"Radical Lunch" and "Alpha Supper" for Omega 3

 Recently, I rather rashly decided to give up milk. Apart from suffering a week or two of hideously disappointing coffee at breakfast, I noticed no positive results. Alpro Soya can do many things but it just will never make nice coffee. I have often considered cutting out all sorts of other foods from my diet but recently I decided to concentrate not what you could cut out, rather than what I could put in. I decided to concentrate on an "Omega 3 and High Antioxidant Diet."

We all know about good fats and bad and that Omega 3 is super good for you. It lowers cholesterol  and risk of heart disease, it is an effective anti-inflammatory, is good for Arthritis as well as lowering levels of depression and some say that it is good for Eczema too. Think of it as moisturising your body from the inside.

Trouble is we never seem to get enough of it. The changing way that our food is evolving means that foods that used to contain high levels of Omega 3, no longer do. Cattle and chickens must be grass fed, not bulked up on corn and therefore meat, eggs and dairy which also used to contain high levels, no longer does. The same goes for farmed fish which will not contain the high levels of omega 3 as wild. Wild fish is expensive and often unsustainable. I have however found that Wild Alaskan or Pacific Salmon is often available, sustainable, not too expensive and high in Omega 3 and not only is its diet better but having lived wild, it has had to swim harder and it is therefore so much nicer and less fatty than its farmed cousins. 

I then trawled through a few lists of the highest rating foods in Omega 3 and picked my favourites - berries, wild and brown rice, edamame beans, spinach, walnuts and linseeds (also known as flax seeds), all sorts of beans, butternut squash and green vegetables, such as brussels sprouts, kale, spinach and salad greens.

Foods high in Omega 3 are high in antioxidants which neutralize your free radicals - most berries, avocados, apples and lots of other fruits. Some of the richest vegetables sources include artichokes, broccoli, red  and white cabbage, squashes and sweet potatoes. Small red, black, kidney and pinto beans are also high in antioxidants. Many herbs, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger and oregano and other good sources include nuts, such as walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts and almonds, green tea, coffee, red wine (hurrah!), pomegranate, oats and dark chocolate (another hurrah!).

Amazingly, I found that I had already posted, just by chance a few recipes in the past which were packed with key ingredients - Chipotle Spiced Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli with Guacamole on top, could not be more perfect or how about Baby Spinach, Black Rice, Butter Bean, Broad Bean and Pomegranate Salad.

But I decided to devise a new, simple daily menu to max out on as many of my favourite sources of all this goodness as I could. 

For breakfast I simply added a handful of walnuts and some fresh berries to my Granola Recipe, which I could now enjoy with a proper cup of coffee having thankfully reintroduced the milk. 

For lunch, a "Radical Burritos" and finally for dinner," The Alpha Supper" brimming with Omega 3. And the great thing about this diet is, because you are not actually cutting anything out, you never feel hard done by!

Radical Burritos
Feeds a generous 2
1 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes 
100 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 knob of fresh ginger
1 fresh red chilli. finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cinnamon
1tbsp. tomato puree
1 red pepper, chopped in 1/2 to 1cms cubesOne can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 tortilla wraps (large or x-large)
1 avocado

handful of baby spinach or lettuce

Fresh coriander

Preheat oven to 180C. Cover the rice with plenty of cold water in a saucepan and a pinch of salt and put on a medium-high heat to cook. It will take about 30-40 minutes and is done when it is tender with no hint of chalkiness. Drain when ready. Meanwhile, toss the squash in olive oil and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 30-45 mins until tender and beginning to caramelise.

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat add a good plug of olive oil and the onion. Cook gently without colour for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic, the fresh red chilli, the cumin and cinnamon  Fry for a minute or two. Add the tomato paste and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry a minute more before adding the red pepper and the beans. Add a little water and cook all together for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cooked rice and check the seasoning. Finally stir in the butternut squash and a good handful of freshly chopped coriander.

Add bean filling to the tortilla with desired a handful of spinach and some freshly sliced avocado.  Wrap and serve. Leftover filling can be reheated the next day.

Alpha Supper

You can easily buy ready made Teriyaki sauce in the shops or make your own. The bought varieties vary massively from the rather healthy Clearspring Organic Teriyaki to much sweeter and stickier varieties such as Waitrose own, which I have to admit to being rather fond of. I like to season the fish with a sprinkle of Togarashi which is a traditional Japanese seven-spice mixture is a blend of red peppers, sansho pepper, roasted orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, seaweed, and ginger. You can find it is a good Japanese or oriental supermarket but if you can't find it, never mind, just use sesame seeds.

