Potato, cauliflower, parsnip and pea vegi curry

This is a good vegetarian curry - there is enough going on that you do not miss meat in this recipe.
It can be made with left over veg - eg roasties and parsnips after a roast - but I made with raw. You would reduce the cooking time if using left over veg.
The addition of the coconut milk makes a hot, sweet curry. I used the reduced fat coconut milk - it is January after all.......

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic ( or two crushed cloves)
1 tbsp minced ginger ( or 1 tbsp chopped fresh)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
500g potato - peeled and cubed
500g parsnips - peeled and cubed
1 small cauliflower - broken into florets
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can reduced fat coconut milk
100g frozen peas
Juice 1/2 lemon

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, once it begins to soften add the garlic and ginger, and cook gently for 5 minutes.
2 Add all the dry spices, and cook with the onions for 1 minutes, stirring, making sure all of the onions are coated.
3 Add the potatoes, parsnips and cauliflower, and toss to coat in the spices.
4 Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for a couple of minutes.
5 Stir in the coconut milk and bring back to the boil.
6 Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes - until the potatoes and parsnips are just tender.
7 Add the peas, and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
8 Check the seasoning - and serve with rice or naan.

Tandoori chicken (healthy!)

It is always difficult to replicate your favourite take away dishes at home. If it were that easy we wouldn't order it in!
This is a healthy chicken dish - that gives you all the flavours of tandoori chicken - without needing a tandoor oven at home.
It's not authentic tandoori chicken - but it is a good version.
I use chicken thighs for my recipe - but you can use breast if you prefer.
This is also good served cold, in salads, wraps etc.

6 chicken thighs (5-700g)
500ml fat free yoghurt
3 tablespoons tandoori masala spice mix
3 garlic cloves crushed ( or 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic)
2cm ginger, crushed ( or 1 tbsp minced ginger)
2 green chillies, finely chopped with seeds
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

1 In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together- apart from the chicken.
2 Cut the chicken into large bite size pieces - or strips if you prefer
3 In an oven proof dish large enough to take all of the chicken - pour in a layer of the yoghurt mix, to cover the bottom of the dish.
4 Place all of the chicken in the dish - in a single layer if possible.
5 Cover with the remaining yoghurt mix.
6 Massage the chicken to ensure it is entirely covered.
7 Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
8 The following day heat the over to 200c / 400f / Gas 6.
9 Place the dish in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
10 Take out of the oven and allow to cool until you can handle the chicken.
11 Take out all of the chicken - and remove any large lumps of marinade. You can discard the remaining marinade.
12 Place the chicken on a grill rack and grill under a hot grill until one side has browned - and serve.


(The chicken is cooked at the end of stage 9 - but looks a bit anaemic - hence the browning under the grill.)

Tom Yam Gai (New Year Special)

Each year I make a decision to not worry about over indulging over Christmas - you just need to push on through to New Year.
Once I get to New Year I am ready for some healthy food and healthier living!
I always make Tom Yam Gai at this time of year - it is one of those dishes that feels like it is doing you good.
Hot, sweet and sour - it feels as though it has restorative powers. I think there is something in this - it seems that most cultures have a chicken soup that always makes an appearance when people are feeling a little under the weather - self inflicted or otherwise.......
This makes enough for four small bowls - or two generous portions - I can't get enough of it.
This recipe is from one Nigel Slater's early books - and is great.
You can make with prawns - to make Tom Yum Goong - but add them much later - depending on whether using raw or cooked.
I have also made it without chicken - just as a spicy broth - and it is still delicious.
I keep the chilli seeds in - but I do like it hot - I once served to a couple of friends, who carried on politely, whilst sweating......
If you are looking for something a little more substantial you can add noodles - though no strictly To

m Yum anymore. I cook the noodles separately, drain, put in the bowl and pour the soup over - see below.

1 chicken breast fillet (or 2 thing fillets) skin removed
1 litre chicken stock
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk - bashed and cut into large sections
3 small red chillies, thinly sliced (remove seeds if you do not want it too hot)
4 lime leaves
1 tbsp. nam pla (fish sauce)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Small bunch of coriander, chopped

1 Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the chicken. Simmer until the chicken to cooked - normally 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness.
2 Remove the chicken - leaving the stock. When slightly cooled - shred the chicken.
3 In the meantime add the spring onions, lemongrass, chillies and lime leaves to the stock, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4 Add the fish sauce, sugar and shredded chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5 Add the lime juice, check for seasoning, and then add the coriander and serve.



You will be feeling better in no time!!!

Cauliflower Cheese (board...)

It was the end of Boxing Day, and after two days of over indulging, we were still left with quite a lot of food.
After a few days I find that I cannot face some things again - this year it was gravadlax (home cured of course...) - and cheese.
My brother had quite a lot of cheese left - and was leaving the country for a few days - so we ended up with a food parcel! From previous years I know that the cheese can hang about until the fridge begins to smell like a cheese shop - so time to use it up.
I decided to make one of my favourite comfort food dishes, with all of the various cheeses that were left. We had a hard cheese, a soft brie type cheese, and some stilton.
All of the cheese went into the sauce - if not using leftovers - then 100g of mature cheddar will do the job.
Remember you can use frozen cauliflower florets as well - which makes this a real store cupboard job when the shops are shut!
Cauliflower cheese is great to accompany some left over gammon!! - or on its own as a light meal when winding down from Christmas.

