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Saturday 22 May 2021

Chicken and chorizo tostadas

 

Chicken and chorizo tostadas
Chicken and chorizo tostadas

  • Chicken breast cut into bite sized chunks
  • Chorizo sliced and cut into quarters
  • Small flour tortillas
  • Radishes, thinly sliced
  • Diced herbed potatoes (most supermarkets sell these frozen)
  • Fried eggs
  • Avocado
  • Red onion, finely diced
  • 1 tomato, deseeded and cut into small pieces
  • Handful of chopped coriander
  • Hot sauce
  • Salsa verde
  • Lime
  • Rapeseed oil

I haven’t been precise with most of the ingredients as it depends on how many people you are cooking for, I made enough for 6 tostadas so I used half a chorizo ring and two chicken breasts, obviously increase/decrease depending on how many you are feeding.

Firstly we want to make up some pico de gallo to accompany the dish, put the diced onion and tomato into a bowl, the juice of half a lime a splash of hot sauce and half the chopped coriander, stir through and leave to one side.

Cook your potatoes according to packet instructions, usually this takes 20 minutes.  Once they go into the oven, heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan (enough to cover the base of the pan and deep enough to cover a tortilla).  Once hot, fry each tortilla until they brown slightly then place in tin foil and leave to one side.  Once the tortillas are done, drain away most of the oil and add the chicken and chorizo and fry until the chicken is cooked through (not much oil is required as the chorizo will release plenty of oil during cooking).  I haven’t added any seasoning to the chicken as you will get plenty of flavour from the chorizo oil however you can add some spices if you wish. 

Once the chicken and chorizo is cooked, remove from the pan and place onto some kitchen roll to soak up any excess oil.  Then crack your eggs into the pan (one for two tostadas) and cook for several minutes until the whites are firm but the yolk remains runny.  Whilst you are cooking the eggs you can assemble your tostadas. 

Place two tortillas onto each plate, top with some of the cooked potato and the chicken and chorizo, top with a fried egg and garnish with the sliced radish with some pico de gallo on the side.  Splash over as much hot sauce and salsa verde as you need, sprinkle over some of the remaining chopped coriander and get stuck in!

As you know, I am all for quick and simple recipes and this definitely fits the bill, packed with flavour and super tasty, hope you enjoy as much as we did. 

Sunday 9 May 2021

Pork Vindaloo

 

Pork Vindaloo
Pork Vindaloo

  • 800g diced pork
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp brown mustard
  • 10 curry leaves (preferably fresh)
  • 2 brown onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Large pinch of salt

For the marinade

  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 4 green chillies, finely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
  • 5 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 3 tbsp mixed garlic and ginger paste

Method:

Firstly for this recipe we start with the marinade.  Place all the marinade ingredients into a large bowl and stir until you have a smooth paste.  Add the pork and mix well until coated.  Cover and leave the pork to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour (preferably overnight).

When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat, add the garlic and allow to cook for around 20 minutes, make sure you don’t let the garlic burn!  Transfer the garlic to a plate and set aside, add a splash more oil, turn the heat up and add the mustard seeds, when they start to pop add the curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds or so before adding the chopped onion.  Turn the heat down and fry for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, bay leaves and the pork (with all the marinade), stir well before emptying the mixture into a large casserole dish then pour in just enough water to cover the pork.  Place the casserole dish into a preheated oven (160 degrees) and cook for at least 2 hours or until the pork is tender.  I would recommend you check the dish after each hour just to ensure more water is required.

When the pork is cooked, check for seasoning, adding salt if required, stir in the garlic and serve. We had this with the usual rice, dips, chutney and naans.  

There is a great flavour to this dish, nice bit of heat but not enough to make you reach for the water, one I will definitely be making again.

Pork Vindaloo
Pork Vindaloo