I wanted to cook something “wholesome” for family dinner on Sunday – something which the whole family could enjoy and something I hadn’t cooked before — and something which would go with Focacia and brocolli soup – so I asked my AI helper and this was the result!!

It was really great and everyone enjoyed it so m uch, I just had to add it to my collection.

Ingredients:

• 225 g penne pasta
• 450 g chicken tenders
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 240 ml heavy cream
• 120 ml chicken broth
• 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 ml (1 tsp) Italian seasoning (or mix 1 tsp each dried oregano, basil, thyme, ½ tsp each rosemary, parsley)
• 100 g fresh broccoli florets
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook 225 g penne pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, adding 100 g fresh broccoli florets in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Season 450 g chicken tenders with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 30 ml olive oil over medium heat. Cook tenders for 4 minutes per side until golden and internal temperature reaches 74°C. Remove, slice thinly, and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, sauté 1 minced garlic clove for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 240 ml heavy cream, 120 ml chicken broth, 50 g grated Parmesan, and 5 ml Italian seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
4. Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, and sliced chicken to the skillet. Toss to coat evenly in the sauce.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

Serves: Approximately 4 people (100-120 g cooked pasta and 100-120 g chicken per portion).

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour or all purpose flour (AERATE FLOUR BEFORE MEASURING – See How)
2 teaspoons instant or RapidRise yeast (1 packet/7 g)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups hot water (110 to 115° F)
about 2 tablespoons extra flour for shaping

Instructions

Combine flour, 2 teaspoons yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the hot water until it’s well combined.

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

After 40 minutes, place a 3 to 6-quart Dutch oven with lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450° F (230°C).

After the dough has rested for the hour, place it on a well-floured surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Using a scraper fold dough over 10-12 times & shape into a rough ball.

Place in a parchment paper-lined bowl (not wax paper) and cover with a towel or another bowl. Let stand on counter top for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, carefully, using oven gloves, lift the parchment paper with the dough and transfer gently into the hot pot. (the dough sits inside a parchment “basket” inside the pot). Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove lid and parchment paper. Return, uncovered, to oven and bake 10 – 15 more minutes. Let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.

METRIC: The standard for weighing flour is 1 cup = 120 grams. But when I weigh one cup I get 125-130 grams. Please decide what works for you.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Makes: One loaf

MAKE IT EVEN FASTER! See how to make it in 1 3/4 hours in my blog. Click here.

More bread recipes from Jenny here.

No Dutch Oven?

No knead bread depends on the steam created inside a pot with a tight-filling lid. I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven but other people have commented on my website that they had success using:

• a glass pyrex dish with a lid
• a stainless steel pot with a lid
• a stainless steel pot with foil on top and the original pot lid over the the foil
• a clay baker
• a springform pan with an aluminum foil top
• a pizza stone with a stainless steel bowl as a cover
• several people posted that they used a black cast iron pot with a lid
• a roasting pan with a tightly sealed foil heavy duty top
• a heavy soup pot with a lid
• a corning dish with a glass lid
• a Romertopf clay pot
• a crock pot bowl with a lid
• two nonstick bread pans, no parchment paper – put the dough in one of the bread pans, flip the other pan upside down over the first pan and put binder clips on the two ends to hold the pans together.
• an oven-safe stoneware insert (removed from a slow cooker) with a cookie sheet over it as a lid.
• a cast iron skillet and foil as a lid
• 2 1/2 quart corning ware casserole.

Keep in mind that any lid must be tight fitting because you need to create steam inside the pot and the lid should have an oven-proof handle (not plastic). Your pot will need to hold at least 3 quarts but 5 to 6 quarts is most common. Or… You can make my No Knead Ciabatta Bread or No Dutch Oven Bread – they both bake on a pan, no Dutch oven needed. Click here for the recipes.

It goes really well with Cous Cous or even roasted potatoes and a fresh salad to give a fusion taste.

Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 

Number of Servings: 4
Calories 358

Source Carol | From A Chef’s Kitchen

Ingredients

(1) For the Stew

900 gms chuck roast, trimmed and cubed into approximately 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 stalks celery chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 large carrots sliced
4 cloves garlic sliced
2 cups beef broth
3 small plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 cup dried apricots coarsely chopped

Celery leaves for garnish.

(2) For the Harissa

2 dried chipotle peppers
4 dried New Mexico chili peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate and coat the beef pieces in the mixture.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan and brown beef evenly in batches. Pour off excess drippings.

Combine the paprika, coriander, turmeric, cumin, ginger and cayenne and sprinkle over the beef. Add the onion, garlic and beef broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 1 ¼ hours to 1 ½ hours.

