Lamb Tagine

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil for cooking
500 g lean lamb minced
1 large onion roughly chopped
2 large carrots cut into small chunks
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp ras-el-hanout spice mix
400 g can tomatoes chopped
400 g can chickpeas rinsed and drained
200 g dried apricots (use the 'hardest' ones)
600 ml chicken stock hot
120 g pack pomegranate seeds

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180℃.
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb on all sides.  Scoop the lamb out onto a casserole dish.
  3. Add the onion and carrots to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins until golden.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more.
  4. Stir in the spices and tomatoes.  Season.
  5. Tip the lamb back in, along with the chickpeas and apricots.
  6. Pour over the stock, stir and bring to a simmer.  Then tip it all back into the casserole.
  7. Cover the dish and place in the oven for 1 hour.
  8. If the lamb is still a little tough, give it 20 mins more until tender.  When ready, leave it to rest so it’s not piping hot.

Serve scattered with pomegranate, with couscous or rice alongside.

Pissaladiere

Ingredients

1 bulb garlic already roasted  (A whole bulb not just one small clove.)
500 g onions finely sliced
sprigs thyme
1 pack puff pastry
1 can anchovies
handful black olives
olive oil for cooking

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large, wide pan.  Fry the onions for 20 – 30 mins until softened and lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
  2. Stir in the thyme, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes more.  Leave to cool a little.
  3. Heat oven to 200°C.
  4. Unroll the pastry into a neat 40 x 25cm rectangle.  Put on a large, lightly oiled baking sheet.  Score a border and pop in the fridge.
  5. Spread the mashed garlic and then the onion mixture over the pastry.  Arrange the anchovies in a criss-cross pattern, and stud each with as olive.
  6. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden.

Serve hot or cold.

Spicy Pork Chops

(Also known as: Pork Chops in Mexican Sauce and Pork Chops in Hot Tomato Sauce)

Ingredients

1 tsp chilli flakes
1 can Campbells condensed tomato soup
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp cumin
pork chops

Method

  1. Put all the ingredients except the pork chops into a blender and blend until smooth. (This can be done without a blender but will result in a "coarser" sauce and requires the onion to be even more finely chopped.)
  2. Score the pork chops to allow the sauce to penetrate deeper.
  3. In a shallow frying pan, marinade the pork chops in the sauce for a few hours (covered). This can been done overnight (in a sealed food bag) in a fridge, too.
  4. Cover and cook in the pan on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Turn the chops and cook on the other side for another ten minutes.
  5. Check and turn the chops until fully cooked.
  6. Serve with rice.

Portobello Burger with Tomatoes and Rosemary Aïoli

Vegetarian.  Serves 4.

Best on a sunny summer's day, or when you want to be reminded of one.

Ingredients

For the burger:

4 portobello (big) mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 to 4 tbsp olive oil
2 beefsteak (big) tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
4 burger buns (or pitta breads, flat breads, etc.)
optional
toppings 		½ red onion
rocket or other salad leaves
thinly sliced cheese
bacon or Parma ham

For the aïoli:

1 fat garlic clove, chopped
½ tsp coarse sea salt
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
½ tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp mayonnaise
freshly squeezed lemon juice

Technique

Make the Aïoli:  Mash the garlic with the salt to form a paste.  Mash in the chopped rosemary and then mix in the oil, beat in the mayonnaise and add the lemon juice to taste.

Make the burgers:  Heat a heavy frying pan.  Brush the mushrooms liberally all over with the olive oil then rub with salt and pepper.  Add to the pan and then cook over a high heat until tender.  (You may need to add more oil if the mushrooms are particularly absorbent.)

Remove from the pan and keep the mushrooms warm.  Add the tomato slices to the hot pan and sear briefly for about 30 seconds on each side.

Assemble:  Split the buns and spread with butter.  Add onion rings, mushrooms, tomatoes, aïoli, bacon/ham, cheese and salad leaves.  Close the buns and serve.

Red Thai Prawn Curry

Ingredients

2 stalks lemongrass
1 tbsp? fresh red curry paste
2 or 3 cloves garlic
2 red peppers in oil
1 heaped tsp tomato purée
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cm ginger root, peeled
200 g small cooked prawns
200 g sugar snap peas
400 g coconut milk
olive oil for cooking
optional
ingredients		 8 large, unpeeled prawns
lime wedges

Method

  1. In a food processer, mix the red curry paste, adding the bashed up stalks of lemongrass, chilli, garlic, red peppers, tomato puree, fish oil, soy sauce, ginger root and sesame oil.  Blitz to a paste.
  2. If used, fry the large raw prawns in a frying pan with olive oil for 1 minute, then add 1tbsp of the paste and cook for another minute. Tip the lot into a casserole and put in a 200°C oven.
  3. Add some more oil to the pan and gently fry the sugar peas and small prawns.  Add the rest of the paste and fry for a minute or two before adding the coconut milk.

Serve with rice.  Add the large prawns on the top, for decoration, along with the lime wedges.