Gujerati Style Spinach

The boy indisputably loves lamb chops. I think spinach is the perfect accompaniment to lamb as its flavour is strong enough to stand up to the lamb, but doesn’t fight it. Cooking it this way almost makes it the star.

2tbsp vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1tsp cumin seeds

1kg fresh spinach

Juice & zest of a lemon

½ tsp sugar

4tbsp yoghurt

¼ tsp black pepper

Salt

The boy is cooking the lamb chops, claiming it’s “the man’s job”. Whatever. This is much more interesting, both to cook and to eat.

Heat the oil and gently fry the garlic and cumin seeds. It’s easy to burn garlic, so keep the heat quite low. After a minute, add the spinach. Unless your pan is huge you will need to do this in batches, adding more as each handful shrinks down. It’s amazing how it diminishes. A kilo, uncooked looks like it should feed a large family!

Turn the heat up and turn the spinach around with the garlic and cumin. Add the lemon. Stir in the sugar, pepper and salt. Keep it turning. Give the boy a spoonful to taste and see what he thinks about the seasoning. Finally add the yoghurt. Give it a really good mix and turn off the heat, as you don’t want the yoghurt to split and go grainy.

As predicted this works really well with the lamb. The boy does eat all of his, though he spends ages gnawing every shred off his lamb chops.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is undoubtedly one of the boy’s favourites, and finally the weather is right for a barbecue. He thinks himself king of the grill – he just needs me to make this for him. Good job he needs me for something!

1kg chicken,skinned and jointed

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Sliced onions (paper thin) & lime wedges to garnish

Marinade

750ml yoghurt

2tbsp oil

1tbsp garlic and ginger paste

1tsp chilli powder

2tsp ground coriander

2tsp garam masala

2tsp dry mustard powder

1tsp turmeric

1tsp white pepper

Make the marinade first. Get a bowl large enough to contain the chicken and add all the marinade ingredients and mix well. To get that orange colour you see in the restaurants, you’ll need food colouring (usually 3tbsp yellow and 1tbsp red). Feel free not to colour this, but I try to use natural colouring. I don’t tell the boy what makes it this colour – he just thinks it comes that way. Besides, he'll be extra pleased if his version looks the same as he sees in restaurants.

Skin the chicken and cut deep slashes all over it. Dress well with lemon juice and salt, rubbing it in. Add to the marinade and again, give it a good massage, so it’s all completely covered. Allow it to soak up the flavour for at least 4 hours.

When he has got the barbecue ready, shake off excess marinade and give him the chicken to cook. Check he’s cooked it through, with a skewer.

Serve on a nice plate, and garnish with the raw onion rings and lime wedges. There’s no way he’d do this if left to his own devices, but he always appreciates that you do. Serve with some mint & yoghurt chutney for dipping.

Mint & Yoghurt Chutney

3 sprigs mint, chopped

3 sprigs coriander, chopped

1cm fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
1tsp sugar

2 green chillies

1/4tsp cumin seeds

225ml yoghurt

Salt

Put everything except the yoghurt and salt in a blender, to make a smooth paste. Add 50-100ml water to ease it along. Whisk in the yoghurt and salt.

Praise the boy for his barbecuing skills. Serve with a salad of sliced tomato, cucumber, onion and shredded carrot. Sprinkle on any leftover coriander and mint from the chutney, with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Greek Style Lamb Kebabs

The boy is always happy when we're having lamb. The trick is to get the meat marinating all day so it’s lovely and tender when you come to cook it.

350g lamb steak, cubed

1 lemon

4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, grated

1tsp oregano

To serve

4 pitta breads

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small cucumber, sliced

4 spring onions

8tbsp Turkish yoghurt

Chilli sauce

Coriander

I think the best way to do this is in a zip-lock bag. Just pop the meat in and then squeeze in the lemon juice (don’t worry about the pips), and the olive oil. Grate in the onion. Sprinkle in the dried oregano. When the boy isn’t looking, I add ½ tsp of chilli flakes. It really won’t make it taste hot, but the boy will be convinced that it will. Seal the bag and turn it from time to time so the meat gets a chance to really soak up the flavour. The acidity of the lemon will make it go a paler colour.

