Chicken, Bacon & Leek Casserole

 I love food this time of year . . . I know I say that all year round, but this is the time of year that we really start to get stuck into comfort foods . . . winter warmers . . . rich soups, stews, casseroles and bakes.



Food that, with the exception of a few small prep details, pretty much cooks itself.  Simple and wholesome ingredients, but let me tell you . . . more often than not there it nothing simple at all about the flavours!  Most pack a very delicious punch!



I've always been the kind of person that has been able to put things together and come up with something satisfyingly delicious . . . things like this Chicken, Bacon and Leek Casserole I am showing you here today.



It's simple.   It uses stuff you most likely have in your fridge, larder and freezer right now.  It tastes fabulously delicious, and it basically cooks itself.  I like to serve it with some fluffy mash. 




The Toddster is a real mash lover.  I like to cook some greens on the side as well, just for some colour and vitamins.  Today it was sprout tops.  I do hope you will give it a try., and when you do that you'll come back and tell me how much you loved it!  It may not look very exciting, but dull this isn't!

*Chicken, Bacon & Leek Casserole*

Serves 4  

Printable Recipe  

This may look a bit like a mess, but it's delicious!  It's one of those warming meals that pretty much cooks themselves!  I like to serve it with some mash or rice.

2 TBS olive oil

8 boneless, skinless chicken thigh portions, cut into cubes

(Discard any fat)

2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced

4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped

1 tsp summer savoury

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 stalks of celery

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

1 medium parsnip, peeled and sliced

pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

125ml of dry white wine

450ml of chicken stock

1 dessertspoon (heaped) of flour, shaken with a bit of water in a jar until smooth 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium sized flame and oven proof casserole dish.   Add the bacon and chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until golden.  Stir in the leeks, carrots, celery and parsnips.  Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the summer savoury and thyme, along with some salt and pepper to taste.    Grind over a bit of garlic powder. 

Add the wine and chicken stock.  Bring to the boil.   Reduce to a simmer and stir in the flour/water mixture.  Cook stirring until the mixture begins to thicken.  Cover tightly and then transfer the casserole to the oven.   Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer, until the chicken and vegetables are very tender.

Serve hot with some mashed potatoes and crusty rolls.

Tuna Casserole (All natural ingredients)

 

I am not overly fond of oily fishes, except for salmon and tuna . . . and although the fresh is best, I always have tins of those fishes in the larder.  They come in really handy for casseroles and sandwiches, salads, etc.



Tuna Casserole is something which I have always loved . . . but I have never been overly fond of using too many processed ingredients in making it, like tinned soup, etc.  I like to make my own sauce and it's really not that hard to make a sauce from scratch and tastes so much better.



I remember an old Italian woman telling me one time when I was in the grocery store buying tuna that I should only ever buy Albacore tuna.   She said the other stuff was garbage.  This was a very long time ago as I was a very young wife and mom at the time.  Since then I have only ever bought the Albacore.  I figure it an old Italian woman thought it was the best then it probably was the best.



I know it does come at a premium price, but I think somethings are worth paying a bit more for them.  It also tastes a LOT better than the cheap stuff . . . and like the L'Oreal product commercials say . . . I'm worth it!



This has a delicious creamy sauce, flavoured with cream and cheddar cheeses along with sauteed fresh mushrooms, onions, garlic and green peppers . . .  crunch buttery cracker crumbs and cheese on top . . . peas . . . noodles and the tuna. 




It's really a nice casserole that we both enjoy.  Yes . . . even the so called pasta hater.  I like to serve some vegetables or a salad on the side.  I hope you will give it a go and that you enjoy it as much as we do!

*Tuna Casserole*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A delicious casserole which does not use tinned soup.  You make the sauce from scratch.  It makes a big difference.  Fabulous!

1 small punnet of button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

(about 1 cup)

1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1 small onion, peeled and minced

1/2 medium green pepper, trimmed and chopped

(You can chop the whole thing and freeze half of it.  That's what I do.)

