Thai Tomatoes

This works well as an accompaniment for fried fish.

2 Dozen Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
5 Spring Oinions, Sliced
1 Lemon
Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
Coriander
4 Red Chillies, Sliced
2 Stalks Lemon Grass, Finely Sliced

Put the tomatoes, spring onions, lemon grass and chillies in a small baking tray. Juice the lemon. Add an equivalent quantity of fish sauce to the lemon juice, mix together and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve then pour this mixture over the tomatoes. Place in a pre-heated oven (200C) for 20 minutes. Remove, stir and add a good handful of chopped coriander leaves. Stir again and serve.

Sichuan Chicken

The idea behind this was to use up some leftover roast chicken. It worked well, I think.

1 Handful Dried Sichuan Chillies
1 Tbsp Sichuan Peppercorns
3 Tbsps Ya Cai (Sichuan Preserved Vegetable) - optional
1 Tbsp Chilli Bean Paste
4 Spring Onions, chopped into 1cm sections
Cooked Chicken, enough for 2 people, shredded
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1 Tsp Sugar
Groundnut Oil

Cut the chillies in half. Heat a little of the groundnut oil in a wok. Add the chillies and peppercorns and stir for 20 seconds or thereabouts. They chillies should have begun to turn brown, but take care not to burn them. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add a little more oil if necessary and repeat with the ya cai. Once the ya cai has begun to crisp up, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the chillies and peppercorns.

Add the chilli bean paste to the oil and heat for another 20 seconds, stirring. Add the spring onions and chicken. Stir for another 20 seconds then add the wine and sugar. Cook briefly then add the cooked chillies, peppercorns and ya cai. Stir together and serve with rice.

Tomato & Smoked Mussel Soup

6 Tomatoes
1 White Onion
1 Red Pepper
2 cloves Garlic
1 pint Chicken Stock
1 handful Smoked Mussels
Olive Oil

Chop the onion and red pepper coarsely. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion and pepper. While this is softening, chop the tomatoes coarsely and thinly slice the garlic. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chicken stock to the onions and pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mussels. Tip everything into a blender and blend till smooth. If you're fussy you could then strain out the tomato skins with a sieve (or you could peel and deseed the tomatoes to start with) but there's no real need.

Spicy Chorizo & Mussel Stew

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 White Onion, thinly sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Chorizo Sausages, cubed
White Wine
1 Tin Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Chilpotle Paste (see recipe)
1/2 Pint Chicken Stock
1lb Mussels

Heat the oil in a caserole dish and add the onions. Stir for a minute or two then add the garlic and the chorizo. Stir until the chorizo has cooked through. Splash in a little white wine to deglaze then add the chicken stock. Open the tin of tomatoes and wave a knief around inside to chop them, then add them to the caserole along with the chilpotle paste. Season to taste. Leave this to simmer while you debeard and clean the mussels. Steam the mussels in a little white wine for two minutes in a separate pan, then remove the mussels from their shells and add them to the stew.

Baked Chicken with Tarragon

5 Slices White Bread, preferably a little stale
1Tsp Salt
2 Tbsps Tarragon Leaves, finely chopped
1 Egg
2 Chicken Breasts, skinless

Remove the crusts from the bread. Put it in a blender or food processor and whir it into crumbs. Put them in a bowl with the salt and tarragon and mix well. Beat the egg in another bowl and then dip the chicken breasts in the egg. Roll the chicken in the breadcrubs until they are coated all over and place on a rack in a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes in an Aga hot oven (240C ?)

Korean Beancurd Stew with Prawns

1 pt Chicken Stock
2 Tbsps Korean Chilli Soya Paste
1 block Beancurd
6 Chinese Dried Mushrooms
1/2 Courgette, split lengthways
2 Tbsps Kimchi
1 Leek
200gms Peeled Prawns
1 handful Coriander, roughly chopped
3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
Sesame Oil

Dice the beancurd to whatever size you like. Dice size works well. Scoop out the seedy part of the courgette with a teaspoon so you have a canoe shape. Slice the leek. Soak the mushrooms in a little boiling water for 20 minutes, then slice thickly removing the stalks if they are still hard. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the soya paste. Add the beancurd and mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Cut the courgette into thick julienne slices. Add the leeks and the prawns to the stock. Simmer for a further two minutes until the prawns are almost cooked. Add the kimchi and courgettes and cook very briefly so that the courgettes are al dente. Serve in soup bowls garnished with the coriander and spring onions. Sprinke a little sesame oil over each bowl.

