Spicy Sausages with Cous Cous for the Whole Family

I bought some sausages from Grasmere Farm at the weekend and I felt inspired to make something with a North African vibe to go with them.  I should point out this isn't a sponsored post, I certainly pay for every banger I buy from Grasmere but I happily do so.  They are the best sausages I have ever tasted, not full of fillers and fat like a lot of commercial sausages can be but a real quality product.  They do mail order too if you're not based in the midlands and can't get to one of their shops or farmers markets they frequent.

I saw the 'Zouk' sausages for sale (unfortunately not currently available on their website) and thought I'd give them a go.  Subtly spiced with paprika and lots of other lovely goodies, they went a treat with this cous cous recipe but if you can't get hold of them, merguez sausages are also lovely.

Sausages and Cous Cous (serves 2 adults and 1 toddler with leftovers for lunch for 2 adults)

Ingredients

1lb of Zouk or Merguez Sausages (or a spicy cooking sausage of your choice) - omit if vegetarian

For the Cous Cous
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1tbsp olive oil
150g quick cook cous cous (the pack I have takes about 10 minutes)
300ml chicken stock (or vegetable if you prefer)
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
Parsley

To serve (optional)
Hummus
Salad
Flatbreads

For leftovers
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Hummus

Method

Put the sausages in the oven at 200oC / 400F to cook or fry or grill them if you prefer (I always cook sausages in the oven because you don't have to fuss around turning them too much.  How long they take to cook depends on thickness, thick ones take about 30 minutes, thin ones 15-20.)  After you've put the sausages on to cook, grill the pepper until blackened all over.

Put into a bowl and cover with a plate or cling film (saran wrap) for a few minutes then slip off the blackened skin, remove the stalk and the seeds and chop up.

Cut the onion into thin wedges and fry gently in the oil until softened and starting to brown.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more, take off the heat.

Put the cous cous, onion, garlic and peppers in a bowl or jug.  Make up or heat the chicken stock (I made a light chicken stock with half of an oxo cube and boiling water), mix it with the paprika and pour over the cous cous.  Leave to stand for 10 minutes and then give a good stir and check it's all softened.

Serve the cous cous with parsley on top and the sausages on the side with some salad vegetables if liked or hummus but it's that tasty, even as a cous cous dish with hummus on the site for you vegetarian types, it would be a delicious lunch.  My son ate a bit of everything but he definitely liked dipping the sausages in the hummus!

Any leftovers can then have the sausages sliced up and mixed into the cold cous cous with cucumber and tomato.  Box it up with a dollup of hummus it makes a fantastically uplifting lunch when you're at work.


Just another word about Grasmere, I really recommend the lincolnshire sausages and chipolatas but if you're not a herb fan, try the premium pork which have a good meaty unadulterated flavour.  As I said, I'm not being sponsored for this but I like to support great local food companies where I really think they're doing a fantastic job.

Mutter Paneer for the whole family

If you've never tried paneer it might seem a bit odd to put cheese in a curry but bear with me.  Yes I am serious about putting cheese with spices and yes it does work.

For all of you doubters out there, think about halloumi and how well that works when cooked and with spicy ingredients.  In fact the taste of paneer is a lot like halloumi, not to put you off but there is a hint of squeakiness about it but that firm texture works really well in a curry.

I first had paneer when travelling around India.  In India I had some of the best and worst food I think I've ever had but the paneer was in the first category along with the traditional breads like chapattis and paratha and yoghurts.  I just think if I decided one day to become a vegetarian I could happily live on Indian food without missing meat too much.  My husband described this as "delicious" and said that it solved one of those issues for him with a lot of vegetarian food at not just being mush with that lovely firmness of the cheese.  I also like chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for making a vegetarian curry with texture.

Oddly if you ever see paneer on a restaurant menu, it is often described as "cottage cheese" which in the UK anyway means a disgusting lumpy bland concoction, absolutely nothing like paneer.  If you can't find paneer, there are recipes out there to make it on the internet.

