Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Salad

With the weather being so amazingly hot the thought of standing in front of a hot stove removes my usually insatiable appetite, even the thought of too much prep is quietening my regular belly rumbles..

With our wedding only a month away this should be a good thing, eating a little less will make the wedding suit fit that little bit better. But a boy does still have to eat! 

So, this is the time to throw a small number of excellent ingredients together and just sit back and enjoy with a nice cold drink. The quality of the ingredients is all important!


Ingredients, for one plate -

Get the best quality of each of these -
125g Buffalo Mozzarella Ball
Approx 10 cherry tomatoes / 4 normal tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly shredded
Salt and pepper, freshly ground
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Slice or tear the mozzarella, your preference, slice some ripe beautiful tomatoes and arrange both on a plate. 
• Roughly tear the fresh basil to release the flavours and sprinkle generously over. 
• Drizzle with best quality extra virgin olive oil and grind over a little pepper and salt.  
• Serve at room temperature with some fresh crusty bread and a glass of vino.

 

BBQ Season - German Potato Salad

'The sun is shining, the weather is sweet,
Make you want to barbecue all kinds of meat.....'

The only trouble with this great weather is that we live in London and our budget stretched to a lovely one bedroom flat but did not extend to any outside space...

So while this potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to barbecued meats we do not have the ability to barbecue any meat, and everyone knows that the inside grill is just not the same.

So which lucky garden owning friend is coming 'to the rescue, I've let you know, yall, where i stand!'


Ingredients -

1kg new potatos, halved, third big ones
Large bunch of spring onions, all chopped
4 hard boiled eggs
3-4 heaped tbsps of mayonaise, light is fine
Heaped tsp english mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
6 rashers of smoked bacon, grilled and chopped
Gerkhins, sliced or mini ones halved to serve

• Bring the potatoes to boil in salted water and then simmer for 15-20 mins until soft
• Remove from the pan and cool completely
• Hard boil the eggs - if you need help try delia's website
• Chop eggs
• Put everything in a large bowl and stir to evenly combine, refrigerate until ready to eat
• Top with gerkhins, baby or sliced.

Serve with german sausages or other meat as a main course, on it's own as a snack or as side dish at a bbq

Chinese Tomato Scrambled Eggs

As a child I did not like scrambled eggs until one day a friend showed me how delicious they could be with a good squirt of tomato ketchup stirred through. I enjoyed my eggs like this for a few years until i grew out of the need for everything to have a sugar kick for it to be worth eating.

Many years later on a 48 hour train journey to Tibet from Chengdu in China my enjoyment of the incredible views was interrupted by a flash back to munching down those ketchup covered eggs.

While savouring the ever more incredible scenery, we were getting rather tired of scrabble and the snacks we had brought with us so we ventured through a couple of carriages to try out the on board restaurant. It was around brunch time so Rachel ordered the tomato eggs. When they arrived, a bowl of scrambled eggs with chopped tomatoes and lovely Asian juices we tucked in, rather awkwardly with chop sticks, and there was that taste again. This time though there was SO much more, the ginger, chili and soy sauce adding an intense Asian zing but there was still the added sweetness that defined my ketchup eggs.

These are great for an alternative breakfast, light meal or as a side dish as part of a Chinese feast.
 

Ingredients, for 2 servings -

5 large free range eggs
Tsp of dried chili flakes (optional)

Sunflower or other flavourless oil

2-3 spring onions, chopped, reserve the chopped green leaves, from the upper third
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
Approx 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered (or two medium tomatoes, chopped)
Tsp sugar
Tsp soy sauce

Sliced red chili for serving, along with the green part of spring onions, above.

• Beat the eggs with some chili flakes, if using, and add a little salt.
• Heat a tbsp of the oil in a wok until hot, add the eggs and scramble until nearly done, remove to a plate.
• Clean the wok, add 2 tbsp of oil and heat until hot.
• Add the spring onion, tomatoes, ginger and sugar, stir fry for a few minutes until fragrant and tomatoes are softening.
• Add the splash of soy sauce and continue to toss together for another minute.
• Add back in the eggs and toss to combine, cooking for another minute to finish the eggs off.
• Serve immediately (over some stir fried pak choi perhaps) with a sprinkling of chili slices and the reserved, chopped green part of the spring onions.