Sichuan Chicken with Chillis - Version 1

4 deboned Chicken Thighs
2 Tbsps Cornflour
4 Tsps Sichuan Peppercorns
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Rice Wine
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
A couple of handfulls of dried Facing Heaven Chillis
2 Cloves of Garlic
An equivalent quantity of Ginger, sliced
5 Spring onions, cut into 1cm lengths
Pinch of Sugar
Sesame Oil

Chop the chicken into small pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the wine and soy sauce. Roast half of the peppercorns in a small saucepan, then grind them in a pepper grinder. Mix the ground pepper, cornflour and salt. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a wok. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture and fry briefly until crisp on the outside. Remove from heat and set aside. It will probably be necessary to cook the chicken in several batches to avoid the oil temperature dropping too much.

Cut the chillis in half. Clean the wok and heat a couple of tablespoons of groundnut oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook briefly. Add the chillis and remaining peppercorns and cook for 30 seconds taking care that they do not burn. Add the chicken, spring onions and sugar. Cook briefly. Sprinkle on a little sesame oil and serve.

Chocolate Pomegranate Tart

In a break from my normal practice I am lifting this recipe straight out of Jamie Oliver's new book, "Cook with Jamie". Why? Well, for one thing it's delicious. The real reason though is that I have added an extra ingredient, pomegranate molasses, which transforms it into something sublime. A further reason is to correct an error in the book. Jamie, usually pretty reliable, must have had his mind elsewhere when he wrote up the quantities in this recipe. This was the first recipe in the book that I had tried and I felt fairly sceptical when, for the purposes of lining an 11" tart tin, the pastry required 1.25 lbs flour + 11.5 oz butter plus various other ingredients. I went ahead and did as I was told though. Who am I to question Jamie Oliver? I ended up with a ball of pastry the size of a baby's head. Enough to fill my 11" tart tin twice over, let alone lining it. At least I've now got enough for a couple more tarts in the fridge. I halved the quantities given for the filling, and that turned out about right. So here's the sane version:

For the Pastry:
160gms Butter
110gms Caster Sugar
Pinch of Salt
280gms Plain Flour
2 Eggs
30gms Cocoa Powder

For the Filling
100ml Milk
280ml Double Cream
30gms Caster Sugar
175gms Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
1 Egg
3-4Tbsps Pomegranate Molasses

Grease an 11" tart tin. Cream the butter, sugar & salt then fold in the flour. eggs and cocoa powder. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate (is this really necessary?) for an hour, then roll it out and line your tart tin with it. Put it in the freezer for half an hour (another step I would be happy to omit).

Preheat your oven to 180C then cook the pastry base for 12 - 15 minutes. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile put the milk, cream and sugar into a pan and gently bring to the boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate broken into bits. Whisk smooth, then add the pomegranate molasses and the egg and whisk again. Pour this into the pastry shell and cook the whole lot for 15 minutes at 170C.

Pomegranate and chocolate: you heard it here first.

J.O. phrases it differently and doubtless better, but you'll have to buy the book for his version.

Mexican Roast Chicken with Stuffing

5 Slices White Bread
3 Tomatillos, Finely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp Chipotle Paste
1 Spanish Onion, Diced
1 Egg
1 Handful Diced Chorizo
1 Handful Sweetcorn
1 Chicken

Remove the crusts from the bread, put it in a blender and turn it into crumbs. Fry the onion and chorizo until the onion is soft. Tip everything (except the chicken and half of the chipotle paste) into a bowl and mix well. Season to taste. Put this stuffing inside the chicken. Smear the remaining chipotle paste over the chicken and roast. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken, but 1 hour at 200 C is usually not too far off.

Crab Bisque

This is a simpler variation of the Prawn Bisque posted previously. It's no less delicious though.

Discarded prawn heads / shells leftover from peeling prawns in other recipes - Lots
1 bulb Fennel, cut in half
2 Carrots
1 White Onion, peeled
Small handful Tarragon, finely chopped
400gms brown and white crab meat
4 Tbsps Tomato Puree
200ml Single Cream
200ml White Wine

Put the prawn heads into a large pot with 4 pints of water. Add the fennel, carrots and onion and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about an hour, then strain through a sieve.

Freeze half of the liquid for later use, or boil vigorously to reduce liquid by half. Add the tomato puree and the wine to the remaining liquid and return to a simmer. Season to taste, then add the crab, tarragon and cream. Stir well and serve.

Mexican Mayonnaise

2 Egg Yolks
Juice of 1 Lime
300 ml Olive Oil
Handful of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
2 Red chillies, finely chopped
Salt

Put the egg yolks and the lime juice in a blender. Very slowly dribble in the olive oil until the mayonnaise thickens. At the end, add the coriander, chillies and salt and blend again. Delicous with fried skate wings.

