It’s a bit weird here at the moment. The days are warm but the nights are surprisingly cold; light lunches but also still comfort food dinner season. The purple sprouting broccoli season is upon us and as much as I like it cooked simply, maybe with a butter sauce, I am craving carbohydrates and big warming meals at the moment. My bacon, purple sprouting and cheese pasta bake is ideal.
Cheat’s one pot Paella
I didn’t realise how much rice I had been eating until I thought about the last time I ate pasta or potatoes and I can’t remember when that was. I like rice as a plain side to something, a herb encrusted rice salad or as a risotto. This quick and easy rice dish (or a cheat paella) is not a paella by any means but it’s a great dish to knock up after a hectic day with a nice bit of chorizo for a mid-week Spanish pick me up. Get out your flamenco.
Review: Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi
ingredients
The below recipe is from Manju’s book with a few of my own tweaks.
For Murgh Makhani for two you will need:
- 50g peeled plum tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp. natural yoghurt
- 1 tbsp. double cream
- Black pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 small dried chilli, ground
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp. rapeseed oil
- 250g chicken breast pieces
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Salt
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- Knob of butter
- Pinch garam masala
The below recipe for flatbreads is from Jamie Oliver and it makes fantastic cheat’s naan breads!
For 6 cheat’s naan breads you will need:
- 250g self raising flour plus extra for dusting
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 250g natural yoghurt
I can safely say, hand down, that this is the best curry I’ve ever made. The level of spice and chilli was perfect for me and I loved the creamy taste even though the actual quantity of cream and butter was very small. Guilt free! I think next time I would double the quantity of the sauce for the same amount of chicken. I really like this book, the pictures are clean and simple and the recipes easy to follow. The recipes are certainly a step up from other ‘easy’ recipes (which are only easy because they require you to open a jar of paste) but you’re not cooking and preparing for hours either. There’s a good balance between meat, fish and vegetable curries too. I will definitely be cooking from this book again; the only problem being which recipe to choose!
Thank you to Manju for the book and for permission to print one of her lovely recipes.
Potato, Swede and Bacon Dauphinoise
Ingredients
You will need (for 4 as a side):
- 350g potato, peeled and thinly sliced
- 350g swede, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 4-5 rashers smoked, streaky bacon
- Oil for frying
- 150ml double cream
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
Method
Fry the bacon in a little oil until crispy then set to one side.
Layer up the potatoes, swede, garlic, bacon, and add a little salt and pepper to each layer, finishing with a layer of potatoes and swede in an ovenproof dish.
Pour the double cream over the veg then dot the top with butter.
Place into an oven at 170C for 1 and 1/4 hours or until soft through when tested with a knife.
If you find it’s browning too quickly cover the dish with some foil before returning to the oven.
Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Onion Salsa
Ingredients
You will need (for four):|
2 free range chicken breasts
|
£3.42
|
|
2 tbsp tikka paste
|
£0.20
|
|
150g organic natural yoghurt
|
£0.49
|
|
1/2 large lettuce
|
£0.25
|
|
1/2 cucumber
|
£0.33
|
|
1 small red onion
|
£0.10
|
|
Small handful fresh coriander
|
£0.15
|
|
8 wraps
|
£1.00
|
|
Salt and pepper
|
£0.02
|
|
Oil (for frying)
|
£0.02
|
|
Total
|
£5.98
|
Method
Start by slicing the chicken breasts into thin, inch sized pieces. Put these into a bowl with the tikka paste and 1 tbsp of yoghurt. Mix together and then cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.While the chicken marinates prepare the rest of the meal.
Wash the lettuce and drain well before shredding it.
To make the salsa finely chop the cucumber and the onion. Put half of the onion and all of the cucumber into a bowl. Tear in the coriander and then mix it all together with some salt and pepper. Put this to one side.
When you are ready to cook the chicken get a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add a little oil and the other half of the chopped onion. Fry the onion for around five minutes to get a little colour then add the chicken and all the marinade.
Continue to fry it all together for around ten minutes or until the chicken is cooked and some of the edges of the chicken have started to catch. Leaving the chicken to catch really adds to the flavour.
