Beef Keema Curry and Green Beans with Curry Leaves & Lime

I know most curry recipes with these particular spices have predominantly been from India, and I know mine are not authentic. But I think that anyone can cook a curry and if they like it - that's what matters! SO, this is my version of the sort of curries we like to eat in our house in London. Not too many spices, but certainly had a kick. You can put in as many chillies or as much chilli powder as you like, really. To your taste! Not too difficult a recipe and very, very tasty.

The green beans recipe is a favourite and we tend to have them every time I make a curry. Am sure I'll get bored of them - but not yet!

Ingredients:    (Serves 2-3)  

Curry spice mix:

1 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. garum masala
1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. fenugreek leaves
3 cardamom pods (seeds inside only)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix the above spices and set to one side

30g butter
2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
spice mix (above)
380ml beef stock (cube is fine)
1 small glass white wine
1 tbsp. oil
500g beef mince
1 large tomato, roughly chopped

Method:

Chop one of the onions roughly and put into a mini food processor and whizz to a puree.  Tip into a large pan with 10g of the butter and pop on a lid on a very low heat for 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking finely chop the garlic and ginger (or whizz in the mini processor). Add to the onions with another 10g butter. Pop the lid back on and leave on a low heat for another 10 mins. Then add the spice mix with the last 10g butter. Stir well for a couple of minutes on a high heat and then add the stock and wine. Stir and leave to simmer for 30 minutes with the lid off on a medium/low heat. 

Chop the other onion into large pieces. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil and add the onion, stirring as it cooks for 10 minutes, until soft. Then add the beef mince and cook until any juices evaporated and is beginning to fry again and the beef is browning. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Add the curry sauce to the beef and stir well. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Taste to check for and salt needed. Serve with rice.

The Green Beans:

1 tbsp. oil
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 dried chillies, broken into bits
150g green beans, halved & cooked (either boil or steam)
10 curry leaves
1 tsp. ground coriander
juice of 1/2 lime

Heat the oil in a pan and add the asafoetida and mustard seeds. Cook on high until the seeds begin to pop. Add the chillies, green beans and curry leaves. Stir fry for a moment and then stir in the ground coriander. Just before serving, squeeze over the juice of half a lime and top with a little fresh coriander. Delicious!

Baileys Creme Caramel

A big fan of any creamy desserts, this is up there in my top five. And although it looks a bit daunting to make, it really is pretty much foolproof. You just need to have a high sided roasting dish and 6 ramekins (or similar). You can make this without the Baileys - I just think it adds a lovely flavour.

Ingredients:    (Serves 6)

140g caster sugar
3 tbsp. cold water
500ml milk
100g caster sugar
3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
3 tbsp. Irish cream liqueur (I like Baileys)
a couple drops vanilla essence
boiled kettle of water


Method:

Put the ramekins into a high sided roasting tray and have ready. Set the oven to 160 C.

Put the water and sugar into a heavy based pan and put on a gentle heat to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil. Don't leave the pan alone and also don't stir the syrup. It will start to go a little golden at the edges. Holding the handle of the pan, swirl the syrup so the heat gets to it all. When the bubbling syrup is all a medium golden caramel colour, take it off the heat and immediately pour a small amount into each ramekin. You should have enough to well coat the bottom of each.

Put the milk on the heat and turn it off just as its beginning to boil. Put the eggs into a bowl with the sugar and whisk. Gradually add the hot milk until mixed well. Strain the custard into a large jug and then add the liqueur and vanilla. Pour into the ramekins.

Pour boiling water in the roasting tray so it comes up about half way up the ramekins and put the tray into the oven. Cook for 15-20mins, then remove from the oven. Leave to cool and then pop in the fridge for about 3-4 hours. You can have these in the fridge for about 3 days.

To serve, take the crème caramels out of the fridge for about 5 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the top edge of the ramekin, put a small plate over the top and turn over. If the custard doesn't come out gently holding upside down (and close to the plate) carefully use a knife to encourage it. It should pop out beautifully and the sauce will pool around the set custard. Serve and enjoy!!

