Brocoli and Butternut Squash Fettuccini and Lemon Chicken

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 Bitternut Squash (cut very thin slices)
  
• 1 broccoli branch (cut very thin slices)
• 3 chicken thigh
• zest strands of half a lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
  
• 2 garlic clove (minced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• some olive oil
• 1 tea spoon of flour diluted in a little water
• 300grs fresh fettuccine
• 1 glass of white wine

Ok here it goes. Put a pan on the stove with a glug of olive oil, when hot place inside the thinly sliced butternut squash and 1 minced garlic, the idea is that the butternut squash cooks and gets really soft so that you can puree it, while this happens as it will take a good 5-7 minutes on another pan put boiling water and a little salt and put the broccoli into small bits inside, you want these well cooked nearly breaking apart so that it blends later with the butternut squash (but if you don't like them mushy, just don't cook them too well).

Back to the butternut squash, as it cook gently break it with a wooden spoon, and as it starts getting dry ad bits of the wine bit by bit and keep breaking up the BN squash, once all the wine is in add a little water and use the hand blender to blitz it into a creamy sauce, add to this sauce your cooked broccoli and season it with a little salt and pepper to taste, turn the fire down and let it simmer gently for about 3 minutes.

The fresh fettuccine only takes about 5 minutes to cook, so just boil as normal for that time with a little salt, and drain it, drizzle a little olive oil and toss it so that it doesn't stick together and serve it with the BN squash and broccoli sauce on top (optional you can ad shavings of rich dried cheese or Parmesan)

As to the chicken, remove the skin and the bones cut them into small (ish) portions, on a pan put a glug of olive oil, once hot add the chicken the remaining garlic and the lemon zest strands, cook on a high temperature and turn the chicken constantly to seal, once sealed add some seasoning (salt and pepper) and let it cook until the chicken is cooked through. the process is quick as chicken pieces are small and are de-boned and skinless about 3-5 minutes, at this stage add the whole juice of the lemon and a little plain flour diluted in a little water, this will thicken up the lemon sauce making it delicious, simmer for another 2 minutes and it's done...Cheap too.

Now remember to control the times so that everything sorta comes out at the same time. Bon Appetit.

Mange Tout and Spinach Spaghetti

Receita em Portugues AQUI

My wife arrived home and due to circumstances she was only able to get herself and my son something to eat, so I was left to fend for myself.

So I looked in the fridge gathered a few old things and asked the Chef's inspiration Gods to help me..... What I found was some old "mange tout" in the veg compartment, I remembered I had some frozen spinach portions in the freezer, but I was feeling like having pasta...after a short moment of indecision I further looked into the fridge and I found an old piece of cheddar cheese that was nearly dried... and "ping" it just popped into my head. So without further a due.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion (finely chopped).
• 1 garlic clove (finely chopped).
• 1 soup spoon full of butter.
• 1 glass of milk.
• 5 portions of spinach (or if you using fresh about 100grs finely chopped).
• 1 soup spoon of plain flour diluted in a little water.
• 2 soup spoons of cheddar cheese (if you want more flavour add a tea spoon of Parmesan too).
• 200grs of spaghetti.
• 1/2 tea spoon of paprika
  
• 1 little bunch of dill (finely chopped).
• a little olive oil.
• salt and black pepper to taste.

So simple yet so tasty, I know is very green so not much in the colour but what you cannot see is the textures that this dish creates and enables you to feel, not to mention taste.

Boil the pasta this will take about 10-12 minutes, more than enough time to do the sauce. On a frying pan put a glug of olive oil and once hot add the garlic and the onion, let them fry until the onion is translucent, at this stage add some pepper, salt and the mange tout, stir fry it for about 3 minutes then add the milk. Let it heat up until the milk starts bubbling, now put in the spinach, butter and half a tea spoon of paprika, letting this simmer until the spinach melts completely and blends with the milk (for fresh spinach this will take less time). Now add the diluted flour and the cheese (or cheeses), continuously stir should get nice and thick (ish) add the dill now and dish it over the spaghetti.

When you eating, you get the most amazing crunchiness from the mange tout and the softness from the cream and the spinach, it is quite delicious too. Enjoy.

