Vegan moussaka

 

I have got a glut of aubergine from the veg box - and I don't really like aubergine - so they have to be enhanced!

This was delicious, though the photo is a bit scruffy.  There are four layers - a spiced lentil ragu, griddled aubergine slices, a white sauce and potatoes - possibly not an authentic moussaka, but my take on it today.

It is jam packed full of vegetables - use what you have.

Ragu sauce

Olive oil

Leek

Garlic - crushed

Carrot

Aubergine

Red pepper

Kale

Green lentils (tinned)

Tomatoes

Italian herbs

Harissa

Dried mint

Cinnamon

Yeast extract

White sauce

Soya milk

Bay leaf

Nutmeg

corn flour

Potatoes

Aubergine

Olive oil

1.  Finely chop leek and sautee in olive oil.

2.  Add peeled and chopped carrot, chopped red pepper, aubergine and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.

3.  Finely chop kale, and stir in, cook for a few minutes

4.  Slice aubergine, and griddle in olive oil for a few minutes on each side.

5.  Add drained green lentils, chopped tomatoes (I used fresh, but a tin would be fine) to the vegetables.

6.  Add a teaspoon of yeast extract, a good pinch of italian herbs, a small pinch of mint, a teaspoon of harissa and a pinch of cinnamon to the veg mix - with salt and pepper - taste and adjust if necessary.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, add water if it's getting dry.

7.  Make white sauce by simmering soya (or other) milk with bay leaf and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  When it boils remove bay leaf and thicken with slaked cornflour (cornflour dissolved in water) - keep stirring as it thickens.

8.  Chop and boil potatoes in salted water.

9.  Layer an oven proof dish - lentil mixture, aubergine slices, white sauce - then tumble the potato on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes.

10.  Serve, scoff - have seconds.

Roast chicken thighs, mediterranean veg pasta bake

The veg box arrives in two days, so we're using up what's in the fridge.

Chicken thighs
Olive oil
Chicken run

Onion
Garlic
Aubergine
Courgettes
Tomatoes
Red pepper
Passata

Pasta
Pecorino

Mixed leaves

1.  Drizzle chicken thighs with olive oil and rub in chicken rubs, roast at 180 for about an hour.
2.  Sautee finely chopped onion, crushed garlic in olive oil.
3.  Chop all other veg into small cubes and add into the onions and garlic, fry until a bit soft.
4.  Add passata and water, simmer until veg is soft - about 40 minutes.
5.  Meanwhile, make pasta according to packet instructions.
6.  Drain pasta, add to sauce, transfer to oven dish.
7.  Top with grated pecorino, and pop in the oven to melt.
8.  Serve, with a green salad, scoff.

Sunday dinner ... vegan -> veg dodger

 On Sunday I fancied a proper Sunday roast dinner with gravy etc... but had to cater from vegan to veg dodger, so decided on a nut roast for one end of the spectrum, and lemon garlic chicken for the other - with pick and mix vegetables for all to share.

Onion
Garlic
Olive oil
Aubergine
Roast squash
Walnuts
Pistachio nuts
Ground almonds
Rolled oats
Vegan stock
Potatoes
Swede
Carrot
Soya spread
Kale
Red wine
Passata
Petit pois

1.  Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil.
2.  Mix pre-roasted squash, nuts and oats in a bowl, add a slosh of olive oil and some stock.  Let it sit to absorb the liquids.
3.  Slice and grill the aubergine.
4.  Peel potatoes, toss in oil and roast for about 50 minutes.
5.  Peel and chop carrots and swede and boil until soft.
6.  Roughly shred kale and boil in salted water for about 20 minutes.
7.  Build the nut roast by putting half the mixture in an oven dish, top with aubergine slices, finish with the rest of the nut mixture.  Roast with the potatoes for about 30-40 minutes.
8.  Drain and mash the carrots and swede and add black pepper and soya spread.  Mix, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
9.  Make the gravy by sauteeing chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil - when soft add red wine and half a cut of passata with about half a pint of stock.  Simmer.
10.  Drain the kale and fry in olive oil with a little water and season.
11.  Cook petit pois.
12.  Serve, take the bits you want, scoff.

