Lamb Kofta Masala Curry

Here is a lovely curry recipe that is full of flavour from the spices and juicy koftas. I normally only add boiled eggs to my Ethiopian curries, but I have since discovered that in Pakistan, this is often done too. I love them in curries, but you can leave them out if you wish. Do try though as they are delicious in the sauce.

This is a basic masala curry which is very easy to make and tastes gorgeous - one the whole family will enjoy. And you can add as much, or as little chilli powder as you like!

For the koftas:             (Serves 4)

500g lamb mince
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garum masala
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt

For the curry:

1 large onion, chopped finely
1 inch piece ginger
1 tbsp. oil
3 cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garum masala
1 tsp. chilli powder
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp. plain yoghurt
salt & pepper, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
2 eggs (optional)

Method:

For the koftas, in a bowl mix the lamb mince with the spices. Make into a kofta shape, I like to make a ball and then roll in my hands to make a lengthened ball. Set onto a plate and pop in the fridge to set.

If using eggs, hard boil in water for 15 minutes, cool and peel. Set to one side.

Heat the oil and fry the onion and ginger in a large pan. Put the tomatoes and garlic into a small blender and blitz well. When the onions are cooked add the spices and tomato garlic mix. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Add the water and leave to cook for about 10 minutes until sauce is reduced a little and thickened.

Add the yoghurt, season with salt & pepper and stir through. Now gently add the koftas to the masala sauce and spoon over the sauce. Put a lid on the pan, turn the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lamb is firm and cooked.

Halve the eggs (if using) and add, spooning over the sauce. Serve with fresh chopped coriander and rice. Lovely!

Jerk Chicken Nachos

There are always two huge jars of my favourite marinade in my fridge, that I regularly top up. One is a chipotle marinade, the other is a jerk paste (recipe here). Both of them are great to just have in the fridge - particularly if you like spicy food, because you can make a quick meal in minutes.

Last night was no exception and I really wanted nachos. I looked at both jars in the fridge and would normally have picked up the chipotle for a Mexican addition. But no, why not jerk pulled chicken, spooned over the cheesy nachos? A fusion of the Caribbean and South America? Why not, indeed. All I can say is 'wow'.

Ingredients:                      (Serves 2)

2 chicken breasts
4 tbsp. jerk paste
small jar mild salsa
large bag of nachos
grated cheese (I used gruyere)
pickled sliced jalapenos
sour cream
2 spring onions, sliced
fresh coriander, for garnish

Method:

Marinade the chicken breasts in the jerk paste for as long as you have (an hour will do), and then put into an ovenproof dish and cover with kitchen foil. Bake at 200 C for about 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Shred the chicken in a bowl with two forks and add the salsa, stir well.

Place the nachos on a serving dish and top with cheese. Pop under the grill for a minute or so to melt the cheese and then top with spoonfuls of the jerk pulled chicken, spoonfuls of sour cream, a little more cheese, jalapenos, spring onions and coriander. Serve and enjoy!

Note: I would normally also add guacamole, but I completely forgot - even though I had some lovely avocados. Next time..

Herb Crusted Salmon with Creamy Leeks & Peas

I love salmon - you really can cook it in so many different ways. Its a delicious flavoured fish too. I like it cooked with lots of spices normally but last night the herbs in the garden, in spite of the freezing weather, were looking lush. So I grabbed a pack of Panko dried breadcrumbs and quickly made this. It was all ready in less than half an hour and both myself and The Bloke loved it!

You can use any of the 'soft' herbs you like for this as long as they are fresh and not dried. I used coriander, parsley, chives and some Thai basil (I had some leftover from the Thai salad the other night). You can also use a different type of fish if you like, too.

 Ingredients:

2 skinless fillets salmon
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
lots of fresh herbs, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
30g butter, melted

Mix the breadcrumbs with the herbs, zest and butter. Press a thick layer onto the salmon fillets and put onto a greased baking tray. Pop in the oven at 200 C for 20 minutes.

