Hello again! You may have noticed, my last attempt to keep updated didn’t quite work out according to plan, but the good news is I now know what was causing my fatigue and I’m well on the way to recovery.
I posted a picture of this on my facebook feed and one of my friends asked for the recipe, so I thought what better way to kick start my blog again. This one’s for you, Moogle ;).
Patatas Bravas with Chorizo and Poached Egg
Print Recipe
Crispy potatoes with spicy tomato sauce, chorizo, topped with a poached egg. Perfect comfort food.
1baking potato(peeled or unpeeled, depending on your preference; I prefer the skin on)
50gramschorizo(cut into chunks)
0.5tinchopped tomatoes
1clovegarlic(crushed)
1tspsmoked paprika
0.5tspchilli powder(increase or reduce this amount to suit your own taste. I prefer a little more, but whilst the dish should be spicy, it shouldn't be searingly hot)
Servings:
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees and brush or spray a baking tray with oil.
Cut the potato into 2cm (approx) cubes, place on the baking tray and spray or coat with more oil. Sprinkle salt on top and bake for around 20 minutes until the potatoes begin to crisp up on the outside and soften in the middle.
Sprinkle the chorizo on top of the potatoes then cook in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.
Whilst the potatoes are cooking, mix together the tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and chilli (don't worry about pre cooking the garlic, as the sauce will cook in the oven later).
Add the sauce to the potato and chorizo mixture, reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or so until sauce has started to thicken -
When your potato mixture is almost done, poach your egg.
Put the potatoes in a dish, top with the egg, and sprinkle with a little more sea salt.
Recipe Notes
If you want to be really decadent, you could deep fry the potatoes in true Spanish style, and top with a fried egg.
This tagine is a spicy, but the heat is balanced out by the sweetness of the dates and apricots. The added bonus of being able to bung everything in the oven after some basic prep work makes this an ideal week night dinner. If you’re not a chicken fan, this would also be great with lamb or a mixture of roast vegetables.
1piecefresh ginger (approx 4x2cm)(grated or crushed to a paste)
3red chillies(finely chopped)
1tspground cumin
1tspground coriander
2stickscinnamon or cassia bark
salt and pepper to taste
1tinchopped tomatoes
100gdates(halved)
100gsoft dried apricots(halved)
olive oil
runny honey (optional)
Servings:
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees c, roast the cubed squash with a little olive oil, cumin, salt and drizzle a little honey over it. Pop the squash in the oven until the next stage is done (20 minutes or so).
Whilst the squash is roasting, add a little olive oil to a large pan or casserole pot and sauté the onion, ginger, chilli and chopped rosemary until the onion becomes soft. Add the chicken, cinnamon/cassia, cumin, and coriander and continue to sauté until the chicken starts to brown..
(If you cooked this stage in a separeate pan, put the mixture into your tagine, large lidded pot or casserole dish)
Add the tomatoes, fruit and roasted squash, reduce oven temperature to 165 degreed c and cook for 35-40 minutes.
Recipe Notes
I serve this with plain couscous.
It also keeps well as leftovers for lunch the following day.
As always, I'd love to hear your feedback on any of my recipes you've tried.
I’ve had a couple of weeks off blogging, as I’ve been battling to overcome a virus for a few months. I’ve shaken it off now though and getting back to full strength. We’re heading over to India again for this week’s recipe. Simple, tasty, and not too spicy – I give you Keema Matar, which is basically the Indian version of mince and tatties.
In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the onion until soft.
Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin, and turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the lamb mince and cook until nicely browned. Now add the salt, yoghurt, and peas, cover with a lid or foil, and cook for a further 10 minutes or so.
Stir in the lime juice and serve, topping each portion with chopped coriander and flat breads or rice.
Recipe Notes
I really hope you enjoy this one - it's become a bit of a favourite in this house. If you're a bit afraid of curry, or not a lover of anything too spicy, this would be perfect for you. Very aromatic and tasty, with just a bit of underlying spice.
I had my first attempt at making parathas to accompany this - they were so good, but it's also great with chapatis or naan. If you're aiming for a lower carb option, it is really nice with cauliflower 'rice' too. As I was typing this up, a thought popped into my head that this would also be tasty topped with potato as a shepherd's pie, or even as a baked potato topping.
