Chicken in red wine and tomato sauce...recipe by Winsome

Serves 4


















olive oil
4 skinless chicken thighs, bone in
2 brown onions, cut into six wedges
8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Dust the chicken with salt and pepper.
Brown the chicken on all sides in olive oil in a pan big enough to take all the ingredients. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Turn down the heat and then add the onions and garlic and saute until golden.
Return the chicken to the pan and turn up to high.

Pour in the red wine vinegar and let it sizzle until reduced by at least half.

Add the stock and tomatoes. Make sure the chicken is fully covered by liquid, if not add a bit more stock or water. Bring back to a simmer.

Put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 mins or until the chicken pulls away from the bone. If the sauce is looking a bit thin, remove the lid for part of the cooking time.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley and salt and pepper to serve.

Serve with mashed potato/rice/pasta and a green vegetable or salad - delicious.

Grublover comment
This is an adapted stephanie alexander recipe from her much loved book - The Cook's Companion.
I made this for the first time tonight, and it was simple and easy.
Most people would have these ingredients in the cupboard - so all you would need to buy is some chicken. Feel free to use different parts of the chicken, or a whole chicken, jointed. My favourite part is always the thigh, so that is why i used it here. It always gives a tender and juicy result, without much fuss about cooking times

Delicious and really easy beer bread...recipe by Winsome

3 cups SR flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
450mL beer
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

Mix together flour, sugar, salt. Slowly add beer. Mix together gently, being careful not to overmix.

Pour into loaf tin then sprinkle over cheese then sunflower seeds. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the base sounds hollow when tapped.

Enjoy!!!! We are having it tonight with carrot soup.

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.

Netty's Easy Peasy Scones

1 small tub (300 ml) whipping cream
3 cups SR flour
pinch salt

Fold the flour and salt through the cream.

Gently flatten mixture into around 3/4 inch batter.

Cut scones with round glass.

Put on tray dusted with flour. Arrange scones so they will be touching when they expand (this ensures they are soft and not all dry on the outside).

Bake in hot oven (200C) until golden (should be around 15 mins).

Enjoy with jam and cream. I love a good rasberry jam. Mmm

Grublover comment
My aunt Netty made these for my family when enjoying gracetown on the Australia Day weekend. They are great for weekends away because you don't need many ingredients or jazzy tools.
Jazz them up by adding extra flavours.
Some ideas:
- savoury: add fetta and spinach
- sweet: add raisins

Spaghetti Caprese

I have always been a big fan of the Caprese salad - light, fresh and so summery and delicious.

Last night at Gino's Fremantle I tried for the first time Spaghetti Caprese - I can't believe I haven't been making this dish - so simple, and so delicious.

Spaghetti
Fresh tomato
Bocconcini (or mozzarella)
Freshly torn basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

While the spaghetti is cooking mix remaining ingredients. Drain pasta, reserving about half a cup of the cooking liquid. Mix the sauce through the pasta with the cooking liquid and serve!
The bocconcini will melt through the dish. Delicious! Serve with lots of freshly cracked pepper and parmesan cheese.

Easy peasy spaghetti wtih lemon, chilli, garlic and rocket

Serves 4

750g fresh spaghetti, linguini or fettucini
3-4 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tb baby capers
1.5 tsp dried chilli flakes or 3 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced (alter to taste)
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 Tb lemon juice
3-4 cups roughly torn rocket leaves (or basil)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

Cook spaghetti in a saucepan of rapidly boiling water until it is al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the garlic and capers and saute for 1 minute.
Add chillies, lemon rind and juice and cook for another minute.
Drain pasta and add it to the pan with rocket and parmesan. Toss to combine and serve with a generous sprinkling of black peppper and a glass of wine.

Grublovers comment
Danny and I make this all the time. Whenever we don’t know what to make and we don’t want to go shopping, this is the answer. You can tailor it to your ingredients on hand - substitute spinach for the rocket, add anchovies, capers, olives. You can also add some spicy sausage e.g. chorizo, if you feel like some meat. Use your imagination and come up with any fantastic dish. As long as you have that basic oil, chilli and garlic combination it will be a winner.
I like to use a full flavoured olive oil - like Jingili of Western Australia.

Middle Eastern Lamb on Chickpea and Tomato Salad

Serves 4

4 x 150g lamb backstrap fillets
2 cups low fat Natural Yoghurt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 green capsicum, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
1/4 cup oil-free Italian Salad Dressing
1 clove garlic, crushed

Marinate lamb fillets in a combination of 1 cup yoghurt, 1 tsp cumin and coriander for minimum of 1 hour.

Combine chickpeas, capsicum, tomatoes, onion, mint and dressing in a bowl.

Stir together 1 cup yoghurt, garlic and 1 tsp cumin in a bowl.

Pan-fry lamb fillets in a non-stick pan over medium heat or until cooked through.

Place salad onto four serving plates and top with sliced lamb fillets. Finish with a generous dollop of yoghurt.

Grublover comment
This is similar to Jess' moroccan chicken and is equally simple and delicious, but uses one of my favourite meats, the lovely lamb.

You could also try serving this dish with couscous - see Jess' Cheat Moroccan Chicken.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Serves 4

400g Spaghetti
1 x 400g can whole tomatoes (With Juices, Roughly Chopped)
4 Fillets Anchovies (Roughly Chopped)
1 tablespoon Capers
12 Black Olives (Pitted)
2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (60ml)
Fresh Flat Parsley Leaf (Finely Chopped)
Salt & Pepper (Fresh Or Dried To Season)

While your spaghetti cooks in salted boiling water, prepare your sauce.

Heat up some olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add garlic and chili peppers. When garlic is golden, add anchovies, olives and capers.