Warm Sumac Crusted Lamb Salad with Roasted Tomatoes & Pine Nuts

This lamb salad is a recipe I have been playing with for many years to get the exact flavour I wanted. Finally, I am happy with it. I have bad memories of many years ago making this with lamb neck fillet for guests (bad idea, too chewy) and spinach (only works if a hot dish). But this combo it lovely as a warm salad and is very simple flavours. 

Lamb fillet is not cheap, I know - but I figure, I'd rather have lamb only twice a year and have a decent piece. The dish is very easy to put together too, as it wants to be served warm, so there is no rush on timings. Which is great for when you have guests as you can prep it before they arrive. It looks and tastes rather impressive!

Ingredients:            (serves 2)

2 small (or 1 large) lamb fillets, trimmed.
1 tbsp. sumac powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
10 baby potatoes, quartered 
100g green beans, halved
sprig thyme, leaves only (or 1/4 tsp dried)
200g baby plum or cherry tomatoes
3 handfuls mixed baby leaf salad
30g pine nuts
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C to pre heat. Boil or steam the potatoes and green beans (you can do them together) for about 13-15 mins or until tender. Strain and put into a large bowl. 

Put the tomatoes on a baking tray and use 1 tbsp. olive oil to gently coat. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt & pepper set to one side. Rub the sumac on the lamb fillets and season with salt & pepper.

Heat the other tbsp. oil in an ovenproof frying pan (*see note at the bottom) and fry on all sides to brown. Add the garlic and butter and baste the lamb in the buttery garlic for a couple of minutes. Put the lamb in the oven for approx. 20 minutes (depending on the size of the fillet). Put the tray of tomatoes in the oven at the same time.

Remove the lamb and tomatoes from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Then you can assemble the salad. 

Put the roasted tomatoes into the bowl of potatoes and green beans, reserving any roasting juices. Add the lettuce and pine nuts and toss well.

Pour some of the roasting lamb juices into a jug and add a tbsp. of the tomato juices. Slice the lamb. Add the balsamic vinegar to the jug of juice and whisk. Taste to test (it may need a little oil if the lamb was very lean).

Put a generous portion of the salad onto a place, top with the lamb slices and drizzle over the balsamic dressing. Enjoy!

  
*Note: If you only have frying pans with plastic handles, just put the fried lamb into a warmed oven proof dish. 

*Note: If you can't get sumac, the dish is still delicious without.

Chocolate, Pecan Oat Cookies

I have never been a fan of biscuits and never buy them. But occasionally I am in the mood for making them. Yesterday was that day. I looked in the store cupboard to see what I had. Pecans, porridge oats, milk chocolate chips. 

I don't like milk chocolate myself (they were bought by accident) but The Bloke does and he adores cookies so I came up with this recipe. You can use dark chocolate chips with this recipe too. They turned out crispy on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle. He loves them and says they are moreish - as he ate one after another.. after another..

Ingredients:

100g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
125g butter, soft
200g soft light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
175g porridge oats 
75g pecans, chopped  
75g chocolate chips

Method:

Heat the oven to 180 C (160C fan oven). Line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper and have them ready.

In a large bowl mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the butter with the sugar, egg and vanilla essence - ideally with an electric beater. Add the flour mix to the butter mix and stir well, adding the milk too. Add the oats, nuts and chocolate and also mix well. It will be quite stiff to stir, but mix until all incorporated. 

Take heaped tablespoons of the mixture and place onto the baking trays, with a little space to spread. You should get about 20 biscuits, approx. 10 per baking tray.

Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Try not to touch them as they will be very soft and hot. Leave to cool for ten minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack. When cool enough to eat - enjoy!

Lemon & Almond Tart

Sometimes simplicity is the key to a good dessert. This is a recipe I adapted from a simple lemon tart I used to make all the time. I wanted the same lemon flavour, but wanted to change the texture and have the gentle flavour of almond - so I added ground almonds to the mix.

