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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Nagi — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 04:24:06 +0000

Pumpkin makes cakes soft and tender with a glowing orange colour in a way nothing else can! This Pumpkin Cake is perfectly spiced and comes with a tangy cream cheese frosting. The only thing that could make it better? Maple syrup. So I added it!

Pumpkin cake

This is a pumpkin cake recipe for people who want:

an easy, foolproof recipe (just wait until you see how simple it is!);
a cake with excellent pumpkinness* that’s not overwhelmed by the use of excessive store-bought spice mixes;
a crumb that’s springy, soft and moist, rather than tight/dense or airy/delicate (like angel cake);
a big cake to feed lots of people without the deft required to cut tall layer cakes into 16 tiny slivers; and
a cake with except frosting-to-cake ratio. Specifically, a cream cheese maple frosting. A dreamy combination with pumpkin!

So if all that sounds good to you, read on!

* I am not sure that’s a word but it seems fitting here.

Proof of excellent frosting-to-cake ratio. Nobody wants a cake short of frosting!

Ingredients in Pumpkin Cake

Here’s what you need to make this cake.

Pumpkin puree options

I use fresh because it tastes better and takes 8 seconds to puree. Plus, canned pumpkin isn’t readily available here in Australia. But canned works perfectly fine!

Canned pumpkin is a convenient option if you can get it and it works perfectly for this cake. But if you use pureed fresh pumpkin, you’ll be rewarded with a better tasting cake! It’s just a plain fact that freshly cooked pumpkin tastes better than something that’s been sitting in a can for months / years. Yes, we made and compared them side by side.

Use what works for you!

To make your own pumpkin puree, just boil chunks of pumpkin for 10 minutes or until very tender. Then blitz – it literally takes 8 seconds.

Pumpkin cake batter

Here are the other ingredient you need for the batter:

Flour – Plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour (also called self-rising flour) will work but it won’t rise as much. I haven’t tried this cake with gluten-free flour.
Oil – Any neutral flavoured oil like canola and vegetable oil. Using oil instead of butter keeps this cake moist. Why? Because butter firms up at room temperature whereas oil does not. So cakes made with oil are more moist. However, the trade-off is that butter tastes better than oil. In this cake, we’ve got other flavours at play here – the pumpkin and cinnamon. So I don’t miss the butter!
Baking powder – This is what makes the cake rise. As a side note, the original version of this cake used a combination of baking soda and baking powder. However, over the years, I’ve found that using only baking powder gives the cake a softer crumb. Plus, we cut out one ingredients.
Cinnamon – Flavour! Classic combination with pumpkin.
Sugar – Regular white sugar, or caster sugar / superfine sugar.
Large eggs at room temperature, which means eggs that are 55-60g/2oz each sold in cartons labelled “large eggs”. They need to be at room temperature, not fridge cold, so they blend into the ingredients better. More information on the right eggs for baking here!
Salt – Just a touch, to bring out the other flavours in this cake. Standard baking practice these days.

Cream cheese frosting

There is no better frosting for pumpkin cake! Here’s what you need:

Cream cheese – use BLOCK, not the spreadable cream cheese in tubs (too soft). If you can only get the spreadable cream cheese, add extra icing sugar to correct the consistency.
Softened unsalted butter – softened but not super soft / borderline melting.
Icing sugar aka powdered sugar – 🇦🇺 Australia, use soft icing sugar, NOT pure icing sugar (which is used for things like royal icing ie sets hard).
Vanilla extract – For flavour.
Maple syrup – UGH, forgot to put it in the photo! This is for drizzling on top. I wanted to put it in the frosting but it made the frosting too loose.

How to make Pumpkin Cake

WHY CAN’T ALL CAKES BE THIS EASY???!!

Whisk wet – Whisk the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin puree.
Add dry – Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt then whisk until combined. Batter. Done!

Bake in a 23 x 33 / 13 x 9″ lined pan (or thereabouts) at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. See the video for my easy way to line the pan!
Frosting – While the cake is cooling, make the frosting! Just beat the cream cheese and butter for a minute on high until creamy. Then add the icing sugar (powdered sugar) in 3 batches, starting the beater on low to avoid a snowstorm. Once it’s incorporated, crank the beater up to high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy!

