Mexican Shepherd's Pie

I have no ide whether a Mexican Shepherd would eat this!  It just seemed like the best name for an improvised dish that will be cooked again and again, it was so delicious (and simple and cheap, other qualities to recommend it by).  It is, essentially, chickpeas, tomato and spinach or kale cooked with chilli, cumin and paprika, then topped with a coriander and Parmesan mash - great for veggies if you use a suitable cheese alternative.  All you do is saute an onion, chopped (I used a red one, but go with whatever you have) in a tablespoon of oil until softening, then add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a finely chopped red chilli, a heaped teaspoon each of ground cumin, sweet paprika (not the smoked kind) and dried oregano.  Stir for a moment then add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas.  Season,, bring to a simmer and let it cook and reduce a little until thick - around 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, boil or steam about 750g to 1K of mashing potatoes (Maris Piper of King Edward's for me).  When the chickpea mix has reduced, cram in either a 200g bag of spinach or in my case, a head of Cavalo Nero kale that had just arrived in the Riverford box, well washed and thinly shredded.  Allow this to cook and wilt - a matter of moments for spinach but for around 5 minutes if you use the kale.  Tip the saucy mixture into a pie dish (see photo).  Now, mash the spuds, and mix in about 30g of butter and a couple of tablespoons of milk, and season well with salt and pepper.  Grate 50g of Parmesan or veggie equivalent, and stir 30g into the potato, along with some chopped coriander leaf - about 20g should do.  Don't miss this bit out, the flavour combo is divine!  Spread over the chickpea mix.  Now, mix the remaining Parmesan with a tablespoon or so of breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top.  Bake at 180 for 25-30 minutes until piping hot, crisp and bubbling.  This was soooooo good and would easily feed four with a salad, some extra veggies on the side or even some crusty bread and butter for a carb overload!  Qualifies for Under a Fiver easily.

Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa

This was a great accompaniment to some grilled fillets of mackerel last night.  The limey chilli flavour cut through the oiliness of the fish perfectly.  I removed the husk and silk from a fresh ear of corn and rubbed it in olive oil.  Then, it was roasted under a hot grill for about 10 minutes, turning every few minutes, until lightly toasted and the kernels are tender.  Allow to cool, before stripping the kernels off with a sharp knife, run from top to bottom of the corn head whilst holding it upright on a board.  Meanwhile, finely dice 4 cherry or 2 ordinary tomatoes and add to the corn kernels in a bowl.  Finely chop a small red onion or some spring onions and add to the corn and tomato.  Squeeze in the juice from a large lime, a couple of shakes of Tobasco sauce and a good bunch of coriander leaves, finely chopped.  Season to taste with salt - it needs quite a bit - and half a teaspoon of sugar if it is too acidic for you.  Allow to sit for half-an-hour, then serve with whatever you like - mackerel, grilled salmon, sausages, steak, chicken breast, griddled aubergine or courgettes, courgette fritters, or slices of grilled haloumi cheese.  Or just as a dip with tortilla chips.

Morrocan Aubergine

Another aubergine dish, following on from the Caponata a couple of weeks ago.  This simple recipe packs a flavour punch, and is at its best served at room temperature or cold, with extra oil drizzled over.  It is very adaptable and would serve 4-6 as an appetizer with pitta bread, or 4 people for a main course if you added a tin of chick peas and some wilted spinach.  However you have it, it is delicious and qualifies for the 'under a fiver' category.  In 3 tablespoons of olive oil, saute a large sliced onion until soft and translucent, over a medium heat.  Turn up the heat and add a large aubergine, cut into half-inch cubes, and toss and fry until soft and the flesh is turning golden in places.  It will soak up the oil - don't add any more, but sprinkle in a tablespoon or so of water if it dries out too much, and regulate the heat if necessary.  Throw in three cloves of chopped garlic, along with 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and half a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.  Stir for a moment, then add 4 or 5 chopped ripe tomatoes (you can skin them if you like, but I didn't bother).  Simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on until the tomatoes collapse and give off their juices.  Now, allow to cool to room temperature and stir in some chopped coriander and mint.  Taste for salt and pepper, squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, drizzle on some of your very best extra virgin olive oil and serve.  By the way, I elected to serve mine with some pieces of spankingly-fresh sustainable cod, dusted with some Ras-al Hanout and drizzled with oil, then grilled until just cooked.  With more lemon squeezed over, it was a perfect meal for a warm evening.

