from the bone.  The juices should run clear and there should be no sign of red or pink colour.
6. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed before serving.

Tips and Variations

• Instead of the beans, serve with boiled crushed potatoes.  Great with some steamed savoy cabbage on the side.
• For a vegetarian version, I like to use aubergine instead of chicken, chopped into quite rough chunks.  I leave out the chorizo but compensate by adding more garlic and more paprika powder and a pinch more chili.
•   Add some mange tout to the stew a couple of minutes before serving, gives great colour and crunch.
•  You can make this as spicy as you wish by adjusting the amount of chili.
• For a lower calorie version, use skinless chicken breast filets instead of thighs.  Here, you won’t need to brown them too much. Swap method 1 and 2, so you cook the onion etc (in the oil though) and then add the roughly chopped chicken and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring around as you do so to make sure nothing sticks.
• If you want to make this recipe for 2 persons, I half the ingredients apart from the tomatoes, I still use a whole tin.
• I sometimes like to add about 50gr almond powder.  This thickens the stew, and also gives a little added sweetness, and of course, the almond is an essential Spanish ingredient.  I do this about 3 minutes before serving, just stir through, the stew will become a little lighter in colour, and of course you will see some grains.