prawn curry with mint and yoghurt

This is a lovely, light, summery curry. It doesn't take any longer than the rice to cook. We've got some sprightly, Spring mint bushing up so it would seem a shame to waste it.
While you're thinking of rushing out for prawns and yoghurt you could take the time to click on the link below and pledging lots of money for our kids' skate park!
https://www.justgiving.com/cromerskatepark/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=charityPagedesktop&utm_content=Cromer+Skate+Park&utm_campaign=charityPagedesktop_share

ingredients
(serves 2)

• 1 onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 birdseye chilli (finely chopped)
• 2 peppers (chopped)
• 2 plump tomatoes (chopped) - skin them if you like but life just might be too short!
• 400g raw prawns (cleaned with a single longways slice so they butterfly)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• 11/2 tsp ground cumin
• black mustard seeds
• salt and pepper
• natural yoghurt
• a bunch of fresh mint (finely chopped)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• sunflower oil

method

1. add the mustard seeds to the oil and fry gently until they begin to pop
2. add the onion
3. add the garlic, chilli and peppers
4. add the spices and fry for a couple of minutes
5. add the tomatoes and fry until they soften
6. add the prawns and fry until they become opaque
7. combine the yoghurt, mint, lemon juice and salt to taste
8. drizzle the curry with the minted yoghurt

tabouleh with merguez sausages

Merguez (lamb, beef and paprika) - absolutely the most wonderful barbecue delight. Spicy and spitty - perfect in the delirious sunshine that is now the definite norm in Cromer. This batch were brought back from France last Summer, bought in a last minute panic with the wine and cumin flavoured gouda cheese. Along with the sausages, the barbecue yielded some lovely chicken (2 crowns for £5, each split down the middle, glooped in an off the shelf Nandos marinade and some ill thought out lamb chops, marinated in mint sauce. The chicken was fabulous and the chops were fine but didn't taste of mint at all!

The bulghur wheat says to cook it and so on but I just soak it like couscous which, incidentally, is an ok substitute. I think they probably use dried mint in the tubs of tabouleh that we live on when we're camping in France. Other perfect accompaniments for this would be potato salad with frankfurters, celeriac in lemony mayonaise and carrot rappe.Oh and that lovely beetroot salad they do in French supermarkets.

Make sure the herbs are plentiful with the wheat in the background (I probably used a bit too much to bulk it out for the week ahead).

ingredients

• bulghur wheat
• a tomato(finely diced)
• juice of 2 lemons
• flat leaf parsley (lots)
• mint (not as much as the parsley)
• a small red union (finely diced)
• cucumber (finely diced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (mushed)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp sumac
• olive oil

method

1. soak the bulghur wheat in boiling water (about 1cm above the top of the wheat)
2. leave it to cool down - all afternoon in this case
3. slice/chop the herbs but not too finely
4. combine all the ingredients and drench with lemon juice and some olive oil

Make enough to last all week.

breaded chicken with potato wedges

I first discovered this recipe in my catering class at school. With a few twists, I made this into the perfect dish. The bread crumbs were especially good because they were a nice crispy coating to the chicken. I presented the meal on 5 plates then fed it to my family. Arthur de Neve  (I'm 13, by the way)


ingredients
(serves 5)

• 6 chicken breasts (sliced long ways once)
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• salt and pepper
• plain flour
• 1 packet of panko Japanese breadcrumbs
• 8 large red potatoes
• vegetable oil
• paprika
• dried thyme

1. cut the potaoes into wedges then dredge them in oil and season with salt and pepper
2. put the wedges into a hot oven for about 40 minutes
3. cover the a chicken breast with flour seasoned with the thyme, salt, pepper and paprika
4. dip the chicken into the egg, holding it over the tray so the excess drips off
5. coat the chicken in breadcrumbs
6. repeat with all of the chicken, laying it out in an oiled oven tray
7. cook the chicken with the potatoes for the last 25 minutes or so
8. serve with salad

chilli jam

Rarely has such mirth and laughter smothered the De Neve household.

