The Bella Vita’s Recipes

Butter Chicken

4 PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

·       8 large ripe tomato

·       1 thumb ginger

·       Couple of cardamom pods

·       Couple of cloves

·       1 tsp fenugreek

·       1/2tsp cinnamon

·       1 Tbls garam marsala

·       150gr butter

·       100ml cream

CHICKEN

·       4 chicken breast

·       2 cups plain yoghurt

·       1 garlic clove

·       1cm fresh ginger

·       1tsp paprika

·       1 tsp turmeric

·       1 Tbls garam marsala

METHOD

· For the chicken, toast the spices and mix all the ingredients together. Marinate the chicken in the yoghurt mixture for a minimum of 6 hours (overnight is ideal)

· For the sauce, simmer the ginger, cloves ,cardamom and fenugreek for 2 min at a medium temperature

· Add the tomato and simmer for 30minutes  until the tomato’s have broken down

· Using the stick blender, blend the sauce.

· Add the garam marsala and cinnamon and season. Taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

· Stir in the butter and cream. Keep warm

CHICKEN

· Remove the chicken from the marinade, bake in the oven for 10-15 min at 180’C.

· Once baked, add to sauce and top of with the fresh coriander.

Chicken Korma

4 PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

·       4 chicken breast

·       2 white onions, peels and cut into quarters

·       3 large garlic cloves

·       4 tsp curry powder

·       1 tsp fround turmeric

·       1 tsp garam marsala

·       1 tsp salt

·       1 tsp black pepper

·       ½ teaspoon ground coriander

·       ½ tsp ground cinnamon

·       1/2 tsp cumin

·       1/4tsp ground cardamom

·       1/8 freshly ground nutmeg

·       3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

·       3 large tomato, diced

·       1 tsp freshly grated ginger root

·       ½ cup ground raw almonds

·       1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

·       1 ½ cup plain yoghurt

·       ½ small red chilli, de seede and minced

·       1 Tbls brown sugar

METHOD

· Place the onions, garlic, and 1 cup of water in the bowl of a blender. Puree until smooth.

· Measure out the spices (curry powder through nutmeg) into a small bowl.

· In a large saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the pureed onion mixture and cook for a 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to darken in colour.

· Add the tomatoes, ginger, ground almonds, coconut milk, yogurt, red chili, pre-measured spices, and brown sugar. Stir well.

· Turn the heat down to low and simmer 30 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan; simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with steamed basmati rice and/or naan.

Saffron Beurre Blanc Sauce

2-3 PORTIONS

This sauce is amazing drizzled over a freshly grilled piece of fish

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

·       50g onions finely chopped

·       2 Tbls of white wine vinegar

·       4 Tbls dry white wine

·       6 Tbls fish stock

(Can be substituted with other stock if preferred)

·       2 Tbls cream

·       175g butter

·       1 good pinch of saffron

METHOD

· Simmer onions with vinegar, wine and stock until reduced to 4 Tbls

· Add the saffron and stir

· Then add the cream and bring to the boil

· Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, serve immediately

Madeleines

12-18

INGREDIENTS

·       1/2 cup unsalted butter

·       2 large eggs

·       ½ cup granulated sugar

·       2 tsp lemon zest                                    

·       1 tsp pure vanilla extract

·       1 cup sifted all purpose flour

·       ½ tsp baking powder

·       1/8 tsp salt

·       Confectioners sugar for dusting

METHOD

· Melt butter and allow to cool

· Whisk eggs and sugar for 8 minutes at a medium to high speed until thick and pale in colour

· Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and incorporate

· Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in  bowl and gently fold this mixture into the egg mixture

· Stir a ¼ of the butter into the mixture, mix in well, this will take about 1 minute. Your batter will now be silky and shiny.

