Cod, tomato and basil chunky soup

I had been looking for something to make using cod and tomato and stumbled across a cod and tomato chowder recipe on the delightful Yummy Mummy Blog. However, I'm not sure what exactly constitutes a chowder, so I am calling this variation a chunky soup.

Some food tastes like it is good for you and this recipe is a perfect example. It is also simple and something young children should love.

Serves 4 as a starter or part of a lunch.

Ingredients

2 cod fillets (skinless and boneless)
2 medium potatoes (such as roasters)
2 carrots
1 sweet onion
2 tomatoes
150g chopped green beans
1 tbsp dried basil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of finely chopped root ginger
knob of butter
400ml chicken stock
400ml tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp salt
black pepper
chopped spring onions and parsley to serve

Method

1. Start by preparing the vegetables. Finely chop the onion and garlic and grate or finely chop the root ginger. Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots into small cube sized pieces.
2. Heat a knob of butter in a wide saucepan and then when hot gently cook the onion, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes. 
3. Add the carrot and potato and cook, while stirring, for another five minutes.
4. Add the 2 tomatoes, which you should quarter, the basil and salt and stir for a few more minutes.
5. Now add the chicken stock and tin of chopped tomatoes, stir and then leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Place the chopped beans in the pan and place the seasoned cod fillets on top of the mixture. Place a lid over the saucepan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. 
7. The cod will now be cooked so you can break it up easily.
8. Garnish with the parsley and chopped spring onion and serve.

Serve with crusty warm bread for a wholesome winter lunch.

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Chicken and Almond creamy curry - A korma style curry children can enjoy

I am not sure what actually defines a dish as being a curry, but this one resembles that of what is considered a korma. However, this dish is not spicy, oily and is certainly suitable for children. My two-year-old loves it!

This serves three and takes less than 90 minutes from start to finish to reproduced.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts (or 300g of boneless chicken)
2 large onions
5 cloves of garlic
25g of root ginger
2cm stick of cinnamon
5 green cardamon pods
15 coriander seeds (roughly)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp tumeric
100g of low fat yoghurt
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of caster sugar
25g desiccated coconut (dry fried and soaked in water)
50g ground almonds
25g flaked almonds
knob of butter
75ml of double cream (replace with single if you wish)

There are a lot of ingredients listed above - do not fear if you are missing one or two, the basis of this dish will carry it through regardless.

Method:

Firstly in a dry saucepan heat the stick of cinnamon until it starts to let off a smell. Now add the cardamon pods and coriander seeds and heat until they begin to darken in colour.
Remove the spices from the heat and using a spice grinder reduced to a fine powder. Use a sieve to check the powder is fine.
Blitz the garlic and ginger with a slash of water to form a paste
Mix together the spices, garlic/ginger paste, yoghurt and salt and marinate the chopped chicken (use bite-sized pieces).
Return to the fridge for as long as it takes to prepare the rest of the meal.
Chop the onions and using a hand blender reduce to a puree.
Heat the butter in a saucepan and then cook the pureed onion for five minutes.
Now add the marinated chicken, nutmeg and tumeric and simmer in the pan with the lid on for 20 minutes.
Add the almond powder, flaked almonds and desiccated coconut to the mix and cook for five more minutes.
Now add the double cream and cook for a further two minutes.

Serve with rice and/or peshwari naan bread

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