Home › Recipes › Page 3

Sweet Potato Chips

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

I have to say that I am generally not a big fan of Ottolenghi. This may be because he seems stuck in one or two flavour ruts which don’t appeal. One rut is za’atar, which just doesn’t do it for me. The other is sumac, which has a citrus note that I simply don’t care for. The latter features in his Sweet Potato Chips recipe, so I omitted it. The remaining ingredients work very well, particularly the addition of polenta.

I like to serve these, instead of frîtes, with Moules Marinière, along with mayonnaise for dipping.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 large sweet potatoes (~1.2kg)
  • 30g fine polenta
  • 1 tbs sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
  • ½ tsp hot smoked paprika (or cayenne)
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Maldon sea salt
  • olive oil

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C fan.

In bowl mix together the polenta, sweet and hot smoked paprikas, and 1 teaspoon Maldon salt.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into roughly 1cm chips. In a large bowl, toss together the chips with a few darn good glugs of olive oil. Crush in the garlic and mix well. Now throw in the polenta/spice mix and stir to distribute as evenly as you can. This can sit for a while.

When ready to cook, line a roasting tin with something non stick like a “teflon” sheet or baking parchment. Spread the chips out in the lined roasting tin and pop them in the oven. After 15 minutes, remove the chips from the oven and turn them over. Since all ovens vary, check progress with the heat of yours and adjust if necessary. Return the chips for a further 10 or 15 minutes.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Veggies Tagged with:

Savoy Cabbage with Caraway

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

I think my long-standing opinion of caraway seeds may have been (dis)coloured by Kümmel, a caraway flavoured liqueur, or possible Seed Cake from a grandmother or two. Given that I like most things alcoholic, you can definitely keep the Kümmel.

However, recently I dragged up a distant memory of using caraway seeds with cabbage and, Savoy Cabbage being my favourite cabbage, whilst being simplicity itself, this recipe actually worked quite nicely. I served it alongside good ol’ Beef Goulash since reducing my carbohydrate intake was making me avoid the noodles that I’d kill for.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 5 mins
cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • ½ large Savoy Cabbage, trimmed & shredded
  • olive oil
  • 1 banana shallot, halved & sliced
  • 2 tsp caraway seeds

Method

Boil the cabbage in salted water for 3 mins until tender, then drain.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and add the shallot. Cook for 2-3 mins until starting to soften. Mix in the caraway seeds and cook for a further 2 mins until fragrant. Stir in the cabbage and heat through.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Veggies Tagged with:

Lentil Soup

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

Red split lentils have a wonderful, natural peppery flavour which, IMO, should be the dominant flavour of Lentil Soup. Hence, this is little in the way of recipe and more of a note about quantities.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: n/a
cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 ltr light, homemade chicken stock
  • 150g red split lentils
  • Salt & pepper

Method

The culinarily fastidious may wish to rinse the lentils first but note that these do not need soaaking, unlike many dried pulses.

Tip the (rinsed) lentils into the chicken stock in a suitably sized saucepan and bring gently to the simmer, stirring occasionally to stop the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Red split lentils disintegrate, retaining just a little texture, so blitzing isn’t really necessary but if you want a perfectly smooth finished soup then use a stick blender. Adjust the seasonong. I use only salt because of teh natural pepperiness of the lentils.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Soups Tagged with:

Devilled Kidneys

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

OK, I admit it, I’m an offal fan. There is something alluring about the idea of this traditional old English breakfast dish so here’s one to try. Recipes vary greatly; this version is the Guardian’s approach. Naturally, the spice can be adjust to suit your personal palate. (I’m tinkering with the idea of using a hot, and I do mean hot, chilli sauce instead of cayenne.)

I don’t really do cooked breakfasts, normally, but this is easy enough and tasty enough to make a decent light lunch or a starter for your more adventurous guests.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 10 mins
cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 lambs’ kidneys
  • 2 tbsp flour, seasoned
  • 25g butter, softened
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp anchovy essence, or 2 anchovies, mashed
  • 2 thick slices bread
  • Salt & pepper

Method

Remove the suet from around the kidneys if necessary, along with the thin membrane that might still encase them. Slice in half laterally, so they retain their kidney shape, and use a pair of scissors to snip away the membranes that attach the white fatty core to the meat. Dust in the seasoned flour.

Mash the butter with the other ingredients, and adjust to taste.

Heat a small frying pan, then add the butter. Turn down the heat to medium. Shake the excess flour off the kidneys, then cook them for two and a half minutes on each side. Meanwhile, toast the bread.

Serve the kideys and juices atop the toast as a traditional breakfast or lunch.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Kefta Mkaouara

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

I’m a big meatball fan and a big tagine fan, so how could a Moroccan meatball tagine fail to please?