Slather the frosting on the cooled cake, and use the back of a spoon to make swirly dents for maple syrup to pool in.
Drizzle with maple syrup, as much as you want / dare, then sprinkle liberally with roughly chopped pecans.

And now it’s time to dig in!

Making this cake might be the best decision you make in October. It’s totally straight forward. Your kitchen will smell amazing. It’s big enough to share with those you deem worthy.

And that moment when you take the first bite of that soft cake loaded with beautiful pumpkin flavour, mingling with that tangy cream cheese frosting mixed with rivers of maple syrup and the littering of soft pecans….

I challenge you to stop at one piece. (Even if you cut yourself a very, very big one). – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Fresh or canned pumpkin? I’m in the fresh camp!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe video above. Beautiful moist pumpkin cake with maple cream cheese frosting! A very easy, very forgiving recipe. Nothing gives cakes colour, texture and flavour like pumpkin!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Western

Keyword pumpkin cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Servings – 20

Calories 431cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree options

1 2/3 cups fresh pumpkin puree , I use this (Note 1)
15 oz / 425g canned pure pumpkin , 1 can (Note 1)

Other cake batter ingredients

4 large eggs 55-60g/2oz each), at room temperature
1 2/3 cups white sugar (or caster/superfine sugar, Note 2)
1 cup vegetable or canola oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp cooking / kosher salt (Note 3)

Frosting

6 oz / 180g cream cheese block, at room temperature (Note 4)
1 cup / 225g unsalted butter , softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (Note 5)

Finishing

1/3 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (don't be shy!)
1/2 cup pecans , roughly chopped

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Spray and line a large pan around 9 x 13" / 22 x 33cm with baking paper with overhang. (Note 6)
Batter – In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Bake – Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack to cool completely (~ 2 hours) before frosting.
Frosting – Spread frosting on then use the back of a spoon to make swirly dents. Drizzle over maple syrup, concentrating on the dents to create maple syrup pools! Sprinkle with pecans. Then serve.

Frosting

Cream butter – Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
Add the icing sugar in 3 batches, starting the beater on low after each addition to avoid a snowstorm. Once incorporated, turn the beater up to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Use frosting immediately.

Notes

1. Using pureed fresh pumpkin makes a cake with better pumpkin flavour. Use 800g – 1kg / 1.6 – 2 lb pumpkin. Peel, remove seeds, cut into large chunks. Put in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until very soft. Drain, leave in colander set over the hot pot on the turned off stove to steam dry and fully cool (around 30 minutes). Then blitz to puree (I use a stick blender) and measure out 1 2/3 cups (400g) and use per recipe.

Canned pumpkin is a popular canned vegetable product in America. You can sometimes find it in the international section of stores that carry American goods. It’s actually very good – it’s just pure pureed pumpkin.While I’d never use some canned vegetable products, I’ll happily use canned pumpkin.

2. Sugar – This can be cut down to 1 1/4 cups if you’d like it slightly less sweet.

3. Salt – I know this looks like a lot but it really brings out the pumpkin flavour in this cake. Be sure to use cooking / kosher salt (coarse salt in the UK). If you only have table salt then reduce to 1/2 teaspoon.

4. Cream cheese – If you can only find the spreadable tub sort which is softer, you’ll likely need to add more icing sugar.

5. Icing sugar – Australia, be sure to use soft icing sugar not pure icing sugar (which sets hard).

6. Cake shape – This cake is so moist and extremely versatile. Make it as a round cake, bundt cake, loaf pan, muffins (25 min).

7. Recipe source – A fantastic recipe received back in 2016 from a regular reader, the wonderful Dorothy from Tennessee!

8. Storage – This cake will stay fresh for 5 days in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving.

Nutrition assuming 16 servings, including frosting.

Nutrition

Originally published in November 2016. Recipe slightly improved (I now only use baking powder as I find it makes the cake rise more evenly), recipe writing improved (I’ve come a long way in 7 years!), sparkling new photos and a brand new video with me IN it!

