Fried chicken!

I'm sure all of you have moments where you fancy something really specific.

Today, I really, really fancied fried chicken.

It was actually because Greg had been here a few days before, and so he and my grandparents kept talking about maybe going to KFC for lunch...

No KFC was had. So I made my own!

I've never actually made fried chicken before. I actually have a bit of a phobia of deep-frying things; something about a pan full of hot oil is enough to send me running.

Today, I faced my fear! And took my oil and eggs to arms.

Ingredients:

• Chicken pieces - on the bone is best, so drumsticks, thighs and legs are good. I used 6 pieces
• One or two eggs
• Seasoning - see below
• 1.5 cups vegetable oil (or any oil with a high smoke point)

I'm afraid I didn't take any in-progress pictures, so I'll do my best to explain everything here.

First, get your hob hot - medium high heat is good. Let your oil heat up. You're supposed to use a thermometer to get a certain temperature, but when it's bubbling a little bit, you're good.

In the mean time, set up two plates; one with some beaten egg, and the other with your seasoning.

For your seasoning, you can use pretty much anything. You'll want a base of flour and salt, but you can add whatever flavours you fancy; parsley, cumin, paprika; if it sounds like it'd go together, throw it in! 

I actually used a 'Maggie' packet sauce for a chicken and potato casserole as I'm at home and don't have any herbs or spices to hand. It turned out pretty well, so if you're really stuck a powdered sauce will work, too.

Dredge your chicken first in your seasoning, then in your egg and then back in your seasoning. Make sure to turn it over and coat well during each step.

Pre-heat your oven to 220C/200C fan, and get a baking tray with a wire rack set up on a work surface. Time to fry!

Drop in your chicken one at a time (or two if you've got room). The oil will bubble and foam. Count to like... 10-15 seconds, then turn. Then count again.

SAFETY WARNING: HOT OIL IS EVIL AND SPITS AT YOU AND BURNS. So, please be safety conscious! Don't have pan handles stuck out and always keep an eye on the pan. 

Take out your chicken with tongs and set to rest on your wire rack. Rinse and repeat until all your chicken has been fried.

You should now have a rack full of delicious fried chicken and a hot oven! Pop your chicken in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the juices run clear when you poke it. Done!

Serve with whatever you fancy. I went for a side salad and jacket potato. This isn't mine, though - as you can probably tell by the inclusion of tomatoes. :(

Much better! KFC, eat your heart out!

Thai green chicken curry

Today I found out that green beans and potatoes are great in Thai green curries!

While I admit to using jar sauce (curry for the lazy, and coconut milk is expensive!) it is delicious and easy to whip up pretty much any curry if you know what to put in it. 

It's a great use for any leftover veggies you have, and it'll usually taste pretty good no matter what you throw in.

What is your favourite type of curry?

♥

Food bonanza with Greg!

My wonderful Greg came to visit me last week! 

As thanks for him traveling so far to see me, I made him lots of yummies. To start with, I made delicious meatball marinara and spaghetti for when he arrived!

I will probably add a recipe for this at some point - it was really good!

A satisfied (and slightly surprised) customer!

For our romantic anniversary meal, we had baked salmon risotto. This plain fillet of fish was transformed into...

A wonderful dish! Greg ended up eating my tomatoes though... yuck :(

For dessert, I made surprise Dota 2 cupcakes with white chocolate and raspberry icing.

I miss him very much already! Food is a wonderful way to show your love.

♥

One potato, two potato, three potato, four!

Pork chop... and potato wedges!

Steak... and chips!

Twice baked stuffed... potato!

and a Superman 'movie snack'...?

Gnocci and turkey and vegetable stew

Wham! Blam! Five of your five a day in one delicious stew. 

Turkey is one of my five a day... right?

This was actually really simple. I won't give you the full recipe, because I think this is the kind of soup where you can just use whatever vegetables you have to hand and it'll probably taste good.

I went for celery, carrot, red onion, spinach and green beans. I also used store-bought gnocci, because what do you think I am?! A cooking blog writer?!

Start off by dicing your meat of choice, then marinate for a few hours with whatever sounds good. I went for salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander and mustard. 

In the mean time, roughly chop your veggies. Heat some olive oil and fry your meat until golden brown.

While your meat is browning, heat a pot on medium high and add a tablespoon of olive oil, a few tablespoons of butter and a little flour. Stir to make your roux, then stir in your veggies. Add in as much boiling water as you want, then as many stock cubes as you need for that much water. Guesstimate!

Add your browned meat into your stew, then add flour to thicken to a desired consistency. Let it simmer for a while to reduce, then add your gnocci and cook until they've risen to the occasion.

And serve! If you make this gnocchi vegetable turkey stew, you could even find...

an extremely happy guest! ♥

Though if she's breaking and entering and you don't know who she is, you may want to phone the police.

And for dessert -

Pear pastries and cream~! And they say I don't spoil them...

Apple and Cherry Turnover

Welcome to A Cup of Charlotte - where we bake delicious pastries, drink copious amounts of brandy tea and chat about fashion.

Today, we're making apple and cherry turnovers.

Ingredients:                                                                                                                Makes 4 turnovers

Puff pastry: store-bought or home-made
2 tbsp butter
1 egg
1 tbsp water

1 apple, cored and chopped

8 cherries, cored and chopped

2 tbsp caster sugar

Icing sugar, to serve

 

 

These turnovers are actually surprisingly easy to make - minimal effort, so more time to enjoy while browsing your website of choice and stuffing your face.

 

Start by tossing the cherries and apples in the caster sugar. Put them in a small baking dish and let them stew in a 200C/400F/Gas 6 oven for 20 minutes. When you pull them out, make sure to keep the oven on - you'll need it soon.

In the mean time, roll out your puff pastry and cut into squares, about 3 by 3 inches. Divide the butter between the 4 squares, then relax and resist taking the fruit out 5 minutes early. Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl to make an eggwash.

It's all smooth sailing from here. Spoon your fruit evenly between your squares; if you have slightly more foresight than me, use a slotted spoon to drain off the excess juice and avoid a murder on the dance-puff.

With a pastry brush, brush some egg wash along the right and bottom edges of your pastry. Fold the top left corner over to meet the bottom right one, and press along the edges with your fingers. To make sure your fruit doesn't pull a Houdini, grab a fork and gently press along the edges to seal them. Finish up with a good coating of egg wash, and prick a few holes into the top.

Put your turnovers in the oven for 20 minutes until they're golden and puffed, then serve and enjoy! 

Served with whipped cream is the only way to eat these. Double cream? Yoghurt? Try it... I dare you.

--Charlotte