Variation on a Korma

Rummaging through my cupboards, I came across a sachet of Schwartz Korma. These sachets are always handy to have in the kitchen for a quick meal. I had two chicken breasts in the fridge, and quite a bit of vegetables, so decided to bulk up the curry with veggies. Hence the variation on a Korma.
Curry purists would most likely throw rotten eggs at me. But in my defence, it was actually a very tasty meal, so don't scorn it.

Chicken Korma
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, about 250g
2tbsp+ olive oil
1/2 red onion
1 carrot
1 sweet pepper
1 courgette
a handful of raisins
50g cashews
1 sachet of Korma sauce
300ml milk
1tbsp dessicated coconut (optional)
sea salt

As you know, Korma is a creamy and mildly-spiced dish, made with coconut, cardamom and cumin. Looking at the list of ingredients on Schwartz Korma mix, it includes sugar, onion powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, ground coriander seed, chilli powder, ground ginger, cream powder, coconut milk powder, ground cinnamon, cardamom, paprika, turmeric etc.
I started with the recipe suggested on the packet, then proceeded adding more veggies.
Finely chop the onion and carrot and fry with the olive oil for over 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove the onion and carrot from the frying pan. Put the cubed chicken in the frying pan with a little bit more of the olive oil. Fry for 5 minutes, then add the sliced sweet pepper and courgette. Open the sauce mix and empty the contents over the chicken and vegetables, stir until everything is well coated in the powdered sauce. Add the milk and mix well. Cook for 15 + minutes, stirring occasionally on low. Add a handful of raisins and cashews, if using. You can use flaked or ground almonds instead of cashews. Add the coconut and season well with the sea salt.

You can use single cream instead of semi-skimmed milk in the recipe, but the milk keeps the sauce lighter, and it is creamy as it is.
Serve with basmati rice.

As I have finished a semi-forgotten bag of cashews and used some of raisins (I have what feels like one hundred pouches of dried fruit in various stages of their life, these ones were from the recently expired variety but still perfectly edible), I'm adding this recipe to the #KitchenClearout Linky run by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.

New Mulled Cider spice from Schwartz

It hasn't been properly cold yet this winter. Though with a daily occurrence of the rainy weather, it does feel cold.
Hot tea or coffee are perfectly fine, of course. And if you are in the mood for something stronger than tea, how about a glass of mulled cider or wine? It's a perfect season for this treat.
Schwartz has recently launched a new Mulled Cider Spice in addition to their Mulled Wine spice.
Mulled Cider Spice is a blend of allspice, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Each small box contains 6 sachets.
It couldn't be easier to prepare the mulled cider: just pour 1litre of dry cider in a big saucepan, add 2tbsp brown sugar and 2 sachets of Schwartz Mulled Cider Spice. Simmer for 10 minutes.
I don't remember trying mulled cider before, and was very curious to try the spice. I used a dry cider, but it might also work well with the sweeter varieties of cider. It is a lovely combination of flavours.

This spice could also be used with an apple juice for a non-alcoholic drink.

For Christmas traditionalists there is a classic Mulled Wine spice from Schwartz. I used the spice with an Italian wine - Chianti, as its robust flavours are great with mulling spices.

Mulled Wine Spice is a blend of allspice, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, I have also added slices of orange and brown sugar to the hot drink.
When the wine was simmering gently on the stove, the aromas went up from the kitchen and all over the house. It smelt so festive and Christmasy. I started singing even before I had a drink.

Mulled wine spice is fab with cranberry juice too. It makes a great non-alcoholic festive drink for a designated driver or any family member or guest who just doesn't fancy any alcohol.
We all loved the hot cranberry juice with spices.

Disclosure: I received two boxes of spices for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

A curry night with Schwartz Authentic Indian Recipe Mix Range

Biryani

“There are three things, and three things only, that can lift the pain of mortality and ease the ravages of life,” said Spider. “These things are wine, women and song"...
"Curry’s nice too" pointed out Fat Charlie” (Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys)

We rarely have "proper" takeaways, as I prefer to cook our meals myself. But I do love my culinary shortcuts, especially on a week day. Grinding my own spices for a curry night might be very gratifying if you have lots of spare time. If you're a busy parent, a jar of a sauce or a packet will do nicely, especially if a recipe mix comes from such experts as Schwartz. I have reviewed Schwartz products many times on my blog (if you fancy reading any of my older reviews, just click on the label Schwartz on the left), and was pleased to extend my cooking repertoire with a new Schwartz Authentic Indian Recipe Mix Range.
Available in four rich and aromatic flavours, this range will appeal to curry lovers. Each recipe mix packet allows you to have a cooked meal in 25-30 minutes, and has 4 servings.
We have tried three out of four flavours: Korma, Balti and Biryani.