Guacamole

For many years, I have eschewed the avocado, believing I didn't like it.  Then I watched the expert on Mexican food, Thomasina Meirs, making guacamole and thought I'd have a go - especially as I'd been sent a couple of avocados in my veg box.  And, Dear Reader, I now love it so much I could marry it.  Miers' recipe is probably as authentic as it can get, and utterly, utterly delicious.  Mind you, I suspect that has more to do with the prodigious quantities of coriander leaf and lime in it than the actual avocado.  She starts by bashing a clove or two of garlic in a pestle and mortar with the stems and roots (if you have them) of a good bunch of coriander, and a small red chilli.  Add salt as an abrasive and bash and mash until an intensely fragrant slurry forms.  Now prepare your avocados - 2 large ripe ones - the usual way and mash roughly in a bowl with a fork.  Scrape in the slurry from the pestle - or is it the mortar?  Add the juice of a lime, or more to taste, and half a red onion, finely chopped, a tomato, roughly chopped and the bunch of coriander leaves roughly chopped.  Taste and add more salt, some pepper, more lime if liked and a good splash of Tobasco to pep up the flavours.  We served half the bowl tonight in tortilla wraps with some strips of spiced chicken, and the rest will accompany courgette and mozarella fritters tomorrow.  I think I am addicted..........

Golden Vegetable Tagine with Couscous

A nice sunny day in the kitchen, making cheap, cheerful and very filling Veggie Tagine with Couscous.  Vegetable tagines are moveable feasts, depending on what's in season.  In the summer, I make them a little like a spiced ratatouille with peppers and tomatoes and aubergines.  In the winter, though, squashes and root veg take very well to warm North African spices so I used up some carrots and a butternut squash in this version.  I peeled and diced a large Spanish onion, 4 cloves of garlic and a 'thumb' of fresh ginger, and chopped them all quite fine.  Then I peeled and diced equal quantities of butternut squash and carrots.  Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in 3 tablespoons of olive oil - do this gently and slowly so it remains sweet and pale in colour.  Now prepare your spices: crumble a good pinch of saffron stamens in a tablespoon of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to steep.  Measure out a heaped teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika (not the smoked variety).  Add to this a quarter teaspoon each of Cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon.  Add all the dried spices to the sweated onions and stir for a moment or two to 'awaken' the spice.  Now stir in the squash and carrots, the saffron water and a pint of veg stock (Marigold is fine).  Stir in a dessertspoon of tomato puree and a handful of chopped dried apricots (optional, but I like the sweetness in this dish).  Also tip in a 400g tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas (I like the East End brand). Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so until the veg is becoming tender.  Remove the lid and bubble off some of the liquid if it is watery.  Serve with rice, in which case add lots of chopped fresh coriander to the tagine, or I like to serve it with Lemon and Coriander couscous - instant couscous soaked in equal quantity-by-volume of boiling veg stock, into which a clove of garlic has been grated, lots of black pepper and a couple of spoons of olive oil.  Cover well and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze in the juice of a lemon and masses of chopped coriander.  YUM-MEE!  If you have any ras-al-hanout spice mix, add a teaspoon to the tagine 5 minutes before serving, and if you like it really hot, add harissa to taste.

Roasted Sweetcorn Salsa

Undeterred by a colleague's fond memories of 'fishing' in Cardiff Bay in the 1970s (basically, standing on a pontoon in Barry Docks and scooping dead fish out as they floated past), I have opted for grilled Cornish Sardines for tea tonight.  I love them slashed in 2 or 3 places, rubbed with olive oil, sprinkled with lots of crunchy Malvern sea salt and coarsely-ground black pepper, and grilled until the skin is charred and blistered - heavenly!  AND I even like the bones.  Being oily, sardines need something sharp to take the edge off them, and this sweet and limey salsa does the trick.  You brush a couple of ears of corn with oil and grill under a hot element for about 10 minutes, turning from time to time.  Allow to cool a little and then, carefully hilding them upright with a cloth, cut downwards with a sharp knife to release the kernels.  Then simply mix with a peeled and skinned chopped tomato, a finely-chopped red onion, lots of chopped coriander and plenty of fresh lime.  If not watching the calories, add a tablespoon or two of oil as well, and season with salt, pepper and Tabasco.  Serve in generous spoonfuls with your grilled sardines (or mackerel, if you are lucky enought to be in the West Country).

