Paella with Chicken and Beans

Spain's most famous dish, the paella always elicits happy childhood memories for me. On our family's annual Spanish holiday it was a staple, along with my Mother's sangria and my Father's san miguel (or "piss", as he usually referred to it). Until our recent trip to Barcelona I had considered paella an arduous dish. I had tried recipes by Gordon Ramsey and Simon Hopkinson and although they turned out great, they were time consuming and elaborate, a treat. On the plane journey to Catalunya I began to read a book that I have owned for quite awhile. "My Kitchen In Spain" by Janet Mendel is full of great Spanish recipes and techniques and it was only after reading the technique for paella that I realised how simple a dish it really is.

It actually couldn't be much simpler. Sweat the vegetables and meat in a little oil for 10 minutes. Add rice, water and saffron (or food colouring if you're on a budget) and cook for 20 minutes without stirring. Not particularly time consuming, arduous or even elaborate, the paella is now a weekly event in our house. The reason not to stir it is so a crust can develop on the bottom of the pan. It should be crispy but not burnt. With this in mind, finding the exact temperature to cook it at can take a few attempts. The meats of choice in Barcelona were chicken, rabbit and pork (the meat was always on the bone) but you can, of course, use any combination of meat or fish that you like. I have gone with pancetta and chicken here.

Serves 2

Pinch of Saffron
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
100g Green Beans (chopped)
1/2 Red Pepper (chopped)
75g Pancetta or Streaky Bacon (chopped)
1 Chicken Leg (chopped into 3-4 cm chunks)
1/4 tsp Hot Paprika
150g Paella Rice
300ml Chicken Stock or Water (hot)
1/2 tin of Butter Beans
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put a few tablespoons of warm water in a bowl and add the saffron. Set aside to infuse.

2. Heat the oil in a paella or frying pan and add the onion, green beans, red pepper and pancetta. Season and cook for 3 minutes before adding the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, add the paprika and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

3. Add the paella rice and stir for a minute before adding the stock, saffron water (including the saffron strands) and butter beans. Season, stir well, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes without stirring. Serve hot.

Kedgeree

It's Christmas Eve. The thoughts of the food mountain you're going to consume tomorrow lingers in your mind. What to have today? You don't want the bother of cooking a big meal but you need something substantial for the boozey night ahead (or is it only in my house that Christmas Eve is a session?!). Let me present to you the humble Kedgeree.

The Kedgeree is a traditional British dish from colonial India but it works great at anytime of the day (or night) and can also be used as a base for using up leftover meats and fish the next day. Feel free to be a bit more generous with the fish. I was purposely stingy here but you could easily double the amount for a more pronounced smokey flavour. The curry paste is very nontraditional but I find that it adds a great deal to the flavour with minimum effort. I would also serve with some finely chopped coriander but this proved impossible to get hold of in Newbridge on the day!

Serves 4

250g Basmati Rice (well rinsed)
4 Eggs
275g Undyed Smoked Haddock
Milk
2 Bay Leaves
3 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
2 tsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
1 tsp Thai Green Curry Paste
handful of Frozen Peas (defrosted) 
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put plenty of boiling water into a saucepan and add one bay leaf, a little salt and the rice. Bring back to the boil and cook for 12 minutes, adding the eggs to the saucepan for the final 6-7 minutes. Drain the rice and eggs and leave to run under cold water for a few minutes until cold. Discard the bay leaf. Peel and chop the eggs into quarters.

2. Meanwhile put the haddock into a pan and cover with milk. Add the other bay leaf and bring to a light simmer. Poach the fish for about 6-10 minutes until it flakes.Remove from the milk, remove the skin and flake the fish into chunks.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Season and stir well. Cook for 5-7 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the curry powder, turmeric and curry paste. Stir well and allow to cook for a further two minutes. Add the cold rice, stir well to coat and continue to cook until the rice heats up, stir frequently to avoid burning. Add the fish and egg and fold into the rice. Add the peas and cook for 5-6 minutes over a low heat, stirring gently every so often. 

World Cup, Quarter Finals

World Cup, Quarter Finals

Day 20 & 21

The quarter finals provided a return to normality as the bigger teams eventually came through. Both nights I celebrated countries who were knocked out but the dishes were a great success!

