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.

Olive, Onion & Thyme Quiche served with Marinated Tomatoes

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Blogging, Books, Books for Cooks, Cape Town, Cape Town Cooks, Emmenthal, Entertaining, Entertainment, Food Blogs, Food Writing, Gruyère, Life, Marinated Tomatoes, News, olives, onions, Photography, Quiche, recipes, Thyme, Travel

There is an ancient pleasing flavour to olives, a flavour as old as God. There will be three of us for supper this evening and I’m making a quiche with an olive twist, serving with it the marinated tomatoes that I made yesterday.

As I prepare the final touches to the table, the smell of roses, mingled with Jasmine, light, fruity and romantic, wafts in through the open doors. Although a lovely evening, its chilly breeze makes it impossible to eat among all this billowing, fragrant chaos as I would have liked to. It’s time to close the doors against the chill and bring warmth into the room before everyone arrives.

For this recipe you can use bought, pre-made pastry which makes the quiche quick and easy to do. For accompaniments serve a nice mixed salad or a mixture of steamed broccoli and spinach dressed with vinaigrette, or just sliced tomatoes with onions.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Short crust Pastry:

225 g plain white flour

Tiny pinch of salt

110 g butter

Water or beaten organic egg mixed with a little water

Ingredients

For the filling:

150 g olives, pitted and chopped half

200 ml cream

3 eggs

2 onions, sliced

15 ml finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

80 g grated Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. olive oil

Method for pastry

Start with the pastry. Sift the flour into a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour with your fingertips, until mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add just enough water or egg and water mix to bring the pastry together. Do this using a fork or a knife.

Collect the pastry into a ball with your hands. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll pastry to fit a suitable baking container, cover with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake blind in a preheated  oven at 180C for about 12 minutes, the pastry should be a light golden colour. Remove and leave to cool while you prepare the filling.

Method for filling

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté onions gently until golden in colour.

In a bowl gently mix together the onion, olives, thyme, grated cheese, lemon zest, the beaten eggs, cream, and seasoning.

Pour the mixture into pastry case. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C until the filling sets , approximately 35-40 minutes.

Serve with salad of choice.

Light Lunch – Grilled Tomato Mozzarella & Thyme

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food and drink, Gourmet, Light Lunch, Mozzarella, Olive oil, recipe, Starters, Thyme, tomato

It rained last night; pools of water have collected on garden chairs and in pockets in the stone paving of the garden patio. At 6 in the morning these little puddles are ice cold against my bare toes. I quickly head back into the warmth of the kitchen, ready for my first cup of coffee; a quick catch up on the news and a mental check list of my work schedule for the day.

It is almost midday and lunch is what quickly comes to mind; it will be lunch for one today so something quick will do; grilled tomato, mozzarella and thyme is just what I want. I eat this with some crusty bread while I mull over the rest of my schedule.

This dish can be served as a starter or a light meal.. if you wish you could also add a few strips of bacon.

Ingredients

1 large beef tomato

1 ball fresh buffalo mozzarella

Sprig of fresh lemon thyme

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Garnish, a sprig of lemon thyme

Method

Cut off the core part of the tomato (this forms the flat base to keep it in position).Make four or 5 slices across the top of the tomato but don’t cut all the way through, gently press the slices open. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and bits of fresh thyme. Insert pieces of mozzarella and sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.

Pop under the grill for about 5 minutes. Serve drizzled with fresh olive oil and garnish with some lemon thyme.

Serve with some crusty bread.

Tip: you could also use freshly chopped sage in place of the thyme.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie served with Clifton Kitchen Greek Salad

Tags

balsamic, capers, chicken, cream, dairy baking, eggs, feta, food and drink, Greek style salad, green peppers, Kalamata olives, milk, Olive oil, onions, organic, puff pastry, radishes, recipe, red wine vinegar, salad, Seasoning, Thyme, tomatoes

When one manages to find good organic products it is a bit like finding your own gold deposit. Every two weeks I receive a delivery of good organic meat from Simply Wholesome and or Go Go’s; the selection which may range from good strong heavy boned chickens to a leg of young goat, eggs, butter, organic wine and whatever new products they may have managed to source, which I am always keen to try.

The chicken produced a fantastic roast, good flavour, and being so large also provided sufficient meat for a chicken pie, this was served together with the Clifton Kitchen Greek style salad.

If you have some puff pastry in the deep freeze, to make this pie is quick and easy.

Chicken Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients

300g cooked chicken, diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

15ml fresh Thyme finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

200g Portobello mushrooms or button mushrooms, finely sliced

60ml dry sherry

150ml cream

100ml milk

3 large eggs

Olive oil

Seasoning, salt and pepper

Method

Set the oven to 180C. Roll the puff pastry to line a 20cm loose bottom tart or quiche tin. Using a fork, lightly prick the base all over, insert some baking paper and top with baking marbles or beans. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the baking marbles and return to the oven for 5 more minutes, remove and set to one side while you prepare the filling.

In a pan sauté the onions in some olive oil until translucent, add the garlic and Thyme and sauté for a few about 5 more minutes, remove from pan to a dish.

To the same pan add the mushrooms and sauté until the liquid produced by the mushrooms, has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown. Add the sherry and cook for a few more minutes. Add mushrooms to onion mix and season, add the diced chicken.

In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk and cream, season lightly then pour mixture over the filling and incorporate well. Pour filling into pre-cooked tart base.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes, by which time the custard should be just set.

Serve with Clifton Kitchen Greek salad

Clifton Kitchen Greek Salad

This is an elegant salad bursting with full flavours of cheese, olives and fresh ingredients.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 English cucumber, diced

5 tomatoes, diced

6 radishes thinly sliced

1 medium onion thinly sliced. Red if possible

1 green pepper, finely diced

300g Kalamata olives, pips removed

30g capers

200g feta, crumbled

10ml dried oregano

120ml olive oil

20ml red wine vinegar

A drop or two of balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a bowl combine the cucumber, tomato, radishes, onion and green pepper. Scatter over the olives, capers, feta and oregano. Drizzle over the olive oil and vinegars; toss well to coat all of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper as needed, serve.