Broad Beans Sichuan Style

Broad Beans
1Tbsp Sichuan Peppercorns
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
Salt

Boil the beans for a couple of minutes until just softening. Drain and rinse with cold water. Heat the peppercorns gently without accompaniment until they begin to smoke. Keep them moving to avoid burning. Put them in a spice grainder or blender and grind them to a powder. Sprinkle this over the beans along with the sesame oil and salt to taste.

Spicy Crab Cakes

1 Stalk Lemon Grass
1 Tbsp Fresh Green Peppercorns, finely chopped
4 Dried Red chillis, finely chopped
Mixed meat from 2 Medium crabs, chopped
4 Spring Onions, green parts only, finely sliced
3 Slices White Bread
2 Tbsps Mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Remove the tough outer layers from the lemon grass as well as the tough bit at the end. Thinly slice, then chop. Turn the bread into crumbs with a blender. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt. Make the mixture into patties and fry in butter for a couple of minutes on each side. Serve with garlic mayonnaise and avocado salsa.

Cranberry Margarita

A drink, for a change. This recipe serves ONE.

3 Tsps Caster Sugar
4oz Cointreau
6oz Tequila
4oz Lime Juice
4oz Fresh, unsweetened Cranberry Juice

Mix all the ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. If you want the frozen version, put the mixture in an ice cream machine (it's the only thing I ever use my ice cream machine for) and process until frozen.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Mangetout

Cherry Tomatoes
Mangetout Peas
Spring Onions, finely sliced
Basil, roughly chopped
Thyme, finely chopped
Olive Oil

Preheat an oven to 200C. Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a baking tray. Halve the tomatoes and put them on the baking tray. Scatter everything else over the tomatoes and season well with salt. Roast for 10 minutes or until the mangetout are the way you like them.

Thai Scallop Ceviche

12 Scallops
3 Spring Onions, finely chopped
1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
2 Stalks Lemon Grass
12 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 Red Chillis, finely chopped
Handful of basil, chopped
Handful of Coriander, chopped
Juice of 2 Limes
Fish Sauce (same quantity as lime juice)
4 Tsps Sugar

Clean the scallops, removing the coral. Slice each one across the grain to a thickness of a pound coin. Mix the lime juice and fish sauce and marinade the scallop slices in this mixture for 1 hour. Remove the scallops and stir in the sugar. Peel the outer layers from the lemon grass and remove the hard parts at the base. Slice very finely. Add everything back into the lime juice mixture and stir.

Sage and Onion Stuffing with Pancetta

1 stalk Celery, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
4oz Pancetta
1/2 loaf white bread, crusts removed
Handful of sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
Olive oil

Put the bread in a food processer and turn it into crumbs. Fry the onion, celery and pancetta in the oil until the vegetables have softened. Add the sage and fry for another minute or two. Add the stuff you've been frying to the breadcrumbs. Season and add the egg. Mix well and stuff the lot into the chicken.

Pawa (or poha)

There's not much point in reading this unless you have access to a specialty Indian food shop. Pawa (or poha as Madhur Jaffrey spells it) is flaked (flattened) rice. This is a delicious snack food, if that's the sort of thing you like. My wife loves it, and I make it once a year on her birthday:

2 good handfulls pawa
2 Tbsp corn oil
2 tsps black mustard seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
3 green chillis, chopped
1 good handfull coriander leves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Wash the pawa in a colander under cold water. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to jump about, add the onion and chilli. Allow the onion to soften a little then add all the rest of the ingredients. Warm through, and season to taste. Can be eaten warm straight away, or cold later on.

Some might add diced, boiled potato; dessicated coconut; curry leaves - or, for that matter, anything else that takes your fancy.

Sage and Onion Stuffing

Another recipe scarcely worth bothering to post. Just put in anything that happens to be in your kitchen.

1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 leeks, sliced
1 good handful of sage, chopped
4 slices white bread crumbled to ... crumbs
1 egg
salt pepper

Soften the onion, celery, leeks in a knob of butter. Add the sage and cook for a minute or two. Put these vegetables in a bowl and mix in with the breadcrumbs. Add the egg to bind and season to taste.

Lamb Kebab

Pitta Bread
Lean lamb
Good handfull of mint leaves
2 Tbsps Plain yoghurt
2 Tbsps Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tomato, sliced
1 Red onion, thinly sliced
Rocket

Comboine the mint, yoghurt, oil and lemon juice in a blender in mix into a green paste. Chop the lamb into 1" cubes and impale on a skewer. Heat a griddle until very hot, then place the lamb skewers on it. Turn after a couple of minutes and cook for another two minutes. Meanwhile warm the pitta bread, put in some rocket, tomato and onion. Remove the lamb from the heat, take it off the skewers and put it in the bread. Spoon some of the sauce over it and serve.