recipes

Ras el Hanout

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This is the blend of spices I use in tagines and stews to give them a moroccan type flavour Ingredients 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp shelled green cardamons 2 tsp cinnamon sticks 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp corander … Continued

Chocolate cake

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This makes a rich fudgey chocolate cake which is made mainly from sugar and butter, and keeps gooey for a week or so (if it lasts that long). I couldn’t believe how little flour was in the recipe!

Date and Walnut Cake

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Made this cake for Bob’s birthday – adapted from a recipe by delia with addition of buttercream filling.

Bread and butter pudding

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Overdone the bread shop? Use your spare stale (or fresh) bread, bagels etc. to make a deliciously light pudding.

Roast Pheasant

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This is what we are having on Christmas Day 2009 – pheasant with piggy flavours.

Chicken Korma

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Substitute quorn chicken style pieces and a bit of veg stock for a vegetarian version

Banana Cake

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Got some unappetising black bananas lurking in the fruit bowl? Make a cake!

Bara Brith

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Welsh fruitcake – lovely with butter and a nice cup of tea

Lemon Drizzle cake

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I bake this cake for birthdays, and use another lemon (zest and a little juice) to make a lemon buttercream as topping.

Som tum

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My favourite thai salad – I would recommend this with any thai meal – you just have to overcome the hurdle of getting hold of green papaya

Beef stroganoff

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The key to this dish is getting hold of some really good quality steak (rump or sirloin) to make it from

Moroccan vegetable stew

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If you are fortunate enough to own a tagine, you can cook this in one and be all authentic, otherwise, just use a regular saucepan. A thick and fragrant stew heady with spices, apricots, and lemon zest, but with its protein coming from chickpeas instead of meat.

Vegetarian phad thai

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My favourite Thai dish – essential to get the noodles cooked just right – still a bit firm but sticky as well so the peanuts coat them

Moussaka

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Takes a bit of preparation but well worth it in the end

Sweet potato crescents

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Got this recipe from the Guardian weekend magazine – they are empanadas essentially. Turned out a bit dry when baked, so I’d recommend frying them.