Arford Books Cooks

Easy recipes from Apple Tree

Tag: spicy (Page 2 of 4)

Chilli Cornbread Pie

05/11/2019 /

This is basically a chilli with cornbread on top. Cooked together – what’s not to like?? You make your chilli first, then mix the topping and bake it like a shepherd’s pie.  For four portions:

  • 1 onion chopped
  • dash of oil (rapeseed preferably)

Gently fry until soft

  • 2 garlic cloves crushed and chopped

Add to the pan and fry briefly

  • 450g lean minced beef

Add to the pan and stir about. Fry until coloured (no pink)

  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomato
  • 2 x 400g cans chilli beans (or regular red kidney beans plus 1 tsp hot chilli powder)
  • 250ml beef stock

Here’s a general tip, if you are adding tinned tomatoes followed by stock, use the stock to swill out the tin so nothing is wasted.  Season the mix and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile make the topping.

Preheat the oven to 180C

  • 150g cornmeal or fine polenta flour
  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Mix in a bowl

  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 300ml buttermilk (or plain yoghurt mixed with milk at a pinch)

Mix in a jug. Then pour into the flour mix, and mix to a runny batter. It needs to be “thickly pourable” if that is any guide. Not too runny, but it needs to move.

When your chilli mix looks cooked, it needs to be still liquidy, with liquid to the top of the meat/beans, not drying out and lumpy. If it isn’t wet enough, add some water and stir about. This is because the cornbread will suck up moisture and you don’t want a dry pie do you? Check the seasoning – if it’s not spicy enough consider adding some chopped jalapenos or minced chillies.

Now find a suitable oven-proof tin or casserole dish and put the chilli in. Now carefully cover the top of the chilli mix with your cornbread mix. This is why you want it runny enough to cover the surface. Now bake for 35-40  minutes. It’s probably worth a check after 25, because you want to top browned not blackened. If it is still looking pale stick a skewer in the topping. If it comes out dry it is cooked. If it comes out with batter on it needs more time. If it comes out covered in chilli you stuck it in too far.

This needs the traditional accompaniments of cold beer, soured cream, maybe avacado, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, grated cheese and more jalapenos. This is an Ainsley Herriot recipe and he just said salad. That’s a missed opportunity in my opinion.

Crispy Chicken Wings

24/10/2019 /

These are cooked to crispy first, then smothered (or not). See our other recipe for Buffalo Wings for an alternative. For 1Kg of wings:

  • 2 tbs of baking powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion or garlic powder

Take a large plastic bag and put the baking powder in it. Pimp it up with the seasonings – you can play around and experiment with what you add at this point.

  • 1 kg chicken wings (£2.49 from Tesco)

Cut away wing tips and feed to the dog (they can eat raw chicken bones). Cut through the joint to make two sections per wing. Dry on kitchen paper. Toss in the bag to coat with the seasoned baking powder.

Turn the oven up to 200C (fan). Place the coated winglets on an oiled grill rack placed over a drip tray. You could probably use a cake cooling rack for this. Bake for 50 minutes turning once at mid-point. You might think this is a long time – it is, they will be cooked long before this but it makes them extra crispy. Just watch they don’t burn.

You could use them at this point to dip into sauces but if you want to make fiery finger food, carry on:

  • 1 tbs hot sauce (or more)
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs melted butter

Mix, then paint all over the wings, or pour over and toss the wings about to coat.

Now get dipping with spicy wings!

Very veggie dhal

09/09/2019 /

This makes a great main-meal dhal, which can be vegan, vegetarian or meaty depending what you put on top of it.  It can also be a curry side. This serves 6 or more but you can scale it down.

  • 1 Tbs oil
  • 1/2 an onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 Tbs ginger, freshly grated
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry unil soft. Add

  • 1 heaped tsp turmeric
  • 1 heaped tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

Fry for one minute. Add

  • 3 cups split red lentils
  • 2 courgettes grated

Fry one minute. Add

  • 1.2 litres water

Simmer for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and add water if it looks like it is drying out. Then add

  • 3 cups roughly chopped spinach
  • 1 x 400g can chick peas
  • 1x 400 ml can Coconut milk
  • 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce or salt

Simmer for another 10 minutes until thick. Adjust the seasoning, you may need more salt. Meanwhile, in another pan heat

  • 1 Tbs oil
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1.5 tsp cumin seeds

Fry gently until the aromas are released.

Serve into bowls, topped with the chilli/cumin oil.  You can serve as it, with rice or breads (vegan), or

Top with hard-boiled egg and youghurt (vegetarian), or

Serve with a dry meat curry or tandoori grilled chicken or lamb

Chana Masala (Chickpea curry)

13/10/2018 / / 0 Comments
  • 200g dried chickpeas (or 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed) – dried chickpeas have a better taste and texture than tinned

If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, covered, in a pan of lukewarm water. The next morning, drain the water and cover with fresh water. Add ½ tsp salt and boil until soft (about 1½-2 hours). Drain and set aside.

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Thumb-size piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 medium green chilli, finely chopped

Put the garlic, ginger and chilli in a small bowl and mix together into a coarse paste.

  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 400g tin chopped tomato

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 10-15 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Add the cumin seeds and the ginger, garlic and chilli paste, and cook for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir for 2 minutes, adding salt to taste.

