mmm recipe time...

I cooked this up the other night for some friends.  The original recipe comes from the sophie dahl cookbook, but I have changed it a little to add some extra zing.  It is such an easy, tasty recipe.  Great for winter and summer.  Enjoy xxx

chicken stew with green olives

ingredients
- one chicken, cut into pieces, or chicken breasts (small chicken breasts cut into two pieces, for large chicken breasts, cut them into three)
- olive oil
- two cloves of garlic
- one fennel bulb, cleaned and peeled then roughly chopped
- one cup white wine
- one can of chopped tomatoes
- one cup of chicken stock. try and fine ‘reduced salt’ as most chicken stock cubes, including ‘reduced salt’ here are quite salty.
Note: this bit about 'salty' stock cubes is for Dubai peops, as most supermarkets here stock very salty stock cubes.
- one cup of pitted green olives. either freshly bought or in a jar (I used waitrose pitted olives)
- handful of fresh chopped basil

The night before…
Cut the chicken up into pieces and place in a flat deep dish. Chop up one of the garlic cloves, finely and throw into the dish. Add a few lobs of olive oil and a dash of the white wine, then mix it into the chicken with your hands. Cover the dish with cling film and place in the fridge to marinate overnight.

Approx forty minutes before serving…
In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and add the chicken (poor any liquid from the dish into the pan as well), cooking until it has browned. Remove from the pan and set aside in a covered bowl. In the same pan, sweat the garlic and fennel in a little more oil for a few minutes. Pour the wine over, add the tomatoes and cook for another ten minutes on low. Put the chicken back in to the pan and cook on low for around thirty minutes, adding the chicken stock little by little. Season with pepper. Put the olives and basil in for approx ten minutes, then serve with crusty bread.

For an extra taste of summer, cut up some lemon pieces and place in a bowl on the table for guests to drizzle on the stew.

how to get your friends trollied in five minutes...

a little mix created for when you need it the most.  always a good starter for when people walk in the door...but watch out...especially if you are like me and have no interest in measuring...

gin and pimms baby
- get the biggest glass you can
- throw in the gin
- throw in the pimms
- throw in some lemonade
- then some crushed berries (frozen or fresh)
- some ice
- lime if you feel the urge
and drink...

...really, is it my fault if the glass is almost full before I add the lemonade?