If using a pressure cooker, combine the ingredients in the pressure cooker and cook on high for 22 minutes. Check the tenderness of the beef, and add time if necessary. If beef is almost tender, add the carrots and celery.

While the stew is cooking, prepare the Harissa.

Add the apricots and tomatoes and cook an additional 15 minutes on the stovetop or 1 more minute on high in the pressure cooker.

Garnish with celery sprigs and serve with harissa on the side.

Harissa

Place peppers in a small saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let stand 20 minutes.

Remove stems and seeds and transfer to a food processor or blender.

Combine cumin and coriander in a dry, nonstick skillet and toast briefly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add to the peppers along with garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Blend to a smooth paste. Season to taste with salt.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1664mg | Potassium: 850mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 7902IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 3mg

The outcome: my son loves it and my granddaughter, Isabelle, especially, loves it!

Of course, for now I’m losing the “kick of heat” for Isabelle’s sake. It’s a lovely recipe — the chicken breast is succulent and not dry. It’s also flavourful. The first time I made it, I didn’t pound the chicken breast as directed (because I didn’t read it !) Instead, I pricked each breast in a few places with a fork and I think it made the chicken more flabourful.

I served it with a medley of roasted vegetables and as a side, barley mushroom risotto!

Next time I will try serving it with cous cous.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 large chicken breasts (approximately 200g each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed (FOR KETO: use brown sugar substitute)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or thyme, parsley, rosemary)
1 teaspoon salt (use seasoned salt or chicken salt for extra flavour)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

For a kick of heat

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce / Gravy (Optional)

3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
Chicken cube or granules

Directions

Preheat oven to 220°C (standard ovens) or 200°C (fan forced or convection ovens).

Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound each chicken breast to 2cm at the thickest part. Make sure your fillets are all the same thickness to ensure even cooking.

Combine sugar, paprika, oregano, salt, powders, pepper and chili (if using).

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (or parchment/baking paper). Add chicken to the pan and toss them in the seasoning. Drizzle with the oil and rub seasoning all over to evenly coat each breast. 

Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a meat thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 75°C. It should be golden with crisp edges.

Remove parchment paper. Grill on high heat during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking until golden and crisp.

While the chicken is in the oven, melt butter in a small skillet. Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds), and remove pan from heat. Stir in parsley, then pour butter mixture into pan juices, stirring well to combine all of the flavours together. Taste, and add chicken cube or granules for more flavour, if desired.

When chicken is cooked, remove pan from oven, transfer chicken to serving plates and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, drizzle the sauce or gravy over the chicken and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Calories per serving: 166kcal 

Carbohydrates: 1g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 72mg
Sodium: 713mg
Potassium: 435mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 1g

Vitamin A: 403IU 
Vitamin C: 1mg
Calcium: 14mg
Iron: 1mg

Slice sausages, pierce 6-8 raw spaghetti through each slice. Boil for required time like spaghetti. Drain and serve with desired sauce such as carbonara or tomato-based sauces.

The meatballs, Köttbullar, are light, delicate and a real treat. They are best served in the traditional style, with potato purée, sweetened lingonberries and pressed cucumber. With this recipe, we never have to wait to go to IKEA to have Swedish meatballs It’s a great recipe and not too difficult to make.

Is this recipe authentic? The short answer is that there isn’t an authentic method. If you asked ten Swedes about making köttbullar you would get ten different answers. They would be similar for sure, but most Swedish cooks will have their own way and so will use a bit more or a bit less of this or that. Nonetheless, I think most Swedes would agree that these meatballs are pretty good.

Opinions about gräddsås (cream sauce) are even more divided. The recipe below is adapted from Vår Kok Bok (Sweden’s most popular cookery book) and is said to strike a good balance, but of course you can tweak it to suit your own preferences and still feel it is genuinely Swedish. Some add more cream, sometimes a lot more cream(!), and some add some white wine vinegar or a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly. Nonetheless, the gräddsås recipe below a good starting point.

Serve them the traditional way or serve them up the fine-dining way with pasta and asparagus.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Meatballs / Köttbullar

4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
4 tbsp milk or water
450 gms minced beef
2 tbsp grated or finely chopped onion
1 egg lightly beaten
2 whole allspice, crushed
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter, for frying

Cream sauce

300 ml hot water
1/2 to 1 beef stock cube
2 tbsp plain flour or all-purpose flour
100 ml milk or water
1/2 to 1 tsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp cream

Directions

For the Meatballs / Köttbullar

Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and add 4 tablespoons of milk or water. Leave them to absorb the liquid for about 5 minutes.

Add the mince, grated onion, egg, allspice (optional) and seasoning. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until evenly mixed. Don’t over mix or the meatballs will be heavy.

