Roast Chicken with lemon, Garlic and Thyme

As far as herbs go, I think fresh thyme works best with chicken.  I sometimes add four or five bulbs of green garlic  (young garlic that looks like baby leeks)  when it's in season and if I find it at the farmers' market.  Ready in 1 hour 10 mins  Serves: 10 Ingredients 2 lemons  2 whole chickens  2 large onions, peeled and quartered  6 shallots, coarsely chopped  8 cloves garlic, unpeeled  3 tablespoons olive oil  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  100g (4 oz) butter, softened  8 sprigs fresh thyme    Preparation Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 50 mins   1.Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5.  Lightly grease a medium baking dish.  2.Pierce lemons several times with a fork,  and place 1 inside each chicken cavity.  Arrange chickens in the centre of the prepared baking dish.  Place onions, shallots and garlic around the chickens.  Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread butter over the chickens, and line each with thyme sprigs.  3.Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven.  Increase temperature to 200 C / Gas mark 6,  and continue baking 30 minutes,  or until exterior of chicken is golden brown,  meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.  Allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

 

Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce

These sticky little puddings will keep for a couple of days 

wrapped in cling-film in the fridge. 

Return them to room temperature and make the sauce 

when you are ready to serve.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

You will need:

200g fresh dates, stoned and finely chopped

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp Camp coffee essence

100ml milk

75g butter

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

Sifted icing sugar and chopped fresh dates to decorate

[See also: Crunchy blackberry crumble recipe]

For the sauce:

45g butter

8 tbsp soft brown sugar

200ml whipping cream

1 tbsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ gas mark 4, 

and grease 6 x 175ml moulds or teacups. 

Pour 175 ml boiling water over the chopped dates 

and set aside to cool. 

Sift together the flour and baking soda. 

Add the vanilla and coffee essences to the milk.

2. Cream together the butter and caster sugar with an electric beater 

until light and fluffy. 

Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between each addition.

3. Fold in the flour mixture and flavoured milk by hand in alternate batches, 

then pour in the dates and their soaking liquid. 

Ladle the mixture into the moulds, then stand them on a baking sheet 

and bake in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, 

until they are just firm and starting to pull away from the sides of the moulds. 

Remove the puddings from the oven, turn them out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.

4. To make the sauce, heat the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. 

When the butter is bubbling, add the sugar and stir together over heat for about three minutes 

until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is foamy and bubbling. 

Carefully pour in the cream, then turn down the heat and gently stir together. 

Boil for a further one to two minutes then add the vanilla essence. Leave to cool slightly.

5. To serve, ladle a spoonful of sauce over the top of each pudding. 

Decorate with chopped fresh dates and sifted icing sugar, and serve with whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip and Banana Cookies

Ingredients  Makes: 3 dozen  310g plain flour   2 teaspoons baking powder   1/2 teaspoon salt   1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda   200g caster sugar   150g butter, softened   2 eggs   1 teaspoon vanilla extract   225g mashed extra-ripe bananas   335g dark chocolate chips     Preparation method  Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 15 mins |   Extra time: 45 mins, cooling     1.Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas 6.   Grease baking trays. Sieve the flour, baking powder,   salt and bicarbonate of soda together; set aside.     2.Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.   Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in bananas and fold in flour mixture.   Stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.     3.Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto prepared baking tray.   Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.   

PUNJABI KADHI

Ingredients

1 cup Gram flour 
1/4 cup Chopped onion 
1/4 cup Chopped potato 
1 tsp Ajwain.
1 tsp Red chili powder. 
1 tsp Chopped ginger.
1/2 tsp Baking powder. 
Oil for deep frying 
Salt As per taste 
1 cup Kadhi Curd (yogurt)
1/4 cup Gram flour 
2 no. Dry red chili whole
1 tsp Turmeric powder. 
A pinch Asafetida 
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds.
2 tbsp Oil. 
Salt As per taste 

Preparation

Mix all pakora ingredients except oil and add about cup of water. Mix well.
Heat oil in a Kadhai and deep fry vegetable and gram flour mixture after making into small balls. Fry till pakoras are golden brown.
Beat Curd/Yogurt and mix gram flour in it. Blend thoroughly so as to ensure that there are no lumps. Add turmeric powder, salt and 3 cups of water. 
Heat oil in a Kadhai. Add fenugreek seeds and dry red chili. Stir fry for half minute. Add Gram flour and Yogurt mixture. Bring it to a boil and simmer on a slow fire for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add red chili powder and fried pakoras and again simmer the punjabi kadi for about 5 minutes.
Serve punjabi kadhi hot with steamed rice.