This year, spring has been a long time coming, so I decided to use the leftovers from Sunday dinner to make a nice hearty casserole.
With this one, the pork can easily be swapped with venison or beef. If your meat hasn’t been pre-roasted, don’t worry, just cook for an extra 30-45 minutes then add the chestnuts and cook for a further 30 minutes.
If you are using an oven-proof pan, pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees c.
Heat the oil in a large pan or casserole and cook the onions with half a teaspoon of sugar until they start to caramelise.
Add the halved mushrooms and keep cooking until they also start to brown.
Now add the pork, garlic, rosemary, and juniper and give a good stir to combine the ingredients.
Pop the stock cube into the pot, along with the wine and quarter of a cup of water. Stir again.
Add the chestnuts, put the lid on the pot and cook in the oven for half an hour or so.
If you feel you want to add some gravy (I did), do that just before serving.
Serve with mash and green beans (or peas if you forget to pick up some green beans!)
Recipe Notes
Make sure you use chestnuts, not water chestnuts. I once went to a local restaurant where the 'partridge with chestnuts' came with water chestnuts - not a very pleasant culinary experience.
Everyone loves a cottage pie, so I thought I’d give it a nice Mexican twist. The inspiration for the topping came from the wonderful Thomasina Myers, who is a bit of a hero of mine, not least because she won Masterchef. The Mexican street food in her Wahaca restaurants is so, so good. The last time we were in London, we went to the original one near Covent Garden for lunch, which was brilliant. I thoroughly recommend her book Mexican Food Made Simple. There are also Wahaca – Mexican Food at Home and Chilli Notes books, which are on my wishlist.
A couple of the ingredients listed in this recipe are a bit more difficult to source than the ingredients in my previous recipes, but they’re not essential; where a suitable alternative exists, I’ve also given that (or you can leave them out completely). You’ll also notice the cooking time is a bit longer, however the meat and bean mixture can be made in advance. Actually, the pie freezes really well; should you wish to freeze it, I recommend cutting it into individual portion sized pieces, wrapping in cling, then popping in a freezer bag.
Without further ado, I give you Mexican Cottage Pie.
5 or 6red chillies(finely chopped or ground to a paste or 1 tsp chilli powder plus more to taste)
4 clovesgarlic(grated or crushed)
1tspsalt
1tspsugar
1tspground cumin
1tspground coriander
1tspsmoked paprika1
1tbspmole(or square of 80%+ dark chocolate) - optional
splashbalsamic vinegar
1tspdried epazote- optional
1tspdried tarragon
750gramspork shoulder steaks
500mlpassata
1 or 2cansred kidney beans(drained)
Pie Topping
3canssweetcorn(large cans - drained)
3tbspcornmeal(or plain flour - not cornflour)
10gramsbutter
1tspsalt
Servings:
Instructions
If you're using an oven proof pan, preheat your oven to 150 degrees.
Heat the oil over a medium hot heat, add the sliced onions and peppers, salt and sugar, and cook for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. You want the vegetables to be soft and starting to brown.
Add the grated/crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, epazote, tarragon, smoked paprika, and half the chillies.
Add the pork, then stir well to coat the meat and vegetables with the spice mix. Now, add the passata, vinegar, and mole (or chocolate) and stir again. Taste the sauce and add the rest of the chillis if you wish. Put the lid on your pan.
If using an ovenproof dish, transfer to the oven and cook for 90-120 minutes until meat is tender and falling apart. If you are not using an ovenproof dish, cook for the same amount of time on a gentle heat, stirring every now and again to stop the mixture sticking. Add the beans then transfer the filling to a large ovenproof dish.
Adjust the oven temperature to 175 degrees.
Put the topping ingredients into your food processor and blitz into a very course paste.
Spread the topping onto your pie filling and bake for 30-40 minutes or so until the pie topping starts to form a crust.
