Getting ready for tomorrow's girls' world curry night, after which I should finally have some new recipes to share. There'll be Muttar Paneer, Chana Dhal and Aubergine and Green Bean Curry.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
a flock of aubergines
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Monday, 23 April 2012
Books and Backs
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It looks like my break turned out to be a little longer than I had anticipated. As soon as I got back from Germany I was too busy making books for the Artists' BookMarket at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh to spend much time in the kitchen and just as I thought that life was back to normal, I put my back out and couldn't do much more than hobble about for a few days. I'm okay now though and cooking will resume in my spatially-challenged kitchen.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Yottam Ottolenghi's Cauliflower and Cumin Fritters with Lime Yoghurt
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My friend Yuri gave me a copy of Ottolenghi The Cookbook a while ago, as he already owned a copy and was given a second one for Christmas. Lucky me. (Yuri, I haven't forgotten that I owe you a Roast Pork Belly dinner.)
I was really excited about the book when I found that it contained the recipe for Cucumber and Poppy Seed Salad, which I had had at a cafe in the Lake District last summer and had been trying to find online without really knowing what to look for. I just searched for cucumber salad and surprise, surprise couldn't find the right recipe. Anyways, I digress. I'll be blogging about the salad some time soon. In the meantime let me share the recipe for Cauliflower and Cumin Fritters with Lime Yogurt which I made the other night. 
They were really good and quite quick to do. I adapted the original Ottolenghi recipe as I don't like parsley and don't like frying in loads of oil. Next time I'll also definitely add some chillies, as the fritters are sweet from the cauliflower and tart from the lime and the yoghurt, but they really need some heat in my opinion. So here's my adapted recipe, in which I have already included chillies, as I'm sure they'll make them perfect.
Cauliflower and Cumin Fritters with Lime Yogurt (serves 4)
For the fritters:
1 small cauliflower (about 320g), trimmed and cut into small florets
120 g plain flour
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), plus a few extra leaves to garnish
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 shallots, finely chopped
1-2 medium chillies, seeds removed and chopped finely
4 free-range eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
oil for frying
For the Yogurt Sauce:
300g Greek yogurt
2tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
grated zest of one lime
2tbsp of lime juice
2tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper
For the yoghurt sauce combine the yoghurt, coriander, lime juice and zest and olive oil in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the fritters put the cauliflower in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 15 minutes. You want it to go really soft so that it will fall apart when you add it to the batter later.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, coriander, garlic, shallots, chillies, eggs, cumin, cinnamon and tumeric until you have a well combined and smooth thick batter.
Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain it and add it to the batter. Stir with a fork until the florets have broken up into small pieces and everything is well combined.
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Once hot spoon in the batter with a large serving spoon (about three tbsp per fritter).
My pan will hold about four fritters at a time.
Keep checking the temperature of the oil. You don't want it to get too hot, so that the fritters will burn.
Fry for around 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden.
Remove from the pan, allow to drain on some kitchen paper and serve with the yoghurt sauce and some salad or stuff them into a pita pocket.
Enjoy!
a year in (food) pictures
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I seem to have loads and loads of pictures of food stored on my Mac. Going through them is a bit like reading a diary. They remind me of good times shared with friends, family and loved ones. Here are twelve pictures from the last year in no particular order....
Festival Frolics
Great Langdale Bacon Buttie
Brooklyn Diner Pot Pie
Atlantic Supper (half portion)
70s Birthday Buffet
Sisterly Luncheon
Pancake Lovin'
Detox
Parisian €5 Fancy (worth every cent)
Shared Grand Central Red Velvet (cake and accessories matched)
Christmas Cheer (too pretty to eat)
Sexy Banoffee Pie
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Monday, 19 March 2012
Spiced Spinach and Potatoes (Saag Aloo)
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I know, I know, you could think I'm being sponsored by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, because this is another recipe from River Cottage Veg Every Day, but I am not. The only reason why I keep cooking from it and then blogging about it is that the recipes are really, really good and in my opinion the book is well worth buying. So, I don't need any endorsements to write about it.
My sister is visiting from Germany and I got her to choose dinner. She loves baby or salad potatoes more or less in any way, shape or form, so I wasn't surprised when she stopped at the recipe for Saag Aloo.
I love Saag Aloo, or Spiced Spinach and Potatoes, and have already posted a recipe once before here. I did like that the spinach wasn't pureed in this one though, just roughly chopped, which makes for an easier clean up as well. I used the coconut cream which is listed as optional and would definitely recommend it. The only thing I changed was to add about 2 tsp of mild curry powder. I served it with a poached egg for a delicious and easy dinner.
It's funny that. When I grew up in Germany one of my favourite meals my mother used to make was creamed spinach, potatoes and fried egg. Since coming over to Britain fourteen years ago, whenever I mention that combination, most people (or should I say some of the men I met) turn up their noses at it and declare that it must be a weird German thing. When I saw that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggested serving it as a side dish or as a main meal with a poached egg it made me smile. Looks like there are men out there that get me after all.
What is your favourite meal from childhood that people don't seem to get?
I don't want to rewrite every single recipe from the book on my blog of course. I think that would probably get me into big trouble, because surely they still want to keep selling the book, but The River Cottage Veg Every Day recipe for Spiced Spinach and Potatoes can be found online here.
When I realised that we were going for seconds and that there weren't going to be any left-overs to photograph nicely the next day in the daylight, I took a quick picture on my mobile phone. So, if you serve it as a side dish it should serve around four, if you have it as a main like I did, I'd say it serves two (admittedly quite hungry) people.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
The winner of Marshmallow Madness....
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.... is Sandie! Congratulations!
Thanks everyone for entering. The winner was selected randomly from all entries.
Sandie, could you e-mail your address to sylvie 77 at hotmail dot com (no spaces, the at is @ and the dot is . ), so that I can pass it on to the publisher who will post you your copy of the book.
It's spring time!
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