Carrot, mushroom and spinach pilaff with whole spices

I try not to cook meat every night of the week, so we usually have at least two meat-free days a week. It's better for the health as it encourages you to eat more vegetables (as well as being more creative in your use of them) as well as being easier on the pocket! One of my favourite vegetarian meals is this pilaff which I serve with a dhal and an onion and tomato salad. Even the kids love it.

Ingredients:

1 cup of basmati rice washed, soaked for 20 mins and drained

1 medium onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

1 medium bag of spinach (can also use frozen)

2 carrots, grated

1 cup of mushrooms, finely diced

3 cardamom pods, cracked

4 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 stick cinnamon

1 tsp mustard seeds (black)

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, hot

1 tbsp vegetable oil (don't use olive oil)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan/casserole and gently fry the whole spices until the seeds start to 'pop', then add the onion, garlic and ginger.

2. Add the turmeric and continue to fry, but do not let the garlic and onions burn or they will become bitter, then add the mushrooms and continue frying.

3. Add the soaked rice and gently stir-fry, making sure you coat all the rice in the spices.

4. Stir in the grated carrot and continue to stir, then add the hot stock. Bring to the boil, and continue to boil for 5 mins 9or until water is level with the rice, then cover tightly and leave to cook for about 10 mins on the lowest heat possible. When the rice is cooked, add the spinach leaves in a layer on top of the rice then cover and leave for a further five minutes for the spinach to wilt.

5. When the spinach has wilted, stir it into the rice and then top with the chopped boiled egg.

Serve!

Tip: I have also made this and omitted the egg, replacing it instead with toasted cashew nuts, added just before serving. You can also add other vegetables such as sweetcorn or mushrooms

For the Dhal:

1 cup red split lentils, washed

2 cups water

1/2 inch ginger, grated

1 clove garlic

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 handful of fine french beans, cut in half

pinch of salt

1 tsp garam masala

1 small bunch fresh corainder, chopped

Method:

1. Gently fry the garlic and ginger then add the garam masala and the tomatoes and continue to fry.

2. Add the lentils, coating them in the mixture.

3. Pour in the water, add the beans and bring to the boil.

4. Simmer gently until you have a meduim consistency, season to taste with the salt.

5. Stir in the chopped coriander.

Serve with the pilaff and a salad made from finely sliced onions, tomatoes and cucumbers, dressed with lemon juice

Sundays at our house

I just love Sundays! it's the one day of the week that we all get to spend pure quality time together as a family and a day when I get to really indulge my love of cooking. As I mentioned in a previous post about Sundays, we tend to linger over breakfast, then I do some baking and prepare the dinner and put it on low in the oven. Well this week breakfast looked like this:


And then me and the children made double choc chip cookies with hazelnuts:

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I consume 3 before they were even cool!

Then I decided to experiment with the chicken this week. We eat a lot of chicken as it is just so versatile, relatively cheap and, if you buy a whole one, goes a long way. However, it can get boring if you don't make the effort to try out new things. So, inspired by a Lebanese menu for a restaurant that me and Nick will be visiting soon, I decided to try something a little different. I noticed that a lot of the dishes included lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and tomatoes with spices such as cumin and paprika. So my creation went a little something like this (I have tried to give approximate amounts):

1. I made a paste out of tbsp olive oil, 4 large cloves of organic garlic, 1 tbsp of paprika, 1 tbsp of cumin, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper corns, juice of 2 lemons, 1 tsp ginger powder t tbsp tomato puree.
2. Put everything into a small blender, or, as I did, pound the garlic in the pestle and mortar then add in the rest of the ingredients and gently pound into a paste.
3. Then I deicded to have a go at preparing the chicken in a spatchcock style by removing the backbone and flattening it out on a board.
4. Wash the chicken, pat dry, then rub the paste all over both the skin and the cavity which is now flat.
5. Lay some halved onions on the bottome of a large tray and place the chicken on top. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and place in the oven on a very low heat (100 degrees c) for 2 1/2 (for chicken of approx 1.8kg)


Well, what can I say, the chicken was divine. The skin was crispy and tangy and the flesh fell from the bones. We had it with a brown rice,aduki bean and roast onion (from the chicken) pilaff, some savoy cabbage that had been blanched, then refreshed in ice cold water and dressed with a lemon juice, olive oil and garlic dressing and some left over fresh bread from the morning's breakfast. We were all ravenous after our 2 1/2 hr long trek through the Cotswolds so needless to say it more than hit the spot!