1/2 pound of flat pasta (I used taggliatelle, but you can use any flat noodle)

3 TBS butter

2 TBS flour

280ml of milk (about 1 1/4 cups)

125g of cream cheese (4 ounces)

1 tin of tuna, undrained

(I use the solid albacore in brine)

a mug full of frozen peas, thawed

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

120g of strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)

2 TBS finely grated Parmesan Cheese

crumbled buttered cracker crumbs

Melt 1 TBS of the butter in a large skillet.   Add the mushrooms, onions and green pepper.  Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the remaining butter.  Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine.  Add the milk slowly, stirring until you have a smooth and thick sauce.  Add the cream cheese, stirring until it melts.  Stir in half the cheddar cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Crumble in the tuna and it's brine.  Stir in the peas.  Set aside and keep warm.



Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*f/ gas mark 5.  Cook the noodles according to the package directions.   Drain well and then stir the cooked noodles into the sauce.  Butter a shallow casserole dish and pour the mixture into it.  



Sprinkle with the remainder of the grated cheddar cheese.  Scatter the crumbs over top along with the Parmesan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until heated through and golden.

Creamy Gnocchi Gratin

Gnocchi is one thing I always have in my cupboards.  Oh, I know you can easily make your own, but I am of the opinion that if you have a packet of ready made gnocchi in the cupboard, you are never much more than a half an hour or so from putting a tasty meal onto the table.

 

It lends itself beautifully to all sorts . . . especially if you treat it a bit like a potato from time to time.   I have done sauteed Gnocchi with Egg (pretty much like egg and chips, only better with the addition of sage and garlic!)  Gnocchi Mac and Cheese with Purple Sprouting Broccoli (beautifully sauced!)

  

Gnocchi Breakfast Scramble (a fabulous morning delight with eggs, cheese, bacon and chives!)  Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (think Chicken and Dumplings!) and then there is my personal favourite . . . Hashed Gnocchi (Corned Beef Hash, except with plump little gnocchi!)



So, you can see how very versatile a package of Gnocchi can be!  If you can do it with a potato (or a pasta for that matter) you can do it with a Gnocchi! I wanted to showcase some special cheeses today (infused with ginger and rosemary) , so I created a creamy gratin and added some chopped broccoli.  It was fabulously delish . . . but then again, you knew it would be!

*Creamy Gnocchi Gratin*

Serves 4 to 6 

Printable Recipe 

A delicious gratin, with a lucious chese sauce and broccoli for goodness.  I like to push the boundaries of what gnocchi is generally used for.  To me they are just delightful little dumplings begging to be enhanced in delicious ways!

1 (500g) package of fresh ready-to-boil gnocchi (a generous pound)

1/2 of a  bunch of broccoli, trimmed and chopped

235ml of double cream (1 cup)

1 spring of fresh rosemary

1 1/4 inch thick slice of fresh ginger root

2 TBS butter, divided (room temp)

3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 TBS fine dried bread crumbs

4 ounces mild blue cheese

salt and black pepper to taste

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Place the cream into a saucepan.  Add the rosemary and ginger.  Bring to the boil.  Set aside to infused for about half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a shallow gratin dish with half of the butter.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions, half a dozen or so at a time.  Once they float to the surface, scoop out with a slotted spoon and place into the gratin dish, repeating until all the gnocchi have cooked.  Add the broccoli to the water and cook until it is crispy tender.   Drain well and scatter it amongst the gnocchi.
 

Strain the cream and add a touch of salt and pepper, plus a pinch of nutmeg.  Pour this over top of the gnocchi in the dish.  Crumble the blue cheese over top, scattering it over evenly.   Mix together the remaining 1 TBS butter, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle this crumb mixture over top.   Bang the gratin into the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.  This will take about half an hour.   Serve hot.



As you know,  Divo Italiano recently sent me a delicious assortment of exciting new Italian Cheeses to try out. These are thorougly modern cheeses selected by Aldo Zilli specifically for the British Table.   In this I used their Cubed Gorgonzola P.D.O.Picante.



 Gold award winner at the Nantwich International Cheese Awards 2013, a P.D.O. Italian blue cheese without any rind which means nothing goes to waste. Packaged in a convenient pre-cubed format, it is the first to market in this format for Gorgonzola cheese. It is matured for up to 90 days in natural caves in Northern Italy to give it a sharp, spicy (‘piccante’ in Italian) flavour and creamy texture. It makes a delicious match with ripe pears and walnuts tossed into rocket leaves, melted on pizza, or used to make an indulgent cooking sauce. 

This cheese was fabulous and was a great addition to my sauce.   Mmmm . . . I am getting spoilt here!  You can find the DVO range of cheeses in Morrisons and Ocado.