Homemade flatbread, chicken with cardamom and coriander-coconut chutney: fabulous fast food

A really tasty and simple supper

Stir frying the chicken and spring onions

Before I launch in to how brilliant this next cook book is (and it really is great), I feel I need to have a quick tally-up of how many books I have cooked from so far, and the grand total is 17! So obvious calculations show I've only got another 183 to get through! But hey, that's great because there are so many wonderful recipes I want to get my teeth into.

So back to business, like I said this next book and the following recipe are brilliant fast food suppers when you've had a long day at work or as they say, if your friends drop round unexpectedly for supper. (Has anyone ever done that? I would feel rude imposing myself uninvited!). Anyway, I have conjured up many a meal from this book 10 Minutes to Table (2009) by Xanthe Clay http://www.amazon.co.uk/10-Minutes-Table-Real-Cheating/dp/1845336461/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354012022&sr=8-1

Reading through the book you are struck by how so many of her recipes start with 'put the kettle on'. Obviously this is essential if you are going cook something up in 10 minutes! If I'm being honest most of the recipes take me about 20 minutes and that's because I don't fly round the kitchen like a possessed banshee!

The aim of this book is unsurprisingly to entice people away from that mid-week take-away or those ready-meals that are weighing down our supermarket shelves. All the recipes are for two so it's great not having to calculate quantities from a four or six portion recipe and you can always cook something nice for your beloved when they are late home from work and the kids have had theirs at 5 o'clock! The book is divided into chapters entitled meat, birds, fish, veg, fast ingredients and basic rules for fast food. The last two chapters are full of useful advice which really does aid you in getting out that meal in super-quick time.

So, what are my favourite recipes? I really like this recipe which I'm going to run through (page 66). My husband adores the Spring lamb with braised little gems, peas and broad beans and Jersey Royals on page 46. Parmesan chicken, courgettes with tarragon, quinoa and fresh tomato sauce is good (Page 56) as is the Chicken, pak chou and almond stir fry (page 59) and the Crisp fish with minted mushy peas (page 100). There are more that I've tried and really you just can't go wrong with these recipes for quickness and for utter tastiness.


Homemade flatbread, chicken with cardomom and coriander-coconut chutney (Copyright Xanthe Clay 2009)

Serves 2
Bunch of spring onions
1 tbsp olive oil
2 skinless chicken breasts
half tsp ground cardomom or the seeds from 6 pods
2 tbsp of any flour
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
For the flatbread:
About 150g self-raising flour

Chopped spring onions, can't beat that lovely fresh aroma

1 tbsp olive oil
For the chutney:
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
Bunch of fresh coriander
1 clove of garlic, peeled
 A few drops of sweet chilli sauce or a green chilli
1 lime 2 tbsp olive oil

Rolling out the flatbread dough

Coriander, another beautiful aroma!

Cooking the flatbread

Oh the fragrance of fresh lime!

1. Put the kettle on to boil. Place the coconut in a mug and pour over just enough boiling water to cover it. Slice the spring onions. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and stir them in. Cook gently. Cut the chicken into 1cm thick slices and stir into the pan with the cardamom. Leave to cook while you make the flatbread.
2. Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan to very hot. Mix the flour with a large pinch of salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and enough water to make a stiff dough (about 4 tbsp). Divide the dough in two and roll out into rough circles. Cook on the griddle or pan for about 2 minutes on each side, until slightly charred.
3. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour in to the chicken pan, stir well, and leave until cooked through.
4. Put the coriander leaves in a mini food processor with the garlic, a few drops of chilli sauce (or a piece of green chilli) and the juice of half a lime. Then blitz. Drain the coconut(stir the liquid into the chicken pan) and add to the blender along with the olive oil. Blitz again to mix it.
5. Stir the yogurt into the chicken, adding more water, if necessary, to make a creamy sauce.
6. Taste and add salt and pepper. Serve up and enjoy.

Blitzing to make the chutney

A satisfying meal and satisfying to know that you've made the whole lot too.

All in all, this went down a treat: simple, tasty and not unhealthy. I particularly liked the sweetness of the chutney courtesy of the sweet chillli sauce I added and the flatbreads are a staple that can be created at a moment's notice.