Chinese Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

Chinese Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

I love this soup, authentic Chinese food is what I aim to cook, and you can be guaranteed that the Chinese people do not eat the kinda food we get in Ireland in their takeaways. There is a little bit more work in this soup than in most others but it is worth it.

Serves 6:

1 large chicken fillet

1 litre of chicken stock

A dash of sesame oil

An inch sized piece of ginger

1 tin of sweetcorn

2 tablespoons of corn flour

2 egg whites

Spring onion to garnish

Method

Poach the chicken fillet by covering it with water in a medium saucepan, place it on a high heat until it starts to bubble then reduce to an easy simmer for 20 mins until cooked and tender. Remove it from the water and allow cooling on a plate, reserving the cooking water for later. When the fillet is cool shred it by pulling it into long thin strips.

In a large saucepan pour in a litre of stock and a dash of sesame oil, grate in the ginger and add the sweetcorn from the tin. Place on a high heat and bring to the boil. In the meantime using some of the poaching water in a cup; make a thin paste with the corn flour. Also beat the 2 egg white lightly with another dash of the poaching water in a separate cup.

When the large saucepan has reached boiling point, add the shredded chicken, return to the boil and stir in the corn flour paste. Now from a height of about 15cm gently drizzle in the egg white mix while stirring (this will ensure it doesn't clump together and that it will cook fully).

Check for seasoning and add a pinch of salt if needed. Serve with a garnish of spring onion cut on the diagonal.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork

Here is a great recipe for January, it's quite low in fat and its a hot enough sweet and sour to warm you up in the dark cold evenings. Pork fillet is lean and to make it even more so, trim away any excess fat on the outside of it although there shouldn't be much at all.

I love cooking these kinda meals in the dark evenings, Ciara normally only gets home from work about 8.10 so I start head into the kitchen (if I'm not in it already) about 7.30 to get dinner on. I normally don't like eating dinner that late unless we are out for a meal but that's life for you, it's an excuse not to load up on portion sizes and that way Ciara get's to take the left overs for her lunch to work the next day.

I serve this with fried brown rice, but you can serve it with boiled rice, egg noodles etc. also, feel free to load more veg into it to fill up on the good stuff, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, courgette, squash etc.

Calories 686

343 per portion

(Add 218 pp for brown rice)

Serves 2:

200g pork fillet

Sea salt and black pepper

1 onion

 1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 fat clove of garlic

Half a small red chilli

A thumb sized piece of ginger

Rapeseed oil

1 teaspoon of Chinese five-spice

1 tablespoon of corn flour

3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce

A small tin of pineapple chunks

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

Coriander leaves to garnish

Method

Cut the pork fillet length-ways down the middle then cut each side into cubes and season with the salt and pepper. Peel, halve and chop the onion into chunks. De-seed the peppers and chop into bite size pieces. Finely slice the garlic, chilli and ginger.

Heat a large frying pan or wok on a high heat, when hot add the rapeseed oil along with the pork pieces, immediately sprinkle over the Chinese five-spice and brown off the pork for a few minutes. Remove into a clean bowl using a slotted spoon.

Give the pan/wok a wipe down then return to the heat, add more oil then add all the chopped vegetables. Cook this all for about 2 mins stirring frequently. Stir in the corn flour and add the soy sauce, cook for a further minute then add back in the pork along with the pineapple chunks, their juice and the balsamic vinegar.

Check the seasoning and cook for a further few mins ensuring the pork is cooked through (break a piece open to check). Simmer for a few mins until sauce thickens if needed.

Serve with fried rice and a garnish of coriander leaves.

I'm a bad blogger, but I'm writing a fupping cookbook!

Its the start of a brand spanking new year, 2013 and its not looking in anyway unlucky to me.
After my bizarre exploits of last year, this year is looking just as action packed but thankfully jogging will be taking a back seat. Last year I ran, walked and hobbled around Ireland for charity, something I would do again... but taking a years break from that will suit me down to the ground!

After my run finished and I was in recovery I got some great news, the publishers Mercier Press wanted me to write a cookbook, something I had aimed to achieve. So this is my excuse for not blogging of late, I have been flat to the mat experimenting, perfecting, writing, typing and photographing old and new recipes to put in the book... it's all go I can tell you but I'm loving every minute of it!!!

