Thai Vegetable Red Curry

I love all Asian food but my favourite is Thai. It always manages to make me smile, although that maybe due to my lips tingling which is what you want from a well spiced dish. Sometimes I want that hit of Thai flavours but accompanied by a very simple, quick recipe with easy to buy ingredients. This Vegetable Curry ticks the boxes. Of course you could also poach some thin slices of sirloin steak or chicken in the sauce, however I like the crunchy texture of this dish.

For 4 people you will need:

2 Onions chopped, 2 Garlic cloves chopped, 200g Sliced Chestnut Mushroom, 100g Babycorn sliced diagonally, Red Pepper sliced into strips, 3 Celery sticks sliced diagonally, 2 tbsp. Vegetable oil, Red Chilli sliced, 3 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste, 400ml Coconut Milk, tsp soft light brown sugar, 2 tbsp Soy Sauce

 Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and gently fry the onions, garlic and chilli until they soften.
2. Add the mushrooms, celery, pepper and corn and fry for about 5 minutes until softened but still retaining a crunch.
3. Add the curry paste and coconut milk. Combine well and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and soy sauce. Serve with Jasmine Rice.

Spinach, Apricot and Bulghur Wheat Salad

They say never judge a book by its cover. Well Sally Butcher's Veggiestan is a most definite exception to the rule.

The dishes are just as colourful on the inside as Sally takes us on a Vegetarian Odyssey through the Middle East. Each recipe comes with a little bit of history behind it and it's all written in a wonderful style with a good splash of humour.

This salad comes with "Crunch, Squidge and Oomph" according to Sally. I couldn't describe it better apart from adding that the combination of ingredients is like a symphony of flavour on your palette. It's great for lunch and dinner and I've also used it as a side salad for a BBQ.

For 4 people:

Ingredients: 100g Dried Apricots roughly chopped. 300g Bulghur Wheat. 400ml Vegetable Stock. 300ml Apricot or Apple Juice. 150g washed Spinach. Carrot peeled. Small Red Onion. 4 tbsp. Olive Oil. 2 tbsp. Lime juice and zest of a Lime. Tsp crushed chillies. Tsp Ground Cumin. Seasoning. 100g Pistachios. Coriander bunch washed and chopped.                                                                          Handful of mint washed and chopped.

Method:

1. Heat over to 140C / 275F / GM1
2. Make the stock and combine with the fruit juice. Spread the wheat over an oven tray and mix in the liquid. Allow for the wheat doubling in size. Put in the oven for 20 minutes, fluffing it up half way through. Once cooked, allow to cool a little.
3. Soak the apricots in tepid water for about twenty minutes.
4. Roughly shred the spinach, grate the carrot and finely slice the onion.
5. Whisk the oil with the lime juice, zest, chillies, cumin and seasoning. Drain the apricots.
6. Blend all of the ingredients together with the nuts and herbs and check for seasoning.

Just like Sally, I serve this with some warm flat breads and some thick yoghurt.

Tomato, Feta and Lentil Salad

This is a flexible salad that can be eaten on its own for lunch or maybe as a side dish to some grilled Lamb Chops. I first had cold lentils in a salad in Provence and this dish reminds me of sitting in that square in Avignon. I love the combination of textures plus the contrasts of salty cheese, sweet tomatoes and fragrant dill. This dish is based upon the recipe from the excellent Leon Happy Salads. There's a little prep in making the dressing and the seed mix, but I make a batch up and store in the fridge and cupboard.

For 2 people:

Ingredients:

200g cooked Puy Lentils. 1/2 diced Cucumber. 2 tbsp chopped fresh Dill. 4 tbsp. French Vinaigrette (see below).  6 sliced Sun Dried Tomatoes. 60g Baby Plum Tomatoes halved. 60g Feta Cheese crumbled. 2 handfuls of Rocket. 2 tbsp Toasted Seeds (see below). Seasoning.

Method:

Mix the lentils with the cucumber, dill, vinaigrette and seasoning. Top with the other ingredients.

French Vinaigrette: Shallot, finely chopped. Tsp Dijon Mustard. Tbsp White Wine Vinegar. 1/2 clove of crushed Garlic. 2 tsp water. 3 tbsp Olive Oil. Tsp Maple Syrup.

Whisk all the ingredients together and store in a jar.

Toasted Seeds: 2 tbsp Sunflower Seeds. Tbsp Golden Linseeds. Tbsp Sesame Seeds.

Dry fry each seed separately in a pan until golden. Mix together and store.

Avocado and Egg Power Food Salad

I love the amazing variety of salads out there. Textures, tastes, zest, spice, herbs etc. All of these components combined to give us a different experience. Well this Green Goddess Bowl as described by Madeleine Shaw in Get the Glow is packed full of super foods which give me a great energy boost. I sometimes add some baby gem lettuce just to give the dish an element of crunch, other than that, it's a very comforting eating experience.

For 2 people:

Ingredients:

50g Shredded Kale. Tbsp Coconut Oil. 100g Spinach. 4 Eggs. 3 tbsp Sesame Seeds. Avocado. 3 tbsp Olive Oil. Tbsp Cider Vinegar. Tsp Dijon Mustard. Lime cut into wedges. Seasoning.

