Orange Mustard Chicken with Couscous

Don't you hate when you pull something out of the freezer for dinner then draw a complete mental blank when deciding what to do with it? This happened to me the other day with some chicken fillets. After a bit of googling this is what I came up with and my was it good! Quick and simple too; the perfect weekday dinner.

You can find the recipe here: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/8376096/orange-mustard-chicken-with-couscous

I used honey instead of marmalade (because really...who under the age of 65 has marmalade in their house?) and added some sunflower seeds to the couscous for extra crunch.

Moroccan Chicken Soup

I love soup! Seeing as the wintery weather is creeping in I thought it would be apt to share my favourite soup recipe. It's a Morroccan style chicken soup and is always a big hit with my family. The broth is quite delicate in flavour despite the spices and the addition of couscous makes it quite a hearty dinner on a cold night.

I like this recipe as it utilises the entire chicken (poached in water to make broth then meat shredded into soup), it's also great when you're feeling a little under the weather. It has a nice chilli hit which is bound to blow any cold out! While the prep is a little time consuming, the end result is completely worth it.

Here is what you will need....

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 large red onion, finely diced

1 long red chilli, finely chopped (discard seeds if you like it mild)

1 heaped tbs fresh mint, finely chopped

2 tbsp paprika, you can use smoked or sweet

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp raw sugar 

1/2 cup tomato puree

150g couscous

fresh coriander finely chopped to garnish

For the broth:

1 whole chicken, I use free range. Happy chickens= better tasting soup!

1 bunch parsley stalks

1 large brown onion cut into quarters

1 whole lemon cut in half

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbs corriander seeds

 

Place all the broth ingredients in a large stock pot and add enough water to just cover chicken. Bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, 45-60mins depending on the size of your chicken.

Once chicken is cooked, remove and place in a separate bowl to cool. Continue to simmer broth on low heat for 10-15 mins until it has reduced a little. Season with salt and pepper then strain broth into a large bowl/jug and discard all the other bits and pieces. Once chicken is cool shred meat into bite sized strips.

Next heat oil in the same (now empty) pot and add onions and chilli, cook over medium heat for a few minutes until they begin to colour. Then add cumin, paprika, sugar, mint and tomato puree, stir to combine and then add sieved broth back to pot. Bring to the boil then add couscous. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat then add shredded chicken, check seasoning and simmer for a further 5 minutes. 

Now this is terribly unauthentic but I add a bag of baby spinach to the soup at the end along with the chicken. It adds a bit of colour and makes me feel healthy!

Serve soup in wide shallow bowls with coriander garnish.

Gumbo Kitchen

Authentic New Orleans cuisine: it's not something you come across often in ole Melbourne town. However things are about to change.

I introduce to you, Gumbo Kitchen. The newest gourmet food van on the scene, bringing their deep south favourites to the masses.

The main attractions at Gumbo Kitchen are gumbo (der) and a little delight known as the Po'Boy sandwich.

For those who are unfamiliar with New Orleans fare, let me elaborate. Gumbo is a spiced thick soup/stew often made with chicken/seafood and vegetables, usually served with rice. A Po'Boy is the Louisiana equivalent of Subway. Gumbo Kitchen do theirs with deep fried crumbed shrimp or beef 'debris' (shredded roast beef in a rich gravy) in a soft white sub roll dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and pickles. A decadent and tasty 'sometimes' food.

I had the pleasure of finally sampling Gumbo Kitchen's wares at a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Event at Dandenong Market not long ago. They mainly trundle around similar areas to the other food vans (Brunswick, Northcote etc) but recently have been branching out a little to other parts of Melbourne as well. Needless to say I was very jealous when my husband announced Gumbo Kitchen was outside his workplace in Abbotsford one afternoon!

After much agonising I decided on a shrimp Po'Boy and a serving of chicken and sausage gumbo. Also on offer that day was a sweetcorn gumbo with fried green tomatoes and something called 'The Don', a generous serving of chips smothered in beef debris.

As you can see gumbo ain't pretty but my is it delicious. There were some nice chunks of chicken and smoky, spicy sausage, good value at $11. It's the perfect winter dish and something I'd definitely go back for.

The Po'Boy came with a VERY generous serving of shrimp, in fact I took half of it out to eat separately! The shrimp was a tad overcooked, which was a little disappointing but the crumb was nice and the salad combination went well with the shrimp. My toddler certainly approved, he ate a whole half! $12 might sound a bit steep for a sandwich but considering the amount of shrimp in there, I'd say it was very good value. Had the shrimp not been dry it would have been total ripper.

So a big thumbs up for Gumbo Kitchen, it's a great concept and serves up good, honest comfort food. I've noticed they're now adding a few other items to the menu such as catfish or deep fried oyster Po'Boys and some desserts as well (bread pudding with bourbon sauce...hello!).  So next time you feel like trying something a little different, give them a crack!

Follow Gumbo Kitchen on Twitter: @GumboKitchen