Christmas Round-up

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs is our December Pot Luck week - an opportunity to choose any recipe we like from our current chef (the fabulous Donna Hay), or from any one of previous eight IHCC chefs.

Turns out, time has been a bit precious for me this week, and cooking, photographing and writing about a new dish just didn't happen.  So instead I thought I would share with you a round-up of my favourite dishes from each of our chefs.

My very first post for I Heart Cooking Clubs was just as the group was winding up a six month spell with Nigella Lawson, and I shared these Chocolate Caramel Crispy Cakes ...

Despite the fact that these might seem like "kiddy" food, I can promise you that grown-ups love them too, and to this day this is one of the most viewed posts on the blog.  On a recent trip to San Francisco I made a batch of these for my 4 year old granddaughter - poor wee dot only got one of them, and the adults downed the rest!

This dish of Sauteed Chicken with Green Olives and White Wine from Mark Bittman is probably my "go-to" chicken dish.

I said it back then, and I'll say it again - this is probably the best chicken dish I've ever made.  It has great flavour, colour and texture;  is very easy to put together from ingredients you most likely already have on hand;  requires minimal preparation;  and would be a great dish to feed a crowd.

I loved so many of the dishes I made with Giada de Laurentiis, but these Espresso Caramel Bars were a real favourite.

These were pretty easy for even a reluctant baker to make - crispy, biscuit crumb base;  ooey, gooey, slightly chewy caramel centre;  fudgy, espresso, chocolate topping;  finished with a sprinkling of smoked sea salt ... I defy anyone to stop at just one!

For a variety of reasons, I didn't get to cook along with Jamie Oliver too often ...

... but this warm Salad of Cannelini Beans, Chorizo & Tomatoes is one that I've returned to over and over again.

Of all the chefs we've cooked with at IHCC, one of my absolute favourites (second only to Yotam Ottolenghi) was Tessa Kiros.  I loved so many of Tessa's dishes that picking a favourite was quite a challenge ...

but I think this Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Olives, Lemon & Yoghurt might be it.  This was one of the first recipes I bookmarked when I bought her book Falling Cloudberries, and with its thick, velvety texture, and bold, robust flavour it certainly didn't disappoint.  Lots of opportunity here to change up the toppings on this one too.

I didn't get a chance to cook too many dishes with Rick Bayless, but I know he was a big favourite with many of our other participants.

Choosing a favourite from the dishes I did make was easy ... it was hands down this Nieve de Limon (Lemon-Lime Sorbet).  I couldn't tell you how often I've made this now.  The bright, tangy citrus flavours are a refreshing treat any time of year.

Madhur Jaffrey has long been a favourite chef of mine, and a spell of cooking with her gave me the opportunity to dip into some of those cookbooks which had been gathering dust on the shelf for quite a while.  For many of our participants, exploring Indian food was a totally new experience, and I know that Madhur proved to be very popular with so many in the group.

This dish of Prawns in a Dark Sauce was simple to make, and the flavours rekindled so many childhood memories for me that I've since revisited this dish several times.

Those of you who visit here regularly won't be surprised to learn that my absolute favourite chef was Yotam Ottolenghi - I don't think I've cooked an Ottolenghi dish that I didn't like, and I find his food truly inspirational.  Trying to choose a "favourite" from the Ottolenghi dishes I've made is virtually impossible - I've loved every single one of them ...

... but I figured this Shakshuka should take first place, since it is by far one of the most frequently cooked dishes in my kitchen.

And, lastly, we come to our current chef - Donna Hay.  Our journey with Donna is still young, but this dish of Green Tea Soba Noodles with Soy-Roasted Salmon and Broad Bean & Radish Salad is already a favourite.

Quick, simple, healthy and absolutely delicious - this is definitely going to be a perennial favourite in my house.

If you would like to get to know Donna Hay a little better, and to see all the wonderful Pot Luck dishes my friends have come up with, then do go visit I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links.

