It’s Time To Light The Fires

Tags

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.

Autumn’s Rich Colours Flood the Kitchen

Tags

Autumn, Books, Books for Cooks, Egg Recipes, eggs, food and drink, Food Blogs, French Tarragon, Fruit, In Season, Life, Mushrooms, olives, pears, Photography, Travel, Vegetables

In season for April

Autumn’s rich colours flood the kitchen and in my organic box are pears, shallots, silver beet, freshly foraged mushrooms and farm fresh organic eggs.

Shallots are small delicious morsels of the allium family. Their flavour is more subtle than common onions. They are quite delicious when caramelised and served as a shallot tarte tatin with goats cheese or as a caramelized shallot and pear salad.

The elegant fragrant sweet pears are wonderful baked with honey, butter, cinnamon and a vanilla pod until they are soft and lightly caramelised, served with a dollop of double cream or poached in red wine syrup flavoured with orange zest and star anise.

Enjoy a simple sauté of silver beet with garlic and a splash of oil from a jar or tin of anchovies. Don’t discard the thick crisp stems. Instead blanch them in salty water, drain and place in a baking dish, add a little cream or a béchamel sauce, some cheese such as Gruyere and a sprinkle of nutmeg and you have a delicious gratin to serve as a side dish.

Enjoy the last of the French tarragon before it goes dormant during the cold months ahead. It is wonderful in most savoury dishes and sauces such as béarnaise and of course tarragon chicken, a perfect meal for when evenings start to cool.

For a simple yet beautiful dish for breakfast or light lunch, there is little to beat the sublime combination of a soft boiled organic egg, homemade aioli, a sprinkle of celery salt and smoked paprika and finished off with fried celery leaves, then garnish with some capers.

Also in season

Fruit

Apples, bananas, figs,, grapes, guavas. Kiwi fruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, plums, pomegranate, quince, rhubarb, olives, tomatoes

Vegetables

Asian greens, avocado, beans, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, celeriac, celery, daikon, eggplant, fennel, garlic, ginger, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, swedes, turnips, witlof, zucchini

Herbs and seasonings

Garlic, ginger, last of the French tarragon, horseradish