The “ou” in Mkaouara is a sort of “w” sound and I’ve seen this written as Mkawara. Similarly, I’ve seen a “q” instead of a “k” resulting in Mqawara. There’re almost as many spellings as there are variations in the recipes. The spices vary considerably, some using regular paprika or smoked paprika (pimenton – maybe to fake out the charcoal on which the tagines might traditionally be cooked). Some spice up the tomato sauce while others leave it plain. Some include a vegetable in the sauce. I’ve even seen the eggs finally poached on top declared as optional.

I like spice in my sauce and the one I tried in the Little Marrakech restaurant in St. Albans had peas in the sauce so I use them, too. Besides, it’s a veggie unit. Clearly you can modify to your heart’s content but here’s my starting position.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time:

Ingredients

  • 400g lamb mince
  • 1 onion, finely chopped or grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp hot paprika/cayenne
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1½ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp hot paprika
  • 1½ tsp cumin
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 200g frozen peas
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tbs fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • Salt & pepper

Method

Make the meatballs. Combine all the ingredients from lamb mince down to and including the egg yolk in a mixing bowl. Knead the mixture together for a minute or two with your hands until the seasoning is evenly distributed. Take small portions of the mixture and shape into small meatballs; aim for something roughly the size of a cherry. [Moroccan meatballs are a modest bite-size, presumably to make them easy to eat by picking up with flatbread.] Cover and set aside.

It is said that small meatballs don’t need browning first but I like to. In a tagine, skillet or shallow casserole (one with a lid), lightly brown the meatballs on all sides in olive oil. Remove them from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion for a few minutes – there should be enough oil and lamb fat remaining – until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté gently for another minute or two. Stir in the spices (two paprikas and cumin) then add the tinned chopped tomatoes. Add the honey and chopped herbs, stirring to mix well. Lastly, return the meatballs to the pan, stirring to coat them in sauce. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Stir in the peas and adjust the seasoning to taste. Break the eggs on top of the stew, turn the heat down to low then cover the pan and simmer gently until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Go with tradtion and serve with some flatbreads or you could try some couscous.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Pintade aux Brugues

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

A Guineafowl recipe developed in and therefore named after a campsite in France: Les Brugues at Fanjeaux. This is a simple concoction featuring the flavour of shallots in a sauce based on dry rosé wine with the addition of a little wholegrain mustard. The flavour of the shallots is important so do not be tempted to add garlic. Scaling up to serve 4 would be a simple matter.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 10 mins
cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 2 large banana shallots, peeled
  • 2 guineafowl breasts, skinned
  • 200ml dry rosé wine
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • Salt & pepper

Method

Halve the shallots lengthwise then cut into slices about 3mm thick. Sauté these in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until they just begin to turn golden, then remove them and set aside.

Brown the guineafowl breasts in the onion oil on both sides then lower the heat, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes. Set the breasts aside, leaving the accumulated liquid in the pan.

Return the shallots to the pan with the wine and mustard, stirring to mix. Raise the heat a little and simmer to reduce and concentrate the flavours. You are looking for a light emulsion to form with the oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Return the breasts, basting them with the liquid, then cover and simmer to reheat.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Poultry Tagged with:

Halloumi with Black Seed Honey

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

Halloumi a weird cheese: it’s rubbery when cold and uncooked and doesn’t melt when cooked. This proved a popular way to use it. The quantity here would make a starter for four served alone. Half this recipe would make a good addition to a mezze plate with other bites of interest.

The Black Seeds of the title are nigella seeds which I managed to source at Waitrose. The original of this specifies Urfa chilli flakes so use those if you can get them; I deseeded a dried red chilli and used that.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 5 mins
cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients

  • 100g runny honey
  • ½ tsp nigella seeds
  • ½ tsp coriander seeds
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • black pepper, a pinch
  • olive oil
  • 1 lemon, zest & juice
  • 2 blocks Halloumi, ~250g each

Method

Dry fry the coriander seeds in a small frying pan to develop the aroma a little. Preferably in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar, blitz or crush the nigella seeds, coriander seeds, chilli flakes and black pepper together as a powder. Stir the spices into the honey and set aside.

Cut each Halloumi into four thick slices.

When you’re ready to eat, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the halloumi slices for 3 or 4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. I found a quite gentle heat was required.

To serve, plate the Halloumi slices and drizzle with a little lemon zest and juice. Pour over the honey and spice mixture, which will probably need warming in a hot water bath to make it pourable.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

I am very fond of making Sea Bass with a Black Olive Crust. In ensuring that I have have sufficient crust mixture to cover the fish fillets, I usually end up with some left over. This recipe grew from wanting something constructive to do with the left over Black Olive Crust mixture.

Recently I have been using some white sourdough bread for the crumbs; the texture remains loose rather than clogging together, which makes for a lighter result. Mushrooms contain plenty of moisture so can resist baking in the oven without assistance.

