Chinese Chiu-chow-style Roasted Pigeon with Bean Paste

Ingredients

1 pigeon, about 12 to 14 oz
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 stalks of spring onions
1 slice of ginger
1 stalk of cilantro
1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

Seasoning

1-1/2 tbsp Chiu-chow bean paste (潮州豆醬)
1/2 tbsp sesame paste
2/3 tsp sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

Method

1. Cut off the feet of the pigeon. Wash and wipe dry. Put 1/2 tsp salt into the stomach of the pigeon. Rub 1 tsp dark soy sauce on the skin. Marinate for 1/2 hour.
2. Saute the pigeon with 3 tbsp oil until it turns golden yellow.
3. Saute the ginger, spring onions and cilantro. Drizzle wine.
4. Put a bamboo rack into the pot and put the pigeon, ginger, spring onions and cilantro on top of it. Add seasoning and boil in low heat for 25 minutes. Turn the pigeon from time to time.
5. Discard the ginger, spring onion, cilantro and beans in the sauce.
6. Chop the pigeon into pieces and arrange on serving plate. Pour the sauce on the pigeon and serve.

Source: Chiu-chow Cuisine

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Slow-cooked Chicken with Brown Bread Sauce

Ingredients

2 whole chickens, about 4 1b each
sea salt and black pepper
2-1/4 1b butter (or 4 cups/1 liter olive oil)
small bunch of thyme
1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally

Baby Vegetables

8 baby turnips
8 baby leeks
8 baby carrots
splash of chicken stock
2 tbsp butter, diced

Brown Bread Sauce

4 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and minced
generous 1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 slice of brown bread, crusts removed and torn
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 smoked mussels

Method

1. Remove the legs and wings from the chickens, leaving you with the chicken crowns. Save the wings for the sauce and use the legs for another dish (such as coq au vin).
2. Rub the chicken crowns all over with salt and pepper.
3. Melt the butter in a large heavy pan and add the thyme and garlic. Lower the heat to just below simmering. The butter should barely move.
4. Add the chicken crowns and lay a piece of crumpled waxed paper on the surface of the butter. Poach gently for about 30 to 40 minutes until the chickens are firm and just cooked through.
5. Remove and let cool slightly, then take off the skins and reserve for the crispy chicken skins.
6. Carve out the chicken breasts and return them to the warm butter to keep them moist.
7. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chicken wings and pan-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown all over. Remove and set aside.
8. Add the shallots to the pan and pan-fry, stirring, for 4 to 6 minutes until soft and golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and let it bubble until reduced by half.
9. Pour in the chicken stock and return the chicken wings to the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until the liquor has reduced by two-thirds.
10. Meanwhile, blanch the baby vegetables in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes each until just tender when pierced with a skewer. Refresh in a bowl of iced water, then drain.
11. To finish the sauce, whiz the bread in a blender or food processor to fine crumbs.
12. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer into the blender and add the cream and smoked mussels. Season well with salt and pepper and blitz for a few minutes.
13. When ready to serve, remove the chickens from the warm butter. Heat the baby vegetables through in a pan with the stock and butter. Gently reheat the brown bread sauce and froth it up using a hand-held stick blender.
14. Place a chicken breast on each warm serving plate with a little tarragon emulsion. Halve the baby vegetables and divide between the plates. Garnish with watercress sprigs and crispy chicken skins, then pour over the brown bread sauce and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Gordon Ramsay’s maze

Shrimp with Garlic Butter

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
20 raw jumbo shrimp
sea salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
juice of 1/2 lemon
5 tbsp dry white wine 2 tbsp butter, diced

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom skillet, Add the shrimp, season to taste with sea salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over, add the garlic and parsley, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the shrimp have changed color.
2. Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring constantly, until it has almost evaporated.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a serving dish and keep warm.
4. Pour the wine into the pan, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by about half.
5. Whisk in the butter, a piece at a time until the sauce has thickened. Pour some of the sauce over the shrimp and set aside the rest for dipping. Serve at once with the extra sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Garlic

Taragon Chicken with Apricot Sauce

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1/4 pound each
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1/2 cup sliced dried apricots
6 sprigs fresh tarragon
juice of 2 oranges
4 tablespoons pine nuts

Method

1. Preheat the broiler to high.
2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the mustard on one side of the chicken breasts. Turn and spread with the remaining 2 tablespoons of mustard.
3. Place the chicken, skin side down, in a flameproof baking dish and drizzle with oil. Broil on one side for 10 minutes.
4. Turn the chicken over and broil for another 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with the apricots and tarragon. Pour the orange juice over all and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
6. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the chicken and broil for 30 seconds to warm through.
7. Serve the chicken with the apricots and pine nuts and spoon the pan juices on top of each portion.

Cook’s Tip:

Salt and pepper are not used in this recipe because the mustard sufficiently seasons the chicken. Apricots and orange juice bring a sweet-tangy balance that would be compromised by adding salt.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Super Foods Cookbook

Lamb and Beetroot Curry

Ingredients

l kg boneless lamb from the leg, cut into 5-cm pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 heaped tbsp panch phoran (see note below)
8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed with a pestle and mortar
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste
400 g (about 4 medium) raw beetroot, peeled and grated
400 ml water
salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
2. Brown the lamb in two batches in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, using half the oil for each batch. Make sure the pieces are browned on all sides. Transfer to a large flameproof casserole dish.
3. Lightly crush the panch phoran and cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar.
4. Add the spices to the lamb along with the ground coriander and chili powder, then place the casserole over a medium-high heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
5. Add the palm sugar, tamarind paste, grated beetroot and water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, checking occasionally and adding a little more water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Note: Panch phoran is a Bengali spice mix made up of cumin, fenugreek, mustard, fennel and black onion seeds. I bought it once because I loved the name, but if you don’t have it in your cupboard, just use any spices from this list that you do have.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Sophie’s Family Kitchen