Comfort guaranteed

Every now and then I am in need of real comfort food; when I'm ill, when mother nature is wreaking havoc, when I'm sad or depressed. For the last six weeks all of the above have been going on. I've been suffering with severe abdominal pain, money is (as always) very tight and together they are starting to cause mild depression. Comfort food is what I need and crave!

Visits to the doctor and the hospital have concluded that the pain is most likely gynaecological in origin and I am awaiting a referral back (don't ask) to gynaecology for further testing. As the abdominal pain is (probably) caused by mother nature, I thought to look on the internet to see if there are certain foods I should, or should not, be eating. There is plenty of advice on this and I struck lucky... Wheat, red meat, refined carbohydrates, refined sugar and honey, caffeine, chocolate, dairy produce, eggs, fried foods, butter, margarine, lard, soy, tinned foods, anything with additives and preservatives, alcohol. Perfect! All the things I love to eat. Oh, I made a mistake. These are the foods I have to cut out? But, but, but... My idea of a quick snack is a slice of brown bread with butter and cheese. My idea of a tasty breakfast is soft boiled eggs with toasted brown bread. A quick pick-me-up is chocolate. I need some sugar or honey in my tea, at least six times a day. My favourite meal is beef stew with dumplings.

The idea of having to give up everything I love to eat is not a pleasant one but I do think that some of this could help and so I have changed certain things: green tea instead of black tea so I don't need sugar, chicken instead of beef (although I am still going to eat that beef stew tomorrow night...), no white bread or pasta but the whole grain variety, no eggs for breakfast but I will use eggs when baking, butter and lard in moderation, no alcohol (with the morphine that's not wise anyway)...

Tonight's tea? Chicken Chimichangas. A Mexican recipe with chicken, chilli and spices and a firm favourite in this house. Yes, it uses wraps. Yes, they need frying but I am going to bake them in the oven instead. Yes, it uses cheese but I never said I would cut out dairy products. The white sauce that is served with it is traditionally made with stock instead of milk and I am leaving out the sour cream... Below is the original recipe...

Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients:
For the chicken

• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
• 750ml water
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 130 gram chopped pickled chillies (red and green)
• 80 gram onion, finely diced
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

For the sauce

• 30 gram butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 250 millilitre water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 125 millilitre soured cream
• 15 gram chopped pickled chillies (green) (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

To finish the dish

• oil for frying
• 8 flour tortillas
• 225g Cheddar cheese, grated

Method:
For the chicken

1. Place the chicken breasts into a large saucepan
2. Pour in the water and season with chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic granules, onion powder and cayenne pepper
3. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes
4. After 15 minutes, stir in the chillies, onion and garlic; continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds
5. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks and return to the onion and chilli mixture

For the sauce

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute
3. Whisk in the water and stock cube until the water has thickened and the stock cube has dissolved, about 4 minutes
4. Whisk in the green chillies (if using) and the soured cream; season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm

To finish the dish

1. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or large saucepan to 190°C
2. Place a tortilla onto your work surface, then spoon about 5 tablespoons of the filling halfway between the bottom edge and the centre of the tortilla and flatten the filling into rectangle shape with the back of a spoon
3. Sprinkle some of the Cheddar cheese over the filling
   
4. Fold the bottom of the tortilla snugly over the filling, then fold in the left and right edges. Roll the chimichanga up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder; secure the ends with cocktail sticks
5. Repeat with the remaining ingredients
6. Cook the chimichangas, 2 at a time, in the hot oil until they are crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a kitchen towel-lined plate and remove cocktail sticks
7. Top with the white sauce to serve

For some added vibrancy you can serve this with some freshly made tomato salsa and guacamole. If you cannot find pickled chillies try using fresh chillies to taste and add a dash of vinegar.

As they say in Mexico

¡Buen provecho!

or even

Bon appetit!

