Crispy Baked Potatoes with Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Yoghurt Sauce

Crispy baked potatoes with chicken breasts in a creamy yoghurt sauce
Serves: 2

This is a delicious and really healthy recipe for those of us watching our weight/cholesterol.

Ingredients:

• 2-4 whole baking potatoes (Woolies are the best!)
• Splash of olive oil
• Salt
• 2-4 chicken breasts
• 2 Shallots or 1/2 an onion, chopped very finely
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1/2 cup of boiled water
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed (if you like garlic!)
• 2 teaspoons of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 500g fat free plain yoghurt
• Your choice of veg to serve (I like a mix of cauliflower and broccoli as they go extremely well with the sauce)

Method:

1. Bake the potatoes well in advance, they need around 90 minutes depending on the size. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the unpeeled potatoes whole in a roasting tray and rub olive oil and salt over them. Bake them in the oven for around 90 minutes, keeping an eye that they don't get too brown and hard.
2. Place your stock cube, the water, the shallots, black pepper and chicken breasts in a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat. This is a wonderful cooking method as it requires no oil. It really doesn't require a lot of water, if the water reduces a lot, it's ok, as that will help the chicken to brown. But if the onions are getting dried or burned, top up with a little water. Simmer for around 15 minutes. Do not add salt at this point as the stock can be quite salty.
3. Add the paprika and cumin, followed by the yoghurt. Let this sauce simmer for a while and thicken a bit.
4. Steam or boil your vegetables, you shouldn't need to add any butter as the sauce will go well with the veg.
5. Plate up by cutting a cross through the top of the potatoes, give them a little squeeze and then place the chicken and veg, with a generous helping of the sauce on top. Finish with a sprinkling of paprika, some chopped basil and some freshly ground black pepper.

Anchovy and Olive Fettucine

Serves 2

If you like anchovies, and the equally strong salty tastes of olives and capers, you will love this easy pasta dish! If you don't, perhaps try something else on the blog, although I do think bacon would make a good alternative to the anchovies...

Ingredients:

• 1 white onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red Chilli, chopped and seeds removed if less heat is desired
• 1 small carton of passata - this is "crushed tomatoes" - please note the difference between passata and tomato purée - purée is much more concentrated and would be WAY too strong for this dish. Passata is available in most stores now, in either bottles or cartons. If you really can't find it, use a tin of tomatoes and blend them fine if you prefer a less chunky sauce (I do)
• Half a cup of red wine
• Salt and pepper to taste
• About 12 olives, pitted and cut in half lengthways
• About 15-18 capers
• 1 tin or bottle of anchovies, you will need 4-6 anchovies per serving, a small tin would have just enough
• Your favourite combination of fresh herbs - this time around I used thyme in the sauce, and sprinkled chopped parsley on afterwards. Oregano would also work, but basil is my favourite.
• Fresh or dried Fettuccine
• Grated pecorino cheese (Parmesan would also work)

Method:

1. Chop the onion really fine and start frying in olive oil on high heat for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and fry a little longer.
3. Add the chopped chilli, followed by the passata, wine and salt and pepper. Remember not to use too much salt as the dish has a lot of salty ingredients. Add the olives and capers, and the thyme if using it.
4. Let the sauce simmer on medium heat for as long as you like, at least 10 minutes. Remember the longer it cooks, the better the flavours develop, but also check it frequently and top up with water if it is drying out.
5. 15 minutes before serving, boil some salted water in a large pot. Once boiling add the Fettucine. Keep tasting it to make sure you take it out when it is 'al dente' and don't overcook it!
6. Drain and then dish the Fettucine into large bowls, followed by the tomato sauce. Arrange the anchovies on the top - they don't really need to be cooked in the sauce, as they would just disintegrate... Sprinkle any chopped fresh herbs over the top, followed by some grated pecorino, freshly ground pepper and maybe a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with a robust red wine. Enjoy!

Pork Noodle Salad

Pork Noodle Salad
Serves 4

This is a really healthy, easy and delicious dish. It uses no oil at all, and plenty of fresh ingredients. I got the recipe from a recipe book called 'delicious noodles' from Woolworths, which my lovely mother in law gave me (no sarcasm intended here, she really is lovely!) You will need some slightly interesting items for this dish - most of which can be found at Woolies these days. If you don't come right, it's time to find your local Chinese supermarket! Mine is in Rivonia in the Wedge Centre, inside a Chinese restaurant. They have everything I could ever need, at reasonable prices, and since they are also a restaurant, they are open til late!