Supper for 2

2 pieces of Wild Salmon
50g wild rice
100g frozen edamame (shelled) you can buy soya beans in the freezer section of large supermarkets
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1-2 tsp sesame seed
Pinch Togarashi (optional)1 bag of leaf spinach (200g or two large handfuls)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
wedge of lime

Place salmon in a bowl and pour over 2 tbsp. Teriyaki and turn to coat. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to marinate. 


Put the wild rice in a saucepan with plenty of water and a pinch of salt and boil for about 20 minutes until the rice begins to crack open and has a chewy consistency and a nutty flavour. Add the edamame and bring back to the boil. Cook for one or two minutes and drain. Add the last tablespoon of Teriyaki sauce. Preheat the oven to 180C.


Put the salmon in a oven dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds and a pinch of Togarashi is you have some. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the salmon is firm and just cooked.

Meanwhile, put another large saucepan on the heat. Add the sesame oil and the spinach with a good pinch of salt. Cook until just wilted. Stir with tongs and remove from heat as soon as it is done. Pile the spinach onto two plates. Scatter with the wild rice and soya beans and place the salmon on the top with a wedge of lime on the side.

Winter Salads with a Touch of Spring

The weather is all over the place.  One minute it is sunny, the next it is freezing and it is difficult to know what to eat.  The odd glimpse of sunshine puts me the mood for something more Spring-like, like a lovely fresh salad after a winter of stodge. Not Summer salads quite yet but a more substantial Wintery Salad with a hint of Spring. Lots of really healthy but more filling ingredients such as Buckwheat Noodles, pulses or rice fill you up and the first of the seasons Spring vegetables add colour and flavour. 

I have not one but three Winter salads. I think all three are really interesting. he first can be eaten either hot or cold. Two of them use home-made crispy onions. These are really easy to make, really delicious and produce a lovely, delicately flavoured onion oil which can be used in salad dressings.  The last salad is the most amazing as it can be not only be eaten as a salad but just add hot water and you have a soup.

So, first of all, I am using Wheatberrys which are whole wheat kernals similar to Farro, another favourite of mine and are also super good for you, high in fibre and protein but low in fat. They have a delicious nutty flavour and a nice chewy texture. I have been perfecting this salad for some time and I think the combination of New Season's Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Chilli and Crispy Onions is a winner and is delicious hot or cold.

The next is Baby Spinach, Black Rice, Butter Bean, Broad Bean and Pomegranate Salad. This is a salad was probably the invention of Gail Stephens and I used to make everyday at Baker and Spice and I love it. I don't know why but it just works. Black Rice is super good for you too.

My final salad is one I invented for a Riverford Dinner and I was trying to think up new ways with Sweet Mama Squash. I went for a Japanese theme comprising Soba Buckwheat Noodles with a Miso Dressing and finished the whole dish off with lots of crunchy seeds to add texture. I was really happy with my creation but it was too rich and I felt it needed lots more vegetables to balance the dressing so I added some roast cauliflower but some asparagus, beans sprouts or French beans would have been delicious too.  What is so bizarre about this salad is that if you add hot water you have a really lovely soup.

I know this selection of rather peculiar salads may sound like a lot or rather random ingredients thrown together but I honestly do recommend you try all three.



Crispy Fried Onions
You can make up a big batch of these and use them in all sorts of delicious ways.  The onions will keep for a week or two in air tight Tupperware.
Thinly slice a few large onions. Place in a saucepan and add vegetable oil to about half way to the top of the onions. You don't want to use too much oil as the more intense the flavour the better. The onions will cook down a huge amount. Place on a medium heat and cook carefully until they have sunk below the surface of the oil. Turn up the heat and deep fry until golden brown. Be careful not to burn, stirring regularly, especially in the corners where the onions will cook most quickly. Drain immediately and break up any clumps. Scatter onto some kitchen paper and leave to crisp up. Season lightly with salt. When cool pour the oil into a bottle for further use.

Check out my Saffron Basmati Rice with Saffron, Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Fried Onions recipe too.

Baby Spinach, Black Rice, Butter Bean, Broad Bean and Pomegranate Salad
Black Rice (Try Tilda)
Baby Spinach 
Broad Beans (I hate to say it but frozen are great and save you some time.)
Butter Beans, drained (tinned or cook your own)
Crispy Onions and Onion Oil (See above)
1 Pomegranate

Cook the rice according to the instructions.  Unlike white rice, it is quite hard to overcook. In fact, be more careful of under-cooking. It should be chewy, not tough. Remember, like with all rice, to salt the water. Drain well and allow to completely cool. Cook your broad beans and shell unless really sweet and small.  Cut the pomegranate in half and bang each half quite hard with a wooden spoon to release all the seeds. Remove any white pith.

Put your black rice in a large bowl with the broad beans, butter beans and pomegranate. Add some onion oil and season with sea salt and a little black pepper. The salt will bring the whole salad alive. Add some crispy fried onions and the baby spinach leaves.  Mix well and serve.

Wheatberries, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Crispy Fried Onions, Chilli and Garlic

Serves 2
100g Wheatberries (Try Merchant Gourmet) or you can use Freekeh, Farro, Bulgar or Barley
100g Purple Sprouting Broccoli
1 Fresh Red Chilli, very finely sliced
2 cloves Garlic, very finely sliced
Crispy Fried Onions and Onion Oil (see above)

Trim and cook your broccoli in plenty of salted boiling water. Remove and scatter the broccoli onto a tea towel to cool and drain. Add the Wheatberries to the same water and cook for 25 minutes or so until chewy and delicious.  Drain in a colander. Wipe out the saucepan and heat a little onion oil in it.  Add the chilli and garlic and cook until the garlic has turned a beautiful golden brown. Immediately add the drained Wheatberries to stop the garlic cooking further.  Add the broccoli and a handful of crispy fried onions.  Stir well, check seasoning and serve either hot or cold. 

Soba Buckwheat Noodle Salad with Roast Squash and Cauliflower, Mixed Seeds
Soba Buckwheat Noodles (Try Clearspring)
1/2 a Squash or a piece of Pumpkin (Sweet Mama, Butternut, Acorn etc)
1 Cauliflower
Sunflower Oil
Other vegetables you might like to use Asparagus, Beans Sprouts or French Beans
Seeds (Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame, Black Sesame etc)
Dressing
Sweet White Miso or slightly healthier Barley or Brown Rice Miso (Try Clearspring)
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Large knob of Ginger, grated preferably on a Microplaner
Fresh Red Chilli, Very finely chopped
Fresh Lime Juice or Pon Zu

Peel and cut your Pumpkin or Squash into bite-size chunks. Toss with a little Sunflower oil and a little sea salt and roast in a medium hot oven until soft and beginning to caramelise.  Cut the Cauliflower into bite-size florets and do exactly the same as for the Pumpkin. Roast until nicely cooked and beginning to go golden brown. Cook the noodles according to instructions, in plenty of salted boiling water (about 7 minutes) until they no longer taste floury. Drain and refresh immediately in plenty of cold water. Drain well in a colander. Dress with a little sesame oil.  Cook any other vegetables that may need cooking.

Make a dressing with the grated ginger, the Chilli, some Miso, some Soy and the lime juice.  You will not need much as it is very rich. Get a nice balance of sweet (Miso), salty (Soy), spicy (the Chilli) and sour (lime). Mix the dressing through your noodles and vegetables.  Do not over dress or it can be sickly. Finish with plenty of seeds.

If you want to make soup then just add a little boiling water and check seasoning.

Less is More!

People at the moment seem to be choosing to eat less meat. It has become a bit fashionable to concentrate more on the vegetables, hence the massive serge in celebrity chef cook books about vegetables, as they all fight to jump on the bandwagon. Admittedly Jane Grigson wrote her vegetable book a good while ago and then her daughter Sophie followed suit with her own version some years ago. Nigel Slater has been banging on about growing and cooking your own for quite a while now, but then Sarah Raven, the queen of gardnening pawn, has just published her "Garden Cookbook" and even Hugh Fernley-Whitingstall dumped his signiture meaty dishes for the veg. And mark my words, there will be a glut of more veg books to come, in the near future. 

Some of this veg revival is economical. Growing your own is de riguere right now and shame on you if you are not on an allotment waiting list. Also the price of meat is demanding a reassessment in how much and how often we can afford to eat it. The fashion is to eat better quality meat but less of it and let the vegetables take pride of place on the plate. Secondly of course there are many good health reasons to eat less meat, mainly in an aim to cut down on the dreaded saturated fats.

Apart from vegetables, other great ways of making your meat go further, is to add carbohydrate such as grains, pasta and rice. Poorer cultures have learnt out of necessity how to make a little feed more and it is to these cuisines which we should turn if we want to learn a thing or two. So I have relentlessly been researching dishes from all around the world to bring you the very best ideas in saving money, saving your health and yet still producing delicious food. I have come to the conclusion that rice is a very good place to start.

Rice is such a fantastic food. It is an excellent source of fuel for our body and easily digested so the energy it supplies becomes quickly available to our working muscles, brain and body organs. Carbohydrates fill you up and around 85% of the energy that rice supplies comes from carbohydrate. Carbohydrate powers the body and helps to keep us moving. It is stored in our muscles and liver and released when we need it. Rice does actually provide a little protein as well but it is low in fat and cholesterol free.

I am convinced that although fad diets will come and go, eating a well balance diet of mainly fruit and vegetables and carbohydrate with a less amount of protein and dairy, is and will always be, the healthiest and most sensible way to not get fat and to loose weight if you need to.

Rice is present in so many countries cuisines that you can find fantastic recipes from all over the world. One recipe which seems to turn up in several different countries alone is Arroz Con Pollo, simply meaning Chicken with Rice. I found recipes from pretty much every country which Spain ever colonised at one time or another and that is quite numerous, including Central and South America, North Africa, the Caribbean, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. I love it when a recipe, clearly from one county, in this case Spain, turns up, almost identical, across the other side of the world in a country such as the Philippines. Why has it been passed country to country, one generation to the next? Because it has stood the test of time and it works.  

Arroz Con Pollo

I cooked mine in the slow cooker but you can just as easily cook on the stove top.
Serves 4
4 free-range chicken thighs, skinned, boned and all excess fat and sinew removed

Olive oil 
3 good quality chorizo sausages, about 200g, cubed
3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
2 medium onion, finely sliced
Few sticks of Celery, finely chopped

2 red peppers, cored and finely sliced

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, finely chopped or dried oregano
2 cup water
Large pinch of Saffron

A few fresh bay leaves
2 cup uncooked paella rice (or Risotto rice)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat up a large heavy bottomed saucepan and add a good glug of olive oil. Add the onions and celery and fry until the onions are translucent and just turning golden brown. peppers and cook for five minutes more.  Add the chorizo, herbs and garlic and fry for a few minutes more.  Don't cook for much longer as all the fat will come out of the chorizo. Season to taste. Meanwhile, heat the cup of water in a saucepan and when boiling add the saffron.  Add a teaspoon of salt and remove from heat and allow to infuse. Add the chicken to your peppers, the saffron water and the rice.  Add your bay leaves.  Cover and cook slowly on the stove top for one hour or tip the whole lot into a slow cooker and set on low for 3 hours. 

An Indian Affair

I know I have been a bit Indian obsessed at the moment.  Maybe it was due to our unexpected little Indian Summer which was such a welcome surprise after a lousy, cold rainy summer.  I really did loose it though and suggested cooking an Indian themed feast for 70 in a local church hall.  It was for Riverford Organic and when they listed the produce that was most seasonal and was best right now to show - butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red peppers, aubergines, cauliflowers, cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers - it just seemed fitting that this hint of coming autumn, would like a bit of warming spice. 

Anyway, due to a woefully ill-equipped church hall kitchen, not everything on the menu went entirely according to plan.  There were highs, possibly the Aloo Gobi and definitely the cardamom spiced rice pudding with ginger pears; and there were lows.  The onion bhaji and mixed vegetable pakoras which had been such a success in my trial runs were a positive disaster.  The huge vat of oil that I had erected on the stove, refused point plank to ever rise in temperature above a dismally 130 degrees.  For a crispy and light result I was aiming for around 200 degrees but it was not to be.  However, lets put that in the past and concentrate on the highs. 

The rice pudding is a combination of a classic recipe by the wonderful Simon Hopkinson and a recipe for Kheer, which is an Indian version of the same dish but spiced with cardamom and saffron and served with chopped almonds or pistachios.  It conjured up such a homely, warm and comforting image.  I made a batch and I couldn't wait to serve it to my kids.  I imaged physically and mentally nourishing them; so wrapped in love and soothed that nothing in the outside world could possible ever hurt them again.  They hated it!  My daughter literally spat it out.  My son tried to pretend he liked it just because he could see the total disappointment on my face.  But I could see he was lying.  Never mind.  I thought it was delicious. The image of soggy onion bhajis dissolved into a distant past, so I ate the whole damn lot.  Had I not have, it would have been equally delicious cold, the next day.