Korma is my favourite curry, and this was the first dish I have prepared, using a Schwartz Authentic Indian Mix Range. This is the mildest curry from the range. A 222g serving made according to the recipe printed on the packet, contains 223kcal (which was a surprise for me, as I expected a korma to have more calories).

Korma

This recipe mix is ideal with chicken or prawns. It so happened that all the curries I cooked with this range were with chicken. Korma is a creamy and mildly-spiced dish, made with coconut, cardamom and cumin. Looking at the list of ingredients, it includes sugar, onion powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, ground coriander seed, chilli powder, ground ginger, cream powder, coconut milk powder, ground cinnamon, cardamom, paprika, turmeric etc.
I followed the recipe suggested on the packet. The list of ingredients is pretty short, you need 1tbsp of oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, about 450g diced boneless chicken and 300ml semi-skimmed milk. The milk keeps the sauce rather light, but of course, you can add some single cream for a richer version. I have also added a carrot to bulk up the curry and a handful of ground and flaked almonds. I served it with rice and a bit of chopped spring onions. It was a tasty korma, which both my husband and I enjoyed (my young men don't eat curries).

Korma

Balti is a medium-heat recipe mix. Ingredients include ground coriander seed, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar and salt, black onion seed, ground ginger, ground fenugreek, dried crushed chillies, ground cinnamon, turmeric, coriander leaf, rapeseed oil etc.

Balti

The recipe on the packet asks for oil, onion, chicken, tomato puree and a tin of chopped tomatoes, plus a sweet pepper. The Balti looked very colourful and bright. I found it a bit too spicy (and so did my husband). For those curry lovers who love to breathe fire, that might be not hot enough,  but we are weaklings when it comes to hot spicy food. 

Balti

Biryani is another medium hot curry from the range. This curry is bursting with flavours, and would work with both chicken or lamb. You will need an onion, butter, chicken, tinned chopped tomatoes and frozen peas. The main ingredients in this mix are dried onion, salt, ground coriander seed, ground cumin, brown mustard seed, ginger, dried garlic, ground fennel seed, bay leaves, turmeric, black pepper, dried crushed chillies, cinnamon and more.
From these three lovely curries Korma was our favourite, but all of them taste authentic. And if you make your own Indian "takeaway", it will definitely be less expensive, plus you will know what goes in your curry.

Biryani

All of these spice mix flavours contain no hydrogenated fat, artificial colours or flavourings, added preservatives or MSG.

Disclosure: I received a selection of Schwartz products for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Degustabox (April International Box)

I have seen many blog reviews of Degustabox food delivery boxes, and was excited to have a chance to review its latest box. The box was delivered on the last day of April, and I just had to open it as soon as I closed the door behind the courier. This monthly box usually contains 9-14 surprise products, many of them are new to the market. It is an exciting way of discovering new products, which you might have missed in the shops otherwise.
What surprise foods and drinks did we receive in the April box?

April Degustabox

The first product we tried was Nando's Peri-Peri Spicy Chicken groove potato chips (40g). These spicy chips with grooves contain no artificial colours, no added MSG and are flavoured with genuine African Bird's eye chillies (peri-peri)
Eddie and I shared a bag. Eddie enjoys spicy snacks and he loved them.
Verdict: tasty

Tastebuds are funny little things. I found Nando's Peri-Peri Peri-Salted groove cut potato chips much spicier than the Spicy Chicken, while it should have been the other way around (Peri-Salted are promised to be mild, and Spicy Chicken Medium spicy on Peri-ometer. But for me it was the opposite, I was panting like a dog after the "mild" flavour while we found medium pleasantly spicy.
And then there were Nando's Peri-Peri Grooves Sizzling Hot groove cut potato chips (hot). I warned my little man that they were hot & spicy. He said "I like hot", and so he did, he munched them happily.