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you for your visits, lovely comments, and most of all your friendship over the year, and I wish you and all your loved ones a very happy Christmas.  xo

Cauliflower with Potatoes & Farewell to Madhur

We've had a wonderful six months at I Heart Cooking Clubs, cooking delicious Indian food with Madhur Jaffrey.  For me, this has been something of a trip down memory lane, remembering the food and flavours of my childhood.  The food of course has been wonderful, but one of the things I've found most exciting about our time with Madhur has been the way some members of our group, who had never even tasted Indian food before, have embraced this cuisine and loved it.

I didn't manage to make as many dishes as I would have liked to, but I've certainly loved every single one of Madhur's dishes that I did make ...

... and if I had to choose a favourite, it would probably be the Prawns in a Dark Sauce, only because that was the most nostalgic dish for me.  I've made it several times again since, and the Yoghurt Marinated Baked Lamb and the Black Pepper Potatoes with Lemon Turmeric Aioli are also dishes that I keep coming back to.  Interestingly, the black pepper potatoes has been the most visited one of my Madhur posts too (almost double its nearest rival), so I guess a lot of you like that one too.

And, now comes the time to say our farewells to Madhur - an occasion tinged with a little sadness (as accompanies any "goodbye"), but also with excitement about our forthcoming chef, Yotam Ottolenghi.

For my final dish with Madhur, I chose Cauliflower with Potatoes (Phool gobi aur aloo ki bhaji) from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, partly because this is the kind of simple, homely kind of dish that I think epitomises Indian home cooking for me, and partly because I had a head of cauliflower in the veggie crisper that need to be used up.  This dish doesn't have any sauce, and is fabulous just scooped up with some flatbread (I could happily make a meal of this on its own).  As it turned out I had this as an accompaniment to roast pork, and I think it would be a great addition to any other meal of roasted or grilled meats.

Cauliflower with Potatoes Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Vegetarian

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

4x small or 2x medium potatoes

1x medium-sized cauliflower, cut into chunky florets

3-4 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1x fresh red chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you want less heat)

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

generous pinch flaky sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Boil potatoes in their jackets until just fork tender.  Drain and allow to cool completely.  Peel off the skins and cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) dice.  Set aside.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds to the hot oil and, as soon as the seeds start to sizzle, add the cauliflower florets to the pan.  Toss the cauliflower in the pan until all the florets are coated in the oil and seeds.  Now, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and cook gently until the cauliflower is browned in places and just tender - stir from time to time.  About 6-10 minutes.

Once the cauliflower is tender, add the ground spices, chilli, potatoes, salt and pepper.  Stir gently to coat all of the cauliflower and potato with the spices, and continue to cook on low heat for a few more minutes until the potatoes have warmed through.

Serve hot, but is also good at room temperature.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I'm also sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Prawns with Courgettes (Jhinga aur ghia) & Exciting News

Most of you already know that one of my favourite places to play is at I Heart Cooking Clubs, a cooking club which chooses a different chef to feature every six months.  During that time, we explore the recipes and techniques of our chosen chef according to a different theme each week.  We learn a lot about our chef during that time, and a lot about each other as well through our regular posts.  A strong community has developed and I have loved being a part of it.  So I'm very, very excited and feel very honoured that I am about to become a co-host of this group along with the lovely Kim of Stirring the Pot and the lovely Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

You probably also know that our chosen chef for the last six months has been Madhur Jaffrey, and I am submitting this (a little late - but better that than never) for our theme of One Pot Wonders.  Strictly speaking, this is not a one pot wonder insofar as I did cook rice in a separate pot, but hey it's near enough.  This dish is nice and flavourful, but certainly not spicy, and was great for a quick "toss everything in the pan", work-day dinner - definitely one I would make again.  Total cooking time about 10 minutes.  And now we come to our last week of cooking with Madhur, so do come back later in the week for my "farewell to Madhur" dish.

