Chickpea Curry

I am about six weeks away from leaving the Southern Hemisphere, so am desperately trying to use up as many spices and other store cupboard ingredients I have as possible. Throwing away food is something I hate, and I want to minimise any waste as much as possible.

This recipe comes from my need to use up what lurks on my kitchen shelves. That description doesn't do the finished result justice though- I liked it so much I made it again the following day, which is a very rare event in my kitchen.

Ingredients
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
a good lump of butter or ghee
2 cardamom pods
1 clove
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch asfoetida
1/2 tsp cinnamon
chilli powder- to your taste
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, drained
6 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt

Method
Heat the butter in a saucepan, and fry the onion, garlic and ginger over a medium heat until golden. Add the cardamom pods and clove, and cook for another minute. Stir in the remaining spices, and then the tomatoes. Turn up the heat, and simmer until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick and pulpy consistency. Turn down the heat, add the chickpeas, and stir to coat in the sauce. Mix in a tablespoon of the yogurt. Once it is incorporated, stir in another tablespoon, and continue until you have used all 6 tablespoons. Stir in a cupful of water, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until you have a thickened sauce. If it gets to thick to quickly, add more water, and if it looks a bit thin, keep cooking until it has reduced. Add the salt when you are satisfied with the consistency, and if you want to adjust any other seasonings do so.
I would usually suggest finishing with chopped coriander leaves, but feel it is not so much in the spirit of a store cupboard recipe. But if you have coriander in your fridge or garden, then they are a good addition.

Tomato and Basil Sauce

Tomato and basil sauce for pasta is about as far as you can get from ground breaking but my aim is to build up a comprehensive collection of recipes on my blog which are accessible, rather than a Blumenthal-esque towers-of-soup-recipe blog. I sometimes find myself trying a bit too hard to innovate,. and it's times like these I need something classic to remind myself that simple does not have to mean boring.

A decent tomato sauce is not at all difficult, and very useful. You can use it as the base for other dishes- pizza sauce, the lubrication for meatballs and pasta. It's cheap to make and is pretty non-threatening to children who are fussy eaters (though the basil might be a bit too green).

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
800g tinned tomatoes
Good lump of unsalted butter
pinch sugar (if needed)
Basil leaves, a good handful.

Method
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, fry the onion until softened in the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Once the garlic has release its scent, add the tin of tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium high, and let it bubble away until thick and pulpy.Stir from time to time, otherwise the bottom will burn. Season with salt and pepper, and some sugar if you think it needs it (I often do). You can add the pepper before this stage, but not the sugar or salt- after reducing it down the flavour will taste too concentrated, so wait until you reach the consistency you like. Stir in a big lump of butter, letting it melt in the residual heat. Just before serving, stir in the basil leaves, torn up roughly with your hands.

Dhal Stuffed Paratha

I made these with leftover tarka dhal. They make a good supper or snack with Indian pickles and raita, served straight from the frying pan.


Ingredients
500g chapatti/ atta flour, plus extra for dusting
pinch salt
1 tsp vegetable or other flavourless oil
about 300ml water, enough top make a soft dough.
Leftover dhal- it needs to have a dryish texture
Melted ghee, a few tablespoons.

Method
Mix the flour with the salt and oil. Slowly stir in enough water to make a soft dough. Cover and leave for about 30 minutes.
Divide them into 8-10 pieces. Dust some flour onto a board, and roll one piece into a 7cm circle. Put a tablespoon of dhal in the centre. Gather up the edges of the dough to the centre and form into a ball again. Re-roll out to a 16cm circle. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.

Heat a griddle or heavy based frying pan. Put an uncooked paratha in the pan. Turn in over after a minute, and brush with ghee. Turn over again, a brush the other side with the ghee. Turn it over a few times while cooking, it should be golden brown and crispy on both sides when ready. Repeat with the rest of the uncooked paratha.

Courgette, Goats' Cheese and Thyme Risotto

Slow cooking in olive oil and butter coaxes the flavour out of courgettes, I think it is the best treatment for them. I really recommend cooking them separately and then stirring into the risotto at the end of cooking instead of chucking them in with the onions and garlic. It does involve an extra saucepan, the courgettes will end up watery and flavourless, leaving you wondering why you used them in the first place.
I had a little cream left in the fridge that needed using up, so I added it to the risotto at the end. It's still rich without it though, so whether you use it or not is up to you.

