One-Pot, Wonderful

The nights still close in early and cold chills in the air means warming, comfort food is a must. Here's a wonderful way to quickly put together a hearty meal for a family, or for two; the extra can be frozen and saved for future 'quick' fixes.

All you need is:

1 pot
1 knife & board
and a Wooden Spoon

along with these (or a variation) ingredients:

1 whole Chicken
2 Onions, quartered
2 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped
2 Celery Sticks, roughly chopped
8 - 10 Baby Carrots, trimmed or 4 large, roughly chopped
8 - 10 Baby Marrows, trimmed or 3 large, roughly chopped
A handful of cherry tomatoes
1 Cup of Brown Rice
1 Cup of Soup Mix (I like to make my own with 1/2 Black Lentils, 1/4 Barley, 1/4 Split Peas)
1/2 Lemon

Herbs of your choice, I like the following:

2 Fresh Rosemary twigs 
3-4 Bay Leaves
2 tsps Oregano

plus Salt and Black Pepper to taste.

First fill the kettle and pop it on to boil. While you wait for the water you can prep the veggies by topping and tailing the Carrots and Marrows, or chopping into large chunks if using larger veg.
Rinse all these under the tap to make sure the skins are all clean and lovely. No time is wasted peeling and all the goodness is preserved.

Peel and quarter the Onions and Garlic cloves and chop the celery into smaller pieces.

The kettle should now have whistled so, pop your whole Chicken, ensuring there are no giblets in a little packet inside, along with all the veggies into a large pot and fill up to cover the chicken with the hot water.
Turn on the stove to a medium to high heat to get the liquid bubbling.

Now add the Rice and Soup mix to the top as well as the herbs and Black Pepper. I tend to only add the Salt towards the end of cooking because it can make the meat tougher.

Put the lid on the pot and turn down the heat and leave for an hour; I recommend using this time to relax with a glass of wine and your latest knitting project!
After an hour give the pot a stir making sure the grains are not sticking to the bottom and there is still liquid bubbling in the top. Squeeze the lemon into the pot and add the rind too. Then season with salt and pepper and leave for another 1/2 hour.

You may like to add a chicken stock cube or some other spices to your version. More lemon, cumin and some cayenne makes a wonderful exotic tasting dish for those who are more adventurous.

Dish up the rice and veggies in a big heap with Chicken that falls off the bone ...and enjoy! One pot, very little prep and just a little dash of patience to make a healthy, homely meal. 

This makes enough for 4 generous portions. Perhaps also a little extra leftover that you can add 500mls of stock to for a lovely soup the next day.

Easy peasy, with lemon squeezy!

Easter is just around the corner...

We traditionally have pancakes on the Tuesday 40 days before Easter; traditionally this is to use up richer foods in the house before the start of Lent. 
We forget to make them the rest of the year even though they are one of the easiest treats to whip up; with ingredients you usually have in your store cupboard and fridge. So there's nothing extra on the shopping list unless you want to get creative with your toppings!

Ingredients:

225g Plain flour
Pinch salt
2 large, fresh eggs 
600ml Milk (I like to use 100ml Buttermilk and 500ml Milk for a nice texture)
2 tsp melted butter 
Plus melted butter for cooking

Make:

Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, add the eggs and beat with a whisk. Once the flour has combined nicely with the egg start adding the milk (and  buttermilk if using) until all the flour is mixed in. Then add the 2 tsp of melted butter and beat in. 

 Be careful not to over whisk the mixture because this can make the dough rubbery.

Leave the batter to rest for at least 15 minutes or, if you can, prepare it in advance - just keep it in the fridge, covered, until you're ready to use it.

Lightly grease a hot frying pan with a little melted butter, veg oil or low fat spray oil if you prefer; add a ladle of batter to evenly and thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook until set and lightly golden. Flip over when you see that the batter is set on the top and cook for another 30 seconds on the uncooked side.

Remove the pancake from the pan, place on a sheet of kitchen paper and keep warm. Continue as above until all the batter is used up.

Serve:

Pancakes are usually served rolled up with brown sugar and lemon juice but you really can add anything to yours to make a unique treat for you. Pancakes are even great with savoury toppings, try them with bacon and maple syrup or melted cheese and ham.

Here are a few other favourites from my family for you to try at home this pancake day:

Banana and Choc spread
Golden Syrup and Pecan nuts
Brown sugar mixed with Cinnamon powder
or if you really want to impress - Poached egg with Creamed Spinach

Enjoy your Pancake Day; whatever topping you think to try!