Now for more exciting news.  If you've been reading my posts for a while, you will know that one of my absolute favourite chefs is Yotam Ottolenghi, and every one of his books in my collection have been cooked from over and over again - not something I can say about some of the other cookbooks I own.  I also happen to know that a lot of you are big Ottolenghi fans too, so I'm very excited to tell you that our next chef at I Heart Cooking Clubs is indeed going to be Yottam Ottolenghi.  So, my Ottolenghi-loving friends, if you haven't played along at IHCC before maybe you'll feel inspired to join in the fun.  At the very least, why not pop over here and see what's coming up - our forthcoming themes and how to join in. 

In the meantime, you might like to try this ...

Prawns with Courgettes (Jhinga aur ghia) Recipe

Adapted (barely) from recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Makes 4 generous servings

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2x medium-sized courgettes (about 300g - 10 oz)

flaky sea salt

3-4 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

6x cloves garlic, peeled & finely chopped

large handful of coriander, roughly chopped, keeping leaves & stems separate

1x red chilli, finely chopped (with or without seeds)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

3x large fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 1x tin tomatoes

2.5cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, grated

juice of 1 lemon

425g (15 oz) prawns, shelled and deveined

Cut courgettes into thin batons, approximately 6 cm (2.5 in) long x .5 cm (1/4 in) thick.  Place in a colander, sprinkle with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt, and toss thoroughly.  Set aside for an hour to allow surplus liquid to drain out of the courgettes.  Remove from colander to a clean tea towel and pat dry.

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot or frying pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute.  As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the chilli, coriander stems (save the leaves for later), turmeric, cumin, tomatoes, ginger, lemon juice and another pinch of flaky sea salt.  (Add a pinch of cayenne pepper here too if you like a little more heat).  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently until the tomatoes have broken down and become "saucy".

Stir in the prawns and continue to simmer until the prawns are just cooked through and coated in a thick sauce.

Stir through the chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately.

I served this with some steamed basmati rice, but you could just as easily serve it with nothing more than a bit of flat bread on the side to scoop it up with.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I'm sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Sour Chickpeas (Khatte Chhole)

What with one thing and another over the "stupid season", I haven't managed for the last couple of weeks to join in with my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are cooking the food of Madhur Jaffrey.  Time now that all the busyness is out of the way to join back in.

Our theme this week is "Appetisers", and it seemed like the perfect time to try this recipe for Sour Chickpeas that I've had earmarked for sometime now.  These sour, spicy chickpeas are classic street snack food found all over northern India.  Madhur says, in her introduction to the recipe, "although Khatte Chhole are generally eaten as a snack in India, I serve them at my lunches and dinners, with vegetables, meats and rice".  I'm inclined to agree.  I enjoyed them as a bit of a snack served with some crisp triangles of toasted pita bread, but I liked them best over rice for a light lunch.

Now, you will have observed already that this dish suffers photographically from the DBFS (dreaded brown food syndrome), but trust me when I tell you that it tastes a lot better than it looks.  There is certainly plenty of spiciness in this dish, and the sourness (although I think initially somewhat foreign to European palates) works really well with the delightful nuttiness of some steamed Basmati rice.

Sour Chickpeas (Khatte Chhole) Recipe

Adapted slightly from recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Would serve 4-6 as a snack or accompaniment or

Serves 2-3 as a light meal

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2 cups cooked chickpeas

(canned are fine, but if you cook your own save the cooking liquid)

2x shallots, peeled and very finely chopped

salt

1x green chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you like less heat)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

juice of 1x lemon

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1x large or 2x medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put one of the chopped shallots in a small bowl, together with the chopped chilli, grated ginger, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Mix together well and set aside.

Now heat oil in a heavy based, deep pan over medium heat.  Once oil has heated, add the remaining chopped shallot to the pan and fry, stirring from time to time, until the shallot becomes fragrant and begins to turn golden brown.  Add the chopped tomato and continue to cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has "broken down", and has become like a thick sauce.  Add the coriander, cumin and turmeric, and stir to combine everything well.  Add the chickpeas to the pan, and stir to coat well with the spice and sauce mixture.  Now add 400 ml (14 fl oz) of water, or reserved chickpea cooking liquid if you have it.  Add the garam masala, cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Stir to combine, and then bring up to the boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the mixture of shallots, chilli, ginger and lemon juice.  Mix well and remove from heat.

Serve immediately, or cool to luke warm.  (I actually liked it best at room temperature).

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I'm sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace; at Gallery of Favourites hosted by the equally lovely April at The 21st Century Housewife and Alea at Premeditated Leftovers;  and at My Meatless Mondays hosted by Chaya at My Sweet and Savory.

             

Lake Palace Hotel Aubergines Cooked in the Pickling Style (Baigan Achari)

I've owned my copy of Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery for about 26 years now, and in all that time, whenever I open the book it falls open at exactly the same page - at the recipe for "The Lake Palace Hotel's Aubergine cooked in the pickling style".  I always thought it sounded like a great dish, and I guess it was always inevitable that I was going to make it one day.  As it turned out, it was so awesomely good I'm just disappointed that it took me so long to get around to making it.

Now I must warn you, that like many other Indian dishes (and most "brown" food), this doesn't look nearly as appealing as it tastes.  So, although this is not exactly a feast for the eyes, you're going to have to take a giant leap of faith when I tell you that this is probably my favourite dish I've made so far since I, and my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs, have been cooking with Madhur Jaffrey.

Madhur describes this dish as being "not unlike a spicy ratatouille", and she is exactly right.  It does have a most unusual "pickled" taste.  Madhur says this comes from the black onion seeds suggested in the recipe;  but I didn't use those, so it's obviously not as simple as that.

I ate this as a meal on its own, with just some steamed basmati rice, but it would also make a great accompaniment to all sorts of other dishes.  Madhur recommends it as being particular good with lamb, either Indian style or just simply roasted, and I can imagine that working really well.  She suggests it is also good cold and served with cold meats.

The original recipe serves 6 people as an accompaniment.  I adjusted quantities to make a main meal for myself, with a small amount leftover for the next day's lunch.  Despite reducing the quantity of vegetables in this dish, I kept most of the spices as the original recipe.  Also, instead of frying the aubergine slices, I opted for a healthier version, by roasting the aubergines slices in the oven.  It's also a lot easier than standing over batches of frying aubergines.

This is my contribution to this week's Pot Luck theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs, and I certainly won't be waiting another 26 years to make this again.

Lake Palace Hotel Aubergines Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Madhur Jaffrey in

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Makes 1 main meal with leftovers, or

Serves 2 as a light meal, or

Serves 3 as an accompaniment

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1x medium/large aubergine (about 350g (12 oz))

neutral-flavoured vegetable oil

2.5cm (1 inch) piece ginger, peeled & coarsely chopped

3x cloves garlic, peeled & halved

1 cup water

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1x large tomato, peeled & finely chopped (see note below)

1/2 tablespoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).

Cut aubergine into 1cm (1/2 inch) thick rings, and place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush them all liberally with some vegetable oil and put into the hot oven.  Once they are beginning to brown (about 10 minutes), flip them over and brush the other side generously with the vegetable oil.  Return to the oven until golden brown - about another 10-15 minutes.  Turn them again if you feel you need to.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Now place garlic, ginger and water in a blender and blitz until smooth.

Heat some more vegetable oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a deepish frying pan over medium heat.  Once the oil has heated, add the fennel and cumin seeds.  As soon as the seeds begin to look toasty and smell fragrant, add the chopped tomato,  the whizzed up garlic and ginger, turmeric, coriander, cayenne pepper and salt.  Cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture reduces a bit and becomes like a thick sauce.

Add the aubergine slices to the pan, stirring gently to make sure all the slices are bathed in the sauce.  Lower the heat slightly and cook very gently for about 8 minutes.