Serves 4

1 medium cauliflower, broken into large florets (or equivalent frozen cauli)
40g butter
40g plain flower
400ml milk
1 tbsp. English mustard
100g (ish) leftover cheese - or mature cheddar
salt and pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 190 / 375
2 Wash the cauliflower and place in a large pan of boiling water. Cook for 3-5 minutes - you want it a little under cooked as we are going to finish in the oven.
3 Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over a gentle heat for at least a minute - it is very important that the flour is cooked.
4 Remove from the heat and add the milk a little at a time - stirring well after each addition.
5 Return to the heat and bring to the boil stirring all the time. Simmer for two minutes.
6 Remove from the heat again and add the mustard and two thirds of the cheese - stirring to combine the cheese.
7 Arrange the cauliflower in an ovenproof dish and pour over the cheese sauce - making sure you cover all of the cauliflower.
8 Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You want the top to be golden brown.

Vietnamese Yellow Curry (Low Calorie)

This is a great curry - but you will need to take my word for it - as  I could not get  picture that did it justice!
It is quite a wet curry - like a thai curry in that way - quite a lot of sauce, not as this as an indian curry.
I amended the recipe from a 250 calorie recipe - all I have added is more heat in the chillies - this recipe is quite hot - but in no way overwhelming.
After the initial blast it is a slow cook - so ideal to make ahead of time.

Serves 4


1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 Bunch spring onions - shredded (10-12)
2 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
500g skinless chicken thigh fillets - cut into bite size pieces
2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 stick lemon grass - finely chopped
3 green chillies - sliced
1 can light coconut milk
Handful fresh coriander - chopped








1 Prepare meat and veg as above - so you are ready to go
2 Heat the oil in a wide frying pan or wok.
3 When hot fry the spring onions, garlic and chicken for 3 minutes.
4 Stir in the spices, lemongrass and chilli and cook for 1-2 minutes
5 Transfer to a small casserole or slow cooker.
6 Pour over coconut milk, making sure chicken is covered. Top up with water if necessary.
7 Cook in the oven for 2 hours, or in a slow cooker for 5 hours.
8 Garnish with coriander and serve.

We served with rice and stir fried veg - and if you manage a good photo  - mail it over!!

South Indian style fish curry with Belgian beer

This recipe is a bit of a mix up  - its base is from Australian writer Paul Mercurio - the curry is south indian in style - but has Belgian beer as an ingredient.
It adds up to a creamy, hot and sour style curry - it has a bit of heat - but your will need to add more chilli if you like your currys really spicy.
On the fish  - you could add some squid, cut into tubes - or experiment with different types of fish - but you want something fairly firm, that isn't going to disintegrate.

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
3 red chillis, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped

vegetable oil
1 onion sliced
1 tsp ground tumeric
1tbsp curry powder ( I used madras)
200ml coconut milk
160ml coconut creme
250 ml Leffe Blonde
45 ml lemon juice
1 tsp palm sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
10 curry leaves
200 sugar snap peas
400 - 500 cod fillets cut into bite size pieces
12 large prawns
3 tbsp chopped coriander

1 In a frying pan dry roast the cumin, coriander, half the mustard seeds until fragrant and they start popping.
2 Tip into a mortar and pestle and grind into a powder. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger, together with a pinch of sea salt, and pound into a paste.
3 Heat oil in a large casserole over a medium to high heat.
4 add the onion and cook for 10 minutes or so - until it begins to caramelise.
5 Stir in the tumeric, curry powder and remaining mustard seeds, and fry for a couple more minutes.
6 Add the spice paste, and cook out for approx 10 minutes, to combine all of the flavours.
7 Stir in the coconut milk and creme, and add the beer. Bring to the boil and the reduce the heat to a simmer.
8 Add the lemon juice, fish sauce, palm sugar and curry leaves.
9 Simmer for 10 minutes and check for seasoning.
10 Add the sugar snaps and cook for 5 minutes
11 Add the fish and prawns and poach for 5-8 minutes, until just cooked
12 Stir in the coriander and serve over rice.

enjoy with another Leffe Blonde!

Eggs Benedict with Mushroom

Eggs Benedict is one of my favourite brunch things - one of those things that often seems a bit too much hassle to make at home - but very nice when you're out and about!
This Saturday's Times included a few variations on the theme, by Tony Turnbull - and I couldn't resist having a go at the mushroom one - and it was a success - so here we go!
On the poaching of eggs - Tony opts for the stirring water and sliding in the eggs - I use Delia's method - which is as follows (in the recipe use your favourite way of poaching the eggs - it seems a very personal thing!) - Fill a small frying pan with 4cm water - get it to the point where it is barely simmering. Keep the water at that level - just the slightest appearance of bubbles. Break each egg into the water. Size 2 will take about 3 minutes. You can baste the top with water to help them cook. Remove very gently with a slotted spoon and rest the spoon on a wad of kitchen roll to absorb any water.

Mushroom Eggs Benedict
serves 4

4 Portobello Mushroom
4 Large egges plus 2 yolks
Juice of 1/2  lemon
100g butter
2 muffins, sliced and toasted

1 Poach your eggs
2 Remove stalks from mushrooms and fry in butter or oil for 5 mins, turning once
3 Meanwhile place yolks in a blender with lemon juice and a pinch of salt and blend
4 Melt the butter in a pan and slowly add to the yolks, with the motor running. Blend until pale and creamy
5 Place a mushroom on each muffin half, top with the egg, and coat with the hollandaise.

Enjoy - and get someone else to wash up all the pans............