French Onion Soup

The French are famous for their culinary expertise - fine dining restaurants with kitchens run by flamboyant and egotistical chefs, the food served at perfectly made tables. 

I love french cuisine but i've never been one for the classic white tableclothed restaurant, I'm too messy an eater. So while scoffing a bowl of French onion soup, splattering lovely broth around the bowl it got me thinking, something didn't add up. French cooking and loose sloppy onions, white tablecloths and uncontrollable mess, how did this unsophisticated dish become part of such a refined cuisine?
 
It appears that this beautifully rich and indulgent soup was not part of classic French cooking but in the 18th Century was typical peasant food, for the lower classes, made from just a few easily accessible and cheap ingredients. 

The dish shows just how naturally skilled in the art of cooking the French nation is, if even the most poor, down trodden and desperate of their nation had to struggle by on something so god damn delicious
    

Ingredients - Serves 4

1kg brown onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g butter
Tbsp dried thyme
Tsp granulated sugar
1.5 litres of beef stock
1/2 tsp of Marmite (optional)
Small glass of dry white wine
2 tbsp brandy 

For the croutons - 
French baguette
Gruyere cheese 
 

• Melt the butter in a large pan.
• Add the onions and fry on high for approx 10 mins.
• Add the garlic and thyme and continue to fry for 5 mins before turning the heat down to medium.
• Cook slowly for approx 30 mins until the onions are browned and looking rich and sticky
• Pour over the wine and stir to release all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add the stock and Marmite, if using, and bring to the boil.
• Turn down to allow to simmer, lidless, for around an hour.
• Stir through the brandy once the soup has reduced and is nice and rich and cook for another few minutes
• Slice the baguette into approx 1 and a half inch slices and grill on one side until lightly browned.
• Turn the bread over, top with a little cheese and pepper and grill until the cheese is melted and golden.
• Serve the soup in bowls topped with a couple of gruyere croutons.  

Irish Fondue

Rachel admitted recently that she has a guilty pleasure - When i am not around, she slices some mature cheddar cheese onto a plate and then microwaves it on high for a few seconds until it is melted. She then lets it cool slightly before proceeding to peel the melted cheese from the plate and popping it into her mouth...

I was of course disappointed but not in the least bit surprised with her actions.

It is this kind of thing, like her love of eating cold hot dogs, that makes me worry and makes me question the quality of the food i produce and so proudly share with the world via this blog.

I feel filled with confidence when Rachel wolfs down my latest creation and looks at me lovingly, describing how delicious the meal is, but perhaps this warm cheese / cold sausage eating judge isn't the most qualified to grade my culinary experiments... Perhaps she is more like the factory workers mum on X Factor who somehow believes their child's complete lack of talent should be encouraged and pushed until one day it is tested in front of the world and they are laughed at and humiliated....

It is this worry that will possibly hold me back from ever taking the next step in my culinary journey, whatever that may be, held back by the apprehension that perhaps I've been brainwashed by my nearest and dearest, that their blind love for me has created an illusion, a false reality into which no one else should ever enter or certainly not pop around for dinner...

I can only hope that i am wrong and that these disgusting treats are more about reminiscing to times gone by and not in fact any reflection on my current skills in the kitchen. 
 
I do of course still need to provide a recipe with this post, i don't want to get into the habit of simply airing my thoughts and worries publicly like some attention seeking whore and deviating from the purpose of this blog. So, here one is, complete with microwaved cheddar cheese. It is one of our favourite naughty savoury snacks and is really simple -

Ingredients for 2 -

2 Pittas, wholemeal is healthier....
Cheddar Cheese
Jalapenos
Chilli Sauce

• Toast pitta
• Slice open
• Put cheese and jalapenos inside (or anything else you fancy)
• Microwave on high for a few seconds, until the cheese is all melted
• Eat with dipping sauce 

Teriyaki Seared Tuna

Another quick to prepare Asian meal to keep you away from the local Chinese takeaway and their secret, hidden kitchens. What goes on behind the stud partition walls that they don't want you to see... Perhaps it is something as sinister as what occurred recently at a Chinese restaurant in Kentucky where the owners were caught wheeling a bin full of road kill into the kitchen... Do you want to take the chance that your beef in black bean sauce is actually made from half a squashed badger or that the chicken in your chow mein is really bits of pigeon pulled from the hub caps of a Vauxhall Astra?

