Turkey Squash and Mint Masala

 

Serves 2

I was thrilled to receive a box of goodies from the lovely people at
Loyd Grossman to try out their new Limited Edition Mint Masala curry sauce. Mint struck me initially as a little strange to have in a curry as I would usually use coriander, but then of course you get cooling mint raita in Indian restaurants, so it does have an affinity.

I used half a jar for 2 portions which with bread or rice was enough for me. The mint was not overpowering – it is very different to our common garden mint. Much more delicate and fragrant.

Decided to use turkey breast and tenderstem broccoli as they needed using up. Plus jazzed it up with some extra spice, not because it was needed, but because I have so much in my cupboard!!

I really liked the sauce as it made a nice change from the usual tikka and korma.

1 turkey breast fillet (about 350g), sliced thinly

1 tsp oil

½ onion, sliced

½ tsp mustard seeds

Pinch nigella seeds

Handful of frozen butternut squash, chopped into bitesize chunks

4 tenderstem broccoli stems, chopped into bitesize lengths

½ jar Loyd Grossman Mint Masala Curry Sauce

10 curry leaves (optional)

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 handful spinach (actually it was spinach, rocket and watercress salad leaves in this instance!)

Naan or rice to serve
Fresh mint to garnish if liked

Heat the oil in a non-stick wok or frying pan and fry the onion and seeds together. Watch out as the will pop and spit!

Once softened and lightly golden, add the squash and broccoli and stir fry until the squash has thawed and soft and the broccoli is cooked but still with some crunch.

Add the turkey strips and fry for 2-3 mins until sealed and almost cooked through. Then pour in the curry sauce, curry leaves, garam masala, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. I needed to add a little water to loosen the consistency to my liking.

Stir in the spinach and turn off the heat. It will wilt down really quickly.

Serve with naan or rice, and sprinkle with chopped mint if using.

Spanish-style cod

Serves 1 – easily multiplied

Have just come back from Majorca and really enjoyed the gutsy flavours of the local tapas. Anyway I had lots of leftover bits in the fridge that needed using up when I got back – peppers, toms, garlic, onion etc – so threw this dish together with a little Spanish inspiration. I really liked it, even though it was eaten on a dreary day rather than hot Mediterranean sunshine!

1 cod fillet

¼ red onion, finely sliced

3-4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

¼ small pepper, sliced (or a mini pepper such as Tesco Chiquino peppers)

½ clove garlic, finely chopped

4-5 chorizo slices, cut into strips

3 olives, sliced

½ tin butterbeans, drained

Pinch dried herbs

Hot paprika

Salt and pepper

2 -3 tablespoons red wine

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Drizzle of Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180C Fan.

Layer most of the onions, tomatoes, pepper, garlic, chorizo, olives and butterbeans in a small heatproof dish (I used a small oblong enamel pie tin). Season and add a little hot paprika to taste.

Place the fish on top and season with herbs, a little extra dusting of hot paprika to taste, and more salt and pepper.

Pile the remaining sliced ingredients on top to cover the fish, then spoon over the wine, balsamic and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Cover tightly with foil, allowing a bit of tent space for steam. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and serve with seasonal vegetables, rice or bread.

Divine Halloumi and Couscous Salad

Serves 2- depending how greedy you are

I had forgotten how much I adore couscous until recently when I opened a pack that had been in my fridge the best part of a year! (this stuff has an amazing shelf life) I made a massive batch and was eating it for 4 days (see other pic below as proof!) but was actually quite sad when I finished it all off! Must try to get out more.

I have discovered the sweet chilli sauce is also a good friend of halloumi. Nice in a wrap if you don’t use it all up.

1 100g pack tomato or roast vegetable couscous

1 small courgette

1 small aubergine

1 red or yellow pepper

1 red onion

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Handful of olives, sliced

Cherry tomatoes, chopped

3 spring onions, sliced

Bag of rocket

2 tbsp Lemon juice

Fresh Dill and Basil (optional), chopped

1 block of Halloumi

Preheat oven to 200C.

Make up the couscous according to packet instructions and set aside to cool.

Cut the courgette, aubergine and pepper into chunks. About an inch is fine. Peel the onion but leave the end core on and cut into thinish wedges so they do not fall apart.

Tip onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. Cook for about 25-30 mins until soft and lightly charred round the edges. Drizzle with a little balsamic and pop back in oven for 5 mins more minute then remove and cool.

In a serving bowl, toss together the warm or room temperature couscous and roasted vegetables with the remaining ingredients, apart from the Halloumi. You can refrigerate at this stage if you don’t want a warm salad.

When ready to eat, slice the halloumi and dry fry in a hot frying pan for about 1 min on each side until golden and toasty. Divide the salad between plates and top with the hot cheese slices and eat.

Fasolakia

Serves 2-4 depending on what you serve with it.

