Chicken with Mushrooms, Chickpeas & Tarragon Oil (Serves 4)

I thought I would share this recipe again from Nina Parker’s cookbook ‘Nina St Tropez’ – I first shared it back in September 2020. It’s a delicious, simple recipe with flavours that are particularly good on a Summer’s evening. The chickpea ‘stew’ is cooked under the chicken thighs so catches all of their beautiful juices. For a vegetarian option, cook the chickpea and mushroom stew without the chicken thighs – it’s delicious drizzled with the Tarragon Oil. In addition, the Tarragon Oil is a wonderful dressing for salads, particularly with chicken and avocado!

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

3 banana shallots, thinly sliced

400g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

400g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size

2 star anise

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked

Sea salt and black pepper

For the Tarragon Oil

¾ teaspoon chopped garlic

6 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

12 tablespoons olive oil

6 teaspoons cider vinegar

6 teaspoons lemon juice

¾ teaspoon sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish (with a lid). Season the chicken thighs and place in the hot pan, skin side down. Cook for about 6 minutes until golden.
2. Remove from the pan and add the shallots, stir and cook for a minute or two, then add the mushrooms cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Now add the chickpeas and the star anise, stir well before finally adding the garlic and thyme, stir again.
4. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up, on top of the chickpea mixture. Cover with a lid, turn down the heat to barely simmering and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lid, and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until any liquid has been absorbed by the chickpeas and mushroom mixture. Check the thighs are cooked (make a cut on the underside of the thigh beside the bone to check).
6. Meanwhile make the tarragon oil by pounding the garlic with a little salt in a mortar and pestle, then add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.
7. Remove the star anise from the chicken and chickpeas, and  serve with tarragon oil.

Menu Mistress will be taking a break until September but that doesn’t mean you should stop cooking, why not delve into the recipes which I’ve shared in the past!…

Menu Mistress will be back in September with more delicious recipes!...

Marzipan Loaf Cake (with or without Raspberry Marzipan Icing!)

This is one of the cakes which will end up as a family favourite as not only is it delicious but super simple to make – you literally throw all the ingredients into a processor and blend. The flavour of marzipan is not overpowering, so even if you’re not a lover of marzipan do try it – you won’t regret it! The icing is optional, it’s very good simply unadorned as an everyday, anytime cake. It’s become my go-to recipe when I want something sweet in the house, I more often than not serve it plain, but when I want something a little more ‘wow’ I top it with the icing – it also photographs better with the icing! The recipe for the cake is from Nigella Lawson’s ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’ cookbook whilst the icing is from Skye McAlpine’s ‘A Table Full of Love’.

150g marzipan (white or yellow) or almond paste, at room temperature

125g soft unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or extract)

50g caster sugar

75g plain flour (gluten-free if required)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free if required)

1½ teaspoons ground cardamom

3 eggs at room temperature

Raspberry Marzipan Icing:

150g fresh raspberries

110g icing sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon boiling water

40g marzipan, grated

60g unsalted butter, softened

1. Put all the ingredients (tearing up the marzipan into lumps first) into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times.
2. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin lined with baking parchment (or easier still use loaf-tin liner). Bake in a preheated oven, 150’c fan, for 40-50 minutes (cover with loose foil after 30-or-so minutes if it is becoming too brown) until the cake is beginning to come away from the sides and a cake tester comes out clean. It will ruckle a little on the top as it cools.

For the butter cream icing:

1. If you are serving it with the butter icing:  Combine 70g of the raspberries in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and blitz to a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds and put the deep pink puree to one side.
2. In a small bowl add the tablespoon of boiling water to the grated marzipan and stir to melt it slightly (this will stop it going lumpy when you add it to the buttercream).
3. In a second bowl use a hand-held electric whisk to mix 110g of the icing sugar and butter until pale and fluffy, then add the marzipan and beat until smooth. Finally add the raspberry puree and beat.
4. Spread the icing over the top of the cake and decorate with the remaining raspberries.

I went ‘cookbook shopping’ recently and I was filled with pleasure at seeing such a mix of flavours from all over the globe. It hit me that modern British cooking is all about multicultural flavours (we have a lot to thank immigration for!). When I look at my cookbooks, it’s interesting to see how our tastes have developed over the years. If I were to put them in chronological order, I would see my early cookbooks from the late ‘80s with Delia Smith at the helm. She is renowned for sharing the great British classics but she also introduced exotic flavours to British cooking; a quick flick through her ‘Summer Collection’ will give you a taste of the Mediterranean with a few Thai and Indian-inspired recipes thrown in. Moving on from the ’80s and into the early ‘90s, I notice a couple of cookbooks by Madur Jaffery; she was by now known for her Indian cookery books which tapped into the increasing hunger for the exotic – forget English ‘Coronation Chicken’ from the ’70s, she was revealing the secrets of real Indian recipes. As my eye reaches the late 90’s there’s Antonio Carluccio who was not only serving food on our high streets but among an influx of Italian cookbook writers influencing my kitchen. A little later, at the beginning of noughties, the taste of Southern Spain, highlighted by the team behind the London restaurant Moro, was on my dinner table and it wasn’t long after that I was enjoying an influx of Middle Eastern ‘flavoured’ cookbooks –  thanks to  Ottolenghi! And so it continues… my book shelves are increasingly overweight – ever hungry for the next new thing! In fact, one of my newest cookbooks is called ‘Mezcla’; with recipes which combine the flavours of Mexican, Italian and Brazilian cooking it’s truly multicultural!

