Mira's Chicken Curry

This is a fantastic curry dish. When I first looked at the set of ingredients I did not believe that the outcome would be that interesting - but I could not have been more wrong. This is something we return to again and again.
Mira is an old friend - a solicitor who I have worked with for over 15 years - she sent me the recipe on the proviso that if I ever wrote a book she would get the credit  - so here it is. Not quite a book - but credit where credit is due!
I have used chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts in the original recipe.
Further Mira recipes to follow!

Serves 4 generously

4-500g chichen thighs, cut into bite size chunks
2 large onions, chopped
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cinamon stick
2 cloves
2 green chilli (add more or less to taste)
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic (or use minced garlic or ginger available in jars)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cup fresh coriander
1/2 bag spinach
1 cup fresh fenugreek or 2 tbsp dried (optional - I have had trouble buying fresh)
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
3 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste

1 Heat the oil until very hot. Add the cumin seeds, cinamon stick and cloves. Cook for 1 minute.
2 Add the onions and cook on a medium heat until dark brown.
3 Add the garlic, ginger, tumeric and chillies - followed by the chicken.
4 Stir with the onions and cook for at least 5 minutes, until the chicken has taken on some colour.
5 Add the green, let them wilt, and then finally add the tomatoes. Add salt to taste.
6 Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the curry has taken on a dark colour.
7 If using garam masala add two minutes before the end of cooking time.

Courgette Ribbons with Tomato and Chorizo Sauce

This recipe started life in The Times, in a selection of recipes under 300 calories by Jaqueline Whitehart. Mine is slightly different - and therefore probably over the original 158 calories - but still a really tasty alternatitve to pasta - and just as quick.
It really is tasty - and you would have no idea is was pretty healthy - always a bonus!

Serves 2

3-4 courgettes
50g chorizo - thinly sliced (in my recipe I used 1 x 67g pack of prepared chorizo)
1 clove garlic - thinly sliced
1 tbsp tomato puree
250 g ripe cherry tomatoes




1 Use a vegeatable peeler to cut the courgette into ribbons. Discard the first slice as this will be mainly skin, a rotate the courgette as you reach the seeds.

2 Heat a frying pan to a medium heat - toss in the chorizo and allow to sizzle and brown. Remove the chorizo from the pan, leaving ehind the oil that has come from the chorizo.

 3 Add the garlic and fry until golden, make sure it does not burn. Add the tomato puree and stir for approximately 30 seconds, before adding the courgettes. Stir these for a couple of minutes.


4 Finally add the tomatoes, reduce the heat an cook slowly for about 10 minutes.

5 Serve sprinkled wit the reserved chorizo.

The Laughing Gravy

We visited The Laughing Gravy in Southwark on a cold December afternoon. This was my second time here - and both times the welcome has been great as soon as you walk through the door.

This is one of the many things that The Laughing gravy get right - the staff are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable - all without being obtrusive.

Whilst Sundays are mainly about the roasts the LG pretty much offers a full menu with plently of lighter dishes - and a number of vegetarian options.

I went for the Smoked Rabbit and West Country Crayfish scotch egg with salsify as a starter - it was a thing of beauty - an tasted as good as it looks......

 For mains  I went for the roast beef. I should say I don' often order it  as it isn't often that good - but I ca honestly say this is the best roast beef I have ever ad - and the gravy lives up to its top billing!

The amount of meat was also seriously generous - so much so I could not finish it - and had to forego a dessert.Great food  - coupled with a goo wine list, nd some local beers  adds up to a great spot.
I will definitely be back - and will make sure I am HUNGRY.

Vegetable Curry

It was National Vegetarian week recently - so to get in he spirit I dug out an old favourite vegetable curry recipe. It is based on a Nigel Slater recipe - his recipes work - and he has a great style of writing that just makes you want to cook!!

The recipe does call for salting and rinsing the aubergine - which I did - but I am not sure you need to do this with most aubergines these days.
The aubergine is meaty enough to hold its own against the spices - and you certainly don't miss meat. After cooking it I wondered what it would be like using portobello mushrooms instead - so that may follow another day!

2 large aubergines - cut into large chunks (see picture)

salt 

oil

2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 tbs ginger, finely chopped

8 cardamon pods

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp ground tumeric 

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tin chopped tomatoes

natural yoghurt

coriander

mint

1.Place the aubergine in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture. Leave for 30 minutes.