Caribbean Spicy Bean Burgers with Pineapple Chilli Sauce
Ingredients
You will need (for four):
| For the burgers – | |
| 2x 400g cans of mixed beans, drained | £1.58 |
| 50g breadcrumbs | £0.30 |
| 2 tsp ground allspice | £0.10 |
| Few sprigs thyme, leaves only | £0.10 |
| 1 egg | £0.35 |
| 3 spring onions, sliced | £0.35 |
| Salt and pepper | £0.02 |
| For the pinepple sauce – | |
| 1x 227g canned, chopped pineapple in juice | £0.43 |
| 125g caster sugar | £0.19 |
| 175ml water | £0.00 |
| 4 tbsp white wine vinegar | £0.18 |
| 2 garlic cloves, crushed | £0.05 |
| 1/2 scotch bonnet chilli, roughly chopped | £0.08 |
| 2 tsp cornflour | £0.03 |
| Salt and pepper | £0.02 |
| 4 crusty white rolls | £1.20 |
| Total | £4.98 |
Method
Put the drained beans into a large bowl and roughly crush them with a masher or the back of a spoon.
Add all the remaining burger ingredients, except the egg, and thoroughly mix together.
Taste the mixture to check the seasoning and when you are happy crack in the egg, mix well and then form into burger shapes.
Put to one side while you make the pineapple sauce.
Drain the pineapple and then put into a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients except the cornflour.
Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for around five minutes.
Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a paste and then mix this into the sauce.
Bring the mixture back to the boil then remove from the heat.
Blend the pineapple sauce until mostly smooth but with some pineapple chunks still left.
Put to one side to cool down.
Paprika Topside of Beef with Roasted Garlic Mash and Peas and Onions
Enter my knowledgeable butcher. I had heard that hanger (or onglet) steak was a cheap alternative that is normally used for slow cooking. Unfortunately there was no hanger available as it was all frozen, but not to worry, as I was assured that a few slices of topside would be a good substitute. My butcher took off a few thick steaks from the topside and butterflied them for me, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. The topside came in at £12.95 per kg whereas sirloin would have been £24.50 per kg.
Steak, Chips and Mushrooms with Maille Pepper Sauce
Is it just me that is prone to insatiable food cravings? When I get one I am unsatisfied (and sometimes unapproachable) until I have devoured my wanted meal. It could be cheesecake, fizzy cola bottles or pizza but most recently I had a desire for steak and I wasn’t going to stop until I’d eaten one. It can be a little awkward in some situations to try and explain to those near you that the reason you are frowning, grumpy and on edge is because you desperately need some smoky bacon crisps. I had my mind set on a juicy steak with peppercorn sauce and thank goodness that I only had to wait a few days to fulfil this particular culinary requirement. Any longer and I’d have probably alienated all my friends.
Beetroot Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Goat’s Cheese Giant Crostini
Ingredients
You will need (for two):
- 500g beetroot
- Butter, for greasing
- 150ml double cream
- 150ml milk
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 head garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Ciabatta
- 150g soft goat’s cheese
- Salt and pepper
Method
Start by peeling and thinly slicing the beetroot. In my experience it’s not a good idea to wear anything that you don’t want turning pink. Preheat an oven to 180C.
Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and layer up the beetroot adding a little chopped garlic, salt and pepper between each layer. Finish with a layer of beetroot.
Mix together the cream and the milk, pour this over the beetroot then place in the oven for 45-50 minutes.
While the gratin is cooking take the head of garlic and slice off about the top fifth so that the inside cloves are exposed. Peel off any excess papery skin but leave enough to hold the head together. Place the head on some foil and drizzle over a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Wrap the head up in the foil and roast for around 30 minutes in the oven. Check that the garlic is cooked by trying to squeeze the cloves out of their skins; they should pop out easily. Wait for the garlic to cool down a little before squeezing out all of the cloves and mashing with some more olive oil and salt and pepper to form a paste.
Veal, Pork, Serrano Ham and Porcini Cannelloni – Random Recipe Challenge
I know I’m guilty of flicking through all my recipe books and thinking how good the recipes sound but knowing full well it’s pretty unlikely I’ll ever give it a try because I’ll either forget or not have the time. This challenge suited me because I was forced not to turn the page to find something quicker, easier or less expensive. I stuck to the rules and ended up opening Rick Stein’s Spain to Canalons de ternera, cerdo, jamón y boletus or Veal, Pork, Serrano Ham and Porcini Cannelloni.
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