Chicken Wraps With Chipotle Mayo And Salsa

Chicken, mayo and chillies?  Yep sounds good to me.  This is a terrible confession for a food blogger but I have never made my own mayonnaise.  I know!  I can hear you gasp from here.  I did think for a minute when I saw this recipe that I would use bought mayo, but then I thought better of it.  So for the first time in living history, you will find me attempting home made mayo.  Plus a few other bits and pieces:=)  

I am making my version of this recipe from the book What Katie Ate; Recipes and other Bits and Bobs by Kate Quinn Davies.  This is the final book of the year being perused and used in The Cookbook Guru Book Club.  Everyone is welcome to join in!


ingredients:

500g. chicken breast tenderloins (or fillets cut into strips)
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs of mint leaves, roughly chopped
sea salt and black pepper to taste

chipotle mayo:

1 egg yolk
1 tbs lemon or lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (250mls) of light olive oil - I used 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 of peanut oil 
2-3 tinned chipotle chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp sliced pickled jalapeño chillies, also finely chopped

chunky salsa:

4 ripe tomatoes
1 red onion
1 green capsicum (bell pepper)
salt and pepper
1.5 tbs sherry vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have)
2 tbs olive oil

To serve:

8 tortilla wraps
2 avocados, sliced or diced
handful of coriander leaves
mint leaves (optional)
lime wedges (optional)


Method:

Place the chicken tenderloins or strips in a shallow baking dish

Make the marinade by whisking the lime zest and juice, garlic, oil, mint, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl

Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes

Put all the ingredients for the mayo in a narrow jug and whizz with a stick blender till thick and smooth

Cover and place in the fridge till needed

Bake the chicken strips at 180C for about 10 minutes (take the clingfilm off!)

De-seed the tomatoes and cut into wedges, slice the onion finely, and chop the capsicum into small chunks

Place them in a bowl; add salt and pepper, vinegar and olive oil and toss together

Warm the wraps in the oven for a few minutes on low-about 170C

Each person can make up their own wrap by spooning on some chicken pieces, mayo and salsa in the middle of the wrap
Add avocado slices, coriander leaves, mint leaves if using and extra lime squeezed over if desired

Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling, then fold one side to the middle, then the other side so you have a tortilla envelope

Serves 4

Tips:

Jalapenos can be bought in a jar at the supermarket (I got mine at IGA)
Chipotles may not be easy to find; I bought pepper chipotle sauce at Coles, and organic salsa de chipotle at an organic grocer - Katie says you can use the sauce instead, so there:=)

If you want to make the mayo by hand (eek!), whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small but deep bowl; gradually add the oil and keep beating in till it is thick and smooth; then stir in the 2 kinds of chillies which will need to be very finely chopped

Katie's recipe asks for chicken fillets to be beaten thin, marinated and grilled, then sliced.  I don't have a grill so I figured baked tenderloins would be the go.  (Whisper, whisper - you could even chop up a roast chook from the shops).

whisking the marinade

baked for 11 minutes 

trying to make mayo!  

disaster struck!  Huge mayo failure (sorry about the thumb)  

Well folks, my first go at mayo was a disaster.  It simply would not emulsify no matter what I did.  Mr P. googled it for me, so I added more juice and another egg yolk, and I kept beating but nothing happened.  After 30 minutes of pulling out my hair and lots of swearing, I took the advice Mr P. found for me, which was - sometimes the mayo wins! 

So yep bought mayo it was!  Just add the finely chopped chillies and seasoning to a cup of bought mayo.  I squeezed in a bit of lime juice for flavour too.  We like it hot in this house so I added both types of chipotle sauce to the mayo.  I kept adding it till it was hot enough, but start with a couple of teaspoons. 

chipotle mayo   

ready to wrap and roll! 

It may be heresy to say this, but I am not a huge fan of this book.  I don't really like the well-worn look of it, or the dark pages.  And I am not fond of the heavily styled look of the recipes. Sure it can be attractive, but after a few pages, everything starts to look the same. 

But more importantly, I had to go through this book at least half a dozen times before I found a recipe that appealed to me.  Katie says that she is one of those people who likes to make canapes for 50 (!); clearly she is a person who likes detail and repetition, which I am not so keen on.  

I'm afraid it was all a bit of a disaster for me trying to get this recipe up as I fell prey to a ghastly virus last week.  (And of course the Great Mayo Disaster didn't make me any fonder).  Perhaps that has coloured my view of the book, but sadly I have to say it ain't my fave and it is happily going back to the library this week.  

red and green jalapeños

Coffee, Walnut, Hazelnut Cake

can you ever have too much coffee?  