2.Whilst waiting for the aubergine in a large pan add the groundnut oil, put on a high heat, and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Lower the heat, cover with a lid, and allow to cook for 20 mins, or until the onions have softened.
3. Crush the cardamon pods, extract the seeds and crush in a pestle and mortar. Add them to the pan with chilli flakes, turmeric and cumin seeds, and stir to lightly toast.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, and pour in enough water to cover the vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper, cover and leave to cook.
5. Rinse the salt off the aubergine, and brown the pieces on a griddle - in batches if necessary.
6. Add the griddled aubergine to the main pot, cover and simmer until the aubergine is very soft, about 25 minutes.
7. Taste the curry and adjust the spice t taste - I often add more chilli flakes towards the end of cooking. You can adjust the spice level by adding the natural yoghurt.
8. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and mint and serve.

Jose - Bermondsey Street

A great Friday afternoon spent at Jose Pizarro's tapas bar Jose on Bermondsey Street.

At lunchtime it is strictly standing room only - so we aimed for after 2:00, and managed to get two stools at the end of the bar by the window - a perfect spot.
A great welcome straight away - a glass of cava - and then down to business!!
The menus are on two chalk boards behind the bar - and we did our best to work our way through them!!

All of dishes we tried were good - the stand out dishes sea bream a la Sevlliana, which included orange and olive, the padron peppers and fried chorizo piquillo.

The place has a really nice buzz to it - and all of the staff were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. As we were there at the quietest point of the day it was also when staff went on breaks etc - and our waitress said good bye to us before she went on her break - and the new one was in place straight away.

A great way to spend a lazy afternoon - a little bit of Spain in the middle of Bermondsey - and Bermondsey is all the better for it!

Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole

This is simply one of my favourite recipes - something I return to again and again. It works as a weekend lunch, or weekday supper – and as with so many things – seems even nicer the following day.

It can be served on its own, with crusty bread (favourably Italian), or with rice.

It is another sausage dish – in this one I only use Italian sausages. I get them from a great bakery come deli on the Kingston Road near Wimbledon – Panetteria Italiana, 6 Merton Park Parade, Kingston Road SW19 3NT.

Whilst you are there make sure you pick up some fantastic Italian breads, freshly made every day( get there early – especially at weekends). I have used the chilli sausages, and the fennel, the napoli – any of them work equally well – made by Carnevale.

Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole

150 ml olive oil

1 pack (aprox 450g) Italian sausages

4 tbsp chopped fesh rosemary

2 cloves garlic chopped

A good sprinkling of dried chillis ( to your taste)

4 carrots peeled and finely chopped

4 stalks celery ( I add the leaves) finely chopped

2 x 400g tinned borlotti beans

2 x 400g tinned cannelloni beans

salt

1 tbsp sun dried tomato puree

400 ml boiling water

20 cherry tomatoes

1        In a large saucepan heat the olive oil, and cook the sausages. I brown them lightly on all sides.

2        Add the rosemary, garlic and chilli and cook for a further minute.

3        Add the carrots and celery and cook for further 3 minutes

4        Meanwhile empty all of the tins of beans into a colander and rinse.

5        Add the beans to the casserole and season.

6        Add the boiling water, cover, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

7        Remove the sausages from the casserole, and cut into 3 or 4 pieces each. Return to the casserole with the tomatoes and tomato puree.

8        Take the lid off, and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

9        Serve with warm bread, or your choice of accompaniment.

Blas Burgerworks

We were in St Ives for Easter and someone had recommended Blas Burgerworks to me before we got there - so I put it on the list!!
Blas is a little bit off the beaten track - but literally only a couple of minutes from the harbour and high street. As you will see from the picture it is cosy!! Seating is on upturned boxes around shared tables - but the atmosphere is fun - and the services is very friendly.
We went for the Truffle Burger (in the foreground above) and the Huevos Rancheros Burger
The burgers are 100% Cornish beef - and are cooked to perfection.
Given that the burgers are the same - our meals could not have been more different. The Truffle Burger was really rich, earthy and creamy - the huevos rancheros was ultra fresh, sharp and zingy.
Both were fantastic - and all the small touches add to the experience - the grafitti walls  - the odd furniture (our table looked like a school art table) - the chips arriving in an enamel mug - the condiments - everything is well thought out - and really adds to the experience.

As we had had a couple of beers earlier we stuck with the Betty Stogs - but the very short wine list did include the fantastic Wolftrap red - which I have only ever seen at the Laughing Gravy before - and is well worth searching out!

At Blas Burgerworks they do a simple thing exceptionally well - and it reminds you how good simple things can be!!

If you are in the area you really do have to get along.

As they say - Not Fast - Just Fabulous

I will be back!