So, when he can’t wait any longer, divide the meat between 4 skewers. You could choose chunks of red onion or pepper to alternate between the meat, but we’re not this time. I fancy all the veggies raw in the salad topping.

Cook the lamb, ideally on a barbecue, but yet again it’s a damp August Saturday so we’re doing ours in a screaming hot griddle pan. When cooked, with nicely charred edges, leave to rest.

Lightly toast the pitta breads so they puff open. I insist that the pitta bread comes from a Greek or Turkish grocer – it will be miles better than supermarket stuff.

Use a knife to open the pittas into pockets and push the lamb in. Add 2bsp of yoghurt to each, and then a good shake of the chilli sauce. I really favour Cholula brand for this, though Tabasco will do. Don’t use Asian sweet chilli sauce – it won’t taste right.

Finally top with the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion and coriander. Give the boy plenty of kitchen towel with his as they do tend to collapse and drip towards the end. If he gets melted yoghurt on his favourite jeans he will insist they be washed there and then. This tastes so good though that it’s worth the risk.

Chinese Cucumber & Ginger

The boy has won and we’re getting a Chinese takeaway. This is a refreshing dish to serve alongside whatever dishes you have ordered.

2 cucumbers

1tsp salt

¼ cup white vinegar

1 ½ tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp grated ginger

So simple. Peel the cucumbers and then run a fork down each one, giving them a fluted/ridged effect.

Slice them and place them in a bowl with the salt, to remove excess water. Let them stand for 30 minutes and drain off any excess water. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper; though don’t be too scrupulous with the drying. You’re removing excess water, not trying to get them bone dry.

Combine everything else, mixing well, and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour or so. The boy really likes the freshness of this against some of the thick Chinese sauces and rice. I’m hoping it dilutes the effect of some of the Monosodium Glutamate before he starts bouncing off the walls.

Lebanese Cauliflower Stew

I’m not sure the boy would be that happy if I said we were having cauliflower for dinner, though he usually perks up if I say we’re having Lebanese. So that’s what we’re having.

2 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

350g lamb mince

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 big tbsp. tomato puree

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp pepper

1 ¼ tsp salt

1 cauliflower, cut into florets

2 carrots, sliced

2 handfuls coriander, roughly chopped

3tbsp lemon juice

The boy will be pleased that this cauliflower dish has more than half a pound of lamb in it. Sauté the onion, gently, until golden, and add the lamb and garlic. When the lamb is browned, stir in the tomato puree and pour in about 500ml water. Sprinkle over the cinnamon, pepper and salt.

Bring to the boil and then add the cauliflower and carrots. Lower the heat and cover, simmering for 30 minutes. 3 or 4 minutes before the end, add the coriander and then the lemon juice.

Serve with vermicelli rice and radishes. Ideally the boy will be making the vermicelli rice, while you’re making the cauliflower but he’s watching TV, so you’re making both. Give him a small knife and the radishes to top and tail.

Vermicelli Rice

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 vermicelli nests broken into small pieces

200g basmati rice

1tsp rice

Actually the boy does want to help here. Breaking the vermicelli.Then it's back to you: Heat the oil and sauté the vermicelli until golden, but without burning. Add the rice and stir well and then add 450ml water. Season with the salt. Cook until the rice is done. The original recipe said 7 minutes, but it usually takes longer. Serve with the cauliflower and a dollop of yoghurt, if you have any. And the radishes which the boy has done beautifully.

