King’s Coronation Menu
In honour of the King’s Coronation on 6th May, I thought we would look at recipes for street parties or picnics that we can eat while watching the proceedings. We start with the dish made famous at the Queen’s Coronation and of course was named accordingly. This dish is ideally served with cold meats and salads, as is the classic Woolton Pie which was a war time favourite when everyone was cooking with rationing. It’s interesting to see that these recipes are still very relevant today with healthy eating and some lucky people will have been alive to watch both Coronations!
Buen Apetito
Coronation Chicken
100g (4oz) mayonnaise (or ½ mayo & ½ crème fraiche)
75g (3oz) mango chutney
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp lime zest
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp salt
500g (1¼lb) skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets – cooked & diced
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chutney, curry powder, lime zest, lime juice and salt. Add chicken and toss with the dressing until well coated. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
(Use half mayonnaise, half crème fraiche for a lower fat version.)
Woolton Pie
1lb diced potatoes
1lb cauliflower florets
1lb diced carrots
1lb diced swede
3 spring onions
1tsp vegetable extract
1tsp oatmeal
Water
Cook everything together with just enough water to cover, stirring often to prevent it sticking to the pan. Let the mixture cool. Spoon into a pie dish and cover with a crust of potatoes, or wholemeal pastry. Bake in oven temperature 180ºC.
Aubergine Tortilla
700g aubergines
Small bunch parsley
2 onions
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
6 eggs
Wash and dice aubergines. Finely chop parsley and peel and dice onions. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and cook slowly for 5 minutes until transparent. Remove onions and add remaining oil and cook aubergine cubes for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs for two minutes, add onions to the aubergines and stir gently. Pour the egg evenly over the vegetables. Cook the tortilla on a very low heat for 5 minutes or until underneath is golden brown. Place a plate the size of the frying pan over the mixture and turn over, sliding the tortilla back into the frying pan to cook the other side. Slide onto a plate and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot or cold.
Stuffed Artichokes
6 medium artichokes
3 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
2 medium onions
350g streaky bacon
75g butter
700g ripe tomatoes
2 slices of stale bread made into breadcrumbs
Rind and juice of two oranges
90 tbsp
2 eggs
Melted butter
Strip away discoloured artichoke leaves and cut base so the artichoke stands upright. Using scissors, snip off the leave tips and then soak artichoke in cold water and 1 tbsp of lemon juice for 30 minutes. Drain and place in large saucepan of boiling salted water with the remaining lemon juice. Cover and boil gently for 30-45 minutes. Artichokes will float, so turn them during cooking.
Fry onions and bacon in the butter. Add tomatoes (skinned and chopped) and cook. Add breadcrumbs, orange rind and juice, parsley, eggs and seasoning, beating well.
Test artichokes by pulling on an outer leaf. If it comes out easily it is cooked. Drain and hold under cold water tap for a few minutes to set the green colour. Scrape out centre slightly and fill with stuffing. Bake in oven for 25 minutes on 190º or gas mark 5.
Carrot Fudge
4 Carrots
2 squares Gelatine
2 tsp Orange essence
Finely grate carrots and boil them in just enough water for 10 minutes. Add flavouring (orange squash with grated rind if you haven’t got any orange essence). Add melted gelatine to mixture and cook quickly for a few minutes, stirring all the time. Spoon into a flat dish and allow to set, cut into cubes.