All other fast food shops proudly display their produce unashamed of what they are selling, even the kebab dens proudly advertise the food with vague references to the meat included in the meals and display the skewered lamb and chicken in front of you to allow full examination before committing to a purchase

So, the next time you crave an Asian infused dish spend your hard earned on a lovely piece of fresh tuna instead of the mystery box from the local take away and smother it in this simple teriyaki sauce for a delicious Japanese flavoured dinner with all of the taste but none of the worry.

That is if you still have an appetite at all after reading this post....



Ingredients for 2 portions -

approx 350g tuna steak
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 chillies chopped
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp honey

2 tbsp Sesame oil
1cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 pak choi
2 hand fulls of mushrooms

Optional sesame seeds to serve

Udon Noodles, approx 100g 

• Mix the chillies, soy and honey until well combined
• Cook noodles according to packet instructions
• Add sesame oil to hot wok with a little finely chopped ginger, cook for a minute and then add the chopped pak choi and chopped mushrooms
• Rub tuna all over with oil and season with salt and pepper
• Heat a griddle pan until very hot, add tuna steak and sear for approx 3 mins on either side until browned.
• Pour over the honey/soy mix and allow to cook and caramelise for up to a minute

Serve in a bowl, noodles at the bottom, veg around the edge and the tuna on top, drizzle with the remaining sauce from the griddle pan.
 
Sprinkle with sesame seeds

Pea & Mint Soup with Crumbled Feta

For years i hated peas.

As a child i despised the taste, the look, the feel and the smell of them. They were probably my least favourite food especially when poorly teamed with their little yellow twins sweet corn. Like a Brazilian themed mini child's ball pool at the edge of the dinner plate, but no where near as much fun. Their other problem is they roll around the plate and are completely unsuited to the cutlery used for the dinner course, meaning you look like some anorexic girl eating your meal one tiny pea morsel at a time with your comparatively giant fork, it'd be like eating meatballs with a garden rake...

Anyway.

As i grew older i tried more of the foods i thought i didn't like and found that either initially i had been wrong or that my taste buds had matured (or numbed...) and i now enjoyed the taste. Thinking about it, it was possibly down to them being poorly prepared, like school dinners with cheap ingredients and cooked badly, or most commonly to death.

The first time i remember liking peas was New Years Day, probably around 1998. We all used to head down to our local lacrosse club the day after New Years Eve to catch up with friends and celebrate further the year to come. Another tradition was for an older Scottish gentleman from the club, John Marr - a living legend in lacrosse circles, to make a huge batch of his special split pea and ham soup and force everyone to eat some along with a generous glass of scotch whisky! I had been reluctant for years and had managed to avoid either in the most part but then i found myself cornered by the huge Scottish beast and forced to take a bowl of his soup and what must have been half a pint of scotch. Taking a big mouthful of the soup, there was no way in my fragile state i was going to risk the scotch, i found myself pleasantly surprised, not only was i enjoying the pea taste but also i could feel my body responding to the nutritional benefits that the soup was reaping on my hungover body. I liked peas... I then  thought 'what the heck' and had a swig of the scotch too and nearly vomited...

Unfortunately a year later on the way to our lacrosse club get together i was told a rumour about a batch of John's split pea and ham soup from a few years back. Apparently John's flat had been broken into one new years eve and the pesky burglars had not only stolen electronic equipment among other valuable items but had also spotted the soup and one of them had decided to ruin an old man's good work by weeing in the pot. John apparently coming back and finding this had not let it beat him and had given the soup a bloody good stir, warmed it through, added a little extra salt and pepper and served it up the next day anyway... I need not confirm, however absurd the story may sound, that with my new year hungover stomach, the story ruined my desire to eat any pea soup that day and for a good while after.

