Wednesday, 27 February 2019

Rhubarb & Ginger Jam Cake

Ingredients
215 g Dark brown sugar
85 g Butter
2 Eggs large
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3 tbsp Natural Yoghurt
195 g Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground ginger
1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
170g Rhubarb & Ginger Jam
Icing sugar for dusting

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line a 8" cake tin
2. Cream together the dark brown sugar and the butter
3. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and yoghurt
4. Mix in the cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, plain flour and baking powder
5. Pour the batter into the cake tin, add blobs of the jam all over the top and use a knife to gently swirl the mixture around.
6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and it is golden brown all over, remove from the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack
7. When cool, dust all over with icing sugar, I recommend serving with double cream or custard!

Status
Not tried yet - but have a lot of rhubarb and ginger jam to do something with!

Sunday, 18 November 2018

Saag Paneer

Ingredients
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
200g paneer
300g frozen chopped spinach
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 tbsp minced ginger
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli
4 tbsp greek yoghurt

Method
1. Combine turmeric, cayenne, salt and oil - dice the paneer and marinate in the mix.
2. Thaw and puree the spinach.
3. Fry the paneer until browned on all sides - put to one side.
4. In the same pan, fry the onion, garlic and ginger in oil / butter for c. 15 minutes until toffee coloured - add water to prevent burning if necessary.
5. Add coriander, cumin, garam masala, and chilli and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, add more water if necessary.
6. Add the spinach puree, season and add a little water - cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add the paneer and heat through - remove from heat to stir through the greek yoghurt and gently reheat.

Status
Very nice!

Tuesday, 6 November 2018

Chana Masala

Ingredients
400g can chickpeas, drained
1.5 onions
2 garlic cloves
2.5cm ginger
2 chillies
1 tsp butter
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
3 medium tomatoes

Method
1. Bring chickpeas to the boil in 200ml water - remove from heat, and leave to infuse.
2. Roughly blitz  the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies - melt the butter, and cook the mixture for 8-10 minutes until soft, with a pinch of salt.
3. Stir in the spices and cook for a further 3 minutes - add some chickpea water to avoid drying out.
4.  Add the tomatoes and more chickpea water, and cook until soft.
5.  Add the chickpeas and cook for 10 minutes.

Status
Made - bit spicy, but went down well.

Thursday, 1 November 2018

My Curry Sauce

Ingredients
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp fenugreek
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 chicken stock pot
1 pot homemade frozen tomato sauce

Method
1. Chop onions and cook in oil / butter until toffee coloured - add water if necessary to ensure it doesn't burn.
2. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another 3 minutes
3. Add spices and cook for another 3 minutes
4. Add chicken stock and melt through mix before adding thawed tomato sauce
5. Use as base for curry

Sunday, 19 August 2018

Cheese Fritters

Ingredients
1 pint milk
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 bay leaf
1 clove
125g semolina
125g finely grated cheese
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 beaten egg
toasted breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
oil for shallow frying

Method
1. Mix asafoetida with a little milk, then whisk into the full pint, add the bay leaf and clove and bring to the boil - remove from the heat, cover and leave for 10-15 minutes, then remove the bay leaf and clove.
2. Reboil the milk and sprinkle in the semolina - simmer until thick (about 5 minutes).
3. Remove from the heat and beat in the cheese, mustard and salt / pepper.
4. Spread the mixture over an oiled dish to the depth of about 1cm - smooth top and leave until cold and solidified.
5. Cut into pieces, coat with egg and breadcrumbs and shallow fry until crisp and golden.  Drain well.

Status
Untried

Thursday, 9 August 2018

'Cheese' Curry

Ingredients
1 large onion
2 tbsp oil / butter
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
225g can tomatoes
275ml water
225g frozen peas
225g paneer (or use Lancashire / white Cheshire)
salt and pepper

Method
1. Chop the onion and fry over a low heat in the oil / butter for 10 minutes until tender but not browned - add the garlic, ginger and spices for the last couple of minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, mix thoroughly, then add the water - bring to the boil then simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Add the peas and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
5. Dice the cheese and stir into the curry until warmed through - if English cheese don't leave too long as it may melt.

Status
Untried as yet.

Friday, 3 August 2018

Potatoes Anna

Ingredients
15g melted butter
700g waxy potatoes (e.g. Desiree)
150g grated cheese
Salt and pepper

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Peel potatoes and slice very thinly into rounds - rinse thoroughly under cold water, and pat dry.
3. Melt butter and brush round the inside of a medium rectangular dish (line with foil first if you want to turn out).
4. Layer potatoes and cheese - seasoning each potato layer with salt and pepper - finishing with a generous layer of the grated cheese - then pour over the remaining melted butter.  Cover with foil.
5. Back for 2 hours until the potato is cooked.
6. Either serve from dish, or turn out onto a warmed plate.

Status
Untried - one for when the rayburn is on.