Chicken with Curry and spices

I can't remember who gave me this recipe but think it may have been my cousin Sue. I know that I have been making this from before my son Scott was born and he is now 36 so it have been in my recipe book forever it seems. It is a different variation of most chicken curries, has a little preparation to do but is still very simple to make and very tasty.

PREPARATION:

1 whole fresh chicken or fresh chicken thigh fillets
3/4 cup of peanut or olive oil
3 onions chopped
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayene pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Cut chicken up into small pieces. Bring the oil to the boil in a large pot and quickly add the chicken to it. Add all other ingredients and turn down and let simmer for approx 30 minutes for until cooked through. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables.

Brown Onion Soup

This is one of those simple soup recipes that you keep making over and over again. Whenever I serve this soup, everyone asks me for the recipe. It was given to me about 26 years ago by Judy, a friend of mine who now lives in Melbourne. Whenever we had dinner at her home, she would always try out a new recipe and they usually turned out great. This is one of my favourites that she made one cold winter night when we were over there. It is such a tasty soup I know that you will be making it often. I will be sharing some of her other recipes with you later on.

PREPARATION:

4 brown onions
2 - 3 large rashers of bacon
2 beef stock cubes
4 cups of water
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
2 slices fresh bread with crusts removed

Roughly chop up the onions and bacon. In a stockpot, brown them in the butter over a medium heat. When onion is quite brown but still soft and bacon cooked, add the crumbled stock cubes and quickly add the water and black pepper. Turn the heat up until it boils and then reduce heat and cook for approx 20 minutes. Turn heat off and take pot off stove to slightly cool. Add the bread to soup and blend with either a hand held blender such as a Bamix or else pour soup in batches into a bench blender and blend until smooth. When finished blending, taste the soup and if needed add a little salt for prefered taste. I often find that it doesn't need any salt as it gets enough from the bacon and the stock cubes flavour. Serve this with some fresh crusty bread sticks, either cold or heated for several minutes in the oven.

Spicy Chicken

This was given to me by old family-in-law members who came from Holland. Every time I make this delicious simple dish, I think fondly of Henk and Marianne. It is quite rich and they always make it with this simple salad which helps with the richness and tastes great. The salad has beautiful colours and sets off the colour of the chicken dish.

PREPARATION:

500 g skinless chicken breasts
2 onlions cut into quarters then quartered again
1 red capsicum sliced or chopped
250 mls cream
paprika powder - use as much as you like to give the dish a rich reddish colour.
cayene pepper - just a small amount to taste. More if you prefer a hot spicy flavour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
butter for frying - approx 1 tablespoon

Cut the onions and capsicum and fry in butter. Add chicken which has been sliced up then add the spices and simmer for 20 mins. Add cream and simmer another 10 mins or until well cooked through. Serve with steamed rice and salad recipe.
Salad:
2 kiwi fruit
1 pkt glazed ginger
4 celery stalks
approx 1 tablespoon mayonaise.
Chop ingredients and stir in the mayonaise.

Cream Cheese Slice

This is another family favourite that we often used to take to any meeting or function that called for a plate of something for afternoon tea. So easy to make and keeps okay for several days in the refridgerator. That is if any is left over.

PREPARATION:

250 g cream cheese
250 g unsalted butter
200 g caster sugar
1 dessertspoon of gelatine dissolved in 3 dessertspoons hot water and let to cool
2 pkts lattice biscuits (raspberry waffles)
few drops vanilla essence

Cream the butter and sugar. Add cream cheese, gelatine mix and vanilla essence and mix well together. Sandwich mixture between two biscuits. Continue this way until all mixture and biscuits are used up. Place on tray or plate in the fridge and let to set firmly. Serve with tea or coffee for a yummy treat.

Bircher Muesli

Everyone loves muesli done this way and you make your own just as good as what you find served at the very best hotels on the breakfast menu. You can alter some of these ingredients to suit your own taste but I find that this one works well for me. You can halve mixture if this recipe is too much and it keeps well in the fridge for several days. Make sure you keep it sealed or with plastic wrap over the bowl.

PREPARATION:

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups fresh orange juice
2 x 200 g tubs plain light yoghurt or honey yoghurt
1/2 cup sliced dried apples
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup sultanas
1/3 cup honey
1 cup milk
3 small plums, chopped
1/3 cup slivered almonds - toasted
extra plums

Combine oats, juice and yoghurt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from fridge and stir in apples, sultanas, apricots, honey, milk and chopped plums and mix well. Cover and refridgerate for 30 minutes. Serve muesli topped with almonds and the extra plums.

Potato Salad

This is a great version of an australian favourite salad. Whenever we have a barbecue or go on a picnic, we always make sure this is on the table.

PREPARATION:

1 - 1.2 kg Desiree potatoes
Cook approx 15 - 20 minutes. While still hot, chop into large chunks and add to the made dressing. You can also cut potatoes before you cook them. If you do make sure you don't peel them and adjust cooking time to approx 8 -10 mins at most.
Dressing:
Chop up some gherkins - to suit
Chop up a couple of pickled onions ( use a good brand)
1 apple diced up
1/2 cup walnuts
2 teaspoons seeded mustard
300 mls mayonaise
300 mls light sour cream
chopped chives and parsley
salt and black cracked pepper to taste.
If you find that there is too much dressing for this amount of potatoes, you can always keep it sealed in a jar in the fridge and it will keep for several days and can be used over other things such as fish for a different taste to using tartre sauce.

Mascapone Cheese and Plum Pie

I cannot remember who gave me this recipe and although I don't make it often, I always wonder afterwards why I don't. It is really a beautiful pie and one which leaves you wanting to have another helping, but know you really shouldn't.

PREPARATION:

Pastry:
240 grams plain flour
110 grams cold butter
110 grams icing sugar
1 egg
Rub butter into flour. Add icing sugar then the egg. Combine and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Roll to fit a square shallow pan and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.
Filling:
10 small plums
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup mascopone cheese
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
vanilla essence
Beat eggs and sugar then add cheese and beat well. Place plums that have been quartered, cut side down onto pastry. In a pan warm cream, milk and vanilla to just below boiling point. Gradually stir in egg mixture to milk and pour over plums. Bake in moderate over 175 - 180 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. Serve hot with whipped cream or vanilla icecream.