Pad Thai, part deux

Last year I came across a fantastic recipe for pad thai. We rocked it out again last night and it was AMAZING! The only difference between the original and last night's creation was that I used a little sweet chilli and harissa in place of fresh chilli. And fresh squeezed lime was a real winner, much more flavoursome than lemon, if you can get it. Enjoy!!

♪ it's pie time, kia ora talofa, it's pie time, a special time of day ♪

You know that feeling when you have a hankering for something, and until you have it no other food will suffice?  Friday morning, sitting at the computer, when I'm struck by a gastronomic lightning bolt from the sky, telling me that it's chicken pie or bust. 

I'd never bothered to make a chicken pie before.  Mince, yep.  Shepherd's (which, let's be honest, it's really just mince), yep.  Bacon and egg, oh yes.  But chicken?  Never.  Which is weird, 'cause chicken pie is always my pick if we're getting pies from the bakery on weekends.  Not having a clue what was required, but knowing what kind of consistency I wanted the filling to have, was helpful.  Just sort of tinkered with it, letting it bubble away, until it seemed right.  And, luck of the irish, it was bang on.  This one will be making an appearance on our table again soon! 

3 sheets flaky puff pastry (I bought pre-rolled, gold)

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 rashers bacon, chopped up

1 onion, diced

couple handfuls mushrooms, chopped into smallish chunks

1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped

cumin seeds, or other herb/spice as preferred

1 cup white wine (I used more like 2)

200 ml cream

flour, as needed to thicken (I used approx. 5 tbsp)

1 egg, to brush pastry

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (200 if not fan bake) and spray pie dish with a little oil.
2. Brown chicken and bacon in pan.  Remove when cooked and set aside.
3. Saute onion, 'shrooms, chilli and herbs/spices until onion becomes translucent.  Pour in wine and allow to simmer until liquid is reduced. 
4. Pour in cream, stir and allow to heat through before adding flour, and stirring and allowing to thicken.  You may need a little more flour, or less, add bit by bit and see how you go.
5. Arrange pastry in dish so that dish is covered and excess lays over the sides (this will become the pie's top).  Pour filling in and cover with pastry.  If you've some excess you could make something to decorate the top.  Cheesy, but quite satisfying, I assure you.  
6. Brush with egg and bake for about half an hour.   

Honey, I'm home!

The man of the house comes home and the little lady (in her pinnie) has dinner burbling away on the stove.  Picture perfect, right?  Well, maybe if you're watching a 1950s sitcom rerun.  However, stranger things have happened.  Last night this was the picture in our kitchen, only I wasn't wearing a pinnie, I was about to open a beer (for myself) and the dinner burbling away on the stove was pink.  Sort of alters the stereotype eh?  However, dinner's dinner and ours was tasty, pink or otherwise.  Not to mention men wear pink now, with pride, so pink food?  Meh, no problem.  It's food. 

We were having chicken breasts last night, stuffed with crème fraîche and harissa.  In the past we'd used cream cheese, but as we had the fraiche in the fridge, seemed a good idea.  And it was.  It may actually have been better then when cream cheese was used, though tough to tell without comparing contemporaneously.  Suffice to say that either will be equally tasty.  So, all that was needed was something to accompany.  Risotto.  Not a typical side dish maybe, but I felt like rice, and we had veges a plenty to go into it.  What follows is what went into the pink risotto last night, though feel free to change any of the fillings.  Obviously don't change the rice, stock etc, they're kinda key. 

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

small knob ginger, finely chopped

1 and a half cups short rice (aborio)

small glass white wine

1 L vegetable stock

3 small beetroot, peeled

2 leftover sausages, sliced

good dollop basil pesto

salt and pepper

1/2 cup cheese (I used edam)

1. On high heat fry onion, garlic and ginger in the butter, until softened.  Add the rice and stir to coat.
2. Pour in the wine (feel free to use more than a small glass, I just didn't want to waste too much!), allow to evaporate.  Once the liquid is reduced pour in the prepared stock. 
3. Reduce the heat to medium now, allowing to simmer away, but not letting the liquid disappear too quickly (the rice needs time to cook, though if you do end up with insufficient liquid and still-uncooked rice, just pour in a little water). 
4. With your vegetable peeler, peel slivers of beetroot (outer skin removed) into the pan.  When you stir it the whole thing will turn a fantastic pink!  Stir through the sausages (or sliced chorizo), pesto, salt and pepper (or whatever else you wish) and cheese.  
5. This can be put aside when cooked, to be warmed through again later, if you want to get it all ready, so you can relax before dinner. 

 

stuff you

Until last night I'd never made stuffing.  Roasted chicken, sure.  But stuffing?  No.  Stuffless chook.  Which is nuts, 'cause stuffing is the yorkshire pudding of roasted poultry.  And casseroles...  That's right, a totally different use for the tasty, doughy goodness.  We had a chicken casserole, which was topped with a layer of stuffing, then slices of cooked potato and finally grated cheese.  A winning combination.  And it was easy (as I'm sure many of you have realised years ago).  So stuff you, get in the kitchen! 

6 slices frozen bread

1 onion, finely diced

1 egg

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp dried mixed herbs

salt and pepper

1. Chop the bread into little pieces, to make into breadcrumbs (a food processor will make this job easier, but then you do have an extra dish to clean.  Up to you). 
2. Mix in the onion.  With your hands work through all the other ingredients. 
3. Add a little water, to make the mixture into a doughy texture. 
4. Shove on top of a casserole (sausage, chicken, stew), or into a to-be-roasted chook.