Garbage Salad

The name alone should be enough to please the boy. This comes from Chicago and is really a set of antipasto ingredients put together to make an amazing salad

1 red onion, chopped

½ iceberg lettuce, chopped

½ radicchio, chopped

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

400g can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

150g emmenthal, diced

75g salami, cut into strips

15 Peppadew peppers, sliced

1 celery heart, chopped

Dressing

5tbsp red wine vinegar

7tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1tbsp honey

1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, bashed

The ingredient list is kind of also the instructions, with all the slicing, halving and chopping. My best friend Jon got me a set of really good kitchen knives last Christmas, so chopping is a real pleasure. Tip: sharpen your knife before starting.

The salami should be wide slices, so you end up with thin shreds, rather than the small sausage type. Look out for Peppadew peppers – sometimes called African peppers. They are sweet with a little tinge of heat. They come in jars.

As I said, this is from Chicago, so some Blues go on the CD player.

I think this looks really good served in a wide, shallow bowl with all the ingredients presented separately, each in their own zone going around the plate.

Make the vinaigrette – feel free to reduce the vinegar – I’m making this to our taste, which is rather sharp. Just mix everything together in a small jug and add plenty of salt and pepper. Leave it for 30 minutes for the flavours to relax into each other and give it a good stir from time to time to help it along.

So we’re ready to go. Present the big plate with some salad tongs and let the boy create the ‘garbage’. Dress well. Enjoy with some rustic bread. The boy is laughing at the blues track which seems to be of a guy complaining about his girl’s BO!

Spicy Tomato Soup with Creme Fraiche

A simple Friday night soup after a long working week. The boy has got The Iron Lady and W/E on DVD from the library so this is for trays on our laps while we enjoy the movies.

1tbsp olive oil

2tbsp red Thai curry paste

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

A pinch of sugar

150ml water

100g crème fraiche

I feel sure there must be a more complicated way of making this but I only know this easy way. Two ingredients must be the very best you can find – the tinned tomatoes (which you will by now be sick of me going on about) and the crème fraiche, which will ideally be organic, or even better, artisan.

Actually some pretty good red curry paste would make sense too. There are so few ingredients; it would be a shame not to make the most of them.

Gently fry the curry paste in the oil for a few minutes so it aromatises. Add the chopped tomatoes, adding a little water to the can and swirling it to get all the flavour out. Add the water and sugar.

Simmer for 10 minutes and then add all of the crème fraiche except for 2tbsp for garnish. Season. Stir well.

Pour into bowls and add a tbsp. of crème fraiche to garnish. We’re having ours with plenty of hot buttered toast. A mix of white and brown, though the boy only seems to eat the white! We’re both tired. Take his empty bowl away. Stroke his hair.

Wasabi & Lime Salad Dresing

This is a really zippy salad dressing, great for making a salad the star of the show.

3tbsp lime juice

4tbsp groundnut oil

1tbsp wasabi paste

1/2tsp flaky sea salt

The wasabi paste comes from a tube – you can get it at Waitrose.

Just mix everything really well to make an emulsion. The boy is really good at tasting these things and occasionally recommends more lime juice or more salt. He greatly prefers salads to side vegetables and anyway raw foods are better for you.

We will have this with a salad of watercress, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced avocadoes, thinly sliced red onion and diced mozzarella. The boy is very happy to eat salads as long as they are interesting. If I served him lettuce, cucumber and tomato, I think he would leave me. Wouldn’t entirely blame him.

Spaghetti with Raw Tomato Sauce

Generally I don’t see the point of deseeding tomatoes. Once you’ve skinned them and got the seeds out there hardly seems anything left –and the jelly-like seeds are half the fun of a tomato. But I wanted to try this. The boy wasn’t at all sure but we both found it light and summery.

500g ripe vine tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped

4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

18 leaves basil, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

350g spaghetti

Salt and pepper

The ingredient list is nice and simple, which is what you want on a hot day. We’ve hand picked the tomatoes at the local grocer – they need to be as ripe and as good as they can be if we’re not doing much too them. The boy is peeling them though he refuses to deseed them, so he’s picking the basil instead. It’s almost finished for the summer. Too much rain this year, though the coriander and dill has loved it.

