Pan fried tandoori cod fillet

This is another one of those recipes that I've made with  a few shortcuts, but is still packed full of flavour whilst being super quick to prepare.

Lightly pan fried fish coated in tandoori masala for a bit of a spicy hit, paired with griddled asparagus, steamed baby potatoes and a side of Mexican rice.

For a bit of a treat, you could always swap the steamed potatoes for chunky chips and leave out the asparagus & potatoes.

To serve 4 people you will need

4 peices of cod*  fillet

6 tbsp tandoori masala

5 tbsp plain flour 

3 x packs of Uncle Ben's spicy Mexican rice
20 asparagus spears ( 4-6 per person )
700g herb baby potatoes**


• Preheat your oven to 100c, ( fan ) in a large flat plate, mix your plain flour & tandoori masala together. 

• Line a large baking tray/dish with greaseproof paper and set aside.

• Set your frying pan on a medium heat, add enough oil to just cover the base of the pan.

• Whilst the oil is heating up, dip each fillet of fish into the flour mix ensuring each peice is thoroughly coated.

• Place 2 pieces of fillet into the frying pan at a time and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, and transfer to the lined tray once cooked.

• Put the cooked fillets into the oven - this is to keep them warm just while you make up the side accompaniments 

• Cook the rice and potatoes as instructed on the packaging. For the asparagus, add a drizzle of olive oil to a griddle /frying pan, add in the asparagus and cook on a high heat until they are slightly charred but still have a bit of a bite. Season with sea salt & black pepper 

• Serve the fish with the accompaniments straight away once cooked

* for the fish i often swap it around. I use cod, haddock and basa 

** I love the prepacked butter and herb potatoes thar are microwaveable- so quick and easy but just as delicious 

Lamb & cauliflower curry

It's been a while since I posted a curry recipe, purely because I try and be varied and adventurous with our family meals as possible so curries don't make as much of an appearance during the week.

I try and keep the weekends for curries as i can make them last to see us through the weekend, and don't have to rush around trying to get it all cooked at a decent time for dinner on a school night.

So this weekend I made lamb & cauliflower curry & served it with chappatis. I have to be careful when it comes to red meat as my poor husband suffers with gout if he eats it too much, so this was a real treat as I've not cooked a red meat based curry in about 6 months.

So to serve 4-6 people you will need:

3 large onions chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
3 green chilies
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic crushed
Thumb size peice grated ginger
Tin of tomatoes
3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1 tsp garam masala
1kg lamb on the bone
1 1/2 kg cauliflower chopped ( i used frozen)

• Add all the ingredients except the cauliflower, fenugreek leaves & garam masala to a heavy based pan

• Pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Pop the lid on and leave to simmer on a medium heat for 45 minutes or until about 3/4 of the water has absorbed.

• Turn up the heat to high and cook ( stirring intermittently) until all the moisture has evaporated. Add in the fenugreek leaves & garam masala & stir through.. continue to cook on a high heat until the lamb is just beginning to tenderise.

• Add in the cauliflower, pop the lid back on and leave to steam on a low heat to soften the cauliflower

• Turn the heat back up and cook the lamb & cauliflower on a high heat until all the moisture has completely evaporated, the oil should begin to separate.

• The cauliflower should begin to break down and the lamb should be fully cooked & tender - this is what is referred to bhun the dish - cooking rapidly on a high heat whilst intermittently stirring

• Take a piece of the lamb and a little of the cauliflower to check the tenderness of them both.. once the cauliflower is soft with a very slight bite & the lamb is tender the dish is ready.

• Just before serving, garnish with fresh coriander & serve alongside chappatis

Vegetable chow mein

This is a firm favourite in our house - even with both my children as they love the slightly chilli but sticky & sweet combination, and the smokiness from the siracha sauce added to it.

The chow mein will easily serve a family of 4. You will need

1 medium onion chopped

4 tbsp runny honey

4 tbsp wholegrain mustard

4-5 cloves of garlic crushed/ 1 tbsp garlic granules

5 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp siracha sauce

650g stir fry vegetables

800g egg noodles

6 baby corn on the cob- sliced in half

80g sugar snap peas - snap in half

2 tbsp sesame seeds

• Place a large pan or wok with a little oil on a medium heat. Add the garlic granules, cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chopped onion & salt.

• Cook the onions till soft and a light golden colour, add in the honey, mustard, soy sauce & siracha sauce, stir together and cook for another 2 minutes

• Add in the baby corn and the sugar snap peas, cook them on a high heat till they are just soft but still have a bit of a bite.

• Add in all the rest of the stir fry veg, and continue to cook on a high heat - you want them to retain a a slight crunch and the high heat helps not only to cook quickly but to keep the crispness 

• Add in the noodles, stir them through so all the vegetables are distributed evenly, and the marinade coats everything

• Sprinkle on the seasame seeds just before serving - serve with a side of prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce .. along with extra siracha sauce if any one likes a bit of extra spice & heat 

Guacamole

This is a really quick and easy recipe for guacamole as a friend's daughter asked me to post it.

For my version of guacamole, I  dont really measure the ingredients, i eyeball it as I go but the amounts listed below should be about right as I've gotten the hang of measuring small amounts by eye

For my guacamole you will need

1 small red onion
1 red chilli ( de seeded if you're not keen on spice)
3 ripe avacados
Small handful chopped coriander
Zest and juice of 2 limes
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cherry tomatoes

• Peel and chop your onion into small chunks, pop into a bowl

• Cut the chilli in  half width ways ( deseed if you wish ) chop      up one half and add to the onion, slice the remaining half          and set aside

• Chop the corinader, and add this to the onions along with         the lime zest

• Destone the avacadoes, scoop out all the flesh and roughly chop it, add to the bowl and squeeze over the juice of the limes. You can have the avacadoes in mostly chunks and slighty smooth or completly mash it up with a fork if you prefer it smooth

• Add a drizzle of olive oil, a good pinch of salt and pepper. Check the seasoning and adjust if need be with more salt and pepper or lime juice. 

• Chop the tomatoes into  chunks, stir through the guacamole, garnish with a little more fresh coriander and finish with a little drizzle of olive oil just before serving

Tear and share garlic bread

Garlic butter has to be one of my all time favourite paring when it comes to combinations of seasonings & flavours, especially when its the form of some type of garlic bread.

Whilst doing the weekly shop last week, I forgot to pick up a tear and share garlic bread at the request of the husband and kids to go with our friday night veg lasagne for dinner, so it was the perfect excuse to make my own. The aroma in the kitchen was just delicious and as soon as I served it, it was gone in seconds.

The recipe below made up 10 dough balls, presented as a tear and share ring, and the dough balls were quite generous size wise so i would actually divide the dough into 12 pieces the next time i make it. I've adjusted the recipe stating 12 but you could stick to 10 if you wish to

To make a 12 ball tear and share ring you will need

For the dough

400g bread flour
1tsp onion salt
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp of mixed italian herbs
270 ml water
2 tbsp olive oil

For the garlic butter

3tsp garlic granules
110g salted butter
2 tsp dried parsley
2tsp dried oregano
4 tbsp grated parmesan/vegetarian hard cheese

• Start by placing the flour in a bowl, along with the salt & yeast at opposite sides of each other, then the oil, garlic granules, dried herbs in the middle of the bowl.

• Slowly add the water to the bowl, and mix everything together to form a soft, slightly sticky - but not wet- dough.

• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth & elastic - this can take between 8-10 minutes. You can knead it in a free standing mixer with the dough hook attachment if you prefer, it will also be much quicker.

• Place the dough into a lighlty oiled bowl and leave to prove until doubled in size.

• Whilst the dough is proving make the garlic butter by mixing all the ingredients togther then melting for a few seconds in the microwave

• Once the dough is ready, take an 9 inch round tin, and brush some of the melted butter all over the inside of the tin

• Divide the dough into 12 equal peices, form them into 12 balls, and place in the buttered tin. Leave to prove till doubled in size.

• Brush the top of the bread, once its doubled in size, with some of the garlic butter and bake for 20 mins at 180c

• Brush the top of the bread again generously with the garlic butter, sprinkle on the parmesan & place back in the oven for another 10 -12 minutes until golden brown. Give it a final brushing of butter once more when out of the oven just before serving.

