Monsoon Madness

It was pouring this morning. Another English Summer July day.  It was like a Monsoon.  Maybe that is why I got the strongest craving for a curry.  And not just any curry, but it had to be an Aubergine curry.  I am not sure why.  In fact I am not sure that I have ever even eaten an Aubergine Curry before, or Brinjal Bhaji as it is more authentically known, but I knew that I wanted to.  This recipe has Tamarind in it which gives it a delicious sour flavour with combines brilliantly with the sweetness and richness of the Aubergine. 

Tamarind is easy to get hold of from most Indian shops but if you are having any problems getting hold of any spices, then I really recommend Seasoned Pioneers. They have such a fantastic selection of seasonings from all over the world and will send them out to you anywhere in Europe, for very little postage. All their spices come in sealable foil bags and although I am usually the sort to mix up my own spice blends, I was so excited by their range that along with Chipolte Chilli, which I have been searching for forever, I have ordered a few, ready mixed blends and I will be letting you know how I get on in the very near future.



Aubergines are at their best just now, shiny and fat and delicious.  There is something slightly dark and mysterious about them.  Native to India, they turn up in dishes from all over the world and work particularly well when char-grilled, either sliced or whole, as they absorb the smoky flavours, which gives dishes such as Moutabal its fantastic flavour.  Aubergines also feature in Japanese recipes, such as Aubergines Baked with Miso and the little baby ones known as pea aubergines are a main feature of Thai Curries.

They are notorious, however, for soaking up oil and I almost wrote them off at one stage, as I was so concerned how fattening they might be.  All the recipes that I was cooking seemed to require frying. Dishes such as Ratatouille or a number of Italian dishes which require them to be cooked "al Funghetto" or "in the style of mushrooms", i.e. fried in loads of olive oil.  It is only when I discovered that there was another way, that I came to love the aubergine again.



Simply cut your aubergine into large chunks (about 1" squared) and toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out on flat trays, with plenty of room between pieces and roast in a medium/hot oven until golden brown, crisp on the outside, melting soft on the inside and delicious. So now this is how I make Ratatouille or Imam Bayeldi or Capanata.  And for Melanzane Parmigiana and Moussaka which used to involve flouring and frying the Aubergine slices in loads of olive oil,now I just brush them with oil and char-grill them instead.  All the flavour, half the fat!  Got to be a good thing.

Brinjal Bhaji (Aubergine Curry)

4 Aubergines

2 tsp of Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric
Small handful of Curry leaves
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped5 cloves of Garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
2" Fresh Ginger,peeled and very finely chopped or grated 
1 Fresh red Chilli, very finely chopped
1 tin of whole plum tomatoes (400g)
1 tin chickpeas, drained
20 g of tamarind paste or pulp
1 bunch of Fresh chopped corriander
Oil
Salt
Yoghurt to serve


Chop up your aubergine into 1" chunks and toss with a little oil, some salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Spread out on some baking trays with plenty of room and roast in a medium/hot oven until golden brown all over.


Take a Wok or large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat with some oil.  Add mustard seeds. When they start to pop add the cumin, ground coriander and turmeric, fenugreek and curry leaves. Then add chopped onions, ginger, garlic and chilli.  Fry on medium flame until really soft.  Add the tomatoes and break up untill really mixed through.  Add the aubergines and a little salt to taste. Then add tamarind.  (If using pulp soak for 15 minutes in boiling hot water.   Then strain to remove the seeds.)   Add the chickpeas.


Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes to allow the flavours to combine and mellow. Finally add the freshly chopped corriander and serve with freshly cooked basmati rice.  Add a dollop of yoghurt if you like.

Lamenting Lost Lebanese

What I miss most about living in Shepherds Bush, where I was for so many years, is the fantastic North African Shops and Restaurants in the Uxbridge Road.  I used to spend so much time lurking around in Damas Gate and then the even bigger and grander Al-Abbas, which opened a few years ago.  There was a fantastic Halal Butcher just round the corner called Naama, which sold beautiful little lamb chops at a fraction of the price of the supermarkets.  He also had stunning kebabs and little spicy sausages with pinenuts, all made fresh everyday.  We had a lovely little shop called Nut Case, which as the name implies, just specialised in a fantastic array of nuts, and coffee as well. There were countless shops selling beautiful Baklava (Lebanese sweets) - lovely light layers of pastry, bursting with nuts and dripping with honey. I have to say that I actually find them a bit too sweet for my taste, so I have given you a fantastic recipe by Nigel Slater, from his wonderful book "The Kitchen Diaries", for Lemon and Rosewater-frosted Pistachio and Orange cake instead.  Just as delicious but much less teeth-meltingly sweet.  

