Challenge 19: Onions - Smoked paprika chicken with red onions

[norfolkian]

I cooked this last night and it ended up not being what I'd planned. We just got back from holiday yesterday and I didn't fancy venturing too far from home, so I popped out to the small local Asda for some ingredients in the afternoon. I'd been planning to do something with spring onions, but the spring onions in Asda did not look very appetising, so I bought some red onions instead. And this was the result.

I've suggested using more spice than I actually put in, because mine ended up being a little on the bland side, but you can adjust according to your taste. You could also make this with thighs on the bone which may help to make it more flavourful - you'll just need to increase the cooking time a little.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
A small amount of olive oil (I usually use around 1 tsp)
4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 red onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper and 1 green pepper, cut into strips
2 heaped tsp smoked paprika
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C (fan-assisted). Heat the oil in a cast iron casserole dish or a saucepan which can be used in the oven. Add the chicken thighs and cook until brown all over. Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms and peppers and cook for a few minutes until it's all just starting to soften. Add the paprika, give it a good stir and cook gently for about a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then place the lid on the casserole and then put it in the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is all cooked through and everything is soft and melty and yummy. Garnish with the fresh coriander. Serve with rice.

Challenge 19: onions - the thing that reminds me of Zwiebelkuchen

[el_staplador]

Almost ten years ago, I was an au pair for my aunt and her family in a village near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. On one occasion we went to a fair and picked up a bottle or two of Federweisser - very, very young wine. And my aunt made Zwiebelkuchen to go with it. Because that's what you do.

'Every family,' says my aunt, 'has its own recipe.' Hers is a lovely tangly oniony mess on a bread base.

The following recipe is not really Zwiebelkuchen. In fact, the book I got it out of calls it Farmhouse Potato Pie, but to me it's much more about the onions. It's in no way authentic, but I find that it's very evocative. It's a hassle, so I don't make it often, but it's gorgeous, so I do make it sometimes. It's the right sort of hassle (for me, at least): you can do a bit at a time, and go and have a bath while the base is chilling, etc, and the washing up isn't too bad if you do it as you go along.

I usually have it in the autumn, with cider, but it's worked very nicely in May, with a Spanish red wine. So there you go.

( Recipe under the cut )