As you can see, I was so hungry I couldn't wait to get started - the left thigh was the first to fall victim!

Desert was yet more cookies - yum and double yum!

Kaeng phet daeng kai - Thai red chicken curry

My favourite food of all time - apart from Caribbean because it is my 'home' food, is Thai food. The complexity of flavours and the blance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy is just heavenly and the spicier the better as far as I'm concerned. Though try this at your peril - on holiday in Thailand I did have to leave food on my plate (usually anathema in my books!) after a red hot dish of chilli chicken, where every spoonful was covered in so called 'mouse shit' chillies. it blew my head off!

Whilst on that holiday me and Nick took part in a cookery course at the Chiang Mai School of Cookery, where we learned how to cook authentic thai dishes. As my options for produce are rather limited in Witney, when we decided last minute on saturday to cook a red curry I cheated and bought the paste ready made. There is however no shame in this. Whilst browsing the many markets - including the floating one at Damnoen Saduak - it was a perfectly normal sight to see the various pastes being sold fresh by the weight.

Anyway, buying the sauce in a jar is no substitute, either buy the paste, or make the paste. The taste, colour, smell and texture of your finished dish will be far superior to anything you could buy in a jar. So all you then have to do is marinate your chicken (or beef/pork/fish) in some fish sauce, palm sugar, and soy sauce. Next fry the paste until it releases it oils, add the chicken and vegetables (I used green pepper and onion), then pour in the coconut milk, add a few kaffir lime leaves and cook until the chicken is done. Finally garnish with some basil (sweet thai basil if you can get it, normal basil if not) and some shredded lime leaves. Serve it with some jasmine rice and voila - a restaurant quality meal in under 1/2 hour!

Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

There's just something about this time of year that has me craving good old stodgy food - I guess it's the dark , cold, rainy days that makes salads and the like rather unappealing. Well, to me anyway!
So, seeing as though it has been very cold of late, I felt in the need of something more substantial and fried chicken it had to be! So here's my recipe for some delicious fried chicken, which I prefer to serve with mashed potatoes and parsnips, and broccoli and carrots. See, it's not so unhealthy after all. That's four varieties of veg in one meal!
As with most of my recipes, the amounts are only guidelines (and a bit of guess work!) as I tend to cook on instinct. So add more or less of things to suite your own circumstances/palate/on hand ingredients etc...

Ingredients:

For the fried chicken
8 pieces of chicken
1-2 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1tbsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg lightly beaten

For the mashed potatoes and parsnips
4 large potatoes, skin on, scrubbed and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
milk
salt and pepper to taste

For the gravy
1 tbsp flour
1 small onion sliced
pinch of oregano

Method:
1. wash the chicken and pat dry
2. mix the flour with the other seasonings, then dipthe chicken, first into the egg, then roll in the seasoned flour.
3. heat a good layer of oil (about 1 inch deep) in a large pan (don't worry, if the temperature is correct, the chicken won't soak up very much of it)
4. fry the chicken in the oil until golden on all sides, then transfer to a baking dish and finish off in the oven. It is cooked when the juices run clear and no pink remains. reserve 2 tbsp of the oil for the gravy.
5. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and parsnips in lightly salted water until very soft, then mash with some milk and a knob of butter. season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. To make the gravy, saute some onions gently until they start to brown. In a separate pan heat the reserved oil, stir in the flour and mix until smooth. Cook for a couple of minutes to 'cook' the flour then add some boiling water. Add the onions and season with the oregano, salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken and potatoes with steamed carrots and broccoli - or any other vegetable of
your choice, and lashing of gravy.

Wholemeal roasted vegetable pizza

They say that by allowing children to hlp out with cooking and preparing meals, it encourages them to try out and eat new things as they themselves have had a hand in making them. Well, in my experience, this is not always strictly true. Jasmine proves the theory, but Ben is another matter altogether. He doesn't like either cheese or tomatoes so pizza was a rather adventurous choice of meal as without cheese or tomato all you have is bread and dry topping! I decided to persevere nonetheless, and we made healthy wholemeal pizza's with a selection of roasted vegetables on top. Both the children immensly enjoyed creating the pizzas - we made funny faces and patterns - but when it camt to the crunch he couldn't do it. Whilst Jasmine gobbled up her creations, Ben sat and cried into his :-( Ah well, he should grow out of it at some stage - his dad certainly did. Nick's mum told me that as a child he would scrape all the topping off pizzas and just eat the bread. At least Ben will eat the vegetables (if he can't see any sauce or cheese on them that is!)

