Jerk spiced chicken

I must declare my love for the ever enduring slow cooker!  Apart from some browning of meat (which I've been known to forgo many a time), you simply throw your ingredients in, whack it on and leave it alone for hours to simmer away ever so slowly.  In fact, even lifting the lid to give said dish a stir is not recommended as this breaks the seal of the lid and cooking time needs to be increased.

I knew that anything requiring such little effort, that could produce such succulent and delicious results after a bit of neglect would be a staple in my kitchen.  And indeed the slow cooker comes out at The Shady Pine as soon as the cold weather announces itself.

I've had fun experimenting with slow cooker recipes for a while now.  However this recipe for Jerk spiced chicken drumsticks in a newly purchased slow cooker book won me over initially because of the name.  It continued to win me over because even though there is a long list of ingredients, everything except the chicken , is whizzed up into a paste in the processor so there is no lengthy prep.

You simply pour the paste over the chicken and let it cook away.  Ultimately, what really won me over was the fantastic taste.  The flavour from the paste is perfectly balanced.  The initial recipe called for 2 chillies, hower after tasting the chilli I had bought I decided to only use one.  This proved to be a good decision as one chilli was more than enough to impart some heat without taking over.  So I'd recommend checking the heat of the chilli to be used and adjust according to your heat tolerance.

I also decided to add the juice of a whole orange instead of the two tablespoons the recipe called for to make a larger quantity of sauce.  This also worked and I poured extra sauce over the steamed rice that I served with the chicken.  In fact, this sauce is so delicious, I'd be happy to eat it with steamed rice in its own right!

Jerk spiced chicken drumsticks

Adapted from recipe in Women’s Weekly Slow Cooker 2, pg54

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil spray

8 chicken drumsticks

4 spring onions, roughly chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced

2 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 fresh green chilli, chopped

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt flakes

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp mixed herbs (I used Italian brand, Ariosto mixed herbs for chicken.  This is a really lovely mixture of herbs including basil, marjoram, sage and more)

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 orange

A slow cooker and food processor are required for this recipe; I used a 4.5L capacity slow cooker.

1.       Heat a pan over high heat.  Spray pan with oil and brown the chicken drumstick in batches.

2.       Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.

3.       In a food processor place spring onions, ginger, garlic, spices, herbs, pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar and orange juice.  Process this to a fine paste.

4.       Pour the paste over the chicken in the slow cooker and mix well.  Place on the lid and cook on slow setting for 2.5 hours.  After this time, increase the heat setting to high and cook for another 1 hour.

5.       Serve chicken with rice and steamed vegetables with extra sauce if desired.

Date crumble slice

When my Scottish friend told me she'd be travelling back to Scotlant while her husband remained in Australia and his 60th birthday happened to be during her time away, a whole bunch of family and friends decided to plan a surprise 60th birthday party.  Our friend Gordon is always lending us a hand with various bits of landscaping or odd jobs and we were really looking forward to planning his party to celebrate this milestone.

A few of us got together one Friday night to plan the party then divided the work between us.  The idea was that everyone invited would bring along a dish which would be put towards the meal.  I decided to make a massive lasagne.  This is always popular and convenient for feeding a crowd.  I also made a batch of  delicious date crumble slice.  I followed the recipe found here as it always turns out perfectly.  I figured the oats were a very distant nod to Gordon's Scottish heritage while the slice itself could be conveniently held in one hand while balancing a cup of tea in the other. 

Besides the party being a surprise, we also hired a bag piper to come along and play a few Scottish tunes so this was something everyone was waiting to see.  Our friend was genuinely surprised by the party and was speechless as the bag piper entered playing a familiar tune.  Our job was done! The evening was a real success and everyone bringing a dish worked really well.  There was such a range of different food to be enjoyed and all of it was simply delicious.  The slice was a perfect addition to the dessert table and it was nice to see it being enjoyed!

Coconut, chocolate and banana mini muffins

Do you ever just get that itch to bake something?  I do.  Often it's just a need to do something methodical.  I find that a bit of mixing and stirring, no matter how simple the recipe, gets me to a semi state of zen.  At times like this when my mind is wandering about, I like to stick to something simple and satisfying like these muffins.

I adapted this recipe somewhat and replaced the butter in the orignal recipe with macadamia oil.  This cuts out the saturated fat that I try to keep to a minimum without comprimising on flavour as macadamia oil works really well in baking.  I also didn't have any chocolate chips on hand but did have a full block of 70% dark chocolate at the back of the pantry so I made do by chopping the chocolate with a sharp knife into little chunks.  Finally, I replaced the regular caster sugar with the raw variety.  You may also like to replace the regular flour with wholemeal, however I had run out so used the regular kind.

These little muffins are moist and delicious.  The balance between the chocolate, coconut and banana for me is perfect and no one ingredient overshadows the other.  The muffin mix easily comes together in a matter of minutes and they are really quick to bake for a treat in a hurry.

Coconut, chocolate and banana mini muffins

Adapted from recipe by Mandy Biffin, delicious. - October 2005, Page 120

Makes approx. 30 mini muffins

Ingredients:

¼ cup macadamia or vegetable oil

½ cup raw caster sugar

1 large ripe banana, mashed

1 egg, lightly beaten

1tsp vanilla extract

1 cup self raising flour

½ cup desiccated coconut

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

4 Tbs of milk (or add a little more if needed to get a good consistency)

Oil spray

1.      Preheat oven to 200C.

2.      Combine the banana, oil, beaten egg, vanilla and milk in a small bowl.

3.      In a another mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, coconut and chocolate chips.

4.      Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until combined.

5.      Lightly spray the holes of a mini muffin pan.

6.      Fill each muffin hole with heaped teaspoons of mixture.

7.      Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven until the tops are lightly golden.

8.      Remove tray from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

9.      Carefully remove the muffins from the tray and place on a cake rack to cool.

Favourite things in May

Today's post is not a recipe.  It is however filled with my top 5 favourite things in May.  I hope you enjoy!

1. Where I ate lunch recently is Lotus Story.

Tucked away at the far end of Dawn Fraser Avenue of Sydney Olympic Park is Lotus Story.  This place does really good Vietnamese food which is more targeted towards the lunch crowd working in Sydney Olympic Park.  But if you happen to be out that way it is really worth trying as the flavours are delicious and true to the Vietnamese cuisine.  On the menu are a range of salads, curries, rice paper rolls (try their lemongrass beef rolls if you get chance…they are outstanding) and even Asian inspired baguettes baked on the premises!

2. Where I would have lunch given time and funds is Quay restaurant.

We’ve seen Peter Gilmore appear on Australia’s version of Master Chef and certainly the creative flair he displays with food is really something unique.  With that kind of talent, a dining experience at Quay restaurant is on my hit list, but it may need to wait for a special occasion.

3. My next kitchen purchase will be this Le-Chasseur pie dish.

My guilty secret is that I enter an apple pie bake off competition each year.  It is a bit of fun and a great inspiration to keep perfecting my pastry recipe.  However there are some serious apple pie bakers out there who consider every element from the type of apple to the pie dish they use.

4. The movie I would watch again is Midnight in Paris.  Read a review here.

One of my pet hates is re watching movies.  I always remember the story line and on the most part, sitting through it again equates to something like sitting in the dentist’s chair for me.   However there are a special handful of movies which I can watch again and again.  Usually these movies are character rich and something about a character’s experience will tug at my heart strings or peak my curiosity.  Often but not always, these are described as art house movies.  This is such a movie.

5. Best girly afternoon I’ve had is a special high tea with a girlfriend at The Victoria Room.

This place is old worldly, charming and true to its name.  I took my friend here to celebrate a special occasion.  Adding to the charm was a table near us filled with a little girls birthday party.  Those little girls sipping on their tea and eating cucumber sandwiches was just adorable.

