Flavoured Chicken Rice

A simple tasty dish for lunch today.  Most ingredients can be found in a well-stocked kitchen except the chicken.  Instead of cutting the chicken breast meat into bite pieces, I sliced it into escalopes for a change.

Ingredients (serves 2-3 persons):
350 g chicken breast, to be cut into bite pieces (I sliced it into escalopes this time)
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt

5 cm fresh ginger, to be finely shredded
2 pips garlic, to be finely sliced
2 shallots, to be finely sliced

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 chicken cube, to be crumbled
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

5 dried mushrooms, to be soaked and thinly sliced
310 g jasmine rice
465 ml boiling water
chinese parsley
fried shallots
cooking oil

Method:
Marinate chicken with dark soy sauce and salt.  Leave aside for about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, chicken cube and ground white pepper.  Mix well and leave aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat.  Pan-fry chicken until brown in colour on all sides.  Remove to a plate.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat.  Stir-fry ginger, garlic and shallot slice until light brown.  Add mushrooms and stir-fry for about one minute.  Then, add rice and stir-fry until the oil is absorbed.  Then, add the sauce ingredients together with boiling water.  Cook until rice is almost dry.

Place fried chicken pieces on top of rice and cook with lid on for about half and hour. Remove lid and stir rice.  Cook covered for another 20 to 30 minutes.  Serve hot sprinkled with fried shallots and chopped chinese parsley.

Bon Appetit!

Sausage in Toast Rolls

Normally I prepare this dish with sardines as filling but today, I used turkey sausages with cheese filling.  Of course, one can use any kind of sausages according to one's preference. Best eaten with chilli sauce & salad and I am sure that the kids will love this dish!

Ingredients (serves 4):
8 pieces toast bread
1 tbsp mayonaise
4 sausages, to be cut into half
1 egg, to be beaten
salt to taste
breadcrumbs
cooking oil

Method:
This is the turkey sausage with cheese filling which I used for this recipe.

Remove bread crusts.  Roll each toast on both sides until thin as shown.  Spread a bit of mayonaise on toast.  You may use butter if you prefer.  Place half of sausage on one end and roll as shown:

Add some salt to beaten eggs to taste.  Then, dip rolls in beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs as shown:

Heat 1 cup of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat.  Then, add rolls and fry until golden brown.

Serve hot with any kind of salad and chilli sauce.

Bon Appetit!

Grilled Veal with Lime Sauce

A rather healthy grilled meat version for tonight's dinner.  This dish is served with Grill Peppers stuffed with Feta Cheese & Dried Tomatoes.

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 veal cutlets à 200 g each (without bones) or other cuts
a stalk of fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
ground pepper and salt to taste

Sauce Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp lime juice
zest from 1 lime
1 pip garlic
2 tbsp capers (optional - I omit these out because my two boys dislike them)
1 pce anchovy fillet (Sardellenfilet) from glass (add 2 pcs if capers are not used)

Method:
Wash veal cutlets with cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.  Wash, pat dry thyme and pluck the leaves.  Brush veal cutlets with olive oil and season with pepper and thyme to taste.  Marinate covered for about one hour.

In a small bowl. mix olive oil, lime juice and zest together.  Peel and mince garlic.  Add minced garlic to mixture and mix well.  Chop capers (if using) and anchovy fillet.  Add to bowl and mix well.  Leave aside.

Preheat grill.  Season the veal cutlets with salt to taste and grill for 8 to 12 minutes (both sides altogether).  Add 1 tbsp of sauce on veal cutlets before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Grilled Peppers stuffed with Feta Cheese & Dried Tomatoes

A perfect side dish to be served with any grilled meat or poultry.  It is quick to prepare and tastes delicious like those sold in mediterranean shops.

Ingredients:
500 g green peppers (I suggest that you buy medium-sized peppers)
10 stalks fresh basil, leaves to be finely chopped or 1 tbsp dried basil
80 g dried soft tomatoes, to be finely chopped
300 g Feta cheese
200 g double cream cheese (i.e. Philadelphia)
ground pepper to taste

Method:
Cut off the stalk of green peppers and remove seeds.  Wash peppers and dry thoroughly.

In a bowl, add cream cheese, dried tomatoes and basil.  Crumble Feta cheese into bowl and season with ground pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

Stuff each pepper with cheese filling and leave aside.  Note:  Do not overstuff the peppers!

Place stuffed peppers on a grill tray before grilling.  Grill over high heat, turning them often for about 10 to 12 minutes.  Serve grilled peppers as a side dish or just with toasted turkish bread.  The Feta cheese filling is awesome when eaten with with any kind of bread.

Bon Appetit!

Raspberry-Cheese Cake

With the abundance of summer fruits and berries i.e. cherries, raspberries & co. which are presently available in the supermarkets and open markets, I prepare this delicious simple cake.  One may use any kind of fruits or berries but today, I am using red raspberries.  Once you bake this cake, you will stop buying it in the bakery.

Dough Ingredients:
75 g sugar
200 g plain flour
a pinch of salt
1 egg "M" size
100 g cold butter
26 cm diameter cake tin with a loose bottom

Filling Ingredients:
125 g sugar
500 g curd cheese (Magerquark 20%)
3 egg yolks
2 pkts or 18 g Bourbon vanilla sugar
40 g

3 egg whites
a pinch of salt

Topping Ingredients:
600 g fresh raspberries
2 pkts red Tortenguss or cake glaze
2 tbsp sugar
500 ml water

Method:
Grease cake tin with butter and leave aside.  In a mixing bowl, add sugar, flour, salt, egg and butter.  Knead into a dough and wrap in cling film before storing in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Then, roll out dough to a diameter of 32 cm and line cake tin.

In a bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and leave aside.  In a mixing bowl, add curd cheese (quark), egg yolks, salt, sugar and Bourbon vanilla sugar - mix well. Then, add egg whites and fold in gently.

Add to cake tin and spread evenly.

Bake in a preheated oven:  fan (150° C) or conventional (175° C) for about 40 to 45 minutes.  To avoid the cheese filling from cracking, run a knife along between the sides of cake and cake tin after 20 minutes of baking.  Once done, remove from oven and leave to cool down completely in cake tin.

Arrange fresh raspberries on top of cheese cake as shown.

In a saucepan, add cake glaze and sugar.  Then, add water little at a time and stir until no lumps can be seen.  Bring mixture to a slight boil over medium heat, keep stirring at the same time.  Pour half of cake glaze onto raspberries from the centre out.  Reheat the remaining cake glaze until it becomes liquid again and pour over the raspberries again.  Let the cake glaze overflow down the sides of the cake.  Leave in a cold place, preferably the basement for about an hour.  Storage:  If there are balance of cake, store cake in the fridge.

Happy Baking!