Deconstructed ratatoui bake, with roast anya potatoes and salad

I don't like aubergines.  I try to like them, but really I don't.  I can manage them if they are grilled first, and then incorporated into something - so, aubergine, courgette, onion and tomato - that sounds like ratatoui - but to make it more interesting I did it in layers in the oven, with loads of cheese on top (I'm not supposed to, but frankly ... sod it - I do like cheese).  Also, found some anya potatoes - and quite big ones so roasted them in thick slices - they're good, they are both crisp and chewy, yum.  Topped off with some mixed salad leaves.

Aubergine
Olive oil
Courgettes
Crushed garlic
Italian seasoning
Finely sliced onion
Cherry tomatoes
Cheese (chedder, gouda, gorgonzola, parmesan - but whatever is handy)
Anya potatoes
Salad leaves

1.  Thickly slice anya potatoes, toss in olive oil and roast for about 40 minutes.
2.  Thickly slice aubergine and courgettes.  Griddle on both sides in olive oil.
3.  Place in layers in an oven dish and top with crushed garlic and italian herbs, salt and pepper.
4.  Layer halved cherry tomatoes on top, and bung in the oven for about 30 minutes.
5.  Grate/cut into slices cheese, and spread over the top of the bake - back in the oven for 10 minutes.
6.  Toss together simple salad.
7.  Serve, scoff .... delicious

Chilli two ways, with GF cheesy cornbread

We had no potatoes!  We had recently had both rice and pasta, so I wanted something different on the carbs front - so - cornbread, why not?  This led quickly to the obvious decision to combine it with chili for dinner.  A minced beef one for the veg dodger, an aubergine based one for the veggie - and, of course, both for me!

Olive oil
Onions
Garlic
Cumin
Chilli flakes
Mixed herbs
Paprika
Carrots
Minced beef
Aubergine
Courgettes
Red pepper
Kidney beans
Black beans
Passata
Soya milk
Dark chocolate
Sour cream
Lime (optional)

Corn bread

GF plain flour
polenta/cornmeal
baking soda
baking powder
salt
egg
soya milk
sour cream
grated cheddar

1.  Start the chillies.  In two separate pans sweat down chopped onion in olive oil.
2.  Add crushed garlic, herb and spices - we don't like things too hot so I held back on the chili flakes, you can add, but it's very difficult to take away (if you do over spice you need some sugar to counter balance, so a big squirt of ketchup can help).
3.  Add chopped carrot to both, and continue to sweat down.
4.  Add minced beef to the meaty version, and diced aubergine to the veggie version.  Stir.  Keep stirring every now and again until mince is browned, and aubergine is slightly soft.
5.  Add chopped courgettes and red pepper to both, stir in.
6.  Drain a tin of kidney beans and a tin of black beans, stir half of each into each chili.
7.  Then add a cup of passata and a cup of water - simmer - season to taste.
8. When they are cooked (about 20 minutes, but you can just keep simmering gently, just make sure that they don't get too dry, add more water if necessary), add dark chocolate and a splash of milk/soya milk (this just "softens" the chili slightly). Stir until chocolate has dissolved. Spritz with lime if you have any.


Make soda bread

1.  Combine a cup of GF plain flour, a cup of cornmeal, 1/2tsp each of salt, baking powder and baking soda.
2.  Whisk together 1 egg, about half a cup of soya milk and a spoonful of natural yogurt or sour cream (you need a little acid to get the baking soda working).
3.  Mix a big handful of grated cheese into the wet ingredients.
4.  Combine the dry and the wet ingredients - kneed gently, but not for too long.  Juts enough to bring the mixture together.  Form into a round - with a sharp knife slash the top in a cross.
5.  Bake, on a floured tray, in a medium oven for about 30 minutes.

