Hey There,
As I mentioned in my Mothers Day Gift Guide, its not always about buying something for your mum, sometimes you just need to sit her down with a glass of vino, feet up, and take over for the day. With a lot of restaurants being jam packed on Mothers Day, (Usually overpriced too), you don’t really need another reason to stay in and cook for your mom this Sunday. Or if your like me, and have older siblings, you can always get them to cook, and just help out (Taking some of the credit).
This week, with Mothers Day only a couple of days away, I have teamed up with MediaVision, on Twitter @Beautybkaris, to run a Mothers Day Giveaway, where you could WIN a pair of tickets to the BBC Good Food Show Spring at HIC Harrogate, for Sunday 12th April, (Usually starting at £17). If your Mother loves Master Chef, The British Bake Off, loves to cook, or just enjoys eating food, then this could be the perfect gift this Mothers Day. And when I say Mother, it doesn’t have to be your mom you take, it can be someone who takes on a similar role, maybe your sister, Auntie, Dad or even Brother. The closing date to enter my Twitter giveaway is Mothers Day evening at 8pm.
As John Torode, (Better known as the straight talking co host and judge from BBC1s Master Chef) will be at the show along with other celebrity chefs, here are two of his Carribean inspired recipes, both for the clean eaters or the more adventurous taste buds, just in time for Sunday…
CHICKEN WITH COCONUT DRESSING
SERVES 6
- 50g palm sugar
- 50ml fish sauce
- 400g can coconut milk
- 6 chicken thigh fillets
- 2 red Thai shallots
- 1 /2 red pepper, cut into julienne
- 2 small red chillies, cut into julienne
- 50g cucumber, cut into julienne
- 10g roasted peanuts
- 4 lime leaves, cut into very fine julienne
- 30 coriander leaves
- 6 squares banana leaf, to serve
- Bring the palm sugar, fish sauce and coconut milk to the boil in a large saucepan, add the chicken and poach until the chicken is cooked through. Leave to cool.
- Mix the other ingredients (except the banana leaves) together in a bowl. When the chicken is cool, cut it into 1cm thick strips and toss into the salad.
- Lay a banana leaf at the center of each plate and pile on the salad. Drizzle with some of the poaching liquid and serve.
JERK CHICKEN
SERVES 6
To get a more authentic jerk experience, add some wood chips to your barbecue and cook your chicken thighs or legs over slow indirect heat for the best flavour. Alternatively enjoy a beautiful jerk chicken breast cooked over a high heat – it should be ready in 10 minutes or less.
12 chicken thighs, bone in, or 8 large chicken breasts
MARINADE
- 1 large bunch spring onions, or
- 2 smaller bunches
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 /2 tsp dried thyme, or 1 tbsp
- fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp allspice berries
- 1-10 scotch bonnets (start with a small amount and add more later if you think it needs it)
- 1 thumb-sized piece ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 /2 small onion
- 2-3 tbsp of brown sugar
- To make the marinade, put all the ingredients in a blender and process until you have a purée. Don’t add more water if you’re having trouble getting it all blended, just keep turning off the blender, stirring it up with a spatula, and trying again. Eventually it will start to blend up nicely.
- Now taste it. It should taste pretty salty, but not unpleasantly puckeringly salty. You can also now throw in more chillies if it’s not spicy enough for you. If you think it tastes too salty and sour, try adding a bit more brown sugar until things seem good and balanced.
- Put the chicken pieces in a bowl, cover with the marinade and leave overnight. Next day, cook the chicken over a smoky fire for 15 to 20 minutes, turning about six times during cooking.
Will you be cooking this Sunday? Are you a foodie? Do you prefer to cook or just eat it?
All this talk of food has made me hungry.
Lots of love,
KBxx
