Lamb and Olive, Chickpeas and spinach with honeyed sweet potato

Naomi is 51!! Rather than go out for lunch on Sunday a group of us celebrated here with a morrocan based main course followed by limoncello plum tart and very rich chocolate torte for those who had room afterwards curtesy of Jane MH.

Lamb, Olive and Caramelised Onion Tagine
Nigella Lawsons Lamb, olive and caramelised onion tagine was made using 3-4 sliced red onions gently fried in olive oil with a couple of teaspoons of sugar added once the onions are soft rather than the jar that Nigella has in her list of ingrediants.

Along with the honeyed sweet potato and chickpea dish below this was served with

• a pile of couscous that had a large handful of coriander, chopped, and seeds from large pomegranate stirred through it
• bowl of greek yoghurt that had crushed clove garlic and half teaspoon of dried oregenao mixed into it and olive oil drizzled over it.

Chickpeas and spinach with honeyed sweet potato
Not sure who was the original creator of this recipe. There are a number of similar recipes on the internet. The below is based on photocopy given to me by a chum with slight variations (as normal!).

500g sweet potatoes peeled and sliced 2.5cm thick pieces
700ml water
50g butter
4tbsp honey
salt

400g tin chickpeas, drained
2bsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1tbsp tomato puree
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1tsp sugar
1.5 tsp ground cumin
100g baby spinach

Put sweet potatoes, water, butter, honey with pinch of salt into wide saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer until sweet potato is close to tender. If there is large amount of liquid (which there always is for me) remove sweet potato with a slotted spoon and reduce the liquid to a sticky consistancy. Gently turn sweet potato back into sauce and keep warm.

In the meantime/in parallel - fry onion and seeds in oil until onion is golden brown. Add tomatao puree and cook for a minute stirring constantly. Add tinned toms sugar and ground cumin. Cook for 5 mins on medium heat then add spinach and chick peeas and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 mins and then check and adjust seasoning.

Serve with the sweet potatoe slices arranged on top of the chickpea and spinach mixture. Decorate with some coriander leaves



Now to find out which recipe Jane used for the limoncello and plum tart!

Moroccan Chicken and Olives

Lunch in the garden in the sun (yes some actual sun) with friends yesterday. A day later and I am writing this in front of the first log fire of autumn. Don't think I would have moved far today even if it was sunny again as we declared the early start of celebrations for a certain birthday yesterday evening and enjoyed, between two of us, the best bottle of red wine we've had this year -  a 2004 premiere cru Chateau Sant Augustin from Tunisia. Thank you Wilma and Paul! ..... I probably should add that we did also treat ourselves to a prefectly cooked, aged piece of fillet beef to accompany the wine.

Based on this recipe from Jenny Morris the below was enough for 6 adults with not much left over. Serve on a bed of plain cous cous and a green salad. A simple Balsamic and olive oil salad dressing did give a needed hint of sweetness.


4 packs of skinned, boned, chicken thigh (between 16 and 20 actual thighs) cut into large bite size chunks and season well with pepper

2 inches fresh ginger finely chopped
8 cloves garlic roughly chopped (NOT crushed)

2 bunches of spring onions, including tops, cut into shortish lengths (I'm talking cutting into four the short thin spring onions we get in the UK - otherwise roughly chop about 8)
330g jar of pitted green olives in brine drained and halved.
2 medium sized preserved lemons finely chopped (I used 3, and should have used 4, from the jar I had. Think about the size of fresh lemons and guage from there)
2 oz butter and 2 tbsp rapeseed oil cold pressed if you have it

Herbs - chopped:

4 tbsps fresh coriander

4 tbsps flat-leaf parsley

4 tbsps dill (or 3 tbsps fennel leaves)

4 tbsps mint

4 tbsps chives

4 tbsps basil

Fry the chicken thighs in oil in batches - 5 minutes for each batch. For the last two batches include the ginger and garlic.[Put each cooked batch into a large pan, or flame proof casserole dish, that is on a low heat]

Turn up the heat under the pan with the chicken in it and add the spring onions, olives, preserved lemon, butter and oil. Cook for a further 5 minutes stirring frequently.

Stit in the herbs, remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes for the flavours of the herbs to infuse This happens to be the amount of time it takes to prepare the cous-cous. More than 5 minutes will not harm by any means!


Serve on a bed of plain cous cous and a green salad. From my point of view, a simple Balsamic and olive oil salad dressing did give a needed hint of sweetness.

Broad bean and feta salad

A recipe from one of my best friends Naomi. The last bits of this salad were fought over at the post Open Gardens bbq in July! You can halve quantities if you want but would only recommend doing so for less than 4 people. But that is from view point of someone who would eat this salad on its own every day:)

Put 2 bags of frozen broad beans into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for one minute and drain. Remove outer skin from each of the beans suggest you delegate this or have a good film to watch whilst doing this. Rinse shelled beans in cold water.

Add large handful of chopped fresh mint

Optionally - add one finely chopped small red onion

Mix in a block of feta cheese that has been chopped into small cubes

Mix together 2tbsp olive oil, 2tbsp white wine vinegar, juice of one lemon and freshly ground pepper. Add to the other ingredients.

Chill and serve

Cheese Shortbread Biscuits

My m-in-law made the small thicker variants for silver wedding anniversary party last year. I made a double batch of the thinner ones yesterday to accompany post church drinks today. Melt in mouth and moreish either way!

6oz plain flour
1st salt
0.5tsp mustard powder
3oz fine semolina
4oz strong cheddar
6oz butter

Heat oven to 150C
Grease large baking tray
Mix flour, salt, semolina and mustard powder
Add cheese and butter - work together to get a smooth dough (in food processor is quickest)
Roll into a couple of sausage shapes of max 1 inch diameter. Chill for at least an hour.
Cut into half cm discs. Place onto baking tray(s) and cook for about 15 minutes until  lightly golden.

M-in-laws original recipe, which is for a biscuit sandwich, differs once you get to the smooth dough stage:
Roll out to approx half inch on floured board.
Cut into small biscuits (and I mean small - half inch max) and put on baking tray
Bake for 40-50 minutes.
When cool sandwich with cream cheese - plain or with some paprika mixed in - or with whatever takes your fancy

Cucumber, cashew nut and rice noodle salad

Yet another recipe that I promised to send to someone and found I hadn't typed up! This is refreshing light salad that goes well with satay chicken or vegetables, or with chicken marinated in a thai/chinese sauce. If the latter then you could use fish sauce (as per the Bill Granger's recipe that the below is based on) or white wine vinegar in place of the lime juice.

3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp caster sugar

1 small red chilli finely chopped

1 tbsp veg oil

Mix together until sugar has dissolved

Add:

Small handful mint leaves - chopped

4 spring onions sliced finely

Halve lengthwise a large cucumber and finely slice using a mandaolin

Combine with dressing

Pour boiling water over
200g/7oz vermicelli rice noodles (you can use normal rice noodles but the thiner ones are best)
as in cook according to packaging. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Crush 2 tbsp cashew nuts

Combine cucumber, nuts and noodles. Serve with chicken or veg and enjoy!

'Poor Man's' Brulee with fruit

A favourite from my childhood.
I took this to a BBQ on Friday to share with local chums. Made double so could do the same for lunch on Saturday with friends from university days. At request of the former group...

For a 1.5l  dish which serves 8:

Lightly stew fruit(s) of choice with sugar until soft. You need enough to give about a 2.5cm layer at bottom of the dish. Leave to cool.

Whip 600ml double cream to firmish peaks stage
Fold in 750ml - 1 litre greek style yogurt depending on taste (personally I like to use on the higher side. Do note that you can use natural yoghurt just use closer to 600ml as it is 'sharper' in taste)

Put cooled fruit into bottom of dish. Spoon the cream and yogurt on top to just below the top of the dish. Sprinkle over a layer of dark brown soft sugar then chill for a number of hours. The sugar 'melts' into the top of the cream mixture during this time. About 30 minutes before serving add another layer of sugar.


I used redcurrants and blackberries in the fruit layer this weekend. Thank you Kate for the BBQ!

Got some mixture left over? Make a smaller bowl to enjoy separately. Equally yummie, if less healthy, without the fruit layer:)

Leek and Potato Soup

A great friend of mine was talking to me a couple of weeks ago about her life-long dislike of onions but how she has now got into eating leeks especially leek and potato soup. Having dithered about how to use the last of the leeks from the garden, I was trying to find the rice crust quiche recipe I made many years back, her comment about blitzing it 'til smooth decided me on making soup from the leeks that were going over (as in beginning to put up flower shoots). Great way of using them! More on rice crust quiches another time.

Leeks - finely sliced. Saute in oil on medium heat for a couple of minutes
Potatoes - same weight, or slightly over, as leeks - diced. Add to leeks
Cover with stock of choice (chicken or vegetable) and simmer until potatoes are cooked.
Season with salt, pepper and either Worcestershire sauce or soya sauce.
Blitz with hand blender until smooth adding either more stock or milk to get consistency of choice.
Serve:)