eatmoveexplore

Best Spinach Pie

This recipe is an adaptation of my Spinach Triangle recipe.  It gets rid of the fiddling about with individual pastry wrapping and folding but still gives you a product that looks pretty similar.  I couldn't convince S it was the same when I made it with no pastry on top but he happily takes this variation in his lunchbox.

Spinach Pie - Makes 12-16 pieces

Ingredients

2 big bunches spinach

500g ricotta

1 cup grated mozarella

150g crumbled soft feta

1 small pot good basil pesto

2 eggs

1 packet filo pastry

olive oil

Method

Wash your spinach well and chop it up while wtill fairly wet.  Cut across the bunch into 1cm-ish strips.  Use most of the stem too, just chuck away the daggy end bit.

Pile the wet spinach into a large saucepan (I fill my 4.5L pot) and pop on the lid.  Cook over medium heat until the spinach is starting to wilt.  You will probably need to turn it a couple of times with tongs to cook it evenly, it only takes a couple of minutes.

Once the spinach is done tip it in to a colander, this gets rid of excess water and also allows it to cool more quickly.  Leave it for a good 10-15 minutes to cool down before plonking it in a large bowl with the pesto, cheeses and eggs.

Give it all a good mix.

Line a large baking tray (cookie sheet) with baking paper and lay a piece of filo along the length of the tray.  Brush with olive oil.  Lay two pieces of filo side by side in the opposite direction, brush with oil and repeat until you have 5 or 6 layers.

Tip the spinach and cheese mix on and spread it evenly over the tray, it will be about 1-2 inches thick.  Lay a piece of filo on top and fold up two of the sides.  Brush with oil and lay another on top before folding up the remaining sides.  Finish with a third sheet of filo and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle on some sesame seeds to finish if you want.

Bake at 180C until brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.  Slide on to a cooling rack to cool a little before slicing into pieces to serve.

Once cool you can wrap pieces in a double layer of cling film or baking paper and foil before popping into the freezer to reheat later.

Enjoy!

Braised Chicken with Moghrabieh

A simple braised chicken makes for an easy meal at any time of the year.  It's comforting in winter yet light enough to be enjoyed in summer.  This dish works well in the slow cooker too, although it's not something I use often I actually find it comes in handy in summer when you can't bare to heat up the kitchen.

This is a double batch that makes 12 serves.  If you are going to be freezing some remove the portions to freeze, cool and freeze ASAP.  The moghrabieh can go a bit squishy if it sits around soaking up liquid for too long.

Ingredients

1.2kg chicken thighs or 2 small, jointed chickens (use the chicken frames for making chicken stock).

2 Tbs Olive oil

1L chicken stock

250mL white wine

2 onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced

2 leeks, washed, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

6 medium potatoes, washed and cut into wedges

Large pinch saffron

300g Moghrabieh

Method

Heat olive oil in a large pot and throw in the garlic and onions.  Cook until they start to soften.

Pop in the chicken and move things around until the chicken is starting to brown.  Deglaze with the wine and scrape up any of the sticky bits.

Add the rest of the veggies, the saffron and pour in the stock.  Throw in some fresh thyme or oregano too if you happen to have some handy.

Cover and pop into the oven at 170C for 1.5 hours, adding the moghrabieh about halfway in to the cooking time.

Serve in bowls with any extra broth poured over, plenty of freshly cracked pepper and a touch of salt to taste.  Some warm crusty, buttered bread to dunk in the juice would be excellent.

Best of all you will have a few serves in the freezers stashed away for a rainy day.

Spicy Chicken Noodles

This is an all time favourite for eating sitting on the couch, just Steven and I.  Accompany with a glass of wine or some cider for an evening of chilled out bliss.

Spicy Chicken Noodles - Serves 2 with leftovers for lunch

Ingredients

300g Chicken Thighs
1/3 cup Red Curry Paste
1 Tbs Coconut Oil
1 Bunch Spring Onions, cut into 1" pieces
1 red capsicum, cut into strips
200g dried rice stick flat (pad thai) noodles, cooked according to packet directions
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Eggs, lightly beanten
Small bunch of coriander, washed and roots cut off
2 red chilli, sliced

Method

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, mix with red curry paste and put aside while you prepare the onions and capsicum

Heat Oil in wok and cook chicken when it is nice and hot.  Add Capsicum then spring onions when the capsicum is starting to soften.  Thrown in most of the sliced chilli but reserve a few pieces to add at the end.

