This is a super simple, serves 2 greedy people and takes about 20 minutes to cook and if you don’t like prawns you can always leave them out. It also works really well with good chicken stock but when I made this last night I didn’t have any stock so used the oxo cube and water.

If you really want to stir the rice you can, although a Spanish friend once told me never to stir it so for once I’ve done as I’m told.

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 1 small packet of smokey bacon lardons
• 4 mini cooking chorizo (picante ones if possible), skin removed and then sliced
• 10 (ish) large raw king prawns
• 1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
• 5 large chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 sprigs worth of thyme leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 oxo chicken stock cube
• 350-40ml water
• 150g paella rice.
• pinch of saffron soaked in a tablespoon of water.
• Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley.
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 handful of frozen peas
• 1 medium tomato, chopped and seeds removed.
• 1 glass of white wine.
• salt
• pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• bay leaf
• olive oil

Method

1.  Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan, add the bacon and cook until crispy, add the sliced chorizo and cook for a minute or so before adding the chicken.
2. Cook the chicken for a few minutes until its nice and golden then add the mushrooms, peppers and onion along with the garlic, bay leaf, chilli flakes and paprika. Stir well.
3. Cook until the onions are soft, add the wine, give it a really good stir then add the rice , once the rice has soaked up the wine add the water and crumble in the stock cube (unless your using stock then just add the stock), give it a quick stir.
4. Now turn the heat down so the pan is simmering and just a say bubbling. The trick here is not to stir anything and leave it for 10-15 minutes, checking it every now and then to make sure it’s not drying out too much, the rice will soak up all the juices and puff up nicely, the bits that catch on the pan add a little more texture and taste fab too.
5. The rice will start to soften so after 15 minutes try a few grains, if they are about cooked add the prawns and peas, pushing them into the rice but not stirring too much as you don’t want to disturb the pan too much.
6. Cook until the prawns are pink and cooked through.
7. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
8. Remove from the heat and give it all a good mix before you plate it up.

Enjoy!

This is pretty much a Jamie Oliver recipe out of a little booklet that my future mother in law gave me a few weeks ago, I changed it slightly as I could’t get any plum jam so ended up buying some cherry jam instead.

How long you cook the meat for will depend on the size of your joint and how well done you like it.

As well as the chilli flakes you could also add some sliced fresh chillis or sliced pickled Jalepeno towards the end of glazing.

The broth from the initial cooking can be used for soup or stock if it’s not too salty and the juices from roasting make wicked gravy.

The meat is delicious hot or cold and will last a while in an air tight container in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 3Kg Gammon joint (smoked or unsmoked it’s up to you)
• 1/2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 tbsp whole white peppercorns (or you can just use a whole tbsp of black ones)
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1  carrot, cut into chunks
• A few sprigs of fresh Thyme
• 1 Piece of celery, cut into chunts
• Water.
• 1/2 jar of cherry jam
• 1 tsp chilli flakes.
• 1 fresh chilli, halved (optional)
• 6 cloves (optional)

Method

1. Pre heat your ove to 160 degrees.
2. Place the meat in a roasting tray or a large pan that you can fit in your oven.
3. Fill with water so it comes about half way up meat.
4. Place the onion, celery, carrot, thyme, peppercorns, cloves and fresh chilli around the meat.
5. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 90 mins and cooked through (use a meat thermometer to check if you have one)
6. Remove from the oven, keep it covered and leave to cool for at least 30mins.
7. Once the meat is cool enough to handle, remove most of the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat on the top.
8. Carefully use a sharp knife to score the fat in a diamond pattern.
9. Turn the oven up to 200 degrees
10. Put the meat back into the oven and put the meat back in for 30-40 mins until the fat starts to crisp up.
11. Carefully spread some cherry jam over the meat, sprinkle with chilli flakes and then place back in the oven.
12. Now this bit is where you need to use your judgement, keep roasting the meat for 30-60 mins, basting and adding more jam if necessary, until the jam is crisp and sticky and the meat is cooked how you like it.
13. Remove from the oven, leave to cool lightly and then slice and serve.

