Chicken cooked in spiced wine (Coq au vin)

This coq au vin dish is one breathtaking dish that requires lots of time and attention! The return is quite satisfying, so no regrets! The smell of the chicken and wine penetrates my dining room almost to the bedroom! It is delicious and special and normally cannot be eaten unless we go to some very nice French restaurants. The recipe comes from the book Botanical, featuring a great restaurant from Melbourne. I basically love all the recipes in the book, although sometimes I cut the ingredients like cream and butter somewhat because of their richness. If you have got plenty of time and love chicken, this is probably a dish you will enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 x 2.4 kg free-range chicken
1 1/2 litres shiraz (or other red wine)
1 red onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
4 field mushrooms, sliced
8 large shallots
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1/2 tsp crushed juniper berries
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
50 ml olive oil
150 g quince paste
1 litre chicken stock
1 litre veal jus
1 bouquet garni for Meat
1 Tbsp sugar

Serve with sauteed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes frittata, and French bread croutons

Steps:

1. Remove the chicken legs and cut between the joint of the drumstick and thigh. Cut out the chicken breast and half widthwise. Cut out chicken wings. Place chicken pieces into deep container and cover with shiraz, then add the vegetables and spices. Massage into the chicken pieces and drizzle with EV olive oil and marinate overnight or for at least 6-8 hrs.

2. Once marinated, drain the chicken, vegetables and spices. Pass the wine through a fine strainer into a saucepan. Bring gently to the boil over a very low heat. As the wine boils remove the foam on the surface with a tablespoon and discard. After simmering gently for 4 min a clear stock will remain. Remove from heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry.

3. Heat an ovenproof flameproof dish over a high heat. Add some olive oil and then the chicken pieces skinside down. Brown on all sides very well, then remove and set aside. Add the reserved vegetables and spices from the marinade. Fry these very well until they are richly coloured. Then add the quince paste. Put the chicken drumsticks back into the pan and add the clear wine stock. Bring to the boil slowly over a low heat and reduce the liquid by half. Refrigerate the chicken breast and thigh pieces until required.

4. Preheat oven to 400F

5. Add the chicken stock, veal jus and bouquet garni to the dish containing the drumsticks. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paperwhich has a hole in the center. Some evaporation of the sauce will intensify the flavour as it reduces. Transfer the dish to the oven and braise for 15 min. until the legs are almost tender. Add the breast and thigh pieces to the braise and continueto cook for a further 15 min. until tender

6. Remove all the chicken and the whole shallots and cool to room temperature. Return the braising juices to the stovetop, add the sugar and reduce slowly over a low heat to a rich sauce.

7. To serve, reheat the chicken and shallots in the sauce. Serve alongside with sauteed mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes frittata, and French croutons.



Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomato Frittata


Ingredients:

8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups chopped cooked broccoli
3/4 cup shredded cheese of your favourite (I used Montaiso DOP)

Steps:

1. In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, parsley, basil, salt and pepper until just blended. Stir in tomatoes and broccoli.

2. Heat oil in a 10 inch (25cm) oven proof skillet over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture. Cook over low to medium heat until eggs are almost set but still moist on the surface, about 10 to 15 min., lifting the edges to allow uncooked egg to run to bottom of skillet.

3. Sprinkle top with cheese and place under hot broiler until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 min. Cut into wedges and serve with coq au vin.



We had a nice strawberry mille foglie cake from Cova for dessert! It was one of my sister Shirley's birthday cakes. I was so happy because I really enjoyed the buttery puff pastry, sweet and smooth pastry cream, and rich whipped cream along with very fresh strawberries in apricot jam!

Night Before Cheddar Bacon French Bread Casserole

This dish is somewhat similar to Croque Monsieur, and I am simply in love with it! Its crispy cheesy top, soft and creamy interior and tasty bacon all make me drool! Again this dish is simple enough to prepare the night before, and it turns out great fresh from the oven! You may alter the cheese that you use (Gruyere and Swiss/Emmenthal would work perfect), and add things like herbs or vegetables and it will still be great!

Ingredients:

8 thin slices of French bread
2 slices of bacon, diced
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
100 ml milk
1 Tbsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

1. Lay four bread slices in a fitting greased baking dish. Sprinkle with bacon and top with half of the cheese. Arrange remaining bread slices over cheese mixture.