More pumpkin recipes

Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chili and Feta

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Soup

Honey-Cinnamon Pumpkin Lentil Salad

Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad

Pumpkin recipes

Life of Dozer

Today – visiting a local community garden just a few minutes from home called Happy Hens. What an extraordinary oasis! 100% volunteer run in a beautiful location by the water, filled with an abundance of herbs and vegetables. Everyone is welcome – so locals, drop by to see it and say g’day! Might even see you there. ~ Nagi & Dozer xx

And from the original publication date in 2016:

a) Cruel
b) Cute
c) Funny
d) All of the above

The post Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

How I cook frozen peas – Garlic Buttered Peas

Nagi — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Make frozen peas fabulous with this recipe for garlic buttered peas! A quick side dish that goes with everything, the peas are sauté-steamed in garlic butter, rather than boiling separately. Easier, tastier, never mushy and so tasty you’ll become known for them.

I tend to shy away from sharing basic recipes like today’s Buttered Peas. Too easily distracted by more exciting-sounding dishes. Pierogis! Crispy chicken burgers! Chocolate cream pie!

Yet, the irony in all this, of course, is that I make these peas a gazillion times more often than I do Basque Cheesecake. A staple side dish, quick to make but totally restaurant-worthy. Though, posh restaurants might pod their own rather than buying frozen. I guess they don’t buy into the whole snap-frozen thing like I do?

Ingredients

I am a bit of a frozen vegetable snob. You’ll never find store-bought frozen broccoli or onion in my freezer. But you will always find peas. Because they are good!

Frozen peas – Cook from FROZEN, not thawed! Well, it’s fine if they are thawed but there is no need to.
Baby vs regular – The recipe works for either. Baby peas (called petite peas in some countries) are slightly sweeter with a slightly softer skin. I am partial to these but won’t hesitate to use regular peas.
Fresh – You could also put me to shame by making this recipe with freshly podded peas.
Butter – For lovely buttery flavour. Substitute with other oil of choice – extra virgin olive oil is my next pick, coconut oil for a tropical / Indian vibe.
Garlic – It just makes everything that much more delicious. Fresh please! Give the jarred stuff a miss – it’s sour and wet so you can’t sauté it properly and the flavour barely resembles the real deal.
Salt and pepper – Seasoning. Peas need it!

How I cook frozen peas

To cook from frozen, just add the tiniest splash of water which helps steam-sauté them faster. The water evaporates by the time the peas are cooked.

Sauté garlic – Melt the butter then sauté the garlic until very light golden in medium heat, around 30 seconds.
Tip the frozen peas in with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of water which creates a steamy environment to cook the peas a little faster. The water evaporates in a few minutes, leaving behind just tasty butter!

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, or until the peas are heated through. Frozen peas are cooked before freezing so they don’t need to be cooked!
Serve – Done and ready to serve! Pour into a bowl or put straight onto dinner plates.
Delicious to eat as is – I challenge you to stop at one spoonful – but suggestions for dressing up are below!

Dress them up

For every day, buttered peas are terrific just as they are. The garlic and butter go a long way to make peas a whole lot more interesting!

But, if you’d like to step it up a notch or just feel like doing something different, here are some suggestions:

Mint them – Toss through finely chopped fresh mint. Mint and peas is a classic! Add however much you want, to your taste.
Lemon – Stir through lemon zest for beautiful lemon flavour, or juice for tang.
Shower of parmesan – As with many things, a mound of freshly grated parmesan will turn this into a show-stopping side!
Clarified / browned butter instead of ordinary butter – for even more intense buttery flavour.
Spice it – Add some curry powder, cumin, coriander, or other spice of choice into the butter, for a touch of extra flavour.
Crunch it – Finish with a big handful of store-bought crispy Asian Fried Shallots or pangrattato (from this recipe), for great texture!

But that’s enough from me. What about you? I know you’ve got a stack of other creative (easy!) ways to dress up a bowl of peas. Share, share! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

How I cook frozen peas – Garlic Buttered Peas

Recipe video above. Make frozen peas fabulous with my recipe for buttered peas! A quick side that goes with everything. Don't boil the peas – cook from frozen in garlic butter. Easier, tastier, bright green, never mushy and never watery!

Course Side

Cuisine Western

Keyword buttered peas, chickpea recipe, pea side dish recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 129cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter (or other oil/fat)
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
500g / 1 lb frozen peas (Note 1)
1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp water

Instructions

Sauté garlic – Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until light golden.
Cook – Add frozen peas, salt, pepper and water. Turn heat up to medium high and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the water is evaporated, the peas are hot and coated in the tasty garlic butter.
Serve – Tumble into a bowl and serve!

