Blog – Page 17 – The Food Wife

Courgette and Tomato Salad with Pomegranate Molasses and Mint

7th May 20237th May 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 6 as a side dish

As summer approaches, anyone growing courgettes will probably be wondering what to do with them all. Here is a Middle-Eastern-inspired salad that uses them raw. They provide more of a texture than flavour, but the dressing sings!

Make sure to use room temperature tomatoes to increase their sweet flavour (straight from the fridge and they wonâ€™t taste of much!)

Ingredients:

250g baby tomatoes, halved

2 courgette, cut length ways into quarters and then into 1cm chunks

1/2 red onion cut in to thin half moons

30g mint, leaves only

4 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sumac

Pinch of salt

Step 1: Assemble the prepared tomatoes, courgette, onion and mint leaves in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix the pomegranate molasses, olive oil, sumac and salt together (I shake all the ingredients together in a sealed jar).

Step 3: Toss the salad and dressing together(can be done up to an hour before serving). Serve.

Pulled Chicken Enchiladas

27th April 202327th April 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 5-10

A family crowd pleaser, this enchilada recipe is largely made in the instant pot so with little effort you have shredded chicken in a spiced sauce. You can use a shop bought fajita seasoning or make your own.

There is enough filling here to fill 10 large tortilla wraps so depending on appetites you could feed 5-10 people!

Ingredients:

For the enchilada chicken filling:

1.2kg bone in chicken thighs

2 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

1 tin chopped tomatoes

3 heaped tsp fajita spice seasoning

160ml Water

1-2 tins kidney beans, drained

Salt and Pepper

10 large tortilla wraps

For the tomato sauce:

1L passata

3 heaped tsp fajita spice seasoning

For the topping:

Grated cheese

Step 1: Dump the chicken, tomato purÃ©e, chopped tomatoes, fajita seasoning and water into the Instant Pot. Close the lid, set the vent to closed and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Allow the chicken to naturally release pressure.

Step 3: Remove the chicken and you will easily be able to skin and debone it (I use two forks). Return the meat to the liquid and use the forks to shred it. Add 1-2 tins drained kidney beans and season with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Reduce the liquid until the meat is coated but not swimming in sauce. Allow to cool.

Step 5: Once the filling is cooled, assemble the enchiladas by putting 1/10 of the mixture in to each wrap. Tuck in the top and bottom of each wrap and then roll/fold into a neat package. Place in a large baking dish, repeating until you have used up all the filling and wraps and the baking dish is tightly packed.

Step 6: Mix the passata and seasoning to create a smooth sauce. Pour over the enchiladas and top with grated cheese.

Step 7: Bake in a 180c oven for 25-30 mins until golden and bubbling.

Serve with guacamole, sour cream and a salad.

Pasta with Italian Sausage

3rd April 20233rd April 2023
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

I saw some amazing looking Italian sausages with fennel and chilli in M&S at the weekend. They were exactly what I needed for this dish. If you canâ€™t find any decent Italian style sausages, use a good quality pork sausage instead and add a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the pan as you cook the meat.

This recipe is easily scaled up, and easy to make gluten-free.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic finely sliced

2 large good-quality Italian-style sausages (ideally with fennel), taken out of their skins, and broken into small pieces (approx 240g) (gluten-free if required)

60g hard Italian cheese (parmesan, pecorino, Grana pardano) finely grated

1 lemon, zest only

150-200g pasta (gluten-free if required)

Step 1: Over a medium heat add a little olive oil to a frying pan. Cook for a few minutes and then add the garlic and small pieces of the sausage meat. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through and slightly golden, the onions and garlic are soft and have taken on a little colour but not browned.

Step 2: Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Once al dente transfer the pasta to the cooked sausage along with a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. Add the grated cheese and stir until the cheese has emulsified with the pasta water. Add a little more of the water if necessary, until the pasta has a thick glossy coating.

Divide between two plates and serve with some grated lemon zest over the top.

Jewelled Crown Biscuits

3rd April 20233rd April 2023
by thefoodwife

These crowns are in honour of the coronation, but also just fun to make with kids! The brown sugar and golden syrup give them their golden lustre and I love using jelly tots for the jewels. Iâ€™ve flavoured these with lemon because Charles III is a fan and white chocolate because itâ€™s such a good combo!

These are easily made gluten free and/or vegan. Just use the appropriate swaps in the ingredients (detailed below).

Ingredients:

125g of (vegan if required) butter

100g light soft brown sugar

65g golden syrup

300g (gluten-free if required) plain flour

1 tsp (gluten-free if required) bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp lemon extract

To decorate:

150g white chocolate, melted (vegan/gluten-free if required)

Jelly tots (these are now vegan friendly)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180c (fan). Line baking trays with parchment.

Step 2: Melt the butter with the light soft brown sugar and golden syrup. Set to one side.

Step 3: In a bowl mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Add the molten fat and sugar combination along with the lemon extract and stir until you have a smooth dough.

Step 4: Allow to cool for a few minutes and then tip out on to a large piece of grease proof paper. Top with another piece and then use a rolling pan on top of the paper to spread the dough out until a few mm thick.

Step 5: Use your chosen cutters (crowns!) to press out shapes and carefully transfer to your lined baking sheets (you will need to be delicate as the dough tears easily at this stage) and then into the oven for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Remove and allow to cool (wait about 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully).

Step 7: Decorate by dipping the bases into the melted white chocolate and then adorn with jelly for jewels! Allow the white chocolate to set fully before storing.

Keep in an air tight container for up to a few days.

Coronation Chicken

30th March 202330th March 2023
by thefoodwife

I couldnâ€™t NOT do this as we approach Charlesâ€™ big day. Itâ€™s an absolute favourite sandwich filling in our house. By all means use some ready cooked chicken (or leftovers from a roast!) but here is how to make a large amount using a whole chicken in the Instant Pot. You can then serve this as a platter as part of a buffet (street party, anyone?) or use it as a filling in sandwiches, wraps, baked potatoes etc.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

7 heaped tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp mango chutney

1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder

Two handfuls of sultanas

Step 1: Cook the chicken. Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and top with enough water to reach the max line. You can also add some extra flavour at this point too (a couple of celery sticks, a carrot, a few peppercorns and a bay leaf or two). Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 50 minutes.

Step 2: Depressurise the Instant Pot and carefully remove the chicken. Allow the chicken to cool enough so that you can shred the meat from the bones. You could put the bones back into the liquid and complete making a delicious stock by switching to sautÃ© mode and reducing it down to about a litre.

Step 3: Mix the mayonnaise, mango chutney, curry powder and sultanas in a bowl.

Step 4: Stir through the shredded chicken and itâ€™s ready to use or store for up to three days in the fridge.