This is one of those chicken dinners that can work for a midweek or a meal for guests. Minimal effort, minimal washing up and it is totally delicious. I love traybakes and this one is one of my favourites. The lemon sauce is so tasty you will want to mop up the base of the tray with some crusty baguette. No need to add any sides, this truly is an entire meal in one tray.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
½ cup olive oil
3T lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2t dried oregano
2t fresh thyme
1t strong Dijon mustard
1t salt
1/2t freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 chicken thighs (hauts de cuisse) bone-in, skin on
½ butternut , peeled and cubed
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 shallots or red onions , cut in wedges
1 large aubergine, cubed
3 lemons, sliced
16-20 cherry tomatoes (drizzled with a bit of olive oil)
½ cup Greek olives, pitted
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2T chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C (190°C fan assisted)
In a small bowl whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper
Place the aubergine, butternut, potatoes, onions, lemon slices into a large bowl, add chicken
Drizzle the marinade on top
Toss everything together and massage into the chicken
Spread all onto a large baking sheet
Ensure each chicken thigh sits on top of 2 slices of lemon directly on sheet
Bake for 30 min
Remove from oven and add the olives and tomatoes
Return to oven for another 10 to 15 minutes or until veggies are cooked and chicken is cooked through to 74°C (165°F)
Sprinkle the feta and parsley or cilantro before serving
I have always loved middle eastern cuisine and ever since I went to an Ottolenghi restaurant in London, with my daughter, many years ago, I am a huge fan of his recipes. Recently, I invited our new neighbours over for dinner and decided on a middle eastern theme for the meal. I made assorted meze to start with pita then followed with a 5 hour lamb and several sides. One of the most popular, by far, was the aubergine with saffron yoghurt. It is such an easy recipe yet never fails to impress, in part, due to the amazing flavours but also, because it is visually a superb feast for the eyes with its jewel toned colours. Below is my adaptation of the recipe. The saffron sauce is great with just about anything, from fish to meat to veggies so do not hesitate to double the quantity. It will keep 3 days in the fridge – if you can resist eating it all at once.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 medium aubergines
1 Tsp olive oil
2 Tsp grilled pine nuts
4 Tsp fresh pomegranate seeds
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Saffron yoghurt
Pinch of saffron
1 Tsp hot water
200g / 3/4 cup Greek yoghurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3 Tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tsp olive oil (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C / 430F
Cut the aubergine into slices about 1 1/2 cm thick then cut each slice into 3 or 4 strips
Place the aubergine in a large bowl, add the oil, salt and pepper and toss gently to ensure evenly coated
Lay the pieces onto a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes until they are a nice golden colour
Remove from the oven and leave to cool
While the aubergine is cooking, make the sauce/dressing
Allow the saffron to infuse in the hot water for a few minutes
In a bowl, combine the saffron infusion with the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil (if using) and add salt to taste (I did not add oil nor salt)
Whisk the sauce by hand or ideally use a hand blender until it is smooth
Keep the sauce in the fridge until ready to use
Place the cooled aubergine strips in a serving dish, drizzle over the saffron sauce, sprinkle with the pine nuts and pomegranate seeds
Pad Thai is basically a Thai noodle stir fry with a delicious sweet-sour sauce topped with peanuts. It is made with thin, flat rice noodles and includes bean sprouts, spring onions and scrambled eggs and either chicken , prawns or tofu. The sauce is what makes the dish and it includes fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and tamarind. What is tamarind you might be asking. It is THEingredient that gives the sauce the flavour it is known for. Authentic Pad Thai is made with tamarind pulp which comes in a block the size of a bar of soap (easily available on Amazon) which is soaked in hot water before being pushed through a sieve to remove the fibers and seeds. You are then left with the paste. If you can find the tamarind puree in a jar, use that instead by all means. Making Pad Thai is very easy but be sure to have all your ingredients measured and ready to go as you need to move quickly. I have added peanut butter in my sauce which I think gives the dish an added creaminess and boost of yumminess. I think this recipe tastes amazing but do not take my word for it… try it yourself and let me know what you think.
Let me tell you a bit about the history of Pad Thai. There is not a dish that screams “Thailand” more than Pad Thai. It is the national dish and eaten literally on every street corner in Thailand but would you believe that it actually did not exist before WW2?? Crazy isn’t it? But true. Pad Thai was invented in 1938. Thailand suffered a shortage of good quality rice at this time due to the war and serious floods. Plaek Phibunsongkhram who was the PM at the time encouraged people to eat noodles instead. Noodles used only 50% of the grain so were more economical and cheaper to produce. The government of Thailand created the dish Pad Thai to protect the rice resources. They told the public that by eating this new dish they were helping their country. Several sources say there was a competition to create a national dish using noodles and Pad Thai was the winner. The government gave out recipes to restaurants and in mail boxes and even offered free carts to people willing to set up stalls and sell in the streets. So let’s get on with the recipe.
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
7oz / 200g flat rice noodles
3 T oil (canola, peanut – not olive)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
8oz / 250g chicken cut into very thin slices or 8oz / 250g shrimp, raw, shelled and de-veined
2 eggs, lightly beaten
200g / 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
5 spring onions or garlic chives (¼ cup) chopped
4 T dry roasted peanuts, chopped
2 limes
½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
For the sauce
3 T nuoc mam / nam pla fish sauce
1 T low sodium soy sauce
3 T light brown sugar
2 T tamarind from pulp (see directions)
1 T sriracha hot sauce (optional)
2 T peanut butter (optional)
Method:
Cut enough of the tamarind pulp to provide 2T after the following process. Pour ½ cup boiling water over the tamarind pulp, cover and place aside for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes break up the pulp in the hot water and then press the mixture through a fine meshed strainer/sieve. Discard the solids.
Cook noodles according to package instructions, just until tender. Rinse under cold water
Combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sriracha, tamarind paste and peanut butter. Mix well and set aside.
Heat a wok or large pan over high heat. Add oil.
Add the bell pepper, cook until it softens slightly
Add garlic and chicken or shrimp. If using shrimp they will cook very rapidly, about 1-2 minutes until just pink. If using chicken, cook until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes
Push the chicken/shrimp to the side of the wok
Add the eggs and stir as they cook but do not touch too much
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