2. In a bowl beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt. Carefully pour over bread mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

3. In the morning take bread out from refrigerator one hour prior to baking.

4. Preheat oven to 350F and bake casserole for 35-40 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cover with foil in midway of baking to prevent over-browning.

Serve hot with fresh fruit!

Blueberry Lemon Cake

Very light in texture and rich in flavors, blueberry lemon cake is what I like to have once in a while especially in the spring/summer seasons, when I crave for something lemony and tasteful. This version of blueberry lemon cake has a crispy crunch topping, enriching this nice on its own treat!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp each lemon juice and zest
1 1/4 cup flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

Crumb topping
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar


Steps:

1. Grease an 7 or 8 inch cake pan. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Add the lemon juice and zest and beat well.

3. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the egg mixture in three batches, alternating with milk and mix well after each addition.

4. Fold in the blueberries and pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Mix together all the crumb ingredients and sprinkle them over the batter evenly.

6. Bake cake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 min. or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm!

Arroz Con Coco Y Camarones (Rice with Coconut and Shrimp)

This is one creative and tasteful dish from Columbia! I really enjoy reading Erica's blog -My Columbian Recipes and International Flavors and I've made her Rice with Coconut and Shrimp the other day which turns out marvelous! I will make time to try more of her recipes given I've made a successful one! The sweetness of the coconut mixed really nicely with the rice and shrimp, and the spices enhance each ingredient and not overpoweringly. I find a lot of Erica's information interesting, for example the unique fruits of Columbia and the creative and neat dishes by her! They look super appealing to me! Also, I have had pitahayas from Columbia and it is really really nice and tasty. I like to try plantains because there are so many wonderful recipes out there about this special fruit, sweet and savory!


Pitahaya from Columbia:

Weetabix Spicy Meatballs in Sweet Tomato Sauce

Beware....these baked meatballs can be delicious! You may want to have them accompanied by lots of fresh greens and whole wheat bread to mop up the sauce! Perhaps some cheese on the side would be even more tempting... When I make this dish I think about partying. What about you? My dad cannot hide from his liking for these little devils because they disappear quite fast, and my mom keeps murmuring that the sauce is really nice....!

Ingredients:

2 Weetabix biscuits, crushed
500 g lean ground beef
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 can (156ml) tomato paste
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1 can (396ml) tomato sauce (I used fresh tomatoes)

Steps:

1. In a large bowl thoroughly mix: Weetabix, ground beef, egg, half a can of tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste.

2. Shape into 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) in diameter meatballs and place in a single layer in a greased shallow baking pan. Bake at 375F for 25 min.

3. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients (including remaining half can of tomato paste) in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 20 min.

4. Pour tomato sauce over meatballs and return to the oven for 5 to 10 min.

Serve with pasta and salad or as an appetizer!

Chick Pea and Dill Dip

Try this simple, healthy and refreshing dip for a hot summer day and you'll notice how it kills the heat off! It is rich in protein, dietary fibre, and flavors!

1/2 can Chick pea
1/4 tsp Japanese schimi powder (chili powder)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp dill
1 tsp lemon juice

Just blend everything in blender or food processor and chill to serve cold with French bread slices, or vegetable sticks or anything you like!

Chicken in Three Cups Sauce

This tasty Three Cup Sauce Chicken is a very popular and tasty Chinese dish, in memory of the last meal of the righteous senior minister Wen (文天祥) of late Sung Dynasty as some suggested. An old lady, who thought Minister Wen was dead, intended to go worship him bringing with her some chicken and wine. She then surprising found him alive in jail and so prepared his last meal with the limited ingredients with the jail officer who also greatly respected the virtuous minister. Three cup sauce refers to one (small) cup of oil, wine, and soy sauce each and along with other ingredients brings out the very nice and subtle flavor of the chicken. The dish has been passed on in China since the historic times!

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken pieces
2 Tbsp sesame oil
20 g ginger, cut into slices
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper, sliced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Rice wine
2 Tbsp rock sugar, crushed (can substitute sugar)
1 Tbsp Taiwanese basil (I used thyme)

Steps:

1. In a large pot boil 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt and cook chicken in water for 3 minutes. Drain the chicken pieces.

2. In a separate frying pan heat the sesame oil over medium high heat, add the ginger, garlic and red pepper and cook until the garlic is lightly browned.

3. Add the chicken pieces to the same pan and cook until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir fry until fragrant and sauce is mostly absorbed.

4. Serve hot with rice and vegetables.