Antipasti Peppers in Oil

As we’re following a bit of a sandwich theme this week, this is something the boy loves with a picante salami and a soft garlic sausage. You can buy it in jars but why would you when it’s so easy and cheap to make.

3 red or yellow peppers

3 garlic cloves

1tsp sea salt

Good pinch pepper

Good pinch chilli flakes

Good pinch oregano

Good pinch thyme

Extra Virgin olive oil – at least 2 cups

How easy is this? Peel the garlic – ours is fresh from the Isle of Wight - just score it so its flavours will leach out. This garlic is so fresh, it’s still sticky. If using supermarket garlic, slice it thickly.  Pour the oil into a bowl and pop the garlic in, along with the pepper, chilli, thyme and oregano. And the salt. Think this needs to be decent salt.

Quarter the peppers – now I’m convinced that half red half yellow would have been best, but too late for us as we have all red – 2 from the shop and one from the organic box. Cut out the stems, membranes and seeds. The boy can take those to the compost heap when he gets home. Quarter them and put them under a hot grill for 6 or 7 minutes until they blister and char. When the skin is mostly black, scoop them out with a fork and put them in a plastic bag so they can steam and the skin will be really easy to remove. (He says).

Let the peppers cool – messy bit now. Rub the skins off. The black bits will come off easily, the rest won’t. Don’t worry about it. If you get 80% off that will do. Wash hands with relief! Push the pepper pieces in the garlicky oil and let them soak everything up for a couple of hours. It will keep for about a week. Or less if the boy spots it and fancies a salami and cheese sandwich. Or two.

The Boy's Top Sandwich Tips

The boy is well established as the Sandwich Monster. I’m handing the blog over to him today -  Here are some of his top tips.

If you have time, slice a tomato and some cucumber and put them in a bowl. Add Maldon sea salt and some pepper and leave for about half an hour. Not only does this season them, but it draws a lot of water out so your sandwiches don’t get soggy. Pat them dry with kitchen towel before assembling your sandwich.

Sliced meat from the deli counter will always be nicer than anything from a vacuum pack. They ALWAYS have special offers and for some reason, people behind the deli counter are always really nice. About  100g is usually about the right amount.

Things from the Deli Counter that you think might not be nice are often really good between two slices - Ox tongue, Brawn etc

Sourdough bread is the nicest you can get. You can toast it and it’s still nice, even served cold. Otherwise, Ciabatta. Otherwise, anything.

Port Salut is a lovely soft mild cheese and suits any sandwich. It’s really hard to find it sliced these days, and even harder to slice yourself, but persevere.

Piccalilli is essential with a corned beef sandwich but big pieces always falls out. Best eaten in just your underwear, to avoid yellow stains on your 501s. You may find this is appreciated by others.

Barbecued Jerk Chicken, with coleslaw, and a shake of pepper sauce, in a baguette is better than anything you’d find in a restaurant.

An Indian sour mango pickle is great with cheese, though the cheese should be the ‘plastic’ processed kind, sliced thickly.

Any sandwich is improved by a few coriander leaves. Especially the one above.

I like that our Morrison’s do a plain cheese & tomato sandwich. Sometimes that’s all you want.

A strong, oily vinaigrette,  spooned on the bread is often nicer than butter. And speaking of butter, I think salted is what you’re after.

If you’ve had a roast dinner, then it all goes well in a sandwich the next day – including the sliced roast potatoes, though season well.

Italian Mortadella, a slice or two of Spianata Calabrese  and Bavarian Smoked Cheese are a marriage made in heaven and could solve all the EU’s problems. The tomato slice almost certainly came from the Netherlands. One big happy family.

When in a Greek bakery, always insist on the rolls that are covered with sesame seeds – especially if they include some of the black sesame seeds. If they have a sandwich with Feta cheese and black olives, don't try to resist.

Never add lettuce if you can add Hampshire watercress or pea shoots. (and you usually can).

Double Gloucester cheese is fantastic stuff. Want to go to Gloucester (twice ha ha) to try the real thing. It's wonderful in a country loaf sandwich with peach chutney. We don't have a peach tree. Am going to campaign about this.

