Lizzie's Easy Chutney Chicken

A really quick and easy recipe and a firm family favourite - you can have all the ingredients in the pantry (except for the chicken!) - mix them all together, add the chicken, and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. (serves 4)

Lizzie's Easy Chutney Chicken

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750g chicken (thighs or breasts) salt and pepper

1 packet cream of mushroom soup 2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 tsp worchestershire sauce 1⁄2 cup mayo (optional)

1 tbsp curry powder 1 cup mango chutney

1 cup tomato based pasta sauce handful of olives (optional)

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Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the chicken in a casserole dish. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at about 180 degrees or until the chicken is cooked. Season to taste. Serve with rice or baked polenta (page 76) and a fresh green salad.

Coq au Vin

The original recipe for coq au vin called for a rooster who was well past his crowing days. Although full of flavour, an old bird is rather tough which is why it needs to be cooked in wine and for rather a long time. This is an slightly adapted version of Julia Child’s famous recipe (serves 4).

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​Coq au vin

1/2 cup lardons (or smoked bacon), cut into chunks

2 or more tablespoons olive oil

2 chicken legs, 4 thighs and 2 breasts, skin removed and thoroughly dried

1/4 cup Cognac or Armagnac (or brandy if you can’t find either)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

20 small white onions, peeled

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups good red wine

About 2 cups chicken stock,

2 garlic cloves, mashed or minced

About 1 tablespoon tomato paste

250g fresh mushrooms, quartered

fresh parsley, chopped

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Sauté the bacon in 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer it to a side dish, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the chicken, being careful not to crowd the pan. (You may need to work in batches). Cook the chicken, turning frequently, until nicely browned on all sides. Carefully pour the Cognac or Armagnac into the pan until it sizzles and starts to evaporate.

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Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf and thyme to the pan and place the onions around the chicken. Cover and simmer gently, adding a splash of water if you need to, turning the chicken once, for about 10 minutes. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the flour over everything, and turn the chicken and onions so the flour is absorbed by the sauce. Cover and cook, turning once or twice, for 3 to 4 minutes more.

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Remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir and swirl in the wine and enough stock to almost cover the chicken. Add the bacon, garlic and tomato paste to the pan, cover, and gently simmer for about 40 minutes. Test the chicken for doneness (there should be no trace of pink and the juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife). The sauce should be just thick enough to lightly coat the chicken and vegetables. If it is too thin, boil it down rapidly to concentrate; if it is too thick, thin it with spoonfuls of stock. Taste the sauce carefully, and correct the seasoning accordingly. Fry the mushrooms quickly in a little olive oil and butter (add a dash of cognac too if you like) and scatter over the chicken, with some chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Zucchini & haloumi fritters with green goddess dressing

This is an adapted recipe from the very aptly named Delicious website.  These delicious fritters are a meal in themselves, and are so quick to prepare and cook they are perfect for a satisfying supper after a busy day.  Don’t leave out the green goddess dressing - besides having a wonderful name it compliments the fritters beautifully.  Use whichever fresh leafy herbs you have available, and experiment a bit to find the combination you like best.  I use basil, oregano and parsley as I always have them in my herb garden.

Zucchini & haloumi fritters

with green goddess dressing

3 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
100g proscuitto, torn into small pieces
150g haloumi, coarsely grated
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of dried chilli flakes, to taste
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

for the green goddess dressing :

2 handfuls fresh leafy herbs (eg basil, oregano, mint, tarragon, dill, parsley)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (140g) thick Greek yoghurt

Mix the grated zucchini, grated haloumi, proscuitto, flour, egg, chilli together well in a bowl. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Using a large spoon, place about 1/4 cup of the zucchini mixture per fritter into pan.  Don’t crowd the pan - work in batches.  Flatten each fritter slightly with a spatula. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side until golden, then drain on a paper towel. Keep warm.


For the dressing, place all ingredients in a food processor, season, and whiz until smooth.