Notes

1. Peas – Baby peas (also called petite peas) are slightly sweeter and slightly more tender skin than regular peas. But by no means do I have a negative thoughts about regular peas!

2. Dress up peas – Finely chopped mint stirred through at the end, a shower of parmesan (oh yes!), lemon zest and/or juice, a pinch of cumin or coriander powder stirred into the butter (or other spices of choice). Fresh herbs of choice, chopped and stirred through at the end. So many options!

3. Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

More sides

Pea Puree (side / sauce!)

Pea, Cabbage, Parmesan and Mint Salad

Spring Salad!

Peas

Life of Dozer

Snippet from today’s recipe video!

The post How I cook frozen peas – Garlic Buttered Peas appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Chicken Francese

Nagi — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Lightly battered pan-fried chicken breast with an elegant white wine lemon sauce. It’s like Chicken Piccata, but a thicker sauce, more of it, no capers, with subtle lemon flavour. It’s got a terrific crust that soaks up the sauce! Lovely restaurant dish that’s simple to make at home.

Chicken Francese

Chicken breast, being a lean, neutral flavoured protein, is a terrific blank canvas to get creative with. Stuff it, sear it, crumb it, bake it, fry it, marinate it, poach it – see the many, many ways I cook it in my chicken breast recipe collection!

Today, we are battering and saucing. The battering is a little unique. Chicken Francese is dredged in egg then pan fried which gives the chicken a lovely golden crust with excellent sauce clinging capabilities.

Speaking of the sauce! It’s an elegant white wine sauce that’s savoury with a subtle brightness from lemon. It doesn’t taste winey because it’s reduced to cook out the alcohol. And it’s not meant to be really lemony, it just has a subtle flavour from the juices of lemon slices put into the sauce. I personally think most recipes use way too much lemon which makes it lip-puckeringly sour.

Also, not all recipes thicken the sauce, it’s thinner. I am firmly in the thickened sauce camp. Like so:

The sauce in my Chicken Francese is slightly thickened with flour which I prefer over watery sauce!

So, if all that sounds good to you, read on!

Ingredients in Chicken Francese

Here’s what you need to make Chicken Francese:

Chicken breast is the cut commonly used for Chicken Francese. We only need 2 because we cut them in half horizontally to form 4 thin steaks in total. Get big ones, so one piece makes a sufficient serving for a meal. You could also get chicken breast that’s already cut / pounded thin, usually sold labelled as “chicken schnitzel” here in Australia (it comes un-crumbed).
Boneless thighs will also work. Pound to even thickness to get a nice flat surface on both sides so the egg batter cooks evenly.
Eggs and milk whisked together make up the batter than the chicken is dipped in before frying.
Flour is used to thicken then sauce and for coating the chicken before dipping in the egg. It makes the egg cling better to the chicken and also makes the crust a little bit crispy.
Wine – Chardonnay is the best all-rounder cooking wine, in my opinion, for flavour. It is the only white wine I stock for cooking these days. No need to use an expensive one! Pretty well documented by cooking authorities that there’s no need to use expensive wine for cooking. Buy discounted bottles – I use ~$15 bottles discounted to ~$5.
Substitute with non-alcoholic white wine. Else, leave out the wine and add 2 – 3 tablespoons lemon juice to make a lovely lemon sauce instead.
Chicken stock/broth is the other liquid that makes up the sauce.
Butter for the sauce and olive oil for cooking the chicken. We discard the surplus olive oil (which gets black bits in it) before adding the butter.
Lemon – Cut into slices then pan fried before adding back into the sauce. A very specific Chicken Francese step! More on this in the How To Make section below.
Parsley for optional garnish.

How to make Chicken Francese

A nice, leisurely 15 minute cook. We first pan-fry the battered chicken cutlets then make the sauce in the same pan. The chicken is returned into the sauce at the end so the crust gets soaked in the sauce, as well as re-warming the chicken.

Cut each breast in half horizontally to form 4 thin steaks in total.
Flour coating – Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate (I use my fingertips). Coat the chicken in the flour first, shaking off excess, then set aside on a plate while you heat the oil in the pan, ready to cook.
Egg dredge – Once the oil is hot, dip the chicken in the egg, coating both sides, then hold it up for a couple of seconds to let the excess drip off.
Cook chicken – Put the chicken straight into the pan. Then continue to coat the remaining chicken pieces.