Herby sausages, OMG! Lincolnshire sausages with HP sauce in a baguette or submarine roll. Again Lincolnshire is on my foodie tourist list. Think they have to be fried not grilled, and the bread shouldn't be buttered. 

The best bacon butties in London come from EAT - they serve them in an English muffin which is pressed like a pannini. They always ask if you want sauce with it but why would you? I know this doesn't agree with the above but hey. Only ever use dry cure if making at home unless you like a curious combination of fried and poached. Generally prefer unsmoked.

Only have Rocket if you have to. Can't wait until isn't trendy anymore

Wraps drip. Accept it. Live with it. The sans trousers option also works here - also for fajitas, burritos  etc.

Nyom nyom nyom nyom nyom

Pasta with Peas & Bacon

The boy likes pasta dishes as long as they are interesting. I like to do as the Italians do and follow the seasons. We have fresh peas in the organic box so this is what led us to this.

500g Farfalle pasta

2tsbsp good olive oil

2tbsp butter

300g chopped onion

150g bacon

600g shelled peas

Salt & Pepper

100g freshly grated parmesan

The peas need shelling but the boy isn’t allowed anywhere near them as he will just eat too many of them. Instead he’s frying off the bacon. We’re using streaky bacon, dry cured and thick cut. It has to come from the deli counter as ‘packet bacon’ will just poach in all the liquid that leaches out of it. Get him to chop it up into lardon size cubes – about ½ a centimetre. The compost heap will love the empty pods so the boy can take them there in the drizzle. Give him a glass of Soave as a reward.

Bump his pan out of place, nudge him in the ribs and get your pan on. Melt the butter in the oil and fry the onions gently. Tip his bacon in and add the peas. Mix, season and get the boy to taste. Keep it cooking very gently. We’re listening to the Pavarotti/ Joan Sutherland recording of Rigoletto, and the Caro Nome seems to keep it at about the right pitch.

Get the pasta on. Generally I don’t like Farfalle but it seems to work really well with this dish. Only cook it for half the time it says on the package – about 5 minutes. Scoop 4 or 5 tablespoons of the pasta water into the peas and bacon and drain the pasta. Tip the pasta in and mix well. Pop the lid on and cook for another 5 minutes. The steam should finish off the pasta, though you need to check this. Don’t drain it as the liquid is the sauce. Serve up in crisp white bowls and sprinkle generously with Parmesan. It seems perfect for this year’s June – it’s fresh and light but as it’s still really cold, it’s comforting as well. Also the boy is generally a fan of dishes that can be eaten with one piece of cutlery.

Cucumber & Melon Cooler

I generally don’t post juice recipes as they’re too easy and I think you need to just work with what you like and what you have. However, this one turned up with our organic box and it’s really good.

1 ripe Galia melon

1 cucumber

1 lime

1 tsp agave syrup or honey

Sparkling water

 Mint to serve

A shot or 3 of vodka (optional)

I have no idea where to get agave syrup- they certainly don’t stock it in our Morrison’s, so we’re using runny honey. The original recipe suggests peeling the cucumber. I like the idea of the green so I’m only peeling half of it.

We have  a juicer and are just pushing the peeled melon and cucumber through it, though you could also just blend and sieve. The boy, as always, is picking a few young mint leaves from the garden. Half fill a jug with ice Squeeze the lime juice into the mixture and add the honey (or agave syrup if you’ve been lucky enough to locate it. Waitrose?) Stir well and pour over the ice. Add a few mint leaves and top it up with sparkling water. I’m trying to be a good Brit and use Buxton, or even better, a good Yorkshire-man and use Harrogate Spa.

I haven’t been that well so I’m treating this as a tonic, but in better days about 3 shots of vodka added to the jug would get the party started. 

[1 July update - have found out that Abel & Cole sell Agave syrup. Can't wait to taste it]

Ploughman's Antipasti

The boy likes grazing meals that you can pick at. I need to leave him his dinner tonight so this is a cross between a Ploughman’s Lunch and Antipasti. The quantities should be just enough for him.

This isn’t so much a recipe as a list of ingredients. Unusually this is commentary first, ingredients last. We have some rectangular serving dishes divided into 3 sections so I’m using one of those.

