Skillet Chicken with Orzo

This Mediterranean One Pot Chicken Orzo is also easy to make.

Why use a bunch of pots and pans when this dish can be cooked in one?

In case you’re wondering, this isn’t rice.

Yes, it looks like it, but orzo is actually a type of pasta.

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Ingredients: 

·       250g Chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

·       10ml Olive oil

·       5g Butter ·       120g Orzo pasta

·       50g Onion

·       50g Garlic chopped

·       250ml Chicken stock

·       150g Tomatoes crushed (including juices)

·       1g Black pepper

·       2g Salt

·       3g Parsley fresh chopped

·       ½ Lemon or lime juice

·       Fresh coriander, cherry tomatoes and olives for garnish

Preparation:

·       Prep and salt the chicken: Trim the chicken thighs of excess skin and fat. Sprinkle both sides with a little salt.

·       Brown the chicken thighs: Heat olive oil and melt butter on medium high heat in a large skillet (large enough to fit all of the chicken pieces) to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, pat the chicken pieces dry on both sides with paper towels and place skin-side down in the pan. Let cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken has browned on one side.

·       Then turn the chicken pieces over and cook for another 4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside.

·       Brown the orzo pasta, add onions, garlic: Add the orzo pasta to the pan. Stir to coat and let the pasta brown. Once the orzo starts to brown, stir in the chopped onions.

·       Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring often for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook a half minute more.

·       Stir together the chicken stock, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, pepper in a large measuring cup.

·       Add back chicken, pour stock mixture over orzo, place the chicken pieces skin-side up, on top of the orzo.

·       Cover and cook: Lower the heat to the lowest heat you need to maintain a bare simmer. Cover and let cook until the orzo has completely absorbed the liquid and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

·       Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

·       Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, olive, coriander and cherry tomatoes

' Gnocchi, mushroom, sundried tomato, walnut pesto '

Description:

Gnocchi is a great base for sopping up all sorts of wonderful flavours, like this dazzling combination of mushrooms, crunchy walnuts and sundried tomatoes. Original in Italy the gnocchi are eaten as a first course as an alternative to soups or pasta.

Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with sage, pesto, as well as various sauces.

They are generally homemade in Italian and Italian-immigrant households.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

For the gnocchi

·       450g potatoes ·       5g parmesan cheese

·       1 egg, lightly beaten

·       200 g flour

·       Salt & pepper

For the walnut pesto

·       30 g walnuts

·       20 g fresh basil (packed)

·       2 cloves garlic, minced

·       50 ml T olive oil

·       ½ tbl salt

Ingredients

·       100g Button mushrooms

·       30g sundried tomatoes

·       20g walnuts

·       For garnish

·       Fresh sage, whole walnuts, parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes

Preparation:

·       Boil the potatoes. When soft, remove them from the water and let cool completely.

·       While they’re cooking, prepare the pesto. Add all the ingredients into a food processor and process until you reach a desired consistency.

·       Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth and add parmesan and egg, and mix until combined.

·       Add flour and mix, using your hands, until incorporated. Knead until you get a soft but not too sticky dough. Add more flour if needed.

·       Transfer the dough on a floured surface and roll it into 2-3cm thick logs. Cut them in small pieces and flatten each gnocchi with a fork.

·       Place them on a generously floured surface while you boil the water.

·       Add a splash of oil into the boiling water to prevent gnocchi from sticking to each other, cook for 2-3 minutes.

·       Add into the pan the walnuts, sage, sundried tomatoes and sauté them until light brown.

·       Remove the gnocchi from the water and toss with homemade pesto and fresh sage.

·       Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and serve warm.

' Tom Kha Gai Cocktail '

 

Ingredients:

·       30ml White rum ·       15ml Creme the mint, white

·       7ml Lime juice

·       15ml Syrup

·       15ml Coconut cream

·       2 Fresh chilies

·       3 small galangal roots

·       1 Kaffir leaves

·       2 Sweet basil

Preparation:

·       Pour white rum, creme the mint, white, lime juice, galangal root, syrup into cocktail shaker with ice

·       Add chili and kaffir leaves shake its again.

·       Pour the liquid ingredients into the glass

·       Garnish with Coconut cream, fresh Chili and sweet basil