You Can Cook Too

Ingredients
100 g sultanas 2 large eggs
75 mls burbon or dark rum (I used brandy) 175 g plain flour
4 very ripe bananas (300 g without skin) 60 g chopped walnuts
2 teasps. baking powder 1 teasp. vanilla extract
½ teasp. bicarb of soda 150g sugar
½ teasp. salt 125 g unsalted butter, melted

Instructions
Put sultanas and alcohol into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and leave
for about 1 hour or until sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees/gas mark 3.
Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a bowl and mix. In a separate bowl mix
melted butter, and sugar and beat until blended, beat in the eggs one at a time, then the
mashed bananas, followed by the drained sultanas, walnuts and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, stirring well after each bit.
Into a 23 by 13 by 7 cm loaf buttered and floured (or with a paper insert) pour in the mixture.
Bake for 1-1 ½ hours in the middle of the oven or until a skewer comes out clean.

Ingredients
600ml/1 pint chicken stock (or veg stock)

10-12 strands saffron

1 very large onion

25g/1oz butter

1 tabsp. olive oil

1 teasp. ground cinnamon

4 chicken breasts (on the bone if wished)

100g/4 ozs. chopped dried apricots

25g/1 oz sultanas

50g/2ozs while unskinned almonds

Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Boil the stock and add the saffron. Leave on the side.

Peel and chop the onion. Add to the oil/butter mix until soft then stir in the cinnamon Transfer to a plate

Add the chicken to the pan and fry until brown.

Add the onion/cinnamon mixture followed by the apricots, sultanas and almonds. Sprinkle with pepper and add in the stock. Bring to the boil. 

Simmer or cook in the oven for about 40 minutes. Add more pepper and some salt as liked.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil 

8 chicken thighs 

250ml chicken stock or perhaps a little more

1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained and rinsed

2 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto

100g baby spinach or garden peas

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Sprinkle the skin of the chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan, skin side down. Cook 8-10 minutes or until skin is crispy, remove any excess fat. Turn the chicken thighs and add the stock, chickpeas, pesto and stir together. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the chicken has cooked.
2. Once the sauce has slightly reduced season to taste and stir through the spinach and serve. On its own, or with bread or even boiled potatoes.