Quick and Easy Kangaroo Chilli

Kangaroo chilli with rice

Kangaroo is perhaps not something many people would associate with chilli - or as an item to appear on the dinner table. As the world has opened up, however, due to improved transport and the sharing of foodstuffs and ideas, many more ingredients are available to us that we may never have had access to or considered before. This recipe came from a series of kangaroo recipes I prepared a few years back for an article - the online publisher of which has since ceased operating - and I hope it is something you will try. The kangaroo used in this recipe was bought in a High Street supermarket but the meat is widely available online if you have no local stockist.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ready in: 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Kangaroo leg meat

Ingredients

• 8 ounce (220g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 8 ounce (220g) can red kidney beans in water
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 medium size and strength red chilli
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 ounce (110g) kangaroo leg steak
• 3 ounces (75g) basmati or long grain rice
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro), plus a little extra to garnish
• 2 teaspoons grated cheddar cheese
• 3 central slices form large green chilli to garnish

Method

Put the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and the pan on to a medium to high heat. Shake the pan extremely regularly to toast the seeds without burning them. You will smell them cooking after a minute or so and this is when they are done. Grind until smooth with a pestle and mortar, or in an electric spice grinder if you prefer.

Sauteing onion and spices

Pour 2 tablespoons only of the oil into a saucepan and bring it up to a medium heat. The half peeled onion should be finely sliced, the garlic clove should be peeled and either finely sliced or diced and seeding the chilli before it is finely chopped is optional. Add the lot to the hot oil, along with the ground cumin seeds, and saute until the onion is just softened, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.

Canned tomatoes are added to spiced onion mix

Pour the tomatoes into the pan and stir well and season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat until the combination starts to simmer. Adjust the heat to achieve a gentle but steady simmer.

Red kidney beans are added to spicy tomatoes

Tip the canned kidney beans into a colander in your sink and rinse well under running cold water before adding tot eh spicy tomato mix. Stir well and continue to simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the beans are added to the chilli, wash the rice through a sieve under running cold water and add to a pot of boiling, salted water to simmer for 10 minutes (or as directed on the pack).

Chopping kangaroo leg meat

When the rice is on to cook, chop the kangaroo meat with a cleaver or large chef's knife to around the texture of coarsely minced/ground beef.

Kangaroo meat is browned in hot oil

Pour the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil into a frying pan and bring it up to  medium to high heat. Quickly brown the chopped kangaroo meat in the hot oil before removing from the pan with a slotted spoon and stirring it into the simmering sauce. Be sure to drain off as much of the oil as possible before it is added to the sauce.

Stir the teaspoon of coriander into the chilli a couple of minutes before the cooking time is up.

Kangaroo chilli is spooned on to bed of rice

Drain the rice through a sieve and allow it to steam off and dry out for a couple of minutes before arranging in the base of a deep plate in the form of a bed for the chilli. Carefully taste the chilli and adjust the seasoning if required before spooning on to the rice and garnishing with the remaining chopped coriander.

Grated cheese is arranged on chilli

Carefully spoon the cheese onto the centre of the chilli and finish with the 3 chilli slices.

Mushroom Stuffed Calamari in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed calamari with tomato sauce

I've never really been in the habit of publishing starter/appetizer recipes on this blog but I am very much making an exception for this tantalizing and incredibly tasty little creation. I devised and first published this recipe around 15 years ago and managed to salvage it from the site on which it first appeared before that site went out of business. This dish could also be made in larger portions to serve as a main course, perhaps with additional accompaniments such as broccoli.

Ingredients

• 2 cleaned and prepared calamari squid mantles, wings and tentacles*
• 14 ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 closed cup mushrooms
• Butter for frying
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

 *Please note that you can find simple but detailed cleaning and preparation instructions for the calamari in my Dab a la Meunier with Calamari Rings post on my fish and seafood blog.

Method

Put 2 (unmedicated!) wooden toothpicks or cocktail sticks into a small bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to let them soften.