More recently, over the last few years, i have learnt to love all food and am now comfortable with the taste of pea. I've experienced delicious pea puree smudged across my plate in a posh vegetarian restaurant and devoured large pots of mushy peas with traditional fish and chips by the sea side. I had however still not cooked with them myself, until a friend brought some around as part of a dinner party we were having and we forgot to use them leaving them waiting for me in the bottom of the freezer. The peas had already come in handy once to reduce a badly swollen knee but were again put to good use following an inspiring episode of Saturday Kitchen for this delicious soup, served hot or cold it's just pea....rfect!
 

Ingredients -

700 g Frozen Peas

1.2l Chicken Stock

Onions - i used - Half an onion, 2 shallots, 4 spring onions as that's what i had in, chopped

3 Sticks of Celery, chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper

Large handful of fresh Mint Leaves

Lemon Juice, approx 2 tbsp, freshly squeezed

Feta Cheese, however much you fancy

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan
• Add onions, garlic, celery, pepper
• Fry for approx 8 mins until soft
• Add hot chicken stock and pea
• Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins until peas are soft
• Blend
• Stir through mint and lemon juice and blend again for a short time to leave mint leaf speckles, pretty!
• Serve with a generous amount of crumbled feta over the top and a little more freshly ground black pepper

Moroccan Couscous And Smoked Mackerel Salad

Having never been totally convinced, we're still experimenting with dishes that combine sweet and savoury. We recently tasted a cheese macaron and although i found it rather pleasant, although equally confusing, Rach did not take to the clash of differing flavours occurring in her mouth ->

So it was with a little trepidation that i decided to take my life into my culinary hands and dish up a healthy Moroccan couscous style salad for dinner with Rachel's favourite broccoli included (hopefully this would help appease the beast) along with some potentially controversial and very sweet dried apricot also included.

The gamble luckily paid off, the mixture of the oily fish, sweet apricot, buttery couscous and fresh veg was splendid and has now been added to Rachel's weekly 'why dont we have ....... for tea tonight' request list, the seal of approval for any new dish!!

Ingredients (Serves 4) -

300g Couscous

2 tsp Ras El Hanout

Tsp Ground Coriander

Approx 1 tsp of grated ginger

2-3 Knobs of Butter

450ml Vegetable Stock

Approx 250g Broccoli, boiled until soft then chopped

Juice and Zest of half a Lemon

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

Red Chili, finely chopped

1 Small Red Onion, finely chopped

100g Dried Apricots finely chopped

Toppings -

250g Hot Peppered Smoked Mackerel, flaked

100g Flaked Almonds, toasted in a dry pan until golden

• Mix the couscous with the grated ginger, Ras el hanout and the ground coriander. Dot with butter and pour over the hot stock, cover tightly and leave for 10 minutes or until all soaked in.
• Mix the couscous through with the broccoli, lemon, garlic, chili, onion and apricots until combined.
• Top with the mackerel and almonds and serve.

Get Creative With Your Quesadillas

Lovely little Mexican cheese toasties - quesadillas are ready in minutes and can be thrown together with anything you have in the fridge, as long as you have a couple of the essentials then you're ready to experiment!

Quesadilla mix

They also create hardly any washing up so are perfect for a quick, easy meal!

Ingredients -

Flour or Corn Tortillas

Filling base -

Grated mature cheddar or other cheese

Dry fry on both sides

A Pepper, finely chopped

Onion, finely chopped

Chili Sauce, to taste

Optional -

Chorizo

Chicken
Refried beans

Olives

Mushrooms

To Serve -

Chop in three

Guacamole, see Breakfast Burrito recipe

Soured Cream

Salsa

Salad

Extra chili sauce

• Add the base and any optional ingredients for the filling to a bowl and, using a knife and fork, mix and finely chop everything together thoroughly.
• Place a tortilla into a dry non stick frying pan, add the filling to one half, not quite to the edge, and fold in half pressing down (you can do 2 at once, just be a little careful when flipping them over).
• Turn the hob on to a low / medium heat, you need to melt the cheese inside before the tortilla gets too brown, once the cheese is melting you can turn the heat up to crisp up the tortillas, turn halfway through to make sure the tortilla is crisp on both sides.
• Take the tortilla out of the pan and chop into 3 triangles.
• Serve with a salad, guacamole, salsa and soured cream.
  

