You can still have a merry Christmas all by yourself
As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, most people are opting for celebrating Christmas at home. If you’re one of those people, we’ve got some simple recipes for some dishes you can try out.
Baked Chicken with veggies (1 Serving)
NB: You can choose spices of your choice, mix together with the chicken and leave it in the fridge to marinate overnight before following the recipe below.
What you need
1 chicken thigh
5 – 8 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How to cook
Preheat the oven for about 30 minutes
Arrange the carrots and onion in a single layer on a greased baking sheet
Peel the garlic and place on the tray.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables; season with the rosemary, and salt and pepper.
Top with the chicken thigh. Rub the thigh with 1 teaspoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
Cook in the oven until the chicken skin is golden and the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Pan Pizza
This refers to a pizza cooked in a pan. Usually, pizzas are cooked in an oven but with this recipe, you can use the same pan you use for chapos for a pizza instead.
What you need for a Spicy Margherita pizza
Ingredients
For the base
1 cup of self-rising flour
1 tablespoon of salt
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
¾ cup of water
Sauce
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2tsp oil
1 grated clove of garlic
1 70gram pack of tomato paste
1tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp chilli flakes
1tablespoon parmesan, grated
1 finely grated green capsicum
Topping
Grated mozzarella
A handful of washed dhania
How to cook
Sauce
Cook the sauce as you would a normal stew. In a small sufuria pour in the oil and add the finely chopped onions. Let the onions cook for a minute or two then add salt and grated garlic. Let the garlic brown before adding the tomato paste, pepper and chilli flakes. Allow the sauce to cook and thicken for a minute or two before adding the grated capsicum and parmesan. Let it cook for a minute as you stir before removing from heat.
Base
Consider this the same as making chapati dough. In a bowl, mix the flour and salt then add the oil and water until properly mixed. Knead the dough until smooth then using a rolling pin, flatten the dough until slightly thin (it will rise while cooking) and can fit into a pan.
Lightly heat the vegetable oil on a pan before placing the dough on the pan. Cook the dough for about 8 minutes on minimum heat. Then flip over the base and let it brown for a minute before flipping it back over.
Add the sauce generously to the top and add the mozzarella pieces on top. Put a lid on the pan for a minute to let the cheese on the top melt.
When done, sprinkle the dhania on top and enjoy.
Oven-Baked Potatoes
Instead of frying your potatoes, you can bake them in the oven. You can substitute the potatoes for sweet potatoes if you’re looking for a healthier option.
What you’ll need for Garlic potatoes
Ingredients
Choose the number of potatoes you need and cut them into cubes
2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic, or 8 cloves garlic, pounded
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dhania
How to roast potatoes
Preheat the oven for about 15 minutes. Line an oven appropriate pan with a baking sheet or cooking oil.
Arrange potatoes on the sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic. Toss so potatoes are evenly seasoned.
Put in the oven for 45-55 minutes while flipping occasionally, until crisp and golden.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and season with a little extra salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over with dhania and you’re ready to eat.
If all else fails, order in. Merry Christmas