Serve over steamed rice, as a side dish, or cold as a salad.

Note:  For ease of peeling a tomato - cut a small cross in the base of the tomato, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Allow to stand for about 30 seconds, remove and plunge immediately into a bowl of cold water.  The skin will slide straight off.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

Black Pepper Potatoes (Bengali Aloo) with Lemon Turmeric Aioli

If you've been following this blog for a while, you will know that one of the places I try to regularly participate is at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Not only do I love the premise of the group, insofar as every six months a different respected chef is chosen for us to follow and learn from - a journey which is long enough for us to really get to know and understand that chef, and to develop an understanding of a cuisine which may push us out of our comfort zones;  I also love the community of this group.  During the time that I have been particpating, not only have we come to know a number of different chefs pretty well, we have also come to know each other pretty well too.  A group of people who cook together and learn from each other, and also understand and support each other, is a wonderful thing, and with Thanksgiving in mind (not actually a festival that we celebrate here in New Zealand), the friendship and community of this group is something I am thankful for.

As you also probably know, if you've been reading here the last few weeks, our current journey takes us into the realms of Indian cooking with Madhur Jaffrey - think Julia Child of Indian food.  Each week we investigate a different theme, or aspect of this cuisine, and our theme this week is "Root, Root, Root for Root Veggies!"  Now, I have to tell you my heart sank a little at that.  I'm sure you'll all appreciate this ... You know that feeling you have towards the end of winter when you think that you simply cannot face another root vegetable.  Then spring comes along, and you just can't get enough of asparagus and leafy greens, and you want to eat salads until they're coming out your ears - now, more than ever, you don't even want to think about root vegetables.  Which is exactly where I'm at right now.  And then ... then ... the very first, most perfect, teeny, tiny, paper-thin skinned new potatoes (Jersey Bennes, even) come along, and you realise that there is indeed a place for root vegetables in your spring/summer repertoire.

So when I picked up a bag of these perfect little gems the other day, freshly dug barely hours before at a local market garden, I knew that new potatoes were going to be my root vegetable of choice for this week's dish.  Now, we all know that there is no better way to treat a new potato than to boil it until just tender and then drown it in melted butter, so I was definitely wanting to keep it simple.  Madhur's recipe, from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, for Potatoes with Black Pepper seemed perfect - simplicity itself, and a great side dish to just about anything.  No pools of melted butter here, but I decided a little something to dip chunks of black pepper potatoes into would be in order.  I started thinking aioli, and then thought the addition of some turmeric and lemon would take it up a notch or two.

I've only got one word to say about this dish - wow!! The little potatoes on their own were fabulous - just the right amount of tenderness on the inside, a hint of crispiness on the outside, and a little kick of fragrant warmth from the pepper.  The addition of the aioli turned this into sensational.  The turmeric added great colour, and a hint of earthiness (take care not to use too much - turmeric can easily overwhelm), and the zing of lemon was the perfect finishing touch.

I made enough for two, and since I was the only one eating them I figured I would have enough to go with tonight's dinner as well.  Wrong!  These were so good that I couldn't help making "Nigellaesque" raids on the fridge all evening, and by the time I sloped off to bed around midnight they were all gone.  Have I mentioned that they are just as good cold as they are straight out of the pan.

Black Pepper Potatoes Recipe (Bengali Aloo)

Adapted, hardly at all, from recipe by Madhur Jaffrey in

Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

Serves 2

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

250g (10 oz) potatoes, washed & lightly scrubbed

(small, new potatoes are ideal)

2 tablespoons olive oil

flaky sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

(use a slightly coarse grind)

fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Put whole potatoes, in their jackets, into a small pot, cover with cold water, set over high heat and bring to the boil.  Once water is boiling, salt lightly, and continue to boil until the potatoes are just fork tender.  Drain and leave to cool completely.  Once cooled, peel the potatoes - if you're using new potatoes, no need to bother with this step.  Cut potatoes into 2cm dice (3/4 inch) - my potatoes were very small so I simply halved them.

