Chicken In A Pot with Lemon and Orzo

Delicious recipe by Nigella Lawson

15ml olive oil, 1 (approx. 1.5kg or bigger) chicken, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 3 cloves of garlic (peeled and minced), 2 medium carrots, 2 large leeks, 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes, ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, 1½ litres cold water, 300 grams orzo pasta, 1 bunch flatleaf parsley

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Untruss the chicken, peel and cut the carrots into batons, cut the trimmed leeks into smallish rounds.
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole. Place the chicken in the hot oil breast side down to colour the skin for about 3 minutes, until the skin is richly golden. Then turn the chicken the right way up.
Turn down the heat, or take the pan off the heat completely, and aiming for the space around the chicken, add the lemon zest and minced garlic and give it a quick stir into the oil as best you can. Scatter in the prepared vegetables around the chicken, followed by the salt, chilli flakes (if using) and dried tarragon.
Pour in the cold water. Now add the lemon juice.
Turn up the heat and bring the pot to a boil, leaving it uncovered. Poke the vegetables down with a fork if they bob up too much. Once boiling clamp on the lid and put into the preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Take the pot out of the oven and stir in the orzo, around the edges of the chicken, and then put the lid on again, and put the casserole back in the oven for another 30 minutes, by which time the orzo should be soft and swollen.
Take out of the oven and remove the lid, then let it stand for 15 minutes, giving the orzo a bit of a stir to loosen any that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. The orzo will continue to soak up some of the broth as it stands.
Stir in 4 tablespoons of the freshly chopped parsley and serve.

Sardine spread with butter and capers

Yummy anchovies paste made in 5 minutes.
Here is the romanian link https://savoriurbane.com/pasta-de-sardine-ansoa-pasta-de-peste-cu-unt-si-capere/#

1can of sardines (130 g) oil, 2-3 fillets of salted anchovy, 1 teaspoon finely chopped onion, 1 teaspoon of pickled capers, a little ground pepper, some chili peppers - optional, 100 g soft butter, at room temperature (butter with 80% fat), little lemon peel, ½ teaspoon of lemon juice

Put everything in the food processor: the sardines in the oil (with all the canned oil), 2-3 fillets of salted anchovy, a few chopped onions, a few capers, butter, ground pepper, lemon zest and chilli flakes. Blend everything for a few seconds. Taste for salt and pepper. Now put a few sprinkles of lemon juice (to taste) and mix a bit more.

Käse-Porree-Suppe mit Hack-Topping

Back to the German soup recipes from www.lecker.de

1 leek, 2 carrots, 3 tablespoons of oil, 25 ml white wine, 1 l vegetable broth, 175 g cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, 400 g processed cheese, 300 g mixed minced meat, 1/2 bunch of chives

Clean, wash and cut the leek into thin rings. Peel and quarter the carrots and cut them into small pieces.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the leek and carrots, except for 2 tbsp each, while turning for 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, bring to the boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the broth, bring to the boil again and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Grate cheddar cheese. Stir the cheddar and processed cheese into the soup halfway through the cooking time. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
In the meantime heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Fry the chopped meat and remaining vegetables in it for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Wash the chives, shake them dry and cut them into rolls.
Add the minced mixture to the soup and sprinkle with chives. 

Okroshka - Cold Summer Soup

Last summer I went on a trip to Ukraine and discovered this delicious fresh soup.

And it's sooo easy to make.

3 medium potatoes, 4 eggs, 3 - 4 medium cucumbers, 1 bunch radishes, 2 green onions, 1 bunch fresh dill, 1 mint sprig
Buttermilk Base: 2 tsp mustard, 1 L buttermilk, juice from 1 lemon, salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes by baking or boiling them. Let the potatoes cool down, then peel and finely chop them.
Boil eggs and peel them. Chop them and add them to the bowl with potatoes. Then dice the cucumbers, radishes, green onion and herbs. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the base for Okroshka by combining all the buttermilk base ingredients in the food processor or blender. Put the mixture into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Divide the chopped vegetables between the serving plates and pour the buttermilk base on top.

Pogacele cu sunca si ceapa

Another amazing recipe from Savori Urbane. Here is the romanian version: http://savoriurbane.com/pogacele-cu-sunca-si-ceapa/#

For dough: 600 g flour, 30 g pork fat or 50 g butter with min. 80% fat, 2 egg yolks, 400 ml milk, 30 g fresh yeast or 10 g dry yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt

Bacon composition: 125 g bacon or ham, 1 small red onion, pepper, 50 g cheddar, 50 g butter with min. 80% fat

To glaze: 1 egg yolk, caraway seeds, coarse salt

Cut the bacon into cubes and fry it a little in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion. Heat the onion, 1-2 minutes and put the bacon in a bowl and leave to cool. Season it with pepper.
For the dough, heat the milk a little, add the sugar and yeast. After 5 minutes add the yolks, butter or pork fat, and gradually the flour and salt. Knead the dough which is quite soft and finally add the bacon and onion. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough on the work surface and spread it so that it has a thickness of about 5 mm. Glaze it with melted butter and sprinkle with cheese on 2/3 of the surface.
Fold the dough first laterally and then up and down. Spread the dough once more, now at a thickness of about 8 mm. Glaze it with egg yolk. Cut round shapes with the help of a glass and place them in the tray. Sprinkle them with cumin and coarse salt. Allow 10 minutes to rest in the tray.
Bake them for 18-20 minutes at 180 ° C - preheated oven

Sparanghel cu usturoi la cuptor

Easy to make side dish with few ingredients:

bunch of green asparagus, 2 garlic cloves, salt, pepper, some olive oil

Preheat the oven to 230C.
Clean the asparagus and remove the wooden parts. Put the asparagus together with the sliced garlic in a baking tray, mix with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake the vegetables for 10-15 minutes until softened slightly. Serve immediately.

Hähnchenauflauf mit Senf und Cheddar

500 ml vegetable soup, 1 onion, 1.5 kg chicken fillet, 1⁄2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, 125 g cheddar cheese (piece), 150 g white bread, 7 tbsp butter, 3 tablespoons of flour, 75 g dijon mustard, 250 g crème fraîche

Boil the meat in vegetable soup for 20 minutes.

Finely chop the parsley, grate the cheese and the bread. Mix them all together.
Preheat the oven (electric cooker: 225 ° C / circulating air: 200 ° C / gas: see manufacturer). Lift the chicken fillets out of the broth and let them cool for about 15 minutes. Pour the broth through a sieve and collect it. Measure out 300 ml of broth.
Peel 1 onion and dice finely. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Braise the onion until translucent. Dust with flour and briefly sauté lightly while stirring. Pour in the measured broth, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Mix in the mustard and crème fraîche. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.

Cut the meat into big pieces, place them in an ovenproof dish and spread the sauce over them. Sprinkle with the bread and cheese mixture. Spread 4 tablespoons of butter in flakes and bake in a hot oven for 20–25 minutes.