Greek Chicken Marinade

 

Infused with garlic and oregano; this is an easy chicken tray bake that's juicy and tender and deliciously fresh and summery as the lemon that went into it. 

Greek Chicken Marinade

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Serves 4

8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin in

1 1/2 cups plain Greek yoghurt

the juice and grated rind of 1 lemon

6 -8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of salt

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together except the chicken.

Add the chicken to the bowl and coat well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. I find marinating overnight is best.  

The next day, preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC/180ºC Fan/Gas Mark 6). Line a baking tray with baking parchment and place the marinaded chicken thighs on the prepared tray. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining marinade. 

Carefully remove from the oven and brush each piece of chicken with the remaining reserved marinade and place back in the oven for a further 15 minutes or until golden crisp. For a more crispier chicken place under the broil, on high, for a few minutes after the 15 minutes is up. 

Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving.   

Creamy Pasta Salad

Recreating those classic summer salads are a creative way to add your own culinary touches by trying different ingredients and seasonings. Adding twists to salads is another way to pack in more vegetables and flavour. If a creamy pasta salad isn't your preference then feel free to change it up. Simply toss with a herb oil and vinegar based dressing for a lighter touch.   

  

Pasta Salad

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1 - 500g pkg rotini pasta

1 cup olive oil mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt or light sour cream

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon vegetable herb seasoning mix

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 cups chopped broccoli, raw or slightly steamed

1/2 cup peas, fresh or thawed frozen

1/2 cup chopped green pepper, optional

handful of sunflower seeds

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside and allow to drain again. Prepare the vegetables accordingly. 

In a large bowl, combine and stir the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, grainy mustard, white wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and the vegetable herb seasoning mix together. Then add the chopped red onion, steamed or raw broccoli, peas and chopped green peppers, if using any, to the dressing. Stir. 

Place the cooked drained pasta in a large serving bowl and pour the seasoned vegetable dressing over top. Gently toss to coat. Chill before serving. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds before serving. 

Notes: you may also add grated carrots and or chopped red pepper. 

Crêpes Wraps and Rolls ~ Honey Pennies

In England, Shrove Tuesday has become synonymous with pancakes... folded with a scattering of caster sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. In France they serve crêpes to celebrate family and life, bringing hope for happiness and good fortune in the many years to come. In most Commonwealth countries it is known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day. Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian speaking countries know it as Carnival. Denmark and Norway celebrate Fastelavn which they eat fastelavnsboller, also known as, Semla (a traditional sweet roll pastry). In Lithuania people eat pancakes and Lithuanian style doughnuts. In Sweden it is known as Fettisdagen, Fat Tuesday. Although in Iceland it is known as Sprengidagur, Bursting Day, and is marked by eating salted meat and peas.  

Crêpes and pancakes do make fabulous anytime food. Sweet and savoury, simple or sophisticated many delicious ingredients have been stacked, flambéd, folded, rolled, and wrapped in and on top of crêpes and pancakes. In almost every country pancakes... or crêpes do feature in one form or another, even including street food. There are blintzes, blinis, crespelles, Dutch poffertjes, flapjacks, galettes, hotcakes, pancakes, and spekpannekoek. 

Which ever you prefer this cookbook has 110 pages full of 60 inspiring recipes for crêpes, wraps and rolls. It is a handy book for brunch and party ideas and light meals. Thought I would share this lovely recipe from the cookbook... 

 

Honey Pennies with double oat heaven

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Serves 4 

for the pennies:

130g/4 1/2 oz/1cup plus, 2 tablespoons self-raising (self-rising) flour, sieved

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

2 tablespoons honey 

150ml/5 fl oz/ 2/3 cup milk

for the oats:

75g/3oz/1 cup rolled oats

74g/ 3 oz/ scant 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

1 crisp dessert apple, grated

squeeze lemon juice

350ml/12 fl oz/1 1/2 cups Greek yoghurt

25g/1 oz/2 tablespoons butter for frying

2 tablespoons runny honey to drizzle

To make the pennies, mix the flour, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Whisk the egg, honey and milk together, add this to the flour and mix it all thoroughly.

For the oats, place the oats and sugar in a heavy-based pan and cook on a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the oats are toasted. Continue to cook. stirring constantly, until the sugar caramelizes and the oats become crisp and golden. (Don't be tempted to rush this: if the heat is too high, it will burn and you will have a speckled mess!) Turn out into a bowl and leave to cool.

Mix the grated apple with the lemon juice and stir into the Greek yoghurt. Just before serving, fold in two-thirds of the crunchy oat mixture. 

Heat a griddle or heavy based pan and brush lightly with melted butter. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture in the pan, leaving a little space in between each and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface of each penny. Carefully flip the pennies over and cook the other sides for about 1 minute more until firm, risen and golden brown.

Serve the Honey Pennies warm, topped with a dollop of the yoghurt mixture, drizzled over with a little honey and sprinkled with a little of the extra oat crunch.