Recipes

You can travel the whole world without leaving the comfort of your own home. 

There is something special about coming home from a trip and putting your skills to the test in the kitchen with your friends & family who you haven’t seen in weeks or months being your test subjects.

Wherever I go in the world, I like to eat like a local and cook like a local just so I can fully immerse myself in the culture. From a few of my expeditions, I like to think that I have perfected a few dishes that really bring the true Japan, Thailand, Morocco and France into my home.

Pad Thai

This is one of my all-time favourite dishes and I would even go as far as saying that Thai is my favourite cuisine. This is a delicious high protein dish which is simple enough to cook up of an evening for the family.

  •  250g pack medium rice noodle
  • 2 tsp tamarind paste
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 3 spring onions
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • large cooked prawns/tofu
  • 75g beansprouts
  • handful salted peanut, chopped to serve

Pre-cook the noodles in boiling water and stand for 10-15 minutes until softened then drain well.

Stir fry the vegetables in a little soya sauce and oil over a medium heat and cook until they begin to soften.

Once softened, push the vegetables to one side and crack the egg, stir the egg until it begins to look like a broken omelette.

Add in the beansprouts, prawns or tofu and keep on the heat until cooked through, toss everything together and serve. Sprinkle some peanuts and drizzle of fresh lime juice to finish.

Family Lasagne

Lasagne is a firm family favourite in my home. This quick and easy recipe is failsafe and perfect for nights when you’re in a bit of rush or simply can’t be bothered to prepare a big meal.

If you are our of time, you can store buy white and red lasagne sauce, of course it is best to make it yourself but store sauces are handy!

  • olive oil
  • 750g lean beef mince
  • 90g pack prosciutto
  • ½ quantity tomato sauce (see below)
  • 200ml hot beef stock
  • 300g fresh pack lasagne sheets
  • ½ quantity white sauce (see below)
  • 125g ball mozzarella

To make the ragu sauce, heat the oil in a large pan and cook the beef for 20 minutes and until it is cooked through. Slice up the prosciutto and add to the beef, cooking for another few minutes.

To the meat, add in the tomato sauce and stock and season to taste. Bring this sauce to the boil and gently simmer for 30 minutes.

Set the oven to 180C and prepare your lasagne dish by greasing it with oil. Spoon a third of the ragu sauce into the dish and cover with lasagne sheets, add a layer of white sauce and repeat until all of the sauce and lasagne sheets are used.

When completed tear the mozzarella on top as well as left over ham and bake for 45 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through.

Serve with garlic bread and a delicious salad.

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Mexican Chicken Burger

Like all kids, my little brood as well as my hubby love burgers so instead of giving them shop bought burgers, I would prepare my own and make them a little more healthier.

These go down a treat paired with roasted cajun sweet potatoes wedges, coleslaw and a side salad!

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 tsp chipotle paste
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1-2 slices cheese
  • 1 brioche bun, split
  • ½ avocado
  • 2 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 3-4 pickled jalapeño slices, chopped
  • ½ small garlic clove, finely grated

Place the chicken breast between two pieces of cling film and bash with a rolling pin.

In a dish, mix the chipotle paste and juice of one lime until they are fully mixed together and rub on the prepared chicken.

In a pan, cook the seasoned chicken for 3 minutes on each side and until cooked through, in the final few minutes of cooking add in the cheese and season to taste.

For the homemade guacamole, smash the avocados with the lime juice, add in the tomatoes, garlic and jalapenos. Spread the guacamole on the bun and add the homemade burger and top with the other half of the bun.

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Chicken & Mushroom Risotto

This one-pot recipe is perfect for last minute meals which you haven’t prepared for.

This dish is also a great way to introduce your kids to mushrooms which are notoriously I hated vegetable.

  • 60g butter
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 250g pack chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 300g risotto rice
  • 1½ l hot chicken stock
  • 200g cooked chicken, chopped into chunks
  • 50g grated parmesan

Melt the butter in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown then add in the thyme, mushrooms and rice and cook for 5 minutes.

Add a quarter of the stock to the pan and stir occasionally, adding more stock as the mixture begins to thicken.

When the rice is almost cooked through, add the pre-cooked chicken and cook until the meat has heated up.

Season to taste with salt & pepper and add as much parmesan as you like, if you have a non-cheese eater, grate this and serve on the side.

This Chick Cooks - Recipes