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Food And Nutrition

Masala chicken with minted yoghurt sauce

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1 day ago

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Our masala chicken recipe is so good – dieting or not, this is one of our favourite recipes.

Ingredients

For the masala chicken marinade

  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder (the more you use, the spicier the dish)
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp flaked sea salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 40g/1½oz piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 100g/3½oz low-fat natural yoghurt

For the chicken

  • 1.65kg/3lb 8oz chicken
  • 1 lime, quartered
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • fresh watercress or baby leaf salad, to serve

For the minted yoghurt sauce

  • 200g/7oz low-fat natural yoghurt
  • 1 tsp ready-made mint sauce

Method

  1. To make the marinade, split the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Put the cardamom seeds in a dry non-stick frying pan and discard the husks. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, cloves and black peppercorns and place the pan over a medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly until the spices are lightly toasted – you know they’re ready when you can smell the spicy aroma.

  2. Tip the toasted spices into a pestle and mortar, or an electric spice grinder, and pound to a fine powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the fenugreek, turmeric, paprika, chilli powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the garlic, ginger and yoghurt, then mix well and leave to stand while you prepare the chicken.

  3. Place the chicken on its breast on a sturdy chopping board and cut carefully either side of the backbone with good scissors or poultry shears. Chuck out the bone and cut off the foot joints and wing tips.

  4. Strip all the skin off the bird apart from the ends of the wings (which are easier to remove after cooking). You’ll find this simpler to do if you snip the membrane between the skin and the chicken flesh as you go. Cut off and discard any obvious fat – it will be a creamy white colour. Open out the chicken and place it on the board so the breast side is facing upwards.

  5. Press down heavily with the palms of your hands to break the breastbone and flatten the chicken as evenly as possible. This will help it cook more quickly. Slash the meat with a knife through the thickest parts of the legs and breast. Place the chicken in a shallow non-metallic dish – a lasagne dish is ideal – and tuck in the legs and wings.

  6. Spoon over the marinade and really massage it into the chicken on both sides, ensuring that every bit of bird is well coated – get your hands in there and really go for it. Cover the dish with cling film and put the chicken in the fridge to marinate for at least four hours or ideally overnight.

  7. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Take the chicken out of the dish and place it on a rack inside a large baking tray, breast-side up. Squeeze over some juice from the lime and season with ground black pepper.

  8. Roast for 1-1¼ hours until the chicken is lightly browned and cooked throughout, tossing the lime quarters on to the rack for the last 20 minutes to cook alongside the chicken. They’ll be good for squeezing over the meat later. The juices should run clear when the thickest part of one of the thighs is pierced with a skewer. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

  9. While the chicken is resting, make the sauce. Spoon the yoghurt into a serving bowl and stir in the mint sauce until thoroughly combined. Transfer the chicken to a plate or wooden board and carve into slices, discarding any skin. Serve with the sauce and some watercress or salad and enjoy!

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Food And Nutrition

Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

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1 day ago

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September 28, 2023

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Deviled eggs are a favorite snack in my household. They are so flavorful and it’s easy to make them in a variety of ways. Sometimes I’ll set up a deviled egg bar where friends can garnish their eggs with a variety of toppings like capers, sundried tomatoes, fresh herbs, smoked salmon, crumbled cheeses, etc. These deviled eggs are a perfect combo of salty and spicy and are sure to impress any guests.

Serves 24

Ingredients:

  • 1 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled
  • ¼ cup mayo
  • 3 tablespoons chunky blue cheese dressing
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Crumbled blue cheese, for garnish
  • Chopped celery leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

Halve each boiled egg. Place the whites on a platter and place the yolks in a food processor. Process the yolks until they look like coarse sand, then transfer to a mixing bowl (you can also mash the yolks with a fork if you don’t have a food processor).

Combine the egg yolks with mayo, blue cheese dressing, buffalo sauce and chopped celery. Season with salt and pepper and stir again.

Scoop the yolk mixture into a piping bag (or resealable sandwich bag) and pipe into each egg white. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and chopped celery leaves. Serve immediately or keep cold until ready to serve.

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Food And Nutrition

Easy no-yeast pizza

Published

1 day ago

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September 28, 2023

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Freshly baked pizza tastes great, and this pizza dough without yeast requires no waiting around for the dough to rise. Just mix it up and you’re ready to go. Try it with your favourite toppings.

Ingredients

For the sauce

  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs, plus extra for topping
  • 2 pinches caster sugar
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 200g/7oz mozzarella (or any other cheese), torn into pieces, for topping
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dough

  • 300g/10½oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 300g/10½oz natural yoghurt

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and put two baking trays in to heat.

  2. To make the sauce, put the tomatoes, mixed herbs and sugar in a saucepan. Peel and finely grate the garlic, add it to the pan and set over a medium heat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until thickened then remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.

  3. To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the yoghurt the stir with a fork to combine. When the mixture forms a rough dough, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll out into thin circles.

  4. Carefully remove the hot baking trays from the oven and lay the pizza bases on top. Bake for 3-4 minutes until beginning to rise then remove from the oven.

  5. Turn the pizza bases over and top with the sauce. Scatter the mozzarella over the top. Season with black pepper, sprinkle over a pinch of herbs then return to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes until the bases are crisp and the cheese is bubbling.

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Food And Nutrition

Traditional toad in the hole

Published

1 day ago

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September 28, 2023

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Toad in the hole is classic comfort food at its best. Serve with plenty of gravy and simple steamed vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 115g/4oz plain flour
  • large pinch of salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • 300ml/½ pint milk
  • 2 tbsp/30g fresh thyme leaves
  • 8 good quality pork, beef or vegetarian sausages
  • 2 tbsp/30g Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp/30g of beef dripping or white vegetable fat for vegetarians
  • knob of butter, to serve

Method

  1. To make the batter, sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper.

  2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and crack in the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, gradually beat the eggs into the flour then slowly beat in the milk until the batter is the consistency of double cream.

  3. Strain and push any remaining lumps through a sieve. Stir in the thyme. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes, or ideally 3-4 hours.

  4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

  5. Heat a large non-stick pan and cook the sausages over a medium heat until golden-brown all over. (If you do not have a non-stick pan add a little oil.) Turn off the heat and brush the sausages with the mustard. Set aside.

  6. Place the dripping or white vegetable fat into an ovenproof dish and heat in the oven for five minutes or until the dripping is hot and hazy.

  7. Add the sausages to the hot dish and pour in the batter. Immediately return the dish to the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes until well-risen and golden-brown.

  8. Serve seasoned with black pepper and a large knob of butter.

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