/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 2 Comments

Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur

It’s around this time of year I start having a re-occuring daydream.

It has a beach and a book in it.

And not much else.

Actually, there’s a box of mangoes, lots of coffee and cheese.

Okay, so my boys can be in the day dream too. All 4 of them. Just quietly playing in the sand nearby and frolicking happily in the water.

Can you picture it?

Yep…..I am running out of steam. With a month of the school year left, like most families I know, we are limping to the finish line.

Mornings are getting harder. Lots of cranky tiredness going on. And that’s just the parents 🙂

Evenings, well.. let’s just leave that well alone. Set tables and nutritionally balanced meal plans are slowly being replaced with “Who wants a toasted cheese sandwich with a side of carrot?”

We are all slowing down and dreaming of long days of nothing…after we get through Christmas of course!

Oh Christmas! That’s a WHOLE other conversation. I love you so much and yet…(if you want to read a conversation I had with myself about Christmas, click here.)

This slowing down and ‘slightly losing it’ feeling comes at this time every year.

In this house, we are all in need of BUCKET LOADS of GRACE and PATIENCE for each other and ourselves.

I am great at telling my kids to go easy on themselves and each other and to accept that they are tired as the end of year approaches. A bit of compassion and graciousness can go a long way in taking the edge off an over-tired and over-stretched family.

I am not however, as good at preaching that to myself as I try and keep the balls in the air for myself and those around me.

A familiar tale for lots of mums I think.

This brings me to my confession.

Feeling a little full and worn out recently, I found myself sitting outside my gym, first thing in the morning, ready for my work out. My normal routine a few mornings a week for the last few years.

Except this day I didn’t get out of the car. I just sat there.

And then I drove to the movies. And bought one ticket to a movie at 10AM on a school day.

Who does that?

I sat in the empty theatre, in my gym gear, and got lost in BURNT, the current foodie/chef movie starring Bradley Cooper. I loved it.

Feeling guilty, I confessed all to the stranger in the ticket line in front of me. A lovely older lady, with kindness in her eyes, said “I have raised 3 boys. You know the boys and your home, and everything else will be there, when you get back from the movie. Right now, enjoy a quiet moment to yourself.”

I could have hugged that woman.

So I got lost in the story for 2 hours and then I went home and got straight back into ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.

Yep, just like the older, wiser woman had said, it was all still there.

This recipe came about on a day when I had defrosted chicken thigh fillets for another, more fancy purpose, before LIFE got in the way.

I found myself throwing the chicken in the slow cooker with all of the above ingredients and much to my families joy, it tasted pretty good.

As I was eating it that night, the flavour reminded me of a yummy Chicken Chasseur Pie I used to buy a long time ago when I worked in the city.

Chassuer, is a french word that refers to any type of game meat being cooked with tomatoes and white wine, and often mushrooms and other herbs. When you make this for your family or for friends, you can explain this meaning to them, as you pronounce it with your best french accent. I am sure they will be very impressed indeed!

Another french cooking word to add to your vocabulary, is a bouquet-garni. Meaning ‘garnished-bouquet’, it is a bundle of herbs and often a bay leaf tied together with kitchen string and placed in soups or stews or casseroles to flavour the dish. You can either make your own if you have herbs in your garden, or you can buy them already made in packets in the supermarket.

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Slow Cooked Chicken Chasseur

Created by on November 2, 2015

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 4h
  • Total Time: 4h 10m

Ingredients

  • 1 kilogram chicken thigh fillets, halved
  • 450 grams tin diced tomates
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup button mushrooms, washed and chopped
  • 1 red capsicum, de-seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 bouquet garni (a bay leaf, some thyme and rosemary sprigs tied together with kitchen string)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • chopped fresh parsley to serve
  • a mixture of green vegetables to serve
  • loaf of sourdough bread to serve

Method

  1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours, removing the lid towards the end of cooking time to thicken the sauce slightly.
  2. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with steamed green vegetables and a loaf of sourdough bread.
Source: cook fast eat slow

 

/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 3 Comments

The Very Muddy Mud Cake

It was probably 1997 when I first came across this recipe, while I was studying in the library of my university.  I remember scrawling it on a piece of scrap paper… the only problem is, I didn’t take down the source.

