Spicy Chicken a la Delia

 

 

4 lbs skinless/boneless chicken thighs.

2 cloves garlic-crushed(we used Russian for a little extra heat)
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp turmeric
½  tsp oil

¾ tsp whole cumin

1 tsp whole coriander
8 cardamom pods

1 tsp butter

½ tbsp. oil
2 onions, sliced
1 green pepper-roughly chopped (courtesy Frederick)
2 dried chilies-chopped
1 bay lead-crumbled

5 oz yogurt

2 oz hot water

Make paste with first four ingredients.
Coat chicken and let stand at least 2 hours.
Cook at 400F for 20 mins.

Saute cumin, coriander and cardamom in a dry fry pan for 2 mins.

Crush finely.  (the aroma!)

Saute onions and pepper. Add chilies and bay leaf. Add crushed spices. Add yogurt and water.

Pour all over chicken.

Bake for 40 mins at 350F

Chillled Red Pepper Soup

Perhaps you’re one of the fortunate few with a neighbour who grows vast quantities of peppers?  I have Frederick and his secret garden.  After preparing this dish I can state with absolute certainty that I will never buy commercially prepared soup again.   It’s never too late for a chilled soup. Lots of flavor!

 

Ottolenghi Chilled Red Pepper Soup

 

 

 

For 4 persons.

1 onion-chopped

3 tbsp oil
8 sage leaves-sliced

4 red peppers-chopped (we had Shepherd) Set aside ½ diced pepper.
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin
1tsp sugar
1 dried chili-chopped
2 cups stock

1 celery stalk

zest of ½ lemon
1 clove garlic-crushed

basil leaves-chopped

parsley-chopped

sour cream

 

Sauté onion, sage, and peppers for 10 mins.  Add peppers, bay, cumin, sugar, chili, and stock.

Simmer 15 mins.
Remove bay and puree soup. Cool.
Add remaining pepper, zest, and garlic.  Chill.
Serve with basil, parsley, and sour cream.

 

Garlic Custards

Garlic Custards

 

 

 

 

12 large cloves-unpeeled

water to cover

1 ¼ C whole milk

2 sprigs thyme or herb of choice

1 bay leaf

1 TSP salt

 

1 C 35 % cream

4 eggs-whisked

Ground pepper (to taste)

 

You will need a 2 Cup measure, whisk, blender, sieve, 6 small ramekins (4 large), a baking pan, and foil.

 

 

 

 

Boil cloves for 2 minutes.

Rinse, peel and cut in half.

Boil garlic, milk, herbs, and salt.

Simmer 25 minutes. 

Set oven to 325.

 

Remove bay leaf.

Puree remainder and filter through sieve.

 

Fill ramekins to three quarter mark.

Place in baking pan and add enough warm water to fill pan halfway.

 

 

 

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

 Serve warm or chilled.

 

 

CORNBREAD

Discovering teaspoon amounts of herbs and spices in the back of the cupboard and, once contained and labelled, undertook to make use of them.  Started with a recipe I’d been hoarding from 2001.
 

 

Cornbread w/ rosemary, cayenne & onion

 

1 TBSP butter

1 onion, chopped

1 C cornmeal

1 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne

3 TBSP rosemary

1 C buttermilk

2 eggs

½ C butter, melted

Melt butter & fry onion; cool.

Stir cornmeal, flour, powder, soda, salt, cayenne, rosemary, and cooled onion. 
Whisk buttermilk with eggs and cooled butter.
Combine with dry mix.

Bake 40 minutes.

 

Very flavourful and the cayenne adds a little bit of a kick.  Adjust to taste.

Man In Comfortable Shoes Bearing Crab Soup

 

Firstly, I’m shocked that you’ve opened a tin of crab meat for this dish.  Isn’t that running contrary to your manifesto or something?  First rule:  shun all things canned. Secondly, you’re wearing socks.  This is the first time in six years? Have you been replaced in the night with a more sensitive human being?

Mrs. F has taken up knitting.  Can you believe this?  After the endless scarves, she turned to socks. 

Shouldn’t homemade socks be purple or yellow & green stripey things?

Mrs. F has made twelve pairs of red socks for herself.  I told her I will wear only white.  She has made one pair and that was my lot.  And thank God because they itch like a bastard.

I think that was very generous of her.  Before we start we should raise a glass to Devon and Cornwall.  Things have been a little damp over there.   Our very dear friends are down in Cornwall.  You’d get on famously with them.  She made the best tomato sandwiches.   Of course that was back in the old days when tomatoes had taste.  How on earth do you stand travelling through Florida?  I don’t need to tell you what they do to tomatoes down there.  What do you do, smuggle a crate down with you?

You would say I martyr myself for the cause. 

I feel sorry for Mrs. F

She’s too busy mixing drinks to notice.

 

 

Devonshire Crab Soup

For 2 persons.

 

1 oz butter

1 onion

1 stalk celery

3 oz long grain rice

2 C milk

8 oz crab meat

1 C chicken stock

2 tsp fish sauce

2 TBSP brandy

5 oz 35% cream

Sauté onion and celery with butter. 

Add rice and milk.  Cook for 15 mins. Puree.

Add crab, stock, brandy and sauce.

Simmer, heating through. Add cream-don’t let it boil.