Feijoada, Brazilian Pork & Bean Stew

Last night was the first slow cooker meal of the autumn/winter, prompted by a glut of beans.

It was such a treat to come home from tidying the allotment during the tail end of Storm Amy in southern England to dinner already cooked.

Serves a hearty 4

8 pork belly strips (I had 4, as my butcher cut me 4 massive one!)
4 cooking chorizo (I used 8 mini chorizo, or use 200g cured chorizo cut into 8)
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of hot chilli flakes
2 cans beans (black, borlotti, pinto, cannellini), or 250g dried beans, soaked and cooked

If using dried beans, soak and cook these before hand.  Keep the cooking water.

Brown the pork belly and the whole chorizo in the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat, and place in the slow cooker in a single layer on the bottom of the slow cooker that is warming up.

Turn the heat down under the frying pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.  You can brown the chorizo now if it didn’t fit in the frying pan with the pork belly. Add a little more olive oil if required. Spread over the pork belly in the slow cooker when soft.

Heat the liquid from the cans of beans or the equivalent of two cans of cooking water (about 400ml) in the frying pan, together with the vinegar, chilli flakes, and bay leaves.  When boiling pour over the pork belly and onion mixture. The liquid should just cover the pork belly at the bottom of the slow cooker (don’t worry about covering the odd piece of chorizo or onions).  If it doesn’t cover the pork, add little more boiling water from the kettle but go easy.  Slow cooker dishes can be quite watery as they do not reduce like casseroles in the oven or on the hob.

After 5 hours on High, stir in the canned/cooked beans.  Leave for another hour on High to heat the beans through.

Serve with white rice and a Kale Chimichurri.

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Chicken, Lamb, or Vegan Pasanda Curry

We have lured our eldest daughter home for the evening to watch the Lionesses play in the Euros, and have a homemade Lamb Pasanda. 

I mostly followed BBC Good Food's Chicken Pasanda recipe, using cashews as I had no almonds, adding cumin seeds and more ground coriander as one of the reviews said the curry was a little bland, and omitting the cream.  Our Lamb Pasanda was tasty and with a medium kick of chilli.

This curry can be 'veganised' but substituting the meat with chickpeas/white beans and firm tofu, and using plant based yoghurt and milk.

Serves 4

500g diced lamb or chicken, or 200g black of firm tofu and a can of white beans/chickpeas

200g plain dairy or plant based yoghurt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2½ cm root ginger, finely grated

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp salt

Curry sauce

50g blanched almonds or cashews

100ml whole or plant based milk

4 tbsp sunflower oil

4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced 

4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely crushed

2½ root ginger, finely grated

4 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chilli, thinly sliced or ½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

Marinade the meat in the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt for 30 minutes or more whilst you make the curry sauce. I tip the yoghurt and flavourings into the plastic tray or bag it comes in to save on washing up. 

To make the curry sauce, warm the milk for 1 minute in a mug in the microwave, add the almonds or cashews, and leave to the side to soften.

In a large pan, fry the onions in the oil over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in the whole spices (cardamon pods, cinnamon stick, cumin, and chilli), followed by the garlic and ginger, and then the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, and garam masala).

Liquidise the almonds/cashews with 300ml water and add to the pan with the onions.  Add the marinated meat, making sure you scrape out as much of the yoghurt mixture as you can.

Stir well, bring to the boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

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Spicy Chana Masala

Chana Masala is surprisingly easy to make.  You could even get away with just garam masala (and chill obvs) if you don't have all the dried spices.

Serves 4-6

2 cans chickpeas including liquid (or 200g dried, soaked overnight then cooked in fresh water until tender)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 
1 tbsp grated root ginger
30g fresh coriander, finely chopped
2-4 green chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all
1-2 tsp chilli powder to taste
500g passata 

1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Fry the onion in the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium low heat until they start to turn golden brown.

Stir in the cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, grated ginger, and garlic. When you can smell the warm spices, add the rest of the ingredients including the liquid from the canned chickpeas or enough of the cooking water to cover the chickpeas with about 1cm of liquid.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or naan.

