Mediterranean Chicken Marbella Recipe, a touch of Spain with a silver lining

Chicken Marbella is a celebratory dish with a story, beginning with its creation in the kitchen of the Silver Palate food store, which opened on Manhattan's Upper West Side 35 years ago. The store was started by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, who cooked fresh each day, embracing a passion for simple good food. 

It's a back to basics day, cooking from scratch with Pickled Beetroot and Homemade Pumpkin Soup

Homemade Pumpkin Soup for lunch today.

When I thought about trekking to the local farmer's markets early this morning, I realised I still had ample fresh produce in my frig crisper to keep me busy cooking and for us to eat well this week. I love the markets and checking out all of the local produce, but it is false economy to buy more than we need, and it is so easy to do that once I am there. I am like a kid in a lolly shop when confronted by all of the wonderfully earthy, and ethnically diverse fresh fruit and vegetables. So I decided to stay home and cook up a storm instead.Three large, week old beetroot commanded pickling and the mature pumpkin was just begging to be made into a delicious soup. Before I started I also thought I would blend up some basil pesto today, as my Italian and sweet basil is doing very well. However it was an ambitious thought really as I am out of Parmesan cheese, and who wants to brave it at the supermarket on a Saturday when the Christmas rush is in full flight to buy cheese. It is bedlam out there so the pesto can wait. Perhaps tomorrow will be pesto and pasta day.

Pickling Beetroot

Vinegar and spices pickling solution.

Boiling the beetroot

Preparing to sterilise bottles for pickling.

Hey presto, three jars of beautifully coloured pickled beetroot.

Also featuring my new kitchen cutting board which Neil made for me this week. 

So an early start at 5.30 am before the summer heat strikes, to go for a walk at Neil's suggestion, and then into the cooking. I now have a large bowl of pumpkin soup, some of which we will eat for lunch today and the rest will freeze well for those nights when I need a  night off from the kitchen or we have surprise visitors. Batch cooking saves so much time later on. Three jars of pickled beetroot will last us for quite a while and will go into the pantry. I refuse to buy the canned stuff now, as much as I like to support Golden Circle, as it is full of preservatives which isn't a healthy option. It is so easy to pickle your own beetroot and it tastes great. I left all of the seeds in the bottles this time as I like the rustic look however that is a personal choice.

Go to Pickled Beetroot recipe here
Go to Pumpkin Soup recipe here

My work in the kitchen is done, so now it's time to relax, and put my feet up in front of the test cricket, which is gaining momentum. I've also started sewing again and hope to finish a shirt top I am making today so Happy Saturday everyone.

Have an enjoyable weekend if you are reading this, and try to keep smiling. What plans do you have for the weekend?

Also Happy Thanksgiving to anybody who is embracing the tradition this weekend.


Best wishes

Pauline

Spice up your life with Spicy Tomato Relish

Tomatoes are such a staple and very plentiful and quite well priced up here at the moment and I couldn't imagine life without them, could you? I still had some tomatoes that I bought at Merinda near Bowen, on the way home from Cairns which really needed to be used. I have always loved my Mum's easy tomato relish recipe, but just recently I have been enjoying relishes with a a bit more zing and heat to them, especially when eating cheesy vegetable muffins or vegetable fritters or glazed meats.

Simplicity Chocolate Cake, a vintage recipe for a Sunday afternoon

Chocolate cake is always such a special treat, and everyone needs a simple and fast chocolate cake recipe in their repertoire, don't you think? It has been very hot here this weekend, and after a siesta following lunch I woke up craving some chocolate cake, but realising there was nothing sweet  in the house to eat. Mr. HRK had also turned the coffee machine on so he was obviously thinking of a special afternoon tea as well.

 I've been meaning to bake this recipe of my Mum's for a long time. It was a very easy and economical cake to make which she often baked when I lived at home, but is probably a bit small as a round cake by modern day standards, however today I baked it in a loaf tin which was perfect for Mr. HRK and me. It makes  two nice sandwich cakes by just doubling the recipe. It took about 15 minutes to prepare and mix and then only 40 minutes to cook. Because we were in such a hurry to try it, I iced it when still warm which isn't what I usually do but it was delicious. I also added about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips to the batter because I was feeling needy, and these worked a treat.

