Crunchy nut

Well, it's been a great couple of days and I have started the bank holiday as I mean to go on- friends, food and well…more food!

After a heavy duty night of chitter chatter around a big table of tapas style munching, me and the girls fancied a treat that would be fun, but a little lighter on the tum. I suddenly remembered a simple cookie recipe and of course, after a rummage in the old cupboards, knew we could glamour these babies up.

Introducing my honey, coconut and pistachio giant cookie monsters.

Ingredients

1. 300g plain flour

2. 250g margarine (room temperature)

3. 140g caster sugar

4. 1 egg yolk

5. Bowl of crushed pistachios

6. Handful of desiccated coconut

7. Roughly 3 tbsp honey

Steps

1. Mix the margarine and sugar until dissolved (by hand)

2. Add the egg yolk

3. Pipe the mixture into circles onto a sheet of greaseproof paper

4. Now place in the oven for 20 mins gas 150 degrees, middle shelf.

5. Once these are golden, remove from the oven and spoon a half tsp honey per cookie, and add a sprinkling of pistachios and desiccated coconut.

6. If you can bare the wait, allow to cool for 10mins and devour.

Mo-rocking chicken

One thing you absolutely mustn't do during Ramadan is watch cookery programmes- firstly, they can make you pretty hungry, but the second and more fatal, is, no matter what you are watching being cooked, you want. Strike that…the first thing you see being cooked, you want. Case and point, this morning, and my hubbie and I watching Rick Stein in Morocco- now, all of a sudden, this is what we 'HAVE TO EAT TONIGHT'. OK, so as we have no ingredients at home, we trek to Tesco and even though we somehow leave the all important cous cous at the counter, my husband is at present going to purchase some more… I tell you, it becomes an obsession.

However, despite all of this shlepping, I'm a pretty big fan of Moroccan cuisine- the colours, the spices- serious treats for the eyes and tum. Tagines, on the other hand were a bit of bother to me- the idea of dates in tagines or overcooked vegetables really left me feeling a little underwhelmed, but after visiting Marrakech last year, I learned that tagines are so versatile. You can literally put anything in it, and they become little pots of personality. So, as I don't like dates in tagines- in my pot of gold, I've taken them out, and overcooked vegetables? I just add them later. No set ingredients- often what I have in the garden or left over in the fridge.

Give this a go- Mo-rocking chicken with a side of spinach and lemon and squashed coriander and tomato salad.

Ingredients

To serve 3-4 people

Chicken tagine

1. 1 baby chicken

2. 1 onion (finely chopped)

3. 1/21 inch ginger (finely chopped)

4. 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

5. 1 tsp cumin seeds

6. 1 tsp fennel seeds

7. 1 tsp all purpose seasoning powder

8. 1 tsp coriander powder

9. 1 tsp cayenne pepper

10. 1 tbsp tomato puree

11. 1 tbsp honey

12. 1 carrot (cut into big pieces)

13. 1 courgette (cut into big pieces)

14. Handful of green beans

Steps

1. Heat a heavy base pan with 3 tbsp vegetable oil.

2. Add the onions and cumin and fennel seeds. 

3. Once these are brown, add the chicken pieces, and the garlic, ginger and powders 7-9. Stir and add tomato puree and honey.

4. Add 2 cups water and leave to boil for 20mins.

5. Now add the cut vegetables, and leave to cook for a further 10/15mins. (If you like them more cooked, you can add these earlier).

6. With the final minutes to go, add the handful of green beans. If you do like dates, add these in now. If you like olives- add in now!

Spinach and lemon

1. 1 bunch fresh spinach (finely chopped)

2. 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

3. 1/2 onion (finely chopped)

4. 1/4 lemon diced (with skin on)

Steps

1. Add ingredients 1-3 to a pan.

2. As the spinach is fresh, it will cook really fast, so keep turning it and smashing up the onions and garlic.

3. This should take only a matter of about 5mins, so with the final few stirs, add the lemon pieces and work into the spinach.

Squashed coriander and tomato salad

1. 4 ripe tomatoes (finely sliced)

2. Handful of coriander (finely chopped)

3. 1/2 lemon (finely chopped)

4. 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps

1. As all ingredients are finely diced/ sliced. Put the contents into a large bowl, and squeeze! Best part of the whole process- I like to imagine I'm doing my own neck massage- work those knots!

2. Finish with some salt and olive olive- ooooh. emmm. geee. Delish!

Compare the Market

Yesterday was a triumphant day for Jamaica, as Usain 'Bolted' in the 100m men's run last night- but Catford itself had it's own victory yesterday as it's Fortnightly market hit for a second time and actually had a spot of glorious sun to seal it's approval.

This time, I had been asked back as a photographer! Blush blush, yes, check my snip snaps and more on the Official site: Lewisham Fortnightly site

Olympic Flames

It's finally here- day one of the Olympics- home turf, big up, much love- this is epic!

After all the crazy building, lane closures and inconvenient construction, we Brits finally get to see the fruits of our labour- a glorious Olympic Stadium and a country of united fans all proudly awaiting the starter pistol's shot at 20:12 this evening. Now, I'm not even a big sports fan (as my best friend, Karen, will attest- I was the very chubby kid picked last on sports day and thinking up any excuse to get out of sponsored walks), however years later, the thought of watching someone else in the prime of their sporting life, in my home town, battling it out for a gold medal- well, I salute you, sir.

