Dan Dan Noodles

Sichuan meets New York!

1 beef stock cube

500g decent minced beef

2 tbsp runny honey

300g noodles

4 handfuls of mixed green veg (pak choy, spinach, sprouting broccoli…)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp dark soy

2 tsp freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns

5 tbsp chilli oil

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 lime, quartered

Get a pan of water on the boil (enough to cook the noodles), and crumble in the stock cube. If you have them get the Chinese bowls and cups out.

Add the beef to a dry frying pan and cook until crispy. Quality is everything here as otherwise it will just sweat water which means the meat will boil rather than go golden.  You’ll probably need to be cooking for 15 minutes. When you’re happy with it, add the honey, and get the meat well coated. Take the pan of the heat.

Add the noodles to the boiling stock – the packet will tell you how long the need. Give them a stir so they don’t stick. A minute before the noodles are done, add the vegetables. Drain.

Tip the noodles and veg back into the hot (dry) pan and add the soy sauce, garlic, Sichuan pepper and chilli oil. Mix well using a pair of tongs.

Pile into bowls and top with the beef (might need reheating?).  Sprinkle over some spring onion and give the boy a lime wedge to squeeze over, with a pair of chop sticks. This is a bowl to hold in one hand while catching up on some TV together – especially those Danish Detective shows that have suddenly become so popular. Serve with little cups of jasmine tea. It’s a nice neutral flavour to go with the spicy noodles and it will make him feel so sophisticated.

Chilli Poached Beef with Corn Salsa

This is another dish best described as Mexican inspired. But then when does modern Mexican cease to be authentic? Difficult! Best not to worry about it too much; just enjoy delicious food, disregarding its provenance. There is a sign of spring in the air, so I want to feed the boy something fresh and light. I need to resist giving him something meat free.

4 dried Chipotle chillies

80ml boiling water (actually off the boil please)

1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

500ml water

1 tbsp ground cumin

250ml beef stock

300g piece fillet steak, cut into 3mm slices

2 tbsp sour cream

Handful chopped coriander

Corn Salsa

1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

660g sweet corn kernels (seriously consider a decent brand of frozen)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

80ml lime juice

3 green chillies, thinly sliced

1 small, ripe avocado, diced

The beef needs to be thinly sliced – the easiest way to do this is to semi-freeze it and then slice with a very sharp knife. Bring it back to room temperature. For the beef stock I’m recommending Knorr stock pots (which will make double the amount needed) and for 80ml lime juice you’ll need quite a few limes! I seem to have coriander as an ingredient about as often as I do yoghurt. Good job the boy likes both.

Pour the boiled water over the chipotles and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Remove the stalks and then reserve both the soft chillies and the soaking water.

Make the salsa:  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Easy! Would have got the boy to do this but he’s on the verge of an epic win on the PlayStation. A good cook will have an innate sense for what’s important. Salsa – done!

Fry the onion until soft, and add the water, cumin, stock, chillies and reserved chipotle liquid. Bring to the boil and then simmer 10 minutes, uncovered.

Remove the solids with a slotted spoon and reserve. Place the beef slices in a single layer in the stock and turn the heat off. Turn the beef over and after 30 seconds, remove it with a slotted spoon. It should be slightly pink in the middle. Cover to keep warm.

Blend the reserved solids with the sour cream until approaching smooth.  To serve, put the salsa on plates. The beef slices go on top of this and spoon over the chilli cream sauce. Garnish with coriander leaves and a few thinly sliced chilli rings. I’m serving with some warm tortillas. The boy will want to use them to make a wrap – who’s to say he’s wrong about this.

Kashmiri Rogan Josh

I might have been slightly hasty when I said the boy was happy with all these vegetarian meals. He really liked the dhal last night and asked if we can have a ‘proper curry’, by which he means meat. He asked so nicely that I can’t resist. I immediately thought of Rogan Josh and spent a while going through recipe books before choosing this one. Rogan Josh is a Kashmiri dish but I think this version shows how it was refined by the Moghuls. It’s from the legendary Bombay Brasserie.

6 tomatoes, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste

2 tbsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp cayenne

2 tsp turmeric

450ml natural yoghurt

900g boneless lamb, cubed

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp mace, nutmeg & green cardamom powder (I will explain)

½ tsp saffron, dissolved in 1 tbsp warm milk

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander to garnish

I’ve deliberately got home earlier than him to make a start. This will make more than we can eat but I’m out tomorrow night and he can reheat the rest with some naan bread. I will text him to remind him to buy some naan tomorrow. We’re having rice tonight. As with all curries, it will be better tomorrow so lucky him.

The mace, nutmeg & green cardamom sounds intriguing. Dry roast 100g each of mace and green cardamom pods and 4 whole nutmegs and then grid to powder in a coffee grinder. Keep the rest in a jar for another time. The powder should be slightly oily.