Cook the chicken for 3 minutes until golden. Flip, lower heat to medium, then cook for 4 minutes until the chicken is golden (target internal temperature 68°C/155°F). Then remove onto a plate. The chicken will rest while we’re making the sauce. It’s ok if it cools down, it will warm up when we put it back in the sauce.
Pan fry lemon slices – Next, cook the lemon slices for about 1 1/2 minutes until lightly browned or they become soft (usually the latter for me). In this step, the lemon slices are soaking up the tasty bits left in the pan from cooking the chicken (it’s called fond). This flavour is then released into the sauce when we pop the lemon slices in at the end.
This is a step that is unique to Chicken Francese! Great technique.

Clean the pan by giving it a quick wipe down with paper towels. You’ll see there are lots of black bits from cooking the chicken. No need to wash with detergent, just get rid of most of the black bits.
Roux – Next, we move onto the sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat then cook the flour for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour flavour. This pasty mixture in the pan is called a roux and this is what thickens the sauce.
Make the sauce – While stirring, slowly pour in half the stock. Keep stirring until the roux is mixed into the stock. Then you can pour the remaining stock in along with the wine, salt and pepper. Then mix to combine.
Lump free! The technique of stirring while you slowly pour in some stock should prevent lumps forming in your sauce. But if you end up with pesky lumps, swish a whisk across the surface of the liquid to remove them, taking care not to scratch the non-stick surface of the pan. Worst case – strain it.
Simmer to thicken – Simmer the sauce for around 4 minutes, stirring every now and then, until it thickens into a syrupy consistency.

Sauce thickness – This is what you’re aiming for. About the thickness of maple syrup. It will thicken more when the chicken is returned into the pan, from flour bits in the crust mixing into the sauce.
Finishing – Once the sauce is the right thickness, it’s time to bring it all together! With the pan still on the stove, pop the chicken pieces back in along with the lemon slices and let it simmer for about 30 seconds to warm through and bring the flavour together.
Then spoon sauce all over the chicken, then it’s dinnertime!

Chicken Francese with a side of pan-seared asparagus (recipe in notes) and bread for mopping.

How to serve Chicken Francese

This recipe makes a generous amount of sauce because it’s hard to make less in large pans. You’ll end up with over a cup in the pan in addition to the sauce clinging to the chicken. That’s a good amount to serve this over mashed potato (or faux mash), rice, or other similar starchy vehicles (risoni/orzo, couscous).

On the other hand, if you choose bread for mopping (as pictured), then you might not use all the sauce. But, having too much sauce is a much more desirable position to be in than not enough sauce (*her heart thuds in fear at the thought*) and this precious liquid gold is going to make your morning scrambled eggs or a plain omelette SO MUCH MORE EXCITING. Who wouldn’t want white wine lemon sauce on their breakfast eggs???! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

UPDATE in response to reader questions – YES I use the leftover egg to make an omelette! There is less than the equivalent of 1 egg left so it makes a thin omelette crepe. As long as you cook the omelette through thoroughly, and because it’s so thin, you can, it is fine to eat even after dipping raw chicken into it!

Chicken Francese

Recipe video above. Lightly battered pan-fried chicken breast with an elegant white wine lemon sauce. It's like Chicken Piccata, but a thicker sauce, more of it, no capers, with subtle lemon flavour. It's got a terrific crust that soaks up the sauce! Lovely restaurant dish that's simple to make at home.

Doesn't taste winey because the alcohol is cooked out, leaving behind magical flavour only wine can bring to sauces.

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword chicken breast recipe, chicken francese, chicken french, chicken in white wine sauce

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 368cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chicken & coating:

2 large chicken breasts , skinless boneless (250-300g / 8-10oz each)
1/4 cup flour , plain / all-purpose
1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 large eggs
1 tbsp milk (any fat %)

