The FIFA World Cup, 2010 (South Africa) - Special Food Feature Coming Soon!

The FIFA World Cup is the most eagerly anticipated sporting event on Planet Earth. The finals of the tournament take place once every four years, following an approximate two-year qualifying campaign, and last for one calendar month. Thirty-two nations from around the planet, all hoping for the glory of scooping the greatest sporting prize of all, the FIFA World Cup.

So what has the FIFA World Cup got to do with what any of us may intend having for dinner tonight, or indeed any night during the course of the tournament? Won't most people simply sit in front of their TV with some microwaved meal or some takeaway fast food? No doubt many will, but hopefully - with the indispensable assistance of some other food enthusiasts from around the world - I can encourage many of you to make a little bit of extra effort this time around and add a whole new dimension to your enjoyment of the FIFA World Cup.

In simple terms, what I intend to do - for the duration of the tournament - is feature a whole host of dinner suggestions from around the world, representative of one of the countries which happen to be playing a match that particular day. As World Cup tradition dictates that the first match of the tournament always features the host nation playing another country who happen to have been drawn in their group, Friday, 11th June, will feature something representative of South Africa. That was always my intention from the outset.

With regard to Saturday, 12th June, I initially appeared to have hit my first major snag. I am aware that the vast majority of readers of this blog are in either the UK or the USA. Although the UK does not compete as one team in the World Cup, England are featured and not only were England and the USA drawn in the same group (one in eight chance!) but they both play their first match on the same day...against each other! "Which to feature?" was my first thought...

Inspiration fortunately saved me in due course: why not feature both? Particularly as the day in question is a Saturday and a majority of people will have more free time than on a weekday, why not ask an American chef/cook to go up against an English chef/cook in advance of the match itself? Two very different dinner suggestions on the same day: two for the price of one! More details on that one to follow very soon...

I will update in advance on the blog which countries you can find represented on each day, throughout the tournament, as and when I can. I very much hope that whatever happens on the pitches around South Africa, the culinary diversities which we can and will explore here can be appreciated by all who view them.

As for the World Cup itself? At the time of writing, UK Bookmakers, Ladbrokes, make Spain the pre-tournament favourites, followed by Brazil, England, Argentina and Germany, in that order. Interestingly in this respect, no European team has ever won the World Cup when it has been hosted outwith the continent of Europe. Time will of course tell whether that is about to change...

Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Bacon with Garlic Mushrooms

Chicken is unquestionably a very versatile cooking ingredient. We can cook it in so many different ways and so many incredibly simple and healthy chicken recipes are also incredibly delicious. This easy recipe simply involves baking the chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and serving them with some equally simply prepared garlic mushrooms, on a bed of fresh rocket leaves.

Ingredients (Per person)

1 chicken breast fillet
2 slices of unsmoked bacon
8 small button mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp of dried sage
1 tbsp olive oil
Generous handful of fresh rocket leaves

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas mark 6. Place a large sheet of aluminium foil on a baking tray. Wrap the bacon slices carefully around the chicken breasts, encasing them as much as possible and then lay them on the foil. Fold the foil to form a loose but sealed parcel.

Place the tray in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked by sticking it with a fork or skewer and ensuring the juices run clear. Leave to rest while you prepare the mushrooms.

Gently heat the olive oil in a non-stick saucepan and add the garlic and the sage. After about a minute, add the mushrooms and stir well for a couple of minutes with a wooden spoon to evenly heat them through.

Add the rocket to each plate, sit the wrapped chicken breasts on top and surround with the mushrooms. I promise you that this will provide a very tasty dinner tonight or any night.

Roast Chicken Legs with Coriander Mash and Garlic Mushrooms

I love roast chicken but so often it is prepared ins such a way as to be incredibly unhealthy. This recipe is not only healthy but extremely simple, meaning that if you fancy having it for dinner tonight, there is not a lot of preparation time or work involved.