Mutter Paneer - Serves 2 Adults and 1 Toddler

Ingredients

For the Paneer:

1 tbsp plain flour

200g paneer

2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the sauce:

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, grated

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ginger powder

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp ground coriander (is it still called cilantro in the US if it's ground seeds?  Please enlighten me!)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 approx 400g, 14oz tin of chopped tomatoes

100ml, 3.5fl oz water

1/2 green chilli, deseeded

Optional extras for adults: 1/2 - 1 dried chilli, chopped, 1/2 tsp salt

To finish:

85g, 3oz frozen peas

1 tsp garam masala

A small handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)

Method

Make the sauce first.  Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the cumin, once it begins to release it's fragrance, add the onion and turn down the heat to low.  Cook slowly until starting to go golden for 5 - 10 mins or so.  Add the garlic, ginger, ground coriander, chilli and sugar, cook for a couple of minutes then add the tomatoes, water and turmeric.  Simmer until thick, approx 25 mins stirring occasionally.  At this point you can put the sauce aside in the fridge covered until you're ready to cook.

When you're ready to serve, put some rice on or get some flatbreads (e.g. chapatti) ready then while the rice is cooking, heat up the 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan.  While you're doing this, heat up the sauce adding a little water if needed.  At this stage if you're just serving to adults you can add a bit more dried chilli and salt if desired.  Add the peas to heat through.  

Cut the paneer into cubes and dust with the flour. Fry until brown on all sides then add the paneer to the curry with the garam masala.  Serve sprinkled with the fresh coriander.

People are a bit wary about serving chilli to toddlers but you can always keep it a mild variety and by taking out the seeds, you take out the hottest bit.  If you're unsure how hot your chilli is, I touch a tiny bit (raw) to my tongue but even this is an inexact science, as a rule though green ones are often milder than red but as someone who grows chillis, the strength is very dependent on the kind of growing season you have, not just the variety.  Bear in mind though you can always tone down a curry that's a bit too spicy with some plain yoghurt or raita.

Vegan adaptation:  I can't claim I've tried this but I have heard of people substituting the paneer for tofu.  It might be worth a try, I have to be honest and say I love cheese too much to go that far!

If you're aware of a UK comedy show though called "The Fast Show" it is kind of irresistible to call this dish "cheesy peas" which it kind of is.  

I've linked this up to Meatless Mondays:

Skordalia for the whole family

Hey, I'm not Greek so this is probably really inauthentic.  What I know about this dip come spread come side dish is it's always garlicky, it's a bit like hummus but not quite.  Sometimes it's made with potato, bread or other bulking foods.  I've made it here with split peas which you can pick up from the supermarket for pence.  Whatever the origins, I like it and I enjoy it.

Skordalia - Makes 1 small pot

Ingredients

75g Yellow Split Peas, soaked for 8 hours or overnight in cold water
1 clove of garlic
Half a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh oregano
Seasoning if liked (if serving to adults)

Method

Drain the split peas and put them into a saucepan with enough boiling water to cover well.  Bring to the boil and skim off any scum.  Boil for 10 mins then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer away for 20-30 minutes or until softened.  Drain but preserve some of the water.

Put the drained split peas into a jug and add the juice of half a lemon, a crushed clove of garlic, oregano and oil.  Puree the peas using a stick blender adding a bit of the cooking water to loosen the mix if needed.

Put into a container and drizzle with a little more oil if liked.  I did find as it sat in my fridge it got a bit thicker so if you're keeping it for a second day you may want to add a little more olive oil and / or water to loosen it a bit.

Allow to cool fully and serve as wished, with grilled meats is good or in wraps or pitta.

I've linked this up to Meatless Mondays:

Prawn and Broccoli Pie - Great for babies, toddlers and adults

This is a great one for older babies and toddlers.  Some hidden vegetables and a thick cheesy sauce.  Great for parents too because not only is it tasty, the ingredients are pretty cheap too.  No need to splash out on the priciest prawns.

Prawn and Broccoli Pie - serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

300g New or salad potatoes
150g Prawns (small ones are fine)
100g Broccoli
150ml Milk, I used semi skimmed (2%)
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
100g Vintage / Extra strong (sharp) cheddar

Method

Boil the potatoes in boiling water until almost fully cooked, I did them for 18 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oven to 200oC / 400F.  Cut the broccoli into florets and then cut the broccoli into very small florets (I quartered them).  Boil for 3 minutes, drain and refresh under cold water.