Grind the tomatoes and onions in a blender to make a paste. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the ginger and garlic paste (I’m assuming you’re buying this in a jar). Once you get that amazing garlic smell and can’t resist playing Bhangra music, add the tomato and onion paste. Add the ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Stir.

The boy would walk in as you’re shimmying across the floor like a Bollywood heroine! Shoo him out of the kitchen.

Stir in the yoghurt bit by bit, and add the lamb. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally – you may have to add some water, though the lamb will give off some of its own juice.  The end result is a clinging sauce not a gravy, so don’t add too much.

Stir in the garam masala and tomato puree and give it another 10 minutes. Finally stir in the ground ginger, the mace/nutmeg/cardamom mix , the dissolved saffron and salt. Skim off any excess oil if that’s your thing and sprinkle with the fresh coriander. The boy is a happy bunny.

We’re having this with rice. Serve with any Indian pickles or chutneys you have. I like to combine 1 chopped tomato, I chopped onion and 1 small bunch chopped coriander with enough malt vinegar to cover. My Mum used to make this and I love its fresh sharp taste. It doesn’t keep so be greedy!

One day soon I’ll decide on my favourite Jalfrezi recipe………

Cinnamon Club Panchmael Yellow Dhal

This will probably need a quick trip to an Asian store, to get the Dhals (lentils). For me this means getting off the tube one stop early to shop at the large emporium on Turnpike lane. I only needed the 5 dhals but ended up buying loads of other things.

2 tbsp Yellow Moong dhal

4 tbsp  toor dhal (yellow gram)

1 tbsp split chana dhal

1 tbsp split white urad dhal

2 tbsp split red lentils

700ml water to boil

½ tsp turmeric

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp ghee (I just used vegetable oil)

1 large onion, finely chopped

1tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tomato, chopped

1 tbsp coriander, chopped

A squeeze of lemon juice

For the Tadka (tempering)

1 tbsp ghee/oil

1 dried red chilli crumbled, or a fresh one, sliced

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Panchmael means it has 5 dhals. You could make it with fewer but I think 5 is lucky and the contrasts are lovely. The boy isn’t home yet so you have time to make this properly  without him asking when dinner will be ready.

Pop a Ravi Shankar CD on – ideally an evening raga to relax your mind. Mix the dhal and soak for 20 minutes and then drain them and  bring to the boil with the 700ml of (fresh) water and half the turmeric. Skim off any scum and cook for around 25 minutes.  The dhal should be looking mashed up except for the chana dhal.

Heat the oil and fry the onion until golden brown, and then ad the dry spices. As soon as they aromatise, add the chopped tomato with as much of its juice as you can manage.  Cook until soft and then pour over the lentils. If it’s looking too thick, pour on some boiling water. Don’t forget to stir from time to time so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan and burns.

The boy is home. Luckily he thinks it smells good! Sit him down as it’s ready to go. In a small frying pan get the oil hot and add the Tadka ingredients. Get the spices hot and popping. Pour the soup into bowls and add a squeeze of lemon and some coriander leaves to both. Lastly pour over the Tadka which gives both flavour and a crunch.

Normally I’d serve with rice but this is filling on its own and the mix of  dhals gives this a lovely grainy, varied texture as it is. The boy liked  the last dhal I made (which used oily toor dhal) and yet he can see how different this is. He jokes about vegetarians eating lentils and yet he likes this and really doesn’t notice how often we don’t eat meat. I’m really not trying to cut down his meat intake at all – just to feed him good tasty food that I know he will love.

Fried Potato Salad with Chicken Livers & Sour Cream Dressing

This is a really economical supper that seems quite luxurious. It has some really contrasting flavours, so naturally the boy thinks it’s really complex to make. If he mentions it, tell him you do it because you love him. This is in fact inspired by the fact that we have baby new potatoes in the organic box today.

The Livers

250g chicken livers

200ml milk

150g streaky bacon

A thin slice of butter

The Potatoes

400g new potatoes

Olive oil

The Dressing

150ml sour cream (usually comes in 142ml tubs which will be fine)

6 sprigs dill

1 tsp capers

A few drops white wine vinegar

Soak the livers in the milk for 20 minutes. I don’t know why you do this. It’s just enough time to listen to episode 2 of Brother Cadfael on the radio, with the boy. He’s carrying on listening to the next programme but you have work to do.

Scrub the potatoes, but don’t peel them and boil for 10 minutes. It would have made sense to do this half way through Brother Cadfael. Drain them then crush them lightly with a potato masher. You want to ‘break’ them rather than really crush them.

