Having spatchcocked the chicken, placed it on a trivet of sweet potatoes and onions and originally intending to make a roast dinner out of it, I changed my mind when the chicken was cooked and had come out of the oven, so I made a quick & easy chicken curry out of it instead. Here’s how:
Virtual Come Dine with Me with Russell Hobbs and Chicken Liver Pate
I was invited to create and share the first course of a ‘Virtual Blogger Come Dine with Me’ event for Russell Hobbs using one of their exciting, newly launched, Illumina range of kitchen equipment. I was sent the 3-in-1 Hand Blender with has an RRP of £49.99 to try out. This is a sleek and stylish looking black and stainless steel gadget that packs a powerful 700w punch of power. Add this a coloured illuminated ring with colour coded speeds which you choose and nothing can be simpler! It includes the stick blender; great for purees, smoothies and shakes. The whisk that you can whip up a decadent topping of cream for any dessert or your smoothies, for a (not so calorie free) treat. The 1000ml beaker supplied is great to use with the stick blender to make your smoothies in, whilst the 750ml chopping bowl is perfect for breadcrumbs, herbs, vegetables and fruit.
Using this easy to create recipe for my Chicken Liver Pate, I’m kicking off this week’s cyber Come Dine with Me party. I can’t wait for the main course that Carmela’s creating for you on Wednesday and of course, as every girl loves, the dessert which is being created by Julie on Friday!
4 Shallots
100g Butter, unsalted
1tsp Oregano
1tsp Sage
1tsp Thyme
400g Chicken livers
2tbs Madeira
Salt and Pepper to taste
Peel the shallots and cut in half. Place in the hand chopping bowl and pulse on speed 3 (green – Purees/Chopping) until roughly chopped.
Wash and trim the livers then cut into evenly sized pieces.
Melt the butter in a non stick frying pan over a gentle heat and cook the shallots until transparent. Be careful not to burn the butter.
Add the herbs, livers and Madeira.
Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.
Allow to cool for a few minutes then tip into the beaker.
Using the stick blender on speed 3 (green – Purees/Chopping) puree the pate until smooth.
Tip into an earthenware dish, decorate with fresh bay leaves and chill until cold and set.
Serve with crackers, a bit of fresh salad and some of my homemade Apple & Sultana Chutney with a Chilli Kick.
So, now you’ve seen what I started the meal with, please go and see what Carmela has cooked up for the main course for you on Wednesday.
The obvious beauty of a non-TV version of Come Dine with Me is that there’s no strangers sitting on my bed, opening my cupboards and looking through my drawers!
Thanks to Russell Hobbs for sending me the Illumina 3-in-1 Hand Blender to review and also for the Sainsbury’s shopping voucher to compensate for the time and ingredients for this event.
Knorr Flavour Pots – Garlic, herb with Chicken Ras El Hanout
I’m really loving how easy these Knorr Flavour Pots are to use; a perfect blend of flavour combined with absolute ease of use makes meal preparation so much easier.
The chicken pieces were placed onto a baking tray and cooked at 200°C for 25-30 minutes until the chicken was cooked through. Served simply with a stuffed bell pepper and some home made roast potato wedges was the perfect, simple tea time treat.
Jerk Chicken with a Pineapple Salsa
Make this as hot or as mild as you like by adjusting the seasoning. Enjoy with the hot pineapple salsa and a fresh, crisp salad. Also great with some proper, crispy chips (sprinkled with sea salt) for an extra special treat!
For the Salsa
175g Fresh Pineapple (tinned and drained if you can’t get fresh)
4 Spring Onions, chopped
50g Red Pepper, chopped
5mm piece root Ginger, grated
15ml Cider vinegar
15ml Soft brown sugar
60ml Barbeque sauce
Jerk Chicken
4 Chicken breasts, boned and skinned
60ml Rapeseed oil
30ml Lemon juice
15ml Jamaican Jerk / Cajun seasoning (adjust to taste)
1. Preheat your grill to a medium/hot setting.
2. To make your salsa, into a saucepan place all of your ingredients and warm through over a gentle heat.
3. Make 2/3 incisions into the chicken breasts with a sharp knife and rub all over with 30ml of the oil.
4. Sprinkle over the Jamaican Jerk/Cajun seasoning.
5. Mix the remaining 30ml oil with the lemon juice to use as a baste for the chicken breasts.
6. Grill the chicken breasts, seasoning side up for 4-5 minutes.
7. Baste occasionally with the oil and lemon juice mixture.
8. Turn over the chicken and grill for 3-4 minutes on the other side.
9. Turn over the chicken breasts back over to the seasoning side up, baste with the remaining baste and turn up the grill to the highest setting.
10. Grill for 5 minutes until crisp and dark in colour.
11. Serve with some of the warm pineapple salsa.
For the chicken breasts, if you prefer, you can either
a) Fry strips of the seasoned chicken for 8-10 minutes, or
b) Baste, season and cook the whole chicken breasts for 15 minutes at 190°C