Author: jamesclay

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Paella

Tonight I cooked (my version of) paella.

In a large frying pan, add some olive oil and butter.

Soften some onion (I used a normal and a red onion) and some red pepper. I also added some lemon zest.

Arborio Risotto RiceAdd some arborio risotto rice.

Ensure that the rice is coated in the oil, butter, onion and peppers.

At this point add some white wine, however I didn’t do this as I had no white wine.

Add some saffron, this will add colour and flavour.

Now add some chicken stock to cover the rice.

Stir.

As the rice cooks, add more chicken stock to ensure that it doesn’t dry out. The rice will take about fifteen to twenty minutes to cook.

A few minutes before serving, add the raw prawns and squid. They will cook quite quickly in the hot pan.

Before serving add the cooked lobster and wedges of lemon.

Obviously you could use alternative ingredients, such as chicken or mussels. I used lobster as I had got one from a local supermarket for just £2.99, it’s normally a lot more expensive!

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Southern Fried Chicken Strips

Are you worried about the additives in the fast food you buy?

Are you concerned about the ingredients used in the snacks you eat?

Do you care about the welfare of the animals used for the foods you love?

I really like southern fried chicken, but wherever possible try and avoid buying it from those fast food places as:

a) I am worried about the salt content.

b) I am worried about the additives used.

c) I prefer to use organic free range chicken where possible.

So I now make my own southern fried chicken.

Take some skinless boneless organic chicken thighs, some supermarkets sell them like this, others you will need to skin and bone them. I prefer the thigh meat as it has a lot more flavour than the breast meat (and is cheaper).

Slice into strips.

Coat in flour.

Coat in beaten egg (free range and organic).

Coat again in seasoned flour, I use a mix of cajun spices usually.

Deep fry for a minute or so, until brown.

Drain and put onto kitchen towel on a plate to drain any excess oil.

Serve with dips and stuff.

Quick and easy.

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Slow Roasted Pork

Went out for lunch yesterday at my local pub. This is a typical chain type pub with menu to match. Really nothing special, but some interesting stuff on the menu. It use to be so much better, but in the last few years has gone downhill.

On the specials board though this time was Slow Roasted Pork, so I ordered that.

It arrived and I was quite impressed.

Slow Roasted Pork

I had swapped the mashed potatoes for chips, but I think boiled new potatoes would have been a better option.

The pork was tasty, the crackling was crispy and the veg was crunchy.

I really enjoyed it.

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BLT Salad

A salad variation on the classic BLT sandwich.

Take some mixed leaves, I like the peppery flavour of rocket in my salads. Place them on a plate.

Add some sun dried tomatoes, I use SunBlush as they are not as chewy as “proper” sun dried tomatoes.

Dress with some extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar and black pepper.

Top the salad off with some pan fried (until crispy) pancetta bacon.

BLT Salad

Serve with fresh bread.

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Crushed Potatoes

This is a nice accompaniment to many different dishes.

Crushed Potatoes

Take some new potatoes and boil for about fifteen to twenty minutes, drain (and importantly allow to dry).

In a large frying pan, fry off some pancetta and rosemary before adding the potatoes. Cook the potatoes and if required crush and then serve.

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Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

Take four organic chicken thighs (now you could use chicken breast, but personally I feel that the thighs have more flavour). Remove the bone, but leave the skin on.

In a bowl add the boned chicken thighs, the zest and juice of two lemons (before adding the juice of the lemons, cut some slices as a garnish). Add some parsley, rosemary and black pepper. I also added onion and olive oil. You could use some garlic if you like.

Marinade the chicken for about an hour, longer if you like your chicken really lemony.

Heat a griddle pan (or you could use the barbecue) and cook the chicken, skin side down (this should lower the amount of fat as well as getting nice and crispy skin).

Once the skin side is golden brown, turn over and cook the flesh side until cooked.

Serve with salad or vegetables.

Lemon Chicken

I served mine with crushed new potatoes and coleslaw.

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Pork with apple and basil wrapped in pancetta

This is a nice dish for a dinner party and can be prepared quickly and easily.

Take some pork medallions (thick slices of pork tenderloin) and place them on slices of apple – I peeled and cored the apple. Place a basil leaf and then wrap round a slice of pancetta bacon.

Place in a roasting dish and splash with olive oil and season with ground black pepper.

Pork with apple and basil wrapped in pancetta

Roast in the oven for twenty to thirty minutes until cooked. I made one mistake which was to roast them in a pan, when they really needed a grill pan.

Pork with apple and basil wrapped in pancetta

Serve.

Pork with apple and basil wrapped in pancetta

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A different cup of Illy

This morning I had a different cup of Illy. I have been buying the strength 4 tins (red) however yesterday I bought the strength 5 tin (black).

I was well impressed with the coffee I made, delicious.

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Jamie Oliver to go back to school dinners

BBC reports on an interview with Jamie Oliver.

Jamie Oliver says he plans to revisit his school dinners campaign because he is not satisfied with the government’s action on the issue.

The celebrity chef challenged the junk food culture and pressed for healthier school meals during his campaign.

Makes for interesting reading.

One think about healthier school dinners is that it is not just about changing the food, it’s also about educating the children and importantly the parents too.