Venison Chilli

My husband cooked this chilli for us last weekend. It was devine to say the least. Im bribing him for the recipe. So will be coming soon ...

Ok so as promised-here is the recipe

2 ancho dried chillies (if you can't find use birds eye or other dried chillies)
1 shoulder venison
1 dsp cumin seeds
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
2 fresh chillies
100ml sunflower oil or similar
1 tsp chilli powder
500g tinned peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 dsp dried or fresh oregano
Soured cream
6 spring onions
Bunch fresh coriander
Tortillas

Soak the dried chillies in a bowl of cold water. Bone and dice the venison into 2 cm cubes. In a heavy, large dry casserole, roast the cumin seeds on high heat until they give off a strong, toasty aroma. Pour these seeds into a mortar / blender and grind to a powder.

Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic and fresh chillies and stew these in the casserole in a couple of tablespoons of oil. Remove from heat.

In a separate pan fry off meat in batches in hot oil, colouring each side and adding to casserole. Once all the meat is sealed off, add the chilli powder, tomatoes, oregano and enough water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any scum that rises to the top and later in the cooking process any oil or fat.

The stew will need two and a 1/2 hrs to cook properly and will be improved by cooking the day before with a lengthily half hours reheating the next day. (If it lasts that long lol)

Serve with pilau rice, a bowl or soured cream, spring onions, coriander and tortillas or Nachos.

One word: yummmmy x

Turkey Chilli

A healthy alternative to chilli con carne.

1 tbsp olive oil
400 g turkey mince
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 onions, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
50 g celery diced
120ml white wine
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée
1 can chopped tomatoes
bunch of coriander,
chopped sour cream, nachos, rice/ what ever you would like to serve

Method

 

Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and sautee the onions and garlic till soft. Add the red pepper and stir in the chilli powder, paprika, oregano and stir well. Add the turkey mince. When the meat is cooked, add in the white wine.

 

Add sun dried tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, beans and coriander. Let simmer for 20 minutes until cooked. Serve.

 

 

Green Chicken Curry (Low Fat)

I first started using Thai Curry Paste, after attending a Thai Cookery Course at Ballyknocken Cookery School in Wicklow. At this particular class we used Red Curry Paste. After this class I purchased several different brands of curry paste and my favorite curry paste is the Mae Ploy Brand.

This is a lovely recipe which I got from A year at Avoca cook book. I've tried it several times and it definately quick, easy, tasty. You can either use a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces or Chicken Thighs like I used. I find that meat cooked on the bone has much more flavor.

Ingredients
Serve 4

1 large chicken / chicken pieces
1 tblsp sunflower oil
1 large onion sliced
5cm fresh root ginger peeled and grated (You can use ginger paste, it will still taste good, but fresh will give a fresher taste)
4 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 green chilli de seeded and chopped.
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp green curry paste
350ml chicken stock
200g fine French Beans, cut into 2cm lengths
30g coriander chopped
100ml low fat greek yoghurt or creme fraiche (optional)

Method

Score each piece of chicken with a sharp knife, cutting through the skin - this helps the flavours to penetrate and reduces the cooking time.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large saute pan, approx 10cm deep. Add the chiccken pieces and cook for 2 - 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a warm plate.

Add the sliced onion to the pan, lower the heat and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to soften. Then add the ginger, garlic, chilli, lime leaves and curry paste and cook for a minute or two until the aromas from the spices are released.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan, cover with the stock and simmer gently, covered with a tight fitting lid, for 25 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes uncovered until the beans are tender. Finally, remove from the heat stir in the yoghurt and fresh corriander.

To Serve

Serve with steamed Thai Jasmine rice (remember to rinse thoroughly before steaming as it is super-starchy) and some Asian greens that have been stir-fried in a couple of drops of toasted sesame oil and a dessertspoon of oyster sauce. Add chutney and good naan bread.

Bon Appetite x x x