Nadia’s Chicken and Bacon Coq au Vin
Serves 4
Ready in: 50 minutes | Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Energy 2188kJ (518kcal) | Carbohydrate 28.7g
Protein 43g | Fat 23.9g | Gluten free (use GF stock)
Coq au Vin
• 600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 400g mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters
• 2 shallots, cut into quarters lengthways
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 5 stalks thyme
• 100g bacon, minced or diced finely
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp butter
Potatoes
• 800g baby potatoes, cut into halves or quarters
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
Method
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large fry-pan on high heat. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side, until well browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Set pan aside to use later.
While chicken is browning, prepare vegetables and bacon. Return pan to medium-to-high heat and add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme and bacon. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened. Add tomato paste and red wine. Cook for a further minute, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any brownings.
Return chicken to pan along with any resting juices and add stock. Cover, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove thyme stalks (if desired), season with salt and pepper and stir through butter to finish. Keep warm.
While chicken is cooking, place potatoes in a pot with a pinch of salt and cover with hot tap water. Bring to the boil with the lid on, then remove lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 20 minutes, until tender.
Drain potatoes well and return to pot with spinach, parsley and butter. Lightly crush potatoes with a large spoon or potato masher and season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, plate coq au vin with crushed baby potatoes alongside.
Korma, Butternut and Kūmara Soup with Crispy Bacon and Naan Croutons
Serves 4-5
Ready in: 40 minutes | Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Energy 2563kJ (610kcal) | Carbohydrate 50.8g
Protein 18.4g | Fat 36.2g | Dairy Free
Soup
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1∕3 cup store-bought korma curry paste
• 2-3 cups peeled and chopped orange kūmara
• 2-3 cups peeled and chopped butternut
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup coconut milk
Crispy Bacon and Naan Croutons
• 250g streaky bacon, diced
• 1 large naan bread, cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
To Serve
• ½ cup chopped coriander
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper.
Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Cook onions for 4-6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add garlic, ginger and korma paste and fry for 1 further minute.
Add kūmara, butternut, apples, stock and water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, add coconut milk and simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are very soft.
While soup is cooking, prepare bacon and croutons. Scatter bacon on one of the prepared trays and bake until very crispy, about 20 minutes. Toss bread with sesame seeds and olive oil in other prepared tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown and crispy, watching carefully to make sure they don’t burn.
Purée soup with a stick blender or in a food processor or blender (or mash well with a potato masher) until smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle over bacon, croutons and coriander.
Creamy Pumpkin Gnocci with Goat’s Cheese and Sage Brown Butter
Serves 4
Ready in: 40 minutes | Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Energy 2792kJ (667kcal) | Carbohydrate 64g
Protein 22.1g | Fat 18g
Vegetarian | Gluten free (use GF pasta)
Pumpkin
• 800g pumpkin, cut into wedges
Brown Butter
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 20g hazelnuts, chopped
• 10g sage, leaves picked
Gnocci
• 1 leek, cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried chives
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• 250g sour cream
• 500g gnocchi
Salad
• 100g rocket leaves
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
To Serve
• 100g goat’s cheese, crumbled
• 50g grated parmesan
Method
Preheat oven to 230°C. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. If you do not have an ovenproof fry-pan, set aside a baking dish. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Toss pumpkin wedges on a lined oven tray with a drizzle of oil. Season with salt and roast for 20-25 minutes, until tender.
Melt butter in a large ovenproof fry-pan on medium heat. Add hazelnuts and sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-4 minutes, until hazelnuts are golden and sage is crispy. Carefully pour into a heatproof bowl and set aside to serve.
In the same pan you used for the brown butter, heat oil on medium-to-high heat. Cook leek with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Reduce heat to low and add garlic powder, herbs, salt measure and sour cream. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced.
Add gnocchi to pot of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, until gnocchi start floating. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest off. Add gnocchi to pan with sauce, along with reserved pasta water, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss rocket in a salad bowl with balsamic vinegar.
Transfer gnocchi to baking dish, if using. Top with cooked pumpkin and goat’s cheese and sprinkle with parmesan. Turn oven to high grill and grill for 3-4 minutes, until golden.
To serve, pour sage and toasted hazelnuts over gnocchi and scoop into bowls. Serve salad alongside.
An edited extract from Easy Weeknight Meals 10th Anniversary Edition by My Food Bag & Nadia Lim (Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP $39.99).
