Turkey with cannellini beans

Here is another freezer dish in preparation for my baby, however you can always make this and pop it in the freezer for any family or friend meal emergency! Or how about this handy tip; the quantities below makes a huge batch – enough for two people to have four meals, so if you use half of it straight away for your family meal you can always pop the rest in the freezer for a quick supper another time, doubling up like this will save you time and effort in the future.

I have used turkey here as it is very lean and extremely economical, however if you are not a fan of turkey you can always use the same quantity of chicken breast instead.

Ingredients
2tbsp olive oil, 4 spring onions, 2 cloves garlic, 7 closed cup chestnut mushrooms, 860g turkey breast steaks (or chicken if using instead), 2 x 235g tins of cannellini beans in water, 1 gelatinous chicken stock-pot, 20g fresh tarragon, 1tsp black pepper, 1tsp salt, 1tbsp butter, 1tbsp plain flour.

First a bit of prep; wash and chop the spring onions, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves, wash and dice the mushrooms in to 1cm size cubes, and cut the turkey breast in to bite size chunks. Next heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the spring onions for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms and turkey and cook over a medium heat until the turkey is browned and everything begins to soften.

Add both tins of cannellini beans along with their water and the chicken stock-pot then turn the heat to a low simmer. Take half the tarragon, remove any tough stalks and finely chop, add this to the pan. Cover and continue to cook on a low simmer for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the hour take the butter and flour and using a fork mix together until a smooth paste is formed, then stir this in to the turkey to help thicken it. Raise the heat gently and continue stirring until it comes to the boil. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Finely chop the remaining tarragon and stir this in and the dish is ready to serve.

If you are freezing this ensure that it is completely cold before transferring to a suitable freezer containers – don’t forget to label and date so you know what’s inside in a months’ time! This dish is fantastic served with mashed potato or a slice of crusty bread and butter to mop up the juices.

Filling the freezer - Beef Curry with potatoes, chickpeas and spinach

All the advice I have been given is to use the period between finishing work and baby’s arrival to relax, sleep and fill the freezer with food so you don’t have to cook once baby arrives! I’m finding it hard to relax or sleep in my first few ‘official’ days of maternity leave, there’s something oddly unsettling about having a career that you love to suddenly not having to go in to the office and the temptation to check emails is almost overwhelming. However, I am going to be proactive and used the time to do the things I love, see friends and cook.

I want to ensure the freezer is filled with hearty but healthy options that will keep us going over the next few months when we are struggling with a new-born and so I started with a huge batch of chilli con carne and a beef curry with potatoes and spinach. This way all we have to do is defrost and heat up and make some quick rice or cous cous and hey presto, a meal! I’ll give you the recipe for the beef curry as I hope most of you can whack together a chilli con carne without much trouble!

I bought the little take-away containers from my local supermarket and just labelled the lids with the contents and date and popped in the freezer once everything was completely cold.

Ingredients for beef curry (to the left of the pic above)
1 pound of stewing steak cut in to chunks, 2 cups baby potatoes, 2 tins of chickpeas in water, 1 cup of chopped tinned tomatoes, 3 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves (or 1 big bag), ½ red bell pepper, ½ yellow bell pepper, ½ orange bell pepper, ½ red onion, 1/2tsp ground cloves, 1tsp ground coriander, 1tsp garam masala, 1tsp ground ginger, 2tsp medium strength curry power, 1tsp salt, 1tsp pepper, 2 pints of water.

Cut the peppers and onion in to dice. In a large, heavy, pan put the beef, potatoes, peppers, onion and water and bring to the boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer. Next add all of the remaining ingredients expect the spinach (which is added later). Stir well to combine and then leave gently bubbling away on the stove for a good 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. If it begins to look a little dry add a splash more water, you want the sauce to become a rich gravy, however be careful not to ‘top up’ the water too aggressively as you do not want to sauce to be to watered down either.

After a couple of hours the beef should be tender and falling apart and everything should be soft and thoroughly cooked through. Check for seasoning and add more salt if required, then add the spinach and give the curry one final stir until the spinach has wilted down.

If you are freezing this, ensure it is defrosted overnight in the fridge and heat in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes until piping hot and bubbling, or you could heat on the stove or microwave in a suitable container. Whatever your preferred method, just ensure it is thoroughly heated through. I love this served with rice, cous cous, or a naam bread.