 

For the leeks and peas:

2 large (or 4 small) leeks, sliced
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 glass wine
1/2 cup peas
80ml double cream
salt & pepper

Cook the leeks in the butter and oil until going slightly golden. Add the garlic and cook for  2 minutes before adding the wine. Turn the heat up and let the wine cook off the alcohol for about 4 minutes. Add the peas and cream and cook on a medium simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Serve alongside the fish with some boiled new potatoes. Lovely!

Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken Satay

This may sound daft to some but one of my favourite brain activities, is to take some meat or fish out of the freezer in the morning - for dinner later that day, and spend the day on and off musing what I can make with it. I do this a lot.

And last Saturday was no exception. Chicken mini fillets were set on the side to defrost. Now I just had to think..

Chicken mini fillets are just perfect for satay chicken. You just marinade the meat and make a satay sauce. Grill the chicken on skewers and top with the peanut sauce. Delicious. I have put the recipe up before - this post is all about the noodle salad - and you can find the recipe for the Chicken Satay here. The noodle side dish was fresh, quick, colourful and tasty. And goes well with anything!

Ingredients:

Flat rice noodles
1 carrot
1 courgette
25g fresh Thai basil
25g fresh coriander
3 spring onions (scallions)

For the dressing:

1 clove garlic
1 Thai red chilli
1/4 tsp. salt
8 green beans (cut into 1 inch)
5-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. palm sugar (normal will work too)
Juice of 1 lime

Method:

To make the dressing, get a pestle and mortar and pound the garlic and red chilli with the salt until its a paste. Add the green beans and pound a bit more, then add the tomatoes and bash (the beans and tomatoes just need to be a bit squished). Add the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice and mix well. Set to one side.

Cook the noodles as per pack instructions and drain. Use a potato peeler to cut ribbons of raw carrot and raw courgette. Slice the spring onions and chop the herbs. Add the veg and herbs to the noodles and pour over the prepared sauce. Stir to combine and serve. Top with some chopped peanuts if you like. The taste is beautiful and so full of flavour.

Smoked Bacon, Sundried Tomato & Lettuce (BLT) Quiche

A classic flavour combination of the BLT sandwich made into a quiche. Very simple ingredients and easy recipe for a meal for the whole family. You can, of course, make the pastry, if you like. I sometimes do, but when I need a quick meal - I buy ready made. There is nothing wrong with buying ready made pastry!!

We had a large slice each with potato wedges and a huge mixed salad. Lovely!

Ingredients:

10 rashers smoked bacon
1/2 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g sun blush tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 little gem lettuce, chopped
pack ready made shortcrust pastry
handful cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
100ml milk
50ml double cream
a little grated parmesan

Method:

Slice or snip with scissors, 10 rashers of bacon into a frying pan with a scant teaspoon of oil. Fry with the chopped onion and garlic until the onion translucent and the bacon crisp. Add the chopped sun blush tomatoes and chopped lettuce. Stir through and turn off the heat. Leave to cool.

Roll the pastry out to fill a greased spring form oven dish and line neatly with the pastry. You can blind bake at this stage, but I personally don't. Put a handful of grated cheddar in the bottom (I find this stops the pastry going soggy from the onion & bacon filling) and then add the cooled bacon mix.

Whisk the eggs with the milk and cream and season with a little salt & pepper. Pour the egg mix over the bacon and top with some grated parmesan.

Pop onto a baking sheet and cook for about 30 minutes (depending on the deepness of the dish).

Enjoy hot or cold!

Perfect BBQ Beef Short Ribs

This is a dish to look forward to on a Sunday. I say this because to be able to eat it the best way possible (and remove most of the fat too!) is to cook them initially on Saturday. Slowly, for a whole nine hours.

You can use a slow cooker or a casserole dish - up to you, but keep it low and long. Then you separate the meat and the juices and refrigerate. The fat that rendered out of the meat will rise to the top of the liquid and you can simply remove it.