Take a tablespoon of mixture and roll it until it is nice and round. (Rinse your hands in cold water if the mixture is too sticky.) Repeat until you have used up all the mixture, by which time you should have between 30 and 40 meatballs.

Heat a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium high heat until the butter stops sizzling. Fry half the meatballs, shaking the pan frequently when you first add them. When they are nicely browned, turn down the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and keep warm. Add another tablespoon of butter and fry the remaining meatballs in the same way.

The Sauce / Gräddsås

When the meatballs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the warm water and use it to scrape up all the meaty bits in the pan. Bring it up to the boil and let it simmer for a minute or two. Sieve the mixture into a saucepan, add the stock cube and stir until dissolved.

Mix the flour with the milk or water and stir until dissolved. Pour into the saucepan, whisking continuously as you do so. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and cream. Heat for another couple of minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. (Use a whisk if you like a little foam, as shown above. If you like lots of bubbles, use an immersion blender with the blade half in and half out of the sauce.) Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve the meatballs with rårörda lingon, mashed potatoes, pressed cucumber and a light coating of the sauce. Pour the rest of the cream sauce into a jug for people to help themselves to if they want more.

Julköttbullar

For julköttbullar (Christmas meatballs) the breadcrumbs and milk/water are replaced with grated potato and cream and the onion is finely chopped and lightly fried first.

For a large party

For a large party, julköttbullar are normally cooked in an oven. Add the butter to a large pan and put it in a hot oven at 250°C until the butter is melted and a light brown colour. Add the julköttbullar and cook in the middle of the oven for 8-12 minutes until nicely browned, shaking the pan a few times to ensure that the balls are evenly browned.

Ingredients

100g butter plus a knob
2 shallots finely chopped
450 gms Arborio rice
750ml – 1 litre fish or light chicken stock (hot)
350 – 400 gms raw peeled prawns
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp mascarpone
12 scallops, orange roe and side muscles removed
1 bunch chives finely chopped
½ bunch basil chopped

Directions

Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pan and cook the shallot gently until soft but not coloured. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated in butter.

Add the hot stock gradually, about 200ml at a time, stirring each addition in well, until the rice is just tender, this will take about 20 minutes. How much stock you need will depend on the type of rice you use. Add the prawns when the rice is done but still al dente, then season and add the lemon zest and juice. Turn the prawns over so they cook on both sides, and when they’re done, add the mascarpone and fold it in.

Leave the risotto to sit for 5 minutes while you fry the scallops for a minute on each side in a knob of butter in a frying pan. Add these to the risotto and sprinkle with chopped chives and basil.

RELATED: SPICY ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 35 min

Ingredients

2 bunches carrots, peeled and tops trimmed
1 red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


To Garnish:
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium baking dish, toss the carrots with the onions.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the red-wine vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper to combine. Pour the mixture over the carrots and onions; toss gently to coat.

Roast until the carrots and onions are tender and browning at the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.

Garnish with mint and lemon zest. Serve warm.

Nutrition

177 calories

11g fat

20g carbs

2g protein

9g sugars

Since then, I have found this recipe on the internet and recipised it for use on my Thermomix 6 and within minutes, I can have homemade Laksam!

INGREDIENTS

150 gms white fish meat

1/4 medium sized white onion

2 cloves garlic

1″ peeled ginger

1 tsp black pepper

25 gms Santan powder

Salt to taste

1 piece dried tamarind

1 packet Udon noodles (or homemade Laksam noodles)

Ready made sambal belacan

INGREDIENTS FOR GARNISHING TO SERVE

Taugeh – cleaned and tailed

Long beans – sliced thinly

Bunga kantan (ginger flower) – quartered lengthwise and sliced thinly

Daun kesum – sliced thinly

Cabbage – sliced thinly

DIRECTIONS

Wash the fish and place in Thermomix mixing bowl with 500 gms water and salt to taste. Cook with measuring cup — 15 minutes, temperature 95 centigrade, speed 0.5

Pour into a bowl to cool, and once cool, remove bones, head if any, and skin if desired. Do not throw away the fish water!

Place onion, garlic, ginger and black pepper into mixing bowl, add back 100 gms of fish water, cover with measuring cup and blend — 2 seconds at Turbo. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and repeat 2 more times until the ingredients are pureed.

Add the balance of the fish water and the fish and blend — 2 seconds at Turbo. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and repeat to desired thickness.

Add santan powder, cover mixing bowl and with measuring cup — cook for 15 minutes, temperature 95 centigrade and speed 1. Taste the sauce for salt, add tamarind and cook for 10 minutes more.

To serve, place Udon noodles in shallow bowl, spread shredded veg and herbs on top, and ladle the fish gravy generously. Add sambal belacan as required.