  • 1 level tsp ground turmeric
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cumin

Add the turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, ground coriander and ground cumin and stir well, then add the chickpeas and cook for 15 minutes.

  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Natural yogurt and lemon wedges to serve (vegan yoghurt for vegans)

Stir in the chopped coriander and serve with a dollop of yogurt and lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Easy Chicken Tagine

10/09/2018 / / 0 Comments

You need an oven-proof pan with a lid, such as a cast-iron casserole.

  • 8 chicken thighs

Splash some oil in the pan and brown the thighs for 10-15 minutes. Remove to a plate.

  • 1 chopped onion

Add to the pan and fry gently 2-3 minutes

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
  • 2 tbs Moroccan spice mix*

Fry a bit more, scraping up any crispy bits from the chicken.

  • 2 preserved lemons
  • 2 large tomoatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs red wine vinegar
  • Handful of olives
  • Chicken stock cube
  • 750ml water

Add to the pan. Stir gently to boiling point. Add the chicken back in, cover and transfer to an oven 170C/150C Fan for one hour. Serve with a scattering of feta, mint leaves and pomegranate seeds with couscous on the side.

*If you can’t find a suitable Moroccan spice mix try this:

  • 2tbs coriander seeds
  • 1tbs cumin seeds
  • 1.5tsp fennel seeds
  • 0.5tsp black pepper
  • 0.24 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch saffron

Dry fry the seeds until they start to smell. Grind, then mix with the other spices.

Slow cooked lamb Madras curry

29/01/2018 / / 0 Comments

This takes a lot of time but not much work. First make a curry paste and marinate your lamb, half an hour minimum or up to two days in the fridge.

  • 1 lamb shoulder or two halves
  • 1.5tbs mustard seeds
  • 4tbs coriander seeds
  • 2tbs cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp cardamom seeds from inside the husks

Dry fry until they give off a scent. Grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Add

  • 5 red chillies
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 x 5cm pieces of ginger
  • 1-2tbs chilli powder
  • 1stp turmeric
  • 3tbs tomato puree
  • 1tbs vinegar
  • 60ml oil

Whizz to a paste. Smear all over the lamb and set aside to marinate (in a plastic bag works well)

When you are ready to start cooking, scrape all the paste off the lamb and reserve. Put the oven on 220C and sear the lamb for 20 minutes. Meanwhile start on the sauce.

  • 4 onions sliced
  • oil

Sweat the onions very gently in a pan for 10 minutes. Add the reserved curry paste and cook another 5 minutes. Add

  • Can of chopped tomatoes
  • 400ml lamb or chicken stock
  • 1 aubergine, chopped into chunks

You can either cook in a very low oven or in the Instant Pot/Slow cooker. For the oven method, put the lamb and sauce in a pot with a tightly fitting lid and cook 170C for 3.5 hours. Watch it doesn’t dry out. A safer option is put it all in the Instant Pot and put on Slow Cook High Heat for 5 hours. You will probably need to reduce the sauce at the end if you have used the Instant Pot – simply take the lid off, put on Saute and bubble away. When you are ready to serve, take the meat off the bone (it will fall off), remove fat etc and put the lean meat chunks a serving bowl with the sauce. Top with plain yoghurt and fresh coriander. We served this with naan and a dhal.

 

Buffalo Wings

27/11/2017 / / 0 Comments

Really easy, really tasty, really cheap too.

  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 3 tbs cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs paprika
  • 1 tbs Worcester sauce
  • 2 tsp celery salt
  • 2-4 tbs hot pepper sauce depending on heat preference
  • 3 tbs honey

Mix to a marinade

  • 1 kg chicken wings (£2.49 from Tesco)

Cut away wing tips and feed to the dog (they can eat raw chicken bones). Cut through the joint to make two sections per wing. Toss in the marinade to coat and marinate for as long as you have, from an hour to overnight. Heat your oven to 180C (160C fan) and place the wings on an oven tray. Reserve the spare marinade. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss in or coat with the reserved marinade. Turn the oven up to 200C (180C fan) and cook another 20-30 minutes, turning and basting if you have any marinade left. They are cooked when they are sticky, glazed and charred!

Recipe from BBC web site

Butternut squash and lentil dhal

22/10/2017 / / 0 Comments

Easy.

  • prepared squash
  • 2 tbs mild curry paste
  • oil
  • seasoning

Put cubes of squash in an oven tray, toss in oil and curry paste and season. Cook in a 200C oven for 30 minutes until soft. Meanwhile…

  • 200g green lentils
  • 600ml vegetable stock

Put in a pan and simmer 40 minutes or in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes.

  • 100g spinach
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • pack of coriander, leaves chopped

Add to the lentils. Add the squash and heat until the spinach has wilted.

  • 1tbs desiccated coconut

Heat in a pan until slightly brown

  • 50 pomegranate seeds

Serve in bowls.  Add pomegranate seeds and coconut on top. Serve with warm naan breads and plain yoghurt.

 

 

 

Sag Aloo

27/09/2017 / / 0 Comments

Authentic enough…

  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 large red chilli, halved, de-seeded and finely sliced

Fry gently. Add

  • 500g potato cut into small cubes

Fry some more. add

  • 1 tbsp chopped ginger
  • ½ tsp each black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric

Fry some more. Add a splash of water and ½ tsp salt, cover and let cook for 10 minutes until soft. Add

  • 250g spinach   leaves

Continue cooking until wilted. Done!

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