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

Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding

   

Ok if steamed puddings are good enough for The Great British Bake Off they're good enough for me, but as usual because I'm a Jack Russell I'm bringing you a quick and easy Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe that wont stress you and cause you to drop it taking it out the oven! It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and even less time to cook and tastes sensational, especially with that home made ice cream recipe I put on last week.

Ingredients

• 55g/2oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 170g/6oz demerara sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 free-range eggs
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 200g/7oz self-raising flour, plus extra for flouring
• 200g/7oz pitted dates
• 290ml/10fl oz boiling water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

For the sauce

• 110ml/4fl oz double cream
• 55g/2oz butter, diced
• 55g/2oz dark muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• vanilla ice cream, to serve

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Preparation method

  
  

  
  

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Grease and flour 6 individual pudding moulds.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Add the golden syrup, treacle and eggs, a little at a time, and blend until smooth. Add the flour and blend, at a low speed, until well combined. Transfer to a bowl.
     Technique: Creaming butter by hand
     Watch technique0:50 mins
  3. Meanwhile, blend the dates and boiling water in a food processor to a smooth purée. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla.
  4. Pour the date mixture into the pudding batter and stir until well combined.
  5. Pour the mixture into the moulds (remember to grease and flour them) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is springy and golden-brown.
  6. To make the sauce, heat all of the ingredients in a pan, stirring gently and occasionally, until boiling.
  7. To serve, remove the puddings from the moulds and place onto each of 6 serving plates. Pour over the sauce and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
     
     
     
     
     

  
  

  Just in case you've forgotten, here's that easy home made ice cream recipe..... 
  

  
  Ingredients.....

  
  

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 300ml pot double cream

  
  Method.....
  
  Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks and and vanilla extract with an electric whisk until light and foamy. 
  
  Clean the whisk, then in another bowl whisk the egg whites, gradually adding the caster sugar until it's
  thick and glossy, a bit like making meringues.
  
  Lightly whip the double cream until it softly holds its shape. Mix with the yolks and egg white mixture 
  until everything is combined. 
  
  Turn into a container, cover and freeze until solid. 
  
  Take out of the fridge about 10 mins before serving.
  

  
  
  
  
  Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2011