Pour the tomatoes into a small saucepan, season with salt and pepper and put the pan onto a medium heat until the tomatoes start to simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain as gentle as simmer as possible for 10 to 15 minutes, until a lush sauce is effectively formed. Be sure to stir frequently with a wooden spoon.

Calamari wings and tentacles are fried in butter

Melt a little butter in a frying pan and stir fry the calamari wings and tentacles for a couple of minutes. Remove to a holding palate and leave for a few minutes until cool.

Sauteing mushrooms and garlic in butter

Finely dice the mushrooms and peeled garlic clove. Melt a little more butter in your pan and stir fry the mushrooms and garlic for a couple of minutes before finely chopping the calamari wings and tentacles and adding to the pan. Stir well, turn off the heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Stuffed calamari

Very carefully, use the cooled stuffing mix to almost but not quite fill the calamari mantles (bodies). This can either be done with a teaspoon or by hand but be very gentle and do not overfill the cavities. You don't want them to burst during cooking. Use a toothpick/cocktail stick to seal each package as shown in the image above before sitting them gently in the simmering tomato sauce and covering the pan to simmer for 5 minutes.

Lift the calamari from the sauce with a slotted spoon to a small plate or saucer and carefully twist and gently pull the sticks to remove. plate the sauce in a deep serving plate before sitting the calamari on top and garnishing with the chopped parsley to serve.

Tuna Shish Kebabs with Sweet Potato Fritters

Tuna shish kebabs with sweet potato fritters

Well, it's been a while! Life has taken a number of unexpected twists and turns for me over the past few years (some good/some bad) and I have had to focus my attentions on matters other than this long established project. I'm pleased to say that now I have managed to organise my life to an extent that I can revisit this blog on a regular basis and hopefully once again share with you tasty, healthy and moderately straightforward recipe ideas that you may wish to try for dinner tonight or any night. So let's take up where we left off a while back with this ultra tasty and healthy idea for tuna loin shish kebabs.

A shish kebab by definition is quite simply cubed bits of meat, threaded on to a skewer and cooked by grilling. While the meat from this originally Mediterranean dish would most often be lamb, goat, or perhaps even beef, there is nothing to stop us using moderately firm fleshed fish such as tuna.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 20 min

Yields: 1 large or 2 medium servings

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons plain (all purpose) flour
• 4 ounce (110g) tuna loin fillet, chopped into 8 equal sized chunks
• 1/2 courgette (zucchini), seeded and chopped to 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped to 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
• Vegetable oil for deep frying and oiling kebabs
• 2 tablespoons soured cream
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
• 1 teaspoon chopped chives

  

Preparing sweet potato fritters batter

Method

Put 2 wooden skewers into a basin of cold water to soak for 10 minutes. This will prevent them burning during grilling.

When you are grating the sweet potato, do so into the centre of a clean tea towel or similar. Gather up the edges of the tea towel and squeeze hard over your sink to remove as much of the liquid from the sweet potato as possible. This is essential - do not ignore this step or your fritters will not come together properly.

Put the sweet potato into a large bowl. Add the beaten egg, coriander and flour. Season with salt and pepper and stir very well until a thick batter is formed.

Fill a deep frying pan with oil to a depth of about 2 inches (5cm) and bring it up to a medium to high heat. You could use a deep fryer if desired. The oil is hot enough when a little water splashed into it it spits noisily.

Put your kitchen grill (broiler) on to preheat to its highest setting.

Starting to fry sweet potato fritters

Use one or two dessert spoons to quenelle the sweet potato batter before carefully depositing in the hot oil. This much batter should make around 5 or 6 fritters. Adjust the heat under the pan if necessary to maintain a steady fry and turn the fritters carefully ever minute or so.

Tuna shish kebabs ready for grilling

As soon as the fritters are on to cook, thread the tuna chunks, courgette and bell pepper alternately on to the soaked wooden skewers. Lay them on some lightly oiled foil on a grilling tray and use a pastry brush to oil the tops of the kebabs. Grill for 3 minutes each side until done. Be very careful not to overcook the tuna!