1^st Section

2 fat spring onions, trimmed and cut into one inch lengths

4 radishes, trimmed

3 inches of cucumber, cut into big dice

6 assorted cherry tomatoes (These are a mix of red and yellow)

2^nd Section

A tablespoon of the really good pickle we made a few years ago, but can’t remember what’s in it. (Branston would do).

8 really fat cubes of Double Gloucester Cheese

4 thick slices of Wiltshire ham, from the deli, cut up so they fit

A good squirt of English Mustard in the corner, for dipping

3^rd Section

2 large pickled onions. The boy prefers the mild ones though I’m drawing the line at the sweet ones.

7 mixed olives

3 African peppers stuffed with cream cheese

3 sun blush tomatoes

I’m really not suggesting you count the olives etc. More just describing what this dish ended up like. It looks really pretty. Last thing is to slice him some bread and wrap it in greaseproof paper. I was hoping to find sourdough but have had to make do with a French Paysanne loaf instead.  I hope the dish will tell him I love him, but I expect he’ll be starving and just neck it down.

[3 July Update - I think the recipe for the unidentifiable pickle might well be the one posted here on 14 July 2012. It's been mellowing for a year but still has a real kick, so it's a very strong contender.]

Courgette Chutney

The boy fished out a jar of chutney to have with a salad of ham and cheese. From the label, I can see it’s 3 years old, but stupidly didn’t write on it what went in it. It’s delicious and very close to Branston Pickle. As the boy is the Sandwich Monster he loves it with some Double Gloucester or Red Leicester. I’m going to have to make some more. I’m using courgettes as that is what we have a lot of.

1kg courgettes

1kg tomatoes

500g apples

500g onions

300g sultanas

500g soft brown sugar

600ml white wine vinegar

2tsp chilli flakes (minimum)

Mixed spices (your choice)

Lots of preparation here but it will be worth it – even if you don’t get to appreciate it for years. The boy is helping so he is choosing the music. Surprisingly he goes for a harpsichord version of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

The apples are from the tree in our garden. They are always kind of sour but that’s okay. Core and chop them. Skin the tomatoes by dropping them in boiling water and peel and chop the onions. Our compost bin will be very happy. The boy gets to cart all the waste across the garden – in the rain.

I use a little oil to start frying the onion and then add the courgettes and finally the tomatoes, which will add lots of moisture. But not enough. Pour in the vinegar and quickly stir in the sugar and spices. These are up to you. The boy is enjoying being imaginative here, going for allspice,  ginger, cinnamon, pepper and coriander. All good choices.

Argue about how much chilli to use. I think 2tsp is the minimum as it will settle down in the jar. But the boy thinks 2tsp is plenty., so that’s what we’re going with (I’m heaping the teaspoons as much as I can get away with). Add the sultanas. Any other dried fruit would be nice – chopped dried apricots would work really well.

So now we have a boiling mass that smells mostly of boiling vinegar. The boy has had enough and has gone to read his book. The CD had finished so Radio 4 it is. You’ll need something to interest you as it takes ages to bubble down. Loads of recipes say 20 to 40 minutes but I’ve known this to  take 2 hours. I’m guessing it depends on how much moisture there is in the courgettes. Stir fairly frequently. This has a lot of sugar in it and if it burns it will ruin your pan.

When it’s nice and thick, jar it up. As it matures it will get darker and darker, and more mellow. Leave it for at least 3 months if you can. As I said, the boy came across a 3 year old batch and it was amazing.

Toast Florentine

I’d happily serve this as a starter but in today’s trendy restaurant world, this would probably end up as a ‘small plate’. Must admit I’m not keen on small plates for large numbers, as the food has to be cut up. Then it’s a struggle to find a clean knife to divide the vegetarian dishes, for those who don’t eat fish etc. This recipe serves 6 though for a light supper I’d adjust it to 4 so the boy can have 2. He loves things on toast if he can't have a sandwich.

1kg fresh spinach leaves

6 large free range organic eggs

6 thick slices of bread

120g freshly grated Parmesan

4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

There are so few ingredients that all of them should be the best you can afford. The eggs are my one ‘no compromise’ ingredient. Unfortunately, free range often doesn’t mean free range. It means big shed, so go for free range organic. I love sourdough but go for what bread you like.