The next day is easier, you make the bbq sauce (ingredients you generally have in the cupboard), smother it over the ribs and pop them back in the oven for an hour to heat through. Believe me, its worth it.

Ingredients:

4 beef short ribs
1 bottle Corona beer (or similar)
salt & pepper

Put the meat into the pot with salt and pepper. Pour in the beer and cover. If its a slow cooker I would cook on high for 3 hours and low for another 6. For a casserole I would put the oven on at 100 C, cover the pan tightly and cook for 8 hours.

Then leave to cool before putting the beef in one dish and the liquid in a straight tub (this is so the fat comes off the top easily. Refrigerate both.

The next day, take the meat out of the fridge to get to room temperate. For the sauce, after removing the fat, you will have a wonderful concentrated beef jelly. Pop into a wide pan and turn the heat to high until bubbling. Add about 80g-100g tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp. malt vinegar, 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp. golden sugar and 1 tbsp. English mustard. Stir well and let it bubble and reduce. Taste to check for flavour - many people like bbq sauces sweeter or stronger.. I added a spray of liquid smoke which I bought ages ago and adds a lovely smoky flavour.

When the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, paste it generously over the beef. Pop into the oven at 100 C for about 40 minutes. And its ready.

Serve with just about anything! Chips, potatoes, rice, potato salad... Or just by itself. Its melt in the mouth delicious. 


Note: If you can get hold of a bottle of liquid smoke - I'd recommend it for ANY barbecue!

Three Easy Chinese Snacks

Sometimes I don't want the usual Chinese chow mein that I love so much. I want the starters. Especially on a Friday night watching a movie. Here are three ones for you to try:  Easy prawn toasts, duck and hoisin lettuce cups and pork and prawn balls with a sweet chilli dip. All quite easy too. The pork and prawn balls are a basic sui mai (dim sum) but without any fiddly dough wrappers. Still steamed and still delicious. Just quicker!

First the Prawn Toast

Ingredients:

200g raw king prawns
1 cm. piece ginger
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. cornflour
1 tbsp. soy sauce
4 pieces bread (I used granary, but up to you)
(approx.) 4 tbsp. sesame seeds

Mix the prawns, ginger, garlic, cornflour and soy sauce in a food processor until a paste. Spread evenly on the bread and cut the bread into quarters. Put the sesame seeds on a plate and dip the bread, prawn side down into the sesame seeds.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and when hot, add the toasts sesame seed side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and turn over to cook the other side. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot!

 

Then, the Prawn and Pork Balls

Ingredients:

300g minced pork
200g raw king prawns
1 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 spring onions
1 tbsp. rice wine (sake)
1 tbsp. cornflour
1 tsp. sesame oil
salt & pepper
cocktail sticks
sweet chilli sauce
greaseproof paper, cut into 1 cm squares

Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Roll into balls (about1 inch) and put on a small piece of greaseproof paper in a steamer. Insert the cocktail stick, cover and steam for about 6-8 minutes, until firm. Serve with chilli sauce.


Finally, some Hoisin Duck and lettuce cups.

Ingredients:

1 Peking duck leg (recipe here)
4 spring onions, chopped
4 tbsp. hoisin sauce
little gem lettuce leaves.

Simply shred the duck meat and stir in the spring onions and hoisin sauce. Pile into lettuce cups and serve.


Note: The duck leg can be cooked the day before and shredded. The rest of the recipes all together take about half an hour to prepare and cook. The food processor really helps!

Pappardelle with Butternut Sauce, Pine Nuts Rocket & Parman (V)

Having been a vegetarian years ago (for quite a few years, I may add) I am a huge fan of vegetarian food. The Bloke? Somewhat less so. On the nights when I want vegetarian - I have to make it good, so I can show him how good vegetarian food is! You don't always need meat.