Put the tomato, garlic, oil, basil and salt & pepper in a bowl and mix well and set aside for 30 minutes for the flavours to combine. You’re supposed to leave the garlic whole and remove it after its resting time. We love garlic, so we don’t.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and mix with the raw tomato sauce while it’s still really hot. Serve straightaway, as this won’t keep. It’s deliciously fresh and light. We have it on the patio, though we can’t be bothered to pull the table out. We eat standing, twirling up spaghetti with our forks. He’s in a mellow mood. He’s put a Cannonball Adderly CD on the kitchen CD player. I love him when he’s like this.

Chilled Borscht

I wasn’t sure about this. It’s been a hot day and he’s been working hard in the garden. I know he likes beetroot, and he likes gazpacho but still…. 

1.2kg beetroot

5 spring onions

2 cucumbers, peeled, deseeded & cut into chunks

50g celery, chopped

300g crème fraiche

3tbsp balsamic vinegar

3tbsp olive oil

1 ½ tbsp maple syrup

Salt & white pepper

300g ice, crushed

This needs to be started the day before which means that you need to be sure that tomorrow will be a hot day. As this is a Polish derivative, the soundtrack to Three Colours Red will really add something if playing in the kitchen.

Heat the oven to 200c/Gas6. Wrap each beetroot in foil and cook for 90 mins. Leave to cool. Peel – it should be easy to just rub the skin off – and cut into chunks.

Cut the white parts of the spring onions off and put in the food processor (Save the green parts). Add the beetroot, cucumber, celery, 250g of the crème fraiche, and get it smooth.

Add the balsamic vinegar, oil, maple syrup, a tsp and a half of salt and a very big pinch of white pepper and give it another pulse.

Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle each with crushed ice and the chopped green parts of the spring onions. The boy likes this with piping hot garlic bread. He’s in a sleeveless t-shirt and it’s hard to resist him. It turns out he likes the soup - it has an earthy sweetness that appeals to him.

Sliced Steak with Lemon & Thyme

Thinly sliced steak that –unusually- is marinated after it’s cooked.

600g rump steak, ideally an inch thick

5 sprigs thyme

2 cloves garlic, bashed

80ml extra virgin olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1tsp flaky sea salt

Black pepper

Basmati rice

A shake of light soy sauce

The boy loves steak, but he hasn’t had it quite like this before.

Heat the griddle pan up, and brush the steaks with oil. Cook the steak for 3 minutes each side and then another minute each side but turned around so you get nice criss cross griddle marks.

Put everything else into a baking dish, and put the hot steaks in, when cooked. Not only will they rest, but they will soak up the marinade.  Leave it in for 4 minutes, turn it and leave for another 4 minutes.

Remove and thinly slice on the diagonal. You’ll need a very sharp knife for this. Put all the slices on a serving plate

Serve with Basmati rice and long stem broccoli. If you like (and we do), bring the marinade to the boil and add a little soy. Stir and pour over the rice.

The boy is devoted to sandwiches and thinks the steak would be brilliant in a baguette with some coleslaw.  He’s often right about these things.

Mooli & Pomegranate Salad

This is a salad the boy would happily have every day as it is quite sweet – which is why we only have it occasionally. That and the way the boy waves the mooli around as if it was a dildo.

400g Mooli (Daikon), peeled

2 carrots, peeled

Seeds of 2 pomegranates

120g flaked almonds, toasted

Coriander leaves to garnish

Dressing

2tbsp lime juice

1tbsp sesame oil

1tsp salt

1/2tsp chilli powder

2tsp caster sugar or honey

The boy has already established, to his disappointment, that we do not have a julienneing machine. So it has to be done by me, by hand. It’s actually quite satisfying making little carrot and mooli matchsticks. Pat them dry with kitchen paper and place in a serving bowl

Toast the almond flakes in a dry skillet and add to the carrots and mooli. Add the pomegranate seeds – just cut it in half and tap with a wooden spoon and the seeds will drop out.

Mix the dressing ingredients together. Pour over the salad and chill for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the coriander over before serving.

We had this with chicken satay and I think the boy liked the salad almost as much as the meat, which is a first.

Linguine with Marinated Mushrooms

We have had quite a bit of meat lately – the boy is certainly not complaining, but I do want to put the brakes on. This is really quick to make, which is a good thing as we’re both home on time as we want to watch Jack Laugher represent Team GB in the Olympic Men’s Diving. Go Jack!

225g chestnut mushrooms

80ml extra virgin olive oil

1tbsp flaky sea salt

1 clove garlic, crushed

Zest & juice of a lemon

4 sprigs fresh thyme

500g linguine

Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

4tbsp grated parmesan

White pepper

A knob of butter

Slice the mushrooms. The boy is sent to fetch the thyme from the garden as it’s raining and I don’t want to get wet. He brings back some sage too, though we don’t need it in this recipe. Pull the leaves off the thyme. Ignore the sage.

Melt the butter in a small pan and sauté the mushroom for a minute or two. You’re not looking to cook them through – just take the rawness off them.

Marinade the mushrooms in a bowl with the oil, salt, garlic, lemon zest and thyme leaves, for as long as it takes to cook the pasta.

I like De Cecco brand pasta and think that linguine is my favourite kind. It’s like spaghetti’s sophisticated, handsome cousin. Cook according to the instructions on the packet and make sure you use a big pan with plenty of salted water. Pasta likes to have enough space to be itself.

When it’s done drain it, but keep back a few tablespoons of the starchy cooking water. Tip into a serving bowl and add the mushrooms, scraping all of the marinade in. Add the reserved cooking water. Toss it all well. This heat should finish cooking the mushrooms. Sprinkle on the Parmesan, parsley and pepper and give it one more toss.

We are having this with a salad of cucumber, stoned black olives and dill, seasoned with salt and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. I love it when the meal is good enough that he doesn’t miss the meat. It’s so quick to make which give us time to cheer Jack Laugher on. #teamGB

Uruguayan Steak Skewers with Caruso Sauce

The boy favours things cooked on skewers for some reason, so we’re giving this dish from Uruguay a go.

1lb fillet steak (tenderloin)

½ cup apple juice

½ cup white wine

1tsp minced garlic

1tsp ground cumin

2tbsp minced parsley

1tsp lime juice

Caruso Dipping Sauce

2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small shallot finely chopped

¼ cup white wine

A 4oz (120g) can of sliced mushrooms, drained

1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)

1tsp cayenne pepper

2tbsp chunky peanut butter

Sea salt and white pepper

The boy would dearly love to fire up the barbecue but as it’s raining quite hard, we’re going to have to use a hot griddle pan instead. He is doing what he calls “the man’s job” – cutting the beef into 1 inch cubes and threading them onto skewers. We’re using metal ones to conduct the heat into the centre of the meat.

I’m whisking everything else in a small bowl, to make the marinade. As this is from South America, we’re using a Chilean chardonnay. The boy and I are getting a large glass each too. It's like really complicated butterscotch. 


Place the skewers in a baking dish and pour over the marinade. Leave for at least an hour, turning them from time to time.

Make the dipping sauce. Having done his bit, the boy is no longer interested in helping. Heat the oil in a small pan and gently sauté the shallots and garlic. Add the wine and mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Add everything else and stir really well to mix it evenly and cook it through for a further 3 minutes or so.

When you’re ready (when the boy has complained that he’s hungry at least three times), get the griddle pan really hot and give the skewers 4-5 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the dipping sauce. We’ve rolled out a rug on the living room floor and are having this as the picnic we would have had if it hadn’t rained.