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One Pan Chicken & Rice

An Iraqi recipe for T'Beet on my Instagram reels reminded me of a simple one pan chicken & rice I used to make, as well as Egyptian Rice & Lentils (Mujaddara).  As I didn't have the requisite Iraqi spices for T'Beet I freestyled sit, based on my earlier recipe.

Serves 4

4 large or 8 small chicken thighs 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced in half moons

4 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed

1 large mug basmati rice

200g cooked puy lentils, drained, or bag of baby spinach 

1 tbsp ras el hanout (optional)

1 lemon ( I used a homemade preserved lemon)

In a lidded pan, large enough for the chicken to be in a single layer, brown the chicken thighs skin side down in the olive oil over a medium high heat.  Remove to a plate when brown.

Turn the heat down to medium and caramelise the onion the same pan
after you have removed the chicken.

When the onion is as brown as you dare, stir in the garlic and ras el hanout, and fry for a minute or so before adding the rice and drained lentils.  Measure out a mug and a half of boiling water and pour into the pan.  The water needs to be 1 cm above the level of rice and lentils, so top up with boiling water if required.

If using spinach rather than lentils, stir it into the hot water and rice until it is wilted and mixed through well.

Halve the lemon and juice, then cut the halves in half again.  Pour the lemon juice over the rice.  Arrange the browned chicken, skin side up now, on top of the rice and nestle the juiced lemon quarters between them.

Cover and bring to the boil.  Once boiling, turn the heat down to it's lowest heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

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Zoe.com Aubergine Parmigiana

Being gifted some aubergines seemed the ideal opportunity to make an Aubergine Parmigiana, which I had wanted to try for a long time.  This recipe could also be made with courgettes.

I looked at several recipes, including traditional Italian recipes, but settled on @zoe's recipe because I liked the idea of adding lentils to the tomato sauce to make it more filling as a main meal.

@Zoe's recipe is copied below, with my notes in italics

Serves: 4 (with leftovers)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Plant Count: 7
Diet: Vegetarian (Vegan with swaps)
Fibre: 10–15g per serving

3 aubergines, sliced lengthways into 1cm-thick slices (or 5-6 courgettes)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes (14 oz)
1 x 400g tin black or green lentils, drained (14 oz)
30g basil leaves, torn, plus a few extra for garnish 
125g ball of mozzarella, torn (4.4 oz)
20g finely grated Parmesan cheese (0.7 oz)
Salt and black pepper

Top-ups: Kimchi, Extra basil
Swaps: Black-eyed beans for lentils, Vegan cheese alternative

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and lay out the aubergine slices in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil all over. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and soft. I took the more traditional Italian route and shallow fried my aubergine slices in olive oil until golden brown, but it does use a lot of olive oil.

Meanwhile, place a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onion in the remaining oil for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and lentils, then half-fill the tomato tin with water and add this to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the torn basil leaves and cook for 5 minutes more, then season with salt and pepper.
Spoon a third of the ragu mixture into the base of a 20–23cm (8–9 inch) square ovenproof dish (or similar) and top with a layer of aubergine. Repeat this twice more, then finish with the torn mozzarella and grated Parmesan. I used a 200g ball of mozzarella which covered the top layer of aubergine really well once melted.

Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Serve with some steamed greens or salad on the side.

Tips and Techniques

Cheese alternatives: For a vegan version, swap the mozzarella and parmesan for vegan alternatives.

Meal prep: This dish works great as leftovers. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheat in the oven or airfryer (180C for 10-15 minutes) to regain the crispy texture.

Customise your veg: Feel free to add more vegetables like spinach, bell peppers, carrots or celery to the ragu to up the plant count.

FAQs

Can I use other types of beans instead of lentils? Absolutely! You can swap lentils for black-eyed beans, chickpeas, or even cannellini beans.

Can I prepare this dish ahead of time? Yes, you can assemble the dish and refrigerate it until you're ready to bake

Can I freeze the leftovers? Yes, you can freeze portions of the cooked aubergine parmigiana in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven for best results.

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Zoe Science & Nutrition Baked Root Vegetable Medley

With beetroot and half a butternut squash to use up on New Year's Eve, and a vegetarian to cater for, I tried this recipe I saw on @Zoe instagram account.  In spite forgetting to set an oven timer due to the jollity of board games and sparkling wine, it turned out well.  I had the last serving today on homemade wholegrain sourdough toast drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side 

1 sweet potato

1 small squash

1 beetroot

5 Jerusalem artichokes (didn't use - used several small beetroot and large sweet potato instead)

1 handful cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 10 minutes

400g tin of white beans (recipe said drained, but I didn't) 

1 tsp miso paste

a few sprigs of thyme

2 cloves of garlic

100ml milk of choice (used the bean liquid instead)

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Thinly slice your vegetables using a knife or mandolin and layer into an ovenproof dish with fresh thyme.

In a blender, combine the beans, soaked cashews, garlic, milk and miso paste into a pourable sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Cover the vegetables with the sauce and push down to ensure they are submerged. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and place in the oven for around an hour until the vegetables are soft and the top is golden and crispy.

My tips; brush some additional olive oil over the bottom and sides of your baking dish.  Also, my vegetables were not submerged by the sauce so I covered the dish with some aluminium foil.

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Cheats Nduja (Spicy Italian Pork Paté)

Unusually, I came across a recipe for a vegan nduja and made a meat version, as quite often I find myself making vegan versions of meat recipes.  We're not vegans, but meat has become a weekend treat. So as today is Saturday I made this Nduja pasta sauce.

Nduja is a fiery spreadable salami made with Calabrian chilli peppers.  There weren't any Calabria chills in Asda in Eastleigh in Hampshire, so I used the remnants of some Chipotle paste I had plus some hot chilli flakes.  I think I will stick to hot chilli flakes in future as they are easier to find.

Serves 6 with 500g dried pasta

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g higher welfare pork mince

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 large garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp red wine vinegar

100g roasted red peppers, keeping the liquid

1-2 tsp chilli powder or flakes, to taste (it is supposed to be fiery!)

In a frying pan, fry the pork mince in the olive oil over a medium high heat until browned.

Stir in the paprika, fennel seeds, and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the red wine vinegar, stir around and then the peppers.  Stir then turn off the heat to cool for a 10+ minutes.

When cool enough run through a food processor, adding the reserved roasted pepper liquid if required, to make a spreadable paste.

Serve over pasta (a mug of pasta water helps make the 'nduja into more of a sauce), on toast or canapés.

Keep in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze in portions.

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Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

An unexpected spaghetti squash arrived in our Riverford vegbox last week.  We had such a meaty cooked breakfast for yesterday morning for one of my daughter's birthday meals, that my partner half jokingly said we should eat the squash for dinner, before he went out for the day to his elderly mother's.

Googling 'spaghetti squash recipes' brought me back to Riverford's recipes, and their Pesto Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Breadcrumbs & Mozzarella. As we did not have any mozzarella to spare (today's homemade pizza is the last birthday meal) I thought I'd use feta, which sent me off on a Greek inspired filling.

Serves 2

1 medium to large spaghetti squash

200g feta

50g pine nuts

1 tbsp chopped or dried mint

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1 handful breadcrumbs (1 thin slice of bread 'liquidised)

Extra virgin olive oil

Pepper & salt

Preheat the oven to 180C whilst you split the squash in half from top to bottom.  Scrape out the seeds, and reserve for roasting.  Rub a little olive oil, salt,and pepper on the flesh of the squash.

Bake cut side down with 1 tbsp water under each half for 25-30 minutes until the flesh can pulled into shreds easily with a fork.

Scrape the flesh into a bowl with the feta, pine nuts, mint, garlic, chilli if using, and 1 tbsp olive oil.  

Mix well and refill the two squash shells.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the filling and drizzle over a little olive oil.

Bake for another 8-10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are a golden brown.

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Makaronopita, Greek Macaroni Cheese

Quite simply, Makaronopita is Greek macaroni cheese made with feta, to which I added some chard.

Serves 4

250g macaroni

250g chard or spinach

1 clove of garlic

600ml milk

50g plain flour 

1/4 tsp nutmeg

300g feta

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 free range eggs, beaten 

100g cheddar cheese, grated 

Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet.  Drain, return to the pan and toss in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Clean and roughly chop the chard or spinach. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and wilt the chard, adding the crushed garlic just before turning off the heat.  Stir the wilted chard into the cooked pasta.

Whisk milk, flour, extra virgin olive oil, and nutmeg together in a saucepan.  Heat gently, stirring with a spatula until it starts to thicken.  Once it starts to thicken, turn the heat down to the lowest and continue stirring until it starts to bubble.  Stir in the beaten egg, then pour over the pasta, chard & feta, and mix thoroughly.

Pour into an oiled high sided baking dish, sprinkle over the grated cheddar, and bake for 40-45 minutes at 180C until golden brown.

The greek recipe website I based this on said to let the dish rest for 30 minutes before serving, but we are all too impatient/hungry so served it immediately!

19/10/24 I made a cheats version of this, using a pot of cottage cheese instead of the white sauce, and omitted the egg as I thought there was enough protein. It worked really well.

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Potato & Beef Goulash

Most goulash recipes call for at least 1kg of beef for 4 people, but I found this recipe for Goulash Soup in my saved recipes.  In fact it only called for 250g of beef and 250g of potato to make a soup for 6.  So I increased both the beef and potato to make a soupy frugal stew for 4.

Serves 4

1 large onion, peel and finely sliced
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced 
500g braising beef, cubed 

1 red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp paprika
1tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp caraway seeds

400g chopped tomatoes

1 litre beef stock

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 kg potatoes

In a casserole dish, fry the sliced onion in the olive oil over a medium high until golden brown.

Push to one side and fry the beef until outside of the cubes looks browned/cooked.  Stir in the red pepper and garlic, and fry for a few minutes.

Take off the heat for a minute and stir through both kinds of paprika and caraway seeds. Then stir in the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and vinegar. Return to the heat, cover and bring to the boil.  Once boiling turn down simmer, keep covered, and cook for 1 hour.

After one hour, chop the potatoes into large chunks and push under the liquid in the stew.  If there is not enough liquid, add a little boiling water to ensure everything is covered by about 1cm of liquid.

Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Serve with leafy greens or a salad.

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GCSE Food Tech Bean Burgers

This bean burger recipe was in my daughter's GCSE Food Tech recipe booklet when she first began studying it in 2018.  It was such a tasty yet simple recipe that I copied and saved it.

Makes 4-5 burgers

2 ×400g cans of beans in water (borlotti, butter, kidney, black, chick peas or any other type – a mixture is good), drained 
handful of fresh coriander leaves and stalks
1 onion, finely diced

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

zest of 1 lemon or lime

3 tbsp plain or gram flour

salt and pepper

oil (sunflower or rapeseed) for frying

To serve (optional)

2 tbsp mayonnaise, piccalilli or chutney

¼ iceberg lettuce, shredded

bread rolls

1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1. Place all the burger ingredients in a food processor and process for a few seconds. Alternatively, this can be done by hand, but you will need to mash the beans with a fork.

2. Using your hands and some extra flour, shape the mixture into four equal-sized burgers to fit your bread rolls. Editors note; add more flour 1 tbsp at a time if your mixture is too wet. I've had to add quite a lot more flour on occasions, particularly when using home cooked beans.

3. Chill the burgers in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes until they are firm.

4. Shallow fry the burgers in some oil over a medium heat, turning them over every few minutes until they are golden and crisp on both sides (approximately 10 minutes altogether).

5. Before serving, prepare the dressing: mix together the mayonnaise (or piccalilli or chutney) and lettuce. Cut the bread rolls in half and toast under the grill on both sides. 

6. Spread the bottom halves of the bread rolls with the dressing, add a slice of tomato and some onion rings, then the burgers. Cover with the top halves of the bread rolls.

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Harissa Salmon, Broccoli, & New Potato Traybake

As the weather cools in southern England, turning the oven on for a traybake doesn't seems a bad idea, particularly if you can cook something else for later in the week on another shelf (roasted homegrown Crown Prince squash).

A relatively quick midweek dinner.