Cooking & sauce:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon , thinly sliced 0.3cm / 1/8″
50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour , plain / all-purpose
2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
1/3 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine (Note 1)
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (no pepper!)
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , for garnish (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Cut each breast in half horizontally to form 4 thin steaks in total.
Whisk eggs and milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
Flour coating – Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate (I use my fingertips). Coat the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess, then set aside on a plate.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
Cook chicken – Dip the chicken in the egg, allow excess to drip off, then put into the pan. Cook for 3 minutes until golden. Flip, lower heat to medium, then cook for 4 minutes until the chicken is golden (internal temp 68°C/155°F). Remove onto a plate.
Lemon – Add the lemon slices to the pan. Cook for a minute or until the lemons go soft / brown, then turn and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Remove onto a plate. (Note 2)
Wipe the pan clean using paper towels.
White wine sauce – Still on medium heat, melt the butter in the pan. Add flour and stir for 1 minute using a wooden spoon. While stirring, slowly pour in half the stock. Once the flour is dissolved into the liquid, stir in remaining stock, then the wine and salt. (See Note 3 for lumps tip)
Thicken sauce – Turn the heat up slightly then simmer for 3 – 4 minutes or until the sauce thickens into a syrupy consistency.
Sauce it! Return the chicken and lemon slices to the pan, then spoon the sauce all over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley then serve the chicken with the sauce (use it ALL!).

Notes

UPDATE – Yes, I use the leftover egg to make a thin crepe-omelette! Cook it through thoroughly so it’s safe to eat even after dipping raw chicken into it. I actually had this in the video but cut it out because I thought the video was too long!!

1. Wine – Chardonnay is the best cooking wine, in my opinion. Pretty well documented these days that there’s no need to use expensive drinking wine, buy discounted bottles for cooking (I use ~$15 bottles discounted to ~$5).

Substitute with non-alcoholic white wine. Else, leave out the wine and add 2 – 3 tbsp lemon juice to make a lovely lemon sauce instead.

2. Pan frying the lemon slices makes them soak up the tasty flavour left in the pan by the chicken (it’s called fond!) which is then released into the sauce at the end when we put the lemon slices in. So don’t skip this step!

3. Lumps in sauce – The method of stirring while you slowly pour in some stock should avoid lumps. But if you end up with pesky lumps in your sauce, swish a whisk across the surface of the liquid to remove them, taking care not to scratch the non-stick surface of the pan. Worst case – strain it.

4. Serving – Pictured with pan seared asparagus (drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pan sear in hot pan until lightly charred. Do this while the sauce is simmering). For sauce mopping, I used bread but mash (or faux mash), rice and similar are excellent sauce-soaking options.

5. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge though the crust does loosen.

6. Nutrition per serving assuming all the sauce is consumed.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

It was worth trying.

The post Chicken Francese appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta

Nagi — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 05:09:15 +0000

This is a fish pasta in a richly flavoured fish ragu pasta sauce. It’s a great recipe to stretch fish further and cook it in a unique way that’s outrageously delicious with big, bold Italian Calabrian spices!

Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta

I feel like the name of today’s recipe requires explanation.

I’m calling this a ragu because it’s stewy and braisy and has beautiful depth of flavour even though it hasn’t been slow cooked for hours like my Shredded Beef Ragu. Because, NEWSFLASH, it doesn’t have to be slow cooked for hours to be called a ragu!

As for the Calabrian part of the name? It’s because the seasoning is inspired by the flavours of Calabria: chillies and particularly nduja, the intensely-flavoured salami paste from the region that’s rising in popularity in the foodie world. Stuffed in focaccias, dolloped on pizzas, mixed into pasta sauces, this fiery spread has big, bold flavours and a little bit goes a long way.

So, as you might have guessed, this is a fish pasta that is big on flavour. I love that it tastes exotic and restaurant-y but it’s economical and easy!

Fish tossed in a bold Calabrian spice mix

Ingredients in this Fish Ragu Pasta

Here’s what you need to make this.

1. The fish

Key to this pasta is the spice mix for the fish. As mentioned earlier, the flavours in this fish pasta are based on the seasoning on nduja which is a type of salami. So, think – fennel and paprika with a hit of spiciness. Bold is the word that comes to mind!

Best fish for this pasta

Any firm white fish fillets (skinless and boneless) can be used in this recipe. Here are some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki, monkfish (pricey here, so I reserve for other uses like this recipe). If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.

I recommend avoiding:

Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.
Oily fish – Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

The Calabrian spices

Whole fennel and black peppercorns – These are toasted then ground, for maximum flavour impact. I would not ask you to make the effort to toast and grind if I really didn’t believe it was worth it. It is! However, I have substitutions in the recipe notes for ground fennel and pepper, if that’s all you have.
More spices – Nutmeg, paprika, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes). Feel free to dial back the chilli if you’re concerned about spicineess.