Lamb neck chops

I haven't written for a long while, however I've had good reason! We have been moving in to, and redecorating, our new house. Swiftly followed by a bout of tonsillitis which took me off work for two weeks and to boot there's some exciting news in that we have a little baby boy due in September this year, so quite a lot going on! 

I've changed my diet only very slightly to accommodate the baby by cutting out all the usual 'banned' foods such as cured meat and blue cheeses, however the majority of what we eat remains the same with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, pulses and lean meat. I will include some of my favourite baby friendly recipes on here for you as well as I have created some fantastic ones over the past few weeks!

However, it is a drizzly grey Sunday here in London which calls for ultimate comfort food, here is one of my husbands all time favourites! A delicious lamb neck chop gently braised in a rich minty gravy and served with smashed olive oil potatoes and fresh steamed asparagus.

Ingredients (2 people so double for 4)

Lamb: 2 lamb neck chops, a small bunch of mint leaves, 1 pint fresh beef stock, 1/2tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1tsp salt and ground black pepper.

Side dishes: New potatoes (around 5 per person depending on size), 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil, juice half a lemon, 1/2tsp salt, small bunch asparagus. 

In a deep sided frying pan heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat, add the lamb steaks and fry for 4 minutes each side to brown. Finely chop the mint leaves and scatter over the chops along with the ground black pepper. Add the beef stock, cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 hour turning the chops half way through cooking. After the hour add the balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt. Whilst the potatoes and asparagus are cooking keep the chops on a low simmer without the lid to reduce the sauce slightly, however, if it gets too thick you could add a splash of water and cover again to prevent further reduction. 

Add the unpeeled but thoroughly cleaned potatoes to a pan of boiling water and simmer gently for 10 minutes until just tender. Whilst the potatoes are cooking rest a colander over the pan and add the asparagus to steam. Drain the potatoes and put back in the pan (off the heat) for a further 5 minutes to steam dry. Once steamed dry use a fork to gently smash and break up the new potatoes. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and pinch of salt, stir through.

Serve the smashed potatoes and steamed asparagus with the chops and their gravy. It's a delicious bit of sunshine on a plate, especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon! 

Salmon and courgette tagliatelle

This is a quick Sunday night feast that is spicy, tangy, and not as naughty as it looks thanks to half fat creme-fraiche and a good serving of veg. Again, this recipe is for two so simply double for four people. 

Ingredients

Dried tagliatette (enough for two people, about 4 balls each), 1 pack smoked salmon, 1 small red onion, 1 small courgette, 1 large handful of baby spinach leaves, 1/2 lemon juiced, 200g pot half fat creme-fraiche, 2 cloves garlic, 2 inch cube feta cheese, 1tbsp olive oil, pinch red chilli flakes, 1tsp ground black pepper, 2tsp salt. 

Boil a large pan of water and add a teaspoon of salt, then the tagliatelle, cover and simmer for 10 minutes (or according to packet instructions) stirring occasionally to keep the strands loose. 

Whilst the pasta is cooking you can make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Skin and finely sliced the red onion, chop the courgette in to small cubes, add to the pot of oil and stir to coat the vegetables in oil. Reduce the heat to gently cook the vegetables until soft and sweet, stirring occasionally. Skin and crush the garlic cloves and add. Next give the spinach a big rough chop, don't worry about getting this even or very small, just break up the leaves a little, add to the vegetables. 

Next add a big serving spoon full of the pasta cooking water and stir well. Add the creme-fraiche, lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt and pepper and the chilli flakes. Stir well to combine. Finely slice the smoked salmon and add last to delicately cook. 

When the pasta is cooked drain well reserving a cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss very well to combine, allow to continue cooking for a couple of minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. If it gets too dry add a small splash of the cooking liquid to loosen it a little. The sauce should be thick and umptuous. 

Crumble in the feta cheese, give the pasta one final toss and serve in steaming piles. Utterly delicious! 

Vegetarian bean and lentil chilli with feta

I am a meat eater and don't get me wrong I love a good juicy steak, however, I make a lot of vegetarian and vegan food, there are so many interesting flavours and textures to be found in vegetables, beans and lentils. This deliciously spicy vegetarian chilli really hits the spot if you are after a warming and hearty dish. With the seas depleting of fish stocks and the rain forests disappearing to make way for ranches I think we could all go veggie a few days a week!

