Nigel Slater’s recipes for chicken pasta and steamed chocolate pudding

It has been every week of consolation consuming – the end result, little doubt, of a mixture of issues: lockdown, a hungry hole and damp winter climate.

There had been no grilled greens this week; no bowls of miso soup. Just deep dishes of baked pasta with cream and roast chicken; chicory dressed with blue cheese; even a splendid row of little chocolate puddings with butterscotch sauce.

This is clearly the meals that I would like proper now, in addition to the kitchen stalwarts, comparable to baked potatoes with butter and cheese; aubergine parmigiana, potato gratin; a bean bake with black treacle and chilli, and a few absurdly hearty pasta suppers.

I made lasagne at some point final week, for the primary time in dwelling reminiscence.

My consuming appears to have grow to be a listing of previous favourites, acquainted flavours and tender, cosseting textures.

With a change within the climate on the horizon and the potential for being allowed out to play once more, that is little doubt about to vary – and I’m champing on the bit.

But for now I’m comfortably put in in carb nook, ensuring that there’s additionally one thing for pudding – ideally of the baked or steamed selection, with a trickle of sticky sauce operating from its crown.

They say “listen to what your body wants”. Well, I’m listening.

Chicken, pasta, cream and almonds

If you’re making this from scratch, I counsel utilizing chicken thighs somewhat than breasts – the brown meat being extra succulent. But you would use leftover roast chicken as an alternative. Just make sure to embody any roasting juices and the flavoursome jelly from beneath the chicken. This is a considerable dish however one plate of greens on the aspect shall be welcome. My personal selection is steamed winter cabbage with olive oil. Serves 4

rosemary sprigs 4
black peppercorns 8
olive oil 4 tbsp
chicken thighs 1 kg
pasta comparable to trofie, fusilli and so on 250g
tarragon 7g
parsley 10g
lemon 1, zest
almonds 35g
dry marsala 100ml
double cream 250ml

Set the oven at 200C/gasoline mark 6. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and put them in a spice grinder or mortar. Add the black peppercorns and 1 tsp of sea salt flakes, scale back to a rough powder utilizing the grinder or a pestle then stir within the olive oil.

Put the chicken thighs right into a roasting tin, pour the herbed oil over them and flip the thighs to coat the chicken evenly. They ought to find yourself skin-side up. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, till the pores and skin is crisp and golden.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let it relaxation for 10 minutes, then take away the meat from the bones. Keep the items pretty massive.

Bring a deep pan of water to the boil and salt it generously. Cook the pasta within the boiling water for about 9 minutes. While it’s cooking, pull the tarragon and parsley leaves from their stems and roughly chop them. Finely grate the lemon zest and add to the tarragon and parsley.

Put the flaked almonds in a shallow pan and toast them over a reasonable warmth until evenly golden, then set them apart.

Drain the pasta. Pour all however a few tablespoons of fats out of the roasting tin, place it over a reasonable warmth, pour within the marsala and stir it, to dissolve any caramelised roasting juices. Pour within the cream and go away it to bubble for a few minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce and, as soon as it’s sizzling, stir within the pasta.

Add the lemon zest, herbs and almonds, switch to a heat serving dish and serve.

Steamed chocolate pudding, maple syrup sauce

If you favor, make one bigger pudding. You will want a 1.2 litre pudding basin with a snap-on lid. Steam for 90 minutes. Makes 3 small puddings or 1 bigger one

For the pudding:
butter 150g
tender brown sugar 75g
golden caster sugar 75g
self-raising flour 100g
floor almonds 50g
cocoa powder 50g
eggs 3
milk 50ml

For the maple sauce:
maple syrup 100ml
double cream 200ml

Butter three 300ml pudding basins – I take advantage of plastic ones with snap-on lids – and put baking parchment within the base in case you are nervous in regards to the puddings sticking.

Put the butter and sugars in a meals mixer and cream till fluffy. Mix collectively the flour, floor almonds and cocoa. Break the eggs right into a bowl and beat frivolously. With the beater nonetheless on, add the eggs to the butter and sugar, a little bit at time. (If they begin curdling, add a few of the flour combine.)

Put a deep pan of water on to boil, simply sufficient to return midway up the edges of the pudding basins (or prepare dinner them in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water.)

With the machine on low pace, fold the flour, almonds and cocoa into the butter and sugar combine, then the milk. When no indicators of flour are left, switch to the pudding basins; smoothing the highest.

Cover the basins with their lids, and decrease into the simmering water. Top with a weight to carry them in place, cowl the pan with a lid and steam for half-hour. (If you might be utilizing a steamer basket, decrease the lined puddings into the basket and seal tightly with a lid.) Check the water occasionally and high up if needed.

To make the sauce, pour the maple syrup right into a pan and convey to the boil, pour within the cream and stir until blended.

When you might be able to serve, take away the puddings from their water and go away for 10 minutes to settle. Shake the puddings from their pots and take away the paper and foil, slide a palette knife across the sides and tip the other way up on to a plate. Serve with the maple sauce.

Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater