Tag: chicken

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Halloween Chicken with Roast Beetroot & Butternut Squash Mash with Sage (Serves 4-6)

Halloween is just around the corner, so I thought I should re-share this recipe…

This is a delicious roast chicken recipe, the beetroot is cooked beneath the chicken and so becomes really tasty having soaked up the chicken juices. You must serve it with butternut squash mash (recipe here), as its sweetness really complements the earthy flavours of the beetroot, plus it makes the dish incredibly colourful! Despite its name, this roast chicken recipe is not just for Halloween, it is a winner throughout the colder months!

I found this recipe on Nina Parker’s website, she is the also the author of one of my favourite cookbooks, ‘Nina’s St Tropez’.

1 chicken, approx. 1.8kg

3 red onions, sliced

5 beetroot, cut into 6ths

20 garlic cloves, skins on, lightly smashed with the back of a knife

2  lemons, 1 quartered and the other juiced

Small bunch of sage

4 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Place a few of the smashed garlic cloves, the lemon quarters, and a few sage leaves in the cavity of the chicken.
  2. Put a little olive oil in a large roasting tin and place the chicken in the centre.
  3. Place the chopped beetroot, sliced red onions and the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken. Pour over the juice of the lemon, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper – mix everything around to get a good coating.
  4. Place in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for 25 minutes then turn over the chicken, and return to the oven for a further 25 minutes.
  5. Remove the tray from the oven, stir around the vegetables – remove any that are cooked and place to one side covered with foil. Turn the chicken back over to crisp up the skin, placing in the oven for a further 15 – 25 minutes by which time both, all of the vegetables and chicken should be cooked.
  6. Serve the chicken with the roast beetroot, onions and garlic and mashed butternut squash with sage (recipe here).

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Baked Sea Bass & Lemon Potatoes with a Lemon Vinaigrette Salad (Serves 4)

I first shared this recipe back in August of 2020. It’s a lovely, simple recipe which I found in the cookbook, ‘Cook; A Year in the Kitchen with Britain’s Favourite Chefs’, just as its title indicates, it contains many different recipes from various chefs. This particular recipe is by Bill Granger and is one that I have cooked on numerous occasions. Cooking a whole fish can seem daunting – but believe me this recipe is particularly easy! It is worth cooking this dish simply for the lemon potatoes – they’re delicious, I often make them on their own to serve with simple roast chicken or other fish recipes.

*You can see the video of this fish dish being made by clicking on this link to my Instagram Page

1 whole sea bass for 4 people

1 bunch of coriander

10 spring onions

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

For the Lemon Potatoes:

1 kg new potatoes (waxy potatoes)

3 tablespooons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

125ml fish or chicken stock

60ml lemon juice

100g pitted black olives, sliced (optional)

1 small bunch parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. For the lemon potatoes, cut the unpeeled potatoes into thick slices and place in a roasting tin. Add the olive oil, garlic, stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
  2. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes
  3. Meanwhile put the coriander, spring onions, chilli flakes, olive oil and salt in a processor and process to make a coarse paste.
  4. Make 3 slashes on each side of the fish and place on a baking tray. Spread the paste over the fish rubbing it into the slashes.
  5. After the potatoes have cooked for 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 180’c and place the fish in the oven on the shelf below the potatoes.
  6. Bake the fish (and continue baking the potatoes) for 20 minutes or until cooked through, 5 minutes before the end of cooking add the olives and the parsley to the potatoes.
  7. Serve immediately

Staple Side Dish – Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Green Salad with Fennel

Make up a salad as desired and dress with this lemon vinaigrette (I particularly like a green salad with sliced fennel with this fish recipe):

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

finely grated zest and juice of half unwaxed lemon

pinch of sugar

sea salt and black pepper

  1. Whisk all the ingredients together.

May 2025

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Aren’t our taste buds the most amazing things? Mine had a fantastic adventure in Malaysia recently, allowing me to discover new flavours and colourful combinations of spices. Back in March, before this trip, I whetted my appetite by cooking a few Asian dishes at home – you may remember that I shared a recipe from my new Singaporean cookbook, Agak Agak. Consequently, over the last couple of months, Asian cuisine has been very much on my mind and my menu. However, too much of a good thing can often make one spoilt and just recently my taste buds have started to yearn for ‘modern-British’ food; the taste of home and the comfort of the known. Hence this month I’m sharing recipes which will be familiar but by no means boring. These days our British food, having been influenced by our wonderful multicultural society, offers lots of flavourful adventures. Who needs to go abroad?!.. This month’s menus have been developed from traditional recipes resulting in very modern but comforting dishes.