Heat the milk in a microwave until boiling, for me that took around 90 seconds.  Mix the cornflour (cornstarch) with cold water, just enough to make a paste and then mix that paste into the hot milk, whisking as you add.  Heat in the microwave again for another 30 seconds or so until it's good and thick.    Grate the cheddar and add about 80g of it to the sauce, mixing it in.  Mix the sauce with the prawns and broccoli and pour into a baking dish.  Don't worry if the sauce looks a bit too thick, it tastes good that way.

Drain the potatoes when the time has elapsed and slice approx 2.5mm, 1/10th inch thick.  Layer them on top of the prawn mixture in the baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for approx 30 minutes or until hot throughout and browned on top.

I suggest taking a small portion out for your child to cool as it stays pretty hot in the dish for a while.  Serve with vegetables and enjoy!

Yesterday I went back to Birmingham for the first time in years.  I used to live there many moons ago and through one thing and another, I lost my joy for the place but yesterday in the sunshine, I found my love for the city again.  So much has changed in Birmingham and in me but in so many ways nothing has changed at all.

It was a small glimmer of something lovely in a few months which have been very unlovely.  Hopefully everything will be resolved soon.  Food and cooking have always been my therapy though so thank you all for reading.

Courgette Salad for Grown Ups

This was an impromptu salad put together from fridge ingredients.  I have to be honest and say if I'd had parmesan, that's what I would have used but I didn't unfortunately but the upside is by using a good strong cheddar, it was vegetarian (as parmesan contains animal rennet) and so it's suitable for most people.

My son had some of this, ate the cheese, had a bit of a nibble on some courgette but generally was more into the cheese so perhaps more of an adult recipe.  A great dish though for lunch boxes (just put the dressing in a different pot until you're ready to serve) and a different way of serving courgettes for all of you lucky people who have loads and aren't looking at little tags in the ground marking the place the plant used to be before the slug attack like some kind of vegetable tombstone :'(

Courgette and Cheddar Salad

Ingredients

Salad

1 Courgette (zucchini)
1 tbsp Parsley
Approx 25g, 1 oz Vintage / Extra Strong (sharp) cheddar (or parmesan)

Dressing

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Method

Wash the courgette then using a vegetable peeler, peel long thin ribbons into a bowl.  Wash the peeler and then use it to peel cheese shavings into the same bowl.  Either using a jar or by whisking make the dressing.  To make in a jar, just shake everything together, if making with a whisk, whisk the mustard and vinegar together and then slowly drizzle in the oil whisking all the time.

Pour over the salad and then add the chopped parsley and serve.  A surprisingly tasty salad considering it was made from one of those "oh heck I've got nothing in" moments.

Thank you everyone who has supported me recently.  Tough times and having to find mental reserves I didn't know I needed to have.  Thank you to all of my readers who don't know me as well (or maybe you all know me best of all), your kind comments are like pick me ups of joy in my week. x

I've linked this up to Meatless Mondays:

Sugar Free Pear and Date Turnovers for all the Family

Some of my recipes are driven by necessity.  There were some pears stubbornly refusing to ripen, some dates at their use by date, why not combine them?  Why not indeed?  It turned out to be a magic combination that I'll definitely repeat.  Delicious warm but fantastic cold on our picnic in the park.

I made far too much filling so feel free to reduce the quantities or freeze and make a lovely crumble or pie.

Pear and Date Turnovers - makes 6 with extra filling

Ingredients

3 Pears
75g Dates
100ml Apple juice
Ready made, ready rolled puff pastry, I only used part of a pack
1 tsp granulated sugar (optional)
1 tsp icing sugar (optional)
1 tbsp milk

Method

Peel the pears, core them and cut into small pieces.  Chop the dates into small pieces and put into a saucepan with the juice.  Heat until the dates go mushy and the pears are softened.

Preheat the oven to 200oC / 400F

Cut six 10cm (4 inch) squares (or more if liked, there will be plenty of filling).  Put a piece of non stick baking paper on a baking sheet and put the pieces of pastry on top.  Add a large teaspoon of filling in one corner of each square, then fold over to make a triangle and press the edges together.

Add a couple of cuts to each turnover then brush with milk.  If liked, add a tiny sprinkle of sugar to the top of each one.