Serve with salad and the green goddess dressing on the side.

Key lime pie

The name “Key Lime Pie’ has always made me think of Jamaica and the West Indies, of hot summer days and azure seas and the scent of lime blossom in the night air.  As we’ve had rather a cold spring here, I thought I’d give it a try, and it’s deliciously refreshing and very easy to make.

This is a combination of a couple of recipes I found.  You can use most types of sweet, crunchy biscuits for the base - I used Nutikrust caramel flavoured, but they are quite sweet so next time I’ll probably go back to good old digestives or ginger nuts.  I also used the ‘less sugar’ variety of Nestle condensed milk which had the perfect amount of sweetness to counteract the lime juice.

Key Lime Pie

300g digestive biscuits/ginger nuts etc
1/4 cup ground almonds
100g butter melted

1 x 397g tin condensed milk
3 medium egg yolks
finely grated zest and juice of 4 limes

double cream, whipped
extra lime zest, to decorate

Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Whizz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or use a pestle and mortar or put in a strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin). Mix in the almond meal and melted butter and press into the base and about 4 cm up the sides of a 22cm loose-based tart tin. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk for a minute with an electric beater. Add the condensed milk and whisk for another 3 minutes then add the lime zest and juice and whisk again for 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled base then put the pie back in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow the pie to cool, then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight if you like.

When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the pie from the tin and put on a serving plate. To decorate, dollop the cream onto the top of the pie and sprinkle with the extra lime zest.

Port-poached cherry and chèvre cream chocolate tarts

I've adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest from a blog called The Bonjon Gourmet - it looked delicious and it actually tastes even more delicious than it looks.  I was a bit unsure about using the goat's cheese in a sweet dish but when combined with the cream and a little sugar it really complements the sweet port-poached cherries, with almost a cheesecakey taste.  I think this recipe would actually work really well with a biscuit crumb (see my cheesecake recipes) instead of the pastry, so I'll try that next time.   In fact, just the cherries and the chèvre cream would be great on their own if you want to simplify things.

Port-poached cherry and chèvre cream chocolate tarts

Makes six small tarts, or 1 large tart

Port-Poached Cherries :

1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 1/4 cups ruby port
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
6 tbsp sugar

Chocolate pastry :

1 cup plain flour
3 tbsp Dutch or dark cocoa powder
¼ cup icing sugar
120g chilled butter, chopped into cubes
1-2 tbsp iced water

Chèvre Cream :

3/4 cup crumbled, soft, fresh goat cheese
3/4 cup fresh cream
1 tbsp sugar
seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean

Combine the pitted cherries, port, vanilla pod and scrapings, and sugar in a large stainless steel frying pan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until the cherries are just tender (about 10 mins).

Strain the cherries into a heat-proof bowl.  Return the juices to the pan and simmer gently until they are thick, and syrupy for about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally.  Let the cherries and the syrup cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for an hour.  (You can keep the cherries in their syrup for a couple of weeks in the fridge).

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place six 3 small tart pans (the kind with removable bottoms) on a baking sheet. 

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and butter in a food processor and whiz until it forms a breadcrumb consistency. Add the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form clumps. Tip it out onto a cool bench top and squash together then pat into a round. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then roll out between two sheets of baking paper.  Cut out rounds to fit the tart shells and press into the shells. Freeze the shells until they are firm, at least 15 minutes.

Line the shells wiht baking paper and baking weights or uncooked rice and bake until they are dry and fairly firm to the touch, for about 15 minutes. Let the tart shells cool completely. Store them in their rings for protection until ready to serve.

In a bowl, mix together the goat's cheese, cream vanilla seeds and sugar until stiff peaks form (don't over whisk it - if it starts to turn grainy add some more cream).

Put a spoonful of the chèvre cream each tart shell, top with the cherries and pour over a little juice.  Serve immediately. 

PS Pitting cherries is very messy - wear a black shirt!  Cherry/olive pitters are cheap and simple to use and save lots of hassle.