It’s Time To Light The Fires

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Bay leaf, Butter, Cape Town, Chefs, chicken, Chicken and Mushrooms with Sherry Cream Sauce., Clifton Kitchen, Cooks, cream, food and drink, food and travel writing, Food Blogs, Garlic Seasoning, Herbs, Kate Abbott, Lifestyle, Mushrooms, Olive oil, Parsley, Photography, rosemary, Sauce, Sherry, Shiitake, Thyme, Travel, travel Writing

The weather has turned and the chilled air flowing in off the Atlantic sea has everyone reaching for sweaters. The summer remains elusive as another cold front wafts in over the Cape. It is time to light the fires and to make dinner.

I want something warming and unctuous to feed my guests. In the fridge I have mushrooms, chicken, some good quality cream, garden fresh broccoli stems and in the pantry,the thin skinned potatoes which I picked up from the market. All of these items will produce a dinner that everyone will enjoy. It is also fuss free, easy, which leaves me with time to mingle before serving dinner.

Here is the recipe

Chicken & Mushrooms with Sherry Cream Sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 packets of chicken portions

25 g butter

25 ml olive oil

2 onions finely diced

200 g shitake mushrooms sliced

250 ml dry sherry

250 ml chicken stock

4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed

1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme finely chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh Parsley finely chopped

½ Tablespoon fresh Rosemary finely chopped

1 bay leaf

120 ml pouring cream

Salt and pepper

Method

Heat the butter and olive oil in pot or casserole dish a large enough to comfortably incorporate all the chicken pieces.

Sauté the chicken until golden brown, remove and set aside. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until softened, then add the chicken, the herbs and bay leaf, garlic and dry sherry. Let simmer until the alcohol smell has dissipated; about 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock.

Bring up to heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes and the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 14-20 minutes. Check the seasoning.

Serve with boiled potatoes or rice and broccoli or a green salad

Tip: if after the cooking process the sauce is too runny, slake 2 tsps. of cornflour in 2 tablespoons water and stir into the sauce to thicken. cook for another 5 minutes.

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The Grouse Season, A Birthday & Roasted Salmon Wrapped In Parma Ham

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baby potatoes, Butter, Butternut, Chefs, Country Living, food and drink, Food and Wine, Food Blogs, Gourmet, Grouse Season, Lime Jelly, Lime marmalade, limes, Norwegian Salmon, Olive oil, Parma Ham, Rocket, South African Food Blogs, Stock, Watercress

It is the 12^th of August, the start of the grouse season in the U.K and for some a prompt reminder of my birthday. My day has been flooded with telephone calls, emails and sms’ from friends and family scattered all over the world, to wish me a lovely day, and some messages from people that I have not heard from in ages.

It’s raining like mad in Cape Town, so I am rather pleased not to be going out for dinner, instead we are celebrating at Clifton House and on Sunday we have booked a table for lunch at Terroir in the Cape wine-lands.

The meal for this evening is Roasted Norwegian salmon wrapped in Parma ham served with creamed butternut, baby potatoes, a seasonal salad and a garnish of lime jelly.

Roasted Norwegian Salmon wrapped in Parma ham served with a lime Jelly

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 portions of Norwegian salmon

Parma ham, sufficient to wrap each portion of salmon

Salt and pepper

8 Baby potatoes

1 medium butternut peeled and diced

Sage leaves. A small bunch finely chopped

Olive oil

15 ml of butter

125 ml stock or water

Salt and pepper

Garnish: lime jelly, slices of lime wedges or a dash of lime marmalade

For the salad

Watercress

Rocket

Vinaigrette

Method

Set the oven to 175C

Season each portion of salmon and wrap in Parma ham, place on a baking tray and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Pop into pre-heated oven and roast for about 25-30 minutes.

Place the potatoes in a pot with sufficient water to cover, add salt and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until done.

In a large pan heat some oil and a blob of butter, add the butternut together with the sage and sauté for a few minutes, season and add a little stock or water to just cover the butternut, place the lid on the pan and cook until done, about 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, blend to a nice creamy consistency with a hand blender. Check for seasoning.

Serve the salmon with the creamy butternut, potatoes, the garnish and a side salad of watercress and rocket tossed in vinaigrette.