“You’re making what?”

“Chilli jam… as in … jam… with chillies in it?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Who would eat that?”

Merriment that turned to bemused contempt.

This recipe is exceptional. The paprika gives it an earthy, smoky edge that matches the sweetness and heat of the jam. Certainly great with cheese, I’d say it would be lovely with cold meats or fish.

It isn’t a quick job – set aside an hour or so. The finished mixture will make around six small jars. The ones pictured are about 4 inches high.

I imagine the vinegar you use could be mixed and matched. Balsamic probably wouldn't look very nice!

ingredients:

• 100g fresh red chillies (cored and seeded)
• 100g red pepper (cored and seeded)
• 500g jam sugar
• 200ml cider vinegar
• 100ml nut vinegar (I used  Vinaigre de vin aromatise noix made by Maille) 
• 1tsp smoked paprika

method

1. finely chop the chillies and red pepper with the paprika in a blender
2. dissolve the sugar in the vinegar over a medium heat
3. when the sugar has completely dissolved, add the blended chilli and pepper mixture
4. bring to the boil then simmer for 10 or 15 minutes, removing the scum as you go
5. test the jam setting point by plopping a teaspoon of it onto a cold plate. After a minute or so it should seem 'jammy'
6. leave to cool for 10 or 15 minutes before ladling into sterilised jars (I used a little funnel)

roasted vegetables with new potatoes

 Delicious, light meal. Originally based on a recipe from science fiction writer, Ursula K. Le Guin's novel, Always Coming Home. I think it was called Red and Green, featuring corn on the cob, aubergine, potatoes and courgettes.  No sweetcorn but a glut of cherry tomatoes. Also, the courgettes had become marrows so I just used about 1/2 of one. I've made this with mint and flat-leaf parsley instead of coriander; each adding a different twist. Needless to say, the kids would neither sample it or even look at it!

ingredients
(serves 4)

• 1 aubergine (cubed)
• new potatoes
• 2 courgettes (cored and cubed)
• 4 or 5 cloves of garlic
• a handful of cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• natural yoghurt
• cumin seeds (toasted just before serving)
• fresh coriander (roughly chopped at the last minute)
• 1/2 a preserved lemon
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

method

1. boil the potatoes until tender ( they can sit and wait whilst everything roasts if you get to them too early)
2. heat the oil in a large roasting tray (oven on highish)
3. add the aubergine, garlic and courgette, adding a glug of oil because the aubergine will suck it up like a sponge
4. roast the veg until it's starting to brown then throw in the tomatoes for about another 10 minutes
5. meanwhile... mix the yoghurt with lemon juice and a glug of good olive oil, salt and pepper 
6. take the pan out of the oven and add the potatoes, tossing gently
7. take the pulp out of the preserved lemon and thinly slice the rind
8. pour on the yoghurt, sprinkling with preserved lemon slices, coriander and cumin seeds
9. eat in the garden

chicken and egg curry

More pampering! The kids weren't likely to eat an egg curry so some chicken thighs were roasted and added. Without the chicken it would have still been amazing, with really interesting textures and the heartiness that lentils always bring to the table. The recipe will be for the egg curry but it's easy to add the chicken if anyone can't get their head around the idea of eggs in the dish.

ingredients:
(serves 3-4)

• 1 onion (sliced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• a few mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 red pepper (cored and chopped)
• a handful of red lentils
• a handful of puy lentils
• 4 eggs (hard boiled, shelled and cut in half)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• most of a tsp of turmeric
• half a tsp of cinnamon 
• 4 cardamon pods (crushed)
• 1.5 pts of chicken stock
• a knob of butter
• sunflower oil
• a handful of chopped fresh coriander

method

1. fry the onions, long and slow before adding the garlic, mushrooms and pepper
2. add the dried spices and cook out on the lowest temperature, adding a bit more butter if necessary
3. add the lentils and stir it all together
4. add most of the stock and the bay leaf. Simmer for 40 minutes or so, adding more stock if needed, stirring occasionally
5. add the eggs and leave to rest, off the heat for about an hour
6. Bring back to heat, being careful not to break the eggs up
7. serve, when piping hot, garnished with the fresh coriander