Makhani Dhal

While at Dishoom, see previous post Dishoom Keema Pau i had the opportunity to taste their signature 24 hour slow cooked makhani dhal, which is amazing, unfortunately the recipe is a well guarded secret.

I love dhal though and makhani dhal, makhani meaning buttery, is the most luxurious Indian dhal, saved for special occasions, so i had to find a way to recreate it.

Scouring the internet most recipes have a very similar base but i've settled on the one below, which is perhaps the most indulgent i've seen, incorporating double cream and a suitably generous amount of butter for a dish with butter in it's name.

This can be done on the stove but i got the trusty old slow cooker out again and cooked it for around 12 hours, only half the cooking time of Dishoom's dish but just as good!

Ingredients -

225g Black Urad Dhal / Black Lentils

2 Onions, finely chopped

2 Green Chillis, sliced

50g Butter + Extra

Tbsp freshly grated Root Ginger

3 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 Tsp Tumeric

Tsp Hot Chilli Powder

2 Tsp Cumin

2 Tsp Coriander

2 Bay Leaves

2 x 400g cans Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

142ml Pot of Double Cream

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

Handful Chopped Coriander

Salt

• Heat your slowcooker to high
• Boil lentils in 800ml of water for 15 minutes until almost tender
• Meanwhile fry the onions and chilli in 50g butter until soft
• Stir in the ginger, garlic and spices and cook over a low heat for 1 minute
• Pour the lentils with liquid, contents of frying pan and 800ml boiling water into your slow cooker (or a large pan if cooking on the stove)
• After an hour add bay leaves and kidney beans
• After a couple more hours blend the mixture but not for too long, you still want some texture to the dhal
• Add in the cream and some corriander and taste. Add a little more butter, 15g maybe, and any other seasoning that the dhal needs to your taste and continue to cook until thick and creamy but not dry
• I cooked it for a total of 12 hours but it's up to you, add a little more water if it gets too dry.

Serve with some extra fresh coriander either on it's own, with your choice of indian bread or as part of a full Indian feast.

Smoked Mackerel Noodles In Minutes

Replace fast food with good food fast.

How long does it take to cook a ready meal, 10 minutes perhaps, a little more with standing time?

And what about the time wasted trying to remove the film lid, tearing a thin edge from around the perimeter without actually gaining access to the main tray at all. Then cutting out the middle of the film and picking at the bits that are glued down to try and make sure you don't end up eating plastic with your meal...

I urge you to try this instead, you can have it dished up in 10 minutes and is our favourite super fast mid week meal and unlike the microwavable cr*p it tastes amazing and is really healthy! I'd even take this over most of the Asian takeaways i've had.


Ingredients, approx 3 servings - 

250g Rice Noodles

3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 cloves of minced Garlic and 2cm piece of Ginger grated (you can use garlic puree from a tube and ginger paste from a pot to speed things up)

Chopped birdseye chillis, to taste

Half a large cucumber, halved lengthways and then sliced

Bunch of Spring Onions, sliced

Handful of Coriander Leaves

4 Smoked Mackerel fillets, peppered ones work well, torn into small pieces 

• Boil the noodles until cooked and then rinse in cold water
• Meanwhile mix the soy sauce, ginger, garlic and chillis with 3 tbsp of water, this is the dressing
• Throw the noodles into a large bowl with the spring onions, cucumber and some fresh coriander. Pour over half the dressing and stir.
• Serve in bowls with a good drizzle of the remaining dressing and topped with the mackerel and the rest of the coriander.

Curried courgette soup (with rice)

Rachel has made this a few times and it's really tasty but, as with salads, soups tend to be a little light for me to classify as a whole meal. Rach will make a large batch and take a small amount for her lunch and at first I'd pretend to do the same. What my girlfriend didn't know, but surely suspected, was that the soup wouldn't be my lunch but would end up as an addition to my usual lunch....  

Thinking about this while scoffing a bowl of soup plus sandwich, crisps and chocolate, belt buckle straining, I thought 'there must be another way to fill up over lunch' and came up with the idea of adding a little cooked rice to the soup to fill it out and provide my body with the fuel it craves to keep going through the afternoon. I told Rachel and she informs me that this is 'a very Mexican thing to do' , think burritos filled out with rice. 

