13 January 2015

Creamy chicken and wholegrain mustard and mushroom sauce




























To accompany 2 leftover chicken legs we made Ottolenghi's sauce :

1 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g unsalted butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
Some thyme sprigs from the garden
200g mushrooms, halved
1 tsp paprikapowder
200ml chicken stock from our freezer
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
80g double cream
8 small gherkins, cut in half lengthways
Some parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Some tarragon leaves, roughly chopped (in the garden they were frozen, so we used dry ones from a pot)
Put the oil in  a large sauté pan on medium heat. 

Add the butter, onion and thyme, and saute for five minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms, cook for eight minutes, until they take on a little colour, then add the paprika, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Stir, cook for a minute, then add the stock and mustard. Cook for five or so minutes, to thicken the sauce, stir through the cream and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes more; if the sauce needs further thickening, reduce the sauce. 

Off the heat, stir in the gherkins, parsley and tarragon, and serve piping hot – mashed potato or plain boiled rice would make a very happy partner, but we didn't.
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1 January 2015

Fresh lobster

Buy or catch a lobster. 

Fill pan with 4 liter water, half a bottle of white wine and 1 liter chicken stock, add 2 onions (halved), thyme, rosemary, 1 diced leek, 2 laurel leaves, 2 crushed garlic cloves. salt and pepper. Bring to the boil.


Put in the lobster, head first. Boiling time: 1 min per 100 grams.


Cut in half. Serve with mayo...


Don't forget to use the leftovers to make a delicious lobster stock!