Ingredients:

1 cup S.R. flour
1 small cup sugar ( a teacup size)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (optional)



Method:

1. Put all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips into your mixing bowl together and beat until well combined and glossy.
2. Carefully mix the chocolate chips into the batter by hand (This step can be eliminated)
3. Spoon the cake mixture into a well greased  round cake tin or a loaf tin, depending on the occasion you are baking for.
4. Cook for 40 minutes in a moderate oven, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Test it after 30 minutes though just in case.

This mixture can also be made into patty cakes. Just spoon a tablespoon of the mixture into 1 dozen patty cake tins. These small cakes were called patty cakes in Australia before they all became cup cakes.

Just iced while still warm

 Prepare a chocolate icing whilst the cake is baking. I just make a very simple icing using about 2 cups of  icing sugar sifted with 2 tablespoons of cocoa, some melted butter and some milk. Start with small quantities of melted butter and milk and just keep beating and adding to the icing sugar until you get the icing consistency you want. I prefer icing that spreads across the top of the cake quite thickly and doesn't run down the sides. The cake needs to be quite cool though for this to occur.

So to any dear friends who read this, do you have a simple family cake recipe that you resort to when you just need some cake to eat at home when you feel like indulging? Is Sunday the day that you often feel like indulging in a nice afternoon tea?

Best wishes

Pauline xx

An original recipe by Pauline +Happy Retirees Kitchen

Duck Breast and Red Cabbage Noodle Salad with Shiro Miso Dressing

 Duck Breast Salad. Add Black Sesame Seeds for decoration.

Go straight to recipe here:

We've been back from holidays in Cairns for a just over a week now and I am slowly  getting back into a much needed routine.We returned to a broken and thawed out freezer which wasn't pleasant, but the following day we went refrigerator and freezer shopping, and now I am relishing in filling it with precooked meals, frozen tomato sauces as it is tomato season, and other meat bargains as they appear. It is a slow process however the new freezer which is beautiful, efficient and tidy, will pay for itself in the long run. There has also been a lot of gardening  to do, and as it is warming up in North Queensland that is now an early morning or late afternoon activity.

It has taken a whole week but I now enjoying being back in the kitchen. When Summer starts, light, tasty and nutritious meals often with an Asian influence seem appropriate and this recipe is perfect. I have made the salad twice over the weekend for dinners and I just love the subtle Japanese flavours of the dressing. In fact all of my favourite taste sensations are in this salad, marrying well with the  crunch of the red cabbage and the Japanese inspired dressing. When combined with the Duck Breast,  this becomes a perfect dinner party dish.

Salad ingredients:

3 x 150g-200g fresh duck breasts, skin on (or 4 if you are expecting really hungry guests)
2 x 90g bundles of soba noodles
3 cups of finely shredded red cabbage
3 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
1-2 medium red chillies, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 cup coriander leaves
1 tbsp. black sesame seeds (Available from Asian supermarkets)
1/2 cup roasted cashews or or almonds for extra crunch (optional)
sea salt flakes

Shiro Miso Dressing (White Miso)

1/4 cup tamari (or use soy sauce instead)
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tsp shiro miso
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp mirin
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger

Cooking the duck:

Score the skin of each duck breast diagonally, and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. If you have time, pour boiling water over the skin and place, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight. According to Maggie Beer, this allows the pores to open and helps the fat under the skin to render beautifully during the cooking. However if you are short of time, just 10 minutes does help.

Preheat the oven to 200 deg.C. Heat a heavy based frying pan over a high heat until very hot. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper and place skin-side down in the pan to sear. Leave until well browned, then turn over and sear the other side for 1 minute. Transfer to the oven and cook for another 4 minutes, then remove and leave to rest covered, skin side down, in a warm place for a least 5 minutes.Cut into 1 cm thick slices.

Meanwhile prepare the noodles according to packet directions and drain and rinse very thoroughly and allow to cool.

Make the miso dressing by whisking all the ingredients in a jug until smooth.

To assemble the salad, place the duck, noodles, cabbage, cucumber, onion, chilli, coriander, and dressing in a large bowl.Toss until well combined. Scatter with black sesame seeds and nuts just before serving.






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