Brain Food

I know I am always harping on about Russel being my best mate in the kitchen but I would really like to introduce you to Madge as well.  She is my beautiful Magimix, given to me for Christmas by my very generous Mother-in-law, Maureen.  I have to admit to you that my Cuisine 5200xl is quite one of the most beautiful and revered objects that I have ever owned.  So precious is she, that I barely dare even use her.  She just sits their on the shelf unit which I had Hugh make up for me, especially deep just for her, to show her off in all her glory.

My other latest gadget to come into my life, is my new ProQ smoker.  I have had a craving to take up home-smoking for years now, probably since I gave up the fags, and I can't wait to start smoking my own chickens and Mackerel.  It all looks a bit complicated so I am going to have to wait for the weather to warm up a little before my first attempt but I will be sure to let you know how I get on. 


In the meantime, here is a fantastically easy and delicious snack. Mackerel is such an under-used and often over-looked fish. Just the sort of fish we should be eating to support the Fish Fight Campaign and don't forget that Mackerel is rich in omega 3 oils, beneficial to overall health, helps the brain to function to its optimum ability as well as aids our immune systems and nervous systems by insulating them.   And I think you will agree that the recipe couldn't be easier, with the help of Madge.  And just imagine what you could achieve with your brain functioning at its optimum ability.  What are you waiting for?

Smoked Mackerel Pate


100g Smoked Mackerel
50g Butter
Good squeeze of lemon
Lots of freshly ground black pepper


Remove the skin from the smoked mackerel.  Put all the ingrdients into a food processor and whizz until smooth.  Check for seasoning.  Adding more lemon or pepper if necessary.  Spread on toast and eat.

Down Mexico Way

Unfortunately, as much as I love food writing, so far I haven't managed to make a living out of it.  In fact, I haven't managed to make a single penny. So I have to work to pay the mortgage.  One of my main jobs is working for Riverford Organics who have a huge farm based in Devon.  They operate an Organic Vegetable Box delivery all over England.  My job is to entice new customers, as well as to encourage and keep up motivation for their regular clientele.  What this really comes down to, is that I spend a lot of time cooking vegetables.  Thinking up new ways with carrots, kale and kohlrabi. 

Strangely, one of the most taxing vegetables for me recently, that is always popping up in one veg box or another, is the sweet potato. The reason for this immense challenge, is that it is so very sweet and although I have tried balancing its sugaryness in a manor of ways, I still hadn't managed to conquered the vegetable. 

I made a really nice Indian curry with chickpeas, loads of cardamon and spinach and lots of fresh green chillies.  But I felt that the sweet potato still had a sickliness to it.  I added quite a large amount of Tamarind.  It was really good, but at the end of the day, I couldn't help wishing that it just didn't have the sweet potato in it. This was rather missing the point of the whole exercise. So, I was pretty excited to find a Mexican recipe for Chipotle Spiced Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli. I have made Black Bean Chilli many times before but without the addition of peppers and sweet potato. I loved the idea of the dramatic combination of black and orange. It made me think of Halloween and sounded like something I like to eat.  It was!  Finally I had conquered the sweet potato.  As you may know I have been on a bit of a wrap mission recently and I have to admit that I have been making quite a lot of Chicken or Steak Fahitas. I am not going to burden you with the recipe when I know that you can get a perfectly good one from "Mad about Mexican", Thomasina Miers.  But this hot and smoky, Chipoltle Spiced Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli and was even better. Piled into a warm tortilla with lashings of guacamole, a delicious Pico de Gallo (tomato, chilli and coriander salsa) and big dollop of sour cream on top, it was truly delicious. The harder it is to eat, the better it is.  Add lots of grated cheese and this Chilli also makes a great filling for quesadillas. And, if you still have any left, whiz it up and it makes a delicious soup.

I have always found it almost impossible to acquire any Mexican ingredients in London, so I cannot tell you how excited I was to discover Casa Mexico in Bethnal Green.  Unfortunately, I still haven't managed to get down there personally, as it is right across the other side of London for me, and what with the day job, I don't get much time.  But I can't wait to go.  Not only do they have the most fantastic selection of chillis, beans, moles and salsas but they also sell kitchen ware, furniture and art.  Fortunately, they also have an online shop, so I have stocked up on Mexican staples and even finely managed to get hold of some elusive Chipotle Adobado which I kept on finding, listed as an ingredient in recipes and had almost given up any chance of ever finding. 

Right, now what shall I do with that box of Kohlrabi?



Chipotle Spiced Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, chopped
4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed Chipotle Chillis
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or handful of fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped

Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat; add onion and celery. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until tender. Add bell peppers and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes or so. Stir often to avoid burning. Stir in garlic, and cook about 1 minute. Add chilli, the salt, the herbs and spices.  Stir and cook 1 minute. Next add the sweet potato.  Give everything a good mix and add tomatoes and enough water to cover the sweet potato. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes until the sweet potato is cooked. Stir in beans, and continue to cook 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lime juice. Finally add the coriander and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Guacamole

The most important factor to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good.

2 ripe avocados

2 spring onions (finely sliced)

1 fresh red or green Serrano chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

½ bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped

Juice of 1 fresh lime

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly grated black pepper

Drizzle of Olive Oil

 Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out and put in a mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, coriander, lime, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chilli peppers vary individually in their hotness.  Start with a little, add more to taste. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

Tomato, Chilli and Coriander Salsa (Pico de Gallo)

One clove of garlic (very finely chopped)

One Fresh Red Serrano Chilli (very finely chopped)
¼ red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
200g cherry tomatoes (quartered)
Juice of one or two limes
Bunch of Coriander (very finely chopped)
Glug of Olive Oil
Good pinch or two of salt
Freshly ground pepper

Mix garlic, chilli, lime juice and olive oil together.  Season well.  Stir in rest of ingredients. 

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.

Onion Bhajees and other stories

I have just looked in the fridge and I have a glut of onions.  This is often the way when you have an organic vegetable box delivery.  There is often a glut of something, and this time it is onions.  Last time a made a batch of Onion Marmalade, which is delicious with fresh bread and cheese. 

I am tempted to make a classic gratinated French Onion soup but I know that my stock of stock in the freezer is currently very much depleted and although I don't think stock is always necessary for soup, for a really good French Onion soup you really need a beef or ox-tail stock as a base. 

Then I remember a huge bag of Gram flour that I bought, firstly because it came in a very beautiful bag and secondly because I had intended to make some Rotis, only to discover that Rotis use chapatti flour.  Gram flour is make of ground chickpeas (chana dhal) and is therefore gluten free, which is great for Celiacs, but not for Rotis.  Anyway, I remembered that I had seen a recipe on the back of the packet for Onion Bhajees.  The recipe, it turns out, apparently comes from their acclaimed cookery book "The Flavours of Gujarat" by Jane Breddy for Virani Foods, so I thought it was definitely worth a try.  Unfortunately it called for, amongst other things, rice flour, which I did not have. 

And then I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to accompany my onion Bhajees with some poppadums and homemade Indian chutneys. I had a craving for a delicious sour and spicy lime pickle, a sweet and aromatic mango chutney and cool and fresh cucumber and mint raita. So I decided to set off to Tooting, where I know there is a large Indian community, so there was bound to be exciting shops waiting to be found, and stock up on Indian goodies. 

I had not been to Tooting for many years, as when I lived in Shepherds Bush, Southall so abundantly satisfied all my Indian cookery shopping requirements. However, Tooting did not disappoint.  I found numerous shops selling every spice, herb, pulse or types of flour you could ever require.  Plus lots of lovely vegetables and fruit at great prices.  I picked up my limes, for my lime pickle, (5 for a £1) and mangos for my mango chutney (4 for £1), which I thought was quite a bargain.  I bought a selection of Poppadoms to fry at home. I have never made my own yet and I have heard it is not easy but the bought ones are great and come in a huge selection.  I particularly like the little baby ones which are great for a snack or canapé when entertaining.  I also like the large ones with either cumin (Jeera) of black pepper.

I also found some Panch Puran, affectionately known as Bengali 5-Spice, which is a combination of Fennel seeds, Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Fenugreek seeds and Nigella seeds which I am quite excited about, as they all flavours I love and I only recently discovered that there was a specific mix, which is apparently used in many traditional Indian dishes.  I decided to add some to my Raita to spice it up. I also bought some bunches of coriander (2 for £1.20) and mint (2 for £1) and finally found the dried Kashmiri chillis which I had been searching for, for weeks. 

The Onion Bhajees were delicious and lovely dipped in Raita or with a dollop of spicy, sweet mango chutney.  Unfortunately my lime pickle is not quite ready.  I will let you know how it turns out in 5 weeks or so.  Not much sunshine in England at this time of year!

Onion Bhajees

8 oz pure gram flour
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp dhana-jeera powder

2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tbsp turmeric

1 - 2 tsp salt

2 large onions, cut in half and sliced finely

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander

7 fl oz water

Oil for deep frying

Sieve the gram flour into a large bowl then mix in all the remaining dry ingredients together with the onion slices and chopped coriander. Gradually add some water, mixing thoroughly until a thick batter is formed and the onions are well coated.

Heat the oil to a depth of 2" to 3" in a wok, karhai or deep-fat frying pan over a medium heat. When it is the correct temperature a drop of batter will rise immediately to the surface without turning brown.

Drop heaped teaspoons of the onion batter into the oil (take care not to make the Bhajees too large otherwise the centre will not cook). Fry a few at a time, turning if necessary, for about 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Repeat until all the Bhajees are cooked allowing time for the oil to reheat between each batch. Once finished deep frying drain the onions Bhajees on absorbent paper.  Deep frying the onion batter in sunflower oil is the healthiest option.

I got this recipe from a website on the net http://limepickle.com/chutneys-pickles/lime-pickle-recipe.html and it contains loads more information so check it out.

Lime Pickle

16 Limes
5 tbsp salt
3 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp white vinegar
250 grams mustard seeds
50 grams crushed fenugreek seeds
10 tbsp red chilli powder.
1 tsp asafetida powder
2 cups vegetable oil

If you can, put the lime pickle in a room where it will catch the sunlight or is near a radiator. This lime pickle recipe can be made all year round!

Cut limes into small pieces or quarters. Add salt, turmeric and white vinegar. Stir well making sure that every piece of Lime is covered. Then set aside in your storage jar.
Stir the marinade every alternate day for 4 weeks or longer until the pieces of Lime are quite soft and tender. Remember to seal the container when you have finished!
Add the crushed mustard, asafetida, red chilli powder, vegetable and mustard oil.
Mix well and wait for 1 additional week before using the Lime Pickle.

This mango chutney is really delicious.  It has more of a kick, is much more flavourful and less gloopy than the readymade varieties.  It is really worth the effort.

Mango Chutney

1.5kg (3lb) mangoes, peeled and diced
2 large red chillis, de-seeded and chopped
60g (2oz) fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon
500ml (1 pint) white wine or cider vinegar
750g brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon allspice powder
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil, stirring often. Cook for 1 hour or until mixture is thick.  If necessary drain the mango and return the liquid to reduce until really thick.  Adjust the seasoning.  I added more salt and chilli. Bottle and seal.

Raita Recipe

Raita also sometimes referred to as Raitha, is yogurt based and eaten as a sauce or dip. The raita recipe described below is a very popular side dish that goes well with hot and spicy Indian food.

250ml natural yogurt
½ cucumber, finely chopped
handful Mint leaves, washed and finely chopped
pinch of salt (add as required)

Panch Puran, toasted and finely ground

Coriander to garnish the raita

Mix all the ingredients together and adjust seasoning to taste.  When making this Lime Pickle recipe, note that setting aside should be at a comfortable room temperature, not cold.