Weekend of love...

So I haven't written a review for a lonnng time but was inspired this weekend when I got absolutely spoilt rotten by Dan who obviously knows that the way to my heart is through my tum tum.

Saturday morning after a leisurely sleep in I was treated to breakfast at the Urban Bean.  I have always had my reservations about this place...I thought of it as too "Perth" to be in Margaret River (silly how we make these judgments).  Well I am truly a convert.  The coffee was so delicious - strong, but with a sweet caramel crema.  Yum! And perfect drinking temperature straight up.  I love that!

Breakfast was the usual - soft poached eggs with bacon.  Cooked to perfection and served with sourdough and lots of butter.  Sensational.  No need for tomato sauce (I can feel you cringe but I like it ok?)  

So that was a real pleasure, and we did it all again Sunday morning.  

Dinner for valentines day was a real treat.  Went to my very very favourite restaurant, Winos.  I love starting the evening at Winos having a chat with the wine guy, and then enjoying the lovely red he recommends in the bar.  Unfortunately this time it was cut short by a really rude waitress who said to us "Would you like to come to your table" and I said "No we would like to finish our drink" and then she made us go anyway! hahahah I felt so bullied.  But it didn't matter.  We ordered some bread and anchovy oil to start, and some arancini yum!  They had a curry spice I can't put my finger on.  

Dinner we both had the scotch fillet (hoping for the trusty waygu but the fillet did not in any way disappoint).  The fillet was just as good as the waygu, cooked to perfection, drizzled with a garlic "foam", interesting twist, and served with mash and mushies.  Yum!!!

Finished with a glass of red on the lounge, Dan and I chatted and relaxed, mirrored with our hands behind our heads like a head rest, way too full.  Next time we are going to try really hard to just order mains, otherwise it is way way too much (but we can never resist the entree!)

Corn Chowder...recipe by Winsome

1 tbsp olive oil

3 rashers bacon, chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 large potatoes, diced

1.5L chicken stock (i used the liquid stock from the supermarket)

3 cups corn kernels (i used frozen)

coriander leaves - to serve

finely sliced spring onion - to serve (i didn't use this and it was still delicious)

Fry the bacon rashers in olive oil in the pan you are going to make the soup in until crispy.

Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Fry the onion with freshly ground salt and pepper, until the onion is soft but not coloured - approximately 5-6 minutes.

Add the potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the corn and cook for another 5 minutes or until the potato and the corn are both tender.

Puree half of the soup and return to the pan.

Bring back to the boil, and serve scattered with coriander and spring onions.

Grublover comment
This was so delicious!! my photo doesn't really do it justice, but it is great. Really light, but definitely filling because of the potato. It is a nice hearty soup for a summer night (it is probably still 30 degrees here and was up to 38 today).

Moroccan Chicken with Orange

(serves 4)

1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground cumin
4 tbs sultanas
4 tbs pine nuts
40ml (2 tbs) olive oil
800g chicken fillets, cut into thin strips
1 orange, halved, sliced
4 tbs freshly chopped mint

Place chilli, chilli flakes, garlic, lemon juice, cinnamon, cumin, sultanas, pine nuts, half the olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Mix well. Add chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frypan. Add the chicken pieces and cook on one side for 1-2 minutes or until golden.

Turn over, add the orange slices and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Stir through the mint.

Serve with couscous and some low-fat yoghurt.

Grublover comment
I haven't tried this recipe yet - found it on taste this morning and am keen to try it. Let me know if you get in first and tell me what it's like! Looks delicious. Some people have suggested adding some natural yoghurt to the marinade - I might try that...

lazy bones balsamic chicken

It is really hard to get motivated to hit the shops after a long day at work. Today I just couldn't face it, so scratched around at home and came up with this scrumptious dish. Enjoy it on a Tuesday night.

Serves 4 (or in our case, a big helping for Dan and leftovers for lunch)

4 chicken thighs, diced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tb sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups couscous (dry)
2 1/4 cups boiling chicken stock
60g butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tb thyme

Combine the balsamic, stock, sugar and garlic. Rub into chicken and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Place the couscous in a bowl and pour in the boiling stock. Cover with glad wrap and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 3 minutes or until garlic is soft, but not brown. Add the couscous and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Heat an oiled fry-pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan, cooking 3-4 minutes. Add the marinade to the pan and cook for another 1 minutes or two until the chicken is cooked through and marinade is thicker.

Serve the chicken on the couscous and drizzle the jus over the meal. Serve with steamed green beans.

Grublover comment
Yum! This recipe is from Marie Claire's 'Fresh'. It is so easy and the best thing is everything you need is in the cupboard.
I used thighs because they are juicier and its a lot quicker to cook diced chicken. You can substitute for breast if you prefer - leave the breasts whole and cook 3-4 minutes each side.

It's in the bag!

I have been cooking lots of chicken in a bag lately...the flavours are so delicious and the best thing is that the chicken stays nice and moist. Try these simple recipes out:

Rogan josh in the bag
Combine 1 clove garlic, 1 red chilli, 1/2 an onion and 1 Tb grated ginger.
Add 1 tin whole tomatoes and 1/3 jar rogan josh curry paste. Stir until combined.
Add 500g diced chicken thighs. Rub the mixture into the chicken.

Tip the whole mix into a parcel made with baking paper.

Put on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes at 180 Celcius.
Serve with boiled rice, chutney and pappadums.

Greek chicken in the bag
Combine 500g chicken breasts, 20 pitted kalamata olives, a handful of oregano, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tb olive oil and rind of 1 lemon in a large bowl. Cover with glad wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to develop the flavours.

Divide the 1 bunch english spinach, 16 cherry tomatoes, 100g feta and the chicken mixture among four 50cm lengths of non-stick baking paper. Fold long sides over to enclose filling and tuck short ends under the parcels to secure.

Place parcels in a large metal steaming pan or bamboo steamer over a saucepan or wok of simmering water. Steam, covered, for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Divide the parcels among plates and serve immediately. Alternatively, bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.