Chicken in a Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce

Satay chicken is a common favourite amongst oriental food lovers. This recipe is very similar to Satay. In our opinion it tastes better :) So if you are a fan of Satay, you would love this!! There may be lots of ingredients but this sauce is very easy and quick to prepare. We roast the chicken in the oven and then throw it in the pan with the sauce so the meat can suck up the sauce...yum yum...finger licking good!!! We serve this with Peshwari Naan [Indian Naan bread with coconut and sultanas], but you can serve it with boiled Basmati rice, mashed potatoes or even noodles. So here is what you will need...

• 4 large chicken legs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil or vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 5 tbsp runny honey
• 2 level tsp Dijon  or wholegrain mustard 
• 2 cardamom pods, crushed with a knife
• A dash of chilli sauce
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• 200ml chicken stock
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 190°C.
2. Cut the chicken legs in half so as you have 4 drumsticks and 4 thigh pieces. Put in an oven dish, baste them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the preheated oven and cook for about 45 minutes.
3. When the chicken is nearly ready, about 15 minutes from the end of cooking time, start preparing the sauce by melting the butter and frying the onion and garlic until soft and transparent. Add the honey, crushed cardamom pods, curry powder, mustard, chilli sauce and chicken stock. Stir well and cook until the mixture starts bubbling.
4. Now turn down the heat and add the peanut butter and stir well to incorporate the peanut butter into the mixture. 
5. The chicken pieces should be done by now. Take them out of the oven and carefully put them into the pan with the sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes, turning once. 
6. Turn off the heat and serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Classic Pancakes

Pancakes are surely everyone's favourite. They can be served and eaten with a myriad of ingredients from savoury to sweet. In Canada & the USA they like to take theirs with maple syrup & butter, whilst here in the UK the tradition is to have them with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar. We always like ours sweet and amongst our favourite toppings are Nutella™, sliced bananas, chopped nuts, honey, maple syrup, marshmallow fluff, strawberry jam/conserve, chocolate flavoured syrup and loads of others. If you prefer them savoury you can fill them with chopped cooked ham or bacon, grated cheese and whatever your taste is. Very easy to do prepare and cook, the secret is to have a very very hot lightly greased pan. The consistency of the batter should not be runny but should not be stiff. For 4 small thick pancakes you will need...

• 1 cup/115g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup/240ml whole milk or water
• Butter or a little oil to grease the pan

How to...

1. Sift the flour, salt & baking powder...mix them up in a bowl with a fork.
2. Add the milk, beaten egg, and oil and beat well with a whisk by hand  until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Grease a non stick pan with a knob of butter or by adding a tiny bit of oil to the pan and spread across the pan with a piece of kitchen towel.
4. Heat up the pan on a medium heat until well hot, drain any excess oil.
5. Always on a medium heat, ladle the batter into the pan and leave to cook until the pancake starts producing bubbles on top. When the surface is bubbly and pancake looks set, flip the pancake and cook for a couple of seconds. Repeat until all batter is used.
6. Serve while still hot with the topping of your choice.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Penne alla Carrettiera

This unusual pasta dish is a typical Roman dish and literally means Cart Driver's pasta. It consists mainly of Porcini mushrooms, pancetta or bacon and tuna, It is very quick and easy to prepare. It was the first time that we prepared this dish and it turned out so good that we cannot wait to do it again :) It is definitely worth a try as the combination of the ingredients is ever so unique. You will need...

• 300g Penne or Spaghetti
• 100g pancetta or bacon, diced
• 1 large can tuna, drained
• 40g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled and crushed
• salt & pepper
• Grated Pecorino Romano

1. Put a pan of water for the pasta on the boil.
2. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the pancetta or bacon and cook until brown.
3. Add the crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper and add the porcini mushrooms. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tuna and another 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the garlic close.
5. While cooking the sauce, cook the pasta until al dente.
6. When everything is done, toss the pasta in the pan with the sauce and toss gently.
7. Serve with drizzles of olive oil and grated Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ramón's Smooshake

This is one of my favourite Smooshakes [I call it that because it is a cross between a milkshake and a smoothie] that I have been having as a kid. My mother used to do this for us after our return from school. I just love it...this will serve about 4 small glasses or a good pint sized mug, which is usually the case for me :) You will need...

• 1 banana, cut into 4 pieces
• Half a punnet of strawberries, cored and halved
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 300ml whole milk, well chilled

How to..

Just blend all the ingredients in a blender, pour into the glasses and garnish with a couple of mint leaves.
Enjoy!!
R&A