Pappardelle pasta is similar to tagliatelle, but the strips are wider and just call out for an umptious sauce that clings to it. Butternut squash, flavoured with garlic and sage is a classic. Here I have pared it with peppery rocket with a rocket salad. Simple, but looks and tastes great.

This is a simple enough recipe with few ingredients that tastes out of this world. If you can get hold of some fresh sage, it really is lovely in this dish - but dried will do - just use half the amount stated.

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, peeled
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsps. fresh sage, chopped
1 tbsp. oil
200ml chicken stock (cube is fine)
100 ml double cream
salt & pepper, to taste
75g rocket
50g pine nuts
200g pappardelle pasta
parmesan shavings

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 clove garlic, crushed

Method:

Chop the butternut squash into cubes. Heat 1 tbsp. oil and fry the sage and garlic in a large pan for a couple of minutes and then add the squash. Stir well and cook for a few minutes before adding the stock and covering the pan with a lid. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 mins.

The squash should be very soft at this stage so leave the lid off and let the last of the stock reduce. Then put the squash into a large jug with 100ml cream, salt and pepper. Blend with a stick blender until smooth and put back into the pan to simmer gently.

Make up the salad dressing by mixing the oil, vinegar, sugar and garlic. Set to one side.

Cook the pasta to cooking instructions and drain. Add half of the rocket to the sauce, along with the pine nuts. Stir through. Pour enough sauce over the pasta to coat well (there may be too much, so save the extra sauce for another time). Toss well.

Dress the other half of the rocket with a few teaspoons of the dressing and put a pile of rocket in the middle of the plate. Put the pasta around the salad. Sprinkle the parmesan shavings over the top and serve. Delicious!

Spicy Peruvian Poussin with Chimichurri Vegetables

This is a typical Sunday night meal at 'Chez Jules'. Food you can scoff whilst watching a movie may sound a little slobbish...but you know? I don't care. This is what we do and this is what we eat.

Two poussins and many, many ideas led to me literally asking The Bloke...what cuisine?? He thought for a moment and then decided on Peruvian. Okay - not a problem. So the poussins (little chickens) were given a good Peruvian spiced butter under the skin. The veg had its own Chimichurri sauce to be tossed in and the potatoes were simply cut smaller than usual and roasted. The parsley, I have to say, I am lucky enough to have loads of in the garden so it was a relatively easy Chimichurri sauce for the green beans and asparagus tips.

And the dipping sauce? A chilli sauce I made earlier that day. And it was ALL worth it. Wow.

Ingredients

For the poussins:

2 poussins
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chilli powder
1/4 tsp. each salt & pepper
25g butter, softened

Use a pair of scissors to cut through the backbone of the poussins. Press flat and then gently put your fingertips under the skin on the breasts (from the leg end - not the wing end). Gently, without breaking the skin, pull the skin away from the breast to create a good pocket for the spicy butter. Put both birds on a baking tray to one side.

Mix the spices and butter together and put 2/3 of it under the skins pockets you have made on both. Rub the remainder over the birds, including the legs. Cook at 200 C for 30 mins, or until cooked through (cut though a little piece of the leg - it should be perfect).

For the Chimichurri veg:

25g flat leaf parsley
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp. dried oregano
pinch chilli flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt & pepper

3/4 cup olive oil
Veg of choice

Put all of the ingredients apart from the oil and veg, into a food processor and blend until a paste. Add the oil in two or three lots to emulsify. Steam any greens you like and toss in some of the sauce. I used green beans and asparagus but you choose!

For the Chilli Sauce I used this recipe here and blended well with a stick blender to create a smooth sauce.... But instead of my usual chipotles I used a some different chillies that I had picked up from Borough Market in London (see photo below). You can use any dried chilles you like - just follow the recipe and boil the dried chillies that you like.

To serve, just put the chili sauce in a ramekin, the remainder of the Chimichurri in another, the birds on a wooden board and lots of napkins! Enjoy!

