Winter Nutmeg Chicken

I was reading about the spice trade recently in the brilliant "Nathaniel's Nutmeg" and cooking with these spices, once so prevalent, has been on my mind- I can't wait to find a way to use mace, cloves and cinnamon in savoury dishes.

I am also feeling very tired at the moment (too much gallivanting)- but not yet reduced to beans on toast, just to avoiding shopping and carrying shopping and everything that distracts me from the path home!

This dish used the contents of my fridge and freezer and turned out very tasty. I always keep spinach in the freezer- it is so versatile. The chicken was frozen (special offer frozen from fresh) and the other ingredients were from my store, except the cream, which was left over from an ice cream making obsession!

I used:
150ml double cream (could be replaced by single or milk)
Three chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
one cup gram flour
salt and pepper
heaped teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
one medium sized onion, diced
300g  frozen spinach (you could use more)
Olive oil

Heat the olive oil, add the spices.
Coat the chicken and onion well in the gram flour, which you have seasoned with LOTS of black pepper and the salt.
Stir in the pan. Add more gram flour as you stir, until the chicken is very well coated. This will make it delightfully tender.
When it is all browned, add the spinach and cream, turn down the heat and simmer.
Delicious : )

Red Pork Casserole

This casserole was a lifesaver! My eyes were bigger than my brain when I went into the supermarket after Christmas- I bought lots of pork on special offer, and lots of peppers. We had also had a party, and ended up with three bottles of red wine. For some reason, a glass full had gone from each, and there was a limit to how much wine we could reasonably drink during the week!

I used:
Pork- I used 6 loin chops (chicken would also work- 6 thighs)
Peppers (4- red and yellow)
Pimenton (smoke paprika)
Garlic (4 cloves)
Wine (I used 3/4 bottle)
one stock cube (chicken)
Two medium onions
Couple of bay leaves

Would also be great : )
Tomatoes (tinned or fresh, chopped)
Chick Peas
Potatoes

To make:
Saute onions and peppers with a generous heaped teaspoon of pimenton. Add pork when they are transparent, and brown. de-glaze pan with the wine. Add stock to cover everything. Add garlic. At this stage, you could also add chick peas and/ or potato, and any tomatoes. Adding chick peas would mean that you could feed more people with less meat!

To serve:

I've been eating this from a bowl- could with some fresh bread, or re-heated in the microwave with a generous handful of baby spinach which can be stirred in. It would also be great with rice.

Chicken Livers with Orange and Tarragon

Reading old cooking books in the deep winter, I came across a recipe in "Floyd on Britain and Ireland". I love chicken livers if they are well cooked, and these flavours really appealed. Upon eating, they tasted good too. Chicken liver is a stronger flavour than chicken, and the flavours played off each other really well.

My version (makes a great starter for four, or serve as a light lunch with fresh bread)
chicken livers (250g)
one medium onion/ large shallot
fresh tarragon, roughly chopped.
one small orange, halved. Cut one half into wedges to serve, and zest the other half, keeping what is left for the juice. (if you are doubling the recipe, you might also want to segment another orange and add that as a good-looking extra)
olive oil

1. Prepare the chicken livers. Chop off any stringy bits and cut into mouthful sized pieces.
2. Dice the onion or shallot. Put a bit of olive oil into a frying pan and the sweat the onions until clear on a low heat.
3. Turn up the heat. Add the chicken livers and stir constantly. After a minute or so, add the orange zest. When the chicken livers are almost done, add the juice from the zested half of the orange, keep stirring and then put the chicken liver and onions onto plates.
4. Put plenty of fresh tarragon on top and garnish with the orange wedge, which can be squeezed onto the chicken livers.
5. Serve hot!

Tip: You can grow tarragon, which is delicious with chicken (and I like in my scrambled eggs) in your garden.

Photo thanks to Jasmine&Roses