fish pie

A mix of salmon, cod, smoked haddock and prawns - cooked into a cream and Chardonnay sauce, flavoured with fresh dill. Heaped mashed potato, capped with Mature Cheddar and Parmesan cheese. Baked in the oven until the cheese has browned but not so long that the poatato is super heated (I hate that!) I'd love to say the kids ate it but they had fish fingers. When will they learn?

Morrocan vegetable stew

This delicious vegetable stew is inspired by a fantastic meal at a restaurant on Old Brompton Road in London, 'Cous Cous Darma'. We had it served with pan fried sea bass fillets and a mixed grill. It was described as a 'lovely vegetable stew to moisten the cous cous'. It was. I served it with a shoulder of lamb smothered in Ras-el-hanout (a Moroccan spice mix), roasted with whole garlic. The flavour was very close to the version we had in London and the perfect match to any roast meat or fish or just on it's own with cous cous. i always used 'easy' cous cous made with butter and chicken stock.

Ingredients
(serves 4)

• 1 red onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 1 hot green chilli
• a few potatoes (cut into about 1 inch pieces)
• 1 courgette (cored and chopped into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 carrot (as above)
• 1 green pepper (as above)
• 2 tomatoes (as above)
• about a pint and a half of chicken or vegetable stock
• a few black olives
• the rind from 1 preserved lemon (sliced quite finely)
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 2 tsps sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 pinch of saffron
• a bunch of coriander (chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. sweat the onion and garlic before adding the vegetables for a further 5 minutes, on a low heat with the spices (except saffron)
2. add the stock, saffron and bay leaf
3. simmer for about 40 minutes or so, until the potatoes are softish
4. add the olives and tomatoes
5. simmer for a further 5 minutes
6. then it can be turned off and left to be reheated or throw in the coriander and serve

What I couldn't recreate was the amazingly dry, crisp Moroccan rose wine that we were served with the meal at Cous Cous Darma.

kebabs

Lamb kofte and tandoori style chicken kebabs

smoked haddock with rice and potatoes

beetroot, fennel and walnut salad

ingredients
(serves 4 as a side dish)

• a small handful of walnuts
• 1/2 a bulb of fennel
• 2 boiled beetroot
• fresh mint
• red wine vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. cut all the ingredients to size
2. whisk the vinegar and oil to emulsify
3. slice (rather than chop) the mint
4. combine the beetroot, fennel, walnuts and mint
5. toss in the dressing

fennel, onion and radish salad

Doctor Who in the background - children quiet. I didn't even bother to suggest that they try this since this kind of salad is probably 'not for them'.
This plate was a reward for trudging around a woeful car-boot sale, looking for Nintendo Gamecube games that the middle boy has to have but will rarely play. I'm glad I went though since the plate was the inspiration for the salad which was very nice indeed with roast chicken and new potatoes. It is delicious with fish too and, in my opinion, almost anything else! Ruth just slipped in that she has just finished the left overs, making it 'serves 2' when it could feed a couple more!

Ingredients:

serves 4

• one red onion (finely sliced)
• 1/2 a bulb of fennel (cored and finely sliced)
• 6 or 8 radishes (finely sliced)
• fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
• salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 2/3 of a small lemon

1. combine the vegetables and parsley
2. make an emulsion of the lemon juice and oil by whisking - about 3 or 4 times as much oil as juice
3. combine the dressing with the vegetables
4. season, serve and eat

sardine and potato tagine

The kids ate rubbish whilst Ruth and I dined like the proverbial kings. This is a combination of a couple of recipes from the excellent 'The Food of Morrocco' by Paula Wolfert. To be fair, the bones can be a bit of a faff but the flavour is worth the extra effort. I'm going to try this with sea bass fillets to retain the flavour but lose the bone bowl! The kids thought it looked like the kind of food we like to eat and thanked us for the road-kill they ate!

