Pizza
We had planned to cook calzone for dinner on Friday night but forgot. This is the second time we’ve planned calzone for a Friday night without it coming to fruition, perhaps we’ll be lucky on the third attempt.
As has become habit when cooking pizza recently, we start with a garlic bread which we eat while the pizza is cooking. As Stephen was shaping the dough, it occurred to us that we could shape the long, sausage-like piece into a round, a little like a Danish pastry. It seemed like a good idea but it didn’t cook through particularly well (which is obvious in hindsight) so we ended up just eating the top and the edges.
The pizza itself wasn’t brilliant either which was disappointing given our previous success in the new oven. We need to work out a way to prepare the pizza in advance and slide it on to the hot stone so that it doesn’t cool down too quickly. We did have some brilliant French salami which Stephen’s sister had given us (which we think was flavoured with fig) as part of a Christmas hamper though which softened the blow somewhat.
Paprika-Coated Haddock
We really need to choose some dishes that are more presentable soon; this one looks particularly unappetising. However, it did taste good. We had originally planned to coat the haddock in breadcrumbs, but when it came to doing so we discovered that we didn’t have any eggs so it wouldn’t have worked very well. So instead, we mixed some paprika and salt into a little flour and dusted it with that instead.
The bits that caught on the pan slightly went crisp and deeper orange and tasted delicious. We served it with some mashed potato that had steamed cabbage and sauteed leeks mixed into it; a sort of muddled up colcannon.
Indonesian Chicken Curry
I got this recipe from a friend who described it as “similar in sweetness to a tikka masala but with Thai style spices”. I know nothing about Indonesian cuisine and have never cooked or eaten it before but was intrigued by the description and have been planning to cook it for the last couple of weeks.
The original recipe is a little more straightforward than the method I ended up employing. I decided to make a paste out of some of the ingredients and fry the chicken in it, much like we do with green curry as I thought this would be a good way to maximise the flavours. I also increased some of the spicing as I haven’t eaten much recently and wanted something full of flavour.
It turned out well. The flavours were subtle and warming without the heat of a Thai curry but very similar due to the lemongrass and coconut milk. The cardamom added a smoky, aniseed note which gave the dish a rounded flavour.
Indonesian Chicken Curry
Serves Two
Paste
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
3 green cardamoms
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can coconut milk
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbs tomato puree
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
I started off by making the paste. Once that was ready, I removed the cream from the top of the coconut milk and fried that until it started to separate. At this stage, I added the paste and fried it until it began to brown – about four minutes. Add a little oil at this point if it starts to stick
Add the chicken, ensure it is well coated in the paste and cook for about five minutes, turning all the time. Again, add a little more oil if necessary.
Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
I did this ahead of time and found there was a lot of residual oil (my fault for adding too much at the beginning). Once the dish had cooled down, I removed the excess oil and heated it back up slowly. Add some extra cooked vegetables and serve over jasmine rice.
Oaxacan Black Bean Soup
Another recipe from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen and one that was always going to be a challenge to photograph well given the ingredient list. This was really simple, almost unbelievably so given the amount of flavour in the final dish, and was just a case of putting all the ingredients into a pot and leaving them to cook. A quick blitz with a hand-blender and that’s it.
I didn’t actually get to eat it due to an unplanned dental emergency but I enjoyed what I tasted while I was cooking it. Stephen said it was deep and earthy and enjoyed it with a squeeze of lime.
Oaxacan Black Bean Soup
Serves Two (but not that generously)
1 cup black beans
1/2 bulb fennel, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chorizo (I used four small sausages)
1 small white onion, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Corn tortillas or chips, to serve
Place the beans in a pot and cover with three cups of water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
Add the fennel, chorizo and onion, partially cover and simmer over a low heat until the beans are tender (about 1.5 hours). Add more water if necessary.
Blend, season and serve with toasted corn tortillas or chips. We added some mozarella too which isn’t strictly authentic but it worked well.
I didn’t blend this until completely smooth but you could do if you wanted to.
There was some confusion over the fennel: the original recipe calls for “1 rib fresh fennel” which I assumed was one bulb and, since I halved the recipe, I used half a bulb of fennel. Stephen thinks the “rib” may refer to one leaf. Google can’t help us. I don’t actually like fennel but thought this could do with increasing next time since it added such a fragrant note.
