Free Recipe Blog

Chicken Minestrone

Time required 45 minutes – Serves 6

2 tablespoons oil
2 onions chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 zucchinis sliced
2 slender egg plants sliced
4 cups beef stock
810 g can peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1 cup macaroni
425g can chickpeas or butter beans drained
Shredded meat from 1 BBQ chicken

Parmesan cheese to garnish and country bread to serve

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large pan, add vegetables and cook over high heat for 3 – 4 minutes. Add the beef stock, basil and tomatoes and bring to the boil.

2. Add macaroni and simmer for 20 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir in chick peas and chicken. Heat through.

3. Garnish with parmesan and serve with crusty bread.

1 kg chicken livers
16 tablespoons (320grams) butter
4 medium onions chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed
4 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons ground bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons (80ml) Brandy

Trim chicken livers, chop and set aside.

Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a pan, add onion and garlic and sauté 2 – 3 minutes.

Add chicken livers and cook 5 – 6 minute, sprinkle with parsley, ground bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring 2 – 3 minutes.

Add remaining butter, stir until melted, and then turn mixture into a blender.

Add brandy and blend until smooth. Pack into a mould or 2 – 3 small moulds.

*Note*
You can halve the mixture if you are only expecting a small number of guests. However if you choose to make this full batch of Pate, I found that I was able to freeze the mixture for up to 2 weeks before using.

This recipe can be made up of chicken, prawns, beef or a combination of your favourite. This time round I am using chicken because it is fast, quick and yummy.

Serves 2

1 small pack of Hokkien Noodles
200 grams BBQ Chicken sliced or pulled apart in thin strips
1 small brown onion diced
½ small green capsicum sliced
½ small red capsicum sliced
½ carrot cut into 2 inch long thin strips

1 tbsp olive oil optional
Vegetable cooking spray
Your favourite Thai satay sauce

1. Soak the noodles in boiling hot water

2. Heat up your wok or large pan and either spray it lightly with the vegetable spray or pour in the olive oil and let it heat up a little.

3. Stirfry the onions, capsicum and carrots until they are just cooked but still retain some of their crispness.

4. Because the chicken is already cooked, toss this into the wok or pan and heat through, stirring quickly, as you do with a stirfry.

5. Add a ¼ of the bottle of satay sauce and let it heat through.

6. Drain the noodles and add them to the wok.

7. Pour the remaining satay sauce over the noodles and stir it thoroughly ensuring everything is covered in the sauce.

Heat through and serve hot in bowls or on a small plate.

Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry
by: Paul Curran

Christmas recipe serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Calories per serving: 875

Suitable for freezing after step 3

Christmas recipe ingredients
Sherry or balsamic vinegar, 15 ml (1 tbsp)
Caster Sugar, 10 ml (2 tsp)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, 120 ml (8 tbsp)
Cranberries, fresh or frozen 50 g (2 oz)
Celery, 125 g (4 oz)
Walnuts, toasted 50 g (2 oz)
Turkey, roasted meat 450 g (1 lb)
Garlic cloves, 2
Olive oil, 15 ml (1 tbsp)
Fennel seeds (optional), 10 ml (2 tsp)
Oregano, dried 10 ml (2 tsp)
Cranberry sauce, 30 ml (2 tbsp)
Breadcrumbs, fresh 125 g (4 oz)
Eggs, 2
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 50 g (2 oz)
Oil
Green salad

Christmas recipe instructions

1. Chop the turkey, walnuts and celery into small pieces. Crush peeled garlic. Cook the oregano, fennel seeds, garlic and celery in oil for about five minutes. Then add the cranberry sauce. leave to cool.
2. Add salt and pepper to the vinegar and sugar, mix in the oil and cranberries. Heat to boiling, cook for 1 minute and leave to cool.
3. Combine salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, walnuts, eggs, breadcrumbs, celery mixture and turkey. Split into twelve golf-sized meatballs.
4. Deep-fat fry the meatballs until golden brown (about 4 minutes). Place them on kitchen towel paper to soak up the oil and serve onto green salad sprinkled with cranberry dressing from step 1

About the Author
(c) Paul Curran, CEO of Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group and webmaster at Gifts for Christmas, bringing you recipes and unique gifts for Christmas including their collectibles and Russian gifts stores. Send blank email to santa-52@aweber.com for free Xmas gags recipes.