Heat oil in a heavy based, non-stick pan set over medium heat.  Add the potatoes, and toss to coat well with the oil.  Add a generous sprinkling of flaky sea salt, toss again, and then cook the potatoes for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.  Next add the ground black pepper, mix through, and cook for a further 5 minutes or so until the potatoes are nicely browned and slightly crisp on the cut surfaces.  Stir the potatoes occasionally during this time.

Remove from heat to a serving dish and top with a generous handful of fresh coriander.

Lemon Turmeric Aioli Recipe

Makes about 3/4 cup

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2x cloves garlic, peeled

flaky sea salt

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

juice of 1/2 lemon

1x egg yolk

grapeseed oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)

Place garlic cloves into a mortar and pestle, sprinkle over a generous pinch of flaky sea salt, and pound until the garlic is mashed to a paste.  Sprinkle over turmeric and lemon juice and mix into the paste.  I recommend using just 1/4 teaspoon of the turmeric at this stage - you can always add more later.

Add the egg yolk and whisk into the paste.  Now begin to add the oil, a few drops at a time, whisking it in well and making sure each addition of oil is fully absorbed before adding more.  Keep adding oil until you reach a thick mayonnaise of the consistency you desire - the more oil you add, the thicker it will get.

Now is the time to taste and adjust your flavourings.  Sprinkle in a little more turmeric if you like, add more salt or lemon juice.  

Once you have the flavour right, you can now adjust the consistency if you like.  For example, if you wanted a runnier consistency to make this into a pouring sauce, then you can begin to add warm water one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you get the consistency you want (Note - must be warm water - not hot, and definitely not cold).

This aioli would be perfect for dunking all kinds of vegetables into - I hope you'll give it a try.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

Fish Curry (Boatmans Curry)

At I Heart Cooking Clubs, our theme this week is "Comforting Curries" - to be even more precise, a curry from the Queen of Indian food, Madhur Jaffrey.

When spring temperatures plummeted yesterday to the extent that merino sweaters had to be dragged out of the mothballs again, and I returned from the market cold and wet (yes, chilly temperatures were accompanied by teeming rain), a curry seemed like the perfect warm-me-up-pick-me-up kind of dinner.

A quick online search and I came up with Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for "Boatmans Curry".  As soon as I noticed that one of the ingredients was tamarind paste (one of my favourite flavours), I knew this was the dish.  I happened to have everything on hand that I needed, barring the fish, so after a quick trip down to the fishmonger I was good to go.

I don't mind a moderate amount of heat to my curries, but the same cannot be said for everyone else in my household.  So, I've adjusted Madhur's recipe quite a bit to really dial down the heat factor.  So much so, I was actually a little worried that I would find it a bit bland for my taste.  As it turned out, there is so much other flavour going on that it totally didn't need the extra heat.  I also made a couple of other little changes to the preparation, firstly because I didn't have fresh coconut, and also mincing my shallots up with the garlic and ginger, rather than keeping the onion separate, just because I prefer it that way.  What follows, is my version of the recipe.  Follow the link above if you want Madhur's original version with full throttle heat.

Fish Curry Recipe

Adapted from recipe for Boatman's Curry by Madhur Jaffrey

Makes 3 generous servings

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

For the spice paste:

1 teaspoon chilli paste

1 tablespoon paprika

3 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1-1/4 cups long thread coconut

3/4 cup hot water

For the tamarind paste:

2-1/2 tablespoons tamarind paste

1x green chilli, seeds removed

2.5cm (1 inch) piece ginger, peeled & roughly chopped

2x cloves garlic, peeled & quartered

4x shallots, peeled & quartered

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon oil (neutral flavour)

1/2 cup water

500g firm fleshed white fish, cut into large chunks

(I used trevally)

fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

Begin with the spice paste.  Put coconut threads into a bowl and pour over the hot water.  Allow to soak for about 30 minutes to soften the coconut.  Then place coconut, and soaking liquid, along with all the other ingredients into a blender, and blitz until you have a smooth paste.  Remove from blender to a small bowl and set aside.