This is light and summery so Mozart’s Prague Symphony goes on – as does the oven, to 180/Gas 4. Cook the spinach in a large pan.  A kilo sounds like a lot but it’s amazing what it wilts down to. I usually just wash it and then cook it in the water that clings to the leaves.

1.       Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn and stick.

2.       You’ll probably need to do this in at least 2 batches.

3.       Don’t cook it to within an inch of its life – just wilt it as we’re going to cook it some more in a minute.

Combine half of the parmesan with the spinach. Heat half the oil in the biggest frying pan you have and sauté the spinach for a few minutes. The boy’s job has been squeezing all the water out of it so it spits as little as possible. It will anyway, which the boy takes as an affront.

Brush the bread slices with the rest of the oil and pop on a baking tray. I like to very lightly toast them first so it doesn't get soggy on top. The boy is watching this like a hawk. Arrange the spinach on top to make a nest for the eggs. Gently break an egg into each hollow. This needs to be a quick process as the eggs will try to run. I'm not letting the boy help with this!

Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Check that the whites are set, though the yolks should still be nice and soft. Serve as soon as possible.

Tandoori Chicken

I very much doubt this is authentic, but it’s my version and it’s very good if you like it spicy.

6 chicken thigh fillets

2 Scotch bonnet chillies

50g Tandoori masala

500g full fat yoghurt

A small handful chopped coriander

A few mint leaves, chopped
Rotis to serve

We buy a bigger pot of yoghurt than 500g as it’s nice to have some to serve it with. Full fat please! Amazingly the boy is helping – he’s refusing to chop the chillies though, having done so in the past and then touched his willy. The chillies won’t end up in the dish but will add heat to the marinade.

He is mixing the yoghurt with the tandoori masala. Asha Bosle is at top volume on the kitchen CD player. Tandoori masala is a blend of loads of spices. And it’s red. Our packet has an allergens warning: contains celery. Did not know you could be allergic to celery! Brim full of Asha on the 45!

The boy is adding mint from the garden. It’s finally warm so he’s in shorts and looking cute. The slugs have eaten all our coriander shoots so that has to be shop bought. So - the yoghurt is mixed with the tandoori masala, chillies, mint and coriander. Add the chicken and let it sit there pretty much all day. I've sliced the chillies, rather than finely chopped them, so the boy can pick them out. It looks pink and unattractive.

After a good few hours, lift out the chicken and either barbeque or cook in a screaming hot griddle pan. I slash it with a knife while it’s cooking as I don’t want it to take too long. The yoghurt has done an amazing job of tenderising the chicken and I don’t want to reverse that by over cooking it. Also slashing it means I can see that it is cooked through.

We’re having ours wrapped in rotis, though tortillas would be fine. A good drizzle of yoghurt and then the chicken on top and wrap. Mine have some chilli sauce (Maggi Chilli Masala) on the yoghurt, though the boy definitely doesn’t.

All wraps tend to leak on your lap. My usual suggestion is lots of paper napkins. The boy’s idea is to take his trousers off. I’m not going to argue.

Turkish Carrots & Rice

This is yet another side dish that I won’t be telling the boy about in advance, though he will like it once it’s on his plate. It’s from Elizabeth David’s Summer Cooking.

500g young carrots

2 tbsp rice

“some” chopped parsley

“some” chopped mint

“some” oil

A squeeze of lemon juice

Much as I adore Elizabeth David, she can be a bit vague. But that’s what I like – she allows you to mess around with these things. First of all I’m doubling the amount of rice. 2 tablespoons isn’t going to feed two hungry guys.

The boy is watching the whole of the West Wing from scratch; I’m cooking. This is to go with grilled lamb rump. So – the carrots – they must be young and short. I think the tiny Chantenay were what ED had in mind. Trim them and cut them in half lengthways. You should end up with pieces the size of your little finger.

Put a chopping board on a tray and pop it on the boy’s lap – he’s chopping the herbs while he’s watching the DVD. How much? I think a small handful of parsley and half as much of mint.

Cover the bottom of a pan with oil and, according to ED, add the carrots and allow them to get impregnated with oil. Not sure this will happen, but hey. Add the rice. As I said, I’m doing double, so 4 tbsp. Stir it all around. Cover with water. ED doesn’t help here but I’d say by a centimetre. Stop the boy chopping – we’re not looking for a puree.