Serve, with sour cream .... scoff

Lamb breast and mediterranean vegetable bake

I love a bargain.  I had to go to the supermarket to pick up soya milk, so glanced in the last minute bargains section - and saw lamb breast for 50p!  50p! ... so, that was enough of a spark to dictate what we were to have for dinner.  I only bought one each, but they worked so well I wish I had bought more, for the freezer.

Lamb breast
Tomato pesto
Garlic
Olive oil
Potatoes
Salt
Aubergine
Courgette
Tomatoes
Cheese (masdaam and cheddar, could have been almost any cheese)
Red onion
Italian herbs

1.  Mix together tomato pesto, crushed garlic and a little olive oil, massage into the lamb breast and marinate for an hour or so.
2.  Sprinkle potatoes with salt, toss in olive oil and roast in the oven.
3.  Put the lamb in the oven, start at a medium heat for half an hour, then at a high heat for half an hour.
4.  Griddle sliced aubergine and courgette in a little olive oil, then stack in an overlapping pattern in an oven dish - aubergine, courgette, tomato ... keep going in a spiral.  Tuck bits of cheese in with the vegetables, sprinkle with italian herbs and finely chopped red onion.  Bake for 20 minutes.
5.  Serve, scoff.

(The veg dodger had seconds of mediterranean bake!)

Piri piri roast chicken thighs, aubergine and courgette bake with za-atar, feta and hazelnuts

We've had sunnier June days!

I wanted a cheap, tasty, and summery dinner ... and I had a look in the fridge - courgettes and aubergine which needed using, lots of mediterranean flavours added to give it some sunshine.

Potatoes
Olive oil
Chicken thighs
garlic
piri-piri seasoning
Aubergine
Courgette
Tomato
Oregano
Hazelnuts
Za'atar
Feta
Salad leaves
Avocado oil
Balsamic vinegar
Radishes
Spring onion


1.  Chop potatoes into big chucks and roast in olive oil.
2.  Cut 4 fat garlic cloves into chunky peices and put into oven dish.  Add chicken thighs, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with piri-piri spices. Bake for 40 minutes or so.
3.  Cut aubergine and courgette into slices about 4mm thick, griddle in a hot pan with olive oil.  Slice tomatoes to about the same thickness.  Layer them - auberine, courgette, tomato in an oven dish.
4.  Roast hazelnuts briefly in the griddle pan when you have done the veg - roughly chop and sprinkle over the vegetables.
5.  In the same griddle pan briefly fry crushed garlic and chopped oregano is olive oil - drizzle this over the vegetables and sprinkle the dish with za-atar.  Bake for 20ish minutes.
6.  Put together a simple salad - salad leaves, thinly sliced radish and spring onion - dress with avocado oil and balsamic vinegar.
7.  Tear some feta onto the vegetable bake.
8.  Serve, scoff

The veg dodger dodged the veg and the salad, the vegetarian didn't have the chicken - I had the lot.  Happy days.

Vegetarian moussaka

The picture isn't much good - but the moussaka was!  It all started when I looked in the fridge to be met with an aubergine and a red pepper ... and not a right lot else - well, it was that time of the week.

Onion
Olive oil
Garlic
Aubergine
Red pepper
cinnamon
italian seasoning
fennel seeds
cumin seeds
tomato puree
tin of chopped tomatoes
potatoes
butter
GF flour
soya milk
nutmeg
bay leaves
cheddar

1.  Sweat down chopped onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic.
2.  Dice the aubergine and red pepper and add them to the onion.  Now add in some herbs - italian seasoning - and spices - cinnamon, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, a few cumin seeds.
3.  Squeeze in some tomato puree, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, and a tin of water ... simmer.
4.  Slice potatoes into rounds and boil.
5.  Start the bechamel sauce by stirring GF flour into butter in a pan.  When it forms a smooth paste add some soya milk (or regular milk), keep stirring to form a sauce.  Add a bay leaf and a good grating of nutmeg.  Add more milk, and keep stirring, until it looks like a nice, glossy thickish sauce.
6.  Keep checking the aubergine mixture, add more water if its getting too dry.  When the veg are soft it's done.
7.  In an oven dish compile the layers - veg, then white sauce, then a layer of drained potatoes.  Top with a drizzle of olive oil and grated cheese.
8 Pop in the oven for about 25 minutes until the top is golden.
9.  Scoff, received fulsome praise. ... the cinnamon and nutmeg lift it out of the run-a-day.

Is it a moussaka? is it a cottage pie? it is tasty and filling

Currently at Kitchen Fairies HQ there are 4 people.  These people are all special! in that special! kind of way.  1 - me - lactose intolerant, allergic to pineapple (not that that worries me, pineapple is easy to avoid!), 1 - vegetarian, but will eat fish and loves cheese,  1 - omnivore, but by preference would avoid all vegetables, 1 - lactose intolerant omnivore, likes vegetables but hates celery, wary of too many spices - so, making meals which are inclusive can be a challenge.  Making a round of tea is a challenge, to be fair, as 4 people now requires 4 sorts of milk (soya, semi-skimmed, lactose free dairy, coffee mate creamer (don't ask))... Anyway, long story short - I thought about a moussaka, as we had aubergine and courgette in the fridge, but then we were too hungry to assemble it all and have it bake longer - so we ended up with a lentil stew with separate potatoes, and cheese for those who can handle it.  The meat eater just had to put up with it for once!  Actually - everybody went back for seconds, so it was a success.

Olive oil
Onions
Garlic
Celery (shhh)
Carrots
Mixed herbs
Brown lentils
Courgette
Aubergine
Stock
Tinned tomatoes
Pinch of chili
Small pinch of cinnamon
Spinach
Potatoes
Grated cheese

1.  Sautee chopped onions in olive oil, add finely chopped carrots and celery and crushed garlic.  Sprinkle in mixed herbs.
2.  Add brown lentils and a jug of stock, simmer.
3.  Slice and boil potatoes.
4.  Add chopped aubergine and courgette to the lentil mixture, sprinkle in chili and cinnamon, simmer more.
5.  After about 15 minutes add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, simmer more, season to taste.
6.  Drain potatoes and put into oven dish, slosh with olive oil and put in the oven to crisp up (for a bit  longer than we managed to get them nice and golden.
7.  Just before serving add spinach, stir it in to wilt.
8.  Serve, with or without grated cheese.  Scoff - return for seconds (thirds in one case).

Aubergine parmagiana

The classic!

Aubergine
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Chopped tomatoes
Parmesan
Egg

1.  Slice and griddle the aubergine.
2.  Make the tomato sauce by sautee-ing onion and garlic in olive oil, and adding a tin of chopped tomatoes, simmer to thicken.
3.  Layer aubergine and tomatoes in an oven dish, top with just over half of the grated parmesan.
4.  Whisk an egg and pour over the top, sprinkle on the remaining parmesan and bake for 25 minutes or so.
5.  Serve with whatever - here garlic mushrooms (mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, butter, splash of brandy - covered in foil and baked for 25 minutes or so ... ie, with the parmagiana), green salad and new potatoes.

Chickpea burgers

I really need to sort out my photography skills!  The trouble is, my food is not staged, it is, quite literally, my dinner - so I don't want to faff about while it gets cold!  It is also somewhat irritating for anyone else who is eating with me.  Still, must try harder!

This, believe it or not,  is a chickpea burger, aubergine and courgette bake with some new potato chips, and it was very, very tasty.



New potatoes
Chickpeas
Red onion
Roasted red pepper (out of a jar is just as good as home roasting)
olive oil
Egg
Porridge oats
Oregano
Polenta
Mixed herbs
Chili
Aubergine
Courgette
Tomatoes
Basil

1.  Quarter or halve new potatoes (depends on the size), longways, so that they resemble chips. Toss in olive oil and put in a roasting tray in a medium hot oven for 30 minutes (approximately).
2.  Slice aubergines and courgettes, toss them, in a bag, in the polenta with mixed herbs and chili.
3.  Griddle the slices of aubergine and courgette, layer into an oven proof dish.  Top with sliced tomato and torn basil leaves.  Bake for as long as the potatoes are in.
3.  Drain the chickpeas, add finely sliced red onion and a couple of roughly chopped red peppers.  Mash.
4.  Whisk an egg, add to chickpeas with a handful of oats and some chopped oregano, mix to bind.  You could shape into burgers, and put in the fridge - but I just squished the mixture into a food ring, straight into the pan.  Fry in olive oil for 5 minutes on each side.
5.  Everything should be done together, so serve and scoff.

Lemon sole - with mediterranean vegetables and baby roast potatoes

Paul the Fish on Todmorden market is fab!  The Mediterreanean Pantry inside Tod market is also fab (well, I would say that, it's mine) ... but the fish from Paul is a Friday night treat we look forward to every week.  Today, lemon sole ... yum.

So, from the beginning - the baby roast potatoes take the most time, so get them on ... the do what you have to do when you get in from work ... then finish the other bits.


Potatoes
Olive oil
Spring onion
courgettes
aubergine
tomatoes
garlic
lemon sole
asparagus
salt and pepper

1.  Wash and chop potatoes - boil in salted water.
2.  In a big baking dish heat some olive oil.  Drain the potatoes - add them to the olive oil - turn over in the oil and roast for about an hour.
3.  Meanwhile - slice the spring onions, courgettes, aubergine, tomatoes and finely sliced garlic and roast in another dish, in olive oil for 30 minutes.
4.  Now add the fish to the top of  the veg, drizzle with olive oil and season - roast for another 30 minutes.  (If I had some black olives to hand I would have chucked some on the top - but I forgot to bring some home from work... tskkk)
5.  15 minutes before serving start steaming the asparagus spears.

Serve, scoff, fight gathered people for thirds!

Mediterranean hot salad, haloumi and baby baked potatoes

What, officially, is a salad?  You get leaf salads, tossed salads, cold salads, salads with meat, salads with cooked things .... etc etc .  I have decided, for the purposes of today's recipe, that "salad" means a bunch of ingredients prepared separately, and then served together, with a dressing.

Today - we had mediterranean hot salad with some baby baked potatoes.

For the baked potatoes - wash, prick with a fork, and coat with olive oil (pour a tiny blob of oil into your hand, and then cuddle each potato until it has a coating of oil...) ... put into an oven proof dish - microwave for 10 minutes, then transfer to a hot oven to finish baking.

Hot salad, with haloumi

olive oil
red pepper
aubergine
courgette
tomato
black olives
garlic
italian herbs
grainy mustard
spinach
black pepper

1.  Prepare, and then griddle in a hot griddle pan each of ... red pepper, aubergine and courgette.
2.  Place, as they are griddled, into an oven proof dish.
3.  Slice tomatoes, and add them ... probably in the middle of the layers of griddled veg - just add them in as you are ready.
4.  Bung the lot in the oven.
5.  Prepare the dressing:  Crush the garlic, mix with olive oil, mixed herbs and mustard (add chilli or anything else you fancy) ...
6.  Throw the dressing over the veg and griddle the cheese.
7.  Put the cheese on the salad - return to the oven.
8.  Add 3 tablespoons of water to the hot griddle pan, sizzle, add spinach and toss - it'll wilt in no time.
9.  Serve and scoff.

We had thirds!

