Hot Cheese Soup, Chicken Vindaloo, Sticky Ginger Marmalade Loaf

Last night I made a three course meal of Hot Cheese Soup, Chicken Vindaloo and Sticky Ginger Marmalade Loaf. The Hot Cheese Soup was simple and delicious - not too heavy and just the right consistency and great for dipping some rustic bread into. However the vindaloo was a bit of a let down as it was in no way hot. In fact it was very mild and could have been fed to a small child without them batting an eyelid. I think this was to do with the type of chillis so if you're making this make sure they're the hot fiery ones so you're not disappointed. Also the diced potato, despite simmering in a wok for an hour was still a little hard so while it was still pleasant to eat, it did not live up to it's name. Nevertheless, saviour came in the form of Sticky Ginger Marmalade Loaf. It looked and tasted beautiful and was served with a little double cream for added moreness.

Overall, two of the dishes I was very happy with and I intend to remake the vindaloo again next month as winter intrudes further into our lives and it will be a welcome meal on a dark and cold night. Here's the recipes for everything:

Hot Cheese Soup

[Serves 4]

Ingredients

55g butter
55g plain flour
425ml chicken stock
300ml milk
2 carrots, grated
175g cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
crusty bread to serve








Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until disolved. Stir in the chicken stock and milk and bring to the boil for 3-4 minutes until the soup is smooth and thickened. Add the grated carrot and simmer for 3 minutes and then add the grated cheese.
When the cheese has melted, saeson with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicken Vindaloo

[Serves 4]

Ingredients

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried mustard
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
150ml vegetable oil
8 garlic clove, crushed
3 red onions, sliced
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
2 red chillis, deseeded and chopped
450g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
800g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
Red Food colouring
salt and pepper
Rice, to serve

Method

Mix the cumin, cinnamon, mustard, corriander and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Add the vinegar and sugar and mix well.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for a further 3 minutes adding the chilli, potatoes, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée and a few drops of red food colouring.
Stir in the spice mixture, season generously with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Serve with rice.


Sticky Ginger Marmalade Loaf

[Serves 6]

Ingredients

175g butter
125g ginger marmalade
175g muscovado sugar
3 eggs, beaten
225g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped



Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease the loaf tin. Place 1 tablespoon of the ginger marmalade in a small saucepan and reserve until later.
Place the remainder of the marmalade in a bowl with the butter, sugar and eggs.
Sift in the flour and add the baking powder, ground ginger and beat until smooth. Stir in 3/4 of the nuts. Spoon the mixture in the loaf tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top and place in the oven for 1 hour or until ready.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes and turn out until warm. Set the reserved marmalade to a low heat until warm and brush over the loaf. Serve in slices. Add double cream for extra decadence if you wish.