Got Turkey Mince? Make Masala Meatballs

...and if you have chicken mince you could make them too. In fact, the original recipe by Neven Maguire calls for chicken mince but it isn't crucial to use it, as turkey also carries these Asian flavours well.

I think if there is any type of cuisine that Lola and Finn need convincing about, it is anything that has an Asian/Eastern influence about it and I can kind of understand that because the flavours I think call for a quite mature palate. I think once you get away from Korma or Passanda, feeding 'curry' (for want of a better term) gets more difficult as the flavours become more about spice and often heat, rather than unctuousness and delicate flavour. As is often the case, I did find myself letting this sauce out with cream for the children once I had served mine and Phill's, as this sauce packs quite a punch. It's tasty for sure but does possess more heat than you might expect. But, I like to introduce Lola and Finn to new flavours and despite the sizeable dollop of cream I placed in at the end of the cooking process, Lola and Finn were able to sample the tasty zinginess of this recipe. And it was meatballs after all. My kids love meatballs.

Obviously, this isn't just a kid thing. I am not a fan of curries that need to be served and eaten with something akin to asbestos gloves and a welding mask so should you decide to make this, and you should because it is lovely, then you may to be ready to tone things down at the end, either with cream or natural yoghurt, if heat isn't your thing. Or be restrained with the chillies; the original recipe said three, but I added two.

I changed the cooking of this recipe slightly in that I am not a fan of mince that hasn't been browned. I was concerned that the poaching of the meatballs in the sauce might make the look a bit insipid and unappetising, so once I had made them, I placed them in the oven initially to colour them before I put them into the sauce. As it is, the sauce is a rich colour which does seem to cling to the meatballs and so that 'greyness' of unbrowned meat wouldn't be so apparent.

Seasoning. I know too much salt is bad for you but eating unseasoned turkey mince is like eating damp cotton wool. You need to be prepared to put more than you might like, or expect, into the meatball mix for the meatballs to taste of anything.

Lastly, these meatballs are tasty little morsels should you get the seasoning right. I think these would be great little appetisers to serve with an Indian beer before getting down to a main course.

Masala Turkey Meatballs, adapted from Neven Maguire's recipe in 'Home Chef'

Serves Mum. Dad. Lola and Finn generously.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

1lb chicken (I used turkey) mince

2 tsp freshly ground ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 small onion, peeled, grated and squeezed dry

2 tbsp chopped coriander

salt and freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:

4 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 pint passata

3 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (I used two and the sauce was hot)

2 tsp freshly grated root ginger

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp tandoori masala powder (I left this out)

pinch of caster sugar

In addition, you might want some cream/natural yoghurt to temper the sauce to your taste, a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavours of the sauce and some additional chopped coriander for garnish.

Method:

Mix the ingredients for the meatballs together thoroughly and add about a teaspoon of salt and a grinding of pepper. Heat a little oil in a frying pan (you may as well use the pan you're about to cook the sauce in!) and put a teaspoon of the mixture into the oil to cook. Once cooked, taste for seasoning. If it needs more, add more to the mix and repeat. Once you are happy with the taste form the mix into meatballs about the size of golfballs, or to your preference.

Cover the meatballs with cling film and refrigerate until required.

To make the sauce, heat the sunflower oil in a saucepan that will, eventually, be big enough to hold the meatballs in a single layer. Add the cumin, cloves and bay leaf to the oil, and when they start to sizzle and become fragrant, add the onion and garlic and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes.

At this time, I placed my meatballs in a hot oven to colour, but it probably isn't necessary.

Once the onion and garlic mixture is looking translucent, increase the heat and cook the mixture until it is starting to brown slightly and looking a little dried out. At that point, add the passata, chillies, ginger, garam marsala and turmeric and then cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes.

Now add 12fl oz of boiling water, stir well and season with salt and pepper.

The original recipe now suggests blitzing the sauce with hand held blender to create a smooth sauce, but I didn't, being a fan of chunky, more textured sauces.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, then add the meatballs. Continue to cook on a low heat for about 20 - 30 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally in case the meatballs begin to catch on the bottom.

At this point sprinkle the sugar into the pan and stir a little. You might now want to raise the heat to thicken the sauce to the consistency you prefer.

Taste the sauce once you are happy with the thickness. It may need more seasoning, you might want to temper the heat with yoghurt/cream (as I did - a heaped tablespoon initially) and then brighten the sauce with a squeeze of lemon. At this point I served mine and Phill's portion and then added more cream for Lola and Finn's portions.

I served this over steamed rice with a sprinkling of chopped coriander.

Easy Peasy - Salmon with minted peas

Wow, back and blogging after a wonderful trip to France, which was full of good food, good company, heat, light and relaxation; well as much as it can be with Lola and Finn and a motor home in the mix. Whilst I won't bore you with the minutiae; let's face it there are other blog posts in which I will be able to do that, but I derived plenty of pleasure from cooking up a meal or two from produce acquired from the markets and shops which just seems to taste so much better than some of the stuff that I buy at home. If ever there was a reason to buy in season and avoid a large percentage of British supermarkets and their obsession with identical fruit and vegetables, then the eventual taste is the reason. In fact I take great delight in the fact that I did a 'big shop' on my return and bought the ugliest tomatoes I have ever seen, all misshapen and gnarly looking but when it comes down to it, will impart flavour that will be tomatoey. The lookers in Tesco (or ASDA, etc.) wouldn't even come close.