Add soy sauce and stir in cooked noodles and then stir through lightly beaten eggs until cooked.  Add coriander before serving and serve with wedges of lime.

So much better than takeaway could ever be, it is fresh and zingy and so so good.

Tatum xx

Chicken Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of those things that my whole family love but I don't think to make it nearly often enough.  I usually turn to fried rice when I'm struggling a bit for what to cook, a bit short on meat in the freezer and can't be bothered going to the supermarket.

One of the great things about fried rice is that you can throw in whatever veggies you have in the fridge, it's still a substantial meal without the chicken and best of all the kids gobble it up.

If you don't have a small tribe like I do then you will have extra for lunches.  Winning.

Chicken Fried Rice - Serves 6

Ingredients

3 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice (I cook it in bulk and stash it in the freezer in 3 cup portions for our family of 6 )

400g chicken breast or chicken thigh cut into strips

1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and chopped into short pieces

2 carrots, peeled and grated

5cm ginger, peeled and grated

1 tin baby corn, halved lengthways

1 cup peas

Head of broccoli cut into small florets

3 eggs

2 tsp fish sauce

2Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs Indonesian soy sauce

Method

I am pretty lazy about the way I make my fried rice.

Heat some coconut oil in a wok and cook the chicken once it is done pop it into a bowl while you get on with cooking everything else.

Throw in the onions the onions and cook until softening

Add rice, corn, ginger and broccoli, turning continuously to incorporate everything together

Add carrot and peas and keep stirring all together

Add your chicken back in followed by the rice

Add your sauces and a splash of water if things are getting to dry, you want to create some steam at this point.  Feel free to adjust your sauces to your taste.  Substitute 1Tbs oyster sauce for the fish sauce if you aren't a fan.  Personally I love the smelly socks-ness of it.

Once everything is starting to come together crack in your eggs and stir everything together (another lazy aspect...stirring in the egg at the end rather than making omlette and slicing).

My fried rice has a nice stick-together texture that I love.

Enjoy!  Perfect yummy stuff for a quick and easy mid week dinner that is ready faster than you can pick up takeaway.

Tatum xx

Chicken & Mango Stir Fry

Mangoes are well and truly in season.  They are absolutely my favourite fruit, along with the people in Mt Isa that I miss I also miss the 2 mango trees that grew in our yard.  We have been enjoying lots of mangos this year, it would appear that the season has been pretty good for the growers.  Likewise stone fruit is around in abundance already and much cheaper than I am used to 3 weeks before Christmas, $5/kg for cherries in early December…unheard of!

My Nana lived in Darwin for many years and one of her signature dishes was mango chicken.  I wanted to take the mango+chicken concept and twist it into a stirfry.  It was yummy, and perfectly summery.  Hope you enjoy!

Chicken and Mango Stirfry with Rice Noodles, Serves 6

Ingredients

500g chicken breast, trimmed and cut into strips

2 firm, ripe mangos, peeled and flesh cut into long slices

1 red capsicum, sliced

200g snow peas, topped and tailed

1 tin baby corn, drained

375g dried rice noodles

½ cup sweet chilli sauce

2 tsp fish sauce

1/3 cup peanuts or cashews, crushed

½ bunch coriander, washed well and chopped discarding roots

2 limes, cut into wedges to serve

Method

Turn on water to boil for the noodles

Heat 1 Tbs vegetable oil in a wok and stirfry chicken until cooked through then remove from wok and set aside

Prepare noodles according to directions on the packet and drain

Stirfry capsicum, as it starts to soften add corn and snow peas.

You want all the veg cooked so they don’t taste raw but still retaining plenty of crunch.

Add chicken back into the wok together with the noodles.

Toss to combine.

Add sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce, peanuts, coriander and mango and gently toss to combine/

Serve to bowls and finish with lime wedges to squeeze over.                                         

Tatum xx