Menu One is ‘Roast Pork Chops with Apple Sauce, Chimichurri & Crackling’. Chef, Paul Ainsworth, gives the traditional pork chop an extra punch with the addition of the Latin American sauce, Chimichurri. It works particularly well with the salty pork crackling and the sweet yet slightly tart apple sauce. It’s a lively dish perfect on any day, be it May or the midst of the winter. Menu Two is ‘Balsamic Pot Roast Chicken’, which is a modern take on a traditional roast and is one of those recipes which promises to be a new family favourite. The juicy flavours of this dish are enhanced by the subtle sweetness of balsamic vinegar which younger members will definitely love!

I hope that these recipes will tempt your taste buds! See you next week for a delicious Tuesday Treat…

Roast Pork Chops with Apple Sauce, Chimichurri & Crackling (Serves 4)


In this recipe from the cookbook, ‘For the Love of Food’, Chef Paul Ainsworth gives the traditional pork chop an extra punch with the addition of the Latin American sauce, Chimichurri. It works particularly well with the salty pork crackling and the sweet yet slightly tart apple sauce. It’s a lively dish perfect on any day, be it May or the midst of the winter. (I’ve slightly changed the preparation of the crackling and chops from the original recipe).

4 pork chops

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Apple Sauce:

2 Bramly apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

100ml cider

20g caster sugar

3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

For the Chimichurri:

60g flat leaf parsley, stalks included

60g coriander, stalks included

15g oregano, leaves picked

1 garlic clove, peeled

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

80ml olive oil

60ml cider vinegar

For the Crackling:

1-2 tablespoons malt vinegar

Sea salt

  1. First of all make the crackling: cut off the rind from the chops. Score the rinds a couple of times. Pour boiling water over each piece, dry it, and sprinkle over the malt vinegar, rubbing it in, finally sprinkle with salt. Leave to one side for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven, 200’c, for 30 minutes until crisp. Leave to one side until ready to serve.
  2. To make the apple sauce, take a medium saucepan and add the Bramley apple, cider, sugar and thyme leaves. Cover with a lid and cook over a high heat, stirring occasionally. The apples will soften quickly. Once smooth, add the lemon juice. Set to one side; when ready to serve, gently reheat and add the diced Granny Smith apple.
  3. To make the Chimichurri, add all the ingredients to a liquidizer or food processor and blitz.
  4. For the Chops, lightly oil and season with salt and pepper, then place in a hot pan over a moderate heat and brown on each side. When the chops are browned place on a baking tray and cook in the oven, 200’c fan, for about 10 minutes depending on their thickness (a meat probe will read around 47’c). Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10minutes.
  5. Carve each chop and serve with the apple sauce, chimichurri and crackling.

Balsamic Pot Roast Chicken (Serves 4)

This is a modern take on a traditional roast and is one of those recipes which promises to be a family favourite. The juicy flavours of this dish are enhanced by the subtle sweetness of balsamic vinegar which younger members will definitely love! The recipe is from Donna Hay’s cookbook, ‘One Pan Perfect’. It is almost a ‘perfect one pan recipe’, however, if like me you prefer your potatoes a little crisped up, then it’s best after initially cooking together with the chicken, to move them into a separate roasting tin – I’ve adjusted the recipe below accordingly.

125ml balsamic vinegar

250ml chicken stock

60g brown sugar

8 sprigs oregano

6 cloves garlic, halved

1 x 1.6 -2kg whole chicken

900g roasting potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

400g parsnips or carrots, or a mix of both, peeled and cut in half or quartered depending on their size

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

  1. Place the balsamic, stock, sugar, oregano and garlic into a deep casserole dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan, breast side down. Add the potatoes and parsnips and/ or carrots. Drizzle with oil and cover with a tight fitting lid. Place in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, for 45 minutes.
  2. Remove the lid and carefully turn the chicken over. At this point I also remove the vegetables (see note above) to a separate roasting tin together with 2 tablespoons of the cooking juices.
  3. Baste and chicken in its pot and return to the oven, uncovered. At the same time baste the vegetables in their roasting tin and also return them to the oven. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Remove the chicken from the oven and rest for around 15 minutes. Meanwhile baste the vegetables and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until crisped to your liking.
  5. Serve the chicken and it’s wonderful cooking juices with the roast vegetables on the side.

