Naan

My favourite snack is hot buttered toast and that hasn't changed since the days I used to toast bread on the hot coals of my Nanna's wood-burning stove.
Flat breads might not be suitable for English-style toast but in the taste stakes they come a close second. 
One of my favourite flat breads is that Indian staple - Naan.
Today's recipe is for plain naan but if you prefer a spicier bread, try some of the variations at the end.

Ingredients:
500g plain white flour (for best results use bread-making flour)
1 teaspoon salt
7g sachet dried yeast or equivalent fresh yeast
300ml warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons plain greek yoghurt

Method:
Sift flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast. Form a well in the middle and add water, oil and yoghurt.
Mix to form a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding extra water if necessary to get the right consistency.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
Lightly oil the bowl. Place dough in the oiled bowl and leave (covered) for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to highest temperature (about 220C). Place a heavy baking sheet in the oven to heat.
Punch down dough and knead lightly.
Divide into five equal parts.
Remove one part from the bowl (keep the rest covered in the bowl) and roll and stretch it into an oval shape about 5mm thick.
Place on hot baking sheet and cook for 4-5 minutes until puffed up and golden on top.
Wrap cooked naan in a clean wet teatowel.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Serve warm.
Makes five pieces of naan.

Variations:
Garlic naan - brush the rolled-out naan with a little oil and sprinkle it with chopped garlic before baking.
Spiced naan - add 1 teaspoon of ground coriander or cumin to the flour before adding water. Continue as for plain naan recipe above.
Chilli naan - add about 1/4 teaspoon of fresh or dried chilli to the dough before kneading and continue as for plain naan recipe above. 

Chicken Risotto

Today's recipe is a lucky dip from the savoury part of my little black box. This chicken risotto recipe is one I collected from my mother-in-law, Mary, one of the best cooks in Gippsland. I tend to tweak it a bit - well quite a bit judging by the amount of blue below - depending on what I have in the pantry. My usual tweaks are in the brackets in blue. Preparation and cooking times vary depending on the vegetables chosen and the state of the cook but I can usually have it on the table within 45 minutes of dicing the meat.
Chicken Risotto
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut up [or 4 chicken thigh fillets - they are usually more tender and flavoursome]
1 onion [or 2 shallots - the French sort, not spring onions]
2 cups arborio rice [I usually substitute Clever rice as it's fairly fail-safe]
1/2 cup white wine [can be replaced with water and a teaspoon of vinegar for a bit of acid]
1/2 teaspoon chilli paste [or a sprinkle of chilli powder or one small mild fresh chilli]
2 teaspoons coriander paste [can use 1/2 teaspoon of dried coriander or a handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped]
Small can of corn [I prefer to use kernels sliced from one or two fresh corn cobs]
1 tablespoon olive oil
20g butter
2 cups chicken stock [or 2 cups of water with two chicken stock cubes will do]
Capsicum, zucchini, sliced - any other vegetables [I usually use a carrot, a capsicum, some sliced mushrooms, a small stick of celery, a couple of potatoes, maybe a tin of tomatoes (or a squirt of tomato paste), a handful of peas or beans - frozen peas will do]
Grated cheese [my favourite is grated parmesan, a staple in my freezer, but grated pizza cheese is a good alternative for a softer 'stringier' texture]

Method:
Brown chicken and onion [or shallots] in oil, add butter, stir in rice gradually. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chilli and coriander, stir through.
Add wine [or water if preferred], simmer till absorbed.
Begin adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time.
Add vegies, corn with juice [if used canned corn] last. Add extra water if necessary. [Carrots usually take about 15-20 minutes to cook, other veges a bit less. Test a piece of chicken and a piece of carrot with a fork to see if they are done the way you like them.]
Stir through grated cheese so it melts just before serving.

[Need a change from chicken? Try replacing the chicken fillets with a couple of fish fillets - rockling or gummy shark/flake work well - adding the fish a couple of minutes after the vegetables so the fish isn't overcooked.]

[If you don't have coriander or chilli available, a good slurp of a stirfry sauce, something with soy sauce, chilli, lemongrass, honey or lime - that sort of thing - or teriyaki sauce or something similar will produce a tasty result.]

[Experiment! That's the best part of "Kitchen Chemistry".]