So that is what i now do, the extra carbs add the sustenance that was missing, i save money from not eating a multi course lunch and probably most importantly i am less of a gordito.

 

Ingredients - 

2 tsp Butter

1 large Onion, chopped

900g Courgettes, sliced

450ml Chicken or Veg Stock

Heaped tsp Curry Powder

100ml Soured Cream and extra to garnish

Salt and Pepper

Cooked Rice (optional)

 Makes 4 servings

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion for a few minutes
• Add the courgettes and cook for another couple of minutes
• Pour in the stock and curry powder
• Bring to the boil, then simmer covered for approx 20mins until the courgettes are soft
• Blend the soup with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth
• Stir through the soured cream and season with salt and pepper.

Serve in bowls with a dribble of soured cream or with a spoonful of rice stirred through.

Chorizo, Tomato and Avocado Salad

I've always been of the opinion that a salad is a side dish rather than a main course and perhaps still am, but this salad tastes so good that i eat two huge bowls of it everytime i make it and am left fully satisfied however hungry i was before i started!

The dish combines some of my absolute favourites, chorizo and avocado, and the balsamic vinegar brings all the flavours together beautifully. It only takes a short time to throw together and is best served warm.
 

The below should serve 4 but Rach and I finish it off in one sitting....   

Ingredients -

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

Garlic Clove, crushed

Pinch Dried Oregano

1 Small Ciabatta, torn into small pieces

150g Chorizo, halved lengthways and sliced

250g pack of good quality Cherry Tomatoes

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Pinch of Dark Sugar

2 or 3 ripe Avocados, stoned and sliced

Approx 150g Salad Leaves, eg. rocket/spinach/baby leaf and herb

• Heat half of the oil in a large pan with the garlic and oregano, add the ciabatta and fry for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until crisp and browned, tip them into a large salad bowl
• Give the pan a quick wipe and add the chorizo until it realeases it's oils and starts to crisp up, approx 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and toss to mix, cook for a short while until they start to soften.
• Drizzle over the vinegar, add the sugar and some freshly ground black pepper
• In the salad bowl, add the salad leaves and sliced avocado and gently mix with the remaining olive oil and croutons. Spoon over the chorizo and tomatoes and drizzle with the juice from the pan

Spanish Chorizo and Chickpea Soup

I've seen numerous different recipes for this soup and for good reason - it's quick, easy to make and tastes delicious! It's a great winter warmer.

I roughly follow this recipe depending on what we have in the cupboards, the most important thing is good quality ingredients, particularly the chorizo and tomatoes.

It tastes even better the next day, if you can wait, as this allows all the flavours to infuse fully.

Ingredients -

150g Chorizo, diced

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Celery Stalks, finely chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

2 x 400g can of Chopped Tomatoes

400g can of Chickpeas

1 litre of good quality Chicken Stock

Chilli Flakes and Paprika, to taste

250g bag of Spinach, stalks removed

Creme Freche to serve

• Fry the chorizo in a large saucepan until they give off their oils
• Add onion, celery and garlic
• Cook on a gentle heat for approx 10 mins with the lid on
• Add chickpeas with liquid, chopped tomatoes and stock. Season and bring to the boil
• Simmer for about 20 minutes
• Add spinach at the end, stir through until wilted
• Serve in warmed bowls with a dollop of creme freche

Dishoom Keema Pau

While in my last job as a restaurant agent I had the opportunity to do a Masterchef style day at Dishoom restaurant in London's West End. I was up against a number of other surveyors from the leisure property world and fancied my chances.

The first challenge was to recreate their 'Keema Pau' dish having watched a chef demonstrate the technique. After a slow start browning the onions and seeing a number of my competitors confidently complete the task within a few minutes (this was no race, the idiots...) i happily pulled everything together and stood back to watch the judge take a mouthful of my dish into his mouth and look me in the eye with a knowing nod that i had done the recipe justice.

