Chicken Stew

March seemed to be on track to follow the old saying; "in like a lion, out like a lamb". That was until the final week when the wind picked up and twice I found myself picking up the contents of my recycling bin from the garden. I needed something warming to lift the spirits and what better than a stew? I cooked the chicken whole in the broth to extract as much flavour as possible and it really adds an extra dimension to the dish. Homemade chicken stock is a big bonus here if you have it and feel free to swap the cannellini beans for butter beans, I would have if I hadn't picked up the wrong tin!

 Serves 8

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Leeks (finely sliced)
2 Carrots (chopped)
2 sticks of Celery (chopped)
1 litre of Chicken Stock (hot)
1 whole Chicken
1 tsp Dried Marjoram
1 Bay Leaf
1 sprig of Thyme
4 medium Potatoes (peeled and chopped)
100g Lentils
150g Sugar Snap Peas
1 tin (400g) of Cannellini Beans
100g Kale (remove stems and shred leaves)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the leek, carrot and celery. Season well and cook for 8-10 minutes before adding the chicken stock and one litre of boiling water. Bring to the boil.

2. Place the Chicken in the pot and season the top of it. Add the marjoram, bay leaf, thyme and potatoes. Season with a little salt and pepper before covering with a lid and simmering for an hour. 

3. After an hour the chicken should be well cooked but check with a thermometer if unsure. Remove it from the pot and add the lentils, sugar snaps, beans and kale. Remove the skin from the chicken and chop all of the meat into bite sized chunks. When chopped, add the chicken pieces back to the pot and cook for about twenty minutes from the time the lentils went in. Check for seasoning and serve.

Pasta with Kale and Potato

I have recently been going through my vast selection of cookery books picking out recipes in order to increase my knowledge and expand my palate. I have found myself strangely attracted to vegetarian recipes which, for a die hard carnivore like myself, has been rather disconcerting. One such recipe was contained in Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy (review: here), Pizzoccheri with Swiss Chard and Potato. Pizzoccheri is a buckwheat pasta that is very difficult to find on this beautiful island and I noticed that a local supermarket had a special on curly kale so I decided to adapt the recipe to suit. I made a few other adjustments to ensure that all of the ingredients are easy to find in any supermarket. It worked out a treat!


Serves 4

300g Tagliatelle Pasta
200g Curly Kale (stalks removed and chopped)
200g Rooster Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
100g Unsalted Butter
3 cloves of Garlic (finely sliced)
100g Grated Mozzarella Cheese
80g Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt well. Add the pasta, kale and potatoes and allow to boil for 8 minutes. Drain and put into a baking dish.

2. Meanwhile, heat the butter over a medium heat and add the garlic. Fry gently for 4-5 minutes until soft but not coloured.

3. Mix the pasta, potatoes and kale well and add the mozzarella cheese. Stir well before pouring over the butter and garlic mix. Stir well and check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

4. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and bake in a pre-heated 170 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.