Carrot & carraway cous cous

Just a quick variation on cous cous. Great side dish with lamb.

You will need:

1 carrot (grated)
1/2 diced red onion
Tsp ground coriander
Tsp ground turmeric
Tsp Carraway seed
Tsp tomato puree
Tsp garlic granules
Handful of chopped mushrooms (optional)
Mugfull of cous cous

Gently cook the onion in olive oil with the coriander, turmeric, mushroom (if using) and tomato paste. Cook until soft and add the carrot carraway and garlic.
(Put your kettle on) and then stir the cous cous in the pan until coated in the mixture. Once the kettle has boiled pour enough boiling water to cover the mixture by about 1cm, put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat.
Leave for 5mins until the cous cous has absorbed all the water.
Viola!

Time for tea part 3 - Honey roast ham, crumbled goats cheese topped veg and a honey balsamic drizzle

Another meal idea using the cola boiled ham recipe. Served with roasted sweet potato red peppers and red onions, topped with crumbled creamy goats cheese. And a bag of baby leaf salad that is drizzled with a honey balsamic dressing (I used a 1:1 ratio of good honey and balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and a pinch of garlic powder). Whisk in a cup untill its properly combined.

For the roasted veg chop up 2 sweet potatoes and 1 red pepper into chunks. Quarter the red onion into wedges and spread in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. It will take about 30mins in a 190°c oven, just untill the edges of the vegetables are starting to catch.

The sweet sour combination of the dressing is so good with the creamy goats cheese and all the flavours worked together really well so just wanted to share :

Enjoy.

Beef 'Supreme' Quesadillas

So, the other day I slow braised a joint of beef (click here for a recipe) but with Spring finally starting to make an appearance I didn't want to use it for a heavy meal. After a quick scout around the kitchen I decided to make quesadillas. This is how I made them:

You will need: (for three people)

3 big handfuls of shredded beef (leftover roast/braised beef is a great option)
3 mushrooms thinly sliced (you can always pre-cook these if you like)
1/2 a red pepper thinly sliced
1/2 a small red onion thinly sliced
3 handfuls of grated mature cheddar
barbeque sauce (if you have your own recipe, go ahead, this time however mine came out of a bottle)
3 big tortilla wraps

Simply take each tortilla in turn and on half of it (draw an imaginary line down the middle as it's going to be folded) spread on a layer of barbeque sauce then sprinkle over a third of the the beef, sliced mushrooms, strips of red pepper and onion slices. Try to create a nice even layer, then top it off with a generous sprinkle of cheese. Fold over your wrap so it makes a nice semi circle. Complete the same process with the other wraps.

Get a frying pan on a medium heat and add a touch of oil. With each quesadilla in turn, toast for a few minutes each side, untill the wrap is nicely toasted and the cheese inside has gone all gooey.
Cut into wedges (I find a pizza wheel the easiest way) and serve with a big pile of salad and some nice bread/new potatoes/homemade chips if you're especially hungry!
These are a great alternative to pizza, and I presume with less bread/smaller portions they're much healthier!

Will add a photo next time I cook them (too busy chowing down too remember!)

Enjoy.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

After the success with the lamb koftas. I decided to try something similar with beef.

You will need:
500g lean beef steak mince
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
1 small grated red onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
3 dessert spoons of crumbled blue cheese

Mix everything except the blue cheese together in a bowl. scoop a palmful and make a dip in the middle, fill it with blue cheese and spread a small amount of the mince mixture over the top to seal the cheese inside. Shape into burger shape patties, you should have enough to make 5 burgers.

Cook in either a big frying pan or a griddle pan for 5 mins each side.
Serve on a toasted bun with whatever garnishes you like. Juicy and full of flavour!

Enjoy.

