CHICKEN SHAWARMA
‘TANDOORI’ OVEN CHICKEN WITH BURNT BUTTER RICE
SERVES: 8 TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
I never understood what was meant by tandoori chicken, until I realized it was the type of oven – a tandoor – they were talking about. So I have made the same dish my dad used to serve up in his restaurant, but using our oven at home. It has a similar red hue, but not so red that you’ll question whether you will ever sleep again! It’s served with an onion salad and burnt butter rice.
For the chicken
4 skinless chicken thighs and 4 skinless breasts, flesh slashed
2 tablespoons ghee, melted
4 tablespoons tandoori spice mix (see p. 238)
For the sauce
400g yoghurt
5 tablespoons chickpea flour
35g melted ghee
4 tablespoons tomato purée
3 tablespoons tandoori spice mix (see p. 238)
For the rice
500g basmati rice, washed and drained
200g butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 litre boiling water
For the red onion apple salad
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 green apples, cut into thin sticks
a squeeze of lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
a small handful of fresh mint
To serve
sliced red chillies, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C and have a roasting dish ready that all the chicken will fit into.
Put the chicken into the tray. Massage the ghee into the skin and sprinkle over the tandoori spice mix. Then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
To make the sauce, put the yoghurt, chickpea flour, ghee, tomato purée and tandoori spice mix into a bowl and combine.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/fan 180°C. Take the chicken out of the oven and pour the yoghurt mix all over the top, then put back into the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice. Put the butter into a large pan on a high heat until it becomes a golden-brown colour. As soon as it does, add the rice and salt and stir. Add the hot water and keep stirring until it comes to the boil – when it does, keep stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Pop the lid on the pan and leave the rice to steam on a low heat for 10 minutes.
To make the salad, mix together the onions, apples, lemon juice, salt and mint.
When the chicken is ready, sprinkle with red chillies and coriander and serve with the burnt butter rice.
‘TANDOORI’ OVEN CHICKEN WITH BURNT BUTTER RICE
HASSELBACK SQUASH WITH BURNT GARLIC RICE
SERVES: 4 ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR
This squash is cooked whole, with slits cut into it so all the flavour can permeate through. It’s served with a simple burnt garlic rice. Sometimes all we want is something hearty with veg, and that is exactly what this is.
For the squash
1 medium butternut squash
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon ground cumin
fresh parsley, chopped, to finish
For the rice
50ml vegetable oil
100g unsalted butter
1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled and sliced
500g basmati rice
1 tablespoon salt
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C and have a roasting tray at the ready.
Peel your squash, then take off the top and bottom ends, cut it in half lengthways and scoop out the seedy bits. Now, with the cut side of the squash flat against the chopping board, make slits across it horizontally. Start at the top, working your way down and leaving 5mm gaps, ensuring each slit does not go all the way through the squash. Cut each half all the way through lengthways, so you have 4 individual quarters. Don’t worry if you accidentally cut too far when making the slits – just slide the pieces together when you put them on the roasting tray.
Put the oil, salt, ginger paste, chilli flakes, rosemary, cumin, and zest and juice of a lemon, into a bowl and mix together really well.
Put the squash on the roasting tray and smother it with the dressing. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the squash is tender.
Now cook the rice. Put the oil and butter into a large pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook on a high heat until it is almost black, stirring occasionally. As soon as it is very dark, take the pan off the heat and stir in the rice and salt.
Have a kettle of boiling water ready by your side. Cook the rice on a medium heat for 3 minutes, or until the grains are an opaque white, stirring all the time. Pour in water until it is 1cm above the level of the rice.
Cook the rice on a high heat until all the water has been absorbed, stirring to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the base of the pan. Then turn the heat right down to the lowest setting, pop the lid on, and let the rice steam for 15 minutes.
Serve everyone some squash and rice, and sprinkle over the fresh parsley. You might like to add some Avocado Pesto (p. 27) to this, or the dressing from the Sweet Potato and Goat’s Cheese Tart (p. 110).
Any leftover rice can be frozen.
HASSELBACK SQUASH WITH BURNT GARLIC RICE
Recipe List
MANGO AND PEACH MINT SORBET
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE
FRYING PAN S’MORES
COCONUT BARFI TRUFFLES
CHOC BAR PUFFS
APPLE PALM PIES
SAFFRON ROSE SHRIKAND
SAUCY CITRUS PUDDING
CHOC LIME ROULADE
STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE FUNNEL CAKE
GINGERBREAD MELT-IN-THE-MIDDLES
LONDON CHEESECAKE
GRAPEFRUIT TIRAMISU
SWEET RISOTTO
CHOC CHIP PAN COOKIE
PECAN ROUNDS WITH COFFEE CREAM
PRESERVED LEMON TRAYBAKE
RIPPLE ÉCLAIR POPS
BLACK PEPPER CAKE