I love looking back at these cookbooks from over the years, so many of their recipes work as well today as they did when first published. So, it’s no coincidence that this month I’ve taken recipes from a mix of books, old and new. Of course, I had to take a recipe or two from Delia Smith. So, Menu One and Two are from her ‘Summer Collection’; ‘Roasted Red Peppers’ and ‘Roasted Tomato Salad’ are Mediterranean inspired recipes which I have been cooking for more years than I wish to admit. Together, they would make a lovely light vegetarian supper simply served with some crusty bread to mop up their juices or they would make a great addition to any summer spread. Menu Three is a North African ‘Fish Tagine’ from the duo behind Moro. Taken from the cookbook, ‘Moro Easy’, it’s both simple to make and more importantly very tasty! Menu Four is from the aforementioned book, ‘Mezcla’ which celebrates the benefits of mixing cultures in our cooking – the author draws inspiration from her childhood which was spent in Mexico, Italy and Brazil!

Enjoy July and these wonderful recipes – they’ll complement any sunny day and cheer up the most miserable!…

Menu One

Roasted Tomato Salad (Serves 4)

This is a perfect summer salad. Make sure you serve it with lots of bread to mop up the wonderful sweet juices. It’s one of those recipes which is so simple but Oh so good!…

12 large tomatoes

12 large fresh basil leaves

2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To garnish:

Fresh basil leaves

24 black olives

1. Skin the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them and leaving for 1 minute, then drain and slip off the skins. Cut each tomato in half and place the halves in a shallow roasting tin, cut side uppermost.
2. Season each tomato and sprinkle over with the chopped garlic. Finally, pour a few droplets of olive oil over each one and top each one with half a basil leaf, turning each piece of leaf over to get a coating of oil.
3. Place the roasting tin in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, and roast for 50mins-1hour or until the edges are slightly blackened.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Transfer to a serving plate.
5. To serve, whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, and drizzle over the tomatoes. Finally, top each one with an olive and garnish with the basil leaves.

Menu Two

Roasted Red Peppers (Serves 4)

A wonderful classic Mediterranean recipe from Delia Smith’s ‘Summer Collection’ Cookbook. These peppers are incredibly good, they’re sweet yet with a salty edge; I’ve been cooking them for more years than I wish to admit!

4 large red peppers

4 medium tomatoes

8 tinned anchovy fillets, drained

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

8 dessertspoons olive oil

Freshly milled black pepper

A small bunch of basil

1. Half the peppers, removing the seeds but leaving the stalks intact. Lay the pepper halves on a lightly oiled roasting tray.
2. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour over boiling water, leave for 1 minute, then drain them and slip off the skins. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place two quarters in each pepper half.
3. Snip one anchovy fillet per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes. Divide the garlic slices equally among the tomatoes and anchovies and finally add a dessertspoon of olive oil to each pepper. And season with black pepper (not with salt as you have the anchovies!).
4. Place the tray in a preheated oven, 180’c, for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Transfer the cooked peppers to a serving plate with all the precious juices poured over, garnish with the basil leaves and serve warm.

Menu Three

Fish Tagine with Potatoes, Peas and Coriander (Serves 4)

This is a great one-pot dish from the team behind London’s Moro restaurant, it can be found in their cookbook, ‘Moro Easy’. The subtle spices lift this simple dish to higher realms; it makes a fantastic mid-week supper. I have doubled the sauce ingredients as I prefer the dish a little more ‘saucy’.

6 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra to drizzle

4 banana shallots or 1 large red onion

4 garlic cloves

2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon rind (optional)

3 heaped teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander, plus a few leaves to garnish

400g cherry tomatoes

400g small waxy new potatoes, e.g. Charlotte

400g frozen peas

4 fillets of firm white fish, e.g. sea bass, monkfish or cod

4 slices of lemon to serve

1. First of all slice the potatoes into very thin slices (0.5cm) – it is important that they are thin so that they cook all the way through.
2. Place all the rest of the ingredients, except the potatoes, peas and fish, into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the processed ‘sauce’ to a wide, deep pan with a tight fitting lid and add the sliced potatoes. Place over a medium to high heat. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the peas, stir well (if the sauce seems a little thick, loosen it with a couple of tablespoons of water). Bring back to a simmer and place the fish on top, replace the lid and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
5. To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle over the reserved coriander leaves and top with the lemon slices.