Middle eastern lentils and rice with roast vegetables

Olive oil
Lentils
Bay leaf
Garlic
Rice
Onion
Mustard seeds
Cumin
Black sesame seeds
lemon zest, and juice
Fried onions

Butternut squash
Red pepper
Courgette
Aubergine
Garlic
Rosemary
Chili flakes

1.  Boil rice and lentils separately - add a bay leaf and a garlic clove to the lentils.
2.  Roast the veg in olive oil with bay leaves, garlic, a sprig of rosemary and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
3.  When rice and lentils are cooked, drain them and fry with softenned onion, mustard, sesame and cumin seeds.  When mixed grate in a little lemon zest and a squirt of lemon juice.
4.  Top the lentils and rice with crispy fried onions.

Delicious.  I think some lemon yogurt sauce would go very well if you want a bit of a sauce.

Red rice and mung beans, ratatouie(ish) and roast butternut squash

The veg box comes on a Tuesday - Sunday and Monday can get "interesting" - today became mediterranean with a little bit of moroccan and caribbean chucked in for good measure.

red rice
mung beans
fried onions
parsley
oregano
cinnamon

olive oil
butternut squash
red onion
garlic
rosemary
caribbean seasoning

onion
olive oil
red pepper
yellow pepper
aubergine
tomatoes
mixed herbs
black pepper
red wine

1.  Cook rice and simmer mung beans.
2.  When cooked, take off the heat and save until ready to serve.
3.  Five minutes before serving heat up with a little olive oil, with fried onions, sprinkle of cinnamon and chopped herbs.

4.  Peel and chop butternut squash
5.  Put into roasting tin with chunks of red onion, cloves of garlic, salt, caribbean seasoning and olive oil.
6.  Roast for about 45 minutes.

7.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil.
8.  When onion is a bit soft and loads of garlic and diced pepper, aubergine and tomatoes.
9.  Splosh in wine, mixed herbs and seasoning.
10.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Really very nice!  Loads left of course.

Jordanian pilau ... kinda, sorta, maybe...

I knew I fancied lentils and rice, and there were loads of mushrooms - and I bought myself "Veggiestan" for Christmas (oops) - so I thought I would go there for a bit of inspiration - and I found it, then adapted it, a bit, and this is what we had.

I started with the lentils, and put the rice on - then made the casserole - and transferred the rice to the oven.  Then carried on with the casserole - made the yogurt sauce - shredded the kale - drained the lentils - put the kale on to steam - put the seeds in the oven for a minute - mixed the rice and lentils etc - then served.  This scheduling of stuff made it possible to complete - start to finish just within an hour (with some chatting and wine drinking as I progressed).

The proper recipe is in this here book - buy it - http://foratasteofpersia.co.uk/shop/books/veggiestan/  (or from elsewhere... this is the author's blog link, I believe)


But this is what I did.

Rice and lentils

Big handful of lentils - in this case small brown lentils
Big handful of brown rice
olive oil
turmeric
cinnamon
fried onions

1.  Put lentils on to boil in plenty of water (NOT salted)
2.  Put rice on to boil - when it hits boiling point - lid on, in a medium oven to finish.
3.  When lentils are done (keep an eye on the water, add more if necessary) drain.
4.  Five minutes before serving, heat olive oil in big frying pan add cooked rice - turn over quickly add turmeric and cinnamon - about a teaspoon for 4 servings - and a big handful of of fried onions and the drained lentils.
5.  Stir them all together and tip onto serving plate.

Casserole

olive oil
large onion
fennel seeds
cumin seeds
garlic, crushed
chili flakes
red pepper
aubergine (4 yummy small ones from the asian supermarket, but 1 standard one would be fine)
about 12 mushrooms
4 large tomatoes, in chunks

1.  Sautee onions in olive oil, until a bit soft, chuck in spices and garlic (not chili, add that just before you add water/ stock, so that you don't get the pungent smoke).
2.  Chop veg into bit sized pieces and keep adding them to the onions and stir in.
3.  Stir around now and again - add water and stock so that it looks like a stew - this is when the chili should go in.
4.  lid on  - simmer - check it doesn't go too dry - should take about 30-40 minutes.