I loved picking up hot freshly made Falafel at Mr Falafel in Shepherds Bush Market and eating them as a hot snack with the kids.  My favourite Syrian restaurant was there, Abu-Zaad, where we often ate, but more often, I would just pop in and pick up some delicious Demascan starters for a picnic in the park.  Then the kids and I would head off to Ravenscourt Park for the day, armed with tubs of Hummus, Moutabal, Tabbouleh, Fattoush Salad, some Labneh and lots of freshly baked pitta bread.  Also fantastic freshly made juices.  Melon was always our favourite on a hot summer’s day! 

So when I was up visiting my brother and his family at the week-end, who lives in Marylebone, I made sure that I had time to nip down to the Edgware Road, affectionately known as "Little Beirut".  Most of the road now seems to be owned by Maroush restaurants.  I think they had eight outlets alone, in various different formats, at last count.  They are all well worth a visit but it was Green Valley I was heading for.  This is a remarkable shop, stuffed full of wonderful produce, from their fruit and vegetables to their fantastic deli counter selling a beautiful variety of kebabs and really delicious looking rice and vegetable dishes.  Then there are the sweets.  What a display!  And aisles after aisle of pulses and spices, pickles and olives.  I stocked up on Spices - Cumin, Ras-el Hanout and Sumac and then chickpeas, Tahini, Pistachios and Rosewater, huge bunches of parsley and coriander at half the price and twice the size of the supermarket, aubergines, cucumbers, lemons and tomatoes, all of which you will need for the following recipes.  They are all quite classical recipes but they are all favourites and sometimes that is just what you need. 

Falafal

2 cups dried chick peas

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1/2 cup fresh coriander chopped

Soak the chick peas in water and bicarbonate of soda overnight or for 24 hours. Rinse and drain.  Put all the ingredients in a food processor, and blend till you get a thick paste.  Remove and keep in the fridge for 1 hour before use.  If the mixture is too dry it will not stick together but on the other hand if it is too wet it will break up when frying.  If too dry add a little water.  If too wet, squeeze some out. Divide and shape the mixture into small balls, the size of a walnut. Flatten with your hand, then deep fry in medium, hot oil until golden brown.  Serve warm  in pitta bread, with lots of  salad and Tarator, (Tahini let down with lemon Juice and water).   I like a dollop of hummus and a little chilli sauce with mine as well.

Hummus

2 cups of cooked, drained chickpeas

½ cup liquid from cooking or water

 Juice of one lemon (or more depending on taste)

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp chilli powder (optional)

½ cup Tahini

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the centre of the hummus. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with Sumac and whole cooked chick peas (optional).  Serve immediately with fresh, warm pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

                           

Moutabal

2 large aubergines

1 small clove of garlic

1-2 tablespoons Tahini

Lemon

Sea salt

Cook the Aubergines either  in a hot oven or directly over the flame of a gas hob or on a barbecue.  It  is very important that the aubergines are thoroughly blackened all over as this is where the imperative, fantastic smoky taste of this dish comes from.  They must also be soft to the touch all over but do not overcook to the extent that all there is left is skin and no flesh. When it is well cooked through and the skin is blackened, leave to cool until you are able to handle them.  If using a gas barbecue, turn it off and leave the aubergines to cool with the lid closed, in the smoke. Remove the stalk and peal of the skin.  If they are perfectly cooked this is very easy. leave to drain in a colander.  Add to a food processor with the Tahini and garlic, and blend to a smooth and light puree. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve in a bowl with little olive oil on top and a sprinkle of sumac or smoked paprika.

Fattoush Salad

A great way of using up old pitta bread, this is a delicious salad.  The pitta must be golden brown and very crunchy and the salad should be juicy.  Do not mix too far in advance as the pitta will go soggy.  Mint is a lovely thing, very fresh and aromatic but too much is not nice, like a mouthful of toothpaste.  Again, a little raw garlic or onion is tasty but remember, they are raw!  Do not use too much or you will end up with something un-palatable.

2 pieces of pitta bread, torn into 1 inch pieces plus a little olive oil

2 tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds removed with a spoon, quartered lengthways and chopped

Handful of parsley, roughly chopped

Small handful of Mint, chopped

1/2 red onion, very finely sliced

1 half head of romaine lettuce or 1 whole Baby Gem lettuce, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lemon juiced

3/4 cup good olive oil

salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Sumac

Toss the pitta bread with some extra virgin olive oil, spread out on a baking sheet  and toast in a medium oven until golden and crisp.  Be careful not to burn.  Allow to cool. In a large bowl, make a dressing by combining the garlic, Sumac, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add your onion and allow to marinate for a few minutes until the onion softens. Next add your lettuce, bread, cucumber, tomatoes, mint and parsley and mix well. 