This year I plan a big year for my cakes, I've fallen in love with making them again after a month or so off from taking orders.. my aim as always is to make each one I do (no matter how big or small) the best one I have ever made... in my opinion if you cant bring that attitude into what you do then you may stop doing it and find something that you can work that attitude into. I know I am blessed to be doing something that I love but I did go through a lot of shit jobs to get here and to be honest still do jobs as a handyman that many's a man wouldn't take on with, they are that bad and pointless, but I take them on the chin as the bigger picture is more appealing and lets face it, you gotta paddle through a mountain of crap before you hit the big blue sea!

Well that's me for now as I'm up to my neck in glorious work!!

I will blog better in future and more recipes and gardening to come real soon but for now I'll take my punishment like a man... 100 lines...

I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger
I must be a better blogger

Ah to hell with that... sue me ;)

Lemony Pasta

Lemony Pasta

This simple pasta dish is top class, the freshness from the lemon with a light creamy sauce really makes it a light refreshing lunch. I serve this with little lemon teardrops (see 'Tip'), now this is not for everyone as 'raw' lemon can be quite bitter but I think it gives a sharp freshness that makes you want more. It's one of those moments where the mind and senses inquisitiveness take over an says "ooh... try that again"!! 

This is another dish without the addition of meat or fish and I am really getting used to that. I will by no means become a vegetarian because I love meat and fish too much but I have been realising lately that you don't need it to feature in ever meal... nor for it to even feature daily. 

Tip: To make lemon teardrops, simply 

cut a lemon into slices, cut the rind of

the slice then carefully nip out the 

lemon flesh in between the membrane

with the tip of a sharp knife.

Serves 2:

Wholewheat pasta/spaghetti

A handful of green beans

A handful of frozen peas

Juice of half a lemon 

Grated zest of half a lemon

2 tablespoons of creme fráiche

Sea salt and black pepper

Half a bag of baby spinach

Parmesan cheese to serve

Method

• In a large lidded saucepan cook the pasta (with a good pinch of salt) to the packets instructions. In the meantime trim the ends of the green beans. Add these and the peas halfway through the cooking time of the pasta.

• Once the pasta, beans and peas are cooked strain them into a colander but reserve some of the starchy water. Place the pasta, beans and peas back into the saucepan, pour in a good splash of the starchy water along with the lemon juice, zest and 2 tablespoons of creme fráiche, season with a good pinch of ground black pepper.

• Give this all a good stir around and place back on a medium heat, pour in half a bag of baby spinach leaves and cover with the lid while it wilts down, shake the saucepan now and again to stop it catching. Once the spinach has wilted give it all a good stir around again and split between 2 bowls, top with lemon teardrops if using along with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan. 

Fruity Oats Chicken

Fruity Oats Chicken

If you can afford it, then I would suggest getting chicken fillets from your local butcher for this recipe. They will generally be plumper and definitely fresher. I think that, if you have a good local butcher, it should be used more often. For certain things it may be a little more expensive but normally the quality will be better plus a butcher is there to advise you on different cuts of meat and to do some of the work for you if you are a little unsure how to prepare a particular cut of meat. It really is sad to see a lot of local butchers having to close down because of the big dawgs (supermarket chains) and our own want for convenience.

  Chicken fillets when roasted in the oven, the flesh can go quite leathery and can dry out quite easily, this is why they are normally wrapped in parma ham or bacon, or they are coated in breadcrumbs, this protective layer will help prevent the breast getting dry in the cooking time. While this is a good thing, those 3 options can be quite fatty so this is my alternative... a healthier approach to succulent chicken fillets with a flavoursome kick. Serve with some steamed or roasted vegetables.

Calories 500

250 per portion

Serves 2:

15g porridge oats

A sprig of rosemary-leaves chopped

Grated zest of 1 orange

60ml of natural fat free yogurt

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

1 egg-beaten

30g plain flour

Sea salt and black pepper

2 large chicken fillets

2 teaspoons of cranberry sauce

Method

• Preheat your oven to 180c.

• In a medium bowl combine the oats, rosemary and orange zest. In another medium bowl beat together the yogurt, mustard and egg. On a small plate place the flour and season with salt and pepper, set aside.

• Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board and make a deep incision through the side of each breast, being careful not to cut the whole way through, so you make deep pockets. Delicately push a full teaspoon of cranberry sauce into each of these pockets and evenly distribute it. You can use a cocktail stick to 'stitch' the opening if you like-just remember to remove it after cooking!

• Now carefully roll a stuffed chicken fillet in the seasoned flour, then into the yogurt mixture making sure that the coating has stuck to the flour. Then finally roll it into the oats ensuring a good even coating of the oats mixture. 