Warm the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the potatoes until they crisp up and get golden in places. It doesn’t matter if they break up but don’t turn them too often. While they are frying, drain the livers and season with salt and pepper. Have found out why we soak them in milk – the boy Googled it while the potatoes were boiling - it tenderises them and will help form a nice crust. Glad we did it now.

Cut the bacon into 2cm long strips and fry in the butter until it starts to crisp, then add the chicken livers and cook through.

Make the dressing by combining everything and mixing well – the vinegar is to sharpen it if it needs it. To serve - put the potatoes  on a plate with the livers on top and the dressing over it. A few salad leaves by the side wouldn’t hurt. Given the choice he’d probably prefer all his salads fried – good job its you who does the cooking!

Black Bean Quesedillas

I’ve been to a brilliant Mexican brunch today – we had Huevos Rancheros cooked pretty much to order – for 20 of us. We also had Quesedillas and it got me thinking that this might really be the boy’s thing. He loves sandwiches after all, and my cooking has been on a Mexican kick the past few days.

Black Bean Paste
230g cooked black beans (I’m using tinned)

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp each ground cumin and cayenne

1 bunch coriander, chopped (including stalks)

Juice of a lime

Salsa

½ red onion thinly sliced

½ tbsp. white wine vinegar

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushes

1 small bunch coriander, chopped

2 ripe avocadoes

Tortillas

8 small tortillas (wheat or corn)

180ml sour cream

120g grated cheese (I’m using cheddar)

6 tbsp sliced jalapenos from a jar, drained

I’m listening to Pick of the Week on Radio 4. I’m quietly confident that he’ll like this. Rinse and drain the beans and pulse, along wit the other BB paste ingredients into something rough in a food processor.

Make the salsa- soak the onion in the vinegar for a few minutes and then add all the other ingredients. Give it a good stir.

Open a couple of bottles of Corona beer with lime wedges in the neck, for you and the boy. It is refreshing and yes it’s a pain to get the lime out again before you can put the bottles in the Recycling box. Try flattening the wedges with a knife. It takes practice.

Get a griddle pan extremely hot. Take one of the tortillas and spread 2 tbsp of the bean paste on. Leave a wide margin from the edges. Spread a tablespoon of sour cream on top and then scatter on some cheese, a tablespoon of salsa and some chopped jalapenos. Fold it over and carefully transfer to the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 mins each side. The cheese should melt, sticking it all together, the filling should be warm and you should have those nice char-grill lines on the tortillas. Repeat until you run out.

I was right – he does like these a lot. He loves cheese on toast, and he loves food he can pick up with his hands- his elegant, artist’s hands - so it makes sense. It’s been a busy weekend and I haven’t spent much time with him so I feel like I’m making up some ground.  He’s happy and he’s so beautiful when he’s laughing.

Huevos Rancheros

When Lowell is up to stay we very much favour the concept of brunch. The best brunch is occasioned by good reasons for getting up late and Radio 4 is at its best mid-morning anyway.

Salsa

1 can good quality tomatoes

3 green chillies

½ small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp salt

2 corn tortillas (thick ones if you have a choice)

4 large eggs (free range organic if you love him)

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp Queso Fresca – I’m substituting this for Feta Cheese, crumbled

Chopped parsley to garnish

Huevos Rancheros means “Ranch Eggs” – as we don’t have ranches in Europe, I can’t help thinking that a recipe called “Farmhouse Eggs” would be rather different from this Mexican classic.

You can probably work out the salsa recipe from the ingredients. Just as well if you’re making this in the morning. Using decent tomatoes like Cirio brand, means you don’t spend ages reducing the liquid down. Fry the onions, garlic and chilli. Add the tomatoes and salt. You end up with a thick, but not too smooth sauce.

This is all from a Mexican cookbook my brother gave me. Thanks Bro! Use a wide frying pan.

Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan – this will dry them out a little which is what we need. Then add a little oil to the frying pan and fry the tortillas briefly – just 3 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Heat the salsa.

Break the eggs into a frying pan. I’m not using free range organic just because I want to be nice – they really do taste so much better. Cook until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked but soft.

Put a tortilla on each plate and top with two eggs and then the salsa, covering the whites and leaving the yolks exposed.

Sprinkle over the crumbled cheese and parsley. Both Lowell and I are coffee fiends so we serve with plenty. We will easily manage three cups each.

Not Mexican, but last Summer when I was in Malawi and Lowell was in Ethiopia, the breakfast buffet for both of us included sliced cucumber, avocado and tomato. A side plate of these would work.

Brunch should be relaxed, for leisurely conversation and much laughter. The afternoon and London’s museums beckon.

Duck with Sumac & Orange

The boy LOVES duck. It’s been served with orange forever but this is a lovely eastern Mediterranean version from Silvena Rowe.