Serves 4

500g side of salmon
1kg new potatoes 
Small head of broccoli 

1-3 tbsp harissa

2 tbsp olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Mix the harissa, olive oil and lemon juice and marinade the salmon for as long as you can beforehand. The recipe I loosely followed stated 3 tbsp of harissa but ours was old, fiery, and the genuine article (Le Phare de Cap Bon from France) and just 1 tbsp was surprisingly hot.  I presume supermarket homebrand harissa is not as hot?  Our salmon marinaded whilst boiling the potatoes.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, adding the broccoli florets for 2 minutes at the end of the cooking time. Drain.

Lightly oil a high sided baking dish and place in the salmon.  Toss the potatoes in any remaining marinade and around the salmon as suits. I would have cooked the piece of salmon whole, but was worried that once child would find the harissa too spicy, so cut the salmon into four portions and kept one of portion well away from the marinated portions. To further complicate things, another child does not like broccoli (but thankfully likes harissa), so I had to separate the potatoes and the broccoli as well as marinated and non-marinated fish, otherwise I would have mixed the vegetables all together.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180C, until the salmon is cooked through.

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Jerk Style Rice and Peas

Jerk style Rice & Peas (Beans) is a great budget store cupboard meal, healthy, and surprisingly filling.

I made a Jerk paste, but ready made pastes are available in UK supermarkets.

Serves 4

Jerk Paste 

1 small onion

1 large clove of garlic

1 scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, or 1 tbsp West Indian Chilli Sauce)

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Rice and Peas

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 tbsp olive oil

250g basmati rice

2 cans black eyed peas, black beans, peas & beans mix including their liquid

Jerk Paste, all the above or 2 tbsp ready made

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

1 litre just boiled water

4 spring onions,  thinly slice

Make the paste in a liquidiser, adding a tablespoon at a time until you have a thick paste, if you are making your own Jerk paste.

Fry the onions gently in the olive oil in a large saucepan (with a well fitting lid) until soft.  

Stir in the rest of the ingredients apart from the spring onions.  The liquid should cover the rice and beans.  Add more boiling water if it does not.  

Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.  When the 10 minutes is up, turn off the heat but DO NOT lift the lid.  Set the timer for another 10 minutes to leave the rice to absorb any remaining liquid.

Stir in the chopped spring onions before serving.

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Loubia, Moroccan Bean Stew

Loubia is a hearty Middle Eastern Baked Beans, traditionally made with beef or lamb.

I based my version on this recipe from Taste of Maroc.  Their recipe includes meat, but I prefer a vegan version.

Serves 6

2 cans of haricot or cannellini beans, or 450g dry beans soaked overnight and cooked according to their instructions 

2 cartons of passata

1 large onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric - (optional)

1/4 tsp chilli powder  - or fresh chili peppers (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

Fry the onion in the olive oil in a casserole dish with a lid.  When it starts to brown add the garlic and cumin, stir then add the rest of the ingredients apart from the salt.

Bring boil, cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until the onion is soft.  Add the salt just before serving.

Serve with crusty bread or couscous.

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Lemon & Rosemary Lamb Traybake

This Lemon & Rosemary Lamb Tray Bake from BBC Good Food is perfect for Easter, although I cooked the weekend before as a birthday meal.

As every I tweaked it a little bit to what I had available, and removing the ingredients my teens don't like (peppers & tomatoes).

1 ½ lemons, zested and juiced, ½ sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

6 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked from 4 and chopped

8 lamb cutlets, trimmed of excess fat (I used Barnsley chops from local butcher)

500g new potato, thinly sliced (this seemed light on spuds - I used 1kg of all purpose potatoes)

2 red peppers, deseeded and thickly sliced (not used)

4 small vine tomatoes, halved (not used)

50g black olive

3 tbsp capers 

Marinade the lamb in the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, chopped rosemary, and a little salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.  I used the large shallow baking dish I was going to cook them in, keeping the bag the lamb came in to put them back in whilst the potatoes are cooking.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

When ready to cook, take the lamb out of the baking dish, putting it back in the bag if you have it. Scrape any marinade on top of the lamb.  

Tip the potatoes into the into the baking dish, toss them in ½ tbsp olive oil and a little salt & pepper,  and put in the oven for 15 mins.

After 15 minutes, remove the dish and move the potatoes around so those in the middle of the dish are swapped with those at the edge. Top with the peppers, lemon slices, rosemary sprigs and tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining oil and some seasoning. Return to the oven for 10 mins.

Place the lamb cutlets on top of the veg. Scatter over the olives and capers. Cook for a final 10-12 mins, turning the lamb halfway until it is just pink. As I used Barnsley chops, I thought they might need a bit more cooking (and I have a child who finds rare meat too chewy) so I baked the lamb for 30 minutes.  This gave me perfect blushing lamb. Adults' portion was served with cauliflower and fennel roasted along side the lamb.

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Mujaddara, Middle Eastern Rice & Lentils

Needed as a break from lentil curry, so recalled this Middle Eastern recipe I'd seen in a library e-book over the summer.  

Serves 4

200g dry green or brown lentils, or a can

2 onions, peeled and finely sliced

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 mug basmati rice

For the garlic yogurt

250ml Greek yoghurt (or vegan yoghurt)

3 spring onions, finely sliced, or wilted spinach

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

The original recipe calls for deep fried flour dusted onions to be cooked first.  I halved the number of onions (to two), forwent the flour, and just caramelised the onions first, then added the rice and lentils to the onions in the pan to cook like a biryani.

Cook the lentils for 2 minutes less than the instructions on their packet so they stay firm.  Drain the tinned lentils if using.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan.  Peel and half the onions, then thinly slice,  Fry gently for about 20 minutes over a medium high heat, stirring from time to time, until brown.  

Add the garlic and dry spices. Stir the rice and drained lentils into the oil and spices, then add a mug and a half of recently boiled water

Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down the lowest heat to simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. 

Whilst the rice is cooking, mix all the garlic yoghurt ingredients in a bowl and leave to one side. 

After the rice has been cooking for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and leave to rest for 10 minutes without taking the lid off.  After 10 minutes fluff the rice up with a fork and stir in half the fried onions, and sprinkle the rest on the top

Serve with the garlic yoghurt on the side.

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Jamie Oliver's Sweet Leek Carbonara

This Sweet Leek Carbonara is as simple as it sounds. I have copied and pasted the recipe from Jamie Oliver's website below, plus my own notes. It can be easily veganised (see the end of the recipe)

“My veggie twist on a classic carbonara champions incredibly sweet leeks, thyme and plenty of cracked black pepper. It’s well worth slow-cooking the leeks here – leave them to gently tick away while you get on with other things. ”

Serves 4 

Cooks in 50 minutes

Not too tricky

2 large leeks

4 cloves of garlic (I added this grated finely to the egg as we like it strong)

4 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

1 knob of unsalted butter (optional)

olive oil

300 g dried spaghetti (i used 400g wholemeal pasta)

50 g Parmesan or pecorino cheese, plus extra to serve (I used 75g of parmesan & mature cheddar)

1 large egg

Trim, wash and finely slice the leeks. Peel and finely slice the garlic and pick the thyme leaves, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Once sizzling, stir in the leeks and 400ml of water, then cover and simmer gently over a low heat for 40 minutes, or until sweet and soft, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

When the leeks are almost done, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water.

Toss the drained pasta into the leek pan, then remove from the heat and wait 2 minutes for the pan to cool slightly while you finely grate the cheese and beat it with the egg (if the pan’s too hot, it’ll scramble; get it right and it’ll be smooth, silky and deliciously elegant).

Loosen the egg mixture with a splash of reserved cooking water, then pour over the pasta, tossing vigorously (the egg will cook in the residual heat).

Season to absolute perfection, going a little OTT on the pepper. Adjust the consistency with extra cooking water, if needed, and finish with a little stroke of cheese. Fantastic served with a glass of cold Italian white wine.

FREEZER STASH

Often I triple the leek base and freeze it for quick cooking another day.

GO VEGGIE

Swap Parmesan for vegetarian hard cheese.

GO VEGAN (Leesa's notes)

Swap the cheese and egg for cashew cream, and nutritional yeast if you have it

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Kolokythopita, Greek Butternut Squash Puff Pastry Pie

This one pan Greek butternut squash pie is made a lot easier replacing filo pastry with puff pastry.

Serves 4

1 pack puff pastry
1kg butternut squash, peeled & cut into small cubes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 red chilli, seeded & finely diced

1 tbsp greek oregano or thyme 

1 large garlic clove, peeled & crushed

200g feta cheese, drained & cubed

Preheat the oven to 200C

Place the butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and roast for 30 minutes until the squash is tender then remove from the oven to cool.  

When the butternut squash is cool enough to handle turn the oven bacon to 180C, and  mix the onion, garlic, chilli, herbs, and feta together on the baking sheet.

Unroll the pastry, keeping it on the greaseproof paper. With a long side facing you, slide/pull the pastry away from you so that 1/3rd of the greaseproof paper is showing at the front. Carefully tip your mixed filling along the middle of the pastry then pull the top long edge down over the filling to line up with the bottom long edge (like a long sausage roll), and crimp closed with a fork. Make diagonal slashes in the top with nothing more than the weight of a very sharp knife. But don't worry you puncture the casing.

Wipe the baking tray with some kitchen roll then lift the pie on it's greaseproof paper onto the baking tray. bake at 180C for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a crisp green salad.

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Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb Dalcha (Red Lentil Dal with Roast Lamb)

Use your leftover lamb roast in this healthy Indian lentil dal, Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb Dalcha. 

Serves 6

225g red lentils
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cm cinnamon stick
6 whole cardamom pods
1 medium-sized onion, peeled, cut in half length-wise then sliced into half moons
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
225g boneless cooked lamb
1 tsp finely grated garlic
¾ tsp red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp tamarind pulp or about 2tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1-2 dried whole hot red chillies
8-10 fresh or dried curry leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthways

Put the lentils in a heavy-based pan with 900ml of water and the tumeric. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy.

In a wide based pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat. When hot, put in the cinnamon and cardamom. Stir for a few seconds, or until the cardamom begins to darken. Add the onions and fry until slightly browned. Add the ginger, garlic, and ¼ tsp red chilli powder. Stir for 1 minute to allow the spices to brown then add the cooked lamb and 175ml of water and bring to a simmer.  Turn the heat off until the lentils are ready.

When the lentils are tender, stir them vigorously into a purée. Add the tamarind, salt and chilli powder. Either add the lentils to the lamb, or the lamb to the lentils, whichever is the bigger pan! Simmer with the lid off whilst you prepare the tarka/tadka (spiced oil).

Heat the last 2 tbsp of vegetable oil a small frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, whole red chilli and the curry leaves. Stir. As soon as the chilli darkens a bit, add the sliced garlic. Stir until the garlic turns a light brown in colour then pour over the lentils and lamb and serve.

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Slow Cooker Pork Belly & Beans

Cooking pork belly and beans in a slow cooker is a great midweek, or lazy weekend main meal.

I usually cook Boston Baked Beans but thought I'd try a few different flavours, based on BBC Good Food's Braised Pork Belly with Borlotti Beans

Serves 4

400g cubed pork belly, or 4 pork belly strips (skin removed)

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 large stick of celery, diced

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp fennel seeds

Small sprig of rosemary

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 cans beans (borlotti, cannellini, pinto beans) and their liquid 

200ml white wine

Recently boiled water

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

2 tbsp plain flour, or gluten free alternative (I used chickpea flour)

Turn the slow cooker on to warm up.

Fry the cubed pork in the vegetable oil over a medium high heat in a high sided frying pan.

Once it starts to brown, push to one side and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  Stir, and fry for a couple of minutes then stir the tomato paste, fennel and rosemary.

Scrape the contents of the frying pan into the slow cooker, together with the beans and their liquid.  Bring  the wine and crumbled stock cube to the boil in the frying pan then pour over the pork and beans in the slow cooker.  Mix, and top up with recently boiled water so everything is just covered with liquid.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours.  30 minutes before you want to serve, mix a little of the cooking liquor into the flour to form a loose paste.  Stir the flour paste into the stew, squishing any lumps if you see any.  Cover, and stir once before serving.

We served it with roast potatoes and cauliflower, but it works well with mashed potato, rice, pasta...

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