Thursday 15 August 2013

Pizza Toast


Yesterday we were both tired and we felt like doing a speedy dinner. So we decided to do Pizza Toast!! We have been calling it like this for ages, my brothers and I used to get this prepared by our mom just after we came back from school as a quick snack. Well basically to avoid  the daily 'mom I'm hungry' moan from the three of us :) You can do a myriad amount of fillings when it comes to toasties (closed toast). I must say this is my favourite and Amanda loves it as well known. For me it's like one toastie leads to another as I can never get tired of eating them. Try them out, something different and delicious! You will need...
  • Sliced bread
  • Tomato purée/paste
  • 1 can tuna, drained
  • Green olives, pitted & sliced
  • Cheese slices, like Edam or Cheddar
  • Dried oregano
How to...
  1. Preheat the sandwich toaster.
  2. In the meantime spread the tomato puree on the sandwich bread. Put some tuna, some olives, sprinkle some oregano and cover with a slice of cheese. Cover with another tomato puree covered piece of bread.
  3. Press gently with the palm of your hand and put into the sandwich toaster.
  4. Cook to your liking.
Enjoy!!
R&A

Monday 12 August 2013

Chicken & Mushrooms in a Creamy Sauce





I want to share with you this recipe that reminds me of my brother Stephen, reason being that when he was a little kid he used to lick the plate empty, nearly eating also the bones. He absolutely loves this recipe and is one of our favourites as a family. My mother used to do this a lot, it is one of the brilliant recipes from a 1970's recipe book written by the great Marguerite Patten which was/still is an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of cooks around the world from Mediterranean housewives (my mother) to world renowned chefs like Jamie Oliver. Simple home-made food, that is what Marguerite Patten was all about! The peas and sweetcorn add texture to this creamy chicken dish. My favourite part of this dish (apart from eating it) is getting a chicken and jointing it into pieces but obviously feel free to use thighs, breast or whole legs even to prepare it. Give it a go and you will do it again. You can serve it with crusty bread (that's what we did) or even mashed or roast potatoes. For about 4 people you will need...
  • 3 large chicken breast, cut into large chunks
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • salt & pepper
  • 300g white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 can sweetcorn
  • 100g frozen peas, defrosted
  • 250ml whole milk
  • 250ml water
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

How to...
  1. Start by tossing the chicken pieces in 2 tablespoons of flour seasoned with salt & pepper. Shake off any excess flour.
  2. Heat the oil in a large heavy based frying pan and fry the chicken pieces turning frequently until nearly cooked and brown. This will take about 20 minutes.
  3. Take the cooked chicken pieces out and put on a plate with paper towel.
  4. Add some more oil and cook the mushrooms, covered for about 2 minutes.
  5. Now add the cooked chicken, peas and sweetcorn. Add the sherry and stir well.
  6. In a measuring jug, mix the milk with the water and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix well to avoid any lumps and this mixture to the mushrooms, chicken and simmer whilst stirring until the mushroom sauce thicken to your desired consistency.
  7. Season with salt & pepper. Serve hot with potatoes & salad.

Enjoy!!
R&A