• Lightly oil an oven tray and place the fillets on it, give them a very light drizzle of olive oil and bake for 35 mins.

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

Healthy eating doesn't have to mean boring and tasteless food... not by a long shot!

This soup recipe packs a flavour punch that will land you on your ass. I have really gotten into making soups and experimenting with their flavours. I think that a good homemade soup should be part of everyone's week, it makes a great lunch, it is a great source of getting fresh vegetables into your body, it keeps well for a few days in the fridge and it freezes well. This time of year especially, a good homemade soup with some fresh wholewheat crusty bread is pure comfort food, I love it!

Most soups can be made up in about 20-30 mins... from scratch-to bowl. And trust me when I say, it doesn't take much skill to make it either, when I first got into cooking, soups where at the forefront of my cooking. They give a novice cook a great opportunity to get used to chopping vegetables with the comfort of knowing that, when blended up they wont be seen (well, providing the recipe calls for being blended-but most do). As I am always saying "do the simple things well and you can't go wrong".

This soup has a curried background with the use of 3 spices... Cumin, Coriander and Turmeric. Now this soup will work just fine without using these spices if you either don't have them in your cupboard, or if you don't want a curried flavour... so don't let that put you off trying it. But like everything, if you don't experiment with flavours then you wont realise what you are missing, it took me a whopping 28 years to figure that out! If I could go back and tell my younger self something it would be to be more open to food... and maybe the lotto numbers!!!

Calories 1061

265 per portion

Serves 4:

A teaspoon of cumin seeds

A teaspoon of coriander seeds

A teaspoon of turmeric

Olive oil

1 large onion-chopped

1 eating apple-peeled, cored and sliced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

A thumb-sized piece of ginger grated

600g sweet potatoes

1 litre of stock

100g red split lentils

300ml semi-skimmed mild

The juice of one lime

Creme fráiche to serve

Method

• Place the 3 spices into a large saucepan over a medium heat to toast them for a few minutes, this enhances the flavours. Then add in the olive oil and stir around as the oil sizzles.
• To this add in the onion, apple, garlic and ginger and allow to cook whist stirring frequently for about 5 mins.
• In the meantime peel and cube the sweet potatoes into small cubes. Add these to the saucepan along with the lentils, stock and milk. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 mins.
• Allow to cool slightly then blend with a hand blender or in a jug blender (it is best to do this in a few batches to ensure a smooth consistency and to not overload the blender)
• Return the soup to a medium heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve with a dollop of creme fráiche.

Quinoa-Super Food

Curried Quinoa and Vegetable Soup

I have only gotten into eating Quinoa recently, pronounced 'Kee-no-wah, for me it is a super food. It is readily available in most supermarkets and definitely in all health food shops so don't be thinking you have to trek too far to get it... put the passport down and calm down!!!

It originates in the heights of Bolivia and other places in South America, The Incas referred to it as "the mother of all grains" and said that it was a sacred gift from the gods. Well if its good enough for the Incas its sure as hell good enough for me! 

It is thee most nutritious grain out there, rich in protein... 18%, it is also high in polyunsaturated fats (remember that a good thing) AND contains less carbs than most grains. it is gluten-free and contains loads of vitamins as well as calcium, magnesium, zink, iron and antioxidants. OK I think I've sold it enough... oh what the hell one more juicy one.... IT'S A PROVEN SLIMMING AID.... BOOM!!! Now I'm done..

Tip: Quinoa should be soaked in cold water 

15 mins before cooking, drained and

rinsed again with cold water. This 

removes an outer coating of saponin 

which has a bitter taste.

Serves 4:

1 onion

2 carrots

2 red peppers

1 handful of green beans

4 tablespoons of curry paste*

200g quinoa

800ml chicken/vegetable stock

Olive oil

Sea salt & black pepper

*to make your own quick curry paste: teaspoon of the following, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, paprika, a splash of soy and red wine vinegar- mix all in a mortar and pestle.

Method

• Prepare the vegetables. Dice the onion and carrots, de-seed and dice the peppers and chop the green beans in 3.

• Gently heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the onion for a few mins until softened but not coloured. then add the vegetables and saute for a further few mins.

• Add in the curry paste and a splash of water, bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and reduce slightly, stir frequently for about 5 mins.

• add in the prepared quinoa followed bu the stock, bring to the boil then turn down to a gentle simmer for about 10 mins until the quinoa is cooked. Check the seasoning and add if required.

If keeping some for the next day, you will find that the quinoa will have absorbed all the water, this makes for a great addition to a salad or as a side dish served warm or cold.