Anyway, if you fancy trying this out on your offspring, then here's the recipes. The dough freezes pretty well, so you can save some to make another day.

for the base
700g (1 1/2lb) strong wholemeal bread flour
1 rounded tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
50g (2 oz) butter
3 tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing
350 - 400ml tepid water

for the toppings: (we used a selection of the following)
passata (or if you have time you could make your own tomato sauce)
low fat mozzarella, grated
spinach
roasted red, green and yellow peppers
roasted broccoli
roasted red onions
roasted courgettes

NB, for the roasted veg, simply slice, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, fresh ground pepper and dried oregano

Method:

1.Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the butter, add the yeast and mix togeher. make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the oil and most, but not all, of the water, and mix to a loose dough. Add more water or flour if needed.
2. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and cover with a teatowel. Leave for 5 mins.
3. Knead the dough for 10 mins until smooth and and springy, then let it relax again for a few minutes.
4. Shape the dough into approx 12 balls and lightly brush with olive oil. Put the balls in the fridge for 5 mins as it will be easier to roll.
5. Roll each one out flat, turning the dough after each roll, then top as desired.

I put all of the toppings into separate little bowls and let the kids have fun decorating them.

ta daaa!

Sundays

Sundays are family days in my opinion. In our house Nick usually gets the sunday lie-in whilst I get up and feed Benjamin and Jasmine. After that I start on brunch for us. I call it brunch because by the time Nick wakes up and we're ready to eat, it is usually around 10am. On a sunday I like to cook a full breakfast, be it a traditional fry-up (or at least my helathier grilled version) or some other hot breaksfast. It's the one day of the week that we both have time to linger over our breakfast - in fact for nick, it is the only day he has breakfast unless I make it on saturday as well. This morning we had scrambled eggs, fried potatoes with ham and tomatoes and wholemeal bread. Ben also helped me to make a delicious fruit salad consisting of bluberries, red grapes, mango and pomegranate, drizzled with lime juice. Then, after tidying the house and getting ready, I put the chiken in the oven on really low, whipped up some banana and blueberry wholewheat muffin batter and off we went for our now regular sunday family walk (see http://www.tanmu.blogspot.com/)

Ben helping his mummy make breakfast

Anyway, the aforementioned chicken that I cooked today was quite delicious. It was a recipe from Rachel Allen's Cookbook and was Honey and Lemon chicken. I decided to actually follow the recipe instead of just looking at the title or picture and freestyling it. I almost managed it too, except I couldn't help but make a few adjustments. Firstly I added some paprika, then some fresh thyme and some whole garlic cloves. I only meant for it to be in the oven for a couple of hours max (which was longer than the recipe stated, but I wanted it to cook whilst I was out), but our walk ended up taking a lot longer than expected and it cooked for almost 3 1/2 hours!!! Luckily it didn't dry out and when we got back I whacked the oven up high and let it the marinade caramelise over the chicken. I then served it with rice and a mixed salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Add a glass of chardonnay and bliss! We then scoffed the muffins (or rather I scoffed the muffins - I had 3! - they were only small ones) for dessert.

Yum!

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation....

The key to being able to create tasty, exciting meals is a) to have a well stocked storecupboard, and b) planning ahead. First the storecupboard. here's a list of what I consider to be essential storecupboard staples enabling you to create dishes inspired by any part of the world.

Dried herbs, eg. thyme, marjoram, oregano, sage, rosemary
Whole spices , eg. cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, black mustard seeds, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, black peppercorns, poppy seeds, pimento berries
Ground spices, eg. ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice, 5 spice, celery salt, turmeric, garam masala, chilli flakes/powder, cayenne, paprika

Other important storecupboard essentials are:

Tinned chopped tomatoes
Passata
Double concentrated tomato puree
Anchovies in olive oil
Soy sauce - light and dark
Fish sauce (nam plaa)
Tabasco sauce/hot sauce
Tinned or dried beans and pulses such as kidney beans, aduki, chick peas, butter beans, lentils
Tinned (or frozen) sweetcorn - unless you have time to dehusk them yourself!
Frozen petit pois
Tinned fruit such as peaches, berries, pineapple, apricots - perfect for baking and great if you have run out of fresh. (My kids love stewed peaches with a dollop of cream)

Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Fresh chillies
Fresh herbs, eg. parsley, coriander, basil, thyme
Olive oil
Ground nut or vegetable oil
Toasted sesame oil
White and red wine vinegar - cider vinegar is also a good bet

Flour (wholemeal and white)
baking powder
Bicarbonate of soda
Vanilla extract
muscoavdo and light brown sugar
maple/golden syrup
Oats
Stork butter - for pastry and cakes

This might seem like a really long list, but it's by no means exhaustive.
There are plenty more things that I use on a regular basis that I haven't included, but this is a good starting point. You don't have to go out and buy all this at once - I've accumulated mine over the years, and thankfully most of it is really cheap to buy. A big tip though is to buy ethnic spices from ethnic stores (including dried beans and pulses) as they are always way cheaper than in supermarkets and you get bigger packets.

