world-cuisine

Family Chicken Pasta with Liz from World Cuisine

liz@worldcuisine.co.nz (Liz Maynard) — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 03:34:51 GMT

As a busy working Mum some days even I just want something simple, fast & yet still healthy for my family.

For us this is a good go to recipe & great to use up those left over bits in the fridge.

During my time living in Europe I had the pleasure to learn so many amazing

Recipes that I have now adapted to suit the local availability of produce.

Going to the local markets on a daily basis in France, Italy & Greece I got to know the produce growers & stall holders & was so fortunate to learn many recipes from their families..

I love sharing these adaptations with you all..

Enjoy..

The Recipe

Family chicken pasta

This classic family pasta is so quick to put together it will become a regular.

It’s full of flavour & full of goodness too. A great way to use any extra cooked chicken left overs…

Ingredients

½ cup Olive oil

I used ½ a cooked chicken

4 rashes chunky sliced bacon

½ red onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic sliced

2 celery stalks with light coloured leaves

½ red capsicum

1 cup grated beetroot

¼ Broccoli

½ cup brown mushrooms

6 cherry tomatoes cut in quarters (or usual tomatoes cut small)

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

½ tsp celery salt (or sea salt & celery seeds)

A good 3-4 twists of fresh ground black pepper

½ cup grated cheese of choice. (parmesan is traditional)

To make recipe

Place olive oil in the hot pan, cook off bacon, onion, garlic & dried herbs

Add pre cooked chicken, combine.

Add the rest of the ingredients, in order of cook time required.

So celery, broccoli, beetroot, capsicum… Mushrooms last.

(This is a great recipe for the left over vegetables to add in too).

Toss to well combined..

Bring a pot of Salty water to the boil

(Salty like the Mediterranean sea, as I was taught in Italy.)

This stops the pasta sticking.

When the water is at a rolling boil add your pasta, cooking until el dente / just firm to the bite

or for fun until it sticks on the wall when tossed at it.....hehehe...

toss lightly with a little olive oil..

.........mmmmmm

Classic Bread making with Liz from World Cuisine

liz@worldcuisine.co.nz (Liz Maynard) — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 01:59:57 GMT

I love bread, who doesn't... I make many varieties & this recipe is a classic that you can easily adapt by adding things to like, herbs, garlic, pesto & seasonings to make it your own special bread.

I've baked bread from all over the world & this is a very simple fresh recipe from Europe. Enjoy..

The Recipe

1 heaped tsp active yeast

1 tsp raw caster s ugar ( any fine sugar is fine, even replace with keto sugar)

1 cup of tepid water, this is very important as you need to warm the yeast back to life..

1 cup 00 flour or wholemeal

1 cup strong bakers flour

Place the yeast & sugar in a mixing bowl, mix with you hands (go on g et your hands in there)

Set aside to let the yeast activate

Add the salt & flours

Mix well & knead until you have a smooth ball of dough.

Set aside to raise/ levern/ proove for an hour or 25 mins in a modern oven that has this function on it.

knock it back & shape to what you desire.

Set aside to proove again for another 45 mins

Then bake at 200 deg cel for 20-25 mins depending on your oven

Add steam in the first 5 mins of cooking if your oven has this function or you

can put a tray on the bottom shelf of your oven with hot water in it.

Set aside when cooked, you'll know as it will have a crust formed you can knock on..

Set aside to cool for 5 mins & enjoy..........mmmmmm

Greek Chicken from Crete

liz@worldcuisine.co.nz (Liz Maynard) — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 02:10:24 GMT

From the Island of Crete , the largest & most Southern of the Greek Islands

When I lived in Chania, in the north west of Crete, this dish was my favourite weekly treat from a little local take away taverna on a back street. The recipe is adapted from them & every time I make it I travel back there.

This recipe is so easy to put together & so healthy & delicious, it’s been a family favourite for many years.

Adding the cloves whole bulbs with skin on keeps them sweet.

This is a rustic dish that the locals of Chania told me was a favourite of our ANZAC troops when the fighting in Crete during WW2.

This dish is a great one for all the family & covers the standard dietary requirements; Gluten, Dairy, nut free, Good for Diabetic, low fat, Keto. As a base recipe it’s great to adapt, remove garlic & onion if that is your allergy.

The Recipe

10 Chicken pieces, bone in skin on

1/2 cup Greek extra virgin Olive Oil

1 Red onion sliced chunky

1 bulb of Garlic, broken into cloves (6-8)

1 stick Celery (optional)

½ each Capsicum red & green

2 large Lemon juiced & the lemons cut

Fresh ground black pepper

Sea salt

2 -3 large heaped spoon dried Oregano, & 1 Tsp of fresh

2 tsp Dried Thyme

2 tsp ground Cumin

½ green / red Chili Fresh

¼ cup Kalamata olives & some juice

Wedged Potatoes from 4 white potatoes

Fresh flat leaf parsley

This recipe is so easy to put together, it’s a place all ingredients in the oven pot, mix it together & put it in the oven at 170-180 deg cel for 40-45mins (depending on your oven), oven age & brands can vary. The natural flavours are so good & clean.

Serve with a little Tzatziki & pita bread on the side. The pita is great for soaking up the extra juices.