I have been hunting around for a really good coffee and walnut cake recipe, and I think I may have found it.  This one is by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, the ladies of the River Cafe in London.  I love that this cake has a real coffee hit to it, unlike some wimpy versions you come across.  And it is full of walnuts and hazelnuts, so you have a bit of crunch as well.    

I am joining in with The Cookbook Guru Book Club, which this month is delving into The River Cafe Cookbook by the above mentioned ladies.  Sadly, Rose Gray died in 2010 so Ruth is at the helm solo.  It looks like there are many splendid recipes in this book, worth a good delving.:=)  


ingredients:

3 vanilla beans
240g. walnuts
240g. hazelnuts
5 tbs instant coffee + 2 tbs boiling water
380g. unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
380g. caster sugar - I used raw caster
5 large eggs - around 60g. each
100g. plain flour
1 tsp baking powder


Method:

Set your oven to 170C/325F

Grease a 25cm cake tin with butter and tip some plain flour around it to coat the tin (I only had a 23cm springform tin so I used that)

Shake out the excess flour; you may want to line the tin with baking paper but if using a springform tin, don't bother

Zap the vanilla beans in a small processor or chop finely

Zap the walnuts into small pieces (no need to clean the processor)

Roast the hazelnuts in the pre-heated oven for about 10 mins

Let them cool, then rub them to get rid of the skins (don't worry if you have some skin left on)

Now zap these in the processor to a fine meal/powder

Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water; stir and leave to cool

Grab a large mixing bowl, throw in the butter and sugar and beat till light and creamy

Fold in both nuts and the vanilla beans

Beat the eggs into the batter one at a time (or cheat and throw in 2 at a time)

Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder

Stir in the cooled coffee

Pour/spoon into the prepared tin

Bake for one and a quarter hours

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then onto a cake rack to cool right down

Sift on some icing sugar if you wish

Because this is a UK recipe, I used UK tablespoons which are 17.75mls according to Mr. Google, unlike Aussie ones of 20 mls. Well let's be honest, I got as close to that as I could without fussing around.  So basically I just chucked in a couple of extra teaspoons after using 15mls tablespoons which seem to be the only ones you can buy these days.  

ingredients ready to go  

just beat it, beat it  

luscious swirly coffee nutty batter   

yep I know - it looks a bit suss, like peanut butter or worse:=)   

   beaauuutiful nutty batter ready for the oven     

(Guess what my doodles are this time!)

Cornmeal Cookies

So many bloggers have been making breads this year (in large part due to Celia from Fig Jam & Lime Cordial who has sent her sourdough starter around the globe).  I feel a bit recalcitrant, as there is a little pouch of dried starter sitting in my drawer waiting for me to get on with it, now!  And here we are this month delving into Carol Field's The Italian Baker. I jumped onto the old Google monster, and did a bit of research on this book as I don't own a copy and didn't fancy buying one as I am not a big bread maker obviously.:)

Rather a lot of people were disparaging about this book and its recipes, to my surprise. They said the recipes didn't give enough detail, and that some of them just didn't work.   I decided to look for a non-bread recipe and came across this one for cornmeal cookies. I always have some polenta in the pantry for muffins and loaves (you know, the easy non-bread type loaves), so this one was a no-brainer for me.  I am joining in with other bloggers for this month's The Cookbook Guru Book Club, where brave and intrepid cooks storm the bastions of the culinary world, one book at a time. Or maybe like me, they just limp along carrying the ladders:)

(Makes around 30 large walnut-sized cookies; Carol says it makes 50!)

ingredients:

90g. dried fruit - currants/sour cherries/cranberries etc - (chop bigger fruit to currant size)
20g. plain flour
155g. butter at room temp.
120g. caster sugar
2 large eggs at room temp.
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
210g. plain flour
140g. polenta (cornmeal)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt

Method:

Toss the dried fruit and the 20g. of flour together in a small bowl - put aside
Throw the softened butter and the sugar into a food processor (or beat with a wooden spoon in a large mixing bowl) till smooth and creamy.  This is best done by pulsing rather than continuous blending, till the mixture is blended well together
Add in the eggs one by one and pulse till you have a smooth mixture - do not despair if your batter now looks curdled and akin to scrambled eggs - it will be fine!
Add the vanilla extract and pulse briefly again
Spoon out into a large bowl and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon
Grab a separate medium bowl; throw in the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt - and whisk!
Mix these dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients very well - you will have a fairly dry and stiff dough
Stir in the dried fruit and flour mixture
Form the dough into a rectangle about 10 x 18cm
Swaddle like a baby in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about an hour till firm
Take it out of the fridge, unwrap and cut it down the middle lengthwise
Cut off small walnut-sized shapes and roll into balls, or just cut into small squares
Place them on baking-paper lined trays at even intervals
Flatten gently with a fork
Bake for about 12 minutes at 170C, rotating the trays after 6 mins.
(depending on your oven and your ball size, it could take longer -  mine took about 17 minutes)
When they look very light brown on top, take them out
Cool on the trays for 10 mins, then place on wire racks till completely cold
(or if you are Mr P., grab one or 2 while still warm)

This looks like a heap of instructions but it is really quite simple, especially if using the food processor (or a stand mixer as Carol suggests).  She also gives a bit of info. about freezing the dough; in fact that is her primary course rather than just baking them straightaway.  She says you can wrap the cylinders of dough and freeze them till you want to bake them.  She then suggests slicing them into 1/4 inch slices (once they have defrosted a bit I guess), and baking them for the same amount of time.  That is helpful info, but I would have thought that should be a footnote rather than the "baking now" instructions.

ingredients 

tossing dried fruit and flour together   

tip butter and caster sugar into the food processor  

creamed and ready for the eggs  

popping in that first egg  

yes it looks curdled but don't worry - it turns out just fine   

dry ingredients 

mixing in the dry ingredients   

stir in the dried fruit - you will have a firm and fairly dry dough  

spoon the dough out onto plastic wrap   

push the dough into a loaf shape about 10 x 18cm  

okay so I measured it out!  but you don't have to do that  

after an hour just chillin' in the fridge, dissect it:)    

form little walnut-sized balls (or bigger if you like)  

flatten them gently with a fork after placing on lined baking trays  

take them out of the oven when lightly golden brown - mine took 17 minutes to bake 

yep doodling again!  this is my currant-y cookie doodle :)  

Konigsberger Klopse

Try saying that with your mouth full:). I think it means the Mountain King's meatballs in German though there seems to be a few stories as to what and why they are called this.  But let's just stick to what we know - they are meatballs and they are delicious and worth a bit of fiddling around.  I am joining in again this month with The Cookbook Guru book club, and this month's book is by the well-loved Margaret Fulton who is cracking 90 not out.  Her family has produced 3 generations of cooks, including her sister Jean Hatfield, with her granddaughters taking over the mantle in recent times. Their mum Suzanne Gibbs, Margaret's only child is also a well-known cook.  A real family dynasty of fabulous cooks! This recipe is from Margaret's Encyclopedia of Food & Cookery, first published in 1983.  So, long before all the TV shows and the celebrity chefs, Margaret was travelling and searching out new recipes, and demonstrating new dishes in department stores.  (Have a look at her autobiography; it is a great read.  She was a bit of a naughty girl!).  There are anchovies in this dish, which must have sounded pretty wild at the time - in meatballs? - but they are only noticeable as an added saltiness, not a fishy slap in the face.  I am mad about sauerkraut, and always serve these with it as suggested by Margaret, but you could just have mashed potatoes, and some steamed greens.
Margaret's recipe actually calls for simmering the meatballs in a pan of stock, but I like the added flavour and the ease of just whacking them into the oven to bake.   I have also added a few extra flavourings to give it a bit more of a modern twist.

ingredients:

for the meatballs:

750g. of beef mince (or you can ring in the changes by using a mixture of veal, pork and beef)
3 slices of stale, white bread soaked for 10 minutes in cold water, then squeezed out with your hands
1 onion finely chopped
5 anchovy fillets, mashed with a fork
2 eggs
2 tbs parsley, chopped finely
1/4 cup Cornflake crumbs
1/4 tsp lightly dried chilli flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
a few dashes of ground nutmeg
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
about ten grinds of black pepper

for the sauce:

30g. butter
1/3 cup diced onion
1+3/4 tbs flour
800mls stock - take your pick - I used chicken but use whatever takes your fancy
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs capers, rinsed and shaken dry
2-3 tbs sour cream

Method:

Grab a large bowl- in goes the minced meat and all the other ingredients for the meatballs
Give this a really, really good mix with your hands (I use gloves)
Shape into golf-ball sized globes (you should get about 24 meatballs)
Place on a baking tray lined with paper (you will need 2 trays)
Bake for 20 mins. at 180C

