Hello to you all!

Hope you are all able to enjoy this lovely weather which is a pleasant change. I have just returned from a few weeks in Spain where of course the sun shone every day and as usual I ate too much and am now regretting it as all my Summer clothes are a little tight! The cookery course at the hacienda will be great and our first one starts at the end of October so contact me if you are interested, its great all inclusive value and good for non cooks as well.
I have been busy since my return, I now cook every Weds for a luncheon club run by a local church and I cook for 60 people a two course meal!! Quite a challenge but enjoyable especially to see so many full tummies and smiley faces at the end!
This months recipe takes us to India, I love to cook Indian food and whilst in Kerala had several lessons from the locals who taught me the basics of Indian cuisine, in fact whilst in Spain I cooked Keralan fish curry for a group of artists who were a little apprehensive but were soon scraping their plates with naan bread! The tandoori recipe this month is nice anytime but especially good on the BBQ you can use the marinade for smaller pieces of chicken and when cold tastes delicious ......even in a sandwich or perhaps a pitta bread, and for all you slimmers something tasty and different.
Thank you for your comments as always its always nice to receive them. Happy sunbathing!

Cameliaxx

Indian Summer

Indian cookery conjures up the idea of aromatic curries, warm fresh bread, refreshing chutneys and fluffy grains of rice. With regional divides in flavours, Indian cuisine is a culinary adventure. This month’s recipe is a classic Tandoori chicken, originating from the northern part of India, great on the barbie or cooked in the oven.
The word tandoor means a traditional clay oven fired by charcoal and wood. Tandoori food uses little fat and gets its flavour from the marinade. This recipe has two marinades. Ask your butcher to joint your fresh chicken, if not buy the pieces ready jointed. This is a lovely fresh flavoured recipe complemented by the mint chutney, ideal for a summer’s eve.
Don’t forget I now have my own recipe blog at www.mags4dorset.co.uk online, where I am happy to answer any questions. It’s always lovely to receive your comments.

TANDOORI CHICKEN
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Fresh chicken, approx. 1.5 kg, skin removed and portioned into 2 breasts and 2 legs

First marinade:

1 tspn red chilli powder
1tspn salt
1 tbspn ginger- garlic paste (you can buy as paste or crush some fresh ginger and garlic
in a processor)
2 tbspn lemon juice
Mix together

Second marinade:

250grm thick plain yoghurt
1 tspn garam masala
100ml vegetable oil
1 tspn grnd cinnamon
1 tspn chilli powder
A pinch of red food colouring (optional)
1 tspn fresh lime juice
Mix together

Some oil and melted butter for basting

Method:
1. Pre heat the oven to 200C/gas 6
2. Make 3 to 4 incisions on each piece of chicken without cutting all the way through.
3. Apply the first marinade and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes allowing the juices to drain.
4. Add the pieces to the second marinade, coating it well, and allow to stand in a cool place for at least 2 to 3 hours.
5. Meanwhile make the mint chutney as below.
6. Skewer the chicken pieces and if using an oven place on a baking tray and cook for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 160C/gas 3 and cook for a further 15 minutes basting well with the oil/butter mix making sure the chicken is cooked right through.
7. If using a bbq cook for approximately 20 minutes basting and turning making sure the chicken is cooked right through. Or you could start in the oven and place on bbq for final 5 minutes.
8. Baste again and sprinkle with the lime juice just before serving.

For the mint chutney (enough for 4)
100g fresh mint leaves
1 tbspn finely chopped red onion
1 tbspn lemon juice
1 green chilli, chopped and seeds removed
1 tspn salt
1/4 tbspn vegetable oil
2 tbspn Greek-style yoghurt

Method:
1. Bring a small pan of water to the boil, add the mint leaves and return to the boil.
2. Drain the mint leaves and place into a bowl of iced water to refresh them, as quickly as possible, then drain again before placing in a food processor with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth

Serve with a salad of rocket leaves mixed with apple and fresh mango dressed with some oil and lemon juice, and perhaps some warm naan bread.

Exciting News!