Bake for 10-15 mins (12 in my oven) or until well puffed and golden then allow to cool and serve warm rather than hot as the filling is frighteningly hot straight from the oven or serve cold.  Sprinkle with icing sugar if liked.

I put them into a large container lined with baking paper and took them to the park.  I love it when the sun shines.

Definitely a hit!

I've linked this up here.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

I have been making curries like this for years but I wrote down the recipe for the first time to go with Tandoori Chicken.  Although I would normally serve some kind of salad on the side with Tandoori Chicken, my fridge was a little bare and so I knocked this up from store cupboard and basic ingredients to ensure my son had a bit of variety in his meal.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry - Makes 4 portions minimum

Ingredients

1 Onion, chopped finely
1 tsp Oil
2 Cloves garlic
2 tsp Curry Paste (I used a medium curry paste as I was making this for my son.  He likes a bit of spice.  You could easily make this spicier or milder by varying the type and quantity of curry paste.)
1/2 tin Chopped tomatoes
1 tin Chickpeas, drained.  I used Kala Chana; these are dark chickpeas which are pretty small with a good flavour but you can use any kind.
150ml boiling water
2 tsp Mango Chutney
50g Frozen spinach
1 tsp Garam masala

Method

Fry the onion gently in the oil in a saucepan until softened and then add the garlic, stir for a minute or so then add the curry paste.

Add in the remaining ingredients apart from the spinach and garam masala.  Simmer for 25-30 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally until the onion is fully cooked and the sauce is thickening.  Add in the spinach and cook until fully melted and cooked through.  Add in the garam masala.

Serve!  This reheats and freezes really well.  Great served as a side dish or as a curry in it's own right.

Here's it served with some tandoori chicken, mint raita and naan:

I've linked this up to the Wellness Weekend here.

Being a toddler in the 70s...

I was my son's age now at the end of 1978.  Blimey that makes me feel old.  It got me thinking, how much has the world changed since I was that age?

Me, in the 70's.  Love that outfit and the 'fro!

It's easy as an adult to look back and think everything was peachy.  Not so.  If you think about it...

In the 70's there were no back seat belts in cars, let alone car seats by law.  Certainly no airbags!

There was no internet.  The one telephone in the house was in the hall way and had a dial on it.  No answerphone either.

No remote controls, no multi channel TV.

My mum was seen as being strange by the midwives for wanting to breastfeed.  This was the time of the unethical practices of formula companies so many of our mother's generation didn't breastfeed and having lost the support of many from that generation it made it harder for many women who followed.  The jury is out on the exact knock on effects of that, even having breastfed for 13 months myself I do wonder sometimes whether the claims are overstated, but certainly breastfeeding is the natural thing to do so having a whole generation who weren't must have an impact.

British food could be pretty dire.  Most Brits had only tasted pasta from a tin.  So many cuisines had not yet graced these shores; Thailand wasn't somewhere you went to on your gap year, it was where you got neck adornments (or was that Tie Rack?) certainly Thai food was unheard of.  My Mum used to be pretty adventurous and make things like Chilli but she had to get dried peppers (capsicums) because fresh ones weren't available in the shops (now they come in mega value bags) and red kidney beans were tough to find so she used to substitute baked beans!  This was long before the resurgence in British restaurant food too.  A chop, potato and carrots was pretty much the height of sophistication.

Sweets and drinks (among other things) were routinely coloured with artificial colourings now associated with hyperactivity.

It was the time lots of convenience foods were launched or became popular.  This was the time of Smash (instant mashed potato), Crispy Pancakes and Angel Delight's (instant mousse) massive popularity.  Pot Noodle launched in 1978, the first ready meals became available.  In 1974, MacDonalds opened their first store.

Milky ways were advertised as the sweet you can eat without filling you up and ruining your appetite (and that was a good thing apparently.)

So really the 70's set out the stall for a lot of things which many of us are now trying to reverse about our diets and our culture.

But there are some things which were great.

My mum used to make all of our food from scratch, even her own bread.

Kids TV for preschoolers was limited to 30 mins or so including greats such as Mr Ben and Bagpuss at lunchtime (no CBeebies for 12 hours a day).

We had proper puddings, sweets apart from home made puddings weren't a big part of our diet.  Chocolate was once in a blue moon and for all of the processed food out there, we didn't eat much of it.  Mostly it was too expensive.

