Chicken & bacon cacciatore

Oh dear! I didn't realise that it has been more than one month since my last post! =(

I prefer this version to the previous that I blogged on. This version has some rosemary & red wine vinegar added and so gives it an exciting twist. =)


Serving portion for 2:

Half a chicken
250ml chicken stock
3 rashers bacon
Some onions, sliced
Olive oil
Some fresh rosemary
1 x 400g canned plum tomatoes
Some red or white wine vinegar
Some sugar


---------
1] Season the chicken pieces with a little salt and some pepper. Put aside.

2] Heat some oil in large frying pan and brown the chicken, a few pieces at a time, if necessary until its skin is golden on all sides.

3] As each batch is done, lift out from pan and put aside while you fry the rest of the chicken.

4] After all the chicken is done, remove some of the fats from the pan, if necessary.

5] Lower heat and add the bacon. Keep going with the bacon till it crisps.

6] Then remove the bacon and leave it with the chicken pieces.

7] Again, remove some of the fats from the pan, if ncessary. Then using the fats behind behind in the wok by the bacon, fry the onions and rosemary until the onions softened. Then return the chicken and bacon back to the pan.

8] Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, vinegar and sugar. Season with some salt and pepper.

9] Bring to a simmer, cover and then leave it alone for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off fire when you are happy with its consistency. Serve with rice or pasta. I had mine with rice =)



Chicken pieces after they
have been fried



I like this consistency

I also roasted some vegetables
to the delight of my friends
who finished up to the last bit
=)

XOXO
Ariella

Penne Bolognese

Serving for 2

250g penne pasta (or slightly more than 1 handful/ pax)
1 can chopped tomato/ 1 can whole tomato, chopped
125ml red wine/ chicken stock
250g minced beef
Worcestershire sauce
1 small red chilli (de-seeded if preferred)
Garlic, chopped
Onions, sliced/ chopped
Carrots, sliced
Capsicums, sliced
Portobello mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil
Dried oregano


--------
1] Heat oil in a pan, then add onion, garlic, carrots, capsicums, mushrooms & chilli.Cook gently until soft.

2] Then keeping it at low heat, I put in the minced beef & quickly break them apart before they turn into meatballs. I had to do it at low heat for I am still not fast enough to break them apart before they turn into meatballs. If you are confident, by all means, up the heat & add the minced beef.

3] Keep breaking minced beef apart till they are well separated. Then add a splash of Worchestershire sauce, all the red wine/ chicken stock and tomatoes. Put on low heat & leave it to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add some salt to flavour, if necessary.

4] While that is simmering, boil some water and add some salt to it. Cook the pasta till al dente. When ready, discard the water.

5] When the sauce is ready, mix the pasta into the sauce.

6] I served it with some dried oregano sprinkled generously. It adds some "sting" to the sauce. If you don't have a bottle of it at home, it's all right to skip it.

Hope you find it easy enough to try at home!



Chicken stock sold at
Huber's Butchery.
Made using only the finest ingredients,
frozen fresh to achieve optimum flavour.
Preservative free, low in fat and carbohydrates,
contains no added salt & no added sugar.
Made in Australia
Available at also at http://www.hubers.com.sg/



Chicken cheese sausages with tortilla

On National Day, my friends & I headed to Tanjong Rhu area for a glimpse of the annual fireworks. I prepared for them some chicken cheese sausages and bought 2 packs of tortillas, a lettuce and some cherry tomatoes. Considering that our host stays alone, does not cook, has got expired cooking oil at home, I had to abandon the idea of having the sausages pan-fried at her place. Therefore, what I did was to boil the sausages in hot water, cut the cherry tomatoes into half, and prepared the lettuce. Then we assembled them at the dining table (with some mustard I got from the shop and onion sauce I brought from home). Did I say that it was their first time trying sausages from Huber's Butchery? =)
To do the same, get

Chicken cheese sausages (sold by packet. 4 pcs in a packet, each pc about 80g)
Tortillas
Mustard (I used Maille Original Dijon Mustard)
Brown sauce thickener ( I used Mondamin brown sauce thickener)

1] Prepare onion sauce by first slicing the onions thinly.

2] Heat a little oil in pan.

3] Then fry the onions till slightly brown. Keep stirring.. Do not walk away to your computer!

4] Then mix some brown sauce thickener with water.

5] Add water to onions.

6] Simmer. If the sauce isn't thick enough, add more brown sauce thickener (just the powder this time).

7] Add some salt & pepper if you like.

8] If you happen to have some red wine lying around, it may also be added at this stage to make the sauce more robust. Otherwise, it's fine =)

9] For convenience sake, you may prepare it a day before event. Heat up before serving.

On actual day:
1] Boil some water.

2] Add sausages to boiling water.

3] Meanwhile, prepare the lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

4] When the sausages are ready, remove them from water and arrange them on a plate.

5] Arrange tomatoes and lettuce on a plate too.

6] Bring tortillas, onion sauce & mustard sauce out.

7] Assemble on tortilla, lettuce, tomatoes, sausage, onion sauce &/or mustard.

8] Roll tortilla tightly. Voila!


PS: If you don't use the brown sauce thickener often, you may skip the onion sauce and serve the sausages with just the mustard.

You may also opt to pan-fry the sausages =)

XOXO
By Ariella =)

PS: I'm sorry... No pictures! My hands were full... with durians....