Recipes

My good friend John has found a brilliant Indian Food recipe site, vahchef, which is well worth a look.
Also worth checking out is BigOven.

Some of my recipes:

Tomato-braised cauliflower

Serves 4

This is one of my wife's favourite dishes and is a delicious alternative to plain boiled cauliflower.

Ingredients

• 1 x Cauliflower
• 15ml Olive Oil
• 1 x teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 25ml Tomato puree
• Salt and Pepper

Method

Cut the cauliflower into small/medium florettes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds until they darken slightly. Add the cauliflower florettes and stir-fry until they start to brown slightly. Add the tomato puree and continue to stir-fry until the tomato puree thickens and darkens slightly. Add a splash of water to make a moist coating for the cauliflower, stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking gently until the cauliflower is tender. Serve hot.

'Froasts'

This is a quick and (relatively) healthy alternative to traditional roast potatoes. The spell in the oven leaves them nice and crispy, but also drains off nearly all the oil.

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Salt
• Oil for deep frying

Method

Wash and peel the potatoes, and cut into large pieces (as per normal roast potatoes). Place in a large pan and cover with water. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Boil for around 5 minutes or until potatoes are half cooked.
Drain in a collander and leave to dry for a couple of minutes.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to around 180 ° C and then fry the potato pieces untill browned and starting to crispen around the edges. Remove from the fryer and drain for a moment but leave some oil on them. Place in a hot oven on a pre-heated baking tray for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.

Smivs' Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 x very large Flat-cap Mushrooms
• Olive Oil
• 1 x medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1 x Large clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
• 200g mixed vegetables (cut into very small pieces)
• 5ml Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 x desertspoon vegetable stock granules
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Basil
• 100g grated cheese

Method

Carefully hollow-out the mushrooms using a suitable knife. Be sure not to 'puncture' them. Rub a little olive oil into the outsides, and set aside. Chop the removed stem and flesh and add to the mixed vegetables.
In a small pan, heat some olive oil, and fry the onions. When golden, reduce the heat for a gentle fry, add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the vegetables, fry for a few minutes and add the balsamic vinegar.
Sprinkle in the gravy (stock) granules and add a splash of water and the basil and then season with salt and pepper. Mix well and add more water if needed to give a stiff gravy. Cook a few minutes longer untill the vegetables have softened a little.
Sprinkle some of the grated cheese into the bottom of each mushroom, then spoon in some of the vegetable mixture, adding more grated cheese on top. Repeat for all the mushrooms.
Place the prepared mushrooms on a baking tray and put in a pre-heated oven at around 180 ° C. Cook for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly. Serve hot.

Mushrooms and Spinach in a Cream Sauce

Serves 2

This is a delicious dish, best served on a bed of fresh pasta e.g. Linguine or Tagliatelle.

Ingredients

• 250g Fresh mushrooms (sliced)
• Big bag Fresh Spinach (coarsely chopped)
• 1 x Medium Onion (finely chopped)
• 2 x cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
• Olive Oil
• 10ml White Balsamic vinegar
• Chopped Parsley
• Small carton Double Cream
• Salt and Pepper

Method

Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil on a medium heat until golden, then add the mushrooms and continue frying until they soften. Reduce the heat a little and add the balsamic vinegar and fry for another minute. Add the cream and parsley and bring to a simmer/gentle boil. Continue for a few minutes until the sauce reduces to about 2/3 of its original volume and thickens slightly. Add the spinach and cook for a few minutes until it has wilted, and the cream sauce has a thickish consistency. Season to taste, and serve on a bed of pasta.

Pumpkin Soup

This is a smooth, creamy Pumpkin soup ideal for the Hallowe'en period, or at any time. It works well with any squash.

Ingredients

• 1Kg Pumpkin (cubed)
• 500g Potato (cubed)
• 1 x Bay leaf
• 1 x tbs Oil
• 1 x large Onion (finely chopped)
• 2 x cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 x tsp Curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground roasted Cumin (optional)
• 3-4 cups vegetable stock*
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/3 tub (100ml) Double Cream
• 1 x small Onion (optional)

Method

Boil the Pumpkin, Potato and Bay leaf until soft. Drain the liquid off into a large jug, and use this to make the stock* using gravy granules.
Sweat the onion (gently fry till soft and transparent) in the oil, then add the Garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the Curry powder and the Cumin, fry for another minute, then add the Pumpkin, Potato and stock.
Blend (using a hand-blender) until smooth and mix in the cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Optionally, fine-chop the small onion and gently caramelise. Mix into the soup.