Today’s recipe is one of those ones that brings back happy memories. in the long-distant days of my late teens/early 20s, when I didn’t cook as much and the variety of available ingredients wasn’t great, this was my go-to dish in the local Indian restaurant, possibly because it contains one of my all time favourite flavours – tamarind. Tamarind paste is pretty easily available in most supermarkets, but if you’re struggling to get it, don’t worry, you can add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar instead.
I’d love to hear from you if you try my this recipe out or have any questions about it.
1pieceginger (around the same size as the garlic)(grated)
2onions(blitzed to a pulp in the processer or grated)
1tspsalt
4chillies(crushed or 1- 2 tsp chilli powder)
0.5tspturmeric
1tspground cumin
1tspground coriander
1tsptandoori masala(optional)
600gramschicken thigh or breast fillets(cut into chunks)
1.5 - 2tinschopped tomatoes or passata
0.25cupwhite wine or cider vinegar
1 - 2tsptamarind paste
2tspjaggery or brown sugar
2bay leaves
chilli powder(to taste)
To serve:
Rice, cauliflower rice, chapattis, paratha or naan
chopped coriander
lime wedges
Servings:
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pan, saute the garlic and ginger for a minute, then add the onion and salt. Saute for a further 10 minutes.
Add the chillies, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, and tandoori masala. Stir to combine into a paste.
Add the chicken and stir for a few minutes until it becomes coated with the paste and starts to cook (don't worry if it's not cooked through at this stage, as the chunks will cook whilst the sauce is simmering later).
Add the tomatoes, vinegar, tamarind paste, jaggery/sugar and bay leaves and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken and reduce. After about 10 minutes, taste the sauce and add extra chilli powder if you feel it needs more of a kick.
Serve over rice or with flatbreads. Garnish with chopped coriander and lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
If you don't have jaggery or brown sugar, don't worry - normal granulated sugar will do.
Feel free to make this one in advance - if anything it taste even better the next day.
As it still feels like spring is a long way off, I decided another winter warmer was in order for the recipe this week. This one is heading to the East for influence, but uses ingredients which you can easily find in your local supermarket. There is also the added bonus that it’s all cooked in one pan, so there’s less washing up to do.
600gramschicken breast or thigh fillets(cut into strips)
2clovesgarlic(crushed)
1piecefresh ginger (approx 8x2cm)(grated or pureed)
1tbspsesame or vegetable oil
3peppers(sliced)
1onion(sliced)
4green chillies(sliced)
1chicken stockpot or cube
2tsppalm sugar(or granulated sugar)
1/4cupwhite wine or cider vinegar
2wholestar anise
1tbspdark soy sauce
sriracha or other hot sauce(optional)
To serve
chopped corriander
sesame seeds
Servings:
Instructions
Bring a wok (or large pan) of slightly salted water to the boil. Once boiling cook the noodles per the packet instructions, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside for later. Whilst the noodles are cooking, cut the chicken into strips and the veg into thin slices.
Rinse the wok, allow to dry on the stove. Once dry, heat the oil and stir fry the chicken for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir until the chicken is coated.
Add the veg and other ingredients (with the exception of the sriracha), along with 100ml of water. Stir to combine and simmer very gently for 10 minutes.
Taste the sauce and add some sriracha if you want a bit more heat.
Remove the star anise.
Add the noodles you cooked earlier, stir together and simmer gently for a further 3-5 minutes.
{Don't panic if it looks like mine has reduced drastically. I put half the meat, veg and sauce mix into a bowl, as I was only cooking for 2).
Serve in bowls, garnished with roughly chopped coriander and sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
If you have one, a wok is perfect for cooking this dish.
If you don't have fresh ginger, use 1tsp of lazy or ground ginger.
A taste of Mexico tonight – a healthy version of huevos rancheros. Huevos Rancheros is one of my favourite quick meals. Traditionally eaten for breakfast, it’s one of those ones I could eat any time of the day, and one of my go-tos when I’m late getting home. Sadly the fried corn tortilla in the traditional version makes it something which isn’t particularly healthy to eat regularly. Whilst I still enjoy the real thing as an occasional brunch, I can eat this version whenever I want without any guilt pangs; if anything it makes me feel positively virtuous.
Healthy Huevos Rancheros
Print Recipe
A healthy version of a traditional Mexican breakfast
1tspchilli flakes(or half a teaspoon chilli powder)
dashbalsamic vinegar
2eggs
1avocado(sliced)
grated cheese
Servings: as a main meal (2 as breakfast)
Instructions
Add the oil to a large frying pan or wok and warm over a medium heat. Once warm, add the garlic and saute until you can smell it (about 30 seconds).
Add the chopped tomatoes, chilli, vinegar and a pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes or so until the tomatoes start to go into a thick sauce. have a quick taste to make sure you have enough chilli for your tastes.
Whilst the sauce is cooking, poach your eggs
Just before serving, stir the tarragon through the tomato sauce
Arrange the sliced avocado on a plate, top with the sauce and the poached eggs. Grate a little cheese over the top and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
I prefer baby tomatoes as they're quick to chop (i just half them) and I like the taste, but you can use any type, or even chopped, tinned ones.
I find my wok is ideal for making the tomato sauce.
The traditional version of huevos rancheros has fried eggs, as well as a fried tortilla - feel free to use them in this version instead of poached should you wish.
Normally I like to offer alternatives for herbs and spices, but in this case only tarragon will do. Luckily it's readily available - I always keep a jar in my spice cupboard.
As always, I'd love to know how you get on if you give this recipe a try.
I knew I would be late home tonight, so needed something for dinner that was quick, easy and tasty. This one definitely ticks all those boxes. In fact, it’s so quick that the sauce will be ready by the time your pasta has cooked.
200gramscooked cocktail sausages(approx 4 sausages per person)
3bell peppers(any colour)
500gramspassata
2clovesgarlic(crushed or grated)
1tspsmoked paprika
1tsporegano
2-4tbspGreek yoghurt(full fat)
balsamic vinegar
hot pepper sauce(Tabasco, Encona etc)
Servings:
Instructions
Fill a large pan with water and a pinch of salt, and put on the hob to boil. Whilst water is heating, chop the peppers and sausages into chunky pieces and crush the garlic.
Heat a little olive oil (or sunflower oil) to a pan, add the garlic and allow to cook for a minute or so.
Add the peppers and half a teaspoon of sugar and cook for 10 minutes. During this time your pasta water should be boiling, so add the pasta, stir and leave to simmer.
Add the sausages, oregano, smoked paprika, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and hot sauce to taste (it's always better to err on the side of caution, as you can always add more once you've tasted the sauce).
Stir to combine and add the passata. Stir again and allow to simmer until the pasta has cooked. Taste to check the hot sauce amount is okay.
Once the pasta has cooked, remove pan from the heat, drain pasta, and return to the pan. Stir the sauce through the pasta and add a good dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Serve in bowls, topped with parmesan and a good grind of black pepper. If you're extra hungry, this pasta dish is delicious with garlic bread.
Recipe Notes
I hope you try (and enjoy) this recipe. If you do, I'd love to hear from you.
We were out for dinner with friends on Saturday, at the always wonderful Wedgwood the Restaurant and one of my friends ordered the leek starter. We all commented that we loved leeks but didn’t eat them often for some reason. With this conversation in my head, I thought leek would be an ideal ingredient for my new soup maker’s inaugural outing. I ran to the shop on my way into work to pick up some leeks and grabbed a celeriac as well. I love celeriac, especially done dauphinoise style (got to love things baked in cream!).
The soup was delicious. Ideal food if you’re trying to drop a few winter pounds (pointing a big finger at myself). Tonight I’m going to make some with roasted carrot.
1litrevegetable stock(or 2 stock cubes and 1 litre of water)
Servings:
Instructions
Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, keeping a little of the green part of one leek back for garnish if you so desire, and put in the soup maker (or large, lidded pan), add the stock (or cubes &water).
If using a soup maker, select smooth option, and switch on. Your soup will be ready in just over 20 minutes
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If making it the traditional way, simmer for 40 minutes or so until vegetables are soft, then blend with a stick blender.
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Cut the green section of leek into thin strips, fry in a little butter and serve on top of the soup, along with a good grind of black pepper.
Recipe Notes
If you are using a jug blender instead of a stick blender, allow soup to cool a bit before blending, then reheat.