Aloo Gobi

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 small green chilli, chopped
Fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Fresh garlic, very finely chopped
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
2 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even small bite size pieces
1 large cauliflower, broken or cut into large bite size florets
1 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and cook until they become creamy, golden, and translucent. Add the mustard seeds, cumin,  turmeric and salt. Continue to fry for a minute or two more but do not burn. Add chopped chillis (according to taste). Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly. Cook a few minutes more. Add potatoes plus a few tablespoons of water and stir well to ensure that they are coated with the curry sauce. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.  Keep checking and stirring every now and then so that it does not catch and burn.  Add a little more water each time if necessary. When the potatoes are about half cooked, add the cauliflower, stir well and cover again.  Leave for a further 10 minutes of so until the potatoes and cauliflower are cooked.  Stir in the cardamom and coriander and adjust seasoning.  Try not to stir to much at this stage so as to keep the texture.  Allow to sit for a while to allow flavours to infuse.

Saffron and Cardamom Rice pudding

I have to admit that I really don’t like the skin that is formed when baking, which is probably Simon Hopkinson’s favourite bit, but it is not mine, so I have adapted this recipe to cook on the stove instead. This is delicious served cold.40g/1½oz butter

100g/3½fl oz pudding rice (or Spanish paella rice)
75g/2½oz caster sugar
1 litre/1¾ pints full-fat milk
150ml/5fl oz double cream
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or ½ vanilla pod, split lengthways
Pinch of Saffron
2 teaspoons of ground green cardamom
Large handful of chopped Pistachios

Melt the butter in a heavy-based casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Continue stirring until the rice swells and becomes sticky with sugar. Pour in the milk and keep stirring until no lumps remain. Add the cream and vanilla, salt, cardamom and saffron. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Once this is reached turn the heat right down and simmer gently until the mixture is reduced to about half. Turn off the heat. As the mixture cools it will become thicker in texture. Serve with pistachios sprinkled on top. Serve warm or chilled.

Iraqi Quest

It's the school holidays.  Every morning begins at 7.30 with "What are we doing today, Mum?"  And it's non-stop from there.  Constant demands and questions and squabbling.  I hardly have the time to think.

Today its the long promised trip to the swimming slides at Guildford Spectrum.  I can hardly wait!  And first I have got to get something for dinner.  Asda or Tesco on the A3?  I don't think I could bare it.  Suddenly I remember Soor Market.  Just off the A3, amongst the suburban sprawl on the outskirts of Kingston is the most fantastically stocked Iraqi supermarket.  It is so unpromising looking from the outside, yet as soon as I am inside, my spirits lift. The wonderful array of sophisticated and exotic flavours, transports me back to a golden age, an ancient civilisation, rich with culture and diversity.



Whilst the children amuse themselves choosing dates and pistachio nuts, I wonder amongst the isles. From the fantastic selection of fruit and vegetables, beautiful baby aubergines, pomegranates and chillies to the massive fresh bunches of dill, mint and coriander, everything is superb.  Aisle after isle of nuts and spices, rice, lentils, dried pulses, flower waters, breads and dried fruits.  There were about ten different types of Bulgur wheat alone and a huge selection of dried limes. 

I am not going to lie to you and tell you how welcoming the staff are.  Instead, I have to admit that they actually look somewhat surly and eyed me suspiciously as I wondered around their shop. But I was very keen to make sure that the rice dish that I was planning to cook was authentically Iraqi, so I questioned the man on the checkout in some depth.  Usually talking about food really opens people up.  Suddenly, someone you have never met is sharing intimate family recipes with you, in great detail.  This chap however, did not warm to my interrogation.  He was a man of few words, yet I could tell by his adamant nodding and shaking of his head to my questions, that he was as passionate about his food as anyone.  "Should there be any fresh herbs" - absolutely not, "Nuts and raisins?" - a definite yes, "Saffron?"- absolutely.  Finally, he warmed to me sufficiently, to suggest without me even asking, a different brand of saffron to the one I had chosen.  There was a choice of at least eight different varieties. 

I have been craving Biryani and Dal for a few days now.  I think the hint of autumn coming and a slight chill in the air has left me yearning for warming spices and filling carbohydrates.  I found a lovely sounding Iraqi lentil soup recipe.  I know lentil soup does not sound that exciting but honestly, with the blend of earthy and aromatic spices, it really hits the spot.   Next I found a really great recipe in a book called the "Iraqi Family Cookbook",  for Saffron Rice with Meat Dressing.  I give you that it doesn't sound that great.  It does however sound better in Iraqi "Timman Z'affaran".  It is in fact a beautiful rice dish perfumed with cardamom, saffron and rosewater. .  Anyway, I made a few adjustments to the recipe and served it with an Arabic Salad.  It was absolutely delicious. 

Now, what are we doing tomorrow?



I bought a spice blend called "Seven Spices Plus" which was really lovely in both recipes. It is a combination of Allspice, Nutmeg, Cumin, Coriander, Cinnamon, Cardamon, Pepper, Ginger and Clove. If you cannot find it you could make your own or try Baharat Spice Blend

Iraqi Lentil Soup

I found this recipe on the most fantastic blog "It's sooo good!™ Moti's Iraqi cuisine. He'll tell you what you can do. And you'll like it! " And I did. Don't forget the lemon. It really lifts this soup.

400 g (14 oz) red lentils
10 cups of water
1 whole onion (peeled and finely chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and finely chopped)
6 sticks celery (chopped)
1 potato (peeled and roughly chopped)
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander (optional)
2 teaspoons Seven Spices or Baharat Spice Blend or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste

First fry the onion, carrot and celery in a some oil until soft and just beginning to caramelise. Add the garlic and spices. Fry for a minute more. Add the lentils and the water. Stir well and add the potato. Boil gently over a low heat, uncovered for about 30 - 40 minutes until the lentils and potato is cooked. Using a hand blender, purée the ingredients together with the lemon juice and coriander.Taste the soup and add any necessary salt or more spice if necessary. Serve with a garnish of coriander, yogurt, or just on its own.

Timman Z'affaran

2 cups basmati long grain rice
4 cups water
½ tsp salt
a pinch of saffron threads
4 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
¼ cup ghee
1/3 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts

Rinse the rice until clear and soak for 30 minutes. Drain. Pour the ghee in a pot and sauté rice for one minute. Add salt, saffron and cardamom and pour in the water. Bring it to boil. Cover and cook at a slow boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Toast the almonds or pinenuts in the oven until golden brown. Be careful not to burn.

For the lamb
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Seven Spices or Baharat Spice Blend
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2tbs rose water
1/3 cup currants

Saute meat in a little ghee in a non stick pan. Remove and drain. In the same pan add the onions with a little more ghee. Keep sautéing until the onions are golden brown. Add the garlic, salt and spices. Fry for a few minutes more. Add the currants and the rosewater and remove from the heat. Add a little water if very dry. On a large plate, dish up the rice, spoon over the meat mixture and finally sprinkle over the toasted almonds. Serve with Arabic salad.

Arabic Salad

4 small cucumbers or 2 large, cut lengthways, de-seeded, cut legthways again and chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite size chunks
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 small finely diced red onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium lemon, juice of
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pomegranate seeds (optional)
Pinch of Sumac (optional)

Place diced cucumber and tomatoes in bowl. Add parsley and onion. Just before serving, add the salt, lemon and olive oil and combine all ingredients. Serve in small bowls to accompany rice dishes.

Some Indian influenced Jewels

I have two quite special recipes this week, as they are ones I have been perfecting over a few months and I think they are both fairly unique.  The first is Roast Chicken which is first smothered with lime pickle.  The chicken and lime works really well together and with the Indian spices it is amazingly delicious.  You can make the lime pickle yourself or else buy some but make sure it is a good quality one.  The Indian spices are also fantastic with the accompanying roast vegetables.  I think it is just such a great use of a store cupboard staple.

You can also try substituting the lime pickle for Harissa to make "Harissa Chicken".  Again, you can make your own Harissa (recipe below) or Belazu make a particularly good one with real Rose Petals.  With both these recipes, I don't marinade the chicken for long.  This way, it is not too spicy for the kids, but I make a really kicking gravy for the adults, so every one is happy.  If, however, you do not have kids to feed, you could try marinating the chicken overnight, before roasting. 

Next a recipe for Saffron Rice with Roast Cauliflower and Crispy Fried Onions.  This is a sort of mix-up of lots of different things.  The Saffron Rice is originally a Persian or Iranian dish and served hot but I wanted to make more of a salad. I have added some green lentils and toasted cauliflower and it is delicious served at room temperature and a great accompaniment to the chicken.  The crispy onions on top are so easy and can be used in many different recipes.  Whilst making them, you get a delicious onion flavoured oil, which is great for seasoning not only this recipe but lots of different salads.  If your onions go soggy you can just crisp them up again in the oven but make sure you do not burn them!

Roast Chicken with Lime Pickle

Take you chicken out of the fridge a while before you roast it to allow it to come up to room temperature.  Only buy Free Range Chicken, if you can afford it.  It really is worth the extra money!  Remove any trussing.  Smother the chicken in Lime Pickle and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Turn up side down (breast side down) and place on a roasting tray in a hot oven at 180°C.  Roast for 20 minutes before turning the right way up and returning to the oven for a further 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.  Check to see if the chicken is cooked regularly after 45 minutes total cooking time.  Insert a skewer into the thickest bit of the leg, closest to the breast, and the juices should run clear.  When cooked, remove the chicken to a plate large enough to catch the juices and cover with tin foil.  Place the roasting tray on the hob over a medium flame.  Add a good glug of white wine and scrape up all the gunky bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Add a good few tablespoons of Lime Pickle and taste for seasoning.  The gravy should have a punchy kick.  Add any further juices escaped from the chicken and serve. (The cooking times are for a fairly large, family sized chicken.  Adjust the cooking times accordingly.)

Harissa can be used to substitute the lime pickle on the chicken in exactly the same way and then also stirred into the gravy.  I will give you a fantastic recipe for "Roast Winter Vegetable Cous Cous" very soon, which is delicious with this version of the Chicken.   

Harissa Sauce

Put some roughly chopped red onion and some peeled cloves of garlic in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle generously with cumin and olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover and roast in a medium oven until soft. Char-grill some red peppers and whole red chillis until blackened all over. Place in a bowl covered with cling film and leave to cool. Remove the skin and seeds. Whiz up all ingredients in a food processor with some olive oil, a preserved lemon or two and a bunch of coriander, until smooth.

Saffron Basmati Rice with Saffron, Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Fried Onions

Crispy Fried Onions

Thinly slice a few large onions. Place in a saucepan and add vegetable oil to about half way to the top of the onions.  You don't want to use too much oil as the more intense the flavour the better.  The onions will cook down a huge amount.  Place on a medium heat and cook carefully until they have sunk below the surface of the oil.  Turn up the heat and deep fry until golden brown. Be careful not to burn, stirring regularly, especially in the corners where the onions will cook most quickly. Drain immediately and break up any clumps.  Scatter onto some kitchen paper and leave to crisp up. Season lightly with salt. When cool pour the oil into a bottle for further use.

Meanwhile cook some basmati rice with salt and a generous pinch of saffron. Again, don't use too much water as you don't want to dilute the saffron too much. The rice should be a beautiful, deep orange colour.  When cooked, drain and refresh in cold water.  This is a salad and it is important that the rice is fluffy and separated.  Allow to drain again for at least an hour, if not more. Cook some Green Lentils very gently in plenty of water for about 15-20 minutes until tender.  You want them to still have a little bite and texture.  Drain for at least half and hour.  Next roast your cauliflower. Cut it into even size florets and make sure it is completely dry by patting it in between paper towels. Toss the florets with a good glug of olive oil, some salt, some freshly ground black pepper, a few teaspoons of cumin and some hot chilli powder or cayenne. Mix well and lay out in a single layer in a roasting pan. Roast in the middle of the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, then give them a good toss to ensure even cooking.  Roast for 10 minutes more or until the edges are brown and crunchy.  In a bowl mix the rice with some of the onion oil, plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Immediately you will taste the great combination of saffron and subtle onion flavours. You can add some finely chopped coriander if you like.  Add the lentils and cauliflower and check for seasoning. Pile onto a serving plate and heap crispy onions on top.

Really Lovely Roast Vegetables to serve with your Chicken

Choose from Carrots, Parsnip, Fennel, Celeriac, Swede, Butternut Squash and Pumpkin.

Cut up your vegetables into large chunky, bite size pieces.  Carrots, Fennel and Parsnips should be cut into even sized wedges, lengthways through the root. Toss with good olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out on roasting trays.  Each vegetable should be on a separate tray with plenty of room between each piece, to allow even cooking.  Roast until golden in a hot oven at 180 -200°C.  Only mix together when cooked.  Add chopped herbs if you like.