Ingredients

1/2tbsp butter (or oil if you prefer), 1 leek, 1 carrott, 1 stick celery, 170g fine green beans, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tin chopped tomatoes in juice, 1 tin drained red kidney beans, 1/2 stock cube (veggie cube or if you are not a veggie you could use beef), 1/2 cup dried red split lentils, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1tsp each of garam Marsala and chilli flakes, 1/2tsp powdered ginger, 1/4tsp ground clove powder, salt and pepper to taste. 

The topping to sprinkle over the finished dish is 2 finely chopped spring onions and about an inch cube of crumbled feta cheese. 

I served this with potatoes which were boiled until tender, drained, and then loosely smashed with a little salt and butter. However, you could use rice, cous cous or serve with some toasted wholemeal pita bread, it is a super versatile dish. 

Method: Top and tail the vegetables, wash thoroughly and finely dice in to bitesize chunks. Peel and crush the garlic. Heat the butter (or oil) in a large pan and gently fry the carrott, celery and leek on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently,  until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the tinned tomatoes in juice, the drained kidney beans and the lentils, stir thoroughly to combine. Next add the stock cube and spices and around half a cup of hot water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, then add the green beans and cook for a further 10 minutes until everything is soft and the lentils have absorbed the juices. The chilli should be lucious and thick, if it looks too dry and a small splash of water. Finally add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve scattered with the chopped spring onions and feta cheese, this is really important so don't leave this step out, there is something about this fresh vibrant topping that brings the dish alive! 

Lazy Saturday crumbles

This is an easy one for a Saturday, for two lazy people! 

Preheat the oven to 170 Celsius. In two small ovenproof ramekins divide a cored, cubed eating apple (I left the skin intact) a handful of frozen blueberries, a squeeze of lemon juice

 and a sprinkle of white caster sugar. 

In a seperate bowl add 1tbsp each of fruit museli and white caster sugar. Next add 1.5tbsp butter. Then add 2tbsp plain flour. Use your fingers to make a rough crumble and pile on top of the fruit. This may seem like a lot of crumble but bear in mind the fruit will collapse as it cooks and the butter will melt down. 

Bake in the oven in a middle shelf for 25 minutes then gently break up the crumbly top with a fork to lighten it slightly and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with cream, ice cream, custard (as I did) or simply just as it is! 

Peanut butter brownies

Sometimes you start to make a recipe and realise you don't have all your usual ingredients, so frustrating! This happened to me a while ago when I was making brownies for my good friends Bronwyn and Rory, so I tweaked my ingredients and I'm glad I did, this is the best brownie recipe I've ever made! 

If you like your brownies dense and super fudgy these are for you! You can omit the peanut butter to make plain brownies, or perhaps replace with hazelnut spread if peanuts aren't your thing. I urge you to try these they are truly indulgent. 

Ingredients

450g unsalted butter, 700g dark chocolate (70% coco), 3 eggs, 2 tbsp cold espresso coffee, 1tsp good quality vanilla extract, 1 and 1/8 cup white caster sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup 00 grade flour, 1/4 cup coco powder, 1tsp baking powder, pinch salt, 8tbsp smooth peanut butter. 

Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius. Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of gently simmering water to melt. As soon as it has melted, stir to combine and take it off the heat to cool. 

In a seperate bowl whisk the eggs, sugar,  coffee, vanilla and salt. Once the chocolate has cooled slightly tip in to the eggs  and stir very well to combine. (If you do this whilst the chocolate is too hot you will get scrambled eggs!)

Finally put the flour, coco and baking powder in to a seive and seive it directly in to the chocolate mix. Stir the flour in but don't beat it, you don't want to over mix, just gently fold until well combined. Add the milk and give it one final mix.

Tip the batter in to a buttered baking dish and smooth the top level.  Next, if using, put blobs of peanut butter over the top and using a knife swirl gently in to the batter, don't combine too much, leave the swirls visible. 

Bake on the middle shelf for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 150 Celsius and cover the top of the brownie lightly with greaseproof paper, bake for a further 10 minutes. Don't overcook it! A wooden cocktail skewer inserted in the middle should come out just clean. If it's still sloppy in the middle put back in to the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Cut in to squares, ideally when still slightly warm and serve with ice cream and perhaps some toffee sauce.