April 2025

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My taste buds are particularly ‘alive’ right now as I have just returned from the warmer climes of Malaysia. What an incredible culinary adventure it was. This month’s recipes reflect my sunny mood. April has finally arrived and spring has officially started, so I think it’s only fair to reward ourselves with some fresh flavours!.. These recipes aren’t spicy hot, instead, they rely on the depth of flavour created from a combination of well-balanced spices. They’re dishes which all the family will enjoy – even those with younger taste buds!..

Menu One is ‘Fresh Turmeric and Peppercorn Curry with Prawns and Asparagus’. This is a wonderfully fresh curry with delicious aromatic flavours. The recipe is from Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, ‘Comfort; whilst I must admit that I’ve found the recipes in this book rather ‘hit or miss’, this one is an absolute winner! Menu Two is ‘Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes and Saffron-Honey Jam’, it’s yet another fool-proof recipe from one of my favourite cookery book writers, Diana Henry. It’s actually from one of her early cookbooks published around twenty-two years ago; ‘Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons’, has recently been updated and the new edition is a wonderful reminder of how some recipes have ‘staying power’. This is one of those recipes that should never be forgotten – the sauce is a delicious dream!..

Hopefully these recipes will reawaken your taste buds for the spring. Enjoy!

*Looking for some uplifting tunes for your kitchen?.. why not check out ‘Music to Cook to…Menu Music Fourteen’ – a refreshing mix of Motown and soul tracks!

Menu Mistress will away next week…

I will be back 15th April with a Tuesday Treat!..

Menu One

Fresh Turmeric and Peppercorn Curry with Prawns and Asparagus (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully fresh curry with delicious aromatic flavours. The recipe is from Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, ‘Comfort’; whilst I must admit to finding the recipes in this book rather ‘hit or miss’, this one is an absolute winner! The tangy ‘cucumber and ginger relish’ is a very important element to this dish – don’t be tempted to omit it.

145ml tin coconut cream

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

25g palm sugar, roughly chopped (or light soft brown sugar)

20ml fish sauce

500g asparagus, cut into 3cm lengths, keep the tips separate

500g peeled prawns

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Cucumber and Ginger Relish:

125ml rice (or other white) vinegar

80g caster sugar

½ cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced (200g)

20g ginger, peeled and julienned

1 red chilli, halved , deseeded and thinly sliced

10g coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly torn

1 lime cut into wedges, to serve

Salt

Spice Paste:

3-5g dried chillies, more if you like it hot (I used Kashmiri dried chillies)

½ teaspoon whole white peppercorns, toasted and coarsely ground

2 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

2 shallots (60g), roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

20g coriander stems, roughly chopped

10g fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon coconut cream

  1. First of all make the relish, this can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Put the vinegar and sugar into a small pan along with 60ml water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil, the simmer for a minute, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and, once cool, add the cucumber, ginger, chilli and coriander stems (not the leaves), transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge. Just before serving stir through the coriander leaves.
  2. To make the spice paste, place the dried chillies in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for a few minutes. Put the ground white peppercorns and coriander seeds into a small bowl of a food processor, along with the shallots, garlic, coriander stems, turmeric, coconut cream, soaked chillies and 1 tablespoon of the chilli soaking liquid. Blend to form a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
  3. Put the 145ml coconut cream into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer, add the spice paste and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until thick, clotted and oily – it will appear split. Add the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce  and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir gently, then bring to a simmer. Add the asparagus stalks, cook for 4 minutes, then add the prawns and asparagus tips. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through.
  4. Serve with jasmine rice, the cucumber and ginger relish (with the coriander leaves stirred through) and a wedge of lime.