Let cook for a few seconds before pouring tomatoes into the pan. Cook for approximately five minutes.

About a minute and a half before the al dente stage, drain the spaghetti and add it to the saucepan, allowing it to finish cooking in the sauce.

Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Grublover comment
When trying to cut down your fat you don't have to cut pasta altogether - simply choose tomato rather than creamy based sauces. This is one of my favourites and is bursting with flavour. If you are dining out order an entree size instead of a main - it is usually almost as large as a main anyway, and will be more than enough.

Stir fried Chicken with Basil

Serves 4

4 chicken thighs, cut into cubes
2 Tb vege oil
2 Tb ginger, finely chopped
2-3 chillies
1 Tb garlic, crushed
2 Tb palm sugar, grated or sliced up if hard
2 Tb fish sauce
big handful basil leaves, Thai or common, roughly shredded
coriander leaves
extra sliced chilli for garnish
steamed rice

Heat a wok to very hot and then add the oil.

Add the ginger, chllies and garlic and cook for just a few seconds - do not burn these or your dish will be ruined.

Add the chicken and stir fry that until it is just cooked and coloured. You may need to do this in two lots if you don’t have good heat as you don’t want it to stew.
Add the palm sugar and the fish sauce and cook until the whole lot looks sticky.

Stir through the basil leaves and serve garnished with the coriander leaves and extra chilli.

Serve with the steamed rice.

Grublover comment
This is another really easy, healthy weeknight dinner for which I usually have all the supplies on hand.  It is especially nice in the summertime when we have an abundance of fresh basil in the backyard.

Jess’ Cheat Moroccan Chicken

buy the masterfoods moroccan spice mix, mix it with a heap of lemon and garlic and a bit of oil

coat the chicken it and marinate for as long as you can. i like to add chilli flakes as well, and extra cumin. anything in the cupboard that goes is good to add in fact.

cook the chicken: barbeque, fry in a pan, or bake in the oven for 30 minutes (baste regularly with the sauceif baking)

get some natural yogurt, mix it with cumin, cumin seeds, lemon and garlic, maybe a little oil too. set aside and when ready, serve with the chicken.

for the cous cous, cook as per the packet, then add cut up a capsicum, spring onion, coriander, handfuls of currants, pistachios, (maybe even pine nuts or almonds). and there is the dinner. garnish with coriander too. make a big serve and it is good for lunch the next day cold. i also like pouring the juices from chicken the pan over my couscous.

Grublover comment
This recipe is from my dear friend Jess, and I agree with her comment that it is “pretty damn fine”.

Jessica Mary Anderson's German Potato Salad

2 large potatoes (or 4 smaller ones)
Spring onion (optional)
White Vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 rashers bacon - cut into strips
1 brown onion, sliced

Cut the potatoes into nice bite sized pieces and put in a pan of cold water. Put on the heat and cook until water is boiling. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, cook the onion and bacon in a pan until it is just browned.
Once it is browned add 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar and a good splash of vinegar.
This becomes the sauce so don’t cook it down too much, just for about 30 seconds to take the edge off the vinegar.
Chop the spring onion and toss through at the end.
Delicious as a side with some nice red meat.

Grublover comment
This salad is so easy and delicious. I love it with a barbeque. Always a winner.

Balinese Ginger Chicken

Serves 4








1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces - or use thigh fillets if you would prefer
1/2 cup honey
2 Tb garlic, crushed
1/2 cup grated ginger
1 red chilli, chopped, or to taste
1 stalk lemon grass, very finely chopped
1/2 cup light soy sauce

If you are using a whole chicken, slash each of the pieces through to the bone in the thickest places two or three times. This will allow the marinade to penetrate better and also allow the chicken to cook more quickly.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a baking dish, into which they most neatly fit.
Combine the rest of the ingredients for the marinade and pour this over the chicken pieces.
Using your hands, work the marinade into the chicken. Roast the chicken in a 200 degree oven until richly browned because of the honey.
OR you can barbeque the chicken, but watch the heat because of the honey.
Tonight I cooked the chicken in a wok - I let it marinate and then using tongs added the chicken to a hot wok. I boiled the marinade and drained it to serve as a sauce with the rice. Make sure you boil the marinade if you are using it to get rid of any bugs from the raw chicken.

Grublover comment
This dish is a simple, very typical Balinese family meal. Adjust the chilli level to your personal taste. With the ginger, use the paler, thin-skinned ginger because this is a sweeter, less hot flavour. I like to serve this with a green asian style salad and rice.

Easy peasy spaghetti wtih lemon, chilli, garlic and rocket

Serves 4

750g fresh spaghetti, linguini or fettucini
3-4 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tb baby capers
1.5 tsp dried chilli flakes or 3 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced (alter to taste)
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 Tb lemon juice
3-4 cups roughly torn rocket leaves (or basil)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

Cook spaghetti in a saucepan of rapidly boiling water until it is al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the garlic and capers and saute for 1 minute.
Add chillies, lemon rind and juice and cook for another minute.
Drain pasta and add it to the pan with rocket and parmesan. Toss to combine and serve with a generous sprinkling of black peppper and a glass of wine.

Grublovers comment
Danny and I make this all the time. Whenever we don’t know what to make and we don’t want to go shopping, this is the answer. You can tailor it to your ingredients on hand - substitute spinach for the rocket, add anchovies, capers, olives. You can also add some spicy sausage e.g. chorizo, if you feel like some meat. Use your imagination and come up with any fantastic dish. As long as you have that basic oil, chilli and garlic combination it will be a winner.
I like to use a full flavoured olive oil - like Jingili of Western Australia.