Hello! Firstly I would like to share some news, I have been given the opportunity of hosting some cookery weeks throughout Autumn in Andalucia in A beautiful Hacienda, the weeks are for both cooks and non cooks and are designed to be fun with sightseeing and of course lots of good food and wine, if you are interested in joining me contact me on 07990966144 for further details.
I cant believe it is May already, I love this time of year and with the threat of warm weather on the way we can look forward to lots of alfresco eating and red wine! I have some really nice Summer recipes to share with you in the coming months. The nice part about doing these monthly recipes is I cook every one before going to print and my hubbie photographs the finished dish and of course gets to eat it so he is very happy.... Thank you Richard!
I hope you enjoy this months Asian delight very simple again, and of course you could add more dishes to make it a more formal meal.
Please dont forget to comment it is always nice for me to receive feedback good and bad. so get writing!! Meanwhile enjoy the warmer weather while it is here!

Cameliaxx

A Tasty Asian Treat

The thing I love about Asian food is, it is designed for the shared table: a few dishes, a bowl of rice, some nice wine with good company - to me that makes good eating. I have put together a cheap simple menu ideal for a midweek supper or, with a few more dishes added, could be a more formal menu. Pork ribs are such good value, try to choose the smaller ones as they tend to be sweeter and more tender. The shaoshing wine can be bought in some supermarkets or in Asian stores. If you can’t find it, sherry is equally as good. Again all can be prepared in advance with little effort, especially good after a busy day, and for some reason there is something really wholesome about chewing bones and getting in a sticky mess. Enjoy! Sheng ti jian kung. (Good health).

Sticky Chinese Ribs:

Ingredients Serves 6

For the ribs:
2 x 1.3 kg rack of ribs
Black pepper

For the marinade:
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tblspn ginger finely grated
250 ml soy sauce
125ml honey
3 tblspn shaoshing wine or sherry
1 tblspn Chinese five spice
125ml Hoi Sin sauce

To Serve:

2 tblspn coriander leaves
2 spring onions chopped on the diagonal
3 dried chillies split and chopped (optional)
Lime wedge quartered

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 2. Put the ribs on a baking tray and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour, or until the ribs are tender.
2. While the ribs are in the oven, put the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey, wine, five-spice powder and Hoi Sin sauce in a small saucepan. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook the sauce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened.
3. Baste the ribs with the sauce and continue roasting for another 20 minutes.
4. Put the ribs on a chopping board, baste again with the sauce and cut into individual ribs.
5. Garnish with coriander, spring onions and chillies and accompany with lime wedges.

Warm Rice Salad:

Ingredients:
300g jasmine or long grain rice
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 yellow pepper finely chopped
2 spring onions finely chopped on the diagonal (green bits as well)
1 tblspn toasted sesame oil
A few splashes of Tabasco
salt and pepper

Method:
Place the rice in a heavy based pan, add the water and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil.Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for approx 15 to 20 mins until all the water has gone and the rice is soft. Fluff up the rice and mix all the ingredients into the warm rice putting the oil and Tabasco in last. Check for seasoning

Wilted Sesame Spinach:
Ingredients:

1 pack of young fresh spinach leaves
1 teaspn toasted sesame seeds
A splash of light soy sauce
A splash of sesame oil

Method:
Place a small amount of water into a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the whole bag of spinach for about 30 seconds just enough to wilt and drain well, carefully removing the liquid. Then toss in the sesame seeds, soy sauce and sesame oil.

The sweet smell of Spring

Hello!
At last Spring is in the air, longer evenings and a time to fill our homes with lovely Spring blooms. Firstly thank you for all your comments and hope you continue sending them, dont forget if I can help with any foodie questions or ideas please write in.
This months recipe Fish Tagine is a simple fresh dish packed with flavours of the Middle East, it is an easy entertaining dish especially lovely on a warm eve Ha Ha! if that is possible! The dish originates from the Moorish influence in Southern Spain and many older Spanish housewives still cook this type of food. So many people ask me if I run courses on cookery so I am very excited to introduce my new cookery days in the comfort of my home " A Taste Of Andalucia" these days are for people that would like to learn more about Spanish and Moorish home cooking, a typical day will include wine tastings, preparing and eating a tapas lunch, then preparing a dish to take home, recipes and more, all in a friendly relaxed enviroment. There will be a max of four persons to keep it more personal. If interested contact me on 07990966144 for dates and details.
Meanwhile I wish you all a Happy Easter, and remember home is the place to be so get cooking!

