Muesli and Cinnamon Cookies

Cinnamon and Muesli Cookies

I have been making some version of these biscuits since I was 10. They are so fast, I have now got them down to being on the table in under 20 minutes from the point of opening the cupboard (though admittedly they are still very hot at that point). These are the sort of biscuits that can make you feel like you are organised, on top of things and perfectly capable of having home baked goodies ready for guests even with a small child around. Apart from the heating of the butter and honey, children can do the whole thing.

I use a sugar free muesli for these moreish biscuits, or sometimes just oats.

If you dip the tablespoon in a cup of boiling water before the honey it will stop it sticking to the spoon. If you are giving these to smaller children make sure to use a baby muesli that has not got big pieces of nut. You can also replace the honey with agave or any other type of sweet syrup if you like.

110g butter or margarine

4 tbsps honey

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp cinnamon

110g muesli

110g self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C in a fan oven). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets

1. Warm the butter with the honey in a saucepan until just melted

2. Stir into the remaining ingredients

3. Shape into 20 small balls, about the size of a walnut

4. Place on the baking sheets with a few centimetres between them

5. Squash the cookies down with your fingers or a the flat part of the tines of a fork

6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins or until golden brown

7. Leave to cool for a few minutes on the tray before removing with a spatula

Federico's Broccoli Pasta

Straight after school I worked as a chef for a few years before I decided to go to university. This meant that I was classed as a mature student, at 21, by the time I got there. I could therefore be upgraded to the "International and Mature Students" hall of residence. This was great, as it meant we had a wonderful group of flat mates who could share mealtimes, food parcels from home, and even knew how to wash up. I was taught how to make a great Spanish potato tortilla by one student (lots of olive oil and slow cooking), delicious Greek chicken kebabs and wonderful fondue. We took turns to cook dinner and we'd have jugs of bloody mary and smoked salmon sandwiches to aid study brunches at exam time.

I was taught this recipe by a university friend of mine called Federico who came from the Italian coast near Pisa. When cooking this you need to get over the idea that vegetables should be lightly cooked as the broccoli here is cooked so that it is soft and breaks down into a sauce. Federico and I often cooked for each other when we were students and his mum sent me a parcel from Italy with a huge block of parmesan as she was grateful that her son was getting well fed! For the liquid you can use any light stock - I use the broccoli cooking water with a spoonful of bouillon powder* added or chicken stock if I have it around. I like this with penne or pasta shells but orecchiette is lovely too if you can get hold of it.

This should make enough sauce to serve 4 people generously.

1 head broccoli, stalks removed and florets shopped up quite small
3-4 tablespoons olive oil, extra for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch chilli flakes (optional)
400ml passata or 400g chopped tomatoes
1 heaped tablespoon of tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
400ml vegetable bouillon, stock cube or other light stock
Pasta of your liking

11.       Cook the broccoli in boiling water until soft and drain, saving the water if using for stock*

22.       Warm the olive oil in a large deep frying pan add the garlic and chilli if using

33.      Add the passatta or tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano and broccoli

44.       Simmer for 20 minutes, breaking up the broccoli and any large pieces of chopped tomatoes (if used) with the back of a spoon.

55       Add the bouillon or stock and simmer for a further 10 minutes, season with black pepper and salt

66       Cook the pasta until slightly underdone, drain, then add to the sauce for a couple of minutes until it is cooked to your liking

77       Drizzle with some more olive oil and serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Variation

I quite often make this with a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower or just cauliflower for a change.

 

Chicken baked with sweet spices and fruity cous cous

I tend to serve this with roasted vegetables that I cook in the same pan as the chicken and some fruity cous cous. It is sweet with honey and smells lovely. It is a wonderfully stress free dinner as once it is in the oven you can forget about it until it is cooked. I chop up the chicken and the veg and stir them into the cous cous for smaller children. Here I have used carrots and onions as these are things I tend to always have in the fridge but you can use any other veg such as peppers, squash or sweet potato, cauliflower, courgettes, turnips, parnsips etc – just prepare them into fair sized chunks as you cook them for quite a while and although a little charring at the edges is nice, you don’t want them to burn to a crisp. I also stir some chopped mango or orange into the cous cous if I am in the mood. I also sometimes add some olives for the last 5 – 10 minutes of cooking. A dollop of minted yoghurt over the top is lovely and a spoonful of harrisa for those who like things spicy.

6 chicken thighs
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of saffron (optional)
2-3cm cube root ginger, peeled and finely diced
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 orange or lemon cut into quarters
1 tablespoon honey

Cous cous to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C

1.    Place the chicken in a bowl and mix with the oil, ginger and spices

2.    Lay the vegetables and lemon or orange over the bottom of a roasting tin and drizzle with honey

3.    Tuck the chicken pieces among them

4.    Roast in the oven for 30 minutes

5.    Remove the fruit and set aside, return to the oven for another 5 - 10minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown

6.    Meanwhile, make up some cous cous according to the packet instructions (I use veg stock instead of water)

7.    Then, when cool enough to handle, squeeze the juice from the lemon or orange into the cous cous

8.    Serve the roasted veg and chicken over the top of the hot cous cous with any juices

Chicken and Pistachio Curry

There’s a wonderful Indian restaurant near where I live that serves chicken in a pistachio sauce. This is my version of it to make at home it is a mild aromatic and creamy dish. You can replace the pistachios with ground almonds if you prefer – this would also mean that you can make it without a food processor – just finely chop the garlic and ginger. I would also like to try a vegetarian version – perhaps with aubergine or butternut squash and chunks of courgette, just softened a little in oil then added back into the nut paste and spices instead of the chicken.  Sometimes I double the pistachios and grind them quite finely before adding the garlic and ginger, in this case I replace the coconut milk with 200ml of water and then it is less creamy but more wonderfully green and pistachio flavoured and probably nearer to the one in the restaurant.
Serve this with a big pile of rice and some minted yoghurt.

Serves 2 adults and 2 children

6 cloves garlic, peeled

4cm cube ginger peeled and roughly chopped

100g unsalted pistachio kernels

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

600 - 700g boneless and skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), cut into large dice

5 cardamom pods

1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
5 cardomom pods (optional)

½ tsp garam masala

300ml coconut milk
300ml water

1. Put the garlic, ginger and pistachios into a food processor or blender and blend till you have a smoothish paste – add a little oil to loosen them if needed.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and brown the chicken in batches, do not overcrowd the pan
3. When the chicken pieces are browned on all sides, remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate and fry the next batch until all the pieces     are browned
4. Remove them all to a plate, add the remaining oil to the pan and add the garlic, ginger and nut paste – fry stirring for a few minutes
5. Add the spices and fry stirring for another minute
6. Return the chicken pieces to the pan with any juices, water and the coconut milk
7. Bring to the boil then turn the heat to low and simmer for 35mins until tender
8. Turn the chicken pieces from time to time to ensure they cook evenly and add a little water to the pan if the sauce is getting too thick and starting to stick.
9. Season to taste

NB you can always add the chilli at the end if some family members do not like things spicy and you can also add more chilli if you want too!