Unfortunately the second challenge was a quiz and not food related but about property in London, having been in the capital for all of a few months i didn't fare too well and crashed out of the competition before the final.... Still proud that i'd created the dish of the day and even happier that i had an extra hour to sup down a few more of their incredible Chaijito cocktails!

Below is the recipe as good as i can remember it, minus the bread they serve it with, i always use naan at home and serve it with whatever Indian chutney i have in the cupboard.

This is a dry dish so if it's swimming in juices you've done something wrong. Keep it relatively dry as you go through the stages and you shouldn't go too wrong. You're basically caramelising the onions at the start so cook them for longer than you'd expect to make sure they're lovely and browned, the pan shouldn't be too hot for this stage but not too low as you don't want them to just sit there and sweat. Lots of oil is important too, this is an Indian dish!

Ingredients -

 

400g Minced Lamb (Lean, if it's too fatty you may have to remove some of the juice from the pan and it'll also make your kitchen smell for a week... trust me)

Veg Oil

Tsp Cumin Seeds

1/2 Large Onion, finely chopped

1/2 Heaped Tsp Ginger Paste

Heaped Tsp Garlic Paste

Tsp Red Chilli Powder

Heaped Tsp Cumin Powder (Plus extra to taste)

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

4 or 5 Tbsp Chopped Tomatoes (or 3 tbsp of tomato puree and a little water)

Fresh Coriander Leaves

Salt

• Heat approx 3 tbsp of oil in a frying pan until hot, add cumin seeds until they start to crackle

• Add onions and fry until golden brown, don't under cook it's important to get them nicely browned

• Add ginger and garlic pastes and saute until oil separates

• Add a little water (2 tbsp approx)

• Add all dry spices and saute, sprinkle with a little more water

• Add chopped tomatoes and saute until the oil separates

• Add the lamb mince and saute on a high heat until it dries up and becomes brownish

• Add a little extra water and simmer

• Add generous amounts of coriander leaves

• Check the seasoning (adjust with salt and / or extra cumin)

Serve garnished with extra fresh coriander with your choice of Indian bread and chutney.

Super Spinach & Chilli Soup

We were all taught that Popeye only needed a mouthful of spinach and suddenly he would become as strong as an ox and unbeatable in a fight. 

So at the family dinner table we'd be served some bland steamed mush and told to get it down us as it would make us strong like the tattooed cartoon character.  This obviously did not work and there must have been a small number of gullible kids who, after just about stomaching the spinach side dish at dinner, had gone out to confront the local bully full of confidence that the green stuff would fuel them to a David vs Goliath style victory only to get flattened and to run home crying, partly from the beating they had just received and partly because of the realisation that once again their parents had lied to them. The magic of Christmas - Lies, Babies are brought to their mummy's by a stalk - Lies, Tell the truth and you won't get in trouble - Lies...
 
It's surprising that any of us have any trust left in our parents... I'm not going to let my future kids down in the same way, they're getting the cold hard truth from the outset - There is no Santa Claus, your mother and I had very close naked hugs to make you and tell me the truth and you will get in trouble but you are in trouble anyway so what difference does it make??....   

Anyway, i suppose the spinach thing wasn't all lies, it does have many benefits, these benefits were just vastly exaggerated in the cartoon and the idea of eating it ready processed in a can, however convenient, is just disgusting...   

So try this as a delicious way to get the stronger skin, bones and vision that spinach can give you. I've also included chilli which reportedly boosts circulation, increases your metabolic rate and is both an anti inflammatory and provides pain relief.

I often make this when i have left over roast chicken and throw in the scraps for some extra muscle building protein!

Serve in mugs or sealed tins (for emergency situations...)

Ingredients - 

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Onions, chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, crushed

Freshly Chopped or Dried Red Chilli Flakes, to taste

1.7 Litres Chicken Stock

250g bag of Spinach

Salt and Pepper

100ml Double Cream

2 handfuls of leftover Roast Chicken

• Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic and chilli for a few minutes until softened
• Add the stock and bring to the boil
• Add the spinach, stir through to wilt and then simmer for approx 5 mins (add the leftover chicken  at the same time if using)
• Blend until smooth and season well with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
• Stir through the double cream or serve with the cream drizzled through.