Rustic Sausage and Apple Loaf

This is a variation on the old Sausage Plait I used to make occasionally. I decided this time to add some apple to the pork mix. It’s a lovely recipe with loads of flavour, which you can either have hot with chips and a salad, or chilled with pickles. Or sliced with a picnic. Delicious either way!

 

Ingredients:

400g sausage meat

1 tbsp. oil

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 small eating apple, chopped finely

1 heaped tbsp. tomato ketchup

1 tbsp. English Mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper

320g ready rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

 

Method:

Set the oven to 190 C. Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry with the apple in the oil on a medium heat until the onion soft. Put into a large bowl and cool. When cooled, add the sausages, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and season with salt & pepper.

Take the pastry and place on a board in front of you, on a piece of greaseproof paper (most pastry  comes with some already with it).  Pile the sausage meat mixture lengthways down the centre, leaving a 1.5 inch frame.

Lift the shorter ends over the pastry and brush the top with beaten egg. Then lift the sides up and over the length of the pastry and pinch together, using a little egg if needed. Seal the loaf as much as you can – although you probably will get some seepage of juices sneaking out! Don’t worry, it won’t hurt the dish.

Lift the loaf gently with the greaseproof paper and gently invert it onto a greased baking sheet, so that the seam is at the bottom. Decorate the top with a sharp knife and brush with more egg.

Cook for about 30 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

 

 

 

Chinese Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

I don't suppose chicken and sweetcorn soup is particularly only a Chinese soup - but here in London, if that's what you want - you'd head to a Chinese restaurant. Thick, comforting, with tender chicken and a lovely sweetness from the corn.

This recipe is pretty much as you would get it from a Chinese takeaway or restaurant - and its ever so easy. You can use any leftover cooked chicken you have; from a roast dinner maybe? Its also cheap as this recipe only uses one chicken breast and serves up to 6 people. The soup takes about 20 minutes to make and is delicious!

Ingredients:             (Serves 4-6)

1 large chicken breast, poached and sliced
400g can creamed corn
400g sweetcorn niblets
1 litre chicken stock (2 cubes & water)
2 tbsp. cornflour
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 eggs, beaten


Method:

Make up the stock with the cubes and boiling water and put into a saucepan with the creamed corn, corn niblets and a little pepper (there should be plenty of salt from the stock cubes but taste at the end and you may want to add some). Bring to the boil and then cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat.

Mix the cornflour with a splash of water and mix until liquid. Add to the pan and stir well to combine. Add the chicken to the soup and then add the eggs by stirring the soup in a circular motion with one hand (with a wooden spoon!) - and slowly pouring in the beaten egg in with the other. You want it to form 'ribbons'. The soup will thicken up beautifully.

Finish by adding the sesame oil and the spring onions. Stir through and serve. Delicious!

Aubergine Wrapped Spicy Chicken

This recipe came from the idea of a Turkish Chicken Beyti which is minced chicken wrapped in flatbreads and cooked in a sauce. Here I have omitted the bread, spiced up the chicken and wrapped it in griddled aubergine slices, before coating in a thick tomato and aubergine sauce.

Absolutely delicious served with zucchini couscous and very filling too!

Ingredients:

2 aubergines
a little oil
3 chicken breasts, roughly chopped
1-2 green chillies
2 cloves garlic
100g grated cheese

For the sauce:

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. paprika
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup water
400g tin tomatoes
salt & pepper

Method:

Slice the aubergines lengthwise. You want the biggest slices for rolling so choose about 12 total slices from the middle of the vegetables. The rest of the aubergine is going in the sauce so no waste.

Brush the aubergine slices with oil and griddle until softened - leave to cool on some kitchen paper. Griddle the leftover offcuts of aubergine and leave to one side. Put the chicken, chillies and garlic into a food processor and process until minced. To assemble the rolls, lay one softened aubergine slice in front of you on a board, with the wider bit towards you. Sprinkle with cheese and take a bit of the minced chicken and place on the wider end. Roll up and secure with a cocktail stick. Put into a roasting tray and continue until all rolled up.

