Chicken with Peas (Chicken with Pees) Recipe

Chicken with peas (a.k.a. Pollo con i piselli)

Preparation: 15 mins

Cooking: 1 hour - 1 hour 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

This is a wonderful recipe, easy to prepare and it could be the ideal choice for a Sunday lunch. I usually use chicken thighs but you can use any part of chicken you like, but remember to leave the skin on during the cooking. I like to prepare this recipe during the winter time and if you know how to make a real Italian polenta (not the already made one you can buy at the supermarket!) you, then, will make your guests very happy. Do not forget the red wine!

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken thighs
• 1 Onion (finely chopped)
• 1 Potato (sliced - about 3 mm thick)
• 300 g (11 oz) Peas (I usually use frozen peas)
• 250 g(9 oz) Chopped tomatoes
• 2 Bay leaves
• 15 ml (1 tbs) Tomato purèe
• 60 ml (2 fl oz) Extra virgin olive oil
• 450 ml (¾ pint) Vegetable or chicken stock (hot)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. First and foremost, before you start cooking, be sure that the first thing you do is to prepare the stock so that it is readily available when required. The best thing to do is to have the stock just simmering, and no more, on the cooker.
   
2. Put the olive oil into a casserole and sets to medium heat. Add the onion and sweat off for a couple of minutes.
   
3. Then, add the chicken to the pan.
   
4. Be sure to have a large pan so it can accommodate the chicken.
   
5. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes.
   
6. Then, turn the chicken over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
   
7. Our aim is to turn the chicken thighs golden.
   
8. Then, before adding the peas (especially if the are frozen) turn the heat to high and after about a minute add all the peas.
   
9. With a wooden spoon set the peas evenly around the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes.
   
10. Then, turn the heat to medium and add the chopped tomatoes.
    
11. With a wooden spoon move things around a bit, so that the chopped tomatoes are evenly distributed and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
    
12. Then, add all your stock. The stock should be enough to nearly cover the chicken.
    
13. Add the bay leaves.
    
14. Season with salt according to your taste.
    
15. Season with black pepper according to your taste.
    
16. Add the potato slices. If the slices are too big, half them.
    
17. This is what you should have at this stage.
    
18. We add just a bit of tomato purèe as flavour enhancer.
    
19. We take the lid and cover the pan, but not completely.
    
20. Leave a small opening on one side. Now, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 40-50 minutes. During this time turn the chicken twice.
    
21. Simmering will cook the chicken to perfection and will also help to reduce the sauce. After 50 minutes you should have what is featured in the picture.

• Serve accompanied with few slices of warm country bread or, ideally, with Italian polenta.
  

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Italian Sausages With Lentils (Italean Sausagges with Lentels) Recipe

Ingredients

• - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• - 1 Onion finely chopped
• - 500g Lentils - either Puy or red
• - 3 Large cloves Garlic
• - 8 Italian Sausages
• - 100ml Red Wine
• - 50ml Water

Method

1. Put 2-3 tablespoons of oil into a good-sized saucepan (and one which has a lid that fits) on the heat and when it's warm add the chopped onion and pancetta.
2. Sprinkle with salt and cook over a low to medium heat till soft (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the lentils, stir well and then cover generously with cold water. (If using our Cirio lentils which come in a light tomato sauce to cook this recipe you can use this liquid and just add to it at this point but do not worry about needing to cook them.)
4. Bring to the boil then cover, and let simmer gently for half an hour or so until cooked and most, if not all, the liquid's absorbed.
5. I don't add salt at this stage since the sauce provided by the sausages later (and which will be poured over the lentils) will be pretty salty itself. So, wait and taste. And remember, you can of course cook the lentils in advance.Anyway, when either the lentils are nearly ready or you're about to reheat them, put a heavy based frying pan on the hob, cover with a film of oil and add the bruised garlic.
6. Cook for a few minutes then add and brown the sausages. When the sausages are brown on both sides - which won't take more than five minutes or so - throw in the wine and water and let bubble up.
7. Cover the pan, either with a lid or tin foil and cook for about 15 minutes.Using a fork, mash the now-soft garlic into the sauce and taste for seasoning, adding a little more water if it's too strong.
8. Remove the lentils to a shallow bowl or dish then cover with the sausages and their garlicky winey gravy.
9. Sprinkle over some flat-leaf parsley.

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Green Chutney (Mint Chutney) Recipe

Ingredients:

1big Bunch of coriander leaves

4 green chilies

1 onion

1 tomato

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

salt to taste

1/2 tsp Lemon juice

Method:

Put all the ingredients except lemon juice , in a small mixie
Grind it till it becomes like a smooth paste
Add water as and when required.
Once ground , Add lemon juice according to taste
Store in a clean glass bottle

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with any kind of starter

Tip:

Try using no water or as little as possible to make the chutney last longer

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Salsa (Salsaa) Recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion - finely chopped
3 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro (dhaniya) - finely chopped
1/2 green pepper (capsicum) - finely chopped
2 cloves garllic - crushed
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp tabasco sauce (optional)
salt to taste
1 tsp Olive oil

Method:

Slit the tomatoes and boil them. Once boiled peel the skin and blend them.
Put the blended tomatoes in a bowl
Chop the onion and capsicum finely and put in the bowl.
Add garlic, oregano, chilli flakes, ketchup, tabasco and salt. Mix well.
Heat oil and put in the mixture and add cilantro. Cook on a low flame for 5-7 minutes.
Cool and ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions:

An accompiment to variety of mexican and italian dishes. Can be had aling with Indian snacks and parathas as well

Tip:

Heating the salsa mixture gets the raw taste out and helps to enhance the flavor

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Gujrati Kadhi (Gujarati Kadi) Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup gram flour (besan)
• 2 cups of yogurt (dahi)
• 1 green chili chopped
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds( jeera)
• 1/2 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 10 curry leaves
• 3 cloves
• 2 dried red chillies
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 small piece of jaggery
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek )
• water as required
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Mix Besan and yogurt and whisk it together
2. Add 2 , 3 cups of water and mix them well
3. Heat oil in a small kadai and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chili, curry leaves, cloves,methi seeds and hing.
4. When seeds starts cracking , add besan-yogurt mixture.
5. Add salt to taste
6. Add green chillies, kasurimethi and jaggary
7. Stir it continuously till you see thick consistency
8. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve hot

Serving Suggestions:

• Can be served with Rice , Biryani or Pulao

Tip:

• Use the yogurt which is little sour, it gives tangy taste

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Sambar (sambaar) Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toor dal
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tamarind juice
• 1/2 tsp white urad dal
• 1 whole red chilli
• 1/2 tsp mustard seedspinch of hing
• 1/2 methi seeds
• 3 tbsp sambar masala ( Everest or MTR brand )
• few curry leaves

Method:

1. Pressure cook toor dal till its tender. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, methi seeds, hing, urad dal, and curry leaves.
3. Once seeds starts crackling, add onions, tomato and sambar masala.
4. Fry till onions turn a little brown and add the boiled dal.
5. Add salt to taste, tamarind juice and a little water.
6. Cook with covered lid for 15-20 mins.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve with dosa, idli, vadas or appams.

Tips:

• You can add lemon juice instead of tamarind juice.
• You can also add vegetables like sambar onions, beans, drumsticks and carrots to the sambar.

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