Yogurt sauce

olive oil
chopped mint
loadsagarlic
natural yogurt
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Mix together, taste ... put in fridge until you are ready

Seeds

I had a bag of mixed seeds - so I sprinkled a layer onto a baking tray and put into the oven for about 2 minutes.

Kale

well, kale .. shredded and steamed for about 6 minutes (from the water boiling)

It is, in some ways, a bit faffy - as you progress through the dishes to get them all to finish up together - but the result is absolutely worth it.  I wasn't slaving the entire hour - I was chatting and checking.. I've had seconds, and am now very very full.
(have put vegan on labels - vegans know perfectly well that they can omit or substitute the yogurt :)  )

Veggie curry, dhal and brown rice

A bit of a day at work.... a bit of a day with family news.  Apparently, when I got home, I was extremely hyper, so this might explain why, instead of making something quick I choose to make something easy - but involving quite a lot of chopping and faffing.  There are many ingredients in this, but it really is very simple (but it does take nearly an hour to make...) .

There are 3 main parts - 1 x veggie curry, 1 x tarka dhal and some rice - yogurt is also very integral - but too easy to be called a recipe/cooking!

Veggie curry:

2 tbsp peanut (or other mild) oil
1 onion, chopped
Garlic (2 cloves, crushed or 1 tbsp paste from a jar)
1 aubergine, diced
1 courgette, diced
spice mix (to taste, I used about 1 and a half tbsp of quite spicy kebab mix)
 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 kholrabi, peeled and diced
1/2 (big) patty pan squash, diced
8 new potatoes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
water
(1 tsp sugar)

Rice:-

Brown rice
Water
Salt

Dhal:-

Lentils, red in this case...

Tarka:-

Peanut oil - 1 tbsp
Green chili - 1 - stab it to let the flavour out
fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
black mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves (8 ish)
fenugreek leaves (8 ish)

Here I must point out that the veg could have been all sorts of combinations - I had this stuff in the fridge, and I thought it would go together - it did.

Veggie :-

1.  Sautee onion until a bit soft in the oil.
2.  Chuck other veg in as you chop it, and keep stirring it around.  Add water when it looks a bit dry.
3.  Add spice mix - a bit at a time, taste when the ingredients have had a chance to mesh together.
4.  Throw in tin of tomatoes, at least half a tin of water and allow to simmer as everything else cooks.
5.  Taste again - adjust seasoning - add sugar if chili is too hot.
6.  Simmer until veg is nice and tender.

Rice:-

1.  Put rice in heavy bottomed saucepan with close fitting lid.  Add cold water to about 2.5cms above surface of rice
2.  Bring to the boil.  Simmer for 15 (ish) minutes for brown rice.  Turn off heat, plonk on lid and leave for 10 minutes to steam.

Dhal:-

1.  Put lentils in pan, add about twice the volume of water - bring to the boil - simmer until soft (about 20 minutes) - skim the top if and when necessary, add water if not soft.
2.  When cooked, turn off heat and let it cool and thicken a little.  Add tarka 2 minutes before serving.

Tarka:-

1.  Heat oil in frying pan - to a medium heat.  Chuck in a seed or two, listen for the sizzle - a sizzle is what you want - if they pop straight away it's too hot - take it off the heat for 1 minute, then add the seeds and carry on
2.  Add whole spices (fennel seeds etc....), keep them moving.... add the leaves.
3. Chuck into dhal, stir - scoff

Both of us cleared our plates, and agreed that the yogurt really helped bring it together.  All elements nice - as a combination - yum

Lentil fritters, mushroom "biryani", roast tomatoes and yogurt dressing

Left over dhal and rice.  Excellent!  In 20 minutes flat they became this, which was delicious.  The lentil patties were gently flavoured, the rice as spicy and complex, the roast tomatoes added sweetness and the yogurt sauce was garlicky, minty and had a bit of a chili kick in the background.  An absolutely brilliant combination if I say so myself.  Only one other witness, who agreed with me completely and had seconds of rice and sauce - we were both too full for another fritter.