World Cup, Day 20 - Colombia

Salmon with Hogao Sauce

While researching Colombian cuisine, I found several mentions of 'hogao' sauce. The mix of spring onion, tomato and coriander intrigued me, so I decided to base my dish around it. I was unsure as to what the sauce should accompany but after passing Nick's Fish in Newbridge, I noticed some Irish organic wild salmon. I'm not sure if it's served this way in Colombia but I couldn't pass it up. Wanting to stick to a healthy meal, I served the fish with quinoa (cooked as per packet instructions in a light vegetable stock) and stir fried vegetables - sugar snaps, mini sweetcorn and broccoli, boiled for 2 mins, drained and stir fried for 5 minutes with rapeseed oil. Add a splash of soy sauce for the final minute for an extra blast of flavour. This was my favourite dish of the World Cup so far, it just about overtook the Brazilian Shrimp Stew of Day 1.

Serves 2

For the Hogao Sauce:

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
5 Spring Onions (white and green parts, finely chopped)
300g Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Cumin Seed
12g Fresh Coriander (stalks included, finely chopped)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Salmon:

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 fillets of Fresh Salmon (enough for 2, skin on)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Quinoa and Stir Fried Veg to serve (see above)

1. To make the sauce, heat the oil over a medium heat and add all of the ingredients except the coriander and seasoning to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the coriander and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir and crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as it's cooking. Add a little boiling water if it gets too dry (depending on tomatoes). Check for seasoning and set aside until needed.

2. For the salmon, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the salmon, skin side down and season the top with salt and pepper. You will see the fish change colour as it cooks. Allow it to cook like this until the colour changes almost to the top. Flip it over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the skin from the top with a knife. Serve the salmon on a bed of quinoa and top with the hogao sauce. Surround with the vegetables.

World Cup, Day 21 - Costa Rica

Roasted Fish, Costa Rican Style

I love my fish dishes! I was researching Costa Rica when I came across some recipes for roasted fish. I wasn't particularly looking for fish recipes after the salmon the previous night, but the style really grabbed me. I found it interesting to marinade the fish in orange and lime juice. I had never tried it and yet it made perfect sense. It was delicious! The cooking times may vary depending on how thick your fish is. Any white fish can be used here, I used haddock as it was cheap and available when I was in Naas.

Serves 2

200g Rice
300-400g White Fish Fillets
juice of 1 Orange
juice of 1 Lime
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
12g Fresh Coriander (finely chopped)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
350g Fresh Broad Beans (podded)
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Cook the rice in plenty of salted boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Pour the orange and lime juice, oil, coriander, garlic and some seasoning into a baking dish and add the fish. Coat the fish and set aside for 20 minutes.

3. Blanch the podded beans in plenty of salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes and drain. Run the beans under the cold tap for a minute or two. This will make it very easy to remove their tough outer skins. The bean itself is dark green, the skins are much paler. Remove all the skins and set the beans aside.

4. Put the baking tray with the fish and marinade into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees. Allow to cook for 10 minutes and remove. Carefully lift the fish out of the tray and pour in the cooked rice. Stir well to coat in the marinade and juices. Place the fish back on top of the rice and top with the beans and chopped tomatoes. Season well and place back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes. Serve.

Pasulj

World Cup, Day 14 - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pasulj

Bean Stew

Day 14 is here, amid the controversy of Luis Suarez taking a nibble on Italy's Giorgio Chiellini last night. I'll put it out there - for just 1% of your wages Chewy, sorry, Luis, I'll cook you a satisfying dinner each day. Think about it! Earlier, Bosnia & Herzegovina were knocked out of the tournament but not before achieving their first win at a World Cup. Pretty impressive for a country that is just 22 years old.

I made a pasulj (directly translated as 'bean') in honour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, although the dish is enjoyed in all the Balkan states. I researched recipes but they vary wildly from each other, so I took elements from each one and added my own touches. It certainly isn't authentic but it works. I added rice to make it more substantial but you could leave it out and add zafrig (oil mixed with flour) to thicken.

Serves 4

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 stick of Celery (finely chopped)
1 Carrot (finely chopped)
1/2 Chilli (finely chopped)
160g Smoked Rashers (chopped)
150g Smoked Kabanossi Sausage (sliced)
750ml Boiling Water
400g tin of Cannellini Beans (drained)
1 Bay Leaf
150g Long Grain Rice
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, celery, carrot, chilli, rashers and sausage. Season and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the boiling water, beans, bay leaf and rice. Season, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Arroz con Camarones

World Cup, Day 9 - Ecuador

Arroz con Camarones

Rice with Shrimp

Day 8 of the World Cup was a sad one for our nearest neighbours. A loss to Uruguay coupled with Italy's loss to Costa Rica today sends the three loins home after only two games. I may have to rethink celebrating an English dish next week! Today I decided to cook an Ecuadorian dish. A simple arroz con camarones or rice with shrimp. 