Toad in the hole

When it's been a cold, wet, windy typically British winter day and evening and all you want is some comfort food to warm your insides up, toad in the hole is definitely one of my all time favourites to  make.

It's  so simple, but so so delicious, and an added bonus is that it all cooks in one pan  which means less to wash up - win win

I served it with my red onion gravy and some buttery mash- and it definitely hot the spot.

To serve 4 people you will need :
8 sausages ( i used shezan halal lamb ones )
30g butter
50ml oil
125g plain flour
A good pinch of salt and pepper
2 large eggs
80ml milk
40 ml cold water

• Start by preheating your oven to 210c ( fan)

• Put  the flour, salt and pepper into a bowl, make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into the well

• Whisk the eggs with the flour to form a thick batter. Slowly add in the milk & continue to whisk and you should have a smooth pourable batter. Place in the fridge to rest

• Place the sausages along with the butter and oil into a roasting dish - mine was about 25x30cm , cook for about 15 minutes till just cooked.

• Take the batter out of the fridge, pour in the cold water, and whisk together.

• Remove the sausages from the oven & pour in all the batter quickly but carefully

• Place back in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the yorkshire pudding is crisp and golden, and serve

Red onion gravy

Home made gravy ... not as much as a faff as some might think, I made this due to not having any gravy granules at home, as I knew there was no way we could have toad in the hole for dinner and no gravy- that would have been a cardinal sin

It was definitely one of those 'chuck it in and lets see' moments, but when the husband and both kids declared ' right no more bisto for us' I knew it was worth the last minute throw together



For my red onion gravy you will need

1 large red onion sliced
A knob of butter
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Good pinch black pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp garlic granules
2 level tbsp plain flour
A tbsp Worcester /brown sauce
400ml water

• In a heavy based pan, put your onions in along with the oil and saute them until they are soft and begining to caramelise
• Add in the butter, pepper, onion salt, garlic granules and cook through for a couple of minutes 
• Crumble in the stock cube, and sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook together for another couple of minutes - the flour will clump the onions together- this is fine as it will become smooth as you add in the liquid.
• Slowly add in the flour a little at a time, whisking as you go, keep whisking till all the flour has incorporated into the liquid and there are no lumps.
• Bring the gravy to boiling point, then lower the heat and leave to simmer until the gravy is at your preffered thickness. At this point you can blend the gravy for a smooth gravy or leave the onions in as they are.
• Taste the gravy at this point, adjust if need be and serve.. I served it with my Toad in the hole for our sunday dinner and it went down a treat

Cheese and Marmite scones

When it comes to Marmite, Im a rather late comer to the party, I only dared try it a couple of months ago for brekfast on my toast and I was instantly converted, and left wondering what took me so long to actually try the stuff.


This now meant that I began wondering instantly what else I could use it for, I began trawling through pinterest for ideas. The first thing that caught my eye was a recipe for cheese scones with marmite added into the dough along with a drizzle on top once baked, so cheese and marmite scones it was.

I didn't even need to go out and buy any of the ingredients, luckily i had just about enough to make one batch and so I did and they did not disappoint


To make 12-14 scones you will need

250g plain flour
250g strong bread flour
5 tsp baking powder
100g grated cheese
2 tsp marmite
1 medium egg whisked
80g butter
250ml milk
3tsp marmite to drizzle (optional)

• Preheat your oven to 180c (fan) Place both flours and the baking powder into a bowl and mix together. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour to make a breadcrumb like consistency.
• Add in the cheese, stir through. Then add in the marmite to the whisked egg and add this to the bow, of flour, along with the milk, a little at a time, mix together to form a soft , slightly sticky dough. You may not need all the milk 
• Flour your work surface and turn out the dough onto your work surface. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes till soft. Flatten the dough out using your hands to 1 - 1 1/2 inch thick.
• Use the fluted edge of a round cookie cutter to cut out the scones, place the cut out rounds onto a baking tray and brush the tops with beaten egg. Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until double in size and golden on top
• Melt the 3 tsp of marmite for a few seconds in your microwave then liberally drizzle all over the tops of the still hot scones and tuck in. You can also eat them the next day toasted, with butter for brakfast