Lamb Koftas

Finally a recipe! Sorry I've been a bit quiet, lots going on and an appaling oven at our new house haven't really been inspiring me. All this wintery weather persisting is making me hanker for both junk food and summer barbeques. This recipe hits those spots with a homemade version of a kebab shop classic. Full of greek seasonings and a juicy tasty treat- guaranteed not to contain horse ( british joke only! )

You will need:

400g minced lamb
1 red onion (grated)
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried coriander
1 tablespn olive oil
3 tablespns breadcrumbs
1 tsp sesame seeds
pinch of cayenne pepper
big pinch of salt and black pepper

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and shape into small sausage shapes - if you start off with a ball between a golf ball and a tennins ball each time you should be able to make 12  koftas. Mine were shaped with the help of a 6 year old so did vary slightly! Cover on a plate and chill for ten minutes (or until you're ready to cook).

I used a griddle pan but a big frying pan would work fine. Bring to a high heat and cook 6 koftas at a time (turn after they have developed a dark crust) until they are cooked all the way around.

I think a tasty yoghurt based raita-esque drizzle is great with these and much tastier to make than it is to buy!

You will need:
small pot of plain yoghurt
1 spring onion (chopped as fine as you can)
1 tsp of mint sauce
big pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic


Serve wrapped with salad leaves in a soft tortilla or pitta with drizzle of minty yoghurt and a side of sweet potato wedges. No photo as I was too busy scoffing to remember! Apologies, I will post one next time!

Garlic and thyme potato chunks with crispy shallots

This is a quick and easy side but it does require a deep fat fryer  You could try putting a good inch of oil in a saucepan but I did use a pan with a basket inside and about 3 inches deep of vegetable oil.

Leave the skins on and chunk up 4-5 potatoes (roughly 1 inch cubes) , cut out any bad bits (I used maris pipers) and put them in a big bowl. Sprinkle over garlic granules and dried thyme, turn the potatoes over with your hands to make sure they're all coated. Slice a couple of shallots into rings and add those to the bowl.

Heat up your oil to 180°c (I used my sugar thermometer) or until it fizzels when you drop in a bit of shallot. Put in the potatoes and shallots and cook until the potato is golden brown. Tip out onto a sheet of kitchen towel to drain.

Sprinkle with salt. Enjoy.

Breaded Haddock with Tangy Tomato Linguine

So the other night playing the 'no money - what's in the fridge' game. I came up with this, which is now going to be a making a regular appearance for tea!

The tangy sauce cuts through the rich fish brilliantly - such a tasty combination....Well by my opinion anyway :)

You will need:

2 haddock (or similar) fish fillets
1 tsp dried Italian mixed herbs (or similar)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 tablespoon of breadcrumbs (whizz up a couple of crusts with a blender stick or chop finely)
Linguine (or similar) enough for 2 (sorry I don't weigh pasta!)
2 cloves of garlic
200g cherry tomatoes
Diced red pepper (approx.) tablespoon
1/2 a capful of white wine (or cider) vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp dried parsley
Big handful of fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried) I would recommend fresh though.
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of sugar

- Pre heat the oven to 180c
- Put your fish fillets on an oiled tray, smear over the cream cheese to make a thin layer, sprinkle with the Italian herb mix and top with the bread crumbs. (I spritz a bit of oil over too to help them crisp.)
- Put in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Boil the kettle for your pasta and if it's dried you need to get it on to cook straight away, if it's fresh wait until your fish has been cooking for 10 minutes. I always cook mine a la Nigella "salty as the sea and a splash of olive oil".
- Chop up your tomatoes (I quartered/ halved mine depending on size) garlic and pepper. Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add half the tomatoes, all the garlic and all the pepper. Cook on a medium heat until the tomatoes have gone all gooey.
- Now add everything else including the rest of the tomatoes except the basil and stir for a couple of minutes. Taste the sauce to make sure it's the right balance of sweet and sour and season with salt and lots of black pepper.
- Add in the cooked pasta and a tablespoon of pasta water into the sauce. Then tear up the basil and stir it in with a splash of extra virgin olive oil (if you have it)
Serve up with the crispy fish. This pasta would be lovely with prawns or chicken. Or even try adding some chopped olives into the mix and serve with some bread for a veggie option.

Enjoy.