Chickpea, Chorizo and Spinach with Poached Eggs

Inspired by a recipe from the wonderful Mark Hix, this is a simple, yet full-on flavoured dish for a quick supper.  You saute a sliced onion in a tablespoon of olive oil, with about 120g of chopped chorizo - let the onion soften and the sausage render its smoky paprika oil.  Add a clove of garlic, crushed, and half a teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, along with a pinch of cinnamon.  Tip in a tin of drained chickpeas (I use the dead cheap but brilliant East End brand) and add 200ml of water.  Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to amalgamate the flavours and reduce the liquid a bit.  Now throw in about 100g of rinsed baby spinach leaves and allow to wilt.  Finish with a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaf, and serve with a poached egg per person.  With crusty bread to mop up the oily juices, this is ample for 2 people.

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

I fancied some dal and some carrot and coriander soup and had the idea to combine them into a cheap, cheerful and very nutritious soup.  Another one suitable for vegans, if so inclined (see the red cabbage recipe previous to this)

• 2 tsp cumin seed, toasted in a pan
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• pinch chilli flakes or a finely chopped red chilli
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 600g carrots , washed and grated 
• 140g split red lentils
• 1litre hot vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
• bunch of coriander, washed and chopped

Toast the cumin seeds, dry, in a pan, and when the aroma starts to rise and they change colour a little, tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder.  Mix with the coriander powder and chilli flakes or fresh chilli.  Heat the oil in the pan and gently fry the onion until softened, adding the garlic and the spices for the final minute or so.  Now, just add the rinsed lentils, the grated carrots and the stock.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or so until all is tender.  I pureed the soup, with the coriander in, until smooth, but you could leave it unblended and stir the coriander through.  Yummy! (post script:  I am reminded of Nigel's Spiced Pumpkin and Dal soup, which was one of the first things made in the Challenge last year.  As I have numerous small pumpkins and squashes from Riverford in the flat, I will revisit this!)

Sweetcorn with Chilli and Coriander Butter

We have a bit of a veg glut in the house at the moment, so lots of veggie dishes recently, which is no bad thing.  After starting with a big bowl of my favourite beetroot soup, served with crisp bread croutes and melting goats' cheese with fresh thyme, we had chunks of corn-on-the-cob slathered with chilli and coriander butter.  Very simple to make - take about 4 oz or 100g of butter and allow to soften to room temperature.  In a pestle and mortar, crush a clove of garlic with a little salt, then add the grated zest of a lime and a finely chopped red chilli - I used a teaspoon of Lazy Chilli.  Mix a little then add the softened butter, and mash all together.  When amalgamated, add a couple of tablespoons of chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime juice.  Mix well, and either shape into a log, wrapped in clingfilm (it freezes well this way) or just dollop on the freshly cooked or barbecued corn.  Delicious!

Roasted Mackerel with North African Spices [#221]

Hayman's fishmonger in Oxford's Covered Market had beautiful, ultra-fresh mackerel, so rare to find away from the coast. So, we had to do this superb recipe from Mitch Tonks. The North African Spices are actually something called Chermoula, a vivid green, slushy rub made up from masses of fresh coriander, parsley and mint, blitzed in a processor with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, chilli, ground coriander and cumin. This is spooned over, and rubbed into, whole mackerel, that has been slashed a couple of times, and left to marinate for an hour or so. Then, roast the fish on a foil-covered baking sheet in a really hot oven (220C) for 12 minutes or so and serve with more lemon for squeezing over. I accompanied it with saffron rice mixed with roasted peppers, onions and aubergines. Really great dish, and fantastic, I imagine, for the barbie in the summer.

Trout Fillets with a Lime and Spice Crust [#208]

The first Judith Wills' recipe in the Challenge, and we fancied something light after the pasta and meatball lunchfest! Judith uses salmon in the recipe, but M&S had lovely trout fillets, so I used those instead. They are topped with a breadcrumb crust flavoured with lime zest and juice, five spice powder and cumin, garlic and ginger, and chopped coriander. Mixed with a few teaspoons of olive oil and spread over the fish, a quick 8 minutes in a hot oven provided a light, zesty and low-fat supper (290 cals per serving with salmon, so lower with trout). Served with broccoli and a few spoons of potatoes baked in a little oil, it was very nice. No photo, sadly, as I didn't want it to get cold!

Squid with Lime and Thyme [#191]

Well, I took real liberties with this one, but as it is near the end, I think I am entitled! The original recipe calls for squid to be chargrilled then dressed with lime juice and thyme. Here's how I changed it:

• used coriander leaf instead of thyme


• used a misture of squid, prawns and scallops


• quickly stir-fried in a stonkingly hot wok, rather than chargrilling, then tossed with lime and the chopped coriander


• stirred through egg noodles that had been dressed with sesame oil and soy

So, a radically different version using Nigel's recipe as an interpretation and idea. Jolly nice, though. Next time, will add some chilli.

Only two recipes to go!

A Crisp Salad for a Cold Day [#171]

A sparky little salad, this, made for Hubby's lunch tomorrow. Using left over roast chicken from Sunday (in addition to a potato-topped pie and Cock-a-Leekie Soup), mixed with cucumber, tomatoes, carrot and salad leaves with a lime, sweet chilli, ginger and coriander dressing to toss through at the last moment. Can't find this online, but scarcely a recipe anyway, more of an idea

A Squid in the Fryer [#156]

Lovely fresh squid in the Covered Market today. I under-bought and was short of enough for us both, so supplemented this dish with some fresh king prawns too. I didn't cook this very well, as the squid rings (and prawns) were supposed to emerge crisp from a dousing in flour and a fast fry in a little oil. I think I over-crowded the pan as the fish came out soggy. Still, it tasted delicious - not at all rubbery, and tossing it in finely-chopped red chilli, garlic and coriander (with a spritz of lime too at the end) made the flavours sing. So I shall know next time to a) buy more squid and b) cook it in batches. Very nice with rice and stir-fried spinach and courgette with sesame oil. No online recipe, sorry - but then, it is scarcely a recipe in the book, either, more a narrative of a cooking method.

Lamb-Filled Flatbread [#140]

Bit of a Nigelthon this evening, with this dish accompanied by two of his salads. This was a nice way to eat a lean lamb fillet, marinated in garlic, cumin and coriander, then roasted for 20 minutes. Sliced thinly, and stuffed into excellent Loyd Grossman pitta breads, it was a simple, Middle-Easternish supper.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Couscous [#118]

Please PLEASE do not follow Nigel's suggested ratio of stock to dry couscous, or else you will end up with a clarty porridge instead of nice separate grains. He suggests half a litre of stock to 150g couscous - I suggest more like a quarter of a litre. In fact, I always measure couscous and liquid by equal volume, rather than weight.

There. I have that off my chest! Otherwise, nice tasty recipe, excellent flavouring from preserved lemon (which I'd never used before. Wonder why?), aubergine, mint and coriander. I used the remains of a roast chicken from last night, which I kept in big chunks and quickly heated on the griddle pan. Served with two more Nigel recipes as sides: courgettes with lemon and basil, and roast tomatoes with anchovy and basil. A nice Med vibe to the meal. Good to get back to Nigel after a very busy week's absence.

Chicken and Rice Salad [#104]

I must admit that I approached this recipe with a little trepidation - cold rice and chicken, anyone? Let me tell you, it was delicious! It needs a vibrant dressing, of course, to bring it to life, and Nigel's use of Asian flavours was just right - chilli, lime, nam pla. I added chopped coriander as well as the mint. Lovely, served with a watercress and tomato salad. Healthy, quick and cheap and leftovers for hubby for lunch too. As for the the sprouting beans, I picked up a little tub of sprouting bean and pea salad from Marks and Sparks which was perfect. Sadly, no online recipe - buy the book!!!

Prawn and Coriander Rolls

Oooh, these were so good. I've commented before how good Nigel is at patties and savoury cakes, and these were no excpetion. We made them small as a canape to go with a delicious cocktail of Bacardi, fresh lemon juice and ginger beer. We placed them on individual crisp baby gem lettuce leaves, and drizzled with sweet chilli sauce mixed with soy. Totally yummy, and we'll make them again, for sure.

Pork Burgers with Lime Leaves and Coriander

These little Thai flavoured burgers were gorgeous, sticky and deeply flavoured with kaffir lime leaves (frozen and finely chopped in a packet from Waitrose - brilliant time-saver), ginger, chilli, coriander and garlic. Served with egg-fried rice with peas, sweetcorn and edamame beans stirred through, and little dipping dishes of soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce mixed together. Spritzed with lime before serving, the whole plate sang with Asian flavours. We even have half the mixture to stash away in the freezer - yippee! This is definitely one to eat again.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Mint, Coriander and Lemon

What's not to like? Good chicken stock, strips of roast chicken, noodles and masses of coriander and mint. However, we added carrot and celery julienne, a handful of baby spinach and chives to give it even more colour and our veg for the day.