The way to someone's heart

My mother used to tell me that the way to a man's heart was via his stomach. Over the years, I have found that she was right in this. She just forgot to mention that the same was true the other way around: the way to a woman's heart is via her stomach. The only problem is that you first need to find out what he/she likes and dislikes. It might also be helpful to find out if there are things that they are allergic to. And then, if you do wind up cooking for them it is important to make sure that what you present him/her with is safe to eat...

Quite some years ago there was this man I really fancied. He wasn't the most gorgeous bloke you could ever come across but he had a twinkle in his brown eyes, was prone to laughing, was tall and had hands the size of coal shovels. We played for the same rugby club and had been chatting for quite some time when I learned that he was single (call me old-fashioned but I do not chase men that are in a relationship). So, on Saturday (after his match), I decided to take the bull by the horns; I invited him over for a meal with the excuse that I had made a chicken pie that was much too big for one. Especially as I had also made a massive apple pie (I was trying to work through a glut of apples at the time, that's my story and I will stick to it) (and a dash to the shop after the match made sure that I indeed had a glut of apples). He took me up on it and later that day he showed up, with flowers. Not sure what to make of that, I blushed when he passed them to me in the hallway. I am a hopeless romantic but never know what to do when a man gives me flowers or something of the sorts. I showed him to my front room and offered him a beer. The smell of the chicken pie was wafting from the kitchen and I told him I would be right back. I dished up the chicken pie, shoved the apple pie in the oven and took the plates to the front room. Two bites into the chicken pie, I realised that the chicken was underdone... Not just a bit pink, I wouldn't have been surprised if the beast had jumped of off my plate, clucking and well. Just thinking back to it, I can still feel myself go red as I tried to take the plate away from him. He, however, was determined not to say anything and pretend all was well. To cut a far too long story short; we moved on to the apple pie (which was fully cooked and delicious, even if I say so myself), had a nice chat and two hours later I let him out the door.
It wasn't until the following day that I found out he had been horribly sick. Partly because of the chicken but mainly because he was allergic to almonds. I had used almonds in the pastry and in the filling of the apple pie... I never did make my way into his heart, although we did become good friends. He just never ate at my place again...

In my defence, I was only 18 at the time and rather surprised that he had shown up. Oh, and it was the first time ever that I had cooked for someone I really fancied... All I could think about were those massive hands and his strong legs...
But I learned from my mistakes and have since not tried to poison anyone again. It was the day that I learned to enquire first into any allergies and likes/dislikes and to make sure that meat is fully cooked before serving... It must have worked because I married a lovely fellow who won my heart via my stomach. He didn't even have to cook, he just told me what he would cook for me if he ever got to meet me. Mind, I am easy to cater for; there are not a lot of things that I don't like and I am not allergic to anything... I won his heart by making a Risotto using plain rice, a can of chicken soup and frozen peas (I don't like peas but used them because I knew he loved peas). Doesn't sound great but it tasted wonderful and it was all we had in the cupboards at the time.

But, if you ever find yourself in the place where you want to find your way to a strapping lad's heart, here is my (now safe) recipe for

Chicken and Sweetcorn Pie

Ingredients:
For the filling:

• 1 chicken breast per person (you could also use 1½ chicken thigh)
• ½ tin of sweetcorn per person
• 50 gram bacon lardons per person
• 25 gram butter
• 35 gram flour
• milk
• salt, pepper and nutmeg
• (a little butter, lard or oil for frying, if needed)

For the pastry:

• 300 gram plain flour
• 175 gram cold salted butter (cut into cubes)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Method:

For the pastry:

1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter
2. Quickly rub the butter into the flour
3. Whisk the egg yolk loose with the water
4. Stir in enough of the water and the egg yolk to form a soft dough; if the dough is too dry add a little water at a time until it comes together into a ball
• Do not knead the dough too much or the crust will be tough but this is a rather forgiving dough so don't worry too much
5. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge until needed

For the filling:

1. In a dry frying pan, fry the bacon until crispy
   
2. Use a spoon to take the bacon out of the pan and set aside but leave the bacon fat in the pan
3. In the same pan now quickly brown the chicken on all sides, add a little butter, lard or oil if there is too little fat in the pan
4. Once browned, turn the heat down to low and cook for a further ten minutes with a lid on the pan
5. Take the chicken out of the pan and cut it into bite size pieces
• The chicken is not fully cooked at this stage but will cook through in the oven. This way the chicken will stay moist after it comes out of the oven
6. Put the butter in a sauce pan and let it melt, making sure that it doesn't brown
7. Add the flour and whisk until well combined and the flour starts to smell of biscuits
8. Whilst whisking, add milk until you have a thick sauce
9. Add the cheese to the sauce and let it melt
10. Stir in the bacon, chicken and sweetcorn
11. Season the filling to taste with salt, (freshly cracked) black pepper and nutmeg

For the pie:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
2. Butter a pie tin
3. Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll out on flour dusted work surface
4. Place the rolled out pastry into the tin and cut off the overhanging pastry, bring the leftover pastry together and roll out to form the lid
5. Pour the filling on top of the pastry and cover with the lid
6. Crimp the pastry together, brush with a little egg wash and cut a steam hole in the top
7. Place the pie in the centre of the oven and bake for 30 minutes

Variations:

• If you don't like the flavour of nutmeg, leave out the nutmeg and
• fry some fresh sage leaves in the bacon fat
• take the sage out of the pan and set aside
• follow from step 3
• If you find the taste of nutmeg or sage too strong, use some fresh tarragon
• make the filling as above but when seasoning the sauce add some finely chopped tarragon with the salt and pepper
• Pie crust: in this recipe I have used just plain short-crust pastry but you could use (rough) puff pastry or suet crust
• If you choose to use (rough) puff pastry or a suet crust put the filling directly into the pie tin and roll the pastry out to form a lid (don't forget to crimp...)
• In stead of using butter in your pastry, you could use lard or margarine

I wish you all the best for your endeavours, and a safe journey into your chosen one's heart. If he/she has a gluten intolerance, this recipe works well with gluten-free flour. If he/she is looking after the waist line: find yourself someone else. Set on winning the heart of the dieter, even though my recommendation is to let them go? Try the following for a healthy option:

• Fry the chicken in some rapeseed or olive oil
• you can also boil the chicken in some unsalted water (for an even healthier option)
• Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside
• In a sauce pan, warm up 1 tablespoon of oil (of your choice) and add the flour
• Whisk as if your life depends on it
• Make chicken stock from a cube and add this to the pan, whisking like mad to prevent lumps, until you have a thick sauce
• Stir the chicken, sweetcorn and any other veg they like into the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg (or sage or tarragon)
• Make a pastry with the lightest margarine you can find
• Assemble the pie and bake as above

This does taste very good but I stand by what I said; don't bother and find yourself someone who knows there is more to life than a slim waist. Oh well, can't say I didn't try...

It might all not sound like the most romantic meal but set the table with your best linen, and your finest plates and glasses. Bring the whole pie to the table and let nature take its course. The first time you cook for someone, the last thing you want to worry about is whether it is romantic enough or not.
So, stop fretting and

Enjoy

Oh, the age-old question

We tend to do the shopping at the weekend (big mistake, because it is always packed in the shops so arguments are guaranteed) for the week ahead. We always use a list of things we need; the staples that need re-stocking, the list of meals that we intend to make and the occasional treat.