It was perfect. And its really quite easy too. I made dessert pastry (recipe at the bottom of the page), but you can use shop bought if you are short of time.

Ingredients:

180g caster sugar
5 eggs
3 large lemons, zest and juice
180ml double cream
175g ground almonds
Sweet shortcrust Pastry x 1 pack (or homemade)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 160 C. Line the pastry into a loose bottomed tart case, leaving the edges hanging over. Cover with greaseproof paper and bake blind (dried beans or rice). Cook on a baking tray gently for about 20 minutes until the pastry cooked but not browned and remove the baking paper and beans. Leave to cool for a moment and then trim the overhanging pastry neatly. Put to one side.

In a large pouring jug, whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the zest and juice of three lemons and the ground almonds. Stir well until smooth.

To prevent spillage, open the oven door and put the pastry case onto a shelf. Pour the lemon cream mix into the case until fairly full. It does puff up a little, but levels out. Paint a little milk or egg wash on the visible pastry rim. Pop in the oven (160 C) for 40 minutes until set.

Leave to cool and chill in the fridge for as long as you can wait. Enjoy!

Sweet Pastry:

225g plain flour
110g cold butter
80g sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk

Rub the butter into the flour until like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and then the egg, adding just enough milk to make a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for half an hour before rolling out.

Chicken Ragu with Pappardelle

A ragu is normally thought of as a red sauce with beef, but there are many different types of ragu - this one is chicken. 

This lovely Italian recipe is comfort food at its best. Cooked gently for about an hour, the chicken is meltingly soft in the creamy, delicious sauce that clings to the pasta. One of my firm favourites!

Ingredients:   (Serves 2)   

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 chicken breasts, skin removed
3 rashers streaky bacon
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 small carrot, very finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
good pinch chilli flakes
125ml white wine
200ml chicken stock (made with a cube is fine)
150ml crème fraiche
salt & pepper (to taste)
grated parmesan (to serve)
chopped fresh parsley (to serve)

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan and season the chicken with a little salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and the bacon. Cook on a medium high heat and when the bacon is crisp and the chicken browned (but not cooked through), remove from the pan and set to one side on a plate. Add the onion, carrot and herbs to the pan and turn the heat down a little to sauté until vegetables are tender. Now add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for another minute.

Turn up the heat a little and add the wine to the pan - boil to cook off the alcohol for a minute or two. Now put the chicken and bacon back in the pan with the stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to a low simmer and leave, uncovered, for about an hour, or until the stock has mostly reduced and the chicken is fall apart tender. Add a little more stock if beginning to look too dry.

Remove the chicken from the pan and shred with two forks. Put the chicken back into the sauce along with the crème fraiche. Stir and heat through gently, checking to see if you need more salt or pepper (the bacon is probably enough salt).

Cook the pasta until al dente and drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well. Garnish with the parsley and parmesan and enjoy!


  

Pea and Ham Soup

The origins of pea soup go back many years and cover the UK, Poland, USA, Netherlands, Sweden.. although back when it was first introduced it was mostly used with dried split peas. This version is more like the USA version and is bright green and more like a loose puree. And its full of flavour. 

Either way, here I have used frozen garden peas with some leftover baked ham. You can use any ham you like but this chunky type is better for flavour than thin pre-sliced ham.

Ingredients:    

1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
1.5 pints chicken stock, (a cube is fine)
3 tbsp. double cream
450g frozen peas
200g shredded ham
black pepper

Method:

Gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, until tender but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the parsley, hot chicken stock, 400g of the peas and 150g of the ham. Stir well, bring to the boil and turn down to simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a stick blender to blend the soup well. Put back on the heat, add the remaining peas and ham and the cream. Leave on a low heat for another five minutes and season with a little black pepper (you are unlikely to want salt, as the ham has enough).

Serve and top with a little more ham as a garnish.

Plum Frangipane Tart with Honey & Black Pepper

A delicious tart full of juicy plums with a dash of local honey and seasoned with black pepper. This may sound odd, but plums work well with black pepper - try it!