Anyhow, I digress, and whilst I could bang on forever about the reasons why French food is so damn good that is not what this blog post is about. It is about simplicity however, and evidence if it were needed that you don't need to do much to good food to make it taste fabulous.

Salmon with minted peas

Ingredients:

2 salmon steaks

300g frozen peas

150ml chicken stock

1 finely chopped shallot

freshly chopped mint, to taste.

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Season the salmon and place in a preheated oven 220c. Roast for about 10- 15 minutes, but don't overcook. The centre of the salmon should still be glassy.

Meanwhile, heat up the chicken stock and place the chopped shallot in to the stock and allow to cook a little to take their rawness away. Then add the peas and cook until the peas are soft, about five minutes.

Add some chopped mint, and then taste for seasoning.

Once you are happy with the seasoning, begin to mash the peas into the stock. I like mine crushed but you can mash quite vigorously if you like.

Take the salmon out of the oven and allow to rest for a couple of minutes.

Plate up the dish by piling up the peas in the middle of the plate, and then rest the piece of salmon on top. Serve with a wedge of lemon and a sprig of mint if you like.

Especially for me - Sea bass with Wilted Spinach and Mushrooms

Phill is away. This means self indulgence when it comes to cooking the evening meal. And before you think I am some sort of needy woman (I am, like!) it's only because in this house, with the exception of Lola and her tuna sandwich fixation and, of late, Finn's realisation that mussels are, actually, quite nice and an excuse to play with your food, this house is definitely 'soleless', 'o - fish - ally' seafood unfriendly. And here's me. I adore fish, I adore seafood, but the only way I eat it is if we go out to a restaurant and then I can eat what I want to eat. So when Phill is away, I make Lola and Finn some pasta and then I retire to the kitchen and make myself something from the fish stash I have in my freezer, bought previously with a mind to cook for myself when I am (sort of) home alone.

I find it frankly incredible that it has taken me over a year of blogging before I have got around to recreating a Richard Corrigan recipe. This is just plain wrong and needs putting right, today. I adore his cookbook 'The Clatter of Forks and Spoons', not only because of its reference to one of my favourite writers, James Joyce, but also because the title reminds me of eating at home when I was young and the cutlery was put onto the table in a handful, instead of being carefully placed aside and above placemats. It's informal and it means home. And it goes without saying that I adore it because it is a superb read, jam packed with super recipes and a window into the philosophy of simple, responsibly sourced, ethical food practice that Richard Corrigan is known for.

Anyway, after 'bigging up' his cookbook for him (like he needs it) this recipe is actually from the book 'Cookery School' which accompanied the series were novices are taught the tricks of the trade and how to produce great food. The only alteration I have made from the original is that I added a squeeze of lemon to the sauce, such is my love affair with all things citrus, and I had to use chicken stock rather than the fish used below. If I were making this for more than me, and it could happen sometime, then I would use the fish stock, though the sauce was tasty with using chicken stock, so, it's up to you.

What you will find below is the quantity to serve four. I halved it for me, and I ate it without accompaniment. I would be serving something like Jersey Royals with this and maybe some green beans to eke it out to serve 4 as a main meal.

This took about 15 minutes to make from start to finish. Real fast food if you ask me.

Sea Bass with Wilted Spinach and Mushrooms, adapted from 'Cookery School' from Channel 4/Richard Corrigan

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad... I wish. let's just say it serves 4 people who like fish with an accompaniment

Ingredients:

50 g (1.8oz) Unsalted butter

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 Shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

4 180g sea bass fillets, skin on and scored

150 g (5.3oz) Button mushrooms, sliced

50 ml (1.8fl oz) Fresh fish stock (though I used chicken stock for ease)

250 g (8.8oz) Baby spinach leaves

4 tbspCrème fraîche

1 Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Method:

Heat a large frying pan and put in 30g butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Once hot, add the shallots and cook over a low to medium heat for 3 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Meanwhile heat another large frying pan and add the remaining oil and butter. Once the oil is hot put in the sea bass fillets and cook over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side. Always cook fish presentation-side down first. In this instance it should be skin-side down first.

Add the mushrooms to the pan of shallots and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the fish stock and allow to reduce for 1 minute before adding the baby spinach. If the liquid evaporates, add some more stock.

Once the spinach has wilted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice if you are like me.

Place the wilted spinach and mushrooms in the centre of each plate and put the sea bass fillets on top. Serve with the lemon wedges and a garnish of parsley.

And have a glass of something chilled and 'Sancerre like' if you fancy it. Unsurprisingly, I fancied it!

