Slow Cooker Moroccan chicken Stew

I got some wonderful presents this Christmas. One of them was a slow cooker. I wish I had this three years ago when my son was a newborn and cooking was a luxury but I am glad I finally have one. It is great to use overnight when a busy day comes or when lots of people are coming over and time for other preparations is needed. This recipe serves four to six people. 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water

yogurt (optional) 

In a large pan, preheat olive oil over medium high heat.

Add onion, sauté until beginning to soften about 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, coat diced chicken bit by bit in spice mixture.

Add chicken to pan and brown - about 4-5 minutes.

Add garlic, sweet potato, carrots and remaining spice mixture. 

Cook for 2 minutes.

Place chicken and vegetables into slow cooker.

Add crushed tomato and water to the pan you cooked the vegetables and chicken in. 

Stir to loosen up brown bits on bottom of the pan.

Dump liquid into slow cooker.

Cook on low heat for five hours. 

Obviously this can be cooked in a normal pot for just an hour. 

Serve with rice and some greek yogurt on the side. 

The turkey dish: an alternative guide to Merry Christmas

Christmas overrated or not is the best time for good food. To be honest as long as I don't have to cook on Christmas eve or day, which I find very stressful, I am fine and happy enough to eat for ten people. And beat my boyfriend in Monopoly. And watch 'It's A Wonderful Life'. And other cliches. 
This year I decided to cook for my friends before they go away for the holiday season. So last night I tried this stir fry dish, which was actually simple and tasty. Not very Christmassy but hey, the turkey was there and the mulled wine put everyone in a ho ho ho mood anyway. 
It also means I can just do the drinking during the festive preparations, since I have paid my dues. 

Ingredients

• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 300g turkey breast 
• 5cm piece of root ginger, chopped (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce (no salt necessary, soy sauce will do the job)
• 50g mange tout, green beans or sugar snaps
• 50g bamboo shoots
• 80g broccoli in florets 
• 50g baby corn 
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed

• 3 slices of pineapple, preferably fresh, diced
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 150g fresh bean sprouts

50g cashew nuts

sesame seeds (optional) 

• Wash, dry and slice the turkey evenly.
• For the marinade, mix ginger with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, salt, pepper and garlic. Roll the turkey in the marinade, leave in the fridge for an hour.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the onion and the turkey briefly. Stir in the pineapple chunks.
• Add the bean sprouts, broccoli, cashew nuts and the rest of the vegetables to the pan and cook, stirring continuously.
• Add the remaining soy sauce and pepper to taste. Toss one last time and serve. Sesame seeds can be added too. 
• Can be accompanied by rice or noodles. (Optional) 

The Butter Bean & The Chorizo

I made this stew for the 'welcome back' party of a dear friend who just came back from Spain.
I don't know what I was thinking with the chorizo. I bet he must be so fed up with it, but I guess I thought it would make him feel like home.
I also thought it would be a very heavy dish but it wasn't at all. It is a stew that -apart from the initial preparation, chopping etc- you can let it do it's own thing and just stir occasionally.


180g dried (or canned) butter beans
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
250g raw chorizo sausage (available at every good deli), cut into 5mm-thick diagonal slices
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
paprika
400g can chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken stock, hot
dried oregano
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Soak the butter beans in a bowl of water overnight.
The next day, place the beans in a saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and simmer rapidly for 1 hour until just tender. Drain. You can always use tinned butter beans instead.
Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole and fry the raw chorizo for 2-3 minutes until starting to brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and paprika to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion is beginning to soften.
Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, oregano and lemon zest and add the chorizo and beans to the casserole. Mix well, bring to the boil and simmer, partially covered, for 1¼ hours or until the sauce is thick and the beans are tender. Check the seasoning.
Serve with crusty bread and leaf salad and of course Rioja.

Tom Ka Kai, Coconut Thai Soup

Nothing better than a trip to Thailand or at least a visit to your local Thai restaurant, but for the days you can't be bothered to leave the house you can easily prepare this.
Turn this vegetarian by increasing mushrooms in place of chicken and substituting vegetable stock.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch piece
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 200g fresh mushrooms, sliced (a good mix of shitake & oyster mushrooms will do the job)
• 3 spring onions sliced
• 1 stalk lemongrass beaten to death
• fresh galagal root or ginger root, grated
  
• 2 red chillies, crushed
  
• 6 cups good quality chicken stock
• 1 can good quality coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (but feel free to skip this ingredient)
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• fresh coriander
  

HOW:

In the bottom of a large soup pot, heat the oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Salt the chicken and add to oil, tossing to brown all the pieces. Cook about 3 minutes or until outside is browned, but not necessarily cooked all the way through.

Add mushrooms and toss. Allow to cook until some of the moisture is cooked out and the mushrooms are soft. Turn down heat to medium-low.

To prepare the lemongrass, slice and mince the lower portion and reserve the stalk to flavor the soup. You can use a food processor for this, or just mince it by hand. The woody upper portion of the stalk will be removed later, so don't chop it up, simply score it by making a few superficial cuts in it to allow it to flavor the soup.

Add the whites of the onions, reserving the greens. Add the minced lower portion of the lemongrass, grated galangal, and chilies. Toss until just warmed through. Add the lemongrass stalk, lime leaves, chicken stock, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and remaining onions, reserving just a few for garnish. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend well.

Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with remaining onion greens and coriander.

Serve over rice noodles for a main dish serving.