Mulligatawny Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large brown onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup mild Indian curry paste
• 500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chicken stock powder
• 1/3 cup basmati rice

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add curry paste. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Add zucchini and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are just tender and chicken browned.
2. Add stock and 6 cups cold water. Bring to the boil. Add rice. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken cooked through. Serve.

Pro Points - 11pts per serve

Empadas de Galinha (chicken pastries)

Makes 24




Ingredients
1 (about 250g) chicken breast fillet
500ml chicken stock
10g butter
80g rindless bacon, coarsely chopped
½ brown onion
¼ cup white wine
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
5 sheets (25cm x 25cm) frozen puff pastry, just thawed
1 egg, whisked lightly


Method
1. Place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Set aside to cool. Reserve two tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Discard the remaining poaching liquid. Finely shred the chicken.
2. Heat the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan until foaming. Cook the bacon and onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. Add the chicken and nutmeg. Season with pepper. Stir in the parsley. Transfer to a bowl. Add reserved poaching liquid. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 220°C. Use a 7cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 24 discs from the pastry. Line twenty-four 40ml capacity patty pans with pastry discs. Divide the chicken mixture among pastry cases. Use a 5.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 24 discs from the remaining pastry. Top each pastry with a pastry disc. Use a fork to press edges to seal. Brush tops with the egg.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden.


Pro Points - 2 points per pastry.

Chicken, mushroom and asparagus crepes

Serves 4




Ingredients
Olive oil spray
2 chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into quarters
400g pkt frozen crepes, thawed following packet directions
100g coarsely grated cheddar


Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°. Lightly spray a 20cm x 30cm baking dish with oil. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
2. Spray the pan with oil. Cook the mushroom, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the asparagus and cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender crisp. Stir in the chicken until well combined.
3. Divide the chicken mixture among the crepes. Top with half the cheddar. Roll up the crepes to enclose the filling. Place the crepes, overlapping slightly, in the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cheddar and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.


Pro Points - 12 per serve.