Little did I know this would become the one and only mud cake I would bake from then on.

It was the cake I made for our engagement party, many years ago now. It looked so pretty, 2 tiered and decorated with crystallised pansies from my parents garden.

It has been many birthday cakes, a few wedding cakes and ‘just because’ cakes over the years since.

The best bit of baking

This cake, that rivals any mud cake you will buy, is made entirely in a saucepan, with a spoon and a whisk.

Anyone can make this cake, but I would stress two important things – don’t skimp on the 20ml of whisky or brandy. It really does bring a ‘depth of flavour’ that it needs. If you don’t have that at home, or can’t get your hands on a tiny bottle for cooking with, use 20ml of an espresso shot instead.

And the most important thing of all for a cake like this is please use GOOD quality dark chocolate. This is not a time for No Name
Compound Chocolate (I would actually argue there is never a time for compound chocolate, but that’s for a whole other blog post!)

Trust me, you can tell the difference.

So, keep your eye out for the next chocolate block sale, and pop some in the pantry to give this cake a go.

You’ll thank me later.

The Ganache recipe I use for this cake is a Donna Hay recipe, from her Chocolate cookbook.

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The Very Muddy Mud Cake

Created by on November 4, 2015

  • Prep Time: 25m
  • Cook Time: 45m
  • Total Time: 1h 10m

Ingredients

  • 250 grams unsalted butter
  • 250 grams good quality dark chocolate, chopped
  • 3/4 cup castor sugar
  • 20 milliliters brandy or whisky
  • 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Chocolate Ganache
  • 1 1/2 cups pouring cream
  • 340 grams good quality dark chocolate

Method

  1. Melt butter over a medium heat in a medium sized saucepan.
  2. Add chopped chocolate, sugar, whisky and 1 1/2 cups water.
  3. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and sugar has dissolved.
  4. Add flour and cocoa into warm chocolate mixture.
  5. Add eggs and vanilla, and using a hand balloon whisk, whisk until combined. It will be thick and glossy.
  6. Pour mixture into a greased and lined 20cm round cake tin.
  7. Bake at 150 degrees celsius for 45 minutes. The cake may crack slightly on top, that's okay. When you press lightly on the top the cake it should spring back a little and feel firm. You want it to be cooked but still have moist crumbs clinging to a cake tester. If you need to cook it a little longer, cover it with foil and keep checking every 5-10 minutes.
  8. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
  9. When it's completely cold, either dust with icing sugar or top with a Chocolate Gananche.
  10. For the Chocolate Ganache, heat the cream in a saucepan over low to medium heat and bring to the boil.
  11. Remove from the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate.
  12. Leave to sit for a minute, then stir until the chocolate has melted and it's glossy and smooth.
  13. Set aside to cool at room temperature, where it will thicken and turn from a pourable consistency to a spreadable one. If you are pressed for time, you can put it in the fridge, but just check on it, as it will go hard if you leave it in the fridge too long.
  14. When it's the desired consistency, using a palette knife, spread the ganache evenly all over the cake.
  15. This cake freezes really well, and will also last for a week in an airtight container in the fridge. As with most chocolate cakes, it's best eaten at room temperature, or if it's a few days old, reheat each slice in the microwave slightly before serving.
Source: cook fast eat slow
/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com Leave a comment

Lentil Bolognese (vegetarian)

I had put off trying this recipe for a long time, unsure as to how my boys would respond.

You know what it’s like, weary mums….. sometimes you have the energy to try a new meal and you’re all ready and armed for the dinner battle and other times, it’s all you can do to plate up what you know will be eaten without a fuss.

In one of my tried and tested strategies, I served this dish differently the first time I made it for the family, which is a while back now.

I put the whole thing in one big bowl with serving spoons and brought it to the table. Everyone got to help themselves and then we played ‘guess the mystery ingredient’ as I got them to taste and try the lentils.

It actually worked this time, and this meal has gone on to become a regular in our house and all of our boys eat it.

We all love meat in our house, but it’s very good for us to have meat-free meals a few nights of the week. It’s good for our health as well as for the budget.

So a few quick facts about the star ingredient… LENTILS:

  • Lentils are part of the Legume family, (which includes other foods like black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, peanuts and butter beans.)
  • Lentils are an awesome source of PROTEIN – they have the highest level of protein, by weight, of any plant-based food. This makes them a great food for vegetarians.
  • They are great source of folate, iron, magnesium, and B Vitamins.
  • They are a ‘slow-burning complex carbohydrate’, which gives you energy over a long period, without causing a massive spike in your blood sugar levels. These are GOOD CARBS.
  • They are super cheap – I used an 80c can of lentils for this recipe that served a family of 5.
  • They are quick and easy to prepare and use.

This recipe is from Delicious magazine, October 2013.

Lentil Bolognese (vegetarian)

Created by on November 2, 2015

  • Prep Time: 5m
  • Cook Time: 15m
  • Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

  • 500 grams wholemeal spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion or leek, finely chopped (white part of leek only, wash before chopping)
  • 1 celery stalk, washed and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 700ml jar of tomato Passata (tomato cooking sauce)
  • 250 grams punnet cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
  • 400 grams can lentils, rinsed and drained
  • shaved parmesan and basil leaves to serve

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and add onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened.
  3. Add passata and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer.
  4. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add lentils and stir, and cook for another minute.
  6. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl topped with the sauce.
  7. Season with salt and pepper and serve with parmesan and chopped Basil leaves.
Source: cook fast eat slow
/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com Leave a comment

Warm Beef Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

If you’re a little bored with ‘meat and 3 veg’, then shake things up a bit by layering your veggies and meat on a plate, drizzling it with a dressing and calling it a salad!

Warm Beef Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Created by on October 27, 2015

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 20m
  • Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

  • 500 grams rump steak
  • 1 medium size sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin rounds
  • 1 bunch broccolini, cut in half
  • 50 grams goats cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted
  • 2 large handfuls green beans, topped and tailed
  • 1 handful snow peas, de-stringed
  • Creamy Balsamic Dressing
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 heaped teaspoon tahini paste
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a jar with a lid. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
  3. Place sweet potato rounds on a baking tray, lightly spray with olive oil spray (or use a small amount of oil to coat), sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20 mins or until soft and slightly golden. Set aside.
  4. While the sweet potato is roasting, steam the green vegetables lightly, in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Set aside.
  5. Brush each side of the rump steak with olive oil and season with pepper.
  6. Heat a non stick pan over a medium to high heat and add the piece of steak. When you see blood start to rise to the surface, turn the steak over. Cook for a few minutes on the other side or until cooked to your liking and then remove from the pan. Place on a plate, and cover with foil to allow to rest.
  7. Assemble together all the ingredients, layering the green vegetables on a plate, followed by the sweet potato.
  8. Thinly slice the steak and place on top of the vegetables.
  9. Sprinkle with goats cheese and pepitas and drizzle over the dressing.
Source: cook fast eat slow
/ emma@cookfasteatslow.com 1 Comment

Homemade Chicken Burgers

The storm had just started as I was busy trying to finish and serve dinner.

Our 4 yr old hates storms, so as he was getting more and more upset, I was frantically trying to come up with some helpful and calming words for him.

As each new bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the big boys ran to the window with excitement, our little man’s screams would just go up a notch.

“Sshhh….it’s okay… you don’t need to scream…” as I am trying not to burn the burger patties in the frying pan and I am signalling to another child to start setting the table, while my little boy is wrapped around my legs.

“Um..just picture Lightning McQueen up in the clouds….he’s.. um.. trying to race… um….Mater and (insert sound of thunder here) LOOK…that’s just them having a BIG CRASH… but.. um… everyone’s really okay…shhh…. it’s okay… please stop screaming”

Then it’s my turn…”Can someone PLEASE set the table, dinner’s almost ready!” I yell.

I do sometimes wonder if I walked calmly around the house at this point, quietly gesturing for people to come to the table, if they in fact, would actually come? Let me know if this works for you in your house…

Probably more than I should, after a few quieter mutterings, I usually end up yelling something like “If you don’t come to the table NOW, you can’t touch your iPad for a MONTH.” That usually gets people there pretty quick.

Anyway, back to the storm.

Thanks to the quick-thinking of my eldest, he put some music on, hoping to calm our little man down.

He chose UPTOWN FUNK…not quite the calming, background dinner music I had in mind, but it worked.

Our little man started his moves and singing along….”UPTOWN FUNKY DUCK, UPTOWN FUNKY DUCK” he yelled over and over again.

At this point, I am placing things on the STILL UNSET TABLE (to which I decided to let go)… Who needs a set table when eating burgers anyway?

“I know, let’s have a DANCE competition. Everyone gets to choose one song and dance, and mum can score us out of 10” suggested one of my sons.

“How about we eat our dinner?” I suggest

To say spirits were a little high and there was lots of energy buzzing in our house that night, is an understatement. I quickly realised no-one was going to sit down and eat anytime soon, so embracing the ‘fun mum’ somewhere inside of me (she’s often not around at 6pm on a weeknight) I agreed to said Dance Competition.

Everything from here on in went well…until it didn’t.

The dance floor kept getting crashed by the now over-tired and over-excited 4 year old. Everyone wanted one more turn when their song ended and no-one was happy, when I declared all their scores were the same – 8.5 out of 10! I am all for fairness…..

The burgers were cold, but still tasted great. The highlight of actually eating dinner was reminding one of my children that we don’t use our whole hand and fingers to get the rest of the BBQ sauce out of the container, but maybe we try using a spoon or knife instead?

After cleaning up said sauce, breaking up another fight over a rumbling incident and heading back to the kitchen to realise I still had more burger patties to cook, I stood at the kitchen sink and looked out at the stormy sky.

‘Try and find the beauty, joy and adventure right where you are,’ were words I had read earlier that day.

Oh boy…I am trying.

Slowly the kitchen was cleaned and I started getting the kids ready for bed.

I was a little frazzled, but it had actually been quite a fun night, I thought to myself as I headed to our little man’s room to tuck him into bed.

And all over his floor and in his bed were hundreds of little beads…..from who knows where… and I just started to laugh.

You know that laugh? The slightly-crazy-person, could start-crying at any minute laugh?

Beauty, Joy and Adventure… right where I am…..

Back to the Burgers….one thing I do when I clean out my freezer and find leftovers of loaves of bread, crusts or the ends of breadsticks, I pop the lot in my food processor and make a big batch of fresh breadcrumbs.

I pop the breadcrumbs into smaller portions in snack size freezer bags and freeze them for a day like this when I want to quickly make some burgers or another day when I want to make some meatballs. It’s a great way of using up leftover bread you otherwise might have thrown away.

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The only limit to how you eat your burger is your imagination…so knock yourself out! This was our family edition – with un-toasted soft white buns and all! If I had my way, it may have had a few more fancy trimmings….but that being said, it tasted pretty good  just like this.

Homemade Chicken Burgers

Created by on October 21, 2015

  • Prep Time: 10m
  • Cook Time: 10m
  • Total Time: 20m
  • Serves: 5
  • Yield: 8-10 small patties or 5 large ones
  • Category:

Ingredients

  • 500 grams chicken mince
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, mint and chives

Method

  1. Place all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly until well combined.
  2. Using your hands, form into the size patties you want to cook.
  3. If you have time, let them sit, covered in the fridge for up to half an hour - this just helps them bind well together.
  4. Heat olive oil in large non stick pan over medium heat and cook the patties on both sides, until golden and cooked through.
  5. Drain on paper towel while assembling your other ingredients.
  6. Serve on hamburger buns or bread of your choice with any fillings you like! We used lettuce, tomato, beetroot, store-bought beetroot relish, cheese, cucumber and pineapple. Avocado, hummus, Aioli (garlic mayonnaise) all work beautifully as toppings.
  7. These patties also taste great on their own with salad, if you want a carb-free meal.
Source: cook fast eat slow