Next, planning ahead.

In order to make life easier during the week, I plan my menu on a weekly basis. This stops me from having to decide everyday what I'm going to cook and having to invent something on the spot. It also helps when I'm short of time because if I know in advance what I'm going to cook, I can sometimes prepare parts of it in advance. The added bonus is that I also spend less in the supermarket. I prepare my shopping list based on my menu and it prevents me from buying on impulse. (Another tip when shopping is to never go shopping when you are hungry. I'll buy anything if I'm hungry and then end up throwing most of it away.)

Yesterday I went shopping in sainsbury's armed with my shopping list and menu (in case I needed to make substitions) and bumped into a guy from work. He thought it was funny that I had this list, though I'm not sure if he was laughing at the fact that it was so long (well I do have to feed a family of four and he is single!), or that it was typed up in an excel spreadsheet!!! Well, all I can say in my defence is that it works very well for me thank you very much!

Flavours of the East

As far as cooking on a saturday goes, I am often quite laidback. It's the day the we most often go food shopping so I usually have very little to hand to make breakfast or lunch. One dish that never lets me down though is 'mummy rice'. So called because when the kids were really little and I wanted them to eat it I would call it this in the hope of making it more attractive (let's face it, what kid doesn't find what's on mummy's plate more attractive than what's on their own?!)
Anyway, it's basically fried rice and has various incarnations depending upon what I have in the fridge. It makes a great, quick lunch and is a good way of getting the kids to eat a variety of vegetables.
So, if you fancy giving it a go here's the recipe for the version I made today, along with some suggestion for varying it up a little. I'm not great at measuring ingredients - I tend to just go with what looks/feels/tastes right, so I haven't given exact amounts. Just add or omit according to your own tastes.

Ingredients:
Cold, left-over rice
1tbsp vegetable oil
Frozen peas
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Soy sauce

1. Heat your wok or large frying pan and add the oil
2. When the oil is hot, add the rice and break it up whilst keeping it moving around the pan
3. When the rice is heated through, move it to one side and pour in the eggs
4. Scramble the egg as it is setting and mix into the rice
5. Add the frozen peas, season with the salt and pepper and add some soy sace - all the while keeping the rice moving.
And there you have it 'Mummy rice'!

Variation: You can use any combination of: left-over shredded roast chicken, broccoli, celery, sweetcorn, shredded cabbage, chopped ham or any other ingredients of your choice. If you want to have it for an evening meal, serve it with a dish such as ginger chicken or with a soup such as miso with vegetables or tofu.


I decided to try out Waitrose this week as I had found some really good offers on their website. So today I battled the crowds at both Waitrose and Sainsbury's. Unfortunately they had both run out of most of the things that I wanted. So, although I had painstakingly created a shopping list that would cater for my meticulously planned week's menu, I had to do a lot of improvising on the spot. And that takes time. I therefore got home later than I expected and had to deal with a hallway full of shopping, two tired and hungry children and a messy kitchen. Great. Cue, recipe number 2, which follows. That's what I love about asian inspired food. It is so quick and nutritious that you can't go wrong. I used some sprouting shoots that were on offer in waitrose, cooked and peeled prawns, and some 'straight to wok' noodles. Dinner was ready in 15 mins flat. Result!

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic chopped
1 inch piece ginger peeled and chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 packet of Amoy straight to wok udon noodles
1/2 a packet of cooked peeled prawns
1 packet of Waitrose Wholesome sprouting salad
1/2 a deseeded red pepper

For the sauce:

1tbsp soy sauce
2 tbs tomato puree
1tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
juice and zest of 1/2 lime
black pepper to taste


1. Heat your wok or large frying pan
2. Add the oil, and when hot add the garlic and ginger. Stirfry for a minute then add the chopped pepper
3. Add the noodles and fry for a couple of minutes until heated through
4. Add the sprouting salad and continue stir frying
5. add the prawns and pour over the sauce.
6. Stir fry for a couple more minutes and serve immediately