A Collection of Herb/Spice Blends

TANDOORI MARINADE

½ pint natural yoghurt

½ tbsp cumin powder

½ tbsp garam masala

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

Juice of ½ lemon

4 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ inch ginger root, grated

½ tsp red food colouring

Mix everything together well. For Chicken Tikka, marinade chicken breast cubes for minimum 2 hours. Shake off excess sauce, place on a baking tray and cook in oven/under grill for 15-20 minutes, or until meat juices run clear.

ASIAN CHILLI PASTE

1 cup fresh red chillis, stems removed

Third of a cup vinegar
8 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and purée, adding enough water to form into a thick paste. Keep for up to 3 months in fridge, or freeze in icecube trays.

CAJUN SPICE SEASONING MIX

¾ cup salt

¼ cup ground cayenne pepper

2 tbsp ground white pepper

2 tbsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp onion powder

2 tbsp garlic powder

Mix everything together well in a jam jar. Use a tablespoonful of mix as a marinade or rub.

ZA'ATAR LEBANESE HERB BLEND

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp ground sumac (I can't get this in Spain, so substitute with ½ tbsp lemon pepper & 1 tsp paprika for colour)

½ tbsp white sesame seeds

Salt to taste

Grind the oregano and thyme in a spice grinder or blender. Mix everything together well in a jam jar. Use as marinade or rub on fish or meat.

CREOLE SEASONING

2½ tbsp paprika

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried thyme

Mix everything together well in a jam jar. Use a tablespoonful of mix as a marinade or rub.

Also see previous posts for:
Sweet Chilli Sauce and Madras Curry Paste

Turkey Noodles

Serves 2

1 turkey breast fillet, approx 350g, cut into bite-size cubes

1 large onion, diced

1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 150 ml boiling water

1 tbsp Madras curry paste, see previous blog post

1 tin coconut milk

2 dried Kaffir lime leaves

300 g button mushrooms, cleaned & quartered

small bunch spring onions, finely sliced

Sunflower oil for frying

2 portions Chinese egg noodles

1.  Fry the onion gently in a wok or large saucepan until soft and translucent.

2.  Add the turkey and fry, stirring, until coloured on all sides.

3.  Stir in the curry paste and cook for a couple of minutes until a nice aroma comes from the pan.

4.  Add the chicken stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil, then reduce heat, add the lime leaves and simmer for about 10 minutes.

5.  Add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

6.  Break the dried noodles into the pan, stir them in, making sure they are immersed in the stock.  Sprinkle over the spring onion and simmer for about 5 minutes until the noodles are cooked.

Enjoy!

Madras Curry Paste

2½ tbsp coriander seeds, dry-roasted and ground*

1 tbsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted and ground*

1 tsp black mustard seeds

½ tsp cracked black peppercorns

1 tsp chilli power

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 crushed garlic cloves

2 tsp grated fresh (or lazy) ginger

3-4 tbsp white wine vinegar (or more as necessary)

1.  Put all ingredients except vinegar into a small bowl and mix well.

2.  Add enough vinegar, a tablespoonful at a time, to mix to a smooth paste.

3.  Keep for up to 1 month in an airtight container in the fridge.

* I use a small electric coffee bean grinder, but use a pestle and mortar if you like.

Balsamic Vinegar Pearls

These are so easy and delicious, not to mention impressive!

75 ml balsamic vinegar

1 sachet powdered gelatine

olive oil (enough to fill a tall glass tumbler)

a syringe (I used a plastic one from the chemist)

1.  Pour enough olive oil to fill a tall glass tumbler and put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

2.  Dissolve the gelatine in the vinegar over a medium heat, stirring. Bring just to the boil, then remove from heat. Allow to cool for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Fill the syringe with the balsamic and gelatine mixture. 

4.  When the oil is well chilled (you can stand it in a jug of iced water to keep it cool), drip the balsamic mixture into it, drop by drop. The drops should slowly sink to the bottom and the cold oil will set the gelatine.  

5.  Once all the balsamic mixture has been dripped in, slowly pour the pearls out into a strainer. Keep the olive oil to use in cooking (pass it through a coffee filter paper in a funnel if it has small bits of jelly in it).

6.  Store the balsamic vinegar pearls in a sterilised jam jar in the fridge.

Use to decorate salads, cold tapas, etc. (The gelatine in the pearls will melt if you put them on hot food)

Lemon & Greek Yoghurt Cheesecake

Ready to chill - be careful not to knock the dish before
the cheesecake is set, as it will pull the biscuit away from the
edge - not so pretty, but it will still taste delicious though!

