Today I have some tasty and nourishing snacks. The spiced chicken skewers are delicious hot or cold. They are also fantastic on a picnic or to cook on a disposable barbecue at the beach. Do remember to bring a plastic bag to take your litter home though. Chicken thighs are good value and full of flavour. They cook quickly and are very succulent, so work well on a skewer. And, of course, they are great in a wrap or a pitta bread. Instead of chicken, you could use turkey meat or pork.
We serve hummus as a canapé in the restaurant. It is great served with some breadsticks when you have friends over. Sometimes, instead of the red pepper, I use sundried tomatoes. This prawn and avocado wrap is an updated version of the classic prawn mayonnaise sandwich, which is still one of the most popular shop-bought sandwiches. Make sure your avocado is ripe. Just use a little gentle pressure to check as you don’t want it too soft or over ripe. Instead of prawns, smoked salmon is very nice too.
Happy cooking.
Spiced yoghurt grilled chicken skewers
Serves four
250g Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
Good pinch of cayenne pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and quartered
Donegal rapeseed oil, for brushing
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Flatbreads, to serve
Lamb’s lettuce, to serve
Shop-bought hummus or roasted red pepper hummus, to serve
Tomato and mint salad, to serve
Place the yoghurt, garlic, coriander, parsley, paprika, cumin, lemon rind and cayenne pepper in a bowl and mix together to combine. Add the chicken pieces and stir until coated. Season with salt and pepper and then set aside for at least 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours, covered with clingfilm in the fridge is fine.
Heat a griddle pan. Thread three pieces of chicken onto a 10cm (4in) wooden bamboo skewer – you will make eight in total. Brush the griddle pan with the oil and cook the chicken skewers for five to six minutes on each side, until cooked through and lightly charred.
Wrap the chicken skewers in tinfoil and put in lunchboxes with separately wrapped flatbreads.
Put in small pots of lettuce, hummus and a tomato and mint salad.
To serve, arrange the flatbread on a plate with the chicken skewers and the lettuce. Place the tomato and mint salad to the side with the hummus.Prawn and avocado wrap
Serves four
100g (4oz) mayonnaise
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp shredded fresh basil
½ lemon, pips removed
1 large, ripe Hass avocado
4 large deli wraps or soft flour tortillas
50g (2oz) wild rocket
200g (7oz) large cooked, peeled prawns
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and add the chilli sauce, basil and a good squeeze of the lemon juice. Season to taste and mix until well combined.
Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone, then cut into slices and place in a bowl. Drizzle in a squeeze of the lemon juice to prevent it from discolouring. Heat a heavy-based frying pan.
Heat each deli wrap or soft flour tortilla for 30 seconds on the frying pan, turning once.
Spread the flavoured mayonnaise all over each of the heated wraps or tortillas and stack the rocket, avocado slices and prawns down the centre. Season to taste and roll up.
To serve, cut each one on the diagonal and arrange on plates or wrap in greaseproof paper for lunchboxes.Red pepper hummus
1 large red pepper
Donegal rapeseed oil
1 mild red chilli
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml (3 ½fl oz) tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
Good pinch of ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).
To make the hummus, place the red pepper in a baking tin and drizzle with a little oil. Roast for 15 minutes, then add the chilli, drizzle over a little more oil and continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are completely tender and nicely charred. Transfer to a polythene bag and leave to cool completely (this will help to steam the skins off). When cool enough to handle, peel the red pepper and chilli and then cut in half and remove the cores. Roughly chop the remaining flesh.
Place the red pepper and chilli flesh in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and four tablespoons of water. Whizz to a creamy purée. Add more garlic, lemon juice, cumin or salt and pepper to taste. Turn out into a bowl.
Today I have some tasty and nourishing snacks. The spiced chicken skewers are delicious hot or cold. They are also fantastic on a picnic or to cook on a disposable barbecue at the beach. Do remember to bring a plastic bag to take your litter home though. Chicken thighs are good value and full of flavour. They cook quickly and are very succulent, so work well on a skewer. And, of course, they are great in a wrap or a pitta bread. Instead of chicken, you could use turkey meat or pork.
We serve hummus as a canapé in the restaurant. It is great served with some breadsticks when you have friends over. Sometimes, instead of the red pepper, I use sundried tomatoes. This prawn and avocado wrap is an updated version of the classic prawn mayonnaise sandwich, which is still one of the most popular shop-bought sandwiches. Make sure your avocado is ripe. Just use a little gentle pressure to check as you don’t want it too soft or over ripe. Instead of prawns, smoked salmon is very nice too.
Happy cooking.
Spiced yoghurt grilled chicken skewers
Serves four
250g Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
Good pinch of cayenne pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and quartered
Donegal rapeseed oil, for brushing
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Flatbreads, to serve
Lamb’s lettuce, to serve
Shop-bought hummus or roasted red pepper hummus, to serve
Tomato and mint salad, to serve
Place the yoghurt, garlic, coriander, parsley, paprika, cumin, lemon rind and cayenne pepper in a bowl and mix together to combine. Add the chicken pieces and stir until coated. Season with salt and pepper and then set aside for at least 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours, covered with clingfilm in the fridge is fine.
Heat a griddle pan. Thread three pieces of chicken onto a 10cm (4in) wooden bamboo skewer – you will make eight in total. Brush the griddle pan with the oil and cook the chicken skewers for five to six minutes on each side, until cooked through and lightly charred.
Wrap the chicken skewers in tinfoil and put in lunchboxes with separately wrapped flatbreads.
Put in small pots of lettuce, hummus and a tomato and mint salad.
To serve, arrange the flatbread on a plate with the chicken skewers and the lettuce. Place the tomato and mint salad to the side with the hummus.Prawn and avocado wrap
Serves four
100g (4oz) mayonnaise
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp shredded fresh basil
½ lemon, pips removed
1 large, ripe Hass avocado
4 large deli wraps or soft flour tortillas
50g (2oz) wild rocket
200g (7oz) large cooked, peeled prawns
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and add the chilli sauce, basil and a good squeeze of the lemon juice. Season to taste and mix until well combined.
Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone, then cut into slices and place in a bowl. Drizzle in a squeeze of the lemon juice to prevent it from discolouring. Heat a heavy-based frying pan.
Heat each deli wrap or soft flour tortilla for 30 seconds on the frying pan, turning once.
Spread the flavoured mayonnaise all over each of the heated wraps or tortillas and stack the rocket, avocado slices and prawns down the centre. Season to taste and roll up.
To serve, cut each one on the diagonal and arrange on plates or wrap in greaseproof paper for lunchboxes.Red pepper hummus
1 large red pepper
Donegal rapeseed oil
1 mild red chilli
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml (3 ½fl oz) tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
Good pinch of ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).
To make the hummus, place the red pepper in a baking tin and drizzle with a little oil. Roast for 15 minutes, then add the chilli, drizzle over a little more oil and continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are completely tender and nicely charred. Transfer to a polythene bag and leave to cool completely (this will help to steam the skins off). When cool enough to handle, peel the red pepper and chilli and then cut in half and remove the cores. Roughly chop the remaining flesh.
Place the red pepper and chilli flesh in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and four tablespoons of water. Whizz to a creamy purée. Add more garlic, lemon juice, cumin or salt and pepper to taste. Turn out into a bowl.
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