                            

Tabbouleh

This is a version from Mr Ottolenghi. I  strongly endorse this recipe in that he states that the salad should be 80% herbs with only a little Bulgar and that the herbs must be chopped by hand with a sharp knife.  I do however, question his choice of not cooking the Bulgar.  Although it is important that it should still have a chewy consistency, personally I boil mine in salted water for 5 minutes before refreshing and draining well.

“There's a right way and a wrong way to make this brilliant Middle Eastern salad, says Yotam Ottolenghi.     Here's the right way…  "

Serves four, generously.

90g fine Bulgar wheat

4 medium tomatoes, ripe but still firm (600g)

2 medium shallots (60g)

4 large bunches fresh Flat-leaf parsley (160g)

2 bunches Fresh mint (30g)

1 tsp ground allspice

3-4 tbsp lemon juice

120ml top-quality olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Put the Bulgar in a fine sieve and put under the cold tap until the water runs clear and most of the starch has been removed. Transfer to a bowl.  Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm dice (a small serrated knife is the best tool for this job) and add to the bowl, along with any juices. Chop the shallots as fine as you can and add to the bowl.  Take a few stalks of parsley and pack them together tightly. Use a large, very sharp knife to trim off the end of the stalks, then chop the remaining stems and leaves as finely as possible and no wider than 1mm. (If you can't achieve that first go, go over the chopped parsley again, this time with the heel of the blade.)  Add the parsley to the bowl. Pick the mint leaves, pack a few together tightly, chop as finely as the parsley and add to the bowl. Finally stir in the allspice, lemon juice to taste, olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Labneh  (Strained Yogurt)

3 cups plain yogurt (Organic if possible)

1 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt and salt. Place mixture in the middle of a large cheesecloth, muslin or J-cloth.   Bring the sides  together, making a pouch. Tie the "pouch" with string or twist tie. Hang in a cool place or the refrigerator for 12-24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the whey.

Lemon and Rosewater-Frosted Pistachio and Orange cake

250g butter at room temperature

250g golden caster sugar

3 eggs

100g shelled pistachio nuts, finely ground

100g ground almonds

zest and juice of a large orange

seeds from 6 cardamom pods, ground to a powder

1 tablespoon rosewater

60g plain flour

for the icing:

juice of a lemon

1 teaspoon rosewater

100g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 160c and line the bottom of a non-stick 22cm tin with greaseproof paper, having lightly greased the tin (if you use a loose-bottom tin place a tray on the bottom of the oven in case the mixture leaks, as happened to a friend of mine).

Cream the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. Place the mixture in a large bowl and fold in the ground pistachios, ground almonds, orange zest and cardamom. Mix in the orange juice and rosewater then fold in the flour.

Put the mixture into your cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, covering the top lightly with foil after 40 minutes. When the cake is ready a skewer, stuck into the centre, will come out clean without any wet cake mixture on it. Leave the cake in its tin to cool.

When the cake is cool, mix the lemon juice and rosewater together. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl and mix together, adding more lemon juice/ icing sugar as necessary – you want quite a thick texture. Cover the cake with icing and decorate – crystallised rose petals, coloured sugar or chopped pistachios would all look lovely. If eating as a pudding, serve with Greek yoghurt or Mascarpone.

Some Asian Influenced Vegetables

We have just had that fantastic mackerel again for dinner but Hugh, the other half, said that he wanted something a bit more substantial than cucumber salad and why did I not make the Char-grilled Broccoli with Chilli and Garlic, which is always a favourite in our family.  I first made this at Baker and Spice, which unfortunately has now been bought out by Patisserie Valerie and has gone hideously downhill, so don't go there! But it was famously where Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi of Ottolenghi met each other ,so it is no surprise that you can find the recipe in their first book.  It really is one of those recipes that somehow manages to taste so much more than its sum of ingredients.  I wish there was a term for that!  Although I am not one to change a classic recipe, I have often made a little addition to this recipe by adding a little sesame oil and a dash of soy, and for this occasion I thought the oriental flavours would lend themselves to the mackerel.  The adapted recipe is below. 