It really did seem to work very well as a lunch using large Portobello Mushrooms and, of course, would be admirable as a starter. This would also be great as part of a tapas spread or a even a mezze platter, though you might then find smaller mushrooms more appropriate.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 slices sourdough bread, crusts removed
  • 8 black olives, pitted & finely chopped
  • 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 50g butter
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • olive oil
  • 4 Portobello mushrooms, peeled & stalks removed
  • Salt & pepper

Method

First make the black olive breadcrumb mixture. Blitz the bread into breadcrumbs, preferably in a food processor and turn it out into a glass bowl. Stir in teh finely chopped olives followed by the chopped parsley. Crush or finely chop the garlic clove and add it to the breadcrumbs together with a few twists of salt and pepper, then stir all together to mix well.

Heat the butter in a small frying pan to make a beurre noisette. When it is nicely nutty brown, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice to stop it cooking further. Pour the beurre noisette into the breadcrumb mixture and mix well with a spatula. If your bread is like mine, it won’t bind together too much. Let the mixture cool.

Once the mixture is cool, drizzle a little olive oil into the cap of each mushroom before spooning in a generous amount of filling. You can do this all ahead of time.

When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 220°C/gas 7. Sit the mushrooms on a bakiing tray with a small drizzle of olive oil beneath each one. Bake for 10 minutes when the crust should have turned an attractive light golden colour.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Starters, Tapas Tagged with:

Meatballs

Posted on by JC — No Comments ↓

You can just shape minced meat into meatballs but I made this mixture and really liked it. My normal approach is to fry off the meatballs in a 28cm skillet then make a classic Italian tomato sauce in the same pan before finishing the meatballs off in the sauce.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 400g low fat steak mince
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 slices bread, crusts removed
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbs dried marjoram
  • 2 tbs brined capers (optional)
  • olive oil
  • Salt & pepper

Method

Firstly, tear the bread slices into the bowl of a blitzer. Whizz the bread until you have fine breadcrumbs (this is by far the easiest way to make breadcrumbs). Tip the crumbs into into a bowl and reserve.

Now put one of the chopped onions into the blitzer and pulse chop it a few times to make it finer (but not mush). Scrape the sides down and repeat.

Add the minced steak and pulse blend that into the finely chopped onions. Now add the breadcrumbs and pulse again until everything is well mixed.

Tip the mince mixture into a bowl and work in the beaten egg manually until it all feels evenly blended.

I like bite-sized meatballs so make about 2-2½cm balls of mixture by pinching some off and rolling it between the palms of your hand. Save them on a plate until all the mixture is used up.

When you’re ready, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet – they should all fit in a 28cm pan. Gently brown the meatballs all over, turning them around as they brown. Once browned, remove them with a slotted spoon and save them on a plate.

Add the remaining chopped onion to the oil in the skillet and soften it over moderate heat without browning. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for another minute. Now tip in the canned chopped tomatoes together with a canful of water, stirring to mix. Stir in the marjoram, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes or so. If the sauce reduces too much add a little more water.

Now return the meatballs to the pan and finish cooking them in the sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring them around occasionally.

If you fance a little piquancy, stir in 2 tablespoons of brined capers with some of their liquid and cook for another couple of minutes to warm them through.

Adjust the seasoning and serve this over your favourite pasta or just with a green vegetable such as broccoli.


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Meat Tagged with: ,

Lamb Ragoût with Flageolets

Posted on by JC — 2 Comments ↓

This began as an idea from From Rick Stein’s French Odyssey. His recipe used shoulder of lamb with flageolet beans and tomatoes, along with some rosé wine and a bouque garni of bay leaves and thyme. However, to me it seemed to be screaming out for mint, which pairs well with all three of those main ingredients, so this is my modification using lamb neck fillets. Given the mint, I thought the wine was superfluous, too.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 90 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 lamb neck fillets
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 500g vine tomatoes, chopped
  • 600ml homemade chicken or lamb stock
  • 2 cans flageolet beans, drained
  • 4 tbs chopped mint leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbs plain flour
  • salt & pepper

Method

Split the lamb neck fillets in half lengthwise and cut them into 1.5cm chunks. Season the chunks of lamb before browning in 2 tbs of oil in a flameproof casserole. Put the lamb to one side and add the rest of the oil to the pan. Fry the onions until lightly golden then add the cloves of garlic and fry for another minute. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry for a further two minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 mins. Return the lamb to the pan and add enough stock to just cover the meat, stirring to blend with the flour. Add half the chopped mint, the bay leaves and about a teaspoon of sea salt with plenty of black pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour when the lamb should be tender.

Add the drained flageolets and simmer uncovered for a further 10-15 mins until the beans have heated through. Finally add the remaining half of chopped mint for a fresh taste and adjust the seasoning.

(Rick suggests serving the original with tubetti pasta but I’d prefer some green vegetables or, at a push, ribbon noodles.)


Get a pdf version of this recipe.

Posted in Meat Tagged with: