Month: June 2015

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Spicy skewered chicken with pineapple, pepper and onions


Served with the spicy sauce, Basmati rice and a sweet and sour Asian salad

Serves 4

SPICY CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH ASIAN SALAD

The marinade:
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup sambal oelek, store bought or make your own
¼ cup fish sauce, available at Asian supermarkets
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

A hot sauce in one of its purest forms, Indonesian sambal oelek is merely freshly ground hot red chiles with some salt and vinegar for flavor and preservation.


The kebabs:
680 g/1½ lbs chicken thighs, deboned and cut into roughly 25 mm x 25 mm/1 inch x 1 inch pieces
8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for more than 1 hour
½ large ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into roughly 25 mm x 25 mm/1 inch x 1 inch pieces
½ large red sweet pepper, cored and cut into roughly 25 mm x 25 mm/1 inch x 1 inch pieces
½ large red onion, quartered and each quarter halved, breaking up the layers

The salad:
1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced
1 cup bean sprouts
¾ cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 cup half-ripe mango, cut into thin strips

If mangos are not in season, use papaya, pineapple, sweet melon, etc.


½ cup spring onions, diced
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
½ cup peanuts, roughly chopped
Asian sweet and sour sauce to drizzle (see recipe below)

The rice:
2 cups/500 ml Basmati rice
salt
1 tablespoon/15 ml butter (optional)

For the marinade, whisk the brown sugar, vinegar, sambal oelek, fish sauce and ginger in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly making sure that every piece is coated. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

For the chicken skewers. alternate chicken, pineapple, chicken,  pepper, chicken and a segment of onion, and repeat until the skewer is full. Pour the balance of the marinade into a saucepan together with ½ cup/125 ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce until thickened slightly and pour out a third for basting. Put the rest aside for dipping later.

Preheat the oven to 80ºC/176°F and place a heatproof plate, big enough to hold all the skewers, to warm up.

When the barbeque reaches (150ºC/302°F ), salt the kebabs and place them on the rack. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning and basting at regular intervals. When cooked, transfer to the warmed plate and leave to rest for about 10 minutes in the heated oven. Discard the rest of the sauce that was used for basting (it could be contaminated with raw chicken) and reheat the rest of the reserved sauce.

Just before cooking, prepare the salad by mixing all the ingredients except the sweet and sour sauce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve
Serve the skewers on a bed of rice with the sauce in a separate container. Lightly toss the sweet and sour sauce through the salad and serve with the kebabs.

A rich, dark honey color, this tart-sweet-savory sauce does not resemble the cloying, sticky, bright red sauce that’s often served at Chinese restaurants. You can whip it up quickly to enjoy with snacks such as fried wontons. For spicy tropical flair, use unsweetened pineapple juice instead of water and include 2 teaspoons of minced ginger and a chopped Thai chile with the other seasoning at the beginning.

Asian sweet and sour sauce:
¼ cup sugar or lightly packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

  • Combine the sugar, salt, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan.
  • Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
  • Give the cornstarch a stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to full boil and thickens.
  • Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes to cool and concentrate in flavor.
  • Taste and add extra salt, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  • This sauce can be prepared a day in advance.
Categories
STARTERS/SIDES

Bloody Mary jellies


Served with savory puffs filled and goat’s cheese cream

This truly delectable and very sophisticated jelly makes a perfect starter. Those who prefer not to use alcohol, use more tomato juice. The savory puffs can be omitted and instead serve with some cheese crackers.

BLOODY MARY JELLYServes 4

The jelly:
1½/ cups/350 ml tomato juice
⅓ cup/80 ml vodka
1 tablespoon/15 ml Worcestershire sauce (for vegetarians use soy sauce)
1 tablespoon/15 ml lemon juice
a few drops Tabasco, or according to taste
½ tablespoon/3 ml horseradish, freshly grated
celery salt to taste
4 teaspoons/20 ml gelatine powder
½ cup/125 ml water

The savory puffs:
½ cup/125 ml milk
115 g/4 oz unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
large pinch of salt
1 cup/250 ml flour, sifted
4 large eggs
1 cup/250 ml Gruyère cheese, finely grated
freshly ground pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Use any leftover savory puffs to fill with cream cheese and chives, leftover fish mixed with some mayonnaise, etc..

The filling:
½ cup/125 ml goat’s cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons/30 ml light cream cheese
2 teaspoons/10 ml olive oil
1 tablespoon/15 ml of water
1 tablespoon/15 ml fresh lemon juice
1 fresh garlic clove, crushed
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

The garnish:
a few celery leaves
a few sprigs of cress

For the jelly:

  • Mix all of the ingredients together, except the gelatine. Leave to infuse for about 30 minutes, then strain.
  • Heat about ½ cup/125 ml of the liquid and stir in the gelatin powder until dissolved.
  • Add to the rest of the liquid, pour into shot glasses, big enough for one serving each, and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours to set.

For the savory puffs:

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
  • In a medium saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter and salt to a boil.
  • Add the flour and stir it with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.
  • Lower the heat and stir until the dough pulls away from the sides, about 2 minutes.
  • Scrape the dough into a bowl and let it cool for 1 minute. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the dough, a little bit at a time, mixing well before adding more egg.
  • Add the cheese, the pepper and the nutmeg.
  • Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1.3 cm/0.5 in round tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, 5 cm/2 in apart.
  • Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
  • Poke a hole in the base of each puff to let out the steam. Leave to cool until ready to serve

For the savory puff filling:

  • Blend together all the ingredients until creamy, adding an extra tablespoon/15 ml water if necessary.
  • When ready to serve, place a shot glass on each plate and top it with some of the savory puff filling.
  • Pipe the filling into each savory puff and place one on each serving plate with the Bloody Mary jelly.
  • Garnish with a few celery leaves and cress and serve immediately.