Cyder with Eloise

May 23, 2010

Shami Kebabs & Flat Breads

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , , — tamara @ 12:27 pm

I have been testing different flat bread recipes to replace my reliance upon to store bought pitta bread, I knew I could do better but I had struggled until now to find a method that produced flat bread that would last a few days so that I could bake them on the weekend and still use them for week day lunches.

Flat Breads
Ingredients
200g white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp dried yeast
160ml water, tepid
1 tbsp olive oil

Method
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast by sprinkling it over the water and then add the olive oil to the water. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the water a little at a time while mixing by hand. Once all the water is incorporated knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes, add more flour or water as necessary to produce a soft, elastic dough. Leave the dough to rest for approximately 45 minutes.
Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy based frying pan.
Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll out each ball individually on a floured surface, into a rough circle approximately 15cm in diameter. Place the flat bread into the skillet and using a metal or wooden spatula press down evenly on the surface. Cook for 45 seconds each side. When you remove the flat bread from the pan immediately fold in half and place on a warm plate covered with a tea towel. Repeat with remaining flat breads.
If kept well covered these should last for two to three days. You can reheat them on a grill or BBQ or eat cold.

Shami Kebabs
Ingredients
500g minced lamb
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch ginger, grated
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 egg

Method
Grind all the spices together in a pestle and mortar, then add to the lamb & egg. Mix well and then form the meat into a sausage shape around skewers.

If you use wooden skewers then make sure you soak them first. 500g of mince should make about 8 kebabs.
For best results prepare the kebabs up to 24hrs in advance and refrigerated once prepared, this let the flavours develop and the shape of the kebab will be easier to maintain.
These are best cooked on a BBQ but you can grill them if you prefer.

Serve the kebabs with the flat bread some salad and tzatziki.

Tzatziki
Ingredients
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt (Total, full fat)
1/2 cucumber
1 handful of mint, finely chopped
pinch ground cumin
pinch of salt

Method
Grate the cucumber and squeeze out excess juices. Then mix all the ingredients together well.
This will last for a week in the fridge, just give the yoghurt a quick stir to bring the ingredients back together.

February 21, 2010

Indonesian style Lamb Curry with Mushrooms

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , — tamara @ 11:04 am

This is a really scrummy recipe. Even if you don’t normally like to cook curry’s from scratch please try to give this a go as it is very simple. As with most curry’s it benefits from being cooked early in the day and then left in the pan for 4 hours while you hit the pub. Just heat it up when you get home and serve with plain rice. We also served it with the pumpkin dal I made the other week.

In this recipe use a thick and creamy coconut milk, it is not worth trying to save calories over flavour, and if you want to save a few pennies in my local store anyway the thick and creamy version is 50p cheaper then the light version. Do not shake the can as you want to separate the cream from the top.

Ingredients
3 Shallots, peeled and quartered
5 Garlic cloves, peeled
2 inch Fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 Red pepper
4 tsp Coriander seeds
3 tsp Cumin seeds, roasted
3 Cardamom pods, seeds only
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
400ml Creamy coconut milk, separate the cream from the milk with a spoon and set the cream aside
3 tsp Groundnut oil
500g Lamb, cut into 1inch cubes
2 tbsp Tamarind paste
1 tbsp Fish sauce
300g Chestnut mushrooms

Method
Make a paste by blending the shallots, garlic, ginger and red pepper.
Grind the coriander, cumin and cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar, then add to the paste along with the remaining spices.
Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and when hot pour in the paste and fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes until the paste starts to thicken and darken.
Next add the lamb, stir to coat the meat with the paste and put the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the coconut milk, tamarind, fish sauce and 100ml of water to the pan, bring to a simmer and cover simmering for 30 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick you can turn the heat down or add more water but be careful not to make it too thin as the mushrooms will add a lot of their own water later.
Add the mushrooms, cover again and simmer for 30 minutes. If the sauce is too thin then leave the lid off to help it reduce. About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve stir in the coconut cream, adding extra fish sauce or chopped chilli’s to taste.

January 4, 2010

Lamb Chops

Filed under: Blog — Tags: , — tamara @ 7:09 pm

I have never been very good at keeping a diary. The only year I think I completed a full one was in 1990 (I remember keeping newspaper cuttings from the Gulf War). Then around 2003, I went through my de-cluttering phase (that’s not lasted either!), and I threw the diary out. Since then, the only effort I have made is to start out each year with the good intentions of listing what I had for dinner each day and referencing the cookbooks or my own recipes, that normally peters out in about June.