The slaw really adds another dimension

I’ve never actaully tried putting pork shoulder in the slow cooker or making a BBQ sauce so this was a bit of an experiment, It was also a bit of a spur of the moment decision to make so I didn’t marinate the meat before hand.

Cooking time will depend on the size of pork and whether you choose to use a slow cooker or an oven, but I’d say the minimum cooking time is about 6 hours, I left mine in my slow cooker for just over 8, the first hour it was set on high, after that on medium.

To be honest it was a great success, I’d have maybe added an extra chilli and a splash of balsamic  and possibly a bay leaf to add a bit of extra depth but for a first attempt I was over the moon.

Try to get hold of either some Chipotle sauce (like Mr Vikkis Ranch Sauce or one Stop Hoy Shops old smokey) or some Chipotle paste, if you can’t then try using BBQ sauce from the supermarket.

I served mine with a good dollop of coleslaw, home made skinny fries, with nandos piri piri salt and a soft white bread bun.

It wen’t something like this.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork shoulder
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 

  The pork before cooking

  3 tbsp Henderson’s Relish (or Worcestershire sauce if you are from down south)

• 4 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 4 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp corn flour
• 60ml chipotle sauce (you can add a bit more if you like)
• 1 tin of haricot beans, drained and rinsed.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water

Method

1. Trim the fat off the pork shoulder, either discard or use for crackling.
2. Depending on the size of your pork shoulder, chop into fist size chunks.
3. Mix all of the ingredients, apart from the pork, beans and water , in a large bowl, taste then season, add a little more spice if you like.
4. Add the pork into the bowl and mix well.
5. Tip the contents of the bowl into your slow cooker
6. Add some water to the bowl and swirl around to get the rest of the sauce out.
7. Tip the water into your slow cooker, so it just about covers the pork, if not add a little more.
8. 

   The pork after it's been pulled and returned to the sauce

   Turn the slow cooker on high and cook for an hour.

9. After an hour turn down to medium and leave for 5-7 hours.
10. An hour before you want to serve the meal, tip the drained beans into the slow cooker and mix well.
11. Just before you are going server the meal, remove the pork, pull apart with a couple of forks and then tip it back into the slow cooker, mix well.
12. Serve with your chosen accompaniment’s.

Despite being a local delicacy, good ones are surprisingly hard to find, especially when you are sober. So I’ve had a go at making my own and thought I’d share the recipe with you so those of you who’ve not had one can give it a go.

I added some extra spice to the breadcrumbs but if you don’t want it to hot you can always leave that out.

It’s up to you how you cook your chicken, you can deep fry it for a few minutes until crisp and golden, shallow fry or bake in the oven.

You can also top your chicken with bacon/ham/chorizo or salami to add an extra twist.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• Breadcrumbs
• Pinch chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp mixed herbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• 1 free range egg
• Lots of Grated Cheddar
• Sliced chillis of your choice, I used pickled Jalapeno.

For the Sauce

• 25g Flour
• 25g Butter
• Handful Parmesan cheese
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 350ml milk

To Serve

• Garlic Sauce
• Chilli Sauce
• Salad
• Homemade Chips

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees, or pre heat your grill
2. Butterfly your chicken breasts then bash them out so they are really thin.
3. Coat them in seasoned flour
4. Beat the egg and dip the chicken in the egg.
5. Mix the chilli flakes and powder with the breadcrumbs, along with a little salt and pepper.
6. Coat the chicken in the breadcrumbs.
7. Cook your chicken using your preferred method, I fried mine so drained it on some kitchen paper while i made the sauce.
8. Make your sauce by melting the butter in a pan, then add the flower and mix to form a paste, then add a little of the milk at a time, stirring well to avoid getting lumps.
9. Add the nutmeg, a pinch of salt and pepper and the bay leaf and cook for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened and no longer tastes of flour. Remove the bay leaf
10. Stir in a handful of grated parmesan and remove from the heat.
11. Place your chicken on a baking tray (use some grease proof paper if you want to save scrubbing your tray later)
12. Cover the chicken in the sauce, then top with lots of grated cheese
13. Top with a few slices of chilli then place in the oven or under the grill until the cheese has melted.
14. Remove from oven/grill and serve with salad, chips and loads of garlic and chilli sauces.