So, today's menu has got to be EPIC. As usual I asked my hubbie what he felt liked eating today, and unflinching, he replied "Meat and Burger". Should have known, eh? Men, and bravado only ever mean Meat! So dedicated to the one I love, for the country I love, here they are, my Olympic Flames.

Makes 4 burgers.

Ingredients 

1. 2 tsp coriander powder

2. 2 tbsp soya sauce

3. 1 tbsp tomato paste

4. 3 tsp all seasoning powder

5. 2 tsp ground cinnamon

6. 1 tsp chilli powder

7. Minced lamb

Steps


1. Add ingredients 1-6 to to the minced lamb.

2. Fork the mixture together

3. Make into balls, flatten and drizzle with olive oil on both sides

5. Flame grill or barbecue for approx 10mins

I've done some 'Olympic' onion rings to have on the side- anything circular, really. Slice them up and show your support London!

Oh, Soup's you Sir!

OK, so day 4 of Ramadan- as sod's law would have it, the weather has picked up and the sun is in full beam. Bright and sunny, but also this means sticky tubes and sweaty journey's home- lovely.

So, by the time it comes to break your fast, water and replenishment of the day's nutrients is essential. A big tip I'd give anyone who is fasting, is to pace the amount that is eaten for Iftar (evening meal to break the fast). And the best way of doing that is by having a light starter before your main meal. Tempting as it might be to delve into a tasty fried treat, the truth is, after a long day of being without any food or drink, your body needs to be eased into eating again. This poached egg and chicken broth is perfect for this. I've snuck in a few vegs for my meat loving hubbie, and as a result, I know there is a good balance of flavour and sustenance.

Poached egg and chicken broth 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1. 1 chicken breast

2. 1 inch ginger

3. 1 table spoon sesame oil

4. 1 table spoon fish sauce

5. 1 table spoon oyster sauce

6. 2 table spoons soya sauce

7. 1.5litres water

8. 1 finely chopped carrot

9. Handful of sweetcorn

10. 4 eggs

11. 1 spring onion

Steps

1. Simply add ingredients 1-7 in a deep pan and leave to boil for 20mins

2. Once the stock has thickened slightly, add the carrots and sweetcorn and boil for a further 10mins

3. Add salt and pepper

4. Now, crack the eggs in the pan. Bring to boil for 6 mins (If you do not feel confident about poaching the egg in the broth, then you can do this step separately and add the eggs later) 

5. Garnish with spring onions and serve

Serve hot and, I rarely say this, take your time and eat! Remember, this may be a main event recipe, but is still a first course serve- so pace yourself!

Happy Ramadan!

I know I've been a bit remiss with my blogging for a while- and hand on heart, I'm very sorry about that. I was in two minds about starting to post again today with it being the first day of Ramadan, but I thought as long as I keep the pictures non-drooly, we'd be OK, and thought it would be a great time to write some great recipes for those who have been fasting.

So what is Ramadan? Ramadan is a religious period of time where Muslims practice self-restraint and abstain from the act of eating and drinking throughout the hours of sunrise and sun-set to focus on faith and purification.

But no, Ramadan is not fasting all day and gorging at night. The vast majority of Muslims understand how important the balance of food is, and therefore ironically eat better in this month as they need to fuel their body appropriately.

Hopefully this month, I will be preparing meals that will ease fasting and break fasting, and hopefully along the way, I'll be able to share some recipes that might be enjoyed be others as well!

OK, here's a very basic one, Fruit smoothie:

You can really make any combination, but I've gone for high berry content smoothie- Berry smoothies are very nutritional, as they contain vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants, and a lot of other nutrients as well. I've chucked in a handful of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and cherry. You can also add in apples, bananas and whatever flavour you fancy as there really is no hard and fast rule. However, if you can get your hands on a nice big watermelon- the high level of water content will make the smoothie thinner in consistency. After a long day of fasting, you don't want a chunky monkey type of smoothie- but rather one that's got a good level of nutrients in it, and will be easy to drink.

This is ideal for morning Sehri (mealtime before fasting) or Iftar (mealtime after fasting). If you're having for Sehri- team up with some porridge or dates, and other slow releasing foods- the high water content of the smoothie is important as this also works to give you storage for the day. 

Ok, so here it is, the most basic of all Ramadan recipes. Simple and effective, and frankly a shot of what I drink on a day to day basis anyway! Enjoy! 

Nest 'n' Easy

Well, I must say yesterday was a fantastic day! After about a million days of not seeing her, my good friend Tasha came over and we indulged ourselves in painting our nails, eating too much food and getting sunburnt in the garden- plans were to do it again today, but in true Brit spirit, yesterday's sun calls for today's rain.

So, missing the summer sun? Get to the kitchen and make yourself some summer mess- meringues, fresh strawberries and cream! Yuuu-um!

Serves 3

Ingredients for the meringues

1. 1 egg white

2. 2oz caster sugar

Steps

1. Whisk the egg whites, until they soft peaks

2. Add in the sugar, one table spoon at a time, and whisk until smooth

3. I've piped them into mini meringues, but make them whatever shape you fancy.

4. Bake slowly for 30-35mins at 150 degrees, middle shelf.

Assemble

Tasha brought some juicy red strawberries, but you can use any fruits. Just cut these up, sprinkle with a bit of icing sugar, add some cream and mix in your meringues. If you have a little bit of jam and mint, now's a good time to garnish, and for the more healthier punters, you can opt for greek yoghurt instead of cream. Head to the garden and enjoy, or, on a day like today, whack on the TV and get to munching. Here's to the sun, British summer and all!