A typical Saturday/Sunday: finally both dressed and ready to go, not quite, bathroom visit first, a good ten minutes later finally out the door. A twenty-minute hike later and we have arrived at the first shop, all sweaty, warm and tired. Into the shop, people standing in the middle of the isle for no obvious reason (they are having a leisurely chat, next to each other so the shop floor becomes an obstacle course), and the first argument will take place within 5 minutes. Most likely because I have already had enough of old biddies shuffling from item to item, mothers with an entire football team worth of 3 and 4-year olds that are screaming at the top of their lungs and a shop that has been laid out by a sadistic shopper-hater (only they could have come up with an isle that is split into two at the end by a massive pillar which has an offer basket next to it!!!). Finally, thirty minutes and two arguments later, the shopping has been paid for, put into bags and hanging from my arms and we are on our way to the next shop. And we do it all again... He has phoned for a taxi and I am checking the shopping list against the tickets to make sure we've got everything; they entire ordeal has cost us somewhere between £40 to £50 but we are home safe (my arms will get back to their normal length at some point, I think...) and the fridge and cupboards are filled up.

That first day everything is still going according to plan; the list of meals is still appealing and we have decided what we are going to have for tea that day: we only think of the meals we will have during the week, not the days that we will have those meals on. Day two is normally not a problem either; the hard-fought-for reduced items need to go first as they were reduced because the sell-by/use-by date has come up. Day three is were the problems start; 'What are we having for tea tonight?' 'I don't know, there must be something we can make, we have a list of meals on the table.' 'True, but I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer. How about pizza?' 'Can't, I should've started the dough this morning in that case. Why didn't you say you fancied pizza?' 'Because I didn't fancy it, I just thought it would be a simple meal for tonight.' In the end we usually wind up with something like Spaghetti Carbonara, a tin of soup with bread or Stamppot.

This weekend was different: he did the shopping on Friday, whilst I was at work. It was the best treat I have had in a long time, AND he got everything we needed. But, for some reason, this morning the question was asked again: 'What's for tea tonight?' I honestly had not a clue, the cupboards are full, so are the fridge and freezer, but there was nothing I really fancied. And the list of meals was not helping either, there just wasn't anything on there that I liked today. My solution was to make myself a sandwich and cup of tea; I would think about the issue later. I filled up the kettle and turned it on, grabbed a couple of slices of bread and opened the cupboard. The first thing I saw was peanut butter and soy sauce. Not a brilliant combination for a buttie but perfect for Chicken Satay with peanut sauce... Tea's sorted, but what am I going to have for dinner???

Satay is an ancient dish and the national dish of Indonesia but no one knows where it actually originated. Although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, its South-East Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders. Even India cannot claim its origin, for there it was a legacy of Middle Eastern influence. Or so Jennifer Brennan states in Kitchen Daily: Satay (1988)

There are many varieties, each region (and even town) in Indonesia has their own specialities. And then there are, of course, the many places outside of Indonesia where people have adapted recipes for hundreds of years: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Thailand, as well as Suriname and the Netherlands, to name but a few.

This is my own version:

Aromatic Chicken Satay

with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
Satay

• 1 chicken breast per person 

Marinade

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• 3 onions, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a knife
• 1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed (only need the bottom 5 centimetres)
• 3 candlenuts/kemiri (or macadamia nuts) (see image below)
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Peanut Sauce

• 1 jar of peanut butter
• water or (coconut) milk
• 2 egg yolks
• mild curry powder
• fresh ginger (grated)
• fresh garlic, grated or pressed
• sweet chilli sauce or sambal oelek (optional, but recommended)
• chilli flakes
• soy sauce
• oil, vegetable is fine but you could use peanut oil or sesame oil
• ground cumin
• ground coriander
• sugar
• salt
• roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional) 

Method:
Marinade

1. In a dry frying pan, quickly fry the cumin, fennel and coriander seeds until aromatic
2. Grind the spices to a fine powder and set aside
3. Put the onion and garlic in a food processor and give it a quick blitz
4. Chop the lemon grass and nuts roughly and add them to the processor, together with the ground spices and turmeric
5. Grind all to a paste

Satay

1. Cut each chicken breast in bite-size pieces
2. Place the chicken in the Marinade and leave (covered and in the fridge) to marinade for at least 1 hour but, preferably, as long as possible
3. Soak some wooden/bamboo skewers in water
4. When you are ready to start cooking:
1. Wipe off any excess Marinade from the chicken
2. Place 4 pieces of chicken onto each skewer
3. Heat a griddle pan (or the barbecue) and cook the Satay until the chicken is piping hot and cooked through
• Turn the chicken only once char-marks have appeared
5. Serve the Satay with the Peanut Sauce and (white, brown or wild) rice

Peanut Sauce

This is slightly trickier, not because it is difficult to make but because this is purely to taste. Sometimes I want it spicier than other times, sometimes I use coconut milk so I don't need (as much) sugar, sometimes I don't have a full jar of peanut butter or a smaller (or larger) size jar than at other times. And then there is, of course, still the matter of your own taste. This is the reason why I have not given any measurements in the ingredients list. In principle everything is to taste, availability and preference, however, peanut butter and (mild) curry powder are essential. The taste should be slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly spicy.

1. Bring some water or milk to the boil
• if you are using coconut milk, boil some water but leave the coconut milk at room temperature
2. In a cold, dry saucepan pour about ½ tablespoon of oil and add the spices:
• (mild) curry powder, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, chilli flakes, ground cumin and ground coriander (all to taste and preference)
3. Put the pan on the heat and slowly fry the spices until fragrant
4. Add the sweet chilli sauce or sambal oelek and a dash of soy sauce
5. Spoon the peanut butter out of the jar into the saucepan
6. Add a little boiling liquid to the jar, put the lid back on, cover with a (tea) towel and shake well. Pour this into the pan
• Be careful as the hot liquid will loosen the lid slightly and the liquid could come out
7. Stir the contents of the saucepan together until it forms a smooth paste
8. Add enough boiling liquid or the coconut milk to create a sauce with a consistency you like
9. Taste the sauce to see if it needs any salt or sugar or more chilli
10. Once the desired taste is achieved, take the pan off the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and crushed peanuts (if using)

Variations:

• I don't always fancy having to griddle (or barbecue) the chicken, in that case I just pan-fry the marinated chicken pieces and cover them with the peanut sauce
• The Dutch love deep-fat-fried food and this is perfect for 'Kroketten':
1. make a really thick peanut sauce:
• put 25 gram butter in a pan and let it melt
• add 25 gram flour and whisk this for about 5 minutes
• add peanut sauce, stir well and leave to thicken
• take the pan off the heat and leave to cool completely
2. once cold, add in finely chopped or shredded cooked chicken and form into finger-long sausage shapes
3. roll through seasoned flour, then whisked egg, then breadcrumbs and repeat
4. fry in hot oil for about 4 minutes
• Chicken Satay is a perfect filling for steamed buns 'Bakpao'
1. Cook the chicken in your preferred way and finely dice or shred the meat
2. Mix in with peanut sauce once completely cool
3. Make the steamed bun dough (makes 20 buns or, in my case, about 10):
• 600 gram flour (plain (all-purpose) or bread flour)
• 400 millilitre warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 50 millilitre oil
1. put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre
2. add the yeast and sugar to the well and pour in a little of the water
3. stir this together with a little flour from the sides
4. leave this to stand for a couple of minutes until the yeast starts to foam to create a 'starter dough'
5. mix the rest of the flower and the baking powder into the 'starter dough', adding a little water at a time until all the water is incorporated or you have a smooth and elastic dough
6. knead the dough quickly through
7. cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size
8. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 20 equal pieces
9. roll the pieces out slightly and put about 1½ tablespoon of filling in the centre and fold to close, repeat until all the dough has been filled
10. gently roll the dough into a ball shape and leave, covered with a damp tea towel, to rise for 10-15 minutes
11. bring a pan of water to the boil and put a steamer basket on top
12. place the buns in cupcake papers, seam-side down, and fill the steamer with the buns
13. steam for about 20-25 minutes

As they say in Indonesia

Selamat makan

or, in English

Enjoy