You can choose to either make the pastry or buy it ready made. I do both, but this time I made sweet pastry which was pretty quick (recipe for the pastry at the bottom of the page).

I haven't cut into this yet, but looking forward to a slice later today, with lightly whipped cream. Delicious!

Plum Frangipane Tart with Honey & Black Pepper.

Ingredients:

1 sheet ready rolled or homemade shortcrust pastry
6 plums, destoned and sliced  
125g caster sugar
100g softened butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp. runny honey
180g ground almonds
50g plain flour
a few grinds of black pepper

Method:

Line your tart case (9 inch) with the pastry, trim the edges and pop in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Set oven to 180C (or 170 fan oven). 

With an electric beater, or by hand, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time along with the vanilla and honey and continue to mix well. 

Next add the flour, ground almonds and a few grinds of black pepper. Fold into the mix until incorporated. Pile into the pastry case. Place the sliced plums in a circle (see picture) and press gently into the frangipane mixture. Paint milk on the pastry edges and pop in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the plums soft. 

Leave to cool a little and enjoy with cream, custard, ice cream.. your choice. Enjoy!

Sweet pastry: 

With your fingertips, rub 110g cold diced butter in to a bowl containing 225g plain flour. Stir in 80g caster sugar. Add one large egg and mix, first with a knife and then bring together with your hands. You shouldn't need any more liquid - but if you do, a dash of milk can be added. Wrap in cling film (saran wrap) and chill for 30 mins in the fridge. 



  

Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta with Ham

Buying the wild garlic leaves was one of those spur of the moment things, with no idea what I was going to do with it. So it sat in the fridge for a couple of days, taunting me every time I opened the fridge door. So yesterday, I decided it was the main part of dinner. 

Pesto has been around quite a long time, starting with the basil version, then the sundried tomato and various others. I haven't seen pesto made with wild garlic (it may well be in the shops and I have missed it) - but I figured, why not? 

Ingredients:

70g wild garlic
40g parmesan, finely grated
40g pine nuts
Approx. 60ml olive oil  
salt & pepper

Method:

Add the wild garlic, parmesan and nuts to a small food processor or hand blender and blitz, until a paste. Slowly add olive oil until it comes to a loose consistency and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

This makes about a small kilner jar worth. If you top with olive oil you can keep in the fridge for several weeks. 

Add to pasta and toss through. Its really delicious!

Roast Squash, Asparagus, Parmesan and Basil Salad

As the winter nights draw in I still want my steak with salad so I tend to have 'hot' salads. Sometimes with stir fried baby gem lettuce, sometimes just a couple of complimentary vegetables. Here I have roast butternut squash (skin on), with asparagus. Parmesan adds a salty note and basil adds a little floral note. Pine nuts also work well with this. 

Added to a medium rare fillet steak, with a spoonful of hot horseradish. Delicious! And only takes 40 mins to cook.

Ingredients:    (Serves 2)

Half a small butternut squash (small cubes)
half a white onion, chopped, large
2 cloves garlic, slicked thickly
1 tbsp. olive oil
125g asparagus, trimmed and halved
handful grated parmesan
a few basil leaves, torn


Method: 

Set the oven to 200 C. Put the squash and onion into a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil. Cover with foil and roast for 20 mins. Take out of the oven, add the garlic and asparagus and shake the pan. Leaving off the foil this time, put back in the oven for another 20 mins. 

Serve on a plate or platter and scatter over the parmesan and basil. Lovely with a good steak but also stands up on its own as a lunch.

   

Simple Apple Tarte Tatin

This has to be one of my favourite desserts, particularly as I like any desserts that are quick to make, impressive to serve and delicious to eat. It originated back in the 1880's from the French Tatin sisters who ran the Hotel Tatin.

You can use whatever apples you like really (I think I used small braeburn apples) and you don't need to worry about them discolouring as you peel and cut them - it does them no harm if they brown a little. You will need a frying pan with a metal handle, as it will be going into a hot oven.

I used ready rolled puff pastry - but you can make your if you prefer. Again, I love how quick this is to put together. Simple apple Tarte Tatin.

Ingredients:

5 small apples (braeburn, cox..)
320g ready rolled puff pastry
200g white caster sugar
50g butter

Method:

Peel the apples, core and cut into quarters. The best way to know exactly how much you need is to place in a single layer, round side down, in the pan you intend to use and then put into a bowl. Wipe the pan clean and add the sugar with 50ml of water. Put on a medium heat and keep an eye on it, The sugar will melt and you need to wait for it to turn a little darker, a golden fudgy colour. Add the butter and quickly stir in. The butter will cool the caramel, so work quickly.

Take off the heat and add the apples, round side down in a circular pattern. Put it back on the heat for a couple of minutes and then take off the heat and leave to cool completely. 

Heat the oven to 200C. Cut the pastry to just a little larger than the apples and place over the top, tucking in the edges. Put in the oven for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Leave to cool a little for 5 minutes, then put an upturned plate over the pastry. Using a tea cloth (it will be hot), swiftly invert the tart onto the plate. 

Serve warm with cream or ice cream. Delicious!

Asian Pork Belly with Szechuan Cabbage

We rarely eat pork belly in our house. I have never been a fan of fat and although you can render a great deal of it out of pork belly (when cooked properly), it still seems wrong. BUT, having said that - a little on a rare occasion makes it okay to me. Having properly prepared it, marinated and cooked for some hours..it was ready and the smell in the house was amazing.

I like rice and cabbage with this dish but I felt it needed a good sauce to go with - so here it is. Asian Pork Belly with Szechuan Cabbage and a delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:      (Serves 3-4)

For the pork:
800g-1kg piece pork belly
2 tbsp. brown rice miso paste
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. five spice powder

Score the pork skin and fat only, in about 1 cm slices. Pop in a (clean) sink and pour over a kettle full of boiling water. Remove, pat dry with kitchen paper and put in the fridge, uncovered and skin side up on a plate, to dry out while you make the marinade.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Take the pork belly and turn it over exposing the flesh. Using a sharp knife stab lots of small cuts into the flesh (making sure not to go right through). Pour the marinade over the flesh only and rub in well. You can put this back in the fridge to marinate if you have time. If not, it can be cooked straight away.

Pre heat oven to hottest setting (about 240C or so). Find a wire rack that fits into a roasting tin and place the pork belly on it, skin side up - roast for 20 mins to let the skin bubble up. Then oven the oven door and add some water to the roasting tray, about an inch. Turn the oven down to 160C and leave to roast for a further 2.5 hours, topping up the water if it dries out. When then time is up (see note at the bottom), remove from the oven and leave to rest for ten minutes or so, while you make the sauce.

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. Chinese rice vinegar
3 tbsp. soy sauce

Put all of the sauce ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer for 5 mins.

For the cabbage:
Half a head of savoy cabbage, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. Szechuan peppercorns
1 tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
pinch chilli flakes
1tbsp. soy sauce

Heat the oil in a wok (or similar) and add the peppercorns. Stir fry until fragrant ( a couple of minutes on a high heat) and then use a slotted spoon to remove them, keeping the hot flavoured oil in the pan.

Add the cabbage to the oil along with the garlic and chilli flakes. Stir fry for a few minutes, still on a high heat, until the cabbage is tender. Add the soy sauce for the last minute of cooking. 

To serve:

Slice the pork belly and arrange on a plate. Add some cabbage and rice and dress with the warm sauce. Garnish with coriander and spring onions. Enjoy!

Note: If the skin isn't crispy enough at the end of cooking time, you can put back in the oven on a high heat for 5 minutes.

Cauliflower and Bacon Salad

Still trying out more salads this week and decided on giving cauliflower a go. Although I do like raw cauliflower, with this recipe I like to cook it for just a few minutes to let the dressing really get into it.