This is a traditional Greek stew that maybe doesn’t sound exciting, but boy I am addicted! The flavours meld together and tastes so summery and this is a great way of using up a glut of runner beans which was the reason for making it. The amount of olive oil is really worth it.

I have eaten masses of this just on its own with crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Or its great with simple grilled fish with a squirt of lemon as in this picture or lamb chops. If you don’t like dill use fresh parsley or marjoram. You can eat hot, warm or at room temperature. It also freezes well.

250g Runner beans, de-stringed and cut into 2 inch diagonal lengths

4 tablespoons good olive oil

1 large onion – half finely chopped and half sliced into half moons

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium potato or 4 new potatoes, sliced into thickish chunks (I don’t bother to peel)

Salt and pepper

Small pinch chilli flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

Water to cover – about a small glass or half a tin canful

Feta cheese, a really thin slice crumbled per serving

Dill or parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

1. wash the prepped runner beans and drain.

2. heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and gently cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of mins, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

3. Add the beans and potatoes and cook for 3-5 mins, coating well in the oil and onions. Season well and add the chilli and dried oregano.

4. Tip in the tomatoes and tomato puree, and pour in some water just to cover. Bring to boil and put on a lid or transfer to a lidded casserole then simmer for 1 hour (or cook slowly in oven at 160C for same time)

5. After an hour if it is too liquid, remove lid and cook for another 10-15 mins. The sauce should be rich and velvety.

6. Sprinkle over chopped dill and crumbled over feta.

Turkey stir fry

Turkey stir fry

Serves 1

Did a fridge raid and cleared out some of my vegetables that have seen better days – this calls for a stir fry! I usually add the aromatics – garlic and ginger near the end so it doesn’t burn over the high heat at the start, and also it retains a fresher flavour. Just make sure you cook out the rawness. The sweet chilli sauce had also been hanging around in the fridge too long than I’d care to admit, but it all tasted nice :)

1tsp oil

Half a small onion, sliced

¼ yellow pepper, roughly chopped

¼ courgette, sliced

½ carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 field mushroom, sliced

Leftover cooked turkey strips

2 spring onion, sliced on the diagonal

½ clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger root

1 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli stir fry sauce

Heat a wok or frying pan with the oil and throw in the onion, pepper and  carrot and stir fry over a high heat for 2 mins. Add the mushroom and cook for another minute until the hard vegetables are starting to soften slightly.  Add the turkey strips, spring onion, garlic and ginger and mix well – stir fry for a minute until the garlic is fragrant and cooked, then add the soy sauce and chilli sauce, stir and serve immediately.

Creamy pesto turkey, asparagus and spinach pasta

Creamy pesto turkey, asparagus and spinach pasta

Serves 1

More asparagus and spinach to use up! This is such a quick and comforting dinner – using just a little cream cheese and adding the pasta water makes a fab low fat sauce. Love it! Sprinkle with parmesan if you have any.

50g rigatoni

Salt

5 asparagus stalks, cut into 2in lengths

Handful spinach

1 tsp oil

1 turkey breast steak, sliced into thin strips

2 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp pesto

1 tsp cream cheese

Black pepper

Boil the pasta according to instructions in salted water. Add the asparagus for last 4 mins and the spinach just before draining.

Meanwhile heat the oil and fry the turkey breast strips until just cooked – about 2-3 mins. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and add the pesto and cream cheese. Loosen with a few tsp of pasta cooking water until you have sauce. Season with black pepper and then add the drained pasta and vegetables. Toss to coat then serve. Mmmm

Chicken jalfrezi

Chicken Jalfrezi

Serves 2

This is another great leftovers kind of a dish. You can add extra veggies in such as courgette, beans, spring onions etc or use turkey, pork or lamb. It is a fairly dry, stir fried curry that can be made in 10 mins! Serve with either rice or naan. I once ate some leftover jalfrezi in a wrap at work the next day and stunk out the whole office – whoops!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

¼ green pepper, sliced

¼ red pepper, sliced

1 chicken breast (or cooked leftovers), diced

1 green chilli, chopped (deseed if you don’t like too much heat)

½ tsp garlic paste or 1 chopped clove

1 tsp ginger paste (or 1 knob finely grated root ginger)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1-2 tsp curry powder

1 squeeze tomato puree

Half a can of chopped plum tomatoes (save rest for a pasta sauce)

To finish:

A shake of garam masala (optional)

Fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a wok and fry the onion and red peppers until softened but not brown. Add the chicken and continue to stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Next add the chilli, garlic, ginger and spices and mix well so everything is coated for 1 minute. Then squeeze in about a teaspoon of tomato puree and half a can of chopped tomatoes. Keep cooking for a few more minutes until the sauce is thick and reduced. You may need to slacken with some water to get the consistency you like, but it is meant to be quite dry.  Sprinkle with garam masala and coriander and eat asap!