Menu Two

Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes & Saffron-Honey Jam (Serves 4)

This is yet another fool-proof recipe from one of my favourite cookery book writers, Diana Henry. It’s actually from one of her early cookbooks published around twenty two years ago. ‘Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons’, has recently been updated and the new edition is a wonderful reminder of how some recipes have ‘staying power’. This is one of those recipes that should never be forgotten – the sauce is a delicious dream. It’s very simple, but do make sure you allow time to reduce the sauce so that it becomes really jammy – yum!

1.7kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

800g tomatoes, roughly chopped

275ml chicken stock or water

½ teaspoon saffron threads

3-5 tablespoons runny honey

1 teaspoon orange flower water

25g flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan

Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Season the chicken pieces and quickly brown them all over in the olive oil.
  2. Set the chicken aside and cook the onion in the same pan until soft and just colouring. Add the garlic, cinnamon and ginger and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
  3. Tip in the tomatoes, mix everything together well, reduce the heat and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  4. Boil the stock or water and dissolve the saffron in it. Pour this over the vegetables and bring the whole thing to the boil. Set the chicken pieces on top, together with any juices that have come out of them, and spoon the liquid over them. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the chicken is tender; it should take about 30 minutes, but check after 25.
  5. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside, cover and keep warm. Now bring the juices to the boil and simmer until well reduced to a kind of cream – it shouldn’t be at all sloppy. Add the honey to taste and continue to cook until well-reduced and jam-like. Check the seasoning and add the orange flower water. Return the chicken to the pan and warm through.
  6. Serve scattered with the toasted almond flakes and chopped coriander, with rice, couscous or flatbreads on the side.

February 2024

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Just when you think the darkest days of winter are behind you along comes February and more darkness! Fortunately Valentine’s Day offers a little light in the tunnel. Forget it’s significance, in my mind the 14th is my marker that the long winter season is almost at an end – spring officially starts in just over a month! Plus, let’s face it, it can’t be a bad thing to have a day that reminds us to tell each other that we love each other, especially when it often feels like the world is crumbling around us. We’re not necessarily talking romantic love here, but just the love for all of those that we often take for granted. You don’t have to send them a card, instead how about cooking them your favourite dish or one of this month’s Menu Mistress recipes!..

Menu One is ‘Chicken with Beaujolais, Prunes, Shallots & Thyme’. What can make you feel more loved than being cooked this dish?! The fruity wine creates a wonderful sauce around the chicken whilst the addition of prunes, garlic and Dijon elevate the dish to memorable realms. It’s just what the doctor ordered on a cold February evening! Menu Two is ‘Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Shoulder’, this is a sweet and subtly spicy dish which everyone will love… and will love you for cooking it. Although the pork is cooked for over 5 hours it’s a very hassle-free dish – apart from basting the meat for the last hour of cooking you simply ignore it in the oven. It makes a delicious dinner served with sticky rice and a crunchy radish and cucumber salad. And finally, Menu Three is ‘Seared Beef with Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing’. Steak is one of those cuts of meats which we associate with special occasions, so serving this dish to your loved ones will definitely make them feel special. It’s incredibly simple to prepare; the juicy slivers of steak are drizzled with a sumptuous sharp yet sweet sauce whilst the sprinkling of brightly coloured pomegranate seeds create a spectacular looking dish!

‘Happy February’! Here’s to feeling loved and the beginning of spring!..

Menu One

Chicken with Beaujolais, Prunes, Shallots & Thyme (Serves 4)

This is such a great recipe, the fruity wine creates a wonderful sauce around the chicken whilst the addition of prunes, garlic and Dijon elevate the dish to memorable realms.

1 chicken jointed into 6/8 pieces or 8 chicken thighs

50g butter

4 large or 12 small shallots, peeled (leave root on to help them hold together)

1 tablespoon tomato purée

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 thyme sprigs, plus ½ teaspoon picked thyme leaves

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped, stalks reserved

2 bay leaves

200ml Beaujolais or another young, fruity red wine

16 pitted prunes

200ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, plus more to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt the butter in a casserole pan over a moderate heat. Add the chicken and fry for around 5 minutes until golden brown all over. Add the shallots and continue to cook for 5 minutes until they too have taken on a bit of colour.
  3. Turn down the heat and add the tomato purée, garlic, thyme sprigs, parsley stalks and bay leaves, stir gently.
  4. Then add the wine, stirring well to dislodge any bits of caramelised chicken stuck to the pan. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the prunes and chicken stock. Cook over a low-moderate heat for around 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pan and leave it to rest on a plate, keeping it warm, while you reduce the liquid in the pan over a high heat for a couple of minutes to thicken it slightly. Add the Dijon and whisk to combine.
  6. Add the chicken back to pan. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
  7. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the chopped parsley and picked thyme leaves. Serve with more mustard on the side.

