Chicken Versus Chickpea
Last weekend I had the pleasure of going to Bradford-on-Avon’s first food and drink festival. What a success. The weather was glorious and we spent the entire day visiting a range of food and drink producers, tasting their wares (The Food Baby was in snack heaven!) and making purchases of cheese, salami and peanut butter. There were also live demonstrations from chefs including Jane Devonshire and Ping Coombes, both Masterchef winners. They showcased recipes from their cookbooks which looked mouth-wateringly delicious and I’ll definitely be giving them a go. Jane’s book, Hassle Free Gluten Free, is endorsed by Coeliac UK and her demonstration of the Peanut Butter Cheesecake (you can find the recipe here) just ticked all the boxes, particularly as its gluten-free status means The Food Husband can eat it (and contains his favourite ingredients!)
So I decided that this week I would revisit some of my gluten-free recipes starting with my Sticky Chilli Chicken
(Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1kg chicken pieces (a mix of thighs and drumsticks)
1 red onion cut into thin wedges
2 carrots cut into batons
1 red pepper cut in to one inch pieces
1/2 orange cut into eight pieces
Juice of half an orange
1 inch ginger peeled and diced
1 heaped tbsp chilli jam
2 heaped tbsp apricot jam
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Step 1: Add all ingredients into a large sealable bag (I like using the large ones from IKEA – I’m sure you know the ones I mean, they are frequently listed as a must-have purchase when paying the big blue box a visit). Squish everything together so the meat and vegetables are pleasingly coated in the sticky mixture. Leave (preferably overnight) in the fridge to marinate.
Step 2: Spread the contents of the bag in a baking tin and put in a 190c oven for 50 minutes.
Serve with rice, and if you fancy some extra veg, some steamed greens.
And for those looking for a meat-free meal then give my Chickpea and Preserved Lemon Tagine a go.
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, large dice
2 heaped tsp ras al hanout
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 pepper, large dice
2 pieces of cassia bark/cinnamon sticks
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 tins of chickpeas
10 prunes, quartered
2-3 preserved lemons, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Step 1: Soften the onion in the oil for five minutes on a medium heat.
Step 2: Add the ras al hanout and stir for one minute.
Step 3: Add the garlic and diced pepper and stir for another minute.
Step 4: Add the tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, cassia/cinnamon, prunes and preserved lemons. Simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste. If you wanted to make this in a proper tagine in the oven then you can of course, it’ll just take a lot longer! At this point transfer it to your tagine and cook at 150c for an hour or two.
We had this with quinoa and a fat-free yogurt, spiced up with some garam masala (simply stir a teaspoon of the spice mix through a few tablespoons of the yogurt). You could also have some salad or vegetables on the side.