4 duck breasts

4 shallots, finely chopped

¼ tsp cardamom seeds, lightly crushed

200ml chicken stock

Juice of 1 large orange

1 tsp Sumac

20g butter

Sumac is a dark red spice that has a lemony flavour. Greek or Turkish stores should stock it.

The music needs to be upbeat – there’s a digital radio station called Absolute 80s that should fit the bill. Score the duck skin in a diamond pattern and get heavy pan up to heat. Sear the duck on both sides for 10 minutes. Make sure the skin side is really golden and crisp – give it another turn on the heat.

Allow it to rest, leaving the juice and fat in the pan.

To make the sauce, sauté the shallots in the leftover fat. After 5 minutes, add the cardamom and give it another minute. Skim the fat off and add the stock and orange juice. Season and simmer for 10 minutes. The liquid should reduce by about half. Add the sumac.

Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and pour into a clean pan and add the butter.

Slice the duck and pour the sauce over. Serve with a rice pilaf. Something as simple as boiled rice with peas and a big knob of butter stirred through would suffice. He won’t care. All he will see is crispy skinned duck.

Salsa Tequila Resposado

Last year I picked up a book of Margarita recipes in a charity shop in Balham. It has this recipe in it. I'm going to a Mexican brunch with friends on Sunday so I’ll be taking some of this.

4 medium tomatoes, halved

8 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 medium onion, peeled & quartered

6 chillies

1 small bunch coriander

2 tsp sea salt

30ml fresh lime juice

60ml resposado Tequila

Salt to taste

A good shake of tabasco

Use the chillies that best suit you. The boy isn’t coming to the brunch so I am going for the fairly small hot ones. Resposado Tequila is the kind that has been  ‘rested’ in oak barrels for 2-12 months. You’ll have to read a few labels as we don’t generally get a huge selection of tequilas in the UK. Jose Cuervo Especial is pretty easy to find though.

First make a Margarita: 35ml tequila, 25ml Cointreau or triple sec and 15ml fresh lime juice.  Serve in a salt rimmed glass. This isn't for the recipe - it;s just for you because it's nice. Keep this recipe close by in case you need another.

Heat a heavy based frying pan. I use a cast iron one – get it hot. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chillies and let the skins get charred. Push them about the pan a bit. Big black bits are what you’re looking for.

Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Peel the tomatoes and garlic and remove the stalks from the chillies.

Place the garlic, chillies, coriander, lime juice and salt in a blender and pulse repeatedly until it’s finely chopped. You’ll need to scrape down the sides a couple of times.

Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the blender along with the tequila. Pulse in really short bursts so you don’t puree it – it needs just enough to break the tomatoes up. Place in a bowl – probably the same bowl you had before really.

Chop the onion very finely and stir into the salsa. Taste and adjust the salt and add the Tabasco if it needs it. Allow it to rest for an hour.

The  Margarita book was a great find – my thanks to my friend, Toby whose flat in Balham I was staying in, when I found the book. It was only £3. And I now have a nearly full bottle of tequila to experiment with. Good times! #livingtobyslife

Easy Greens with Oricchiette

I’m shattered – 12 hours training today. Maybe the boy has prepared supper? Hahahahaha no chance! He’s practically putting himself up for adoption as a result of not being fed at a reasonable time. It’s late, I’m tired so this has to be very quick and easy.

We’ve got some early sprouting broccoli in the organic box, so that is our start.

250g Early sprouting purple broccoli

250g Orecchiette pasta

30g butter

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

250g crème fraiche

170g Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

I think Orecchiette means ears. It’s a small disc-like pasta. I imagine that Farfalle would be okay too. There's a cute boy at my work that Toby and I call 'Ears' because his are so cute (you can have cute ears!). He also has amazing legs and has taken to walking around the office in shorts on his way back from the gym. Bliss. Anyway.

In separate pans, get water on the boil for the pasta and the broccoli. Trim the broccoli so any tough bits don’t end up in the dish (Includethe leaves though. Nyom). This is meant to be delicate and comforting, rather than challenging. It will be impossible for the boy to keep the bad mood up after a few spoonfuls of this. It’s rich, smooth and – to invent a word – blankety!

Salt the pasta water and drop the Orecchiette in. Put the broccoli in the other pan and give it 4 minutes so it’s not too soft. Drain the pan and add the butter and garlic, and when softened add the crème fraiche and cheese. Add a spoonful or two of the pasta water to add a silkiness and thin it out a bit. Cook for a few minutes.

Check the pasta is done and drain. Chop the broccoli up to the size that will fit on a spoon and then add to the creamy sauce. Tip the pasta in. Serve in a bowl with a spoon. It’s quick and simple, yet surprisingly good. It’s very soon clear that he’s forgiven you. Ideally I’d like him to have a salad with this, but it is late so he got away with it.