This dish isn't too extravagant but it does contain one ingredient that I haven't had with this type of meal before; cumin. I liked it. As usual I used crevettes as they are cheap and easy to get in Newbridge. After boiling the crevettes make sure to reserve the cooking water to cook the rice in, it adds a lot to the flavour. Here is my take on the Ecuadorian staple.

Serves 3-4

500g Raw Crevettes
3tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
8 Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1tsp Cumin Seeds
200g Long Grain Rice
100ml White Wine
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Bring 2 litres of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the crevettes and boil for 2 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water and run the crevettes under cold water to stop them overcooking. Set crevettes and cooking broth aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes and cumin. Season well and cook for 7-8 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the rice and stir well before adding the wine. Cook for 5-6 minutes to burn off the alcohol before adding 300ml of the reserved cooking broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is tender. Add the crevettes into the rice about 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time and stir well. If the pan becomes dry before the rice is cooked add extra broth.

Churrasco Italiano

World Cup, Day 7 - Chile

Churrasco Italiano

Chilean Sandwich

The first week of the World Cup has come to an end. It's been a very entertaining week on the field and my challenge has gone very well. We've ate well this week and I've really enjoyed cooking dishes from so many countries, long may it continue! Tonight we celebrate Chile and rightly so after that performance against Spain. My initial plan was to cook a Curanto but I decided against it this morning. It's a big dish containing a lot of different meats and fish and I felt like something more basic and less fatty.

After some research I came across the Churrasco Italiano which is a popular fast food in the South American nation. I also liked the idea of the link with my favourite cuisine. Despite the name the sandwich really doesn't have anything in common with Italian food, instead it got its name as the avocado, mayonaisse and tomato make the colours of the Italian flag. I took some serious liberties with this dish. Churrasco is Portuguese for barbecue but generally refers to beef. I didn't use a barbecue and I used turkey rather than beef as I'll be cooking a Moussaka tomorrow with either beef or lamb.

I love this sandwich. The mayo and avocado make a great combination and I've a feeling I'll be eating a lot more of these. If you want to make it more traditional use beef instead of turkey and barbecue it if weather allows.

Serves 3

1 Ripe Avocado
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tomatoes (sliced)
3tbsp Good Mayonnaise
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
400g Turkey Steaks
3 Soft Wholemeal Baps
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Prepare the simple guacamole by cutting the avocado length ways all the way around and twisting the two sides away from each other. Scoop out the stone and discard. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in a bowl with the lime juice. Mash well with a fork and season to taste.

2. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the turkey steaks with plenty of seasoning. Fry for 2 minutes on each side before covering and allowing to cook through (if you have a thermometer, check that the middle of the thickest part is at 73 deg) turning every couple of minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing thinly. 

3. Cut the baps in half and begin layering with 1tbsp of mayo on each. Next put a layer of sliced tomato followed by a layer of sliced turkey. Spread the guacamole on the top half of each bap and place on top. Serve with some boiled rice.

Paella

World Cup, Day 2 - Spain

Paella

The World Cup started with a bang last night! Brazil scraped a win amid lots of controversy but that's par for the course at a competition like this. The Brazilian shrimp stew worked a treat last night and tonight's dinner was just as good! Paella is one of my favourite dishes to cook and eat. I love the mix of saffron-infused rice with seafood and the added little kick from the smoked paprika. Paella is a great recipe when cooking for a crowd as it's relatively quick and isn't too difficult. This is my take on the Spanish classic: it may not win prizes for authenticity but it's how I like it. I normally use squid too but I couldn't get any fresh today. Try to use a large pan, as you can see, mine got quite crowded!