Sunday afternoons often used to consist of going out for a walk with my sisters and parents.

I used to 'help' my mum cook by shaping bread rolls.  Sitting on a stool as she cooked food is still one of my fondest memories of childhood.  I also used to help my Dad in the garden and I remember picking fresh sprouts on Christmas day.

The Future?

In a lot of ways though, looking at this list makes me a little sad.  Although I try to stick to a lot of the good principles I learned from my mother as a child, I recognise I'm a dying breed.

So, I recognise that convenience has it's place.  We all need an easy quick fix sometimes but, perhaps at a weekend, it's a good time to think back and take time to prepare food for your family.  Why not get the kids involved too in growing and preparing food?  One of my sister's has a good phrase.  She says all people have their "love language" and this is how we show people we love them.  For me it's food, why not give it a go, whether you're a Mum a Dad or even on your own, making delicious food for someone else or for your self is a great way to show your love.

I've linked this up to oldies but goodies!

Stuffed Naans

A great use of extra chicken tikka or tandoori chicken and making it into a lovely lunchbox dish.  Regular readers will know that money is a bit short through one thing and another (but who's not in the same boat?)  Making the most of your leftovers is a great way to ensure you're not wasting food but you're also saving money.  Take a look at this and tell me whether that £2 petrol station cheese sandwich is looking as appealing?

I have to thank a very good friend of mine for giving me this idea and a tonne of other inspiration for this blog and life in general.

It's almost too simple to call a recipe but I will fill you in later on different ways you could mix this up.  I know if I have the same thing day in, day out, I am less interested by it and it doesn't seem to taste as good.  Of course we all have hits and misses but why not mix up what you, your child or your partner has in their packed lunch?

Stuffed Naans - Serves 1 adult or 2 children (depending on age and appetite)

Ingredients

1 Naan bread (or you could use pitta bread or wraps)
2 tsp Mango chutney or 2 tsp Mint raita
Salad of your choice, I chose little gem lettuce and peppers
Leftover Tandoori Chicken cut off the bone or Chicken Tikka

Method

If your naan bread is fresh, then use it as it is, if it's one of those long life packed ones where you are told to reheat it before serving, still do this.  Bread products can last a long time without going mouldy due to the way it's packed and sometimes added preservatives but bread still goes stale so you need to go through the heating process to remelt the starch, even if you are eating it cold.

Science bit over!  Leave the naan bread to cool then cut in half and slice along the centre to make a pocket (or if you prefer you could put the filling over the surface of the bread and fold or roll it.)

Put a tsp of chutney or raita in each half, spread around, then add the rest of your fillings.  Wrap up and send off with your child / partner / yourself for lunch!  (Slightly poncy greaseproof / string wrapping is optional!) Delicious.

Alternative fillings:

Grilled chicken and hummus
Prawns with sweet chilli sauce and peppers
Tzatziki and grilled pork or chicken
Some leftover vietnamese chicken salad
Cooked salmon and mayonnaise

Mint Raita for the whole family

I made this to go with the Tandoori Chicken I blogged about recently.  I thought it would be the thing my son went straight for but actually although he liked it with the chicken, he pulled a face when he ate it on his own.  It is an accompaniment though, great with tikka or tandoori chicken.  The recipe is a touch inauthentic, I've not added salt and most recipes have cumin rather than garam masala and chilli powder.  I've toned it down a touch.

Just be aware that like many natural herbs and spices, mint strength varies.  I picked a handful of home grown mint and barely used a third.  Home grown herbs in my experience tend to pack more of a punch than fresh supermarket alternatives (probably because they are slower to grow) but there are loads of different types of mint too.

Mint Raita

Ingredients

125g Thick Greek Yoghurt
Mint, A few leaves to a small handful, depends on the strength of the mint
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sugar
Sprinkle of paprika and sprig of mint to garnish

Method

Finely shred the mint.

Mix the yoghurt with the sugar and garam masala and mix in enough mint to give a zing.  Put into a dish and garnish with paprika and mint.

Serve with tandoori chicken or chicken tikka or it helps cool down spicier curries too.

Alternatively a great dip just to have with flat breads (naan, paratha or chapattis).






I've linked this up to this:




I've also linked this up to the monthly "herbs on a Saturday" challenge: