Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is all about chicken, the most common and widespread of domestic animals and a primary source of food. This week’s recipes are Cardamom-Scented Chicken Curry and Chicken and Leek Pie. The Spice of the week is Star Anise.
My first recipe is Cardamom-Scented Chicken Curry, “25 Brilliant Curries”, courtesy of Olive Magazine November 2010.
This recipe makes 4, takes approx. 15-20mins to prepare and can take approx. 55mins to cook.
4 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
1 x Onion – finely chopped
15g x Ginger – grated into a paste (weight given is the peeled weight)
4 x Large Garlic Cloves – grated into a paste
1 x Tomato - chopped
2-3 x Green Chillies – whole but pierced
2/3 – 3/4 tsp x Ground Cardamom Seeds
1 Rounded tsp x Ground Coriander
3/4 tsp x Ground Cumin
1/3 – 1/2 tsp x Fresh Ground Black Pepper (or to taste)
450g x Skinless Chicken Joints
1 Rounded tsp x Cornflour
A Handful of Fresh Coriander - chopped
400ml x Water
Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the onion, and fry until well-browned. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook, stirring for a minute or two until the garlic is starting to colour. Add the tomato, chillies, powdered spices and salt. Fry for a few minutes, then add a splash of water and cook for 6-7 mins, until the oil begins to come out of the masala, stirring as the mixture dries.
Add the chicken and brown in the masala for a few minutes; it will start to stick to the base of the pan. Add 400ml of water and bring to the boil, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked. It will take 25-35mins, depending on the size of the joints. Stir a little water into the cornflour so that it dissolves, then add into the chicken and cook for another few minutes. Add extra water to the pan if necessary; the sauce should be light and thin. Stir in the chopped coriander, taste and adjust with more black pepper or cardamom to your liking, then serve.
Spice of the Week – Star Anise (Illicium verum)
Star anise is the dried fruit of a small to medium sized evergreen tree, Illicium verum which belongs to the magnolia family, Illiciaceae Magnoliaceae and grows up to 8m (26ft). Native to China and Vietnam , today the star anise tree is mainly grown in China, and Japan although it is also cultivated in Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia and Jamaica. In China, apart from its use in cooking, Mandarins used to chewed the whole dried fruit as a breath freshener and it was also used for other medicinal purposes such as in the treatment of colic, flatulence and nausea. It was first introduced to Europe in the 17th Century where it was mainly used in baked goods and in the making of fruit compotes and jams as well as in the manufacture of anise-flavoured liqueurs such as anisette and Pernod, usually in the form of the oil which is produced by a process of steam extraction.
The tree is propagated by seed and requires a lot of water in a well-drained, acid soil to grow well. Although it takes 5 years to flower, and generally only starts to bear fruit when it is 6 years old, it is a very long-lived tree and often continues to bear fruit for almost 100 years. The fruit, or more properly, seed pods, are harvested before they ripen after which they are sun-dried. The red-brown, star-shaped seeds contain 5-10 oval sections up to 12mm/ ½ -inch in length, each containing an oval seed. These pods are then either packaged whole or ground ready for sale. Both the pods and the seeds are used when ground.
It's best to buy whole stars which can not only be added directly to the cooking pot either whole or in segments but can also be ground. Stored whole it keeps for well over a year in an air tight container. Star anise has a powerful and liquorice-like aroma which is stronger than anise. Its flavour is reminiscent of a bitter aniseed albeit much more pungent and harsher. It is one of the spices used in the spice mix called Five-Spice and it is used in certain Chinese dishes such as red-cooked dishes where meats are slow-simmered as well as some Vietnamese and Malaysian recipes. In the west it is traditionally used as a cheaper substitute for anise seeds in fruit compotes, jams and in baking although its wonderful flavour is now gaining favour in many savoury dishes, combining successfully with fish, poultry lamb and beef. It can also be used to substitute Anise seeds in recipes - 1 crushed star anise = 1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seed.
Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. As a warm and moving herb, star anise is used to assist in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao, according to Traditional Chinese medicine. Shikimic acid, a primary feedstock used to create the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu, is produced by most autotrophic organisms, but star anise is the industrial source. In 2005, there was a temporary shortage of star anise due to its use in making Tamiflu. Late in that year, a way was found of making shikimic acid artificially. Roche now derives some of the raw material it needs from fermenting E. coli bacteria. The 2009 swine flu outbreak led to another series of shortages as stocks of Tamiflu were built up around the world, sending prices soaring. Star anise is grown in four provinces in China and harvested between March and May. It is also found in the south of New South Wales. The shikimic acid is extracted from the seeds in a ten-stage manufacturing process which takes a year. Reports say 90% of the harvest is already used by the Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche in making Tamiflu, but other reports say there is an abundance of the spice in the main regions - Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan. Mandarins used to chewed the whole dried fruit as a breath freshener and it was also used for other medicinal purposes such as in the treatment of colic, flatulence and nausea.
Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), a similar tree, is not edible because it is highly toxic (due to containing sikimitoxin); instead, it has been burned as incense in Japan. Cases of illness, including "serious neurological effects, such as seizures", reported after using star anise tea may be a result of using this species. Japanese star anise contains anisatin, which causes severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs.
My next recipe is Chicken and Leek Pie, recipe by Sal Henry courtesy of Delicious Magazine.com.
This recipe makes 4, takes 30mins to prepare and can take 20-25mins to cook.
8 x Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs - trimmed of any excess fat
4 x Fresh Bay Leaves
1 x Onion – rough chopped
500ml x Organic Chicken Stock
1 tbsp x Sunflower Oil
150g x Small Button Mushrooms
2 tbsp x Plain Flour
100g x 2% fat Greek yogurt
1 tsp x Dijon Mustard (optional)
4 x Fresh Filo Pastry Sheets (each about 32cm x 18cm)
1 x Free-Range Egg - beaten
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Put the chicken, bay leaves, onion and stock in a pan. Bring the stock to a simmer and poach the chicken for 10 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken and chop into pieces. Reserve the stock.
Meanwhile, put the leeks and 200ml water in a deep, non-stick frying pan and cook for 5 minutes, until the water has evaporated. Add the oil, thyme and mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the chicken stock and bubble for 7-8 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, yogurt and mustard (if using). Season. Remove the bay leaves and pour into a 24cm x 20cm ovenproof dish.
Brush both sides of the filo pastry sheets with egg and layer on top of the filling, scrunching the top layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the filling is bubbling (cover with foil if the pastry is browning too much). Serve with seasonal vegetables.
If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.
Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D
http://chefgarfy.blogspot.com/
http://chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
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