Menu Two

Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Shoulder (with Radish & Cucumber Salad) (Serves 4-6)

This is another wonderful recipe from Diana Henry, it’s a sweet and subtly spicy dish which everyone will love. Although the pork is cooked for over 5 hours it’s a very hassle free dish – apart from basting the meat for the last hour of cooking you simply ignore it in the oven. It makes a delicious dinner served with sticky rice and a crunchy radish and cucumber salad (recipe below). *The skin is removed from the pork but rather than discarding it why not make some pork crackling?! – recipe below…

1.9kg shoulder of pork, boned, skin removed/ fat left on (*see note above)

125ml soy sauce (gluten free if required)

125ml runny honey

125ml hoisin sauce (gluten free if required)

125ml dry sherry

2 teaspoons five-spice powder

3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated to a purée

  1. Mix together the ingredients to make a marinade and put this in a large Ziploc bag with the pork. Marinate in the fridge for anything from 24-48 hours.
  2. Bring the pork back to room temperature for an hour before you are going to cook it.
  3. Place the pork in a roasting tin in which it will fit snugly (if there is too much room around it the juices and marinade will run off and burn) and pour the marinade into a bowl.
  4. Cook the pork in a preheated oven, 120’c fan, fro 4½-5 hours or until the meat is soft and melting.
  5. Ladle some of the marinade over the pork and return to the oven. Keep adding more marinade and basting the pork every 10 minutes for another hour, turning the meat over each time you do this. The pork should end up dark and glossy. If the joint starts to get too dark on the outside cover it with foil.
  6. Serve with Radish and Cucumber salad (recipe below) and sticky rice.

Radish and Cucumber Salad (Serves 4)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 teaspoons caster sugar

2cm piece of root ginger, peeled and grated

1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped

1 cold cucumber, peeled in stripes and cut in half along its length

300g radishes (a mixture of colours if possible), cut into quarters or eighths

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (or a mixture of white and black sesame seeds)

  1. Make the dressing by mixing the vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic together with a pinch of salt.
  2. Scoop out the seeds from the cucumber and cut it into 4cm-thick pieces. Bash these with a rolling pin.
  3. Put the cucumber in a bowl with the dressing and chill for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the radishes and sesame oil, and toss the salad. Scatter the sesame seeds on top.

Best Pork Crackling

Oh yum, pork crackling, who can resist?..

Pork skin, scored

Malt vinegar (or if gluten free use cider vinegar)

Sea salt


1. Set the pork skin on a rack and pour over boiling water. The water will drain away.

2. Dry the skin, rub with vinegar and salt and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. Place the skin in a roasting tin and roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for an hour, until crisp.

Menu Three

Seared Beef with Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing (Serves 4)

This recipe is incredibly simple to prepare; the juicy slivers of steak are drizzled with a sumptuous, sharp yet sweet sauce whilst the sprinkling of brightly coloured pomegranate seeds create a spectacular looking dish! The recipe is from Sabrina Ghayhour’s wonderful cookbook ‘Persiana’ (I’ve halved the dressing as I felt that the original recipe made too much sauce but feel free to double it up).

4 sirloin steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1 bag of rocket

100g pomegranate seeds

For the Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing:

100ml pomegranate molasses

40ml syrupy balsamic vinegar

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard

  1. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a jug, then set aside.
  2. Lightly brush the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and a little black pepper.
  3. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes of each side for rare or a little longer depending on your taste. I also like to turn the steaks on their ‘fat’ edge, for 30 seconds to crisp it up.
  4. Remove the steaks to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Then thinly slice the steak into slivers and arrange them on a platter. Take a generous handful of rocket leaves and place in the centre of the platter, then drizzle the sauce all over the beef (reserving some for the table). Finally, sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.