Pop in the oven at 190 C for about 15 minutes, while you make the sauce.

Put the onion and garlic into a small saucepan and cook in a little oil for 5 minutes until softened. Add the paprika and tomato paste and stir in. Add the water and bring to the boil. Add the tomatoes and seasoning and cook for 10 minutes until thickened. Add the cooked leftover aubergine and take off the heat. Use a stick blender to blitz the sauce until smooth. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Take the chicken rolls out of the oven and gently remove the cocktail sticks. Pour the sauce over and around the rolls and pop back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with rice or couscous.

Note: for the zucchini couscous, make up some couscous to pack instructions and add one grated courgette and half a small chopped red onion. Re-heat and serve.

Beef Rendang with Garlic Greens

We were watching TV last night and someone mentioned Malaysia. Now, The Bloke used to live in the Far East as an expat and also has done a fair bit of travelling in that area. I knew when he looked at me - that he wanted Malaysian for dinner. I told him.. "you just have to ask". So he did. "Beef Rendang, please".

So tonight, instead of the planned faggots (a favourite of mine) - we are having a flavourful Malaysian curry that is called Beef Rendang. If you haven't tried it yet, I urge you to give it a go. It truly has a flavour of its own.

Rendang can be from Indonesia or Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore. They all have their own ways of cooking it. I'm an Irish lass in London. And this is how I cook it. One of the things is the Malaysian way of adding the 'kerisik' which is the toasted and pounded coconut.

Ingredients:      (Serves 2-3)

For the paste:

5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 small onion
6 red birds eye chillies (seeds in if brave - I did!)
1 tsp. turmeric

The rest:

1 tbsp. oil
700g beef, cubed (make your choice - I used a very marbled sirloin)
6 kaffir lime leaves
1 stick lemongrass, bashed with a saucepan
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tsp. sugar (palm sugar if you have it)
400ml coconut milk
120g desiccated coconut


Method:

Make the paste by putting all of the paste ingredients into a blender and blitzing. Put the oil into a heavy based pan and heat. Add the paste and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, lime leaves and lemongrass. Stir.

Add 200ml of water, in 50ml at a time, letting the water cook down and evaporate each time. The sauce should reduce to be dry at this stage. Then add the beef and cook until its brown. Add the sugar and then a little of the coconut milk. Cook on a medium heat, adding more coconut milk when it becomes dry. (only add a little at a time). You may not need all of the coconut milk. Its a bit of a labour of love as you stand with it, its worth it - trust me!

For the kerisik, put the desiccated coconut into a dry frying pan and cook until browning. Put into a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder (you can miss out the grinding if you don't have the pestle and mortar).

The oil from the coconut milk in the curry will separate, so tip the pan so one side and spoon off some of the oil and discard. Now add a little water (a splash) and cook on a gentle heat. You want the curry to be thick and rich, with just a little sauce coating the meat. I add about half of the toasted coconut at this stage, as it makes a good body to the sauce.

Remove the lemongrass, star anise and cinnamon from the curry and serve the delicious rendang on a plate with steamed rice. Top the curry with more toasted coconut and add a wedge of lime.

Garlic Greens.

You can use any greens you like for this, but I had some brussel flowers, so I simply stir fried them for 5 minutes and then added loads of thinly sliced garlic and stir fried until the garlic was crisp. Heaven!

Sausage Cheesy Bean Casserole

This is a great way to make one pack of sausages serve 6-8 people. Its a delicious casserole with loads of flavour too. The sausage meat is mixed with Paxo stuffing (see note at bottom of page) and stuffed with a chunk of mozzarella - baked and then put into a tomato, pepper and baked bean casserole.

A cheap and cheerful dish that kids will love as much as the adults; its a proper comfort food too!

