Cooking with Bill.....

Granger, that is........or more specifically I tried 2 recipes from his latest book,Every Day which was a christmas gift. I have to say I am a recent convert to Bill Granger and his recipes but I'm loving his food. Its mostly easy to prepare and takes advantage of seasonal fresh fruit and vegies and the emphasis is on organic meat and fresh seafood. One day I will make his renowned ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter for breakfast, or better still, have them at his restaurant!

When I decided on the recipes the other day we were going through a spell of hot weather so I was looking for light meals, suitable for hot days. So nothing heavy or stodgy. These spicy chicken thighs with cucumber and cashew salad seemed to fit the bill perfectly (pardon the pun!). (However, by Sunday afternoon the the cool change had come through and so was quite cool by diner time!) Only problem was that DH does not like cucumbers. No worries, I would cut back on the cucumbers, and add some red capsicum and carrot. Hopefully that would meet with approval. I also used my mandolin slicer for the first time to slice the cucumber and carrot thinly - it worked a treat once I figured out what piece slotted where.

As for dessert, I decided something quick and simple was the go (after last week's marathon effort). I love the range of fruit available through Summer and so decided on Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon Grass Syrup. It was perfect!

So no major cooking dramas - it was all straightforward. I took leftovers to work for lunch the next day and it tasted just as great.

The next thing to accomplish is to take photos of the meals after I've cooked them! I keep forgetting! I look at other food blogs and see their amazing photos and it really does make a difference. Personally I like to see photos of the food because that is what inspires me to try a particular recipe. Next time.......

Spicy Chicken Thighs with Cucumber and Cashew Salad

Serves 4

3 Tbs fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lge red chillies, finely minced
2 tsp sugar
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbs vegetable oil (I only used 1 Tbs)

Cucumber and Cashew Salad
3 Tbs lime juice (I used 2 limes)
3 Tbs castor sugar
200g vermicelli noodles (I think I used a 125g packet)
2 cucumbers, halved and thinly sliced (I used 1 Lebanese cucumber)
small handful fresh mint leaves (only mint I have is chocolate mint and didn't feel that would be suitable so skipped this)
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbs cashew nuts, crushed

Whisk the fish sauce, pepper, garlic, chillies and sugar in a bowl. Put the chicken in a separate bowl and pour over half the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 20mins (keep the rest of the marinade to one side).

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-highheat. Add the chicken, in two batches, and cook for 3mins on each side, or until it is cooked through. (Bill says - Sometimes I put another frying pan on top of the chicken and weigh it down with a couple of tins to make the chicken really crisp. [I tried this - it works!])

While the chicken is cooking, add the lime juice and sugar to the marinade that you set aside. Stir until the sugar has dissolved to make a dressing.

Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and leave for a minute or so until soft. Drainunder cold water, placein a large bowl and add the cucumber, mint, spring onions and cashews (or in my case, cucumber, capsicum, carrot and cashews). Add the dressing, toss well and serve with sliced chicken.

This was followed by:
Fresh Fruit Plate with Lemon Grass Syrup

Serves 4

Juice of 1 orange, strained
Juice of 1 lemon, strained
Juice of 1 lime, strained
160g castor sugar
2lemon grass stems, lightly crushed and cutinto 5cmm (2inch) lengths
Selection of seasonal fruit (I used mango, rockmelon, watermelon, honeydew melon, lychees, kiwi fruit and nectarine)

Put the fruit juices, sugar and lemon grass in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10mins, or until slightly reduced and syrupy. Strain and leave to cool.

Choose a selection of fruit that is in season and at its best. Cut it up, arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with the lemon grass syrup.

And finally.......We bought some peaches the other day and the following recipe from the latest issue of delicious caught my eye:

Grilled Brown Sugar Peaches with Orange Blosson Yoghurt (Bill Granger recipe)

Serves 6

1/4 firmly packed cup (50g) brown sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
6 peaches, halved, stones removed
1 cup (280g) thick Greek-style yoghurt
2 Tbs icing sugar, sifted
1-2tsp orange blossom water* (to taste)
small basil leaves, to garnish

Preheat a lightly greased barbecue chargrill plate or chargrill pan on medium-high heat. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the cut side of each peach with 1 tsp of the mixture.

Combine yoghurt, icing sugar and orange blossom water. Set aside.

Grill peaches, cut-side down for 1-2mins until golden and caramelised. Serve peaches with yoghurt and garnish with basil.

*From gourmet food shops and selected supermarkets.