Since starting this blog I hadn’t given a thought about doing this again, but I came across the old ones and flicked through, just out of interest, to see what I was eating this time last year. To my surprise, being that I had already bought lamb chops for tonight, it was lamb. Moussaka

Something quick and easy tonight. We may be over the hump, and already optimistically looking towards summer, but it’s mighty cold out so something warming is good.

Lamb Chops with Dauphinoise Potatoes from the Cottage Smallholder to which I added a sliced leek with the potatoes and my home-made mint sauce. While the potatoes are cooking I coat the lamb chops in a little of the mint sauce.

September 11, 2009

Lamb Hotpot (Lancashire Hotpot)

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , — tamara @ 11:00 am


Serves 4

Ingredients:
1kg Neck of Lamb – Chopped in to bite size chunks
2 Onions – Peeled & Sliced
2 Celery Stalks – Chopped
1tbsp Plain Flour
500ml Lamb Stock (Much less for a stock pot – Approx 200ml)
50ml Red Wine
2 Leeks – Sliced
2 Carrots – Peeled & Sliced
Bay Leaf
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
1kg Potatoes – Peeled and Sliced
25g Butter – Small cubes

Method:
Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3.
Brown the lamb in a hot frying pan with a little oil and then remove with a slotted spoon from the frying pan and put in a casserole dish (or slow cooker) with the carrots and leeks.
Turn the heat down on the pan add some more oil if required and fry the onions and celery until soft, sprinkle over the flour and slowly add up to 1/3rd of the stock stirring all the while until the flour has thickened to a sauce, pop in the Bay Leaf and sprinkle on some Thyme and seasonings. Add the required amount of stock depending on your cooking method, then the wine and bring to the boil.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables and meat in the casserole dish, give a quick stir.
Arrange the potatoes over the top of the meat, and sprinkle small cubes butter over the top to help it brown. Then season the topping.
Cover the pot and cook for an hour and ½ with the lid on. Remove the lid and cook for at least 45 minutes more. (Slow cooker on medium – minimum of 6 hours lid on) To brown the topping you can place the pot under a hot grill for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with a nice Shiraz!

Camping: This recipie can also be cooked in a dutch oven, takes about 4 hours, or cook until the lamb is tender.

August 28, 2009

Lamb Kebabs

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , — tamara @ 11:48 am


Ingredients: – For 4 Skewers
2 Lamb Steaks
20 button mushrooms
20 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Chilli Flakes
1 Garlic Clove

Method:
In a pestle and mortar crush all the spices and garlic.
Cut the lamb into bite sized chunks and cover in the spice mixture for at least an hour.
Put on a BBQ skewer (if wooden you will need to have soaked it first), with the mushroom and tomatoes.
BBQ or grill until the Lamb is cooked to your preference turning regularly.

Serve with Lemon & Coriander Couscous and a Beetroot and Feta Salad.

NB: If you want to make up a batch of this seasoning (maybe to take camping!) then either don’t add the garlic until your ready to marinate or use a teaspoon of dried garlic in place of the fresh.

July 5, 2009

Moussaka

Filed under: Recipies — Tags: , , — tamara @ 3:15 pm


My first Aubergine flower is out. It’s my 3rd year of trying for Aubergines, I’m not a lucky gardener I think it knows I only want one thing from it – Food.

I can’t remember where I first learnt this recipe, some dishes become like second nature and I think you make them your own. I imagine there are 1000’s of recipes out there for Moussaka and every grandmother in Greece has her own family secret, well I’m not Greek and I am definitely not a Grandmother so I’m going to share mine.

If using fresh mince you may need to brown it and drain the fat off first, other wise I prefer to use left over lamb from a roast either chopped as finely as you can or better still run though a mincer on a large setting.
If there is a bone left over from the roast I’ll use that to make a lamb stock which I use in place of the water.

Some people like to put a béchamel sauce in between the layers but I find that too heavy.

Serves 4 (Unless you’re in my household where it’s a generous 2)

Ingredients:
1 large aubergine
1 onion
2 celery sticks
3 garlic cloves
500g minced lamb
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 can chopped tomatoes
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp star anise
2 tsp oregano
300ml water
150 ml yogurt (Greek)
1 egg
75g feta

Method:
Slice the aubergine and lightly brush with olive oil, grill on both sides.
Cook the onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the mince, puree, tomatoes, and herbs and water. Cook on the hob for at least 20 mins, the slower you cook it with the lid on the deeper the tomato flavour. Check for seasoning.
In a lasagne dish spread a layer of mince followed by a layer of aubergine, and repeat.
Whisk the yogurt, egg and crumbled feta together and pour evenly over the top.
Bake for at least 35 mins on gas mark 6 until the sauce has turned golden.

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