Ingredients:     (Serves 6-8)

400g pork sausage meat
80g dried Paxo stuffing (made up with water & cooled)
100g block (cooking) mozzarella, cubed
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chilli flakes
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
400g tin tomatoes
200g baked beans
1 tbsp. tomato puree (paste)
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper


Method:

Set the oven to 220 C. Mix the sausage meat with the Paxo stuffing, garlic powder, chilli flakes and a little salt & pepper until combined. Take a small piece and roll in your hands. Flatten  and put a piece of cubed mozzarella in the centre. Seal the ball and roll well to seal. Place on a baking tray and continue until you have all your meatballs made up. Bake at 220 C for 10 minutes.

In a large casserole dish, fry the onion, garlic and peppers until soft. Add the puree, tomatoes, beans and bay leaves. Cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes, until thickened and bubbling.

Gently add the meatballs (its okay if some of the cheese has oozed). Spoon over the sauce to cover the meatballs and cook on a medium heat for about 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Serve with buttered crusty bread, creamy mash or boiled potatoes and enjoy!!

Note: Paxo stuffing is a typically British product. To make yourself - its just dried breadcrumbs, mixed with chopped sage, onion powder and water.

Rosemary Roasted Cauliflower & Smoked Bacon Soup

Three flavours that really hit the mark for me are rosemary, cauliflower and bacon. And I can think of so many ways to eat them, but it is still 'Soup Saturday'. Actually in all honesty, its Sunday, but yesterday I was far too busy being lazy to make soup. I woke up this morning and actually felt that I was missing something - it was guilt from not making soup the day before!

So I grabbed the cauliflower that has been sitting in the fridge for about a week and decided on a creamy soup with bits of bacon running thought it. I went into the garden to get some rosemary - and it has snowed in London. Quickly shutting the back door I set about making the soup. That'll warm us up!

Ingredients:         (Serves 4)

10 rashers smoked streaky bacon
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
3 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp. oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 litre vegetable stock (cube is fine)
150ml double cream
1 spring onion, sliced

Method:

Pop the oven on to heat at 180 C. Spread the cauliflower over a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp. oil and sprinkle over the rosemary. Put in the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes.

Grill the bacon, dabbing at the fat as you occasionally turn it over, to make it nice and crispy. Break or slice into pieces and leave to one side.

In a large saucepan, gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the roasted cauliflower, bay leaves and stock and leave to cook on a low/medium heat for about 15 minutes. Then remove the bay leaves, take off the heat and use a hand blender to blitz the soup until its smooth.

Put the soup back on the heat and add the cream. Warm though and add some black pepper and the bacon.

Serve in a large bowl topped with some more bacon, spring onions and a dash of black pepper. Delicious! 

Ostrich Steak with Blueberry Sauce

I am so happy that more stores seems to be selling the less common meats like ostrich. Its such a healthy meat as it contains hardly any fat, is rich in iron and low in cholesterol.  And on top of that it has a lovely buttery aroma while its cooking and tastes delicious.

It works well simply pan fried, like a beef steak and goes with many different sauces. Here I happened to have a bag of frozen blueberries that were delivered in error, so I thought I'd make a sauce with them.

Ingredients:                (Serves 2)

2 ostrich steaks
1 small shallot, chopped finely
2 tbsp. oil
200g frozen blueberries, defrosted
250ml red wine
2 tbsp. honey
15g butter
salt & pepper

Method:

For the sauce, gently fry the shallot in half the oil. When the onion is soft, add the red wine with a quarter of a cup of water and bring to a boil. Let boil and reduce until you have about half of the amount of liquid left and its slightly thickened.

Add the blueberries and honey and turn to a simmer, with the lid half on. Leave to cook for a further 15 minutes. Stir in the butter and taste for seasoning.

Brush some oil on the ostrich steaks and season with a little salt & pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the steaks for about 2 minutes each side (you can have them a little rare if you like). Then let them rest on a board, under some foil for 2 minutes.

Serve the ostrich sliced with some creamy mashed potatoes, garlic spinach and lashings of blueberry sauce. Lovely!