I also have been on a mission to find other uses for the large tub of beautiful Miso in my fridge, so I was thrilled when I discovered Ingénue no goma-ae.  This is a Japanese recipe for green beans in sesame and Miso dressing and is delicious.  I also have a huge supply of sesame seeds, so this is a great way of using them up too.  Incidentally both white and black Sesame seeds are meant to be wonderfully good for you and have made it onto "TheWorlds Healthiest Foods" website!

Next, a very simple dish of Wok-fried Choi Sum is really delicious. Chop the Choi Sum, flowers and all and fry in a little oil. You can add garlic, ginger or chilli to the pan before hand, if you like. Finish with a drizzle of Tamari. Really lovely with some Soba noodles dressed lightly with sesame oil.

Finally, I did mention earlier that I had once had Aubergine baked with Miso. This actually was at a restaurant in Willesden called Sushi-Say, and was a very long time ago, but I still remember it and have been working hard to recreate it for you.  It is well worth the effort.

Char-grilled Broccoli with Chilli, Sesame, Garlic and Soy.

You can try this with purple sprouting broccoli but it does not grill quite as well.  You can toast the broccoli in a hot pan if you do not have a griddle pan or barbeque.

2 heads of broccoli

Glug of olive oil

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 mild red chillies, thinly sliced

Coarse sea salt and black pepper

Soy sauce to finish

Few drops sesame oil

Prepare the broccoli by cutting lengthways through the stalk in wedges.  This is important as when you char-grill the pieces it needs to have the most surface area possible.

Fill a very large saucepan with plenty of salted water and bring it to the boil. Throw in the broccoli and blanch for 3 minutes only. Don't be tempted to cook it any longer! Using a large slotted spoon, quickly transfer the broccoli to a bowl full of ice cold water. Drain in a colander and allow to dry completely. In a mixing bowl, toss the broccoli with 45ml of the olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Place a ridged griddle pan over a high heat and leave it there for at least 5 minutes, until it is extremely hot or use your barbecue. Depending on the size of your griddle, cook the broccoli in batches. Turn them over so they get char marks all over.

 While grilling the broccoli, place the rest of the oil in a small saucepan with the garlic and chillies. Cook them over a medium heat until the garlic just begins to turn golden brown. Be careful not to let the garlic and chilli burn - remember they will keep on cooking even when off the heat. 

Pour the oil, garlic and chilli over the hot broccoli and toss together well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Now drizzle with Tamari Soy and Sesame oil to your taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Asian Cabbage and Sesame Slaw

I love all sorts of "slaws", especially with barbecued food.  This salad does not look that beautiful but it really tastes great.  I like to use Savoy Cabbage when in season but you can use Pointed Cabbage, White Cabbage or Chinese cabbage.

Ingredients

1 small white cabbage or 1/2 a large one, finely shredded

6 shallots, finely sliced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Handful of finely chopped coriander

Dressing:

3 tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)

1 tablespoons sunflower oil

2 teaspoons wasabi paste

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

1 inch ginger, peeled and grated

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1.5 tablespoons sesame oil

5 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Marinate the shallots in the wine vinegar in advance, ideally for 1-2 hours. Mix together all dressing ingredients except the water - a blender or electric beater is useful - then adds the water to thin. Mix dressing into salad, add the marinated shallots and sprinkle over sesame to garnish.

Ingen no goma-ae

175g / 6 oz green beans

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon caster sugar

2/3 tablespoon Dashi stock

1/2 tablespoon Miso paste

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Toast the seeds for this recipe. Simply put them in a frying pan without oil then heat while stirring until the seeds have puffed up and you can smell the distinctive aroma of sesame. Sometimes they make a popping sound.  Grind the sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar or in a coffee grinder. Add the sugar, Dashi, Miso paste and soy sauce and mix together well. Boil the beans in a pan of salted water for 5 minutes or until tender. Finely toss the green beans in the sesame dressing and serve.

Aubergines Baked with den Miso

3 medium aubergines

200g shiromiso (white Miso)

4 tablespoons sake (Chinese rice wine is good here if you have no sake)

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons Mirin

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Start by slicing the aubergines into two lengthways. Cut the surfaces diagonally as far as you dare, without cutting the skin. Brush with Sesame oil and bake for 15 minutes at 170C.  While the aubergine is baking, make the den Miso by combining the Mirin, sugar, sake and Miso.  Stir well to make a thick paste.  Spread this on the cooked aubergines, all over their upper surface, making sure the paste gets into the slashes. Sprinkle with Sesame seeds. Return to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes making sure that they do not burn. You can eat hot or cold.   It is delicious both ways but very rich.