Spanish Chicken yesterday and Pea & Broad Bean Risotto with lamb fillets today

You'll probably all be pleased to know I have officially stopped wobbling on about aircraft today...how long this will last who knows?

I always knew this would be a week and a half - unpacking from camping, collecting Polly (the cat), catching up on some correspondence to Lyme Regis and New Zealand, Lauren had a school trip, she has homework, her term homework needs to be in (yes - she is only 6!), we were away at weekend so all the weekend jobs still need doing, I have to futilely stop off to buy a newspaper every morning on the off chance that Lauren makes an appearance, then there's dancing and swimming and gymnastics to deal with and believe it or not we need to start packing again.

So last night after helping Lauren finish her homework I suddenly realised the house was a tip and there was only 20 minutes until Mr H got home. A quick rummage in the white goods revealed some frozen chicken thighs, a large onion, some slightly sad looking courgettes, 2 Romano peppers which had frozen to the back of the fridge but were not beyond help...time to pull out another Hill family favourite...another ready steady cook style meal but that's mostly how we go...

Maria's Spanish Chicken

So, you need some basic ingredients for this - onions, garlic, chicken, peppers, paprika, tomatoes and then you can adapt it how you like. You will notice I don’t give many accurate measurements, I am feeding 2.5, you may be feeding 6 - use the appropriate amount, you may like hot and spicy or herby so use what you feel comfortable with.

So I started with the onion. I like to  use a nice, big, firm, brown skinned one for this and cut it in half and then into crescents. Next chop some garlic, I used 3 cloves.

Red peppers, I used 2 Romano's cut into rings but I like big cheeks or slices of red bell peppers instead too.

Heat some olive oil in a shallow pan and gently fry until soft and golden. Remove from the pan.

Take your (defrosted) chicken thighs, I use skinless, boneless ones and cut them into strips, but you can use whole ones and crisp the skin up. Fry in the pan until sealed and then add the onions and peppers.

Next I put in some chopped chorizo (chunky is best or it will lose it's flavour into the sauce), turn up the heat a little as this will encourage the chorizo to release it's oils. I added some chopped courgettes and fried for a few minutes, stirring.

If I had some wine I would add it now and let it bubble down a little before adding a squirt of tomato purée, some tinned chopped tomatoes and some dried or fresh thyme, a few heaped teaspoons of paprika (hot, sweet or smoky - whichever you like) and some salt and pepper.

That could be it, but tonight I had some olives that needed using so I added them as well. I let it cook for about 20 minutes, long enough to prepare some "Hardly Ever Fail Basmati Rice" (see 30 June 2011).

It was a delicious quick tea, even Lauren cleared her plate even though she insists she doesn't like peppers and onions!!

Tonight - Tuesday - was just as hectic, I sat with Lauren to design a 3 fold leaflet about Lyme Regis for her topic homework, mulling over what to have for tea. I'd got out some lamb fillet yesterday expecting to make a ratatouille, but Tammy's dad had sent in a bag of goodies from his garden, broad beans, fresh peas and some mini red onions. I did a little internet research, had a little think and came up with the following.

Pan Fried Fillet of Lamb with a Pea and Broad Bean Risotto

I podded the peas, boiled for 3 minutes, reserved a quarter and puréed the rest.

Podded the broad beans, boiled for five minutes, ran under the cold tap and skinned them.

I opened a bottle of white wine, prepared a large jug of chicken stock and grated a couple of handfuls of Parmesan cheese.

In an oven-proof frying pan I fried some red onion, courgette and garlic in olive oil, added some sprigs of fresh rosemary. Seared the fillets of lamb, added some quartered tomatoes, drizzled with oil and put in the oven at GM6.

Next in a heavy based pan I melted some butter in some olive oil and fried some red onion and garlic, til soft and transparent. I added 180-200gm of risotto rice and stirred til it was coated in butter. I added half the puréed peas and a large glass of wine, stirring and letting the liquid reduce. When the mixture becomes dry I add some stock, stirring all the time. I repeat this process for about 15 minutes, the aim is for the risotto to "sigh" when you add the fresh liquid. The aim is to get a flowing risotto, creamy looking, the rice should be firm but not chalky. When it is almost ready, add the rest of the pea purée, the last of the peas and the Parmesan.

Serve on warm plates, with a salad or crusty bread. Scatter the broad beans over the top.

On this occasion though I served it with the lamb, courgettes and tomatoes with the lamb juices spooned over the top. Mr H said it was the best risotto I'd ever made..it was nice..maybe not the best but it was nice that he liked it..Lauren's empty plate spoke for itself. Mr H has declared that this blog can only be a good thing as he is "getting nice teas"!!


Just a quick shout out about Tammy's redcurrant chutney, we had it with our lamb tonight it was lovely an ideal accompaniment, would go lovely with a bit of mature cheddar too! Thanks Tammy!