4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
Juice of 4 tangerines, zest of one
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and brown it in a large frying pan, over medium/high heat until it is browned on both sides and cooked right through - about 12 minutes. Remove the chicken to a warm plate, cover with foil and keep warm.
To the chicken juices in the pan, add the tangerine juice and zest, the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon stick, hot sauce and chicken stock and simmer til syrupy - about 5-6 minutes.
Fish the ginger and cinnamon stick out of the sauce at the end of cooking.
Meanwhile, prepare the couscous:-
Couscous
1 tablespoon oil
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup grated carrots
4 spring onions, sliced finely on the diagonal
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1-1/2 cups instant couscous
In a saucepan, heat the oil and saute (gently fry) the carrot for a couple of minutes, stirring well. Add the spring onions, curry powder, turmeric and stock. Bring to the boil, add the couscous, stir well and cover tightly. Turn the heat off and stand for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork.
To serve: Slice the chicken pieces diagonally. Put a bed of couscous on each warm plate, and fan out the sliced chicken on top. Drizzle with the tangerine sauce.
Now's the time of year to stock your store cupboard with homemade marmalade - at a fraction of the price of the bought stuff, and tastier, too.
LIME AND LEMON MARMALADE
500 gm limes
500 gm lemons
2 kg sugar
2-1/2 litres water
Wash the fruit and simmer in the water in a large saucepan or preserving pan for 2-1/2 hours until the peel is soft enough to pierce with a fork. Rest until the fruit is cool enough to handle, then remove it from the liquid. Measure the cooking liquid. You need 1-1/2 litres, so if you have too little, add more water, if too much, boil it until it is reduced. Put a small plate in the freezer to chill.
Halve the fruit, and remove the pips. Reserve the juice that oozes out during the process. Tie the pips in a piece of clean cloth with string and put back in the liquid - they'll help the marmalade to set. Slice the fruit as thick as you like it and put it back in the cooking liquid.
Add the sugar to the fruit, and stir until it is dissolved. Boil hard for about 20 minutes. Test the set by dropping a little of the marmalade on the cold plate. Leave it to cool for a minute, then push it gently with your finger. If the marmalade wrinkles, it will set. If not, cook it a little longer and check again. Remove the bag of pips. Leave off the heat to cool for 10-15 minutes so that the strands of peel are distributed well in the jelly. Pour into sterilised jars and cover. Wipe the jars when cool, label and store.
This marmalade would be good made with any tangy citrus fruit.
And here's another old favourite. Be careful not to cook it too long, or you'll dry out the sauce that gives it much of its charm. It can be made with lemons, oranges, limes or tangerines, or a mixture. The juice needs to be a little tart for best flavour.
LEMON SELF SAUCING SPONGEY PUDDING
(4-6 servings)
30 gm butter
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 eggs separated
2 tablespoons self-raising flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
125 mls lemon juice
200 mls milk
Put a few centimetres of water in a roasting dish in the oven. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then beat in a tablespoon of the sugar. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together until soft and creamy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Stir in the sifted flour, lemon juice, rind, and milk and mix well. Fold the egg white/sugar mixture into the batter. Pour into a lightly greased 6 cup capacity ovenproof dish. Place the dish in the water-filled dish in the oven for 45 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