Simmer for 25 minutes or until the carrots and rice are cooked, and most (but not all) of the water has been absorbed. This is enough time for a West Wing crisis to be resolved  Season generously. Stir in the boy’s efforts and allow it to cool.

ED suggests serving cold but I think it’s nice at room temperature. The liquid will be quite thick, which is the point. Add the squeeze of lemon and it’s done.

The lamb rump is searing hot from the griddle so it’s nice to have something cool and creamy to go with the hot oily meat. Predictably the boy likes it, though he keeps mentioning how well the herbs were prepared.

Caramelised Onion & Fennel Bruschetta

This is adapted from a recipe by Anna Thomas, the great American food writer. The original recipe would feed about 10 people and so the time it would take to cook down all those onions would take about an hour. The boy reckons he’s hungry enough to eat all that but we’re not putting him to the test!

1 large onion

1 head of fennel

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

5 kalamata olives sliced finely

A splash of white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

4 thick slices of Ciabatta or sourdough.

Obviously you can scale this back up (Anna starts with 4-5 each of onions and fennel). I am resisting the boy’s efforts to persuade me to as this is a starter. 2 slices each! Yet again, it's pronounced broosketta not brooshetta.

Quarter the onions and slice them thickly. Trim the fennel and slice to about the same size as the onions. This is the topping so we don’t want them to melt down to nothing. Put the butter and oil in a heavy pan and sauté the onions and fennel until they are soft and light brown. The trick is to do this very slowly so they don’t crisp up and burn. As we’re doing fewer than Anna this shouldn’t take an hour but you’ll need something to listen to. I’m suggesting Maria Callas in a live recording of Cherubini’s Medea – Italian and dramatic, which is what we’re looking for. Do stir from time to time to stop anything sticking and burning.

Once the veg are nice and soft add the wine and stir until it is all absorbed. Add the Kalamata olives – these are the black wrinkly ones which have a much deeper flavour than the usual black bottled olives. Add salt and pepper, stir and check the seasoning. I always get the boy to do this as he has a really good palate. By now Medea is embracing her children for the last time.

Toast the bread – you’re meant to do this on a griddle pan but it always fills the kitchen with smoke. I use the toaster but only get it lightly golden. Anna mentions the oven or over hot coals. We don’t have hot coals in our kitchen, but we do have a toaster. Top the toast with the veg (obviously). Anna makes a really good recommendation of adding a shaving or two of parmesan. She also suggests that this would go really well with a good red wine. However, as we have opened a bottle of white to add a splash to the pan, we are not going to be doing that. But thanks anyway Anna – this is a great recipe. The boy still thinks we should have scaled it up.

Rifat's Bitter Gourds (Karela)

This is another recipe from my friend Rifat. I wanted to know what to do with Karela, the ridged gourds that are supposed to help lower blood sugar. West Indians call them Christophene.  This is Rifat’s recipe, verbatim:

For four gourds use 2 medium size onions (onion medium sliced 1 onion finely sliced)

1 medium to large vine tomato or plum – quartered

3 cloves of garlic

1 small pepper - 1 inch squares or there about

A good generous amount of coriander with stalks

4 green chillies halved

2 pinches of coriander seeds

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp  paprika powder

1 tsp  chilli flakes

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp coarse black powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp coriander powder

Wash the gourd

Remove excess water for the gourd

Slice the gourd width ways about 1 cm

If the seeds are dry remove them if they are not dry keep them but you can remove some.

Deep fry the sliced gourd on medium heat until shades of brown appear on the skin

Leave the gourd to drain all the excess oil on paper towel

It is best to cook this in a wok with a lid or a big wide pot so there is a lot of room

Pour some oil into the wok (not too little enough for all the onions to be covered but not too much they are swimming around in there) Throw in the medium sliced onion

and the salt

and the tomato

and the chillies

and the garlic

and the coriander seeds  - on medium heat stir them all about for a 5 -7 minutes

The aim is not to colour the onions but to soften them and the tomato

When the onions are limp throw in the rest of the seasoning  

Stir on a high heat

Throw in the pepper

Throw in the rest of the onions

Stir stir stir

Throw in half the coriander

Turn heat to low for several minutes … add a little water at a time if things start to stick

Add in the fried gourd and stir for a couple of minutes on high heat

Add a little water at a time if things start to stick - on low heat stick the lid on and leave for 5 minutes

Turn off the heat and add the rest of the coriander

Done

New York Salad (Sandwich)

This is meant to be a salad, but I can see that the boy is looking at this as the perfect sandwich filling. It’s a New York recipe which will only increase the attraction for him.

