Chicken breast in sherry sauce

1 large chicken breast
2 spring onions
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chicken powder
1 glass water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons oil
Salt & Pepper

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and grated fresh pepper. Shallow fry in the remaining oil for 2 minutes(do not overcook). Lift the chicken from pan and put in a colander. In the same pan add chopped onions and garlic and fry gently. Deglaze the pan with sherry, add water and chicken powder ( it would be ideal to use home made chicken stock). Reduce by half, add butter and stir. Add mustard and stir well. Add chicken pieces and cook for 1 minute until it is heated through. Serve with fresh crusted bread.

Creamed Broccoli

2 small broccoli cut into little florets
500ml milk
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Grated fresh nutmeg

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Blanche broccoli for 1 minute and drain. Arrange in an oven proof dish. Heat butter in a pan add flour and stir for 2 minutes to cook the roux. Add milk and whisk until béchamel cooks and thickens. Remove from heat, add Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard and a little grate of nutmeg and stir well till mixture is smooth and silky. Spoon mixture on broccoli and bake in a medium oven for 20 minutes until top becomes golden brown. Serve as condiment to fish chicken or meat.

Best ever Seafood Pasta

As I live in the beautiful island of Malta right in the centre of the Mediterranean I am spoilt for choice when it comes to cooking with fish and seafood. As much as I love the traditional Sunday roasts nothing beats this bountiful plate of pasta!
portion quantities are enough to feed 4 hungry people!

3 small Lobsters
800g cleaned fresh mussels
2 tablespoons sea urchin roe
500g cleaned squid
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 spring onions chopped
1 glass white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons chopped pancetta
1 small chili deseeded and finely chopped
Ground fresh pepper
600g linguini or spaghetti

Bring to boil large pan of salted water plunge in the lobsters after 5 mins lift and transfer to iced water. In the same water boil pasta until al dente. Drain add a drizzle of olive oil and leave in colander.
In a large pan fry the onion garlic and pancetta in 2 tablespoons olive oil add squid and stir fry for 1 minute on high heat. Remove squid with slotted spoon and set aside. Add mussels, chili, white wine and cover pan for two minutes or until mussels just open. Cut lobsters in two. Add pasta to pan,squid, herbs and sea urchin roe and stir. Put lobsters on top cover pan for 1 minute to heat through grind some fresh pepper and serve.

Wholemeal Biscuits

250g Plain Flour

250g Whole meal Flour
1tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
150g unsalted butter
2 tbsp water

Put all ingredients except water in a food processor and pulse for a few times until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  add water and process until dough forms.  Do not over work the dough.

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll into two rolls approx 4cm thick.  Wrap in cling film and freeze for half an hour.
Take out from freezer, unwrap and using a sharp knife cut into two millimetre slices.  Put on baking tray, prick with fork two times and sprinkle with some extra salt.  Bake in a 190c oven for 1/2 hour until golden.

Boozy Cranberry Sauce

340g Cranberries
200g Sugar
1/2 cup Port
2 Tablespoons Dry Sherry

Wash cranberries and put in a jam pan with port.  Bring to the boil and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until cranberries are soft.  Add sugar and cook on high heat for further 10 minutes.  Add sherry and stir.  Put in sterelized jars.  These quantities makes 2x250ml jars.  Will keep for 1 year but if opened you must refrigerate.
Serve with cold meats cheese and biscuits.

Rosy Swirl Cup Cakes with Lemoncello frost

Very Easy to do cup cakes, to be enjoyed with a good cup of tea!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Self raising Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
125g butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
Rose food colour
vanilla essence

For the Icing
1 cup Icing Sugar
1 tablespoon butter softened
1 tablespoon lemoncello
1 tablespoon water

Put Butter, sugar and milk in a mixer and mix on low speed for 1 minute.  Butter will not incorporate in milk but sugar will melt.  Add flour eggs and baking powder and continue to beat for 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.  Use 2/3 of the mixture to half fill paper cup cakes, add colour to the remaining mixture mix thoroughly so that  colour incorporates well.  Add tablespoon on top of each cupcake with the pink mixture and using a small knife give one swirl.  Bake in a 180 c oven for 20minutes or until firm to the touch. Leave cup cakes to cool on wire rack.

Make the lemoncello ice by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl add more icing if necessary to produce a thick holding paste consistency.

Pipe the icing in circles using a star nozzle and decorate with some sugar candies.