Nando's Peri-Peri Grooves Sizzling Hot groove cut potato chips (hot)

That's snacks sorted.
What are we drinking? Degustabox comes in 2 varieties, with alcohol or without. For those who enjoy their alcoholic drinks, there was a bottle of Kingfisher.

Kingfisher is so well known that there is no need to introduce it. India's no.1 bestselling beer, it is popular in the UK as well, especially when served with spicy curries. It's clean and crisp, with subtle citrus undertones, perfect with the hot Indian dishes.

If you are a teetotaller, or just don't fancy an alcoholic version, Degustabox offered a non-alcoholic variety - Wonjo hibiscus drink. This healthy drink is produced in the UK, and is made from the hibiscus plant, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, which is rich in vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. It also boasts high levels of antioxidants and helps the body to maintain good health. It is a sweet drink, of deep ruby red colour, without any additives or preservatives.

IdrinQ (original) is a new generation beverage with two active ingredients: R(+)-a-lipolic acid (vitamin N) and L-Arginine. It helps to reduce tiredness and fatigue. I don't usually buy energy drinks, and this is the first time I have tried this drink. The list of ingredients reads a bit like Mendeleev's table of elements. It is sweet and fizzy, too sweet for me. Surprisingly enough, it did a job of keeping an after-lunch slumber at bay. Kudos for that.

Scheckter's Organic Energy caffeine blend promises to improve alertness, increase physical performance. It contains no artificial ingredients, no taurine and no GMO's.
So, what exactly is it? It's a mix of sparkling filtered water, organic raw cane sugar, organic lemon juice, organic pomegranate juice, organic elderberry juice, organic asian panax ginseng, organic energy caffeine blend (guarana, green tea, green coffee extract) and more. I needed all the possible help before heading out in the garden for a good weeding session, as with all the rain the weeds seem to multiply before my eyes. Taste-wise, it was pleasant but again too sweet. I would have preferred more lemon and green tea and less sweetness. It did seem to keep me from falling asleep in the garden, lulled by the birdsong.

Drinks aside, what shall we eat?

There were two tubs of Veetee rice in Mexican and Peri Peri flavours.

I have tried Veetee rice before, and it's very handy to keep a tub or two in the pantry for quick and easy meals. Veetee Spicy Mexican style rice was a new (for me) flavour. Its ingredients include natural steamed rice, adzuki beans, seasoning, tomato powder, vegetable stock, sweetcorn, sunflower oil, red pepper, cumin, jalapenos, paprika and more. It is bright in colour and medium spicy.
Veetee rice is suitable for vegetarians, has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
It is supposed to be great with tacos or fajitas but I added it to the sliced in half pepper and roasted the stuffed pepper boats in the oven for about 20 minutes, then added a bit of mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes for an easy dinner.

Pepper stuffed with rice

Veetee Peri Peri rice is a perfect side dish to go with spicy chicken. Its ingredients are natural steamed rice, tomato powder, lime juice, sunflower oil, herb and spice extract, carrot extract and more. I served it as a side dish with chicken cooked with chorizo and sweet red pepper, and the flavours worked really well.

Schwartz has recently launched a range of Indian recipe mixes, and the April Degustabox included two of the latest flavours - Korma and Balti. Korma is our favourite curry, so it was the first choice between the two (I plan to cook Balti later this week).

Schwartz Korma recipe mix is ideal with chicken or prawns. It is mildly hot, creamy and spicy. Ingredients consist of sugar, onion powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, coriander seed, chilli powder, ground ginger, cream powder, coconut milk powder, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric and more. There's no hydrogenated fat, artificial colours or flavourings, added preservatives or MSG.
It was a tasty curry, cooked with chicken, onion, carrot, ground almonds and milk.

Chicken Korma

Cirio, a brand known for its quality tinned tomatoes, is very popular in Italy. This is a brand I'm familiar with. Francseco Cirio was a pioneer in preserving tomatoes in tin cans. Tinned tomatoes are a perfect kitchen staple product, it keeps well for ages, and could be used as an ingredient in so many dishes. I am yet to use Cirio tomato fillets and double concentrate which arrived with the Degustabox, but I have cooked with Cirio products in the past.