Spiced beef Naan bread

I think I've mentioned my local Indian takeaway here before and how truly delicious and authentic the food is there.  One of the regular menu items that I order is their Kheema naan bread cooked in the tandoor.  The inside of this bread is filled with the most aromatic and deliciously spiced lamb.  The smell when you cut into it is second to none.

In fact, I've been known to swing past the Indian place on my way home to grab a couple of these breads along with some raita.  I'll put together a quick tomato and cucumber salad at home and there's dinner! 

So it was this bread that inspired me to have a go at my own version.  I had minced beef on hand so I used it instead of the lamb.  As for the spices, I just guessed and used a combination that I considered would work well together instead of trying to exactly replicate the mix from the takeaway as I knew it would be very tricky to get right.

I'll warn you right now that the smell that comes out of the oven when you bake this bread is intoxicating.  You will want to throw the oven open as soon as you can and bite straight in.  Which is exactly what I did.  With Mr Shady Pine and Coco the crazy cat pacing the kitchen I was glad that there were two of these breads. One of these was cut up and devoured within minutes after its exit from the hot oven.  While it wasn't a replica of the kheema naan that I order, it was utterly delicious in its own right and pretty straightforward to make.

Spiced beef Naan bread

Makes 2 filled naans

Ingredients:

Beef filling:

300g minced beef, I used lean mince

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ red onion, diced

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

S&P to taste

1 tomato, diced

2 Tbs tomato paste

Naan bread dough:

2 x 7g dry yeast sachets

3 Tbs warm water

2 cups of strong bread flour or plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 egg

3 Tbs plain yoghurt

1 Tbs olive oil plus extra for beef

For the bread dough:

1.       In a bowl mix the yeast, sugar and salt together.  Add the warm water and allow to sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.

2.       Meanwhile, mix together the egg, oil and yoghurt in a small bowl.

3.       To the yeast mixture add the flour and the egg and yoghurt mixture. 

4.       If you have a dough hook attachment, use this to knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Otherwise you will need to manually knead the dough on a floured surface for a good 15 minutes at least to get the same consistency.

5.       Preheat the oven to about 40C.  Place the kneaded dough in an oiled heat proof bowl.  Leave the dough in the oven to rise for about 35 minutes.

6.       Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.  Cut the dough into 4 portions and roll out each portion into a rough oval to about 5mm thickness. 

For the beef filling:

1.       Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick pan.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes on low heat. 

2.       Turn up the heat to high and add the mince.  Fry until browned.

3.       Add the spices and S&P and fry for a couple of minutes until spices are cooked.

4.       Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute.  Add the tomato and cook for a minute.

5.       Set aside mixture to cool down slightly.

For the beef naan:

1.       Preheat the oven to 220C.

2.       Place 2 of the naan dough ovals side by side on a large baking tray.

3.       Spread half the beef mixture on each oval.

4.       Top each oval with the remaining two dough ovals and press along the edges to seal the breads.

5.       Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes depending on your oven but make sure the bread comes up golden brown.

Beef and Guiness pies

In my last post, I told you about the peas that I made recently as a side dish for a dinner party.  This was served as part of a main meal which I also wanted to share with you.  But before I do, let me tell you about the inspiration for the main dish.

Miss Saltwater and I have been friends for a very long time.  Suffice it to say we used to run around the school playground together and followed the latest boy bands....NKOTB anyone? Embarrising now I know!  But we've remained firm friends ever since.  We also both love to cook.  Our cooking styles are similar in some ways and different in others.  This is really good for picking up new recipes and getting tips to renew old favourites.

One of the things Miss Saltwater cooks to perfection are pies.  And I'm not talking about your run of the mill pie.  I'm talking about melt in your mouth fillings with punchy flavour and crisp pastry.  She does some mean variations too like chicken and champagne.  But my firm favourite is her version of the Beef and Guiness pie.

The pie filling uses a can of the famous Irish Guiness.  This together with some stock and a few other bits and pieces is used to cook down the beef on really low temperature for 6 or 7 hours until it is absolutely tender to the point that the beef shreds itself.  The unfortunate thing is that I was rushing around so much on the night of the dinner that I never remembered to take a photo of the filling.  So hopefully you will just trust me when I say how utterly luscious and rich it was.