ingredients:
serves 4

• 12 fresh sardines (gutted with heads and tails removed)
• 1 onion (finely sliced)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• flat leaf parsley
• coriander
• 2tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small bag of new potatoes (1cm thick slices)
• 1 courgette (sliced)
• handful of black olives
• 1tsp of smoked paprika
• 2tsp of sweet paprika
• 1 preserved lemon (pulp discarded - rind finely sliced)
• olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 green pepper (cored and sliced)
• 1/2lb of cherry tomatoes (sliced) no real reason for cherry tomatoes as larger ones would be easier

1. bring the paprika to boil for a few minutes in a very generous glug of oil and several tablespoons of water
2. crush the garlic with the parsley; most of the coriander; the salt and cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar to make a chermoula
3. when the paprika oil/water has cooled mix 3/4 of it with the chermoula and stuff the sardines with it. Try to coat the sardines with the oily, herby mixture before setting the fish aside for an hour or so, to marinate
4. layer a deepish earthenware or glass casserole with half of the potatoes, courgettes, tomatoes, olives, onions and fish.
5. repeat the layers before scattering the lemon over the top
6. pour in enough water to cover the first layer of potatoes etc
7. drizzle the remaining parprika oil/water over the top
8. cover and bake at about 200/gas mark 5 or so for 90 minutes or so - until the potatoes are tender
9. garnish with a few chopped coriander leaves

We ate this with a pile of couscous made with chicken stock. Oh and too much rose!

looked so good before cooking

sausage casserole

It's been a long time since this blog went into hibernation but I think it may be back now. Ruth has a new camera and the clocks have sprung forwards, heralding British Summertime and better lighting. The kids will still turn their noses up at perfectly lovely food, but hey, everyone will get fed and we'll have a little slice of heaven. Eldest boy has been in his room for 2 years now and looks tall and pale - a bit like a broad bean plant that has been germinated in a dark cupboard. Middle boy is out videoing for his rigorously dull YouTube channel whilst the youngest has whisked my tablet away for the afternoon.

I love sausage casserole, especially when it's cold outside. Anything that has little firm lentils and meaty sausages has to be a winner in my book.

ingredients:
(serves 5 with some left over - add more sausages to cook for more)

• red onion (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 leek (sliced) 
• 1 stick of celery (chopped small)
• 1 carrot (diced)
• 1 green pepper (diced) 
• olive oil (glug)
• butter (about the size of two thumbs)
• handful of black olives
• freshly ground pepper and salt
• 4 small cooking chorizo (chopped up)
• 10 plump sausages (5 venison, 5 Old English)
• 2 bay leaves
• thyme
• 1.5 pts chicken stock
• about a cup of green or puy lentils

1. sweat the onion, garlic, leek, celery. carrot and pepper in oil and butter. Lots of black pepper at this point creates just the right aroma to keep you hanging around in the kitchen
2. brown the sausages in a little oil
3. add the chorizo to the onions etc and warm through
4. add the lentils, bay leaves and thyme, just folding it all through, coating the lentils
5. pour in the stock and bring to a simmer - add salt but be careful if your stock is salty (also the olives will impart some saltiness)
6. tip the lentils etc into a reasonable sized casserole and gently place the sausages on the top
7. throw on the olives and add another knob of butter
8. cover and place in a medium oven for about an hour and a half, checking later on that the whole dish has enough liquid

I'm going to serve this with some kind of potatoes (maybe mash, maybe sauted) and buttery cabbage.

here again

hopefully this will be a lovely summer and I'll be able to post lots more lovely meals!

roast chicken and asparagus pie

The light is now good for photos and the weather has warmed up so I'm back on the blog again. There are vegetables in the garden and a few flowers are springing up. Thanks to the silver jubilee, there is bunting flapping about in the hedge, frightening the blackbirds.
The link - 4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie! Although I'm sure blackbird would be equally as good, this delicious pasty is made from the leftovers of 2 chickens (mostly leg meat). The asparagus came from a caravan in a lay-by. There seems to be a fleet of these vans parked around North Norfolk, possibly all owned by the same farm, serviced by Eastern European girls.