Now let's move onto the sweet stuff.
My boys were most excited about the chocolate treats from Kinder. They are big fans of Kinder Surprise eggs, and were happy to discover Kinder chocolate with cereals (mini).
These are fine mini milk chocolate bars with cereals and smooth milky filling. Each bar is 30kcal, so even I could have a little treat with my coffee (it would be fab to have a more "adult" variety with a bitter dark chocolate). Each bar is individually wrapped, and the bag is resealable, though with kids it's probably not a much needed option. Needless to say, they didn't last long in our family. It's a lovely mix of textures: creamy smooth milky chocolate and crunchy cereals (barley, rice, wheat, buckwheat, spelt). The little slogan on the back of the packet says "Invented for kids, approved by Mums", and I tend to agree, we all liked them.

Kinder Choco-Bons are fine milk chocolate bites with a milky hazelnut filling. I like the size of these chocolate bites. Each piece is individually wrapped. This is a product with a great appeal for kids (I prefer dark chocolate, with less sweetness). My children have enjoyed Choco-Bons as much as the chocolate bars with cereals.

I have seen Cookies Bakery goodies in Waitrose, but haven't tried them before. This is a German brand, which was a surprise for me, as looking at the box, I presumed they were American. Then I read the story on the back of the box, that these cookies were inspired by traditional family bakeries in Greenwich Village. "Extra large cookies, just like in New York!".

Each cookie is individually wrapped in  vintage-style wrapping. These are large cookies indeed, crispy outside and smooth inside, with a chocolate hazelnut filling. Cookies bakery Creamy Cookies are filled with melting nougat cream.
I must say, I was a bit confused by the word "nougat", as in my mind nougat is something different, more on the crunchy side than smooth. Think Italian torrone, that's a nougat. But after checking the Wikipedia, I realised that I was wrong, and nougat can be smooth as well.
Each cookie is 202kcal, so perhaps not suitable on a diet day. And there's 16g of sugar and 9.7g of fat in each cookie. It was lovely to try this brand, but I don't think it will become a regular purchase for our household.

Cookies are best enjoyed with a cup of tea, and Degustabox offered a box of Barry's tea to go with all the sweet treats. As I prefer flavoured teas, I gave this tea to a friend who enjoys her tea black and strong. She later reported to me that she liked it very much. This is an Irish brand, established over a hundred years ago. and they promise an absolute commitment to fine quality tea.

And that's it, folks!

If you enjoyed reading my review, and would like to try a Degustabox, I have a discount code for you, which will give you £3off when registering. And the code is
NAU6W

For more information, latest news and recipes visit Degustabox (main site), DegustaboxUK on Twitter and DegustaboxUK on Facebook.

Disclosure: I received an April Degustabox for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mind.

Schwartz Slow Cookers' BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe Mix

Pulled pork sandwiches make the most satisfying meal for the meat eaters. Just imagine the tender, juicy pieces of pork with the smokey flavour. Simply delicious. Many families have their own favourite marinade for pulled pork. Recently I have tested a new Slow Cookers' BBQ recipe mix from Schwartz, the UK's leading herbs and spices brand.

I don't have a slow cooker (I did win two in the past and gave both away as gifts), and our BBQ is too rusty and decrepit to function, so I cooked the pork shoulder in a ceramic pot in the oven.

Using the Schwartz recipe mix couldn't be easier. For the marinade just mix the contents of the sachet with 125ml tomato ketchup, 2tbsp brown sugar and 3tbsp cider vinegar.
I have also added 1tbsp of molasses for the extra sweetness. There is enough salt in the recipe mix, so I didn't add any.
This is a sweet recipe mix including sugar, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt, molasses powder, black pepper and more.
You will need about 1.4kg boneless pork shoulder.
Pour the marinade over the pork and cook up to 4 hours on high or up to 8 hours on low until the meat is tender, cooked through and is easily pulled apart with a fork. I cooked the pork without a lid for the 1st hour on high, then covered with the lid and cooked on low for several hours (cannot tell how many exactly, as we went out and I switched the oven off, but it was still inside the hot oven).

The caramelised top of the pork is very dark and sticky. Make a sandwich with the salad leaves of your choice and pour a good amount of sticky sauce over the pulled pork.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine or a beer, with a choice of pickles.

For the full range of Schwartz products and recipes ideas, visit Schwartz.

Disclosure: I received a sachet of a new recipe mix for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Chicken liver pate with juniper berries

In the last few days I have been cooking with clarified butter, adding it to almost everything. It tastes delicious and has a lovely aroma. Add a dollop to a plain dish of boiled potatoes or fry the breaded fish fillets in it. It is also great for fried potatoes. I plan to do a series of recipe posts where I use the clarified butter, while today's recipe is a Chicken liver pate with juniper berries.