As much as I’m not a fan of the kits and preffer to create my own fajitas, the crispy chicken seasoning is delicious.

I’m not sure of you can buy the crispy coating seasoning separately but if not some normal fajita seasoning mixed with breadcrumbs should do the trick.

Crispy, spicy and delicious

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, bashed out so they are nice and thin and sliced into 2 or 3 big chunks/escalopes
• 1/2 packet Old El Paso crispy chicken fajita seasoning.
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• 2 bread buns
• Salad and potato wedges to serve with.
• Olive oil
• Sandwich bag

This is yet another recipe from Mexican Food Made Simple by Thomasina Miers, although I used butternut squash instead of onion squash  and used red onion instead of shallots as couldn’t find any.

Rich and delicious

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 packet soft corn or flour tortillas or soft tacos.
• 1 clove of garlic
• olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1/2 a butternut squash, peeled and diced….you don’t have to peel it but the skin can be a bit chewy.
• 1 chilli of your choice, sliced
• 2 cooking chorizo, thickly sliced.
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano.
• Salt and pepper
• Guacamole/sour cream/salsa/fresh coriander/pumpkin seeds to serve with

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Smash the garlic with some salt and pepper, then mix with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Toss the squash in the seasoned oil mix, sprinkle over your chilli and roast for 20 mins, until the squash is soft.
4. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and fry the chorizo and onion until the onion has softened.
5. Add the Oregano followed by the squash, remove from the heat, mix well and adjust the seasoning.
6. Serve in the tacos/tortillas with salsa and salad.

There’s also a chance for the budding cooks reading this to submit their recipes and to win a chance to be in a cookbook alongside Rachel Allen

Kerrygold and Rachel Allen Launch Community Cookbook

Kerrygold, the Irish butter brand, has teamed up with top Irish Chef, Rachel Allen, to produce the very first Kerrygold Community Cookbook. Kerrygold is inviting  cooking enthusiasts across the UK to be part of it by submitting their best-loved recipes, be they old family favourites or original flashes of culinary inspiration, to their Facebook page

Roast chicken with honey butter chorizo stuffing
Serves 4-6

Rachel’s quote: ‘Chorizo and honey are two powerful flavours that are carefully balanced in this stuffing, they both work wonderfully with the supremely versatile chicken. I have used Kerrygold Honey Spread as a convenient cheat for adding both honey and butter.’

Ingredients:

• 40g (1 ½ oz) Kerrygold Honey Spread
• 110g (4oz) chorizo, finely chopped
• 100g (3 ½ oz) white breadcrumbs
• 1 chicken (1.5 – 2.25kg or 3lb 5oz – 5lb)
• 2 tbsp thyme, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°f/Gas mark 4.
2. First make the stuffing, melt 25g of the Kerrygold Honey Spread in a saucepan with the olive oil, then add the onion, garlic and chorizo, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the onions are soft but not browned.
3. Take off the heat, then stir in the thyme and breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper then allow to cool.
4. Spoon the cooled stuffing into the chicken cavity and place the chicken in a roasting tin. Smear the remaining Kerrygold Honey Spread over the skin of the chicken and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
5. Place in the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 30-45 minutes (allowing about 20 minutes per 450g/1 lb), until cooked, basting occasionally. If it begins to look quite dark while cooking, cover with some foil.
6. To check whether the chicken is fully cooked, stick a skewer into the thigh with a spoon placed underneath to catch the juices, the juices should run clear. Also, the legs should feel quite loose on the bird.
7. When cooked, transfer the chicken to a serving plate and leave to rest, covered with foil and in the oven at the lowest temperature. This will keep the chicken warm while you make the gravy or sauce.
8. Spoon the stuffing out of the chicken into a serving bowl or onto a plate.
9. Carve the chicken and serve.

For more information on the Kerrygold, delicious recipes and to be in with a chance to have your recipe featured in the Kerrygold Community Cookbook alongside Rachel Allen’s please visit
www.facebook.com/KerrygoldUK

Great flavour but a bit crumbly.

