Sam's Silver D of E Cookery Blog

Chicken and mushroom pasta is a great meal for the end of the day. 4 chicken thigh fillets, boneless skinless 1 teaspoon dried basil Salt and pepper, to season 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced  250 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 1 chicken stock pot Extra salt and pepper, to taste 300 g uncooked penne pasta 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese A handful of fresh parsley, chopped Season chicken thighs with dried basil, salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and sear on both sides until golden brown, cooked through and no longer pink. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pot. Fry the onion and garlic until the onion becomes transparent, stirring occasionally (about 2 minutes). Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, or until beginning to reduce down. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Then, add the ...

 I haven't had toad in a hole for a very long time and to add to the taste I rapped the sausage in bacon. It was delicious. 210g plain flour, plus a spoonful 1 tsp English mustard powder 4 eggs 400ml milk 4 thyme sprigs, leaves only 8 plain pork sausages 2 tbsp sunflower oil 2 onions, peeled and sliced 1 tsp soft brown sugar 500ml beef stock Make the batter: Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 7. Tip 210g plain flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in 1 tsp English mustard powder with a good pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, crack in 4 eggs, then pour in a little from 400ml milk. Whisk the mixture, gradually incorporating some of the flour, until you have a smooth batter in the well. Now add a bit more milk and continue stirring until all the milk and flour has been mixed together. The batter is ready: You should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Stir in the leaves from 4 thyme sprigs, then tip the batter back into the jug you m...

 I did Coq au Vin this week as I love both chicken and bacon and was a nice slow cooker meal to do after a day of hard work. 400g/14oz shallots, peeled and left whole 2 carrots, cut into chunky pieces, about 2½cm/1in 2 sticks celery, cut into 1cm/½in slices salt and freshly ground black pepper 100g/3½oz smoked, dry-cured lardons 2 tbsp plain flour 4 whole chicken legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks 1 fresh bay leaf few sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp tomato purée 300ml/½pt full-bodied red wine 100ml/3½fl oz good quality chicken stock 150g/5½oz button or crimini mushrooms, or larger mushrooms cut in half Put the shallots, carrots and celery into a slow cooker, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry the lardons in a large frying pan over a low heat for 10 minutes until crisp, golden and the fat has run from the meat. Remove from the pan and tip most of the fat into a heatproof bowl. Meanwhile, put the flour into a food bag or bow...

 This week I made a chicken Rogan josh loved by my family. It turned out really well considering this was one of this first curries I'd ever made. 2 Onions chopped 4 tbsp sunflower oil 4 garlic cloves, finely crushed A small block of ginger defrosted 1 tsp ground cinnamon Half a jar  Rogan josh paste 200g chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato purée 1kg chicken thighs 2 tbsp Greek yogurt 2 Carrots, steamed in microwave A few tender stem broccoli pieces Put the onions in a food processor and whizz until very finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan, then fry the onion with the lid on, stirring every now and then, until it is really golden and soft. Add the garlic and ginger, then fry for 5 mins more. Meanwhile fry the chicken in a separate pan until completely whitened. Tip the curry paste, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon, with the tomato purée. Stir well over the heat for about 30 secs, then add the meat and 1 can of water. Stir to mix, turn down the heat, then add the yogur...

 This week i went for simple chicken goujons as my whole family likes them and had never made them before. 400 grams Chicken Breast Mini Fillets (or 2 chicken breasts cut into strips) 3 tablespoons Plain Flour 1 Large Free-Range Egg 80 grams Dried Breadcrumbs (ideally panko or coarse dried breadcrumbs, or fresh breadcrumbs, 6 tablespoons Oil add Fine Sea Salt And Ground Black Pepper 1. If you are oven-cooking the chicken, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. 2. Put the flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Break the egg into a second shallow bowl and beat with a fork until smooth and pale. Tip half of the breadcrumbs into a third shallow bowl. 3. Coat each chicken strip first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing firmly and turning to coat on both sides. Set aside on baking paper. 4. If oven-cooking the chicken, brush a baking tray with 1 tablespoon of oil. Place the chicken pieces on the tray and brush generously but lightly with 3 table...

 I decided to make steak and chips as steak is my favourite food (especially fillet). it was also quite a skilful meal as the chips had to be the right size and steak had to be cooked perfectly as I like medium rare steak the most. 3 large baking potatoes, Maris piper or king Edwards 1 tbsp of oil 3 fillet steak at room temp Salt and pepper Pack of chestnut mushrooms Sprinkle of dried parsley 1 garlic clove Knob of butter 2 tbsp Boursin or other garlic and herb cheese 1. Preheat the oven to 200.c/180.c fan. Peel and chop the potatoes so they are about an inch thick. When finished put the 2 tbsp of sunflower oil - vegetable oil works too - into a large sandwich bag and put in the chips. Seal the bag and shake to make sure the chips are covered. Lay out the the chips on baking tray with baking parchment.  Bake in the oven for 30 mins. 2.For the steak press and rub salt and pepper into the steak on both sides. To fry the steak put oil in the pan and cook on high for 1 min on each...

 Spagbol is always a winner in our house, so today it was time to make it myself!   Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 400g beef mince 1 onion diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 100g grated carrot 800g chopped tomatoes 400ml beef stock 400g dried spaghetti salt and pepper Method 1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and once hot add the beef mince and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mince until well browned over a medium-high heat (be careful not to burn the mince. It just needs to be a dark brown colour). Once browned, transfer the mince to a bowl and set aside. 2. Add another tablespoon of oil to the saucepan you browned the mince in and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and fry gently for 5-6 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the grated carrot then pour the mince and any juices in the bowl back into the saucepan. 3. Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir...