Catalan Chicken

Listen up - what's that roar of delight? Messi scores for Barca against Madrid at the Camp Nou?
Nope - just catalan chicken being served at the dinner table!

Mysterious catalan spices combine with pine-nuts and prunes to create a real crowd-pleaser of a chicken dish. You're guaranteed a result with this one.




















Ingredients

• chicken legs and thigh pieces
• 1 tbs hot paprika
• 1 tbs pimienta dulce
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup pine-nuts
• 4-5 prunes
• 1/2 cup raisins
  
• 1 tin (400g) tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup peas
• salt
• olive oil

Instructions
1. Make cuts in the chicken pieces to the bone and sprinkle with salt.











2. Slice garlic and fry in a little olive oil.












3. Sprinkle chicken pieces with paprika and pimenta.














4. Add chicken to the oil and fry gently for a few minutes.











5. After chicken is browned, add the white wine and cover for a few minutes.











6. Add the tin of tomatoes and stir.











7. Add the peas and stir.












8. Add the prunes and raisins and stir.











9. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.












10. Add the pine-nuts and almonds and stir.




















11. Serve with white rice. Fantastico!

Five Treasure Rice

Not one, not two but FIVE treasures in this rice dish. It's a complete meal in a bowl and quick and easy to prepare! Estimate about 45 mins from start to eating.




















Ingredients

• 1 packet chinese sausage
• 4-5 dried chinese mushrooms
• small tin of bamboo shoots
• small tin of water chestnuts
• Some brocolli
• 2 spring onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• knob of fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup rice wine
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• dash of sesame oil
• 2 cups sushi-grade rice
• 3 cups water
• fresh cilantro (coriander)
  

Instructions

1. Pour boiling water over the mushrooms and leave for 5 minutes to rehydrate a little.










2. Slice the spring onions, crush the garlic and coarsely chop the ginger.











3. Put 2 cups of rice in a large sauce pan. Add the spring-onions, garlic and ginger.










4. Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.












5. Remove mushrooms from the water and slice thinly. Add to the sauce pan.










6. Slice the sausage and add to the sauce pan.












7. Chop brocoli into small pieces and add to the sauce pan.










8. Add the soy sauce, rice wine and water to the sauce pan.












9. Bring pan to the boil. Add a dash of sesame oil, stir, then cover and turn down the heat to low setting. Leave to cook for about 30 minutes.



















10. Remove lid and serve. Garnish with fresh cilantro.