How to feed your kids peas and lettuce - French Style Chicken with Bacon and Peas

Yes, seriously. Normally a salad garnish in a restaurant is eyed with disdain by my brood and a helping of peas on the plate of either Lola or Finn is usually pushed around for a little while before being tried (after much harassment from mum) and then ultimately cast aside. I can't complain too much. When I was their age, my way of getting rid of my helping of peas was to surreptitiously throw them, one by one, behind the room divider cum sideboard, only to be discovered one day when the room was being decorated and the sideboard was moved. I was, as they say, busted. However, these days, I adore peas and cannot really understand what made me dislike them so when I was young. Maybe your taste does change with age. Not necessarily a bad thing.

I have toyed with making something like this for a while and have various recipes which produce this dish, but I have never got round to making it. But a flick through and the realisation that I had all the ingredients (not massively surprising; there is nothing listed in the ingredients which would be difficult to find) and the fact that I am making do and clearing the fridge out in preparation for going on holiday was another reason not to put the making of this dish off any longer.  Plus, it's French style... Have I told you we're off to France? Seriously? I have? Oh well...

This may now be wearing a little thin.

Anyway, this dish is super easy, tasty and a certain winner because it has peas and bacon together, which, when paired are sooooo good. Maybe that's why Lola and Finn ate this. When it comes to savoury combinations, there are few pairings that are better in my opinion.

French Style Chicken with Bacon and Peas, adapted from the GoodFood website

Ingredients:

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad, generously, plus one other, depending on what you serve with it.

                   125g bacon lardons (or pancetta if you're so inclined)  

                                          8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs                                         

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 bunch spring onions, roughly chopped

300ml hot chicken stock

250g frozen peas

1 Little Gem lettuce, roughly shredded

2 tbsp crème fraîche

Method:

In a large frying pan, dry-fry the bacon over a medium heat for 3 mins until the fat is released and the bacon is golden. Transfer the bacon to a small bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.

Add the chicken and brown for 4 mins each side.

Push the chicken to one side of the pan and tip in the garlic and spring onions, cooking for about 30 seconds, just until the spring onion stalks are bright green.

Pour in the chicken stock, return the bacon to the pan, cover and simmer for 15 mins.

Increase heat under the pan. Tip the peas and lettuce into the sauce and cook for 4 mins, covered, until the peas are tender and the lettuce has just wilted. Check chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the crème fraîche just before serving.

I served this with some mashed potato, being that Summer in these parts resembles the month of November and therefore some serious stodge is required.

My pantry provides - Peach tart

I am using 'pantry' in the loosest sense of the word, as I haven't got a proper pantry, just a few cupboards and general nooks and crannies that hold stuff that I need to use up. Regular visitors might be aware that I am going to France soon (Did I mention it already? Really?) and that I am buying as little as possible in terms of groceries and instead am making good the stuff that I already have. My aim is to clear the cupboards so that I can fill them up again with lots of lovely French stuff when I return from holiday.

Talking of France, the puff pastry which is the basis of this impromptu tart was bought on my last trip there and was, frankly, a bargain. I should have bought more. Along with some peaches, which I bought cheaply from the supermarket a week or so ago and have been kept in my fridge ever since I was sure that there was a quick, easy and pretty scrumptious pudding betwixt the two. So, educated guesswork began.

This pudding is really simple, especially if you buy the puff pastry. I know you can make it, and I have made it, but, do you know, sometimes life is too short, and if you buy a good quality buttery pastry you will have no cause for complaints. All that time folding and rolling and folding could be spent on other, more pleasurable, activities in my opinion.

Skinning peaches is also dead easy. I haven't shown it here but what I do is make a slight criss cross in the skin at the bottom of the peach, place it into boiling water for about 30 - 40 seconds, then take it out and plunge it into cold water to stop the cooking process, then take it out and peel. The skin slips off with ease. As easy as this tart is, as it happens.

Peach tart

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad twice

Ingredients

One sheet of (all butter) puff pastry

5 - 6 peaches, depending on size (my advice would be skin the peaches as you use them; don't skin them all at once in case you have a significant amount left over).

2 - 3 tbsp of sugar - depending on the sweetness of the peaches

a sprinkle of cinnamon

2 tbsp of warmed apricot jam, for glazing

Method.

Grease a baking tray and place your sheet of puff pastry on it.

Skin your peaches and then cut them into 'segments'. Mine were a little squishy so I did this by cutting around the peach first (hard to describe, but by making an incision from the top of the peach and letting the knife roll around the bottom of the peach, back up to the top of the peach again. Once that was done, I then cut the peach again to the size of segment that I wanted and flicked it out, away from the stone).

Place your peach segments in a uniform pattern on the pastry, ensuring that you leave about 1/2 inch or so around the edge of the pastry.

Once the peach segments are in place, scatter the sugar on the peaches and sprinkle a little cinnamon also. Place the tart in a preheated oven, about 180c, for about 30 minutes, but check every so often. The tart is ready when the pastry is golden and the peaches are yielding and beginning to caramelise a little.

Whilst the tart is warm, carefully brush over the warmed apricot jam (I zapped my jam in the microwave for about 20 seconds or so) over the fruit.

Serve warm with cream or ice cream, and, here's a thing... any leftovers you can have for breakfast. The tart has a danish pastry kinda feel to it when cold. Delicious!