Menu Four

Chicken with Pineapple and Nudja (Serves 4)

What a wonderful combination of flavours there are in this recipe – sweet and savoury with a hint of spice! The recipe is from Ixta Belfrage’s cookbook ‘Mezcla’ in which she draws inspiration from her childhood which was spent in Mexico, Italy and Brazil, it’s a truly multicultural flavoured book – fantastic!

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife

1 onion, halved and very thinly sliced

½ large, extra ripe pineapple, peeled (300g)

2 oranges, squeezed to get 100g juice

100g chicken stock

2 tablespoons double cream

5g fresh coriander

1 lime cut into wedges

For the Nudja and Chipotle paste:

50g nudja paste/ spread

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons tomato puree

½ teaspoon chipotle flakes

½ teaspoon paprika

¾ teaspoon fine salt

About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

1. Put all the ingredients for the nudja and chipotle paste in a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion (save the rest to serve) and mix well so that everything is coated evenly. Tip the chicken, onions and garlic into a roasting tin, spreading out the chicken, skin side up on top of the onions and garlic (you will need the remnants of the paste in the bowl for the pineapple).
2. Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds and cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever is left in the bowl then add to the chicken.
3. Pour the orange juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet – you want it to crisp up!). Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock into the pan around the chicken (again don’t get the skin wet!). Return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and at the skin is brown and crispy. Now, if you have a blowtorch, you can char the pineapple a little (but no worries if not – it will still taste delicious!).
4. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle the cream into the sauce.
5. Toss the coriander with the remaining sliced onion and a little salt and olive oil and arrange on top. Serve straight from the pan with lime wedges alongside.

Eastern Standard (Serves 1)

We recently visited friends in their new house. We were extremely impressed by their new digs particularly when we discovered that they had set aside one room for a very grown up ‘bar’ – it was very ‘Soho House’!.. I was even more impressed when they served this cocktail!… Summer was made for it…

3 slices of cucumber

3 fresh mint leaves

50ml Gin

12.5ml lime juice

10ml sugar syrup

Handful of ice cubes

Garnish: 1 thin slice of cucumber

1. In the base of a cocktail shaker muddle the mint together with the cucumber slices.
2. Add the other ingredients and the ice, then shake until the mixture is well chilled, 15-20 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled glass and serve with a slice of cucmber.

Brown Sugar Pavlova with Strawberries and Rhubarb (Serve 6)

I adore Pavlova and this recipe for ‘Brown Sugar Pavlova’ is a new favourite. I discovered it just recently in Sally Clarke’s cookbook , ‘First Put on Your Apron’. The brown sugar gives the meringue a subtle caramel flavour and a sweetness that cuts the tart rhubarb beautifully. It doesn’t like to sit around, so assemble it at the last minute in order to keep the meringue as crisp as possible. Having said that, in the past I’ve keep the leftovers in the fridge and enjoyed them the following day; even if the meringue is a little ‘soggy’ it’s still delicious!..

4 egg whites

Pinch of salt

160g caster sugar

90g brown sugar

4 drops of vanilla essence

For the Rhubarb and Strawberry topping:

400g rhubarb stalks

1 orange, juiced

1 tablespoon caster sugar

400g strawberries

500g Double cream, stiffly whipped

Mint leaves to decorate

1. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whites with the salt until they are stiff. Add the caster sugar and whisk for a further minute or two until the meringue is glossy and very stiff. Carefully fold in the brown sugar and vanilla essence until smooth.
2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, draw a circle, roughly 22cm in diameter – you can draw around a plate. Scoop the meringue mixture onto the circle, spreading it out to create a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle.
3. Place in a preheated oven, 120’c fan, for 1 hour 10 minutes, then turn off the oven and allow to cool completely in the oven or overnight.
4. Meanwhile, trim the rhubarb and cut the stalks slightly at an angle into 2 cm lengths and place in a wide-based saucepan, ideally in one layer. Add the orange juice and caster sugar, cover with a lid and bring slowly to a simmer and cook until barely soft, approximately 3 minutes. Check often as you don’t want the rhubarb to overcook, you want it to be a little ‘al dente’ so that it keeps its shape. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down in the covered pan.
5. About an hour before you are ready to serve the pavlova, hull the strawberries and cut each into 2 or 3 depending on the size and place in a bowl. Carefully pour over the cooled rhubarb and its juices. Do not mix the fruit together at this stage as the rhubarb is very delicate. Leave for up to an hour in the fridge to macerate.
6. To serve, spoon the whipped cream into the well of the pavlova and carefully arrange the rhubarb and strawberries, without the juices, on top and decorate with sprigs of mint. Serve the juices in a small jug to go alongside.