Category Archives: Main Courses

Crispy topped Chicken Bake

Chicken, Family Favourites, Holidays, Main Courses
  • FOR FOUR
  • 2 tbsps olive oil
  • 1lb chicken thigh skinless diced
  • 1 large leek sliced
  • 4oz button mushrooms halved
  • 2oz pancetta lardons
  • 300ml carbonara sauce from chill cabinet or in a jar
  • 2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
  • chopped parsley

Heat half olive oil in a large frypan and fry chicken until browned.Transfer to an ovenproof dish.
Add the leek and mushrooms to the frypan and fry till soft. Add to dish. Fry pancetta in pan till cooked and add to dish.
Spread the sauce over the chicken. Mix breadcrumbs.parsley and the other tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter over chicken
Bake at 170 fan oven till golden and bubbling about 30 mins

Braised Chicken with white beans

Chicken, Main Courses

For Two People

  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 rashers back bacon diced
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 carrot diced
  • 1 teasp dried thyme
  • 300ml white wine
  • 150ml chicken stock
  • 400gm tin cannellini beans rinsed and drained
  • chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a wide pan with a lid and brown the chicken all over. Add the onion,carrot, garlic,thyme and bacon and continue to fry for two minutes. Pour in the wine and stock and season with salt and pepper. bring to a boil and simmer for 15 mins uncovered. Cover and continue to simmer for a further ten minutes. Stir the beans into the pan and warm through. scatter with the chopped parsley and serve.

I usually serve with a green veg.

Tomato red pepper and goats cheese tarts

Main Courses, Starters
  • Cheese and Herb Pastry [for 8 tarts]
  • 8oz plain flour
  • 2oz hard margarine
  • 2oz lard
  • 1oz finely grated parmesan
  • 1teasp dried mixed herbs
  • Filling
  • 2 med red peppers
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large clove garlic crushed
  • 1x15oz 1x8oz tins chopped tomatoes
  • 1 2oz tin anchovy fillets in oil
  • 1/2 teasp dried thyme
  • 2 teasp tomato puree
  • 1 egg+1 eggyolk
  • 1 teasp hot paprika
  • 1 small goat cheese log enough for eight slices

Make pastry in the usual way and roll out thinly
Use to line eight 4inch tart cases and bake blind ie lined witn paper and baking beans for 15 or 20 minutes

For filling
Deseed and chop peppers. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and cook peppers until soft about 6 mins.Stir in garlic and cook another 2 mins’ Pour in tomatoes and add chopped anchovies and their oil. Add thyme and tomato puree, season with pepper only as anchovies are salty.Simmer gently without covering until all excess liquid has evaporated to a jam like consistency[20-25 mins] Remve to a bowl and leave to cool.

Can prepare in advance up to this point.

To assemble
Whisk eggs and yolks with paprika and stir into cooled sauce with 1tbsp olive oil. Put into pastry case and top with a slice of goat cheese. Bake at 170{fan] for 25-30 mins.

Chilli Crab and Prawn tarts

Fish, Main Courses, Starters
  • For four
  • 375 gm pack ready rolled shortcrust pastry
  • 1 bunch spring onions trimmed and finely sliced
  • 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
  • 25gm butter
  • 250gm prawns
  • 170gm tinned white crab meat
  • 200ml single cream
  • 3large egg yolks
  • small bunch fresh coriander chopped
  • grated zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 160{fan} Use the pastry to line 4x10cm tart tins. Line with foil and baking beans and bake “blind” for 15 mins.
Meanwhile melt the butter and gently cook the spring onions and chilli for 2-3 mins. Remove from the heat and add the crab and prawns. Mix together the cream,eggyolks,coriander and lime zest in a jug.
Remove the foil and beans from the pastry cases. Spoon in the crab mixture then pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 15 mins until set but with a slight wobble. Stand for 10mins before serving.

Chicken Crisp

Chicken, Family Favourites, Main Courses
  • 1 chicken breast per person
  • butter
  • garlic
  • plain crisps

Crush the crisps as finely a possible-I do it by bashing the packet with a rolling pin! Melt the butter and add the crushed garlic.
Dip the chicken in the garlic butter and then in the crushed crisps.
Put on a baking tray in oven Fan 180 for half an hour.

Quantities are a bit loose but do what seems right to you.