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the kale with a pinch of salt and saute for 4 minutes.

Put the Spinach in a bowl and pour boiled water over it to cover. Strain through a sieve and mix into the kale.

In the meantime, bring a pan of water to the boil and add the eggs. I prefer my eggs soft for this dish, so 2 1/2 minutes will suffice. Drain the hot water off and fill with cold. After a couple of minutes, crack the shells of the eggs and gently peel. Spread the sesame seeds onto a plate with a pinch of salt. Rub the eggs evenly in the mixture then cut in half.

Cut the avocado in half  and peel off the skin. Remove the stone and then slice thinly. Mix the olive oil with the vinegar, mustard and seasoning.

Spread the greens over a serving plate and arrange the avocado and eggs on top. Drizzle over the dressing and a squeeze of lime.

Peppered Mackerel and New Potato Salad

I love reading or seeing recipes where all the ingredients are either in my kitchen or can be easily sourced. I hate wasting food and using things up I feel is both frugal and morally correct. This simple salad is great for a midweek supper or a weekend lunch. With horseradish, rocket and pepper already in the dish, you will just need a pinch of salt in the dressing.

For 2 people:

Ingredients:

2 Peppered Mackerel Fillets. 500g New Potatoes. 100g of Rocket and Watercress. 2 tbsp low fat Mayonnaise. 2 tsp Creamed Horseradish. Juice of half a lemon. 2 tsp Salt.

Method:


1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes or until al dente.
2. Meanwhile mix the mayo with the horseradish and lemon and a pinch of salt.
3. Drain the potatoes and whilst warm add the dressing and toss. Peel the skin off the fish and break into bite size pieces. Gently fold into the potato mix.
4. Arrange the leaves on a service plate and top with the fish and potatoes. Mix a little and then dive in.

Monkfish Curry

When you combine two of my favourite things: Monkfish and Curry, you have a marriage made in heaven. Some people are sceptical about using fish in a curry, but Monkfish has both the texture and taste to take on the spices. This process involves making the sauce and then poaching the fish which is also my preferred method for chicken too as the meat stays moist. So I guess you could replace one for the other. This recipe is based upon Madeleine Shaw's Get the Glow I haven't included the accompanying Cauliflower Rice, which is nice by the way. I'm actually proud to confirm however, that my picture which hasn't been photo shopped IMO looks better than the one in the book! It tastes pretty good too.  I served it with Basmati Rice and some Spinach sauteed in coconut oil, garlic and chilli.

For 4 people:

Ingredients: 

400g Monkfish fillet, cut into bite size pieces. 2 tsp Turmeric. 3 tbsp freshly grated Ginger. Tbsp Coconut Oil. Onion finely sliced. Red Chilli finely chopped (reserve a few thin shards)  Garlic clove crushed. 400ml Coconut Milk. Juice of a Lime. Tbsp Mustard seeds. Handful of finely chopped Coriander. Seasoning.

Method:

Place the fish in a bowl with a pinch of salt, the turmeric and ginger. Gently mix and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for five minutes. Add the chilli and garlic. Stir fry for a minute, then add the coconut milk, lime juice and freshly ground pepper. Simmer for five minutes, then add the fish and cook for around ten minutes until it's cooked through. Remove from the heat.

In a small pan, dry roast the mustard seeds for a minute. Then slightly crush them.

To serve, pour the fish into a dish and sprinkle with coriander, mustard seeds and some shards of chilli.

Sea Bream with Pak Choi and Tomato and Ginger Chutney

Having been fortunate to have eaten in several of Jason Atherton's restaurants, a few years ago I was drawn to his book Gourmet Food for a Fiver. If you're looking to impress with your dinner party, this is a great place to start. The dishes are fairly simple to create, but are a level above your standard home cooked food. Furthermore, as the title suggests, you won't damage the credit card too much in the process.

Enough waffle, this dish is so easy to make and is so light and flavoursome. I actually treble the chutney ingredients as it keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge and goes well with cheese or cold meats.

For 4 people:

Ingredients: 4 Sea Bream Fillets with skin. Seasoning. 3 tbsp Olive oil. 2 Heads of Pak Choi. Lime Wedges.

For the Chutney - 40g Brown Sugar, Tbsp Honey, 40ml Rice Vinegar. Cinnamon Stick. 4 medium Tomatoes chopped. Tbsp grated Fresh Ginger. 1/2 tsp cracked Coriander Seeds. Tbsp chopped Mint Leaves.

Method:

1. Rinse the Fish, pat dry with kitchen paper. Check for bones. Season both sides, cover and chill.

2. To make the chutney, put the sugar, honey, vinegar and cinnamon into a medium sized pan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, ginger and coriander. Cook for about 30 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened. Discard the cinnamon, add the mint and season. Keep warm.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry the bream skin side down for 2 minutes or until the edges are golden. Turn and cook for a minute or two until the fish is cooked through.
4. At the same time, saute the trimmed Pak Choi in 1 tbsp. of olive oil until wilted. Season with salt.

To serve, place the fish in the middle of a warm plate and top with the chutney. Arrange the pak choy and lime.