Month: January 2012

Categories
chickpeas chorizo food soup spinach

chorizo and chickpea soup

jamie oliver's chorizo and chickpea soup

I read this post on the Word Magazine website. It was a Jamie recipe for a really corking-sounding soup which I was surprised I hadn’t come across before. I was even more surprised to discover it was in a book I’ve owned for years, Jamie’s Dinners!

It was as gutsy as it promised – nice, meaty chorizo with hearty chickpeas. If I did it again I’d add a little less liquid to make it a bit thicker, and perhaps add a dash of paprika to amp up the chorizo flavours. I have to say I’m not convinced by the grated egg either, did nothing for me at all. That aside it’s warming and frugal* – perfect for this time of year!

*if you ignore Jamie’s addition of pata negra – PATA NEGRA! – and use boring old sandwich ham like me. His version is here.

Chorizo and chickpea soup (serves 4 – 6):

200g chorizo sausage

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

8 fresh tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 x 410g tin chickpeas, drained

1.3 litres chicken stock

6 chunks frozen spinach

2 slices ham, shredded

1 hard-boiled egg

  1. Finely chop 150g of the chorizo and fry in a large casserole dish until the orangey oil leaks out, then add the onion. Cook gently for a five minutes then add the garlic.
  2. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock and bring to the boil. Add the spinach and simmer for 30 minutes until everything is tender and adjust the seasoning.
  3. As the 30 minutes comes to the end get another frying pan very hot. Slice the remaining chorizo and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper while you finish the soup.
  4. Whizz the soup up a bit with a hand blender (not too much!), and stir through the ham. Serve, garnishing with egg and sliced chorizo. Make sure there’s bread to hand!
Categories
food

skinny one meals

I struggle with lunchtimes generally. I can’t eat sandwiches into infinity, the mundanity and repetition blows my mind. So when I’m offered something a little different to try to pep things up I nearly bite their hand off.

I was sent a selection of “Skinny One” ready meals. Let me get this out of the way: I don’t like the phrase ready meal, it implies a slop of sauce with a meagre piece of unnamed meat. This does not describe these little pots at all: most have a layer of perky, fresh looking veg; some rice, pasta or noodle; and a vibrant sauce. You microwave them for a few minutes with a brisk stir. I managed to try them all bar the Thai coconut chicken, which I was assured is pleasantly spicy and creamy. I started with Bombay Spiced chicken, which started fairly plain but after a few mouthfuls the flavours start to build and it ends up a very satisfying “curry”. To its credit a Bangladeshi colleague also tried one and really enjoyed it, which surprised me! I thought it might be a case of coals to Newcastle but it seemed to be a well-received lunch. The prawn and orzo pasta was very tasty, leafy and fresh with a lovely fruity sauce. I found the Tuscan chicken pasta a bit disappointing. It’s somewhat bland and not particularly satisfying. What is consistent about all the meals is the texture of the meat: so tender! You wouldn’t expect it in this kind of pot but it’s very welcome. That combined with a dose of veg means that at 350 calories each makes them a relatively guilt-free meal.

On the whole I really enjoyed these lunch pots. While I won’t be having one every day it has inspired me to make similar lunches by parboiling noodles, pouring over a sachet of stir-fry sauce, throwing a handful of mixed veg on top and taking to work in a lunchbox ready for microwaving.

To find out more about the range visit their Facebook page.

Categories
chips cod curry curry powder fish food potatoes

empire fish and chips

Just the other week I was bowled over by Jamie’s empire chicken. I was also taken by his prediction that if you ask the British public what their favourite meals are, they’ll say “roast chicken” and “a curry”, hence his Imperial mash-up. But my mind wandered to that other pinnacle of British food, the fish and chips. What would this look like as a crossover?

As it turns out, hilarious fun. Spicy yet familiar.

Print

Empire fish and chips

Course Main Dish
Cuisine English, Indian
Servings 2 people
Author Gary @ BigSpud

Ingredients

  • For the chips:
  • 2 - 3 medium maris piper potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon madras curry powder
  • For the fish:
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Carbonated water enough to make a gloopy batter, approx 300ml
  • 2 cod fillets

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the potatoes into nice fat chip shapes and drop them into salted boiling water. When tender drain them and allow to steam dry a little. Toss in the spices with a big pinch of salt, toss in oil and pop in the oven for 45 minutes until crispy.
  • Meanwhile make the fish. Heat some rapeseed or vegetable oil in a pan or fryer to 180°C. Whisk up the batter ingredients and then lay the fish in the batter. Allow the excess to drip off and fry the fish for approx 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Categories
beef food ingredients mustard

heston blumenthal’s beef and dijon mustard sauce

I took a rare trip to Waitrose armed with gift vouchers, which meant I could spoil myself a bit buying things I wouldn’t usually reach for. I picked up some of this which at £2.29 for a little sachet of sauce is bit pricey. I picked up some sirloin steak too and thought it would be a good match. So I pan-fried the steak and while it rested warmed the sauce through in the same pan, and served it with some potato wedges.

Stone me it was good. Lick-the-plate good. A smooth mustardy flavour but packing seven shades of umami moreishness with each mouthful. According to the man himself it’s a version of sauce Robert bolstered by one of Heston’s favourite ingredients, konbu. I’d love to try making this at home sometime, but if I couldn’t be bothered I’ve been convinced this is worth the money for a special dinner.

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