Meat Balls in a Creamy Coriander Sauce and Oven Fries ( better than Ikea's)

Receita em Portugues AQUI

This one was inspired in the Ikea's Swedish Meatballs.



Recipe Ingredients:

• 400grs beef (minced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 handful of breadcrumbs (you can use old dried brad just grate it)
• 1 whole egg
• half a tumbler glass of cream
• half a tumbler glass of whole milk
• 1 stock cube of chicken (I used Oxo easier to dilute)
• 1 large onion (halved and sliced)
• 1 little bunch of coriander
• 1 little bunch of parsley
• 8 medium potatoes (pealed and chipped)
• some olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 soup spoon of gravy (don't worry if you do not have it as some plain flour and water will do)
  

Throw the chipped potatoes in a pan with water, and par-cook the chips, then place them in a tray and brush them with olive oil and cook them at 200c, occasionally turning them around.

While that is doing, put the minced meat in a bowl, and put there also the parsley finely chopped,, 1 minced garlic clove, a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of salt, the bread crumbs and the egg. With your hands mix it all very well and shape pieces of the meat into balls, and set these aside.

now put a pan on the stove (on high) and pour in a couple of olive oil glugs, once very hot add the sliced onions, and the remaining garlic clove (minced) cook until the onions start to go semitransparent, at this stage add the meat balls and occasionally shake the pan so that the balls turn over and seal.

Once sealed add the gravy and chicken stock cube mixed in a glass of water also adding the cream and the milk, (if still to thick add more milk, if too thin a little more gravy diluted in a little water) + a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper to taste. And about one minute from finishing cooking add the chopped coriander. Is as easy as that, with the chips now ready is just serve and eat... (notice I didn't say how long the chips take, this is because it varies from oven to oven from potato quality to potato quality and even for how long they've been parboiled) But roughly about 20-25 minutes.

Roasted Pork Loin with Loaded Goats Cheese and Dill Skins

Receita em Portugues clique AQUI

This is definitley a treat for all my followers and visitors.

Ahhh!! Dill and (French) Goats Cheese, as soon as I saw this I had to use it, especially in view that the previous day I had roasted a pork joint to eat today and I still didn't know what to do as an accompaniment so I decided for loaded skins, but I didn't want to do the traditional Bacon and cheese, as everyone normally does that.

So this is really two recipes, one short and longer, the pork joint no recipe is needed. As for that all you need is a pork joint from any main supermarket and you unfold it and rub in and on it a
paste made of: (a bunch) coriander + garlic (2 cloves) + sea salt (1 soup spoon) + ground black pepper (1 tea spoon) + chili powder (1/3 tea spoon) + a little olive oil.

After that is done let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, then stick it in a preheated oven to 130c for about 1 hour, remember should be in a small container as the juices will further help it cook, also slow cooking is imperative as this will leave meat more tender.
After initial cooking I left the meat rest from one day to the other, and then blasted it for 15-20 on a 200c oven the crackling goes very crispy as you want it to be, so prior to cooking diamond scoring is important too. See picture bellow.

The potatoes now they were just outta this world, and I am not one to brag, actually I invited my sister for dinner and she normally eats very little but not this time.



Recipe Ingredients:

• 150-200grs of "French" Goats cheese
• 1/2 glass of cream
• 1/2 glass of milk
• 2 soup spoons of butter
• 1 bunch of dill
• about 1kg of potatoes (red)
• salt and pepper to taste

Roast the potatoes it will take about 1 hours 200c, once done cut the potatoes in halves with a spoon scoop the potato interior from each half into a bowl, leaving virtually just the skin.

Mash the potato with a masher and throw in the goats cheese in bits and the butter also seasoning (salt and black pepper to taste), give it a stir the goats cheese should melt as the potato is hot and will start going very thick now throw in the rest, the dill, the milk and the cream (double is best) and stir it all very well.

Spoon the mixture back into each potato and on the top sprinkle a little more salt and freshly ground black pepper, put it back in the oven for 15 minutes more 200c and it is done.
See, when you put the potatoes in for the 15 minutes it is at this time that you can reheat and cook the crackling of the pork as previously mentioned, as this way both things are ready at the same time. DELICIOUS really is.
You will notice I also cooked some halves, corn-on-the-cob with a little melted butter on top they were great too.