Potatoes and spinach

More potato recipes. Charlotte potatoes work so well in these dishes, their flavour is great, they hold their shape and their texture is so smooth when they are cooked. I had spinach in the freezer. Buying packs of fresh spinach at their expiry date is a good deal. I break up the brittle and frozen spinach leaves in the bag before use. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 600g charlotte potatoes, or similar waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (1cm dice)
  • salt
  • 300g spinach leaves
  • 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/2tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

METHOD:

  • Boil the potatoes in salted water for around 6 minutes, then drain and spread them out to cool
  • Steam the spinach until it is wilted, only takes a few minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and then chop, and set aside. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onion and garlic, turn the heat down and fry for a couple of minutes
  • Add the spinach, and keep cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes. 
  • Add the potato, 1 tsp salt, the garam masala and the cayenne pepper. Stir and mix until the potatoes are heated through and soft.  

 

Cauliflower and potato curry

I just ate the rest of the leftovers that I was going to have tomorrow. This is a delicious and fragrant dish, good served at room temperature as a side dish or snack, part of a picnic or a larger meal. It is good with parathas and sour lime pickle

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 2 large potatoes
  • 6 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 whole hot red peppers
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a grind of black pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala

METHOD:

  • Dismember the cauliflower, reduce it to small florets, and put into a bowl of cold water
  • Peel and chop the potatoes into 1 to 1.5cm cubes, and put into a bowl of cold water for half an hour. 
  • When you are ready to start cooking, drain the vegetables and pat dry with a teatowel
  • Heat the oil in the bottom of a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. When the oil is hot put in the fenugreek, cumin, fennel and red peppers and stir once, then add the cauliflower and potatoes. 
  • Stir again, turn the heat to medium and add the salt, turmeric, pepper and coriander. Keep stirring from time to time and cook for around 7 minutes
  • Add around 50ml water, cover and turn the heat to low, and cook for another 7 minutes. 
  • Sprinkle with the garam masala, stir and serve. 

 

 

Spicy fish and fennel soup

I bought a bag of fennel that was reduced, an impulse buy as I had been planning to cook a cauliflower and potato curry. I’d remembered that I had a large piece of poached salmon in the freezer, and I made this delicious stew. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped (or use an onion)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 3 small fennel bulbs, finely chopped
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp pureed red peppers
  • salt and pepper
  • a dash of hot chilli sauce
  • a pinch of saffron
  • 1.3 litres of fish stock 
  • around 400g fish, off the bone (could be salmon, could be any fish, including shellfish)
  • a piece of orange peel
  • Grated cheese, to serve (optional)

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil in a large pan, and gently fry the onion. After a few minutes add the garlic, and then the fennel, and cook together for around five minutes. 
  • Add the tomatoes, orange peel, a good pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp red pepper puree, and a splash of chilli sauce. Simmer for five minutes
  • Add the stock, then bring the soup to a simmer, reducing slightly. Meanwhile, steep the saffron in a little hot water.
  • Once the soup looks to be a good consistency, slip in the fish and the saffron, and bring back to a simmer. 
  • When the fish is just cooked, and hot through, give the soup a good stir to mix everything up. If you can, retrieve the orange peel from the soup. 
  • Serve in large bowls with grated cheese on top. We tried it with cheddar, parmesan, it was good with gruyere as well. 

Potato and aubergines

Another recipe in the quest to try all of the potato recipes. This was very easy, but the original recipe didn’t make much, so I scaled it up. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil, such as rapeseed oil
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 450g potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm dice (I used Charlotte potatoes)
  • 450g aubergine, cut into 1cm dice. 
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh coriander leaf to garnish

METHOD:

  • In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a high heat and then put in the mustard seeds and stil. When they pop add the potatoes and aubergine, stir to mix and add all the other spices and salt. Continue to stir and mix for a minute or so, ensuring that the spices are evenly dispersed. 
  • Add 200ml water, bring it to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. It is worth stirring just before the end to ensure it isn’t sticking. 

