Chicken Paprika Casserole

As I mentioned in my previous post this is one of my favourite casseroles mainly, and this will be no surprise, because it's easy to throw together and uses ingredients that I almost always have in the house. If you have trouble finding the Tomato Frito (I have found it in the past near the tomato puree but have had less success more recently) then plain tomato passata is a perfectly good substitute. Any leftover passata freezes well or can be used in a bolognese sauce. The casserole also tastes just fine without the creme fraiche too.

Another plus is that this recipe always generates more sauce than needed which makes for a really nice pasta sauce the next day.

Finally, the method below instructs you to fry the ingredients in a pan before transferring to a casserole. This is purely because I don't possess a stove-top casserole dish (I will get my hands on a Le Creuset one day) but if you have one then the whole thing can be made in the one dish. Just transfer the chicken back to the dish when you add the peppers and garlic.

Chicken Paprika

(Adapted from a recipe found on Delia Smith's website - www.deliaonline.com)

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 chicken thighs (or a combination of thighs and drumsticks)

6oz/175g roasted red peppers from a jar

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 x 560g jar Heinz Tomato Frito

5 fl oz/150ml dry white wine

1 level dessertspoon hot paprika or 1 level tablespoon ground paprika

2 rounded tablespoons creme fraiche

salt and pepper

1) Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a largeish saucepan or frying and fry on all sides until golden brown all over then transfer to a casserole dish.

2) Turn the heat down and add the onions to the pan and cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened and browned at the edges. Add the peppers, garlic to the pan then pour in the tomato sauce, the wine and the paprika. Stir together and bring to a simmer before transferring it to the casserole dish.

3) Cover the dish with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the dish from the oven and swirl in the creme fraiche. Sprinkle with a little more paprika and serve straight from the casserole.

Serves 2

Pasta with Pancetta, Parsley and Peppers

For some reason I was expecting this dish to be fairly plain and understated in the flavour department but that turned out to be emphatically not the case. Nigella, as always, sums it up perfectly...

"This may be an off-the-cuff standby but it really sings for our supper. The salt of the bacon, whichever way you cut it, is balanced fruitily by the sweet softness of the charred peppers. Against the fire of the chilli, there is the bright freshness of lemon...."

I really enjoyed this and, as suggested above, it uses ingredients that I keep in my store cupboard or fridge most of the time so it's perfect for those evenings when you're lacking in inspiration. (If parsley isn't something you always have to hand then not to worry - this dish will work just as well without it).

Pasta with Pancetta, Parsley and Peppers

(adapted from Kitchen by Nigella Lawson)

1 teaspoon garlic oil

1 x 140g packet pancetta cubes or 1 x 200g packet smoked lardons (or approx 150g streaky bacon, snipped)

1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 x 15ml tablespoons cold water

190g (drained weight) chargrilled or flame-roasted peppers, from a jar

20g (supermarket bunch) parsley, chopped

250g spaghetti

salt and pepper to taste

1) Put a big pot of water on to boil for the pasta

2) Heat the oil in a medium-sized heavy-based pan (one you can toss the cooked pasta into later). Fry the pancetta cubes or lardons (or bacon) until they start to crisp, then add the dried chilli, grated lemon zest and juice, and 2 tablespoons of water.

3) Let this mixture bubble for a minute. Scissor the drained peppers (still in their colander) into bite-sized pieces, then add these to the pan with half the chopped parsley.

4) Salt the pasta water once it is boiling and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Fish out a small cupful of pasta water just before you drain it. When the pasta is cooked, drain loosely and tip into the waiting pan of sauce.

5) Toss everything together well, and add more pasta water if you need it, then season and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Serves 2, generously

Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin

This recipe for Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin comes from Jo Pratt's In the Mood for Entertaining. I love Macaroni Cheese, both the traditional version and varieties with a bit of twist. This definitely falls into the latter category with the inclusion of blue cheese, wine, roasted peppers and spinach.

In her recipe notes Jo describes this dish as not being too stodgy or rich. Hmm.....I'm not sure you can say that about any dish that includes pasta (and plenty of it), cheese and cream. Not that I'm complaining mind - if you're looking for a hearty, warming dinner then this definitely ticks all the right boxes. It provides the comforting carb-richness of your usual macaroni cheese but with an extra hit of flavour from the blue cheese and pepper and a bit of balancing greenery from the spinach. For me it didn't quite beat the 5 star fabulousness of Delia's Souffled Macaroni Cheese but I still enjoyed it very much and will definitely make it again.

Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin

(adapted from In the Mood for Entertaining by Jo Pratt)

250g macaroni

20g butter

1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced

1 sprig of thyme

20g plain flour

200ml white wine

125ml single cream

150g blue cheese, such as Cashel Blue, Gorgonzola, Danish Blue or Stilton

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 roasted red pepper (from a jar), cut into strips

2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

olive oil, for drizzling

1) Start by cooking the macaroni until tender. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the spring onions and sprig of thyme. Cook for a couple of minutes until the spring onions are softened. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or so, stirring most of the time so the flour doesn't burn.

2) Gradually pour in the white wine, stirring continuously. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove the sprig of thyme.

3) Thinly slice half the blue cheese and keep to one side. Crumble, break or chop the rest and stir into the sauce. Season with a small pinch of salt and a good twist of black pepper. Cook until the cheese has melted.

4) Drain the macaroni well and mix into the sauce. Finally, stir in the red pepper and spinach leaves. Spoon the mixture into two individual shallow gratin dishes or one larger one to share. Lay the sliced blue cheese on top, add a twist of black pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over the surface.

5) Heat the grill to the highest setting. Place the dish or dishes on a baking sheet and grill for about 5 minutes until the top is lightly golden and bubbling. Serve straight away just as it is or with a nice green salad.

This dish can be made ahead of time. Just place the dish/dishes in the fridge and when you're ready to eat, bake in the oven (180c/fan 160c/gas mark 4) for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Serves 2

The Lunch Challenge - Part 2

The second recipe I chose to try out as part of my lunch challenge was the Spanish Omelette from Nigella Express.  It took a little while (compared to making a sandwich anyway) to gather all the ingredients together, boil the potatoes, mix it all together and cook it but on the whole it was all pretty straightforward.  Plus it can be made the night before and stored in the fridge until needed.  The end result was really good and I've been left with three more good sized portions, so enough for a few days of lunches!  As you can see I served it with a bit of salad on the side and it all went down very nicely.  

(My light box is coming in useful already!)

Spanish Omelette

(adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson)

225g baby new potatoes (Jersey Royals please, if at all possible!), halved

4 eggs

75g chopped caramelized or flame-roasted peppers from a jar (I used a handful of ready-chopped and roasted frozen peppers, defrosted first of course)

3 spring onions, finely sliced

75g grated Manchego or cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon butter

drop of oil

salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat the grill.  Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for about 15 minutes until cooked through.

2) Whisk up the eggs and then add the peppers, spring onions, cheese and season with S & P to taste.  Mix in the potatoes.

3) Heat the butter and oil in a small frying pan and then pour in the egg mix and cook gently for 5 minutes.

4)  By this time the bottom of the omelette should be set, but if not just leave a little longer. Then sit the pan under the grill for a few minutes to set the top.

5) Turn the omelette upside down on to a plate and leave to cool to room temperature before eating.  Don't worry if it feels a bit wobbly in the middle - it will continue to cook as it cools.

Serves 4 or more, depending on what else is available.