My tip for making this pie is to make the filling a day in advance and use cold filling to fill the pie dishes.  This way you will avoid the steam from the hot filling giving you soggy pastry.  Oh and speaking of pastry, the star of this pie really is the filling and as you are only using some puff pastry for the top, I would not bother with making pastry from scratch.  Although if you have the time and inclination then go for it.  In this case, I can recommend Maggie Beer's sour cream pastry recipe.

Beef & Guinness pies

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1.6kg casserole or chuck steak, diced in 4 cm chunks

1 brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 can Guinness Irish beer

3 Tbs tomato paste

300ml beef stock

2 Tbs caramelised onions, I used store bought

2 ready rolled sheets of puff pastry, thawed and cut into quartered into squares

S&P to taste

2 Tbs fresh thyme or rosemary, finely chopped

2 Tbs plain flour

Olive oil or spray for browning meat

Milk for brushing the pastry

1.       Heat olive oil in a non in a large heavy bottomed pot.  Brown the beef in batches.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2.       Heat 2 Tbs olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until transparent.  Return the beef to the pot.  Add the plain flour and fry for a couple of minutes to fry out the raw flour.

3.       Add the tomato paste and herbs and fry for a minute.

4.       Add the beef stock, Guinness and caramelised onions to the pan.  Add plenty of salt and pepper.  Stir well and cover.

5.       Simmer on very low and gentle heat for about 6 hours until the meat has started to break down and begins to look shredded.  Set aside to cool the beef mixture.

6.       Preheat oven to 180C.

7.       Fill oven proof ramekins with beef mixture to about ¾ full.  Cover with the pastry squares and press the pastry to seal it well against the ramekin.  Cut small incision in the middle of the pastry of each ramekin for the steam to be able to escape.

8.       Place ramekins on a baking tray.  Brush the pastry tops with a little milk and bake the pies for about 20-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked.

9.       Serve hot with a side of baked potatoes and peas (see the Petit Pois recipe here in my previous post).

Petit pois and turning leaves

It seems like an age since my last post here.  Things have been hectic at The Shady Pine and there are a few projects on the go seemingly all at once!

One such project has been some landscaping which has been on the back burner for a long time.  The intention was to do some of this work over summer but it was such a wet summer that there never seemed to be more than a day when the heavens didn't open up.  So a few things got delayed.

As the drier autumn weather started to appear, Mr Shady Pine and I wanted to get some of this work out of the way before the long winter inevitably arrives.  And I am so glad that we waited.  We got to labour away outside in some glorious autumn sunshine with the bearest hint of crispness in the air.  Besides that, the changing scenery outside was something to behold.  The leaves had started turning into their varied hues of amber and gold and the colours were glorious in the afternoon sun.

One evening recently, we had a few friends over for dinner and we enjoyed some great laughs.   One of the side dishes for the main meal were these peas or petit pois.  I love their green vibrancy and the fact that this is a warm and easy side dish.  I'll talk obout the main feature of the meal in my next post but for now I hope you enjoy this little side dish.  This is a great accompaniment to all sorts of meat dishes and super easy to prepare.

Petit pois

Serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

300g frozen baby peas

1 cos lettuce, shredded

1 leek; white part only, sliced

8 slices lean short cut bacon, sliced

25g good quality butter

1 Tbs olive oil

S&P

1.       Heat the olive oil in a non stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add the leek and bacon and cook for about 5 minutes until the leek is soft and the bacon is cooked.  Set aside.

2.       Boil the peas for about 3 minutes until just cooked.  Drain and set aside 2 Tbs of cooking water.

3.       Place the peas and reserved water in a bowl.  Add the leek and bacon mixture to the peas.

4.       To the peas add the lettuce, butter and S&P to taste.  Mix well until the butter is melted by the hot peas and all the ingredients are well coated.  Serve immediately.