6 marinated artichoke hearts (in jars), drained & sliced

½ small fennel bulb, chopped quite small

1 stalk celery chopped

5tbsp olive oil

1 bunch rocket, torn

1 small head radicchio, torn

55g parmesan shavings

2tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

Hardly a recipe – mix everything. Delight the boy by stuffing the mix into buttered baguettes with thick slices of Wiltshire or York ham. A little of the oil from the artichoke jar is going to replace a tablespoon of the olive oil in this version. We don’t have baguettes, but those big Turkish loaves that are about an inch and a half thick and a foot long. I always pick out the ones with sesame seeds on them. Like my Mum I have a real preference for slightly burned bread. The boy never seems to notice this

.I do like that we can get these all from our local Turkish grocer, rather than the supermarket and that the boy brings jute bags so we never use plastic. Notice that he always picks up a bar of the pistachio chocolate at the counter.

So, mix everything in a bowl and if you're not serving this as a salad, stuff it in the bread. The boy will be overjoyed. Serve with watercress and radishes. I think something sharp and crisp would work best. Feel good about letting him get away with a sandwich meal and getting so many good things into it at the same time.

Chilli Vinegar

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from his American road trip. I have one or two Louisiana cookbooks and they all mention this stuff so I’m having a go.

350ml bottle white wine vinegar

2 or 3 chillies

2 fresh bay leaves

2tsp caster sugar

I’d like to use Habaneros but wouldn’t get them through the neck of the bottle so I’m using birds eye chillies. I’m using 4. Prick them with a knife.

Pour out a little of the vinegar to make space and pop the chillies in. Scrunch up the bay leaves and add them too. Our bay tree died last summer but there’s a pub near us that has three massive ones in pots so I get the boy to purloin a couple of leaves each time he passes on his way home from work. He won’t like this recipe though he’s happy to do the purloining. Especially under the cover of darkness.

The caster sugar is optional though I’m assuming Jamie added it to the recipe for a reason. Leave for a couple of weeks to infuse and there you go.

An Indian Vegetarian Menu for Many

My friend Jon offered to host our book club last year. It didn't happen but at the time I thought I'd cook for it. Whilst there are no recipes here, this is the menu I had planned. Will post the recipes over the coming months.

Indian Vegetarian Menu

Green Lentils with Spinach & Ginger - Masoor Dal

Moderate heat, nutty lentils flavoured with ginger and fresh coriander

Black Eyed Beans with Mushrooms -  Lobbia aur Khumbi

Mild, flavoured with cinnamon and cumin

Sour Potatoes – Khatte Aloo

Cubed potatoes with fenugreek and dried green mango. Mild and served in a slightly sour gravy

Piquant Cauliflower- Chatpatti Gobi

A hot cauliflower dish in a spicy sauce. This has a fair amount of chilli heat. (It will be too hot for Jon!)

Stir fried Cabbage & Carrots – Muttakose Kilangu

A mild dry stir fry flavoured with mustard seeds and coconut.

Fried Green Peas – Chunke Matar

Peas with black cardamom, cumin, coriander and lemon juice, garnished with onion.

Green Pepper Curry – Bhopali Mirchi Peeth

Peppers fried with turmeric and mustard seeds , thickened with chickpea flour

Sweet & Tangy Yellow Dhal – Aamati

A soupy yellow lentil dish with Garam Masala and fresh coriander

Leeks with Lime – Subzi Nimboo

Tangy and refreshing, marinated leeks served at room temperature. (Not so different from leeks with vinaigrette)

Steamed Basmati Rice

Perfumed with delicate saffron,  cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. (For this volume it has to be a rice cooker so you can "wet it and forget it" as we used to say in the 80s.)

