Fennel, Broccoli and Potatoes

I refused to go to the grocery store until I used up the broccoli.
It's like punishment.

So I made up a dish to serve to the husband when he came home from work.
Basically it involved sautéing the fennel, garlic and an onion. Then slicing and cooking the potatoes until they were nicely browned. Boil the broccoli for no more than 5 minutes and then combine all of this in a dish.

Make a gravy of sorts with vegetable stock and maizena or a roux if you prefer and pour it over the veggies with a hand full of grated parmesan cheese on top. Place into a hot oven for 30 minutes and serve up.

I actually quite liked it... definitely not a bad combination!

Orange Chicken

I had chicken breasts, fennel, onions, mushrooms and some oranges.

What to make, what to make.

Luckily the Internet is full of ideas. 

I love the Internet.

I stumbled across a recipe that matched my ingredients on this website. It turned out to be rather good and very easy (bonus!). It calls for 'herbs de provence' which of course I did not have lying around but that did not stop me from just adding whatever I felt like in terms of herbs and spices. 

Long live improvisation!

Here is a link to the original recipe.

Here is my improvised version.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 bulb of fennel (top, bottom and outer leaves removed), sliced thinly

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoons herbs (coriander seeds, basil, cayenne pepper, etc.)

salt and pepper

Juice of 2 oranges

Method:

Melt the butter in a deep skillet on medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and just cooked through (about 15 minutes, but depends on the thickness of the poultry).

Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms, fennel and onion.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add the olive oil, heating it for about 1 minute. Add the sliced onions, mushrooms, and fennel. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet with the vegetables, then sprinkle with the herbs, and salt and pepper. Pour the orange juice on top and adjust the heat so that the liquid is just barely bubbling.

Simmer for 10 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on top of rice.

Chicken, Tomato and Fennel Casserole

I am absolutely crazy about Bill Granger. I love his books, I love his TV shows and I love his recipes.

One of my favourites is his chicken, tomato and fennel casserole. It is delicious and easy to make, like all his recipes. This recipe comes from his book called "Every Day".

Serve it with potatoes, serve it with rice or serve it with garlic bread. It doesn't matter what you serve it with as long as you make this lovely dish.

Ingredients
2tbsp olive oil
8 chicken thigh cutlets on the bone, with skin
1 onion, sliced
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½tsp crushed fennel seeds
2tsp paprika
½ tsp saffron threads, soaked in 1tbsp water
Wide strip of orange rind 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
500ml (17fl oz/2 cups) chicken stock
1 red pepper (capsicum), roasted and thinly sliced
2tsp honey
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken (in batches, if necessary) and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Drain most of the oil from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and fennel to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Add the garlic, fennel seeds and paprika and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add to the pan the saffron with its liquid, the orange rind, tomatoes, stock and pepper, and stir well. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Skim any oil from the top of the casserole. Stir in the honey and season with salt and pepper. 


Notes:
- I substituted the red pepper with mushrooms
- I couldn't find saffron at my local shop so I left it out.
- I used chicken drum sticks instead of thighs, since that was what I had in the fridge!

Chicken and Vegetable Red Curry

I've been threatening to make a red curry for a while now.
Mostly because I happen to have a can of coconut milk just waiting to be used.

I was going to make a vegetarian curry but I had two chicken breasts in the freezer that had to be used or thrown away and you know by now that I hate to waste food.

Ingredients:
300 gr chicken breast
1 head of pak choi
1 head of broccoli
1 fennel bulb
1 white onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons red curry paste (I buy ready made curry paste because I am lazy)
1 can of coconut milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
A handful of cashew nuts - roughly chopped
Seasoning
Basmati rice - enough to feed 2 to 3 people

Method:
Wash and chop up the vegetables.
Boil water in a pan and add the basmati rice - follow the instructions on your packaging.
I cook the rice for about 8 to 10 minutes, drain and then rest it for about 10 minutes.
Heat up a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok, add the onions and saute until slightly softened.
Add the garlic and saute for a minute.
Add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry until al dente, which should be about 5 to 10 minutes.
I add a tablespoon or two of water to the wok while the veggies are cooking since this gives off a little steam and cooks my veggies quicker.
Put the vegetables aside.
Add a bit more vegetable oil to the wok and then add the chicken with a dash of soy sauce.
Stir fry for a couple of minutes just to give it some colour. Set aside.
Add the curry paste and stir for a minute - a lovely curry aroma will develop.
Now add the coconut milk and mix well.
Stir for a minute and then add the chicken back into the wok.
Let it simmer for a few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Now add the vegetables and mix well ensuring the curry sauce covers everything and the veggies are heated through.

Dish up the basmati rice and add generous helpings of the curry to the plate.
Sprinkle the cashew nuts on top and enjoy.

P.S. If you have some fresh coriander then go ahead and add that at the end. I had basil which I added with the nuts but I think coriander is better with a curry.