Monday, May 3, 2010

Roll up, roll up!


The Naughty Little Munchies are now for sale. See them here


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I am a food love and in something totally unrelated to the above story, I wanted to share my "recipe of the moment" brought to you by LEON. Leon is a chain (don't cringe yet!) of restaurants with a wonderfully healthy and yummy approach to food. They are unfortunately, for me, only located in London but I always visit when I am in the city (which is not often enough!) Their signature brownies are to die for!!! and their lemonade! :p

"Leon was founded around the idea that food can both Taste Good and Do you Good". 'Nuff said!

So here is a piece of London for you from their delish cook book. It's called the "(Not very) Kashmiri Rogan Josh"

Serves 8       Great to marinate overnight

200ml Natural yoghurt
1 heaped teaspoon dried chilli flakes or chilli powder
1 fat thumb-sized piece of root ginger, washed and grated on the big holes
1/2 heaped teaspoons turmeric
4 cardamon pods
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1kg diced lamb
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 medium spanish onion, chopped
100g ground almonds
about 400-500ml chicken stock
500 pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into medium dice
150g frozen peas
4 vine ripened tomatoes, cut into large dice
a big handful of coriander
salt and lots of black pepper

Put the yoghurt, chilli flakes, ginger, chilli powder, turmeric, cardamon, bay leaves and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the meat and move it around to make sure it's well coated. Leave to marinate for as long as you can, preferably overnight.
Next day, heat the oil over a medium heat in a large heavy-based pan and fry the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.
Add the chopped onion and stir for a couple of minutes.
Tip in the meat with its marinade and gently cook on all side for 5-10 minutes in total.
Add the ground almonds and stir well until the meat is coated in the almonds.
Pour in enough stock to just cover the meat, season with salt and masses of pepper and bring it to a slow simmer.
Simmer for around 1 hour 30 minutes with the lid on, giving it regular stirs making sure it's not sticking to the bottom and until the lamb is through the tough teenage stage and beginning to soften.
Only then add the diced pumpkin and the pepper, and then push them all under the surface of the liquid 
(if this is physically impossible due to lack of liquid, then add enough to just cover).
Cook for about 20-30 minutes longer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan - keep the lid off and leave it bubbly away nicely - until the pumpkin is just beginning to lose its shape and the meat is good and tender. 
Turn off the heat, add the tomatoes and peas and stir so they are all submerged, then put the lid back on and leave for 10 minutes for them to soften up.
Check the seasoning, give it a good last vigorous stir to smash up the tomatoes a bit and then serve with rice, yoghurt and a handful of coriander on top.

Try it! You won't be disappointed!

                                      



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