Coconut Chutney – Nariyal Ki Chutney

A fresh chutney –hot and sweet, flavoured with coriander and cumin

Tomato Chutney – Tonk

A hot thick chutney with ginger

Salad – Chacumber

A classic cucumber, onion and tomato salad spiced up a little with chilli, lime and cumin seeds

Bananas in Yoghurt - Kela ka Raita

Flavoured with coconut, for cooling the heat. (Don't think this is authentically Indian but hey!)

Herb Plate

A selection of fresh herbs for guests to garnish their own dishes with – fresh coriander, flat leaf parsley, mint and fenugreek. Sliced chillies dressed in oil for those who want to crank up the heat. (Got this idea from Georgia- the Russian one not the American one, where a herb plate is typical. Just changed the selection of herbs)

Garlic Pickle, Mango Pickle, Lime Pickle

A trio of pickles , all of which add sharpness as well as their own flavour. Garlic pickle will pair with the Dhal dishes, mango with the cabbage & carrot stir fry and the lime will match the green peppers. (Shop bought. Garlic pickle is harder to find but well worth the hunt.)

Cucumber & Horseradish Salad

You don’t really think of horseradish as Italian but this is an Italian recipe so there you go. We have a huge horseradish plant in the garden. We’ve preserved a lot of it in white wine vinegar, so we can quickly mix a tablespoon with crème fraiche, but this is an unusual way to serve it as a very punchy salad.

 1 Cucumber

120g horseradish root

1 clove garlic

150ml yoghurt

2tbsp white wine vinegar

1 pinch ground ginger

1 big pinch cayenne pepper

Small bunch watercress

Salt & pepper

Peel the cucumber and horseradish. Peeling the horseradish made the boy cry. I can’t resist patting him and saying “There, there”. Cut into thin strips

The original recipe suggests cutting the garlic clove in half and running it around the salad bowl, but this always seems lame so we’re crushing ours in.

Pour the yoghurt in a bowl and add the garlic, ginger and cayenne and whisk well. Add the cucumber and horseradish and mix well. Season and garnish with the watercress.

It’s hard to think what this might go with as it is quite overpowering, but the boy suggested his own favourite – sandwiches. The sharpness would accompany a cheese and tomato sandwich admirably – especially if you toasted the sandwich. I reckon it would be good with a pasta salad too.

Tabasco Style Hot Sauce

Am having another go at home made hot pepper sauce, Tabasco style. This will be an American style sauce rather than Caribbean. The boy won’t like it but this actually doesn't make that much. Ideally these will be home grown, though I'm trying Habaneros this time and I've never had success with them in the garden – I think they need a longer sunny growing season than we get in the UK.

I tried this recipe last year but at the bottling stage, when I was boiling the bottles, waiting for the lids to pop down, they both opened in the pan and I lost everything. The boy laughed his head off.

500g chillies

15g salt

White wine vinegar to taste

As I said, this year I’m using Habaneros but there is of course a variety called Tabasco, which would be more sensible. I cut the stems off but leave the seeds in. Grind them really well in a blender. You’re looking for what the Tabasco folk would call a mash. Add the salt and mix well. This doesn’t need to be a special salt – ordinary kitchen stuff will do.

Put this in a kilner jar/mason jar and leave it to ferment for 4 to 5 weeks. It should become quite liquid and you’ll see it bubbling occasionally.

When you’re happy that it’s ready, add some vinegar. As Habaneros, are very hot, I will use almost the same amount of vinegar as the chilli mash, as it can take it, without losing much heat. Use less with a milder chilli, but bear in mind you're looking for a pourable sauce. It has another week to sit in the jar so it all comes together.

Strain and bottle and, "Well, there it is" (as the Emperor in Amadeus was so fond of saying).

I tried this with green chillies at the same time, but ended up with mould on top. Again the boy thought this was funny as it took forever to de-stem half a kilo of chillies.  I think I may have done two things wrong – not blended the mash finely enough and not added enough salt. I should have added a little heavily salted water to cover it. My red Habaneros are now liquid though so I’m hopeful. The boy will no doubt push the bottles to the back of our pickle cupboard. If he does I wonder if I will come across them, years later, and discover something I can patent.