Ingredients:

Asian broth:
1 cup (250ml) Chicken stock
Handful of fresh coriander stalks
2 kaffir lime leaves (ideally fresh but I usually use the dried ones from my Chinese supermarket)
Thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced

Salad:
Pork mince (yes the recipe calls for pork mince, which is something you seldom see in our supermarkets, so I have always used stir fry pork, or pork fillet which can be cooked whole and sliced later. Chicken breasts also work very nicely)
250g exotic mushrooms (the recipe calls for "black fungus" which is something I have never seen sold. Even if it was, I'm not too sure it's something I would want to eat! So I use enoki, shimeji, or shiitake mushrooms, which I can usually find at pick n pay. Any mushrooms will do...)
100g dried rice vermicelli noodles
1 small red Chilli, seeded and finely sliced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 spring onions
2 calves garlic, crushed, or 1 teaspoon minced
3 tablespoons lime juice (since limes ant easy to find, I use lime juice in a bottle from my Chinese store)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar (I usually just use brown sugar, but you can get palm at Woolies these days)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 fresh coriander leaves
Lettuce to serve - I like Cos or baby gem, but it's up to you
Cucumber, cut into half sites, to serve
Lime wedges to garnish
Long fresh red Chilli, seeded and cut into strips, to garnish
Extra coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. To make the Asian broth, place the stock, coriander stalks, lime leaves and ginger in a saucepan, simmer until the liquid has reduced to around 3/4 cup. Strain and return to the pan.
2. Slice the mushrooms thinly. Soak the rice vermicelli noodles in boiled water for around 6-7 minutes, or until soft. Drain and cut into 3cm lengths. Combine the noodles, mushrooms, Chilli, shallots, spring onion and garlic.
3. Add the mince, pork or chicken to the broth, and boil until cooked through. Drain and then add the vermicelli mixture.
4. Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and pepper and stir well. Add to the meat with the chopped coriander and mix well. Taste and add salt if necessary.
5. To assemble, tear the lettuce and arrange on a serving dish. Spoon the meat and noodle mixture over, followed by the cucumber, coriander and Chilli, with the lime wedges on the side.
6. I like to serve with soy sauce and sweet Chilli sauce on the side, in bowls with chopsticks.

A Simple Valentines Dinner

Serves: 2 of course :)

Prep Time: Less than 30 mins per dish

For Valentines this year I decided to make a really simple, quick, healthy and hopefully delicious 3 course meal. For inspiration, I looked up "aphrodisiac" foods, and picked the following, before trying to decide what to make with them. I came up with: asparagus, pine nuts, strawberries, champagne, alcohol and chocolate. So the menu was:

Starter: Warm Asparagus and toasted Pine Nut salad with a balsamic reduction
Main: Thai Salmon Fishcakes with an Asian Cucumber Salad
Dessert: Strawberries soaked in Champagne, with Cointreau truffles and Melted Lindt Dark Chocolate

Course 1:

Ingredients:

• Green asparagus, thin if possible
• Pine nuts, sometimes difficult to find, but I usually get them from Spar. They are surprisingly expensive, and are cheapest at a friendly grocer if you have one near you
• Rocket or your favourite lettuce variant
• Cherry tomatoes, halved
• Balsamic reduction, available at most stores, I got mine at spar and was pretty happy with it

Method:

1. Boil a pot of salted water and cook the asparagus briefly, until they are softened but still crunchy. 
2. In a separate pan, heat a little olive oil and toss the pine nuts in it until they start browning slightly. 
3. While the asparagus are cooking, arrange the rocket on side plates. Drain the asparagus and arrange them over the rocket, half facing one way and the other half perpendicular, creating a nice pattern. 
4. Finally, place the cherry tomatoes on top, followed by the pine nuts. Drizzle a good glut of extra virgin olive oil over, followed by the balsamic reduction, which you can use to make a decorative pattern as well. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Course 2: Thai fish cakes.

I got this recipe from Anthony Worrel Thompson, of recent kleptomaniac fame... http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/thaifishcakesservedw_73733 I have made a few changes as you will see in the below.

