One-pot Chicken Pilaf

here's another great one-pot recipe in Ralph's mission to bring you easy, no-hassle, tasty and quick to make food.   
This one-pot Chicken Pilaf only takes 20 minutes to cook and is the ideal quick supper dish for one and you can even eat it out the cooking dish so less washing up...result!  Needless to say you can just double up for two.....


Ingredients

• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 1 small onion , chopped
• 1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks
• 2 tsp curry paste (choose your favourite)
• a third of a mug basmati rice
• two-thirds of a mug chicken stock
• 1 mug frozen mixed vegetables
• half a mug frozen leaf spinach

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then fry the onion for 5-6 mins until softened. Add the chicken pieces, fry for a further couple of mins just to colour the outside, then stir in curry paste and rice. Cook for another min.
2. Pour in the chicken stock and throw in any larger bits of frozen veg. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 10 mins, then stir in the remaining veg. Scatter over the spinach, cover, then cook for 10 mins more until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender. Give everything a good stir, season to taste, then tuck in.

Nutrition per Serving:

663 kcalories, protein 50g, carbohydrate 92g, fat 13 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 0g, sugar 13g, salt 1.94 g

One-pot Moroccan Chicken.....no tagine required

Ok those fancy Moroccan tagines may look great but they're expensive and easy to break, which when you're a Jack Russell would be often.....so I've come up with this delicious, quick and easy to cook one-pot Moroccan Chicken Casserole  that's not only tasty and filling it's nutritious and inexpensive to make as it'll serve six.  Just chuck it in a casserole dish and top with feta, fresh mint and lemon for a fragrant taste of North Africa.....

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions , 1 roughly chopped, 1 sliced
• 100g tomatoes
• 100g ginger , roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp each ground cumin , coriander and cinnamon
• 1 large butternut squash , deseeded and cut into big chunks
• 600ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 100g dried cherries

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• To serve
• 
  
• 1 small red onion , finely chopped
• zest 1 lemon
• handful mint leaves
• 100g feta cheese , crumbled
• couscous and natural yogurt

Season the chicken. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a flameproof dish, then brown the chicken 
on all sides.

Remove the chicken to a plate. 

Whizz the chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic into a rough paste. 

Fry the sliced onion in the remaining oil in the dish until softened, then add the spices and fry for 1 min more until fragrant.

Add the paste and fry for another few mins to soften.

Return the chicken to the dish with the squash, stock, sugar and vinegar. 

Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 mins until the chicken is cooked through. 

Lift the chicken out and stir in the cherries, then continue simmering the sauce to thicken while you shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks. 

Stir the chicken back into the sauce and season.

Mix the red onion, lemon zest, mint and feta. 

Scatter over the dish, then serve with some couscous and yogurt.

Blackrock Ceramic Knives.....a sharp buy

So there I was Twittering away when Black Rock Knives tweeted about the benefits of ceramic knives over your trusty stainless steel blade.  Now being a Jack Russell I was sceptical as ever and being the proud possessor of a set of Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle Santoku knives that I could shave my coat off with I challenged their assertion.


Well low and behold two days later the postman brought a Black Rock Knife to my kennel.....what's the chances!  Now it's Jack Russell by breed inquisitive by nature so I went and grabbed the nearest yellow pepper and started slicing.....and low and behold they're probably the sharpest knife in the box!  If you're looking to julienne paper thin then one of these bad boy's is for you.


BlackRock® ceramic knives are a market leader in high quality ceramic knives, with their origins in the Far East it's amazing that these knives have been kept a secret in Europe for so long. Once the reserve of professional chefs and now available to all.
The blade is produced using the finest quality pure zirconium oxide ( also known as Zirconia), a material that is extremely hard, wear resistant and chemically inert. It is important to highlight that our pure compound comes from Japan which is considered the best available and is produced by one of the oldest manufacturers of this product in the world. 

Zirconium oxide has a hardness second only to diamond.This produces a product with an ultra-sharp blade.BlackRock blades are hand sharpened at the factory, unlike many mass produced models which are done by machine.This gives our knives a superior blade edge.

All BlackRock® ceramic knives come with a protective sheath to ensure the blade maintains it's optimum performance. The ceramic blade is stain & microbe resistant and cannot rust. It leaves no metallic taste or smell on foods and you'll also notice that fruit and vegetables stay fresher for longer when cut and do not turn brown as quickly. The BlackRock® range of ceramic knives goes from a small 3" blade through to a 7" blade at 1" intervals and we also offer a ceramic peeler.

You can't put them in the dishwasher but as they're so easy to clean that's not a problem, and for me the only disadvantage is you can't use them on their side for crushing garlic as you might crack the blade. However that's a minor moan as they're so sharp they will cleanly slice very thinly and wont need sharpened for years.  It does also reduce browning when cutting lettuce and I did notice a marked reduction in tears when I used it to slice an onion!

Pricewise they're very competitive with knives of a lesser standard of cutting ability which makes them an absolute bargain and whilst I'm not sure they'd be robust enough for a commercial kitchen, they are ideal for domestic use.  Best value for money is the three piece 5", 6" and 7" set at £59.99.  Don't just take my word for it.....

Julie Brice-

" I have been most impressed by my ceramic knife; it glides through vegetables much better than my old steel knife. (I used to use a steak knife for tomatoes!) And best of all it doesnt need sharpening. Now Ive just got to convince my husband to buy me the set!"

Tracey Howell 

"Absolutley loving my blackrock knives!! when i mentioned them to a friend she asked if it passed the tomato test? she explained how she hates knives that squish rather than cut,so i tried myself.And they certainly pass with flying colours!!Youve gotta try them!!Brilliant!"

Margaret Mary Devaney

"Amazingingly sharp!!! LUCKY TO HAVE TEN FINGER TIPS INTACT! Cooking made easy! x"

Stuart Thompson

"I bought the 4" knife to try out these knives and to see if they lived up to the claims , I have since purchased the 3 set and so have 2 of my friends as they loved mine so much". keep your fingers out the way though as they take no prisoners "

Fergus Martin - Executive Chef  was given a 7" Knife to trial for us and these are his thoughts:

"Very Sharp and good for all general veg prep apart from Aubergines as they tended to stick to the blade. Very good for lettuce as the ceramic blade reduced oxidization"

"Good for cutting small peice of meat but not as good on large pieces, very good for fish once it had been filleted"

"Cheese and dairy was very very good"

"Texture and comfort of handle was very good for long tasks"

" These knives could certainly be used in large professional enviroments although they could get abused and damaged. 
They are perfect for the domestic market and my wife loved it and now uses it all the time "

Karen Bright 

"These knives are amazing I use mine almost every day "

One Pot Honey and Mustard Chicken with Parsnips

Now that the chillier days are here Ralph will be featuring a number of delicious and hearty yet easy and inexpensive One Pot recipes.  I'll start off with this winter warmer, it's a One Pot Honey and Mustard Chicken with Parsnips.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 bone-in chicken thighs , skin removed
• 2 onions , finely chopped
• 350g parsnips , cut into sticks
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• few thyme sprigs (a pinch of dried will do)

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole with a lid. Brown the chicken until golden, then set aside. Heat the remaining oil, then cook the onions for 5 mins until softened.

Nestle the thighs back amongst the onions and add the parnips. Mix the stock with the mustard and honey, then pour in. Scatter over the thyme, then bring to a simmer. Cover, then cook for 30 mins (or longer, see tip) until the chicken is tender, then season. Serve with steamed greens and some lovely, buttery mashed potatoes.

Tip.....If you've got time, this casserole will gently bubble away for up to 90 minutes. The meat will be very tender and fall away from the bones