Serves 4-6

FOR THE BASE

9 Digestive biscuits

1½ tbsp sugar

40g butter

FOR THE FILLING

½ pkt lemon jelly, separated into cubes

(or ½ pkt (42g) of lemon jelly powder)

2 tbsp water, just boiled

2 tbsp lemon juice

300g cream cheese, such as Philadelphia

125g Greek yoghurt

50g icing sugar

grated zest of a lemon

1.  Put the biscuits in a plastic ziploc bag and bash with a rolling pin until crushed evenly. Tip into a bowl and stir in the sugar.

2.  Melt the butter and pour into the biscuit mix. Mix well, then press evenly into the base of a glass dish, approx 22cm diameter, with the back of a spoon, covering the bottom well and pressing some up the sides.

3.  For the filling, put the jelly in a small saucepan with the water and melt over a low heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

4.  Fold the cream cheese, yoghurt, icing sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl, then stir in the melted lemon jelly and juice mix. Combine with a hand whisk until smooth.

5.  Pour over the biscuit base, smooth out with the back of a spoon, chill for 4 hours or so until set.

Spanish Tortilla

Serves 8

6-7 medium potatoes, peeled

1 whole Spanish onion

6 large eggs

olive oil for frying

salt

1.  Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, place the cut side down and slice into pieces approximately ½ cm thick.

2.  Peel and chop the onion into 1 cm chunks.

3.  At this stage, I place the potato and onion into a deep fat fryer on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the potato is cooked.  If you are feeling healthy, you can boil them. Once cooked, drain well.

4.  Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add a good pinch of salt and beat with a fork. Add the potato and onion mixture and mix well with a large spoon.

5.  Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a 24-26 cm diameter non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Spoon in the potato, onion and egg mix and level out with the back of the spoon.

6.  Allow the egg to cook around the edges then lift an edge gently with a spatula to check the egg has browned nicely. The middle of the egg mix will still be runny.

7.  To turn the tortilla over, remove the pan from the heat and fit a dinner plate on top of the tortilla to cover. Hold the pan over the sink holding the handle with one hand, and the dinner plate with the flat of the other hand. Quickly turn the frying pan over so the tortilla ends up upside down on the plate.

8.  Return the frying pan to the heat for 30 seconds, then slide the tortilla off the dinner plate into the pan. Use a spatula to push/tuck the edges of the tortilla down tidily and cook for a further 5 minutes or so. 

9.  Allow the tortilla to rest in the pan for 2 minutes before sliding onto a serving plate.

Eat hot or cold.

Sausage & Bacon Pasta Bake

I always make this in two dishes, one for supper,
one for the freezer.

Serves 8

FOR THE SAUSAGE & BACON MIX

445g skinless pork sausages, cut into small chunks

125g bacon bits

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

250g button mushrooms, sliced*

150 ml white wine

½ chicken stock cube
3-4 tbsp tomato passata

1 tbsp tomato purée

FOR THE SAUCE

50 ml olive oil

50g plain flour

600 ml milk

freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
100g vintage cheddar cheese, grated

500g pasta spirals

300g fresh spinach

75g vintage cheddar cheese, grated

1.  Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened and golden.

2.  Stir in the garlic and chilli flakes, then stir in the sausage chunks and bacon bits and fry until starting to lightly brown. Stir in the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes more.

3.  Stir in the wine, stock cube, tomato passata and tomato purée. Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat.

4.  Put 50 ml oil and flour into a pan, stirring together, then gradually whisk in the milk. Gently heat, whisking, until thick. Grate in a good pinch of nutmeg, season with lots of black pepper and salt to taste and simmer for 2 minutes.  Stir in 100g grated cheese, then remove from the heat.

5.  Preheat the oven to 190°C.  Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Stir well, then cook uncovered for the time indicated on the packet, until tender. Remove from the heat, stir in the spinach until it just wilts, then drain well in a colander.

6.  Pour half the pasta into a large, shallow oven-proof dish. Spoon over the sausage mix, then cover with the remaining pasta. Pour the white sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with the cheese. (If you have made one for the freezer allow it to cool at this stage, cover tightly with tin foil and freeze.)

7.  Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

* I am lazy and use an egg-slicer to slice my mushrooms, it's very satisfying, but only if they're fresh...