Chicken Caesar Pitas

Chicken Caesar Pitas 4 Servings
Recipe
INGREDIENTS

11 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 slices bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

butter flavored cooking spray

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

3/4 teaspoon dried parsley

5 ounces bacon

2/3 large head romaine lettuce leaves, torn into bite size pieces

2/3 (8 ounce) bottle bottled Caesar salad dressing

freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste
salt and black pepper to taste

2/3 (10 ounce) package (6-inch) pocket pita bread, halved


Do this.

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Place chicken in a saucepan with garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary; add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken, let cool, and cut into strips.

3.Meanwhile, place bread cubes on a baking sheet. Spray with butter spray; sprinkle with garlic salt and parsley.

4.Bake bread cubes in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Turn cubes; spray again with butter spray and sprinkle with garlic salt and parsley. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. Remove croutons, and let cool.

5.Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly browned and crispy. Remove bacon from skillet, drain on paper towels and crumble.

6.Combine chicken, bacon, lettuce, and croutons in a large bowl. Toss with Caesar salad dressing and Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again. Spoon salad mixture into pita bread halves.

Prawn cocktail

Prawn cocktail Serves 4
Recipe

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado

1 lemon

Approx 250g of cooked small peeled prawns

Lemon wedges, to garnish

For the Marie Rose Sauce:

Approx 200g fresh mayonnaise

2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup

Pinch cayenne pepper

Dash Tabasco, to taste

Dash Worcestershire sauce, to taste

Splash of brandy, to taste

½ iceberg lettuce

do this

1. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and carefully score each half using a small knife to create a criss-cross pattern. Squeeze each half generously with lemon juice to prevent it from dis-colouring.

2. To make the Marie Rose sauce mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, cayenne pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice together in a large bowl. Season to taste with Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and a splash of brandy. Stir to combine.

3. Place a spoonful of Marie Rose sauce into the bottom of 4 serving glasses. Shred the lettuce and divide equally among the glasses. Scrape out the flesh from the avocado using a spoon and scatter over the lettuce. Spoon another layer of sauce on top.

4. Arrange the prawns on top and finish with a final spoonful of sauce (reserving any remaining

sauce for future use). Sprinkle with a touch of cayenne pepper and garnish with a lemon wedge in each glass to serve.

Gordon Ramsay recipe

Stir fried beef with peppers and egg noodles

Stir fried beef with peppers and egg noodles Serves 4
Recipe

Ingredients

500g lean beef steak, such as fillet

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 large red pepper

3 spring onions

1 red chilli

150g bean sprouts

300g medium egg noodles

Handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Soy sauce

Groundnut oil

Toasted sesame oil

Salt and pepper

For the sauce

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

do this

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil for the noodles.

2. Trim and cut the beef fillet into thin strips, place into a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, a little sesame oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Crush in the garlic, add the grated ginger and mix well. Leave to marinade for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.

3. Heat a wok or a large frying pan until hot then add a little groundnut oil, and a touch of sesame oil, swirling the wok to coat the surface evenly. Add the beef strips and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until nicely browned. Strain into a colander and catch the juices in a bowl underneath.

4. Slice the pepper, spring onions and red chilli and toss together in a large bowl. Add a little more groundnut oil and sesame oil to the pan and stir-fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Add the beansprouts and half the chopped coriander for the last 30 seconds. Remove the vegetables and transfer to the colander with the beef.

5. For the sauce, pour 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, the oyster sauce, rice vinegar and the reserved beef juices to the pan and allow to reduce to a syrupy glaze.

6. Blanch the noodles in the boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, until tender but still retaining a slight bite, then drain and immediately toss with a little sesame oil and the remaining coriander. Divide equally among serving bowls.

7. Return the beef and vegetables to the pan with the sauce to warm though. Spoon the beef, vegetables and sauce over the noodles and serve at once.

Gordon Ramsay recipe

Gordon's hot bananas

Gordon's hot bananas Serves 4

Recipe

Ingredients

3 medium bananas

75g caster sugar

15g unsalted butter

½ red chilli, deseeded, finely sliced

50ml dark rum

60ml coconut milk

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

do this

1. Sprinkle the sugar over the base of a wide, heavy, non-stick frying pan and place over a high heat until it melts and begins to caramelise around the edge of the pan. Chop the chilli and add to the sugar.

2. Peel and roughly slice the bananas on the diagonal.

3. Add the bananas and coat in the caramel, then add the butter. Allow the bananas to caramelise for 2-3 minutes before pouring in the rum and flambéing. Let the flames burn out, then pour in the coconut milk and swirl to combine. Cook out for a further 1-2 minutes before removing from the heat.

4. Spoon the hot bananas into the bottom of the serving glasses/bowls and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to serve.

Gordon Ramsay recipe

Chickpeas and spinach

Chickpeas and spinach Serves 4

Recipe

Ingredients

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

1 celery stick, finely diced

A few sprigs of thyme

2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

300g streaky bacon or pancetta, diced

200g vacuum packed or jarred whole chestnuts, roughly chopped

1 tsp pimenton (hot smoked paprika)

100g young spinach leaves, washed and drained

350g dried chickpeas, cooked in boiling water until tender (reserve 150ml of the cooking liquid)

or 2 x 410g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley, to garnish

Do this

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 3 - 4 minutes until it begins to soften. Stir in the carrot, celery, a few sprigs of thyme and the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the garlic, bacon or pancetta, chestnuts and pimenton. Gently fry until the vegetables become golden and the bacon is crisp. Stir in the chickpeas and 150ml of their cooking water, or plain tap water.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until the chickpeas are hot. Scatter the spinach over and stir through the chickpeas and bacon. Remove from the heat, season to taste and serve immediately, garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley.

Tommi Miers recipe