Chicken liver pate
Ingredients:
250g Chicken livers
80ml milk (or more)
2 banana shallots
2tbsp clarified butter (to fry)
1tsp ras el hanout (optional)
2tbsp brandy
50ml milk
sea salt with pepper
4tbsp+ clarified butter (to top up)
1tbsp or more of juniper berries (I use Schwartz juniper berries)

Defrost the chicken livers (if buying in the frozen ailse). Place them in a medium sized bowl and pour milk over them, leave for a couple of hours to soak. Discard the milk later. Finely slice a couple of banana shallots or one medium sized red onion. In a hot sizzling pan fry the livers and the onion together, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with some ras el hanout spice mix, and season well with sea salt and pepper (ras el hanout is now widely available, for example, in Waitrose or Tesco, I love the exotic touch it adds to any meal).
The livers should be well browned but slightly pink inside (but not bleeding). Add a dash of brandy to the frying pan. Heat up the milk in a small pan. Blitz the chicken livers and onions with a hand blender or in a food processor, adding a bit of hot milk, a spoonful at a time, to reach the right consistency, not too thick but not runny either. Spoon your pate in a ceramic dish or bowl.
Melt the clarified butter and pour on top of the pate. Scatter a handful of juniper berries on top. Let it set, preferably overnight in the fridge (cover the bowl with a lid, or cling film).

In this recipe I used Lurpak clarified butter, which is a product in their brand new Cook's range. It is a versatile product, which adds a soft nutty flavour to many dishes. I liked it so much that I have already run out of the tub which was sent to me for testing, and bought two tubs today (they are on offer of 2 for £4 in Waitrose at the moment).

You can of course, make your own clarified butter if you have time. It is very common in Russia, and in the days when people didn't have fridges, the clarified butter would keep much longer in the larder than the "normal" butter.

Juniper berries add a touch of sweetness, but if you don't like them, add some peppercorns instead.
This pate is best served on wholemeal or multi-seeded bread.

New Schwartz Perfect Shake herb & spice blends

Schwartz, the UK's leading herbs and spices brand, has recently added three new flavours to its Perfect Shake range - Pasta, Spanish and Chips. I was amazed to discover that there are 27 varieties of Perfect Shake. That's a whole lot of various meals sorted, to please all tastes and palates. Perfect Shakes are truly versatile, and can be used to suit many cuisines and occasions, from easy midweek meals to more formal dinners.
I have recently tested two of the new flavours, Chips and Spanish.

Perfect Shake Chips is a seasoning blend with paprika, onion an garlic. Among its ingredients you will find salt, paprika, dried onion, garlic granules, sugar, black pepper etc. It has a bright terracotta colour. This seasoning is finely ground, and is a versatile blend which can be used with chips, potato wedges or any other roast vegetables. It was great with baby potatoes, roasted with the olive oil and sprinkled liberally with Perfect Shake.

It worked perfectly with home made chunky chips (just slice the potato lengthways, add the olive oil and the spice blend and roast for half an hour).

I served these chips with the venison & dried fruit stew, but they will be as nice with just an egg, or sausages, or both indeed.

Perfect Shake Spanish is a seasoning blend with smoked paprika, red and green bell peppers, onion granules, garlic granules, dried tomato, black pepper, rosemary, bay leaves and more.
I first sprinkled it over the roast butternut squash and sweet potatoes, and the sweetness of the vegetables was enhanced by the smokey flavours of paprika and peppers.

It is lovely in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. For example, just the other day I cooked a quick chicken and sweet pepper stir fry with the Spanish Perfect Shake. I also added a tomato, a finely chopped clove and garlic and squeezed juice of one orange. In almost no time at all our dinner was ready.

I have recently tried it in the recipe for beetroot fritters, and the combination of flavours was very nice. Beetroot works really well with paprika, tomato and garlic.

Schwartz Perfect Shake range is available in all major supermarkets at £1.63-1.82.
For more information about the range and meals inspiration visit Schwartz.

If you haven't tried this range yet, I run a lovely little giveaway on my blog at the moment (closing on 30 April). The winner will have a chance to win some tasty Schwartz Perfect Shakes and Flavour Shots.