You can use bacon, pancetta, speck, whatever you have in the fridge. I had some serrano ham so used that. The juices from cooking it, makes the dressing delicious either way.

I served this with some spicy chicken kebabs which were simply marinated in a mix of peri peri sauce and Franks sauce. Then put the meat on the skewers and painted on more marinade whilst the kebabs were grilling. Delicious!

Cauliflower & Bacon Salad

Ingredients:         

1 small head cauliflower
1 tbsp. olive oil
5-6 slices bacon (serrano, speck)
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
half tsp dried parsley

1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
salt & pepper


Method:

Cut the cauliflower into the smallest florets you can, it takes a bit of patience, but will taste better if smaller. Pop into a saucepan with boiling water and cook for approx. 5-6 minutes, until tender. Drain and let dry out on a clean tea towel.

Fry the bacon in a hot pan with a little oil until crispy. Remove the bacon and set to one side. Pour the flavoured oil into a small bowl and add the garlic, mustard, vinegar and 2 tbsp. olive oil. Season and whisk well.

Put the cauliflower into a bowl. Add the red pepper, parsley and crumble in the crispy bacon. Add the dressing and mix thoroughly. Serve and enjoy!

I had mine with spicy chicken kebabs. Delicious.

Spicy Chicken Kebabs

 

Chickpea Salad with Grana Padano

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a staple in my pantry and good for you as they are high in protein, fibre and vitamins. I generally tend to use them mostly for hummus or curries but I wanted to try something else with them.

This is a lovely creamy salad which goes with pretty much everything. In this case we had chicken wings and as its been hot recently I am getting really bored with eating leaf salads (most days). This is a lovely side dish and its filling too.

Ingredients:                 (Serves 4)

1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, seeds removed and thinly sliced
juice of 1 lemon
5-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 red pepper, roasted (fresh or jar) and chopped
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed
50g Grana Padano cheese, finely grated (or parmesan)
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper
a little parsley, chopped

Method:

Gently heat the rinsed chickpeas on a low heat, and then put 80% of them into a large bowl. Mash the remaining chickpeas with the back of a fork in the saucepan, and then add to the bowl. This helps makes the dressing creamy.

Then add the onion, garlic, chilli, lemon juice, tomatoes and peppers and mix well. Add the grated cheese and stir gently along with the oil and season to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Delicious!

Moroccan Chicken with Aubergines

This is a dish we had the other night, when I realised that we haven't had Moroccan food for AGES! Also I had some baby aubergines (eggplant) that I was meant to use in another dish, but hadn't.

So pulling out the dried apricots, flaked almonds and various spices, I set to work on this. Moroccan Chicken with Aubergines, couscous and yoghurt.

Ingredients:    (Serves 3-4)

3-4 chicken breasts
a little olive oil
1 large aubergine or a few small
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
about 10 dried apricots, soaked and halved
400g tin plum tomatoes, halved
handful flaked almonds


Method:

Set the oven to 200 C. Halve the aubergine(s), set on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and season. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Flatten the chicken breasts (I put one at a time into a freezer bag and hit firmly with a rolling pin until about 1 cm). Cut in half, widthways. Heat a little oil in a large pan and fry the chicken each side until just turning golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set to one side.

In the same pan, add the onion and garlic and fry in the oil and juices until golden. Add the spices and fry to release the aromas and then add the apricots and tomatoes and stir well. Scrape the cooked aubergines from the skin with a spoon and chop. Add to sauce and stir in along with the chicken, spooning the sauce over. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and leave to simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with fresh coriander and flaked almonds and serve with couscous and yoghurt.

For the couscous:

Put 1 cup couscous into a bowl and add one vegetable stock cube. Add just over 1 cup boiling waiter and stir. Cover with cling film and leave to steam for five minutes. Add anything you like - I added chopped tomatoes, chopped raw courgette, finely chopped red onion and some chopped coriander stalks. Serve this with the chicken, lots of sauce and a dollop of yoghurt, sprinkled with paprika. Enjoy!