Serves 6 - 8

6 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
6 cloves of Garlic (2 finely chopped, 4 with skins on and crushed lightly with the back of a knife)
1 Red/Orange Pepper (finely chopped)
1 Chilli (finely chopped)
35g Chorizo (finely chopped)
35g Salami (finely chopped)
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
200g Leftover Cooked Chicken (shredded)
500g Paella Rice
150ml Dry White Wine
1 litre of Chicken Stock
pinch of Saffron
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
500g Crevettes/Prawns
500g Mussels (soaked and de-bearded)
300g Frozen Peas
handful of fresh Flat Leaf Parsley (finely chopped)
juice of 1/2 Lemon
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, finely chopped garlic, peppers, chilli, chorizo, salami and smoked paprika. Saute for 7-10 minutes until softened before adding the cooked chicken. Season well and cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the rice. Stir well to coat the rice and then add the wine. Cook for 5 minutes to burn off the alcohol and add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and stir in the saffron and chopped tomatoes. Season, stir and leave to cook for 15 minutes until the rice is cooked.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil over a high heat and add the crushed garlic. Add the crevettes and lemon juice and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked. Season and set aside.

3. Place the mussels and peas on top of the rice mixture and cover with foil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until mussels are opened. Throw away any that remain closed. Remove the paella from the heat and lay the cooked crevettes on top. Cover again and let it rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

BBQ Season!!

BBQ Season

My favourite time of year is finally here! Although I relish the coziness of dark evenings in front of the fire, I particularly love the al fresco nature of summer and barbecue season. Nothing beats the whole family sitting outside in the (hopefully) sun enjoying good food and a few beers. For my birthday this week we took a chance, we decided to have a small family barbecue and hoped that the weather held up (it is the middle of May after all!). Thankfully the sun shone, the rain stayed away and we had a great evening together. 

Even though it was my birthday, I decided I'd take care of the cooking and with €50 to feed 12 people (including 2 fussy kids) I knew I had my work cut out! First thing to sort were the salads:

Egg Salad - Hard boil 10 eggs, peel and roughly chop. Mix with plenty of mayonnaise, finely chopped chives and season well. Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Potato Salad - Boil 1kg of baby potatoes until tender, drain and put into a large bowl. Add plenty of extra-virgin olive oil and season well. Add some dried oregano and some finely chopped chives. Mix well.

Pasta Salad - Boil 500g fusilli pasta in salted water until cooked, drain and put into a large bowl. Add lots of extra-virgin olive oil, plenty of halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and season well. Mix thoroughly and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon just before serving.

Spicy Rice Salad - Saute some garlic, chilli, onion and chopped red pepper over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add some turmeric and stir well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes before adding 250g of rice. Add 500ml of vegetable stock and allow to simmer. Add more stock as necessary until cooked.

With the salads complete and in the fridge, I moved onto meats. For me, the most important piece of equipment for a BBQ is an instant digital thermometer. It allows you to get everything cooked perfectly without having to overcook for safety's sake I prefer to cook chicken in the oven first and then finish off on the BBQ. This method ensures they are cooked through without burning:

For the dry rub mix together; 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2tsp white pepper, 1tsp thyme, 1/2tsp smoked paprika, 1/2tsp dried oregano and 1/2tsp salt.

Lightly oil a large baking tray and lay out 15-20 chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle over 3/4 of the dry rub and massage it all over the drumsticks. Put into a 150 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until just cooked through. Char on the BBQ for a couple of minutes to add a bit of life. You can also brush some of your favourite BBQ sauce onto the drumsticks before they go on the BBQ for an extra hit of flavour.

Next I made burgers: spicy lamb for those of us keen on a bit of heat and plain beef for the more conservative!

Saute 1 onion, 1 red chilli and 2 cloves garlic (all finely chopped) in plenty of extra-virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Allow to cool. Put 500g of lamb mince into a mixing bowl and add the onion mix, including the oil. Season well and add in half a beaten egg. Mix well. Lightly oil a large plate and with wet hands, shape the lamb mix into five patties. Lay on the plate, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or two. Season each side and cook on the BBQ, brushing with BBQ sauce if you like.

You can make the beef burgers the same way but I just mixed 500g of mince with salt, pepper and half a beaten egg and continued as above.

The last bit of cooking was some Nolan's of Kilcullen sizzler and plain pork sausages which were brushed with BBQ sauce and placed on the BBQ until cooked through.

The small amount of cash left over was spent on 12 cans of San Pellegrino orange and lemon and Ali baked a beautiful orange and almond cake for dessert (and to hold the birthday candles).

 I'll have plenty of BBQ posts up over the summer, it's good to take advantage of whatever little sun we get!