2. In the pasta and the sauce

Pasta – Any long strand thinnish pasta is ideal here. I use fettuccine.
Tomato passata – This is pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. It costs around the same as canned tomato.
Passata is excellent for making thick, smooth sauces and soups without a long simmer time like required to break down crushed tomato. A regular in my recipes! More on tomato passata here.
Tomato paste – A boost of tomatoey flavour and to help thicken the sauce.
Garlic – Because, garlic. Rarely do savoury recipes happen around here without garlic!
Parsley and parmesan – garnishes. I know parmesan isn’t strictly traditional in Italian fish and seafood pastas. But, it works. We’re not after loads of parmesan cheesiness. It just adds saltiness.

3. pangrattato

Pangrattato is an Italian chunky breadcrumb topping that adds an addictive crunch and flavor to pasta dishes and salads. I particularly like it with this fish ragu as it adds great texture and is a terrific contrast to the soft fish.

Bread – Use a denser bread like sourdough, ciabatta etc which have structure and go really crunchy when toasted. Lightweight sandwich bread is a little too delicate and kind of just dissolves into powder, bypassing the crunch completely. BUT – if sandwich bread is all you have, I’d still go ahead! Or, substitute with panko breadcrumbs.
Oil and salt – To make it crunchy and salty.

How to make fish ragu

As mentioned earlier, this is a ragu but it doesn’t have to be slow cooked for hours! In fact, if you can multi-task, you’ll get this on the table in just over 20 minutes.

1. pangrattato first

Get the pangrattato in the oven first. Toss the bread in olive oil and salt, then bake in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes until crisp all the way through.

2. CALABRIAN SPICED FISH NEXT

Next up, toast the spices and coat the fish in the tasty flavours.

Toast the fennel and black peppercorns for a couple of minutes until it smells fragrant and you can see the fennel is lightly browned. Use a large deep skillet or pot, something large enough to toss the pasta with the sauce later. No oil required at this stage.
Grind the spices using a mortar and pestle, or a grinder.
Coat the fish with the ground fennel and peppercorns, nutmeg, chilli flakes, sugar, salt, olive oil plus the tomato paste.
Once coated, set aside while you prep the other ingredients. No need to marinate.

3. MAKING THE PASTA

The pasta sauce takes around the same time to cook as the pasta so you can make both at the same time.

Boil pasta for the time per the packet directions minus 1 minute. It should be al dente – cooked through but still a slight firm but. It will soften more as it cooks through more when tossed with the pasta sauce.
Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. We will need this for the pasta tossing at the end.
Cook fish – Sauté the garlic until golden, then add the fish (scrape out every bit of the paste!) and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato passata and simmer for 5 minutes.
The fish ragu sauce – This is what it looks like before the tossing process starts. Notice how the fish pieces are still whole at this stage. Some of the pieces will flake and break when we toss with the pasta, some will stay mostly whole. I find that texture the most appealing for me.
What we don’t want is for all the fish to disintegrate. It’s so much nicer to have fish chunks so you know you’re eating fish rather than unidentifiable mush!

Add reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for a further 2 minutes. The pasta cooking water has starch in it which makes the sauce thicken so it clings to the pasta strand. You will see in the next step!
Toss with pasta – Then add the pasta and most of the parlsey. Toss, still on the stove, for 1 minute or until the pasta strands are stained red and all the fish ragu is clinging to the pasta strands rather than pooled in the pan.
If the pasta gets too thick (excessively enthusiastic tossing, heat too high are typical causes), just add a splash of extra pasta cooking water to thin it out and give it another good toss!

Now, it’s ready for serving. Twirl into bowls and cover liberally with a shower of the crunchy pangrattato and finish with parmesan!

Matters of serving fish ragu

As with any pasta, this fish ragu is best served and eaten piping hot and fresh, straight out of the pan while the pasta is sticky and slippery and saucy. As it sits around, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, drying it out so it’s thick and stodgy.

So, whenever you are making any pasta, be sure to have the hungry hoards at the table, ready to twirl and slurp the moment you bring the pasta bowls to the table, for maximum enjoyment!