For the fish cakes

•  500g fish fillets (I used half hake and half salmon, worked beautifully)
•  ½ red pepper, chopped
•  2 red chillies, chopped (seeds removed)
•  2 tbsp coriander
•  3 spring onions, finely chopped
•  2 cloves garlic, chopped
•  1 stalk lemongrass, tender part only, chopped (I occasionally find this at Pick n Pay, and then buy and freeze for whenever i need them)
•  1 tbsp fish sauce (available at Asian Supermarkets, and sometimes Woolies)
•  125ml coconut milk
• 1 whole egg
• Vegetable oil
• Fresh Coriander leaves to serve

 For the Thai cucumber salad

• 1 (or half) cucumber peeled, halved length ways and de-seeded
• 35g caster sugar
• 50ml rice vinegar (available at Asian Supermarkets)
• 2 hot chillies, finely diced (I often use1/4 teaspoon of sambal oelek - Indonesian chili sauce, available at Woolies)
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 40g roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
• ½ tbsp nam pla (fish sauce) (optional)

 Method:

1. Cut the fish into small pieces. Place the pepper, chillies, coriander, spring onions, garlic, lemongrass and fish sauce into a food processor and blend to a paste.
2. Add the fish pieces to the paste and blend well. Mix to a smooth paste adding coconut milk and egg.
3. Place the mixture in a bowl. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours.
4. Half-fill a heavy-based frying pan with oil and heat over a medium to high heat. Shape the chilled paste into small patties with the help of a spoon. Carefully lower the fish patties into the hot oil, in batches (the oil should reach halfway up the sides of the patties). Fry until crisp and brown, turning once during cooking. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining fish patties.
5. For the salad, cut the cucumber in to 5mm slices
6. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and toss the cucumber slices in it. Fold in the chili, shallot and coriander.
7. Sprinkle with the peanuts and fish sauce just before serving.

Course 3:

Ingredients:

• 1 punnet of strawberries
• 1 slab of Lindt dark chocolate with Chili, or your favourite variant, I think white chocolate would also work extremely well
• 1 box of truffles, I used cointreau caramel truffles
• 1 bottle of white champagne (you will use only a little, so serve the rest with the meal!)
• 3-4 tablespoons of caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar

Method:

1. At least 2 hours before serving, place the strawberries in a bowl with a splash of the champagne, and all the caster sugar, and leave in the fridge to sweeten. 
2. When you are nearly ready to serve, heat 3-4 pieces of the chocolate in a double boiler over gentle heat. Add a little milk if you would like to make it runnier. 
3. To plate up, arrange the strawberries and chocolate truffles on a serving plate, and either dip each strawberry in the chocolate, or drizzle the melted chocolate over them. Sprinkle everything with sifted icing sugar, and if you desire, serve with shot glasses of baileys/cape velvet strawberry, with a dash of butlers strawberry liqueur.

Introduction to this blog

About me and this blog...

My name is Nicki and I am definitely not a chef... I am just someone who is passionate about food! I have two other passions: travel and photography.  I would like to try and bring a flavour of both of those in here, but the primary focus is food. My inspiration is one of my favourite websites, also a combination of the three, called fxcuisine, check it out at www.fxcuisine.com.

My parents brought me up trying all sorts of different foods, from many different cultures,  German to Chinese. My Mom is an amazing cook and my Dad also comes out with some pretty impressive dishes, so food was a big part of my upbringing. When friends used to visit when we were kids, my parents would serve up dishes they had never tried, saying it was part of their "culinary education".

As I got older, I started to travel a lot, and my tastes broadened, every new trip, we'd come home with "souvenirs" of new favourite dishes and accompanying recipes. At the moment my favourite cuisines are Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Japanese and Italian.

I love to surprise family and friends with interesting dishes at dinner parties, and they often ask for recipes, so the idea is that I'll post them here where anyone can access and try them. I'll try to always acknowledge the source of the recipe, and add some extra tips for preparation from experience plus where to buy ingredients if you're from South Africa.  I'll also try to post as many pictures as possible, as practise for my new hobby of food photography.

I hope you enjoy the blog! Please feel free to follow it to always get the latest updates, and to post comments or questions, or even requests for other recipes.