I couldn’t resist topping mine with a big dollop of Mr Vikkis Chilli Jam, more about that in another post.

Anyway here’s how it went.

Ingredients

• 5 large chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• zest and juice of half a lemon
• 250g chickpeas, drained.
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 chilli, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• small handfull of fresh coriander
• pinch of chilli powder
• salt
• pepper
• Olive oil
• Tortilla chips
• Buns, chutney and salad to serve with.

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees!
2. Place a couple of handfuls of  tortilla chips in a blender and blend until they look like breadcrumbs, you can leave them a bit chunkier if you wish. Tip into a Bowl
3. Heat a splash of olive oil on a pan then add the garlic, chilli, onion and mushrooms, fry until soft, add the lemon zest and juice followed by the paprika, cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder. Stir well, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
4. Blend the drained chickpeas until you have a rough paste, add a little olive oil as you go so it’s not too dry.
5. Add the mushroom mix, a table spoon of the crushed tortillas and some fresh coriander to the chickpeas and mix well, season with salt and pepper.
6. Shape the mixture into 2 burgers, then coat the burgers with the remaining crushed tortillas.
7. Bake the burgers in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until piping hot and nice and crispy
8. Place in lightly toasted bun with your chosen toppings and enjoy!

Serves 4

Rich and spicy mmmmm

Ingredients

• 1 Packet of raw king prawns, butterflied
• 1 green pepper, sliced.
• 1 onion sliced.
• few chestnut mushrooms, sliced.
• 1 tbsp tumeric
• 200ml coconut milk
• 2 large tomatoes, de seeded and finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed,
• 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated,
• 1 red chilli, de seeded and finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, de seeded and finely chopped
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground corriander
• 3 tsp chilli powder.
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 handful of corriander leaves, chopped.
• olive or vegetable oil.
• 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
• Rice to serve

Method

1. Coat the prawns in Turmeric and set aside.
2. Heat a splash of oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, when they start to pop, add the chillis, mushroom, pepper and onion, fry until soft.
3. Add the Garlic and ginger and fry for a few minutes until cooked through.
4. Add the rest of the spiced and cook for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and cook until soft,
5. Add the coconut milk and stir through, cook for 5-10 mins or until the sauce has thickened
6. Add the prawns to the pan and stir well, cover with a lid and cook until the prawns are pink, don’t over do it as you don’t want to turn them into rubber bullets.
7. I know some people like their curry a little bit sweeter so if that’s you add the sugar and stir through.
8. At the last minute stir in some coriander leaves.
9. Serve with rice and a squirt of lime juice.

I used Morrisons the Best Pirri Pirri Sausages to give a bit of extra kick too.

It took about 40mins for me to get the sauce to thicken, next time I’d be quite tempted to do it in the slow cooker.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• good-quality sausages (about 2 or 3 per person)
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped, yellow leaves reserved
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1–2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 0 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
• 1 heaped teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2–3 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon white wine or cider vinegar
• 750ml chicken stock, preferably organic
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• cooked long-grain rice, to serve
• 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• a small bunch of fresh curly parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Put a splash of olive oil in a pan and let it get hot. Add your sausages and let them cook away so they brown nicely on all sides. Once golden and crisp, take them out of the pan and put them on a plate to rest. Depending on your sausages, there may be a lot of fat left behind in the pan. You only want to keep about 4 tablespoons of it in the pan, so carefully pour any extra away. If you don’t have enough, just add a splash more olive oil.

Add your onion, peppers and celery to the fat and fry on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in your garlic, chilli, thyme and spices and fry for another minute or two. Stir in your flour and vinegar, and after a couple of minutes add your browned sausages, chicken stock and tinned tomatoes, using a wooden spoon to break them up a little. Season with a nice big pinch of salt and pepper, stir, then bring to the boil and let it tick away for 15 minutes or so until you have a thick and delicious gravy.

Serve with a hearty spoonful of rice on the side and sprinkle over some sliced spring onion, chopped parsley and any reserved celery leaves. Really tasty stuff!