Posts tagged parsely

Chicken Cacciatore with Orzo

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Chicken Cacciatore with Orzo

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 classic Italian hunter stew, perfect for a post snowy weekend in January. The temperature just won’t seem to rise above 10 and remain and whilst we were all really over 2020, we’re definitely really over January 2021.

That said, I’ve kept cooking and revisiting ingredients. I’ve added some orzo here which is a nice way to use it as I generally find its a bit of an odd ball of the pasta world. A bit like a risotto rice soul trapped in a pasta body!! But here, like rice, it gives a nice indulgence, substinance and texture! You can easily substitute in some butter beans, potatoes or rice, just adjust the liquid quantities accordingly.

Note: I like to remove the bone from my chicken thighs as they cook quicker and are easier for you and your guest to eat but its not a must! You can do this by using a pair of kitchen scissors if you chose to easily – you don’t need to buy them deboned. I’d prioritise buying thighs with skin on, than already deboned. I often find the deboned ones are skinless – gahh!

Serves 4

  • 8 chicken thighs, skin on (deboned easily using a pair of kitchen scissors – optional)
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 sprig rosemary, chopped finely
  • 1 Sprig thyme, leaves picked
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Handful olives – everyone has their favourite so up to you
  • 1 tbsp chopped capers
  • 1 tbsp balsamin vinegar
  • Large glass red wine (about 250ml)
  • 1 chicken stock cube, made up of 300ml boiling water
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
  • 300g orzo, washed first
  • Flat leaf parsley, finally chopped to garnish
  • 1 lemon, zest only, to garnish
  1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
  2. Heat a casserole pan over a high heat and add a splash of oil. Season the chicken and fry skin side down for about 5 minutes until beginning to turn crispy and golden. Flip it over to seal on the flesh side then set aside on a flat until needed.
  3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for a few minutes until soft and season. Add the chopped rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, olives and capers and stir.
  4. Turn up the heat and add the balsamic and let it bubble away. Add the red wine and cook out for a few minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and the stock and give everything a good mix.
  6. Add the washed orzo and stir well.
  7. Return the chicken thighs to the pan in one layer submerging the flesh but keeping the skin free from liquid if you want to get that crispy top.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
  9. Once ready remove from the oven, scatter over the chopped parsley and lemon zest and serve with some lightly buttered green beans!

 

Chorizo and Balsamic Lentils

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This weekend I journeyed home for a village pig feast that has been vigorously and unheathily circled in the diary for a while! I’ll explain. My home village where I grew up and spent my life can be imaged as a hybrid of the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ and ‘Hot Fuzz’ (without the killings I stress!) A Wiltshire village with a stereotypical local pub, glorious fields and the strong signature smell of manure tainting the air like the smell of perfume at the duty free! For the past few years we’ve shared the caring, feeding and more importantly eating, of two village pigs who we take in turns to feed and water only to butcher respectfully 6 months down the line and divide up the takings. From piglets to healthy happy curly tailed porkers the sausages and juicy joints of pork that have filled our freezer for a long while have been some of the best I’ve had. We’ve had some teathing issues along the way but nothing can beat the taste of happy wholesome and local meat. So this weekend we saved a giant leg to roast and feast on with all the team! It was delicious and I have nothing else to add.

However, after a rich and fatty roast with shards of caramel cracking, sweet and sharp apple sauce and lashings of wine (perhaps too many lashings?) I craved the fresh flavours of fish and vegetables. This little dish is so simple to knock out but so tasty and pleasing in many ways.

Serves 2

  • 2 seabass fillets, seasoned
  • 4oz Puy lentils
  • 100g chorizo
  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped
  • Bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Vegetables to serve
  1. Simmer the Puy lentils for about 15 minutes until soft and tender but with a slight bite (don’t let them get mushy). Drain and keep warm.
  2. Chop the chorizo into hearty chunks and fry in a medium hot pan until they begin to release their scarlet oils. Add in the garlic and fry for a few more minutes but don’t burn so keep an eye out.
  3. Turn up the heat a little and add the vinegar (and stick on the extractor fan as it will be pungent!). Simmer the vinegar until thickened and syrupy.
  4. Add this chorizo mix with the oily balsamic juices to the lentils. Grate in the zest of the lemon and add the herbs and season. Set aside and keep warm.
  5. Fry the seabass fillets, lightly seasoned, in a tsp of hot oil for a matter of 2-3 minutes on the skin side until crisp turning for the last 30 seconds to finish off.
  6. Serve the lentils topped with the seabass and some freshly steamed and buttery asparagus or green beans.

Orzo and Crab

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Orzo and Crab

 

I am really not a pasta fan. I rarely eat the stuff. However, I’ve been intrigued to try these little rice-like orzo for a while now. So tonight was the night. Fried with some potted crab, mixed with some fresh lemon which was delicious and as welcome as a priest at a wedding here, scattered with fresh herbs like confetti on a bride. Please excuse the wedding metaphors. The Great British Bake Off final has just finished and the ultimate challenge was wedding cakes….

I served mine with some crispy fried seabass fillets, one of my favourites of the fish world, and some wilted spinach and peas for freshness. See what you think.

Serves 2

  • 160g orzo pasta
  • Up to 60g potted crab in spices (I used the 57g pot of ‘Seafood & Eat It’ potted crab) Or use fresh crab- even better!
  • Large handful parsley, chopped finely
  • Large handful chives, chopped finely
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 2 seabass fillets
  1. Boil the pasta in salted water for about 7 minutes until cooked.
  2. While cooking, fry the crab in a little hot oil for a few minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving a splash of the cooking water, and while still loose and warm, add to the frying crab and stir to combine.
  3. Add a splash of the cooking water if dry.
  4. Add the herbs, the lemon zest, seasoning and the juice of the lemon.

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image5.  Keep warm while you fry the fish. Season the fillets and score the skin to stop it from curling in the pan.

6. Fry in a little hot oil for about 3 minutes, skin side down until mostly cooked. Finish on the other side for a final few minutes. Add a knob of butter to the pan and let brown while basting the fish. Serve on top of the orzo with some wilted spinach and peas.

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