Really hope you love this as much as I do. The fish ragu is divine as it is. But with that crunchy pangrattato? It’s sheer perfection. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Calabrian Fish Ragu

Recipe video above. This is a fish pasta in a richly spiced fish ragu pasta sauce. The spice mix is based on njuda, the bold flavoured spreadable Calabrian salami paste that's rising in popularity in the restaurant scene! It's a great way to make fish stretch further, cooked in a unique way that's outrageously delicious with big, bold Southern Italian flavours.

No stale bread? Use panko instead. See notes. 3 servings? I know it's a little odd, but the spice mix didn't scale down neatly to make pasta for 2! (3/8 tsp nutmeg?!). Leftovers are always delicious.

Course Mains

Cuisine Italian-esque

Keyword fish pasta, fish ragu

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 714cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Calabrian spiced fish:

250g/ 8 oz firm white fish fillets , skinless, boneless, cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ cubes (barramundi, snapper, cod – Note 1)
3/4 tsp black peppercorns (Note 2 for ground option)
1 tsp fennel seeds (Note 2 for ground option)
1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), feel free to reduce/omit
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp caster / superfine sugar
3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste

Pasta:

250g/8 oz linguine pasta (or fettuccine, spaghetti)
1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for pasta water
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
3/4 cup tomato passata (US: tomato puree, Note 3)

Garnish:

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese , finely grated, for serving

Pangrattato

1 cup stale bread like sourdough, ciabatta , crusts removed, torn/chopped into irregular 1cm/0.4" pieces (Note 4)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch cooking / kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Toast & grind – Preheat a large deep skillet or pot over medium heat (Note 5), no oil. Toast black peppercorn and fennel for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it smells fragrant and the fennel is lightly browned. Transfer to a mortar and use a pestle and grind to a powder while still hot.
Coat fish – Transfer to a medium bowl with remaining Calabrian spiced fish ingredients. Stir well with a spatula until combined. Set aside.
Cook pasta – Boil 3 litres of water with the cooking salt. Cook pasta per packet directions minus 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water. Then drain in a colander and leave until ready to use.
Calabrian fish ragu – While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in the same skillet you used to toast the fennel on medium high. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add tomato passata. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for 2 minutes.
Toss pasta – Add pasta and 3/4 of the parsley. Toss for 1 minute to coat the pasta with the sauce. Most of the fish will break up into flakes but some will remain in larger chunks – this is good! We don't want disintegrated mush, nor giant chunks. Once the pasta turns red and the sauce and fish bits are clinging to the pasta straws, remove from heat and divide between bowls immediately.
Serve – Sprinkle with pasta, pangrattato and parmesan. Eat immediately!

Pangrattato:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
Toss bread, oil and salt in a small bowl. Spread on a tray and bake for 10 minutes, tossing at the 5 minute mark, or until light golden and fully crisp.

Notes

1. Firm white fish fillets – Works best with fairly firm white fish fillets that are not too thick. Some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki. If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.

I recommend avoiding:

Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.
Oily fish – Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

2. Grinding whole spices will give the best flavour in this recipe, it really makes a difference here. I only emphasise this when it matters, I will use pre-ground whenever I can! But you can use pre-ground if that’s all you’ve got. 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp fennel powder. No toasting, just mix in with other spices.

3. Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Excellent for making thick, smooth sauces. More on tomato passata here.

4. Back up – use 1/2 cup panko instead, toast for shorter time. If the bread isn’t stale that’s fine too, it’ll take a little longer to go crunchy and is a little harder to cut into small pieces.

5. Cooking vessel needs to be large enough to toss the sauce with the pasta.

6. Recipe reference – inspired by this recipe torn out from the Delicious magazine during a flight. Though, my resulting recipe is very different. Much saucier (good thing), faster (also a good thing) with bolder flavours (that’s just how I roll!).

7. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Warm in microwave with a splash of water and toss well. Store pangrattato in the pantry.

Nutrition per serving assuming 3 servings.

Nutrition

More things to make with fish!

Chilli Lime Fish

Fish Tacos

Sizzling Ginger Steamed Fish

Goan Fish Curry (Indian)

Fish Seasoning (great all-rounder)

Thai Fish Cakes

Homemade Filet-O-Fish (BAKED!!)

Fish Cakes

Fish Fingers recipe

Fish recipes

Life of Dozer

My house needed a major air-out over the weekend after a particularly intense week of spice-heavy cooking, so I left all the doors open all day to create a nice breezeway.

Dozer was put on front door guard duty. I felt totally safe.

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