Cameliaxx

A Moroccan moment

A tagine is a Moroccan stew cooked in an earthenware pot of the same name traditionally on an open flame. You can buy tagines in most cook shops. The unusual triangular shape is designed to force condensation to the bottom keeping the food moist, I bought mine from a village in the Atlas Mountains and use it all the time. If you do not have a tagine you can easily make this recipe in a large lidded frying pan or saucepan.
This recipe is very simple and can be prepared in advance and would be great for easy Easter entertaining, the real beauty of this dish is that it hardly needs anything to go with it - perhaps a simple salad or some bread to dip in.
The charmoula is a classic fish marinade of cumin, garlic coriander, paprika and lemon and can be used to marinade most fish. I love this recipe it’s so colourful and I have made it many times, and with spring looming its nice to taste some early sunshine!
Camelia xx

FISH TAGINE WITH POTATOES TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 white fish steaks or fillets approx 225gm each. Hake is best but hard to source so I have used pollack. Cod or any firm white fish is fine
3 tblspns olive oil
20 small new potatoes such as Charlotte variety
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
15 cherry tomatoes halved
4 green peppers grilled until black, skinned, seeded and sliced into strips
A few black olives
100ml water
Salt and pepper


Charmoula marinade:

2 garlic cloves
2 tspns grnd cumin
1 tspn sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Half tblspn red wine vinegar
1 bunch fresh coriander
1 tblspn olive oil

Method:
1. Firstly grill the peppers until black and blistered all over. Place whilst hot in a bowl cover with cling film and leave to get cold. Once cold, the skin will easily peel away. You can do this in advance.
2. Make the charmoula in a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic with the salt until smooth then add cumin, lemon juice, vinegar, paprika, coriander and olive oil. Rub two thirds onto the fish and place in fridge between 20 mins and two hours.
3. Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and cut in half lengthways.
4. Heat 2 tblspns olive oil and fry the garlic until lightly brown, add the halved tomatoes and toss until slightly soft. Stir in the green peppers, the remainder of the charmoula and season.
5. In a 25cm tagine or lidded pan spread the potatoes over the bottom, then scatter three quarters of the pepper tomato mix over the potatoes then place the marinated fish on top. Place a little of the remaining pepper mix on each fish and scatter the olives. Add the water and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top. Finally check seasoning and put a lid on and steam over a medium heat for 15 to 20 mins until the fish is cooked through.
6. This will happily stand for about 15 mins.
7. Enjoy!

Buenos Dia!

Hello! Welcome to my blogspot, I am really looking forward to hearing your comments and answering any foodie questions you may have, but firstly a big thank you for all the lovely comments and support I receive from Town and Village readers. I feel very lucky to have the chance of sharing my passion for food with all the readers and hope I can encourage people that wont cook to start cooking! Food is the one thing we all share and with the tight budgets of recent times home is definately the best place to be, entertaining family and friends. If you have any questions or any suggestions as to the types of recipes please let me know.
I have recently just returned from Spain after organising a 210 years birthday house party.....my hubbies 50th, mums 80th and father in laws 80th!! It was great fun, I even learnt to dance Flamenco with two friends to surprise ( or maybe shock) everybody. Food was obviously a focus and once again I was thrown into catering for the masses! I must say a thank you to Suzy who came in to cook for a couple of the nights her Moroccan recipes were especially good and am looking forward to sharing some of those recipes with you shortly.
This months recipe is a treat for Mum, a simple tea to spoil her on Mothers day! Make the cakes a day in advance and you too can enjoy the day.
I look forward to receiving your comments.

Camelia xx