Serve as part of a larger meal, in small bowls. 

 

Potato and mushroom soup

I am still focusing on recipes with potato in them. This is a very simple soup, quite rich and buttery with a great flavour. There are a lot of versions online, with differing herbs and proportions. This worked for me. You could substitute thyme for dill, or add cheese if you wished. 

I made this at the new house on the induction hob, and discovered my soup pan was not compatible. I ended up simmering the soup over the solid fuel stove, which worked perfectly. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 x 50g butter
  • 2 large leeks, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1.5 litres chicken stock
  • 3 tsp dried dill
  • 1 tsp salt
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 1kg potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 500g mushrooms, sliced
  • 300ml sour cream (or double cream)
  • 2 tbsp plan flour

METHOD:

  • In a large saucepan, melt 50g butter, and when it is foaming, add the carrots and the leeks, and fry over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until the leeks start to colour brown a little at the edges. 
  • Add the stock, then the dill, salt, pepper and bayleaves. Finally, add the diced potatoes, and bring to a simmer. Cook for another 20 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if required. 
  • In a frying pan, melt another 50g butter until it is foaming, and fry the mushrooms. Stir these into the soup. 
  • Take some of the liquor from the soup, and mix with the flour, to form a smooth soft paste. Add the flour mixture and the cream into the soup, and simmer without boiling, so that the soup thickens. 
  • Serve with toasted brown bread. 

I don’t know that the flour is essential, but the soup was really good, and I haven’t tried many variations. If you use a vegetable stock, you have a vegetarian option. One online version also added soup pasta, another used onion and garlic. I prefer leeks with mushrooms, though. 

Minced lamb with potatoes

This is really delicious, warm and delicately flavoured. It is in Madhur Jaffrey’s book ‘Curry easy‘. The book suggests serving this with rice, dal, yoghurt and pickles. I skipped the rice, but I wish I hadn’t. I actually altered the quantities a little, as I had more minced lamb than the recipe asks for, and I didn’t want to refreeze any. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 3 Tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2  teaspoon finely chopped root ginger
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1300 g minced lamb (I minced some lamb that was in the freezer – I have a fab electric mincer)
  • 5 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, pureed
  • 1 heaped tsp cumin seed
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 450g peeled potatoes, chopped into 2cm chunks

METHOD:

  • In a large pan, hjeat the oil over a medium to high heat. When it is hot, add the cinnamon sticks, roll them in the hot oil for a few seconds and then add the onion, and fry for a few munites, until starting to brown. Then add the garlic and ginger and stir to mix for a minute
  • Add the lamb, stir and fry, breaking up the meat. Keep cooking until the meat loses its redness. 
  • Add yoghurt, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper and turmeric and stir together, and bring back to a slow simmer. 
  • Add the salt, potatoes and around 700ml water, stir together and bring to a boil. Cover, and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes. 

 

 

 

Red Lentil Dal with asafoetida

This is a very basic dal. The main message is, use four times as much water as the weight in lentils, then when the lentils are cooked and salted to taste, fry the spices in oil, and stir in. It is an excellent side-dish. 

I get a lot of my spices by mail order from seasoned pioneers, such as the asafoetida in this dish. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200g red lentils 
  • 800ml water
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp oil or butter
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1-2 hot whole dried chillies
  • 1 shallot, in slivers

METHOD:

  • Put the red lentils in a saucepan with the water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for around 30 minutes until the lentils are breaking up. Check from time to time and stir to prevent the dal from sticking. Turn of the heat, and stir in the salt when the lentils are broken up. 
  • Pour the oil/ghee/butter into a small pan, and bring to a medium high temperature. Add the asafoetida, then cumin and then the peppers in that order, stirring once before each addition. As soon as the spices start to darken, add the shallot, cook until that starts to colour, and then pour into the cooked dal. Stir to mix and then serve. 

Dal, by itself, is a great light meal with a bit of nan bread to scoop it up. It is also excellent as a side dish in a more substantial meal, served in a small bowl. 

Steamed pudding with caramel topping

This is Malcolm’s speciality, I prefer to serve this with double cream, he prefers custard. We have a special pan for steamed puddings, big enough to support a well-wrapped pudding bowl on a trivet in the boiling water. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 can condensed milk caramel
  • 120g butter
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 120g self-raising flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten

METHOD:

  • Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
  • Sift in the flour and add the beaten egg, a little at a time, and beating well between additions. 
  • Use a buttered 1.1 litre pudding bowl. Put the condensed milk caramel at the bottom of the bowl, and then add the sponge mixture carefully over the top.
  • Cover securely (Malcolm uses tin foil and string) and then steam for 1.5 to 2 hours. 
  • Turn the hot pudding out onto a plate. The caramel should pour down the sides in a slow sticky sort of way. 

We served with a choice of cream or custard, but a lemon sauce might be quite good here as well. 

Hungarian potato and sausage soup

I have a lot of potatoes this year, so I have been hunting about for innovative ways of cooking with them. I found this online, but adapted it for the UK. I sourced the smoked sausage online. It served six. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 50g butter
  • 200g smoked Hungarian sausage, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp sweet unsmoked paprika
  • 1.2 litres chicken stock
  • 1/2 cabbage, chopped (to fill a 1/2 litre jug)
  • 700g potatoes, peeled and diced (I used charlotte potatoes)
  • black pepper
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 100ml sour cream
  • 2 tbsp chopped spring onion or chives

METHOD:

  • In a large soup pan, melt the butter and cook the sliced sausage over a medium heat, around 3 minutes, and then remove the sausage from the pan using a slotted spoon. 
  • Next, fry the onion in the butter for around 5 minutes, until it is beginning to colour, and then add the garlic. After a couple of minutes, add the flour and paprika and cook for another couple of minutes.
  • Add 1.2 litres of chicken stock, stir to mix in well, and turn the heat up high to bring to a boil. Stir in the cabbage and sommer for a couple of minutes and then add the potatoes, black pepper, cayenne pepper and bayleaf. 
  • Simmer on a low heat for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it is not sticking. It is ready for the next step if the potatoes are tender. You can adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more stock. (I think I added around another 300ml in the end).
  • Add the sausage and vinegar, and simmer for another 10 minutes, and adjust the seasoning to taste. 
  • Serve in bowls with a swirl of sour cream and a garnish of chopped spring onions or other fresh herbs. 

I think this recipe would lend itself to a little adaptation. For example, you could use any smoked sausage, or oil instead of butter at the start. I was wondering about using kale as that would hold up better than cabbage to the long cooking time. It was pretty good though. 

Spiced apple butter

I’ve managed to get a good crop of apples this year, but I also got a good crop of windfalls and fruit with blemishes. I made spiced apple butter, and it was delicious. It is, effectively, apple jam that has had the fruit sieved. The sugar to fruit ratio is in favour of the fruit, so it won’t last as well as jam, but it is too sweet any other way. It is a good way to use up less-than-perfect eating apples. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1kg apples, chopped roughly, no need to core and peel but easier if you do. 
  • 500ml dry cider
  • Sugar
  • Powdered cinnamon
  • Ground cloves
  • (you can also add mulled wine spices in a muslin bag, as an alternative)

METHOD:

  • Chop the apples and stew in a large pan with the cider, for around 30 minutes, until the fruit is all soft. If you are using whole spices, they should be added at the start in a muslin bag.
  • Remove the muslin bag and then put the stewed fruit through a coarse sieve or mouli. 
  • Weigh the pulp. For each 500g of pulp add 360g sugar, 1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground cloves. I put my jam pan on the scales, and measured the pulp into it. When I got the final weight, I divided that by 500 and then multiplied by 360 to get the weight of sugar. 
  • Bring back to a simmer. Once it is thick and at jam temperature, put it into warmed clean jars. Remember to stir regularly, otherwise the bottom of the pan reaches a very high temperature and when you try to stir it, it spatters.