For the dhal:-

Big handful of red lentils - boiled in water for about 20-30 minutes.  Left to cool - kept in fridge over  night.

Cooked basmati rice.

peanut (or other light) oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
big handful of mushrooms
2 baby aubergines
small handful methi (fenugreek leaves - not essential, coriander or parsley would also be good, but the methi was delicious)
biryani (or whatever) spice mix
olive oil
red chili
juice of a lemon
natural yogurt
small handful mint
seasoning

1.  Chop onion and sweat in peanut oil.  Add chopped mushrooms and aubergines.
2.  Stick vine tomatoes in a pan with a little olive oil in the bottom, add sprinkle of sea salt and put on tightly fitting lid and heat on hob for 15-20 minutes.  Shake occasionally, but resist opening pan and prodding too often.
3.  To softened veg add half of the crushed garlic, the biryani mix and the cooked rice.  Stir and keep on a low heat (you may need to add a little water if it looks a bit dry.
4.  Form lentils into patties, and fry in a hot pan in peanut oil for about 3 minutes on each side.
5.  Mix yogurt, the rest of the garlic, mint, chopped chili, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
6.  Stir chopped fenugreek into rice - leave to stand as you serve out patties and tomatoes, then serve with good spoonful of dressing.
7. Scoff.
8.  Have seconds.

Roast chicken with mediteranean roast vegetables

This is a great, chuck it in (in 2 stages) and ignore it dinner.  I had it on Sunday whilst also performing an enormous admin, brain bending, multiple spreadsheet, document, juggling act.

It is really tasty, and fresh.  You could have roast potatoes or rice - but I just had a chapati which was left over from previous dishes.

1 chicken (free range/organic if you can afford it)
1 lemon
1 bulb garlic
water
olive oil
1 aubergine
1 pepper
Handful mushrooms
1 courgette
6 shallots (or 1 onion, red would be good)
vine tomatoes

1.  Preheat oven to 180C
2.  Cut garlic and lemon in half and stuff all halves into cavity in chicken.  Rub chicken with olive oil (not much) and season.
3.  Put chicken on baking tray, breast side down (cover with foil).  This allows the fat to start melting and spread through the chicken as it starts cooking, keeping it moist.
4.  Stick in over for 30 minutes - get on with jobs, phone calls, silly internet games .. whatever.
5.  Take chicken out of oven, take off foil, turn chicken breast side up, chuck 1 big glass of water into the roasting tray.  Chuck back into oven.  Bake for about another hour.
6.  In another over proof dish - put in 1 tbsp olive oil - chop into bite sized pieces veg (aubergine, courgette, mushroom, onion), season, toss around, lay vine tomatoes over the top.  Chuck into oven with chicken.
7. Faff about for around an hour.  Should be ready.  Check that the chicken is cooked by inserting knife into fattest part of thigh and making sure that juice is clear not pink.
8. Scoff.

(If you have gathered victims - receive copious praise - do not let on how easy it was).

fish and aubergine curry

Getting the victim to eat fish is no mean feat, so I tried again with a kind of Malayan fish curry (curry mix provided by globe trotting mate, so it is the genuine article).  I have made something similar before - but this time I used more authentic ingredients.  So - rice in usual way - and chopped and sauteed in peanut oil onion and garlic - added grated ginger and good shake of curry mix.  Then added celery and sauteed until until soft.  Then added chopped aubergine, courgette and red pepper and a can of coconut milk.  Simmer gently for 20 minutes or so, until vegetables are nearly done.  Then added bite sized chunks of haddock, and some good old frozen peas.  Lid on, simmer again for about 10-12 minutes.  When fish is cooked dinner is done.  Check for seasoning, squirt on lime juice and jobs a good 'un.  Victim ate it, but didn't say much. I liked it (and I don't like aubergine that much).  It was half fat coconut milk, so hopefully not too calorific, and fish is good for a person - however resistant!