Baked Hake with Serrano, White Beans & Baby Greens

Normally when I have hake, which is a meaty fish similar to cod, I tend to cook it with a Spanish stew, but the weather is so warm at the moment and I wanted something more summery.

I spotted a tin of cannellini beans in the store cupboard, so imaging France, wine and cassoulets.. I came up with this light and tasty supper. Hake fillet, sprinkled with a little paprika and baked. A cassoulet with beans, garlic, white wine, serrano and shredded baby greens. (Which with the serrano, paprika and Spanish wine, turned out to be possibly Spanish anyway!). Enjoy!

Ingredients:   (Serves 2)

2 x hake fillets, skinned and boned
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
70g serrano ham, slices halved
1 glass white wine
100ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
400g tin cannellini beans
100g baby leaf greens, shredded
juice of 1 lemon

Method

Drain the cannellini beans in a colander and rinse, set to one side. Cook the shredded greens in boiling water for 5 minutes and add to the beans in the colander.

Add the olive oil to a large pan and fry the onion, garlic and serrano for a few minutes until onion is cooked and serrano browning and beginning to get crispy. With the heat up, add the glass of wine and cook on a high heat until the wine evaporates. Add the stock, beans and greens and stir through well. With the back of a fork, mash the beans into the sauce to thicken. Turn heat to simmer.

Put the hake in a shallow dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and a little paprika (smoked paprika if liked). Bake in a 200 C oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through.

Season the cassoulet with a little salt and pepper and the juice of a small lemon, tasting to check the seasoning.

Serve the fish on top of the cassoulet and drizzle with a little oil. Have with crusty bread and a glass of white wine, if liked. We had Trisquel and it was perfect! 

Home made bread is lovely with this.

Delicious Spanish wine.

Quick Indian Chicken Supreme with Turmeric Potatoes

This is one of those fabulously flavoured dinners with little effort, but all the taste. I rarely use curry pastes as I love making them so much myself - but time was of the essence. So I quickly went and bought a jar of Pataks Jalfrezi paste. In the past I have found them a little salty for my taste - but mixed with plenty of yoghurt as a marinate - is perfect.

You can buy chicken supreme in some stores; its just chicken breast on the bone with the wing attached. What I have started doing is buying a whole chicken and cutting it into four, so you can have 2 chicken supremes and two chicken legs, which you can pop into the freezer for later. All you need is a good pair of kitchen scissors! See bottom of the page for how to joint the chicken.

Ingredients:            (Serves 2)

2 skinless chicken supremes

3 tbsp. Pataks Jalfrezi paste

1/2 cup good natural yoghurt (I used Greek full fat yoghurt)

2 large potatoes

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

few tbsp. olive oil

Method:

Slash the chicken breast part with a sharp knife and put into a zip lock bag. Add the yoghurt and paste and seal. Massage the flavours into the chicken well and pop in the fridge while you prepare the potatoes.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks (like mini roast potatoes). Put into boiling water and boil for about 3-4 minutes. Drain in a colander and put back into the saucepan. Cover and shake the pan to roughen up the edges, which will make them more crispy when cooked.

Set the oven to 200 C. Mix the turmeric, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a large bowl and add the potatoes and 2 tbsp. oil. Stir well to combine and pile onto a large baking tray, leaving a space in the middle for the chicken.

Take the chicken out of the zip lock bag, discarding the marinade. Add the chicken to the middle of the potatoes and drizzle with a little more oil. Cook for 40 minutes.

 

Serve with salad and enjoy!

Note: To cut a chicken into four as described above, use your scissors to cut through each side of the spine and discard. Turn the chicken breast side up and press gently to flatten a little, spreading out the legs. Use a sharp knife to cut through the breasts, then the scissors to cut through the breastbone. You should have two halves of chicken. Now simply cut the legs away from the breast, leaving the wings attached to the breasts. Trim any excess fat and you should now have 2 chicken supremes and 2 chicken legs.