I would increase the chorizo next time too and I think some chopped coriander and that squeeze of lime that Stephen added would be good too.
The original recipe suggests shrimp would be a good addition, these just need to be added to boiling soup and cooked for two minutes before serving.
Yorkshire Pudding
I’ve had a stomach bug for the last few days which means I’ve mostly been eating dry bread and drinking water. Despite our dedication to posting almost everything we eat, we both felt that was pushing the concept of Dinner Diary somewhat which is why it’s been a bit quiet around here lately.
Feeling better yesterday, we decided to cook roast beef but, unfortunately, it all went a bit wrong. The meat wasn’t very good and ended up over-cooked, the cabbage was undercooked, the gravy too thin and the potatoes less than brilliant. Even the pictures were terrible. What did turn out well though was the Yorkshire pudding so here it is.
Breaded Chicken
We went out for dinner last night (post to follow) and ate so much that neither of us have really been hungry today. That said, we needed to eat something but it had to be plain and reasonably light. Breaded chicken with savoy cabbage was just right.
This is essentially the same as this dish, except this time we omitted the cheese and herbs to keep up with the plain and light theme. Not the most exciting of dishes but it did what it was supposed to.
Miso-Marinated Cod
On Saturday kitchen this weekend the subject of miso-marinated black cod arose; that famous / infamous dish given iconic status by establishments such as Nobu. In a rare moment of sanity, Paul Rankin managed to string a few sentences together and provide some useful information – it was not normal cod, it was often from Alaska, was also called sablefish and a sustainably sourced version was available in Marks & Spencer. Which made us want to cook it. But we failed to find it in the small M&S near to us, so we ended up with line-caught standard cod instead.
We followed this recipe and marinated it for two days. The result was rather sweet, probably my fault for not brushing off enough of the marinade before grilling it, which is also the reason for the black bits. Not an overwhelming success.
After having cooked it, I had a vague sense of deja vu, but can’t find anything about it on Dinner Diary. Kerri just managed to find though – I had failed to find it because it was bream that we used last time. Much the same though.
Chorizo and Lentil Lasagne
We had planned to be out for lunch today but the wet and windy weather meant we opted to stay inside instead. Without anything vaguely resembling a Sunday lunch, we rummaged through the freezer and found some lentil ragu. That, combined with a quick white sauce and some lasagne sheets, made for a pretty decent emergency lunch.
Indian Cooking – Rogan Josh, Chana Dal, Spiced Cauliflower and Naan Bread
We recently bought Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery as we felt that we needed a decent Indian cookbook and reference rather than just searching for recipes online if we fancied cooking Indian dishes. The book has turned out to be just what we were after, with a section on the various spices and other ingredients that are used and a section on commonly used techniques. Even though many of the spices overlap with those used in Thai cooking which we have done a lot of, it is interesting to see the slightly different angles on their emphasis and combinations in cooking in different regions and cultures. Importantly, it also has a section on how to put together a balanced menu.
Having never cooked rogan josh before, we started with that, a dish which gets it’s name from the rich, red appearance. The menu section told us that there would usually be a lentil or bean side dish as well as a vegetable dish. We opted for naan bread too, in order to give our new oven another workout.
Although there was a lot of preparation to be done and careful timing to ensure everything was ready at once, this all came together very well and was brilliant. The lamb was tender and aromatic with a decent hit of spice that was cooled by the dal and the cauliflower. The bread was essential to mop everything up and ensure nothing was wasted. This was one of the best things we’ve eaten in a long time.
Rogan Josh
Serves Two
1 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons plus 225ml water
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
450g diced lamb leg
5 cardoman pods
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
5 peppercorns
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1/8 teaspoon garam masala
Black pepper
Put the ginger, garlic and 4 tablespoons water a blender or mortar and pestle and blend into a paste.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium-high heat and brown the meat, remove and set aside.
Put the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon into the same hot oil, stir and wait until the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on colour (a few seconds).
Put in the onions and fry until medium brown. Put in the ginger and garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Stir and fry for another 30 seconds.
Add the meat and fry for another 30 seconds. Now put in one tablespoon of the yoghurt and fry for about 30 seconds until incorporated. Add the remaining youghurt a tablespoon at a time. Stir and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add 150ml water, bring to the boil, cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for one hour, stirring every ten minutes.
Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium and boil away some of the liquid. Spoon off any excess fat, sprinkle with garam masala and black pepper and serve.
Chana Dal
Serves Two
115g yellow split peas
1 pint water
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 thin slices unpeeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
Put the spolit peas into a pan with the water. Bring to the boil and remove any scum. Add the turmeric and ginger, cover and simmer gently for 1.5 hours, stirring frequently during the last 30 minutes to prevent sticking.
Add the salt and the garam masala, stir and remove the ginger slices.
Fry the cumin seeds in hot oil and a couple of seconds later, add the garlic. Fry until the garlic is lightly browned. Put the chilli powder into the pan and immediately pour the contents onto the split peas. Stir and serve.
Spiced Cauliflower
Serves Two
275g cailiflower
1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pinch of asafetida
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced into half-moons
1/2 hot green chilli, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
60ml water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Break the cauliflower into florets.
Put the oil into a frying pan over a medium heat and add the asafetida. A second later, add the cumin seeds. After ten seconds, add the onions and cook for two minutes.
Now add the cauliflower and the chilli, turn the heat down to medium and mix so that the cauliflower is well coated. Cook for a further minutes, add the lemon juice and water and bring to a simmer.
Cover, turn heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
Naan Bread
Serves Two
75ml hand hot milk
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon yeast
75g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
75ml natural yoghurt
1/2 large egg, lightly beaten
Put the milk in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast, mix and set aside for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is frothy.
Sift the flower, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the remaining sugar, the yeast mixture, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and the yoghurt and egg. Mix and form a ball of dough.
Empty the dough onto a clean work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and satiny. Form into a ball, place into an oiled bowl and leave in a warm place for one hour.
Pre-heat the oven to the highest temperature, put a pizza stone (or baking tray) in to heat and pre-heat the grill.
Punch down the dough and knead it again. Divide into balls, stretch into naan shapes and place on the pizza stone. Bake for 3 minutes.
(Our dough didn’t really rise but still made very good bread. We also found we needed to use a lot more flour than the recipe stated).
Lancashire Hot Pot
We used to watch Coronation Street when I was growing up. If you watched it too then I’m sure you’ll remember Betty’s hotpot, the only dish they ever seemed to serve in the Rover’s Return. It was always very grey looking and not at all appetising which might have something to do with why I’ve never eaten it, or cooked it.
Stuck for something to cook for dinner tonight, I browsed through a few old magazines and saw it mentioned several times. For want of a better suggestion, I decided to put Betty’s dish out of my mind and started doing some research.
Most recipes I found were similar but I eventually went with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s version since he included Worcestershire sauce, anchovies and herbs. While I appreciate this probably isn’t the way the dish was originally prepared, it was more appealing than just lamb, onions and potatoes.
I didn’t use anchovies in the end since I didn’t have any but I did use the Worcestershire sauce and some thyme. I also used stock which some recipes didn’t include, favouring just water.
It was a good, simple dish but, in my opinion, it really needed those extra ingredients. The meat itself had a decent amount of flavour and the kidneys helped provide depth but I can’t imagine it would have been anywhere near as tasty without the stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs.
Lancashire Hot Pot
Serves Two
Olive oil, for frying
1 large onion, sliced
Lamb neck fillet, bone-in (I’m not sure what weight we used but there were six pieces roughly two inches thick)
2 lambs kidneys
Flour, for dusting
Salt and pepper
375g potatoes, sliced
Bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
250ml lamb stock
Start by frying the onion in some olive oil until translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Coat the lamb and the kidneys in the seasoned flour and start by browning the lamb. Remove from the pan and set aside while you cook the kidneys.
Arrange half of the potatoes, the cooked onions and the bay leaf on the bottom of a casserole dish and season with salt and pepper. Put the lamb and the kidneys on top, add the thyme and the Worcestershire sauce and season again. Arrange the rest of the potatoes on top of the lamb and pour over the stock. Put the lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven at 200 degrees.
After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 140 degrees. If there is an excess of liquid at this point, remove it and reserve. Cook for one hour.
Remove the lid, turn the oven up to 200 degrees and cook for a further 30 minutes.