Sauce:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan
Add the onion and fry till golden but not brown
Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture, and give it a good stir
Keep stirring while the roux thickens - make sure it doesn't burn
Cook out the flour for a few minutes
Pour in the stock and stir, and keep stirring for a few minutes more till it has thickened
Add the lemon juice and capers
Gently drop the meatballs into the lemony sauce and allow to simmer away for 15 mins., giving it an occasional stir
Stir in the sour cream and serve with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes

gathering ingredients 

ready to mix up and make into balls   

lots of squelchy squishing

here come the balls:) 

rolling rolling rolling, keep those balls a-rolling 

rolled and ready to bake

baked!

Yes they are a bit leaky 'cos I ran out of lean mince and had to use some of the mince I normally feed to the kookaburras!  And why the King and Queen, you may ask?  The Mountain King of course!

saucy ingredients 

adding flour to the butter and onion  

stirring in the flour 

stock added and simmering away  

dropping the meatballs into the sauce (excuse fuzzy night-time shot)

spooning in the sour cream to finish off the dish    

serve with sauerkraut and mash for a very hearty winter's meal 

(Remember that song we all used to sing as kids?)

On Top of Spaghetti

 

On top of spaghetti, 
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball, 
When somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.

Don't let this happen to you:)

(Lyrics by Tom Glazer).

Fish Smothered with Onion Jam

And smothered it is!  This recipe calls for 900 grams of onions, cooked up into a luscious onion jam, heaped on top of white fish fillets, then baked in the oven.  It is a spicy and flavoursome dish, and I think not for the faint-hearted.  We loved it!  Once again, I am joining with other intrepid food bloggers in The Cookbook Guru bookclub to suss out this month's star book - The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert.  It is full of interesting recipes, with lots of flavour and colour.  I had thought of tackling a chicken dish but this one just leapt out at me.  I loved the thought of onion jam, and I am keen on fish so this was just the ticket.  I hadn't read the recipe right through before I started to cook so I am afraid to say the guests had to wait to be fed for rather longer than I had anticipated. Oh well there was plenty of wine so maybe that's why the photos are a bit wonky!  I suggest getting an early start on the onion jam, and making sure the fish is marinating in the salt well ahead of dinnertime:)
It went really well with a spiced couscous side dish, though you could try rice or quinoa if you need a gluten-free accompaniment.

ingredients:

4 firm white fish fillets = approx 750 g. (I used red throat emperor; the fishmonger said barramundi would be good too)
2-3 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
900g. red onions - chopped into thick slices
2 tbs saffron water  (I put about 10 strands of saffron into 2 tbs boiling water)
1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
1 + 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
big pinch ground ginger
3 tbs honey
1/3 cup sultanas
juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime
large handful of parsley sprigs
3 tbs water
1 lemon quartered, for serving (optional)


method:

Sprinkle the salt over both sides of the fish
Cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour
Get on with the onion jam by heating the oil, then adding the onion slices, saffron water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger into the pan
Stir, cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally
Add the honey and sultanas and keep simmering for another 15 mins till soft and glossy
Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if desired
Add the lemon or lime juice, and set aside uncovered
Pre heat the oven to 200C
Spread some more olive oil on the base of a baking dish (approx 27 cm x 30 cm)
Add the parsley sprigs and the water
Lay the fish fillets on the parsley
Spread the onion jam over the fish and bake for 10 mins
Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar for 20 mins
Serve with lemon wedges and couscous

This will happily feed 4 people.  (We had leftovers).  Paula did not specify how much salt to use on the fish fillets so I madly, merrily kept throwing on little spoons of salt on both sides of the fillets.     Oh my, this was rather salty I have to say.  So I suggest 2-3 tsp, but take care, and use whatever amount you think will suit your tastes

salting the fillets

turn over and salt the other side before covering and refrigerating for an hour or so  

Mr Pickings slicing onions for the jam  

stirring a beautiful panful of onions  

adding the cinnamon and other spices  

in go the sultanas and the gorgeous local rooftop honey - so floral      

olive oil, parsley and water on the base of the baking dish 

laying down the fillets  

spooning on the luscious onion jam  

out of the oven 

serving with spicy couscous  

I reckon you could smother other things with this jam; chicken maybe or vegetables.  But a little goes a long way, as it is a strongly spiced and floral-scented spread.  Really delicious for those who have a bent for strong flavours.