Fr Alex's Recipes
For the kitchen
CHICKEN ARRABBIATA STEW
& PARMASAN DUMPLINGS
Simple and oh so comforting, it's perfect for cold weather cooking
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, halved
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-1½ tsp chilli flakes
- 4 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
- 250ml chicken stock
- 2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 5 thyme sprigs, tied
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
For the dumplings
- 80g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 150g self-raising flour
- 80g parmesan, grated
- 50-60ml milk
Method
STEP 1
- Heat the oil in a large shallow casserole dish. Fry the onion over a low-medium heat for 7 mins or until soft and turning translucent. Turn up the heat slightly, add the chicken and fry for 5 mins until beginning to brown around the edges. Tip the garlic and chilli into the casserole and fry for 1 min. Stir through the pesto, pour in the stock and tomatoes, then add the thyme, sugar and some seasoning. Add the chicken back to the pan, turn the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook gently for 40 mins. Remove the thyme and check the seasoning.
STEP 2
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To make the dumplings, put the butter and flour in a bowl with ½ tsp fine salt, then rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in 50g of the cheese and pour in 50ml of the milk, then swiftly combine with a cutlery knife until everything is well distributed and you have a soft dough (add more milk if it’s too dry). Briefly bring the dough together on a worksurface, then divide into eight balls.
STEP 3
- Arrange the dumplings over the stew, then scatter each with the remaining cheese. Put in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 mins or until the dumplings are doubled in size and golden brown. Scatter over the parsley and serve.
For the bar
Treat yourself to the classic cocktail brandy sour. With lemon juice and egg white, it's silky smooth and delicious.
Serve with a slice of lemon and cherry.
Brandy sour
What You’ll Need:
- 25ml lemon juice, plus 1 lemon slice to serve
- 1 maraschino cherry, plus 15ml syrup from the jar
- few drops of Angostura bitters
- ½ egg white
- 50ml brandy or cognac
- Ice
What To Do:
Tip the lemon juice, cherry syrup, bitters, egg white and brandy into cocktail shaker with a large handful of ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold. Double strain into a tumbler filled with ice.
Thread the lemon slice and cherry onto a cocktail stick, rest across the rim of the tumbler and serve.