ingredients:

• left over roast chicken (diced)
• handful of asparagus
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small red onion
• splash of cream
• milk
• splash of white wine
• butter
• table spoon of plain flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 slab of ready to roll puff pastry (500g?)
• 1 egg yolk
• fresh thyme

1. trim the asparagus and steam it in a glug of wine with a knob of butter and a bit of water. I gave it about 10 minutes (retain the liquor).
2. melt a largish knob of butter and soften the onion, finely chopped, and the chopped garlic.
3. add the flour to the onion pan and cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes.
4. add the liquor from the asparagus and stir. Gradually add milk and cream to loosen the sauce until it is a good consistency to bind the filling.
5. add the chicken to the sauce and warm through.
6. add the asparagus and fold gently into the mixture.
7. sprinkle some finely chopped thyme leaves - go easy because they can over power the more delicate flavours.
8. roll the pastry into a large square. Butter a baking tray and lay the pastry on it.
9. pile up the filling after brushing milk about an inch wide around the perimeter (I'm a maths teacher!) of the pastry.
10. fold the pastry over the top and crimp down with a fork, forming a seal.
11. prick some holes in the top and brush with the beaten egg yolk.
12. cook in a medium oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Oldest boy loved it, youngest boy hated it and the middle one had a fried egg instead! Strawberries (£2.50 from Olga) and ice-cream afterwards.

garden cooking

recipe by demand :)

lemon thyme steak marinade

This weekend shows few new recipes since all cooking has been performed across the road by neighbour, Justin. Much meat grilled over charcoal along with a delicious 'kind of' paella with lamb chops, home made sausage and chicken breasts. Delicious.

I did, however, make a very nice steak marinade:

• 600g rump steak
• juice of a smallish lemon
• 3 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed with about a tsp of sea salt
• about 1 tbs of fresh thyme leaves (Ruth picked mostly lemon thyme which worked very well)
• big glug, maybe 2 tbs? extra virgin olive oil

Marinated the meat in these ingredients for about 5 or 6 hours then barbecued. No photo since that's a bit difficult whilst eating out lol :)

El Cid Pizza

Dad spends 10 minutes for a memory stick to store important powerpoint for tomorrow's school assemby to no avail. Decides to go a bit leftfield and ask the kids - middle boy: "Oh, I think it's on the floor under the breakfast bar." Did he think of picking it up?

A few years ago there was a pizza restaurant called Pizza One Pancakes Too, on Tombland in Norwich. This is my version of their El Cid pizza. It's a little unusual but absolutely sublime. I added anchovies because they taste so good on pizza. Served with chips (which the restaurant failed to put on the menu in favour of salad).

Ingredients:
Serves one or two

• pizza dough (I used a packet mix for convenience), enough to make a 10" base
• 1 tin tuna
• a few anchovies
• 2 mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbs mayonaise
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• shake of dried oregano
• olive oil to drizzle
• 200g hard mozzarela cheese, grated

1. mix all the ingredients except the cheese, anchovies and mushrooms
2. oil a baking sheet lightly and place the rolled out base on it
3. spread the tuna mayonaise mixture over the base leaving a 1/2" border
4. top with cheese, then mushrooms and anchovies
5. sprinkle with a little more oregano and drizzle with oil
6. bake in a reasonably hot oven, according to base instructions

vegetable curry with coconut cream

Back to school demands easy teas and this curry fits the bill pretty well. I'd love to say that the vegetables came out of the garden but, sadly, the supermarket could provide where we could not. This curry is deliciously light and fresh. Youngest boy said that it smelt 'lush' whilst middle boy merely stated that the nan bread made up for the lack of chicken. Suffice to say that neither cleaned the plate but what can one expect.