Ingredients
3 medium sized courgettes
Olive oil
Butter
Thyme
2 tsp lemon juice
1 onion, peeled and chopped medium-fine
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
500g risotto rice
small glass dry white wine
1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
4 tbsp parmesan, + extra for the table
200g soft goats cheese, crumbled
Butter
2 tbsp cream (optional)

Method
Finely slice the courgettes, and slowly fry in a knob of butter and a tsp of olive oil. Turn from time to time, but mostly let them gently cook by themselves until they're melting. In the last five minutes of cooking add in the chopped thyme. Take off the heat and squeeze over the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a heavy based saucepan, melt another spoonful of butter and fry the onion and garlic in it over a medium low heat until softened. Put the stock in another saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat up under the onions, and stir in the rice. Cook for about a minute, stirring, so that the grains 'toast' slightly. Pour in the wine (keep stirring), and once it has absorbed into the rice, add the first ladleful of stock. Once that has absorbed, add another ladle of it, and so on. Stir all the time, so it cooks evenly, and to achieve the lovely creamy texture of a good risotto. Once the rice is cooked (soft but not mush) stir in the courgettes, Then take off the heat and add another spoon of butter, the 4 tablespoons of parmesan and the cream, if using. Mix it in, put a lid on the pan, and leave for 2 minutes. This final stage is the mantecura, the thickening of the risotto. Sprinkle over the goats cheese just before serving.

Tarka Dahl

I think Indian cuisine has the best vegetarian food, I could happily eat dahls, vegetable curries and paneer dishes without even noticing I was lacking meat. Tarka dahl is one of my comfort meals, something to be eaten on the sofa with a spoon or scooped up with soft naan. It's also cheap and easy, and can be used as a side dish for a more extravagant meal. What more could you want?
I've never made this from a recipe, I received some vague directions on how to cook it once and have been making it ever since, which is why I have chosen to not write in a  prescriptive recipe format.

Put some split red lentils in a saucepan with a pinch of turmeric, a few cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt. Cover with water, about twice as much water as lentils. Bring slowly to a simmer, skimming of any scum that rises to the surface. Let it cook at light simmer until the lentils have collapsed and turned to a porridge. Stir frequently during cooking, especially near the end when there is more risk of the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pot. If it looks like it is going to dry out during cooking, add a little more water, if it looks too liquid, boil it off until you have a better consistency. This really isn't precise cooking.

Heat some ghee or butter - a good spoonful- in a frying pan. When the butter/ ghee is bubbling, dd some chopped garlic and ginger, ground cumin, coriander, asfoetida and chilli to the pan and fry for about 1 minute. Tip the spice mix straight into the dal and stir in. (For 500g lentils, I use about 2tsp each ground cumin and coriander, a pinch of asfoetida and a tsp chilli powder.) Season the dahl with salt and garam masala, and a squeeze of lime juice. Eat with rice or indian bread, or as part of a larger Indian meal.

Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

This curry has a good balance of creaminess from the coconut milk and enough heat and spice to make sure it is anything but dull and cloying. It's my favourite sort of comfort food. Please don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; it's very easy to make and rewarding to eat. You can, of course, vary the vegetables, but these are my usual trio. In the last version I made, the spinach was replaced with choy sum that needed using, and very nice it was too.

Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 inches ginger. peeled and grated
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 stick cinnamon
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch asafoetida
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 tin chickpeas, drained
200g spinach leaves
2 tbsp garam masala
small bunch coriander leaves
1 tsp salt
juice of 1 lime

Method
In a heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter/ghee over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir in the onion, garlic and ginger and cook golden brown. You'll need to stir it often to prevent it burning. Now add the whole spices-the cardamom, mustard seeds and cinnamon stick and continue to cook with the oniony mixture for 1 minute. Follow these with the ground spices except for the garam masala, and cook, stirring all the time, for 1 further minute. Add the tin of tomatoes, let it cook for a few minutes until thickened and then stir in the coconut milk. Now the chickpeas and the sweet potato. Let the whole thing cook at a low simmer until the sweet potato is very tender.
Stir in the spinach, it will wilt in the heat of the pan. So even if it doesn't look like it will all fit, persevere,  adding it bit by bit. Season with the salt and garam masala, adding more if you think it needs it. Spritz with the lime juice and when you are ready to eat, stir through the chopped coriander leaves. Have with the usual accompaniments; raiti, naans, chutneys, whatever you like.

Mushrooms with Marsala and Thyme.

So good. Eat them on toast, in risotto, tossed with freshly cooked tagliatelle. Have them for breakfast or a late night snack. Unless you don't like mushrooms, although maybe this recipe would convince you otherwise?

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (maybe leave them out if having this for breakfast)
250 grams chestnut mushrooms, sliced
Thyme leaves from 3-4 sprigs, chopped
splash Marsala or Madeira
100ml double cream
1/4 porcini mushroom stockcube (optional but desirable)
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg

Method
Melt the butter over a medium heat in a frying pan. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute until the scent rises. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, then stir in the thyme leaves. When the mushrooms are very nearly done, turn up the heat and pour in the Marsala. Let it bubble, and when the alcoholic fumes have evaporated, add the cream and crumble over the stock cube, if using. When the cream has thickened and is clinging to the 'shrooms, take of the heat and season with pepper and nutmeg, and salt if you haven't used the stock cube.