· Cover and chill for 30-60 min

· Use the remaining butter to brush onto the madeleine pan

· After resting the batter should be airy and spongey

· Spoon 1 generous Tablespoon of batter into the centre of each scalloped well. No need to spread it to the edges. Just plop it in the centre

· Bake for 10-12 minutes. The madeleines are done when the tops spring back after lightly pressed with your finger. Invert the pan onto the counter. Transfer the warm madeleines to a wire rack to lightly cool. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired before serving and enjoy them fresh out the oven with whipped cream.

Grilled foie Grass with Figs

4 PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

·       900ml veal or chicken stock

·       ¼ cup aged balsamic

·       2 Tbls red current jelly

·       12 small figs quartered

·       Salt and pepper to taste

·       4 slices foie gras

·       4 slices white bread, toasted

METHOD

· Add the first 4 ingredients into a saucepan and reduce on medium heat, until only about a cup of liquid remains. The sauce will thicken slightly as it reduces. Be careful not to reduce too far, as the sauce will burn. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

· Salt and pepper the foie gras slices generously on both sides. Heat a dry skillet over high heat until very, hot (this is key!). Seared the slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side. The foie gras will brown and should be heated through, but removed before the slices begin to shrink significantly and lose too much of their fat.

· Place the toasted bread on the plate, top with the seared foie gras, and spoon over the sauce. Serve immediately.

Med Roasted Vegetable Medley

4 PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

·      45ml extra virgin olive oil

·       Salt and pepper to taste

·       2 large courgette

·       1 green pepper

·       1 red pepper

·       1 yellow pepper

·       1 red onion

·       2 baby potato

·       1 small bunch of fresh basil

·       1 hand full of cherry tomato

·       50g unsalted butter

·       50g grated parmesan cheese

METHOD

· Cut all the vegetable into uniform small pieces (1cm rough squares)

· Toss with olive oil and season

· Roast at 180’C for 25min until just cooked

· Immediately toss the roasted vegetables with butter, parmesan and fresh basil. Check the seasoning

· Serve immediately

Asian Raw Vegetable Salad

4 PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

·       10g jalapeños

·       5g salt

·       15g chopped garlic

·       100ml rice vinegar

·       120ml rape seed oil

·       Dash of sesame oil

·       2 baby carrots peeled

·       2 baby green courgettes

·       1 head fennel

·       4 red radishes

·       2 baby beetroot

·       4 green/ white asparagus

·       5 g fresh coriander

·       Salt and pepper

METHOD

· Blend chillies, garlic, salt and vinegar until chillies are chopped, slowly add rape seed and sesame oil and bland until incorporated

· Strain through a fine sieve and season if necessary. Set aside until ready to use.

· Rinse all vegetables in cold water, keeping the beetroot separate

· Finely slice all vegetables on the thinnest setting of a Japanese mandolin. Place the sliced vegetables in an ice bath for an hour to crispy up. (keep the beetroot in  separate ice bath)

· Strain all the ingredients from the ice bath and place in a bowl, gently toss with the dressing and serve immediately

Harira

Harira is a classic zesty Moroccan soup that is light and mildly seasoned with Moroccan flavours. It eats just as well on a warm summers day as it would on a cold winters evening.

INGREDIENTS

·       3 tbls vegetable oil

·       ½ lbs beef mince (lamb mince is a great option to consider as well) or pieces

·       6 large tomato (cooked until jammy and passed through a tomato pass)

·       Salt and pepper to season

·       1/2 tsp turmeric

·       1 bunch fresh parsley (finely chopped)

·       1 bunch of fresh cilantro (finely chopped)

·       1 stalk of fresh celery (finely chopped, leaves included)

·       1 tsp ground cinnamon

·       1 tbls ground ginger

·       1 large onion (grated)

·       1 handful dried chickpeas (soaked overnight)

·       1 tbls butter

·       11 cups of water

·       3 tbls dried lentil (soaked overnight)

·       1 tbls tomato paste (mixed with some water)

·       2 tbls rice

·       2 tbls vermicelli

TO THICKEN SOUP

·       1 cup flour

·       2 cups water

·       Chopped parsley to garnish

Coming Soon

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

·       Passion

·       And lots of love

METHOD

A whole load of creativity.