Pour the soured cream into a small bowl. Add the grated garlic and most of the chives, reserving some of the chives to garnish. Stir well and transfer to a small ramekin for serving.

Draining sweet potato fritters

Lift the sweet potato fritters from the hot oil to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain while you remove the kebabs to your serving plate.

Tuna shish kebabs with sweet potato fritters and dip

A fork is best used to slide the tuna and vegetables from the skewers. Plate the potato fritters and dip, garnishing the dip with the last of the chives at the last minute.

Scottish Tattie (Potato) Scone BLT's

Scottish tattie scone BLT's

When you consider just how popular the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich actually is around the world, it becomes almost incredible to think that it is nearly always prepared and served up almost exactly the same way. A couple of leaves of (often limp) lettuce, topped with bacon and a couple of slices of tomato, all contained in a burger bun or similar bread roll. This is a great shame, as like so many other simple food concepts, it is very easy to vary it in an almost infinite number of ways to make it all the more exciting and tasty, while still remaining absolutely true to the core concept. This simple but delectable creation adds a Scottish tattie (potato) scone to the basic ingredients list, as well as introducing a spicy little twist to the preparation of the lettuce component. If you can't get (or make!) tattie scones, Irish potato farls are very similar.

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ready in: 15 min
Yields: 2 BLT's

Ingredients

4 British back bacon rashers (or 6 to 8 strips American bacon)
Vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
2 teaspoons tomato ketchup
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder
Salt and black pepper
4 medium green lettuce leaves
1/4 small white onion
2 tattie scones
2 soft bread rolls
1 medium tomato
2 or 3 large basil leaves

Frying bacon rashers

Directions

Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in to a large, non-stick frying pan and put the bacon on to fry for a couple of minutes or so each side over a medium heat until cooked as you like it.

Preparing spicy sauce for lettuce and onion

When the bacon is in the pan, combine the yoghurt, ketchup, chilli powder, mint and some salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Make sure it is well mixed together.

Lettuce and onion are added to spicy sauce

Wash the lettuce leaves, shake dry, roll and shred. Moderately finely dice the peeled onion quarter. Add the lettuce and onion to the spicy sauce and gently stir fold it through to ensure even coating.

Put your kitchen grill (broiler) on to preheat to its highest setting.

Frying tattie scones

When the bacon is ready, lift it to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain and fry the tattie scones for a minute each side in the same pan in the bacon fat.

Cut the rolls open and toast lightly on the cut sides under the grill/broiler.

Wash the tomato, dry and finely slice.

Spicy lettuce and onion is spooned on to roll bases

Lay the roll halves on a plate, cut sides up. Put a generous spoonful of the spicy lettuce and onion mix on the bottom half of each roll (you probably won't need the whole lot but it will keep in the fridge for a few hours).

Tattie scones are laid on spicy lettuce and onion

Take the tattie scones from the frying pan, lay them briefly on some kitchen paper to remove the excess grease and lay one on top of each lettuce bed.

Bacon rashers are laid on top of tattie scones

Place 2 bacon rashers carefully on top of each tattie scone.

Scottish tattie scone BLT's are closed over and ready to serve

Lay 2 or 3 slices of tomato on top of the bacon on each roll. Roll and shred the basil leaves before scattering over the tomato. Close the rolls over to serve.

This is but one of the endless ways in which it is possible to "spice up" the simple combination that is the BLT. Why not use your imagination to experiment a bit and see what variations on the theme you can come up with?

Easy Roast Chicken and Potatoes

Roast chicken, roast potatoes and broccoli

Recently, I shared on this blog details of an Indian rogan josh spatchcock chicken served with turmeric and red onion rice recipe. It was mentioned to me by someone that they loved the idea of preparing a chicken in this way but without the spicy influences. For this reason, today I'm sharing a simple, straightforward recipe for roasted spatchcock chicken served with potatoes roasted in the chicken juices.

Potatoes are parboiled prior to being roasted

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 2 hours 20 min

Ready in: 2 hours 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Baby new potatoes as required
• Salt
• 1 medium chicken
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil
  
• 1 medium head of broccoli 

 

Chicken is spatchcocked by removing the backbone

Directions

Wash the potatoes and cut them in half but leave them unpeeled. Put them in to a pot of cold, salted water and simmer for about 15 minutes until just partly cooked. Drain and set aside to steam off, dry out and cool down. Cover until required.

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Sit the chicken broad end down on a chopping board and carefully cut down either side of the backbone with a cleaver or very sharp and robust knife. Remove the bone and discard. Weigh the bird to establish cooking time of 20 minutes per pound and 20 minutes over.

Chicken fully prepared for oven roasting

Lightly oil a deep roasting tray. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on the flesh side and lay on the tray flesh side down. Season the top of the bird liberally with salt only and place the tray in to the oven for the allotted cooking period. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

Spatchcock roast chicken must be left to rest

Take the chicken from the oven (but don't turn the oven off) and pierce the thickest part of each thigh with a skewer to ensure the juices run clear. If not, cook for 10 more minutes before testing again. Carefully lift to a large plate, cover with foil and leave to rest.

Pour another 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil in to the hot tray and add the cooled potatoes. Turn them around carefully in the oil and roast for 20 minutes, stirring carefully again half way through.

Chop the broccoli in to even sized florets and add to a pot of simmering, salted water for 5 minutes.

Roast potatoes are drained on kitchen paper

Take the potatoes from the oven and lift to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain. Cut the legs from the chicken and slice off the breast fillets. Drain the broccoli and serve a leg portion and breast portion of the chicken along with half the potatoes and half the broccoli per person.

Rogan Josh Roast Chicken with Rice

Rogan josh roast chicken with spicy turmeric and onion rice

Roast chicken is a hugely popular dish worldwide and perhaps even the most favourite meal of millions. While simplicity is often the best option in cooking, it is possible to spice up the simple roast chicken in many different ways to give it a little edge or even a twist of variety. This is one such method which sees the spatchcocked chicken liberally coated with rogan josh cooking sauce before it is roasted to perfection in the oven and served with tasty turmeric and onion rice.

Prep time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time for chicken)
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes (approximately, depending upon size of chicken)
Ready in: 2 hours 45 minutes (plus marinating time for chicken)
Serves: 2 large portions with chicken leftovers

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken (4 to 5 pounds)
1 pound jar of rogan josh cooking sauce
Vegetable oil for greasing roasting tray
Salt
6 ounces brown rice (or as desired)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander leaf/cilantro
1/4 small red onion
Black pepper
 

Skin is firstly loosened on whole chicken

Instructions

Spoon 1/3 of the rogan josh cooking sauce in to a small bowl, cover and set aside for later use. Pour a little vegetable oil in to what will be your cooking tray and use some scrunched up kitchen paper to spread it around to create a thin film coating.

Make sure you know the weight of your chicken, weighing it if necessary. It is easiest if you loosen the skin on the chicken before you start the spatchcock process. Take your time doing this if you have never done it before as it is vitally important not to tear the skin. For this reason, make sure your fingernails are very well trimmed when undertaking this task. Simply start at the neck end of the breasts and carefully slide your flattened hand under the skin, gently easing it firstly free of the breasts then the upper thighs and legs. The skin should appear loose when you are finished but still largely and very much in place.

Backbone is cut from whole chicken

Sit the chicken upright on its beam end on a chopping board, breasts facing away from you. Take a Chinese cleaver or extremely robust and sharp chef's knife and cut down either side of the back bone (it is about an inch wide). Remove the backbone and discard, before opening up the chicken and laying it flat on your chopping board.

Rogan josh sauce is liberally spread over opened chicken cavity

Spoon half the remaining rogan josh sauce (1/3 of the jar) over the opened up chicken cavity area and smooth it over the entire surface. Wipe your hands and lift the chicken on to the roasting tray, breasts side up.

Rogan josh chicken is ready for oven roasting

Lift the skin at the neck end of the chicken and spoon in the remaining rogan josh sauce, using either a flat spoon or your hand again to gently and evenly ease it all the way back over the breasts, the upper thighs and as much of the legs as you can easily reach. Cover the chicken with some foil and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least a couple of hours (longer is better).

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6 and season the chicken skin all over with salt. This will help it to crisp up during cooking. When the oven is heated, cook the chicken for 20 minutes per pound and 20 minutes over.

Rogan josh roast chicken is removed from the oven

Take the chicken from the oven and stick a skewer in to the thickest part of the thigh. The juices should run clear, with no traces of blood. If not, cook for 15 more minutes and test again. If all is OK, set it aside for 30 minutes to rest.

Wash the rice through a sieve under running cold water. Bring a large pot of water, seasoned with plenty salt and the ground turmeric to a rolling boil. Add the rice, stir well and bring back to a modest simmer for 20 minutes (or per the pack instructions), stirring occasionally. Drain well at your sink through the sieve and leave for a few minutes to steam off and dry out.

Cut the leg portions from the chicken and cut each in half to separate the drumsticks from the thighs. Pop the wings free from the main body of the bird. Carefully slice the two breast fillets free from the body and set the carcass, wings and drumsticks aside for later picking/consumption, refrigerating when cool. Lay each breast fillet flat on the chopping board and slice across the way in to 3 or 4 pieces.

Pour the reserved rogan josh sauce in to a small saucepan and heat on a low setting, stirring occasionally, until simmering hot.

Onion and coriander are added to turmeric rice

Return the rice to the empty pot. Slice the onion as thinly as you can and separate in to strands before adding to the rice along with the chopped coriander (cilantro) and some black pepper. Stir to combine. Divide between two serving plates and lay a chicken thigh and breast portions alongside each rice bed. Spoon the heated sauce over the breast meat to serve.

Rogan josh roast chicken portions are plated with turmeric rice

Roast Chicken Thighs with Chilli Sauce

Roast chicken thighs served on a bed of spicy spinach sauce

It is probably more commonly lunch which is comprised of fridge leftovers but this dinner recipe was devised using principal ingredients which all constituted leftover but uncooked items in my fridge. It's amazing what you can often come up with using such items if you just put a little bit of thought and imagination in to it.

Prep time: 25 minutes (includes oven heating time and chicken resting time)
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

2 medium to large chicken thighs (skin on)
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
3/4 medium red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
3 plum tomatoes in tomato juice (1/2 of a 14 ounce can)
2 generous handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander leaf/cilantro

Oven ready chicken thighs

Instructions

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Season the chicken thighs on the underside with salt and pepper and lay them skin sides up in a suitable casserole dish. Season the skin liberally with salt only. This well help it crisp up and colour during cooking. When the oven is heated, place the dish (without the lid!) in to the oven for 35/40 minutes.

Onion, garlic and chilli powder ready for sauteing

Pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in to a large saucepan. Slice the onion, peel and finely slice the garlic cloves and add them to the pan with the chilli powder. Put the pan on to a medium heat and saute for a few minutes until the onion is just softened.

Plum tomatoes are added to spiced onions

Pour the tomatoes in to the softened spiced onions and season with salt and pepper. Stir well with a wooden spoon, using the spoon to break up the tomatoes as much as you can. Bring to a simmer for an initial 10 minutes.

Spinach is added to spicy tomato sauce

Wash the spinach leaves under running cold water and shake dry. Add them to the spicy sauce and carefully stir/fold them through. They will quickly wilt and combine with the sauce. Cover and continue to simmer gently while the chicken thighs complete cooking, stirring occasionally.

Coriander is added to spinach sauce

Just before the chicken thighs are due to come out of the oven, stir the coriander leaf in to the sauce, simmer for another couple of minutes only, then remove from the heat and set aside, still covered, to cool slightly and for the flavours of the herb to infuse in to the sauce.

Roast chicken thighs

Take the chicken thighs from the oven and pierce with a fork to ensure the juices run clear. If not, cook for 5 more minutes and test again. If they are ready, cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Spicy spinach sauce bed for chicken thighs

Spoon the sauce in to the middle of a deep serving plate and spread it out to form a bed for the rested chicken thighs.