Nicole’s Cook Book

This tasty Indian dish is a favorite among diners as it uses cream and garlic in plenty.

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4 to 6 people

Ingredients

Chicken Tikka

Boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) cut into pieces of size 2.5 cm – 675 grams

Lemon juice – 3 tablespoons

Peeled and grated ginger root – 1 tablespoon

Cloves of garlic crushed or finely grated – 2

Ground cumin – 1 teaspoon

Paprika – 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder – Three-fourth of a teaspoon

Whipping cream – 6 tablespoons

Garam masala – half of a teaspoon

Sunflower oil – 3 tablespoons

For Masala

Sunflower oil – 4 tablespoons

Finely sliced onions – 140 grams

Peeled, finely grated root ginger – 1 tablespoon

Crushed garlic cloves – 5 to 6

Ground coriander – 1 tablespoon

Turmeric – half a teaspoon

Chilli powder – Three-fourth of a teaspoon

Paprika – 2 teaspoon

Yogurt – 4 tablespoons

Peeled and finely chopped medium sized tomatoes – 2

Chicken stock – 350 milliliters

Garam masala – Quarter teaspoon

Coriander leaves – 4 tablespoons

Preparation

In a bowl, take the chicken pieces and rub them with the lemon juice and one-and-a-quarter teaspoon of salt. Poke pieces of chicken lightly with the knife tip and again rub in the seasoning. Allow it to marinate for about 20 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic, paprika, cumin, chilli powder, garam masala and whipping cream. Mix the ingredients well and refrigerate for about 6 to 8 hours in a closed vessel. You can leave it in the refrigerator for a longer period also.

To prepare the masala, pour the sunflower oil on to a large, non-stick pan with lid. Put the pan on the stove, setting a medium to high heat. Add onions when the oil becomes hot and stir till they become brown in color. This takes about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and continue frying for a minute.

Now add turmeric, coriander, paprika and chilli powder and stir for 10 seconds. Add one tablespoon of yogurt and continue stirring till it gets absorbed. Pour the remaining yogurt, one tablespoon at a time.

Fry the tomatoes form about 3 to 4 minutes or till they become pulpy. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt and the stock and bring it to a simmer. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes at low heat till the sauce turns thick.

Add coriander leaves, garam masala and salt to taste. Preheat the grill at its highest setting. Thread the chicken pieces onto 2 to 4 skewers (preferably, flat ones that look like swords). Apply 3 tablespoons of oil and place the skewers on a shallow baking tray in such as way that the chicken pieces do not have any contact with the tray. Place the tray at a distance of about 13 cm from the heat source. Grill each side for about 6 minutes.

Once the chicken skewers get cooked, heat the sauce once again and fold in the chicken. Immediately serve the dish.

You will definitely enjoy and relish this delicious lamb curry. The slow cooked lamb curry made with sweet and spicy flavorings is a great dinner item. The preparation time is 20 minutes and the cooking time is 2 hours and 30 minutes. You can serve four people.

Ingredients

Leg of lamb or lean lamb shoulder cut into cubes of 1 inch/2.5cm – 450 grams

Oil – 2 tablespoons

Peeled and sliced red onion – 1

Peeled and crushed or finely chopped garlic clove – 1

Peeled and grated or finely chopped fresh ginger – 1 piece of 2.5 cm size

Turmeric – 1 teaspoon

Garam masala – 3 tablespoons

Canned tomatoes chopped – 400 grams

Lamb stock – 200 ml

Green chillies – 3

Peeled and cut sweet potatoes – 1 small

Juice from half of a lemon

Chopped coriander leaves – 1 large handful

Black mustard seeds for garnishing

Preparation

Heat half the quantity of the oil in a sufficiently large non-stick pan and in batches brown the lamb for about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the lamb pieces into a heatproof casserole dish of 1.2 liters capacity. Pour the remaining oil into the non-stick pan and cook the onion, ginger, garlic and spices together for about 3 to 4 minutes until they become golden brown in color. Transfer all the contents into the casserole dish.

Add tomatoes, chillies and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about two-and-a- half hours, keeping the casserole closed. Occasionally, check if the lamb has become tender and give it a stir. You can season it, if required.

About 20 minutes ahead of the completing of the cooking time, add the sweet potato pieces and lime juice. Garnishing can be done with the coriander leaves and the black mustard seeds. Serve the dish with basmati rice or a selection of Indian breads such as naan, roti, etc.

Smoked haddock that is baked with greens and gnocchi delivers a great deal of flavors. It is easy to make and can be cooked fast like the modern fish pie.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves: 3 to 4 persons

Ingredients

Fresh gnocchi – 500 grams

2 small courgettes cut down the middle into two and chopped into crescents

Asparagus cut into lengths of 2 centimeters each – 200 grams

Full fat creme fraiche – 200 milliliters

Finely chopped dill – 1 tablespoon

Smoked haddock, skinned as well as cut into pieces of 2.5 centimeters size – 350 grams

Freshly grated parmesan – 4 tablespoons

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/180 degrees Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 6. Take a large heatproof pan and fill it with water. Place the pan on the stove at high heat so that the water boils quickly. Add gnocchi, asparagus and courgettes. Cook them for about 3 minutes and then drain the water.

Transfer the cooked vegetables and gnocchi to a pot and add dill and crème fraîche. Also, add the smoked haddock. Gently mix them till all of the ingredients are distributed evenly. Season with a little bit of salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle the parmesan and cook in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, keeping the pot covered. The vegetables should soften, but they should retain a little bit of bite.

Here are a few suggestions and tips that you can keep in mind when preparing this dish:

Keep everything ready and easily accessible prior to starting to cook this dish. This is because the dish is to be prepared quickly. For this recipe, avoid using reduced fat creme fraiche as it may split. If asparagus is not available, you can use broccoli in its place.

This is a very delicious vegetarian dish. It is not only easy to make this dish, but can also be done in a matter of minutes. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare the ingredients and the cooking time is just 15 minutes. The quantity of ingredients mentioned in this recipe will be sufficient to serve only one person. This vegetarian dish can be prepared in a jiffy with sweet cherry tomatoes. For garnishing, you can use the shredded basil leaves.

Tomato and Basil Spaghettini – What Ingredients to Use

Vermicelli pasta or spaghettini – 100 grams

Olive oil – 2 tablespoons

1 garlic clove peeled and crushed

Chopped cherry tomatoes – 100 grams

5 basil leaves (shredded)

Ingredients For serving

5 basil leaves (shredded)

Olive oil (extra virgin) – 1 tablespoon

Tomato and Basil Spaghettini – How to Prepare

The first step is to fill up a large-sized saucepan with clean water and add salt to it. Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 5 to 6 minutes or until al dente. Then drain off the water. In the mean time, heat the olive oil in a separate saucepan that is small in size. Fry the garlic clove for about two minutes till it becomes soft. Take care to see that it does not become brown.

Add all the tomatoes and add a little bit of salt. Cook the tomatoes for a few minutes. Then, add a little amount of water and cook the tomatoes for a little more time. Continue cooking the tomatoes till they become soft and come to a saucy consistency. The next step is to add all the chopped basil.

Before serving the dish, stir the pasta with the sauce. Serve the tomato and basil spaghettini drizzling a little of the extra virgin olive oil and with a sprig of basil.