Macaroni Cheese

Totally unfashionable and utterly delicious, macaroni cheese is probably my ultimate comfort food- starch in starch sauce, baked with cheese, there's nothing cosier to eat when it's freezing outside. I love it so much I'll eat it in August. I had made extra white sauce from the chicken pie, so the preparation for this was minimal, but making up from scratch isn't labour intensive. The most involved part is some therapeutic sauce stirring- you do have cheese to grate, but you can delegate that to anyone pretending to want to help.

Four things:
You can assemble the dish before putting it in the oven in advance, and bake it about half an hour before you want to eat.

I don't always infuse the milk with the usual bay/mace/onion for the white sauce, it is good though. But sometimes the need for dinner sooner rather than later is too much, and if this is a more impromptu meal, then forgo this stage.

I use penne, not macaroni. I like the way the tubes hold more sauce. I always felt like I needed to apologise for this. until I read Simon Hopkinson's wonderful Prawn Cocktail Years and was reassured with the knowledge that he did the same.

This macaroni cheese is white, not orange: http://achewood.com/index.php?date=12312009

*Update 15/10/15*
Well, this is something I make a lot, and I usually serve it with roast leeks- cut into 4cm ish chunks, and roasted in olive oil and sea salt.

Ingredients:
 300g penne, or macaroni.
Strong cheddar- few handfuls. I never weigh it out, just be generous. I presume you like cheese if you are making a macaroni cheese,
Parmesan (optional)
30grams butter
15g flour
pinch mustard powder
300ml milk (full fat, for preference)

Make your sauce: Melt the butter in heavy bottomed saucepan, then stir in the flour and mustard powder. Toast the flour-butter mix over the heat for a minute. Add a little of the milk to the pan, stirring. Continue to add the milk, bit by bit and stirring all the time until it is all used up and you have a creamy sauce. You may need to add a little extra milk.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add salt and the pasta, cook until al dente.
If you are making it up in advance, run the pasta under the cold tap until it is thoroughly cold, and mix it with the sauce when that has cooled too. If you are proceeding straight away, have the hot bechemal waiting and just tip the hot pasta back into the pan you used to cook it, then pour the sauce over and stir it in. Stir in some grated cheddar, and a few spoons of grated parmesan, if using. Put in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with more grated cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees till piping hot and browned. If you've made it up and are cooking it from fridge temperature, cook it at 180 degrees for slightly longer.

Egg and Lentil Curry

I know egg and lentil curry sounds like a grim dish served in some grim vegetarian café, served with fun-free zero fat yoghurt raita, and badly cooked brown rice (we all have our prejudices). But this is a regular favourite fallback recipe of mine. I don't think I've ever cooked it exactly the same way twice, what I have in the cupboard, what sort of mood I'm in all dictates how it's made. Sometimes I want something fiery, in which case I add more chilli and less coconut, and sometimes I want something altogether less challenging, and I might stir in some yoghurt at the end to make a creamier and more comforting dish. Even the eggs aren't strictly necessary, leave them out and have dhal. Here I've attempted to pin it down to a more exact recipe. I've also labelled it under 'Indian', although this is not strictly true as it comes directly from my kitchen. Hopefully it wouldn't seem too out of place amongst some actually authentic curries as part of a larger meal.

Ingredients-for 4
2 tbsp Oil or ghee
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
thumb-sized piece of root ginger 
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp cumins seeds, ground
2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
chilli powder- quantity to your taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch asafoetida (optional, but it does add a certain something)
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
250grams brown lentils
4 eggs
tbsp garam masala
salt
2 tbsps yoghurt (optional)

Method
Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy bottom saucepan saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until golden and aromatic. Turn up the heat slightly and add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and mustard seeds. Fry for a minute, stirring all the time. Add the rest of the spices except for the garam masala, and continue to cook for a few more seconds. When the spices have released their scent tip in the tinned tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the oil has separated from the tomatoes. Add the coconut milk and lentils, and water to cover. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the lentils cook, top up with water if necessary.
Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 8 minutes- you want them hard boiled, but still with a creamyish yolk, no tell-tale dark circles of overcooking in the middle. Once the time is up, run them under the cold tap for a minute to stop them cooking before shelling them. Cut them lengthways in half.
When the lentils have become soft, and the whole thing is looking nice and thick, turn off the heat and add the garam masala and salt. Taste, and do any adjustments- if you want yoghurt, stir it through now. Add the eggs, let it sit for just a minute to all come together, then serve.