Ingredients (Per person)

3 raw chicken legs (skin on)
2 large maris piper potatoes (peeled and chopped)
2 tsp of freshly chopped coriander leaves (cilantro in US)
3 small closed cup mushrooms (halved downwards)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed or very finely chopped)
Pinch of dried sage
Salt
Knob of butter
Olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven and a metal baking tray or sheet to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Add a little olive oil to a large bowl or basin and season with salt. Add the chicken legs and stir well to ensure even coating in the oil. Place the chicken legs on the hot baking sheet and in to the oven for 35/40 minutes, turning half way through the alloted time. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest/cool.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 25/30 minutes or until soft. Drain well, add the knob of butter and the coriander leaf and stir thoroughly.

Heat a little olive oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic, mushrooms and pinch of sage. Stir for a couple of minutes until heated through then plate up, serve and enjoy your meal.

N.B. If you are unable to obtain the Huntigout, three-legged breed of chicken common only to Scotland, two or four legged varieties may of course be used instead.

Spicy Turkey Breast Steak, Baby New Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

It is incredible that although turkey is by no means a great favourite of mine, two of the first five recipes included on this blog feature turkey! My local Morrison's supermarket selling turkey at such fantastic prices at the moment can be blamed for this scenario. This recipe, which was quite literally concocted in the supermarket aisle earlier on this evening, is incredibly simple but also incredibly tasty.

Ingredients (Per Person)

1 turkey breast steak fillet (1/2" thick)
5 or 6 baby new potatoes
5 or 6 brussels sprouts
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
Generous pinch of dried dill
Knob of butter
Salt
Sunflower oil for frying turkey steak

Method

Put the potatoes on whole and unpeeled to boil in some salted boiling water. They will take thirty to thirty-five minutes depending upon their size.

While the potatoes are boiling, mix the dried spices together and spread them out on a plate. Gently dab the turkey breast steak in the spices, ensuring it is evenly coated with same on both sides. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the brussels sprout by chopping off the bottom and removing the loose outer leaves. Do not cut a cross in the base of the sprouts as this will cause them to partially disintegrate during cooking.

When the potatoes are ready, drain them well and put them back in to the pan with a knob of butter and the dried dill leaves. Swirl them gently around, cover and keep warm.

Put the sprouts on to boil in lightly salted boiling water. They should take around twelve to fifteen minutes, depending on their size. It is important not to overcook sprouts as they will become mushy, lose their flavour and lose most of their nutritional value.

Add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan or skillet and bring it up to a medium heat. Fry the spiced turkey breast steak for five minutes each side until cooked.

It is then simply a matter of draining the sprouts and plating up.

Diced Turkey and Vegetable Stir Fry

Normally when we are making a stir fry incorporating poultry we will do so using chicken or perhaps even duck. This recipe actually was born when I was wondering around my local supermarket one night, simply checking what was available and seeking inspiration. I spotted diced turkey thigh on special offer and thought to myself, "What if...?"

A lot of recipes come to me in this fashion so all I subsequently had to do was visit the vegetable aisle and see what caught my eye to accompany the diced turkey in my stir fry. I hope very much that you like the sound and the look of what I came up with and that you will try this incredibly quick and simple dish for yourself.

I promise you: it tastes even better than it sounds or looks!

Ingredients

1/2lb diced turkey thigh
1 red bell pepper (de-seeded and roughly chopped)
2 large closed cup mushrooms (quartered)
2 handfuls of beansprouts
2 cloves of garlic (very finely chopped)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sunflower oil for stir frying

Method

Ensure that all your ingredients are prepared as described above and close at hand. When you begin cooking, you will not have time to chop or even fetch any of the items listed.

Put your wok on the highest heat possible until it is smoking hot. Add approximately one tablespoon of sunflower oil and bring up to a maximum heat.

Add the diced turkey and stir fry for a minute or two until it is completely sealed before adding the bell pepper. After another thirty seconds or so, add the mushrooms, the garlic and the beansprouts. Stir fry for about another minute until everything is cooked and heated through.

Season to taste and serve either as is or perhaps on a bed of basmati rice.