Now on to the tamarind paste.  Put all the ingredients into the blender, and again blitz until you have a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a medium sized, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.  Add spice paste to the pan, along with the 1/2 cup of water.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a couple of minutes.  Now add the tamarind paste to the pan, stir to combine, and simmer for a further 5 minutes.  Add the fish pieces to the pan, stir, and simmer until the fish is cooked through - about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add a little more water during the cooking process if you find the gravy is too thick.

Serve with plain basmati rice, and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander.

I also served with with some raita and my recently made apple, plum and peach chutney.

Once we'd finished, I still had quite a bit of the gravy left over.  Don't be tempted to throw that away.  I reheated the leftover gravy today for lunch, adding some hard boiled eggs, for an instant egg curry.  As it turned out, this curry worked perfectly with the eggs, so that would be a great substitution for the fish if you happen to be vegetarian.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

Apple, Plum & Apricot Chutney

At I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we are discovering the joys of Indian cooking with Madhur Jaffrey, our theme this week is "Relishes, Chutneys and Pickles".  With Christmas looming large, my thoughts are turning to putting aside a bit of a stash of edible goodies for Christmas gifts, and I thought Madhur's Apple, Peach & Apricot Chutney would fit the bill perfectly.

I did play with the recipe a little ... subbing in some dried plums in place of dried peaches.  I also substituted soft brown sugar for the caster sugar called for in the recipe, because I like the greater depth of both flavour and colour that brown sugar brings.  Lastly, I replaced the white wine vinegar in the recipe with cider vinegar, as I thought this would work well with the apple.

I've always been a big lover of mango chutney, but with mangoes being a bit of a luxury commodity here in New Zealand, this chutney makes a great substitute.  There is a good bit of warmth from the ginger and cayenne pepper, acidity and sourness from the vinegar and apples, balanced with a delicious sweetness from the plums and apricots.  Although this would be great with all sorts of Indian dishes, it was sublime with nothing more complicated than good crusty bread and cheddar cheese, and I know it is going to be the perfect accompaniment to the ubiquitous ham sandwich on Boxing Day.

This could not be easier to make ... about five minutes of chopping, then everything in the pan together (I used a good, heavy, cast iron pan), and simmer for 30 minutes.  Cool and bottle.  I only made this yesterday and it tastes fantastic already.  I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like in a few weeks time - if I can keep my hands off it that long, that is.

Apple Plum & Apricot Chutney Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from

Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking

Makes 3x 250ml (8 fl oz) jars

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

3x large sour apples, peeled, cored & roughly diced

(I used Granny Smith apples)

100g (4 oz) dried apricots

(I used plump Turkish ones, left whole)

100g (4 oz) dried plums, quartered

50g (2 oz) sultanas

6x cloves garlic, minced

5cm (2 inch) piece ginger, peeled & grated

400ml (14 fl oz) cider vinegar

385g (14 oz) soft brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put all ingredients into a heavy-based pan (cast iron is ideal) and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer, and cook until the chutney has reached a thick, "jammy" consistency - about 30 minutes.  During this time, stir the chutney regularly and, as you get towards the end of the cooking time and the chutney thickens, you may need to reduce the heat a little to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.  Pour into warm, sterilised jars and cool completely before covering.  (Note:  The original recipe says to use non-metallic lids.  Not having any of those, I placed a square of baking paper over the top of my jars, before then screwing on my metal lids.)

Store jars in a cool, dark place or in the fridge.

If you would like to get to know Madhur a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and many of Madhur's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I am sharing this post this week with my friends Michelle at Ms. enPlace hosting See Ya In the Gumbo, and with April at The 21st Century Housewife hosting Gallery of Favourites.