Child and Chilli-phobe Thai Green Curry Paste

I really enjoy thai flavours, but everytime I've tried buying curry paste, it's just been too hot for my chilli-phobe husband to enjoy. So many recipies for thai curry have 'curry paste' as an ingredient and after a bit of research and some trial and error, here is my best effort at a tasty (but reduced heat) green curry paste. It may not be authentic, but even my 18 month old loves it!

Enough for 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids!

2 Spring Onions
2 Shallots
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 teaspoons of chopped lemongrass (or 1 lemongrass stalk)
2 inch chunk of ginger
zest and juice of 1 lime
small bunch flat parsley
small bunch basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried coriander
1/2 of a big green chilli (big = less spicy!) seeds out
teaspoon of fish sauce
couple of pinches of curry powder (I use the rajah madras powder,  for seasoning/depth)

If you have a mini chopper or food processor I'd suggest you use it, a bit of chilli, or anything else flying into your eye is never fun! I use my stick blender at arms length and blend it until there are no big chunks.

Use in any thai recipe for the 'curry paste' component!

I simply cook it off first with a splash of oil in a big pan, then add all my veg and/or meat, a can of coconut milk and some stock and a tablespoon of coconut cream to thicken (if you want the recipe in a bit more detail (not that there's much) just ask!)

enjoy!

Cous cous Stuffed Roasted Peppers

Cous cous, is great and a true fast food!

At it's most basic, simply pour over boiling water and cover until it puffs up.
That is a little bit too basic tho!

After a week of indulgence and way too much clotted cream, we've decided to have a veggie-orientated week to detox and re-energise. This is my husband's favourite veggie recipe, as always change it up how you like!

You will need (for 2):

2 Peppers, try and find ones with flat bottoms!
1 salad tomato
1 flat mushroom
1 Spring onion (shallot or 1/4 onion)
1/4 block of feta
cous cous for 2 (read your pack, if you make any extra it's great at room temp for packed lunch!)
mixed herbs / garlic (I used oregano and parsley)
olive oil

• Get your oven nice and hot, we're looking at 200 C on a fan.
•  Cut off the top of the peppers and pull out the white core and all the pips, its a bit fiddly but worth it as it doesn't taste too nice! Drizzle over some olive oil and seasoning and pop on a baking tray (standing upright) for 12 minutes or untill the peppers are just starting to blacken on the skin.
• Whilst this is going on, dice up your onion and mushroom, stir it round the bottom of a saucepan with a glug of oil and the garlic untill softened and then add the cous cous to the pan.
• Pop the kettle on whilst your stir the cous cous around the saucepan until it is all coated in oil, turn the heat OFF on the pan, pour enough boiling water to cover the cous cous and then put the pan lid on. This makes the cous cous go lovely and plump and fluffy in a few minutes!

• Now it's an assembly line, turn down the oven to 170 C, stir in your chosen herbs into the cooked cous cous and then spoon the mixture into the peppers. Top with crumbled feta and cook until the cheese has got blackened edges. 

Viola! Lovely with a big fresh salad (I topped mine with more crumbled feta to tie it all together)

Mash not Smash! (other instant mash products are available ;) )

Hello!

Sorry I've been a bit quiet, just spent a week in NOT so sunny Cornwall, getting stuck in torrential rain but still resolutely eating lots of ice cream!

So not a recipe for now but instead a quick top tip

Mash potato for one

Instant mash potato is one of those things that's not even worth putting the kettle on for, BUT

Instead of peeling, chopping and boiling potatoes in a pan, instead  keep the skin on, prick it all over and put in the microwave for at least 5 mins (for a small potato) you can feel when its done if you give it a squeeze and it's very soft, then simply scoop out the insides into a bowl, batter around with a spoon and add whatever bits you like to add (for me it's just a knob of butter and some seasoning when I'm keeping it simple) make it as simple or as complicated as you like!

This also works for sweet potatoes!

Ax

P-P-Paella!

Love Spainish flavours, chorizo is a fridge staple and just the smell of saffron steeping in hot chicken stock makes my mouth water.

However, I do not like fishy fish, you know what I mean! So this Paella with just prawns (and not those faffy ones, time and a place for those is not today) gives a hint of seafood flavour without being overpowering.

Ingredients:

Handful cubed chorizo (75g ish)
200g prawns peeled and no heads/legs etc! (big or small, only know the weight cause it's on the packet!)
1 big shallot diced (or 1/2 onion)
1/2 mug of frozen peas
handful of roasted red peppers (the ones from a jar, or fresh if you'd like some crunch)
150g rice basmati or long grain (I would reccomend you weigh the rice)
500ml chicken stock (fresh ideally or a stock cube will be ok)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp turmeric
Pinch Saffron

• Heat up the stock to a simmer (or make up your stock cube with boiling water) and add the saffron.
• Soften the shallot and garlic in a large frying pan with olive oil and then add the chorizo - cook for 3 mins, stir occasionally
• Stir in rice and turmeric until it's all coated in the oil.
• Pour over the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins
• Add all the other ingredients and cook (lid on) for 5 mins.

If you want to bulk it out a bit more or to feed an extra bod, add some cook chicken or pan fry some chicken strips with the onion and garlic before adding the chorizo.

Roast Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato

Super sides!

I discovered sweet potato a few years ago now, not being something I ever ate in my childhood (to the best of my knowledge) and it is just so nice. Roasted in a big dish with Butternut Squash and a few extra flavours it is one of my favourite sides.

Only a few ingredients:
Sweet potato ( 2 medium sized )
Butternut Squash (1/2 a medium sized one)
Olive oil
Garlic (fresh, granules, pre-chopped however you have it)
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Salt and Pepper

Pre-Heat your oven to 190*C

Peel and chop your butternut squash into chunky cubes (but definately no bigger than an inch, if you're being pedantic 1.5cm/ 1/2 inch is ideal).
Do the same for the sweet potato (but if you want to leave the skin on, it's very good for you!)

Place in a big roasting dish and drizzle liberally with the olive oil, dot/ sprinkle in a couple of cloves of garlic, (or more if you love it as much as I do!) and sprinkle over your rosemary. move it all around with a spoon to ensure everything is nicely coated and pop it in the oven for at least 20 minutes.

Check it by sticking a fork in the biggest bit you see, it should be nice and soft and just starting to catch on the edges of the chunks.

Enjoy!
PS: this is just the basic recipe, try adding some smoked paprika, cumin or other spices to the seasoning, or experiment with other veg ( a bit of red pepper is nice!).



In the picture I've had it with minted lamb cous cous, yoghurt drizzle and a pitta. Recipe for the cous cous coming soon!