OK, this is a bit late posting as it was one of the side dishes we
had with the Christmas turkey. It is another of our collection of tasty
veggies for special occasions, although it is very quick and easy to do.
Peel and core parsnips then blanch them for a minute or two in boiling water. Drain and place in a casserole dish.
Mix
1/2 and 1/2 creamed horseradish and thick cream and pour over the top.
The mixture should just coat the parsnips. Sprinkle over grated Parmesan
and bake in the oven for about 1/2 hour.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Chicken in port
A tasty treat for a cold evening.
Fry chicken breasts or thighs until browned. Add a cup or two of port and simmer on medium to high until the chicken is cooked and the port is well reduced. Let the pan cool for a bit, then stir in some cream. Bring back to the boil until the liquid thickens.
Serve with potatoes or rice, and vegetables or salad.
Fry chicken breasts or thighs until browned. Add a cup or two of port and simmer on medium to high until the chicken is cooked and the port is well reduced. Let the pan cool for a bit, then stir in some cream. Bring back to the boil until the liquid thickens.
Serve with potatoes or rice, and vegetables or salad.
Cream of chicken soup
One of many variations on a soupy theme ...
Fry a finely chopped onion until soft. Add some chicken cut into small pieces and fry until browned.
Meanwhile, make a Roux sauce, enough quantity for a soup. Start with milk as normal, but while the sauce is still thick add chicken or turkey stock for flavor. Stir in a pinch of salt, and add the cooked chicken and onion.
Fry a finely chopped onion until soft. Add some chicken cut into small pieces and fry until browned.
Meanwhile, make a Roux sauce, enough quantity for a soup. Start with milk as normal, but while the sauce is still thick add chicken or turkey stock for flavor. Stir in a pinch of salt, and add the cooked chicken and onion.
Roux sauce
This is the basis for so many soups, dishes, and side dishes that I've got fed up repeating the basic procedure. I'll post it just the once here and link to it where needed.
Melt a knob of butter in a pan, and mix in a spoonful of flour. You want the resulting mixture to be visibly still buttery, not too sloppy but also not so dry that it's all crumbly. As far as quantities go, it depends what you are making, and whether you want a thin or a thick sauce. For a sauce (e.g. to make a cauliflower cheese) you probably need an ounce or so of butter. More for a soup.
Stir and cook on a low heat for a few minutes. You need to cook the flour but you don't want it to catch on the bottom of the pan or it will burn.
Slowly add milk and whisk out any lumps. If you add a decent splash to start with, the milk should get absorbed by the flour mixture and you end up with a very stiff paste. That's OK, just add more milk and repeat.
The danger is if you add too much liquid too quickly you end up with lumpy milk. To get rid of lumps there needs to be enough resistance in the mixture to whisk them against. If it's too thin, you can recover by passing it through a sieve, rubbing the lumps out with the back of a spoon.
As you add liquid, turn up the heat and keep stirring as it comes to the boil. The sauce will thicken and you add more liquid until you reach the consistency you want.
Melt a knob of butter in a pan, and mix in a spoonful of flour. You want the resulting mixture to be visibly still buttery, not too sloppy but also not so dry that it's all crumbly. As far as quantities go, it depends what you are making, and whether you want a thin or a thick sauce. For a sauce (e.g. to make a cauliflower cheese) you probably need an ounce or so of butter. More for a soup.
Stir and cook on a low heat for a few minutes. You need to cook the flour but you don't want it to catch on the bottom of the pan or it will burn.
Slowly add milk and whisk out any lumps. If you add a decent splash to start with, the milk should get absorbed by the flour mixture and you end up with a very stiff paste. That's OK, just add more milk and repeat.
The danger is if you add too much liquid too quickly you end up with lumpy milk. To get rid of lumps there needs to be enough resistance in the mixture to whisk them against. If it's too thin, you can recover by passing it through a sieve, rubbing the lumps out with the back of a spoon.
As you add liquid, turn up the heat and keep stirring as it comes to the boil. The sauce will thicken and you add more liquid until you reach the consistency you want.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Creamed spinach
A very easy and tasty side dish, if you like ringing the changes on vegetables.
Fry a sliced onion in butter until golden. Add a handful of chopped spinach. In this case I used some frozen spinach defrosted. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then add a generous dash of cream. Bring to the boil and simmer until the cream is reduced.
Last night's supper - poached halibut with Hollandaise sauce, saute potatoes, carrots and creamed spinach.
Fry a sliced onion in butter until golden. Add a handful of chopped spinach. In this case I used some frozen spinach defrosted. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then add a generous dash of cream. Bring to the boil and simmer until the cream is reduced.
Last night's supper - poached halibut with Hollandaise sauce, saute potatoes, carrots and creamed spinach.
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