A sauce for pretty much anything!

This is a recipe from my Dad. He makes it every time we stay with him (that's a good thing!) and when I made it last week Eliza's instant reaction was "Isn't this Grandpa Shays food Mummy?".  

When my Dad was working, part of his training included attended various cookery courses and quite a few with Tanta Marie. In some way this recipe is connected with attending a course there, although he cannot remember exactly how! He's not sure if he made it there or created it later but in some way he connects the two.

It's a sauce that can go with so many things, chicken, fish, veg, tofu etc. Eliza, Jude and Rufus all love it, especially with chicken or fish. Give it a try. It is so simple to make and uses ingredients you are likely to have in the cupboard

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive or Rapeseed Oil
4 Chicken Breats, cut in to large chunks or strips
1 Onion, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
A few (about 6 or 7) Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp Fenugreek
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 Pint of Chicken or Veg Stock. If you are using a normal stock cube try using just half (I find it is too salty if you use the whole thing). If you are using low salt then use 1 whole stock cube.  
Pepper and Salt (depending on which stock cube you use)
2 tbsp Passata
3 tbsp Creme Fraiche

Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the Chicken. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. If you are using fish, veg or tofu you can just skip this and add it in after the spices (below). Then vary the cooking time at the end if you need to.

Add the onion to the pan and fry for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the spices, stir and fry for one minute. Add the mushrooms, if using (add a splash of oil if you need to).

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and add the passata and creme fraiche. Mix well and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer on a low heat until the chicken is cooked through. This should be about 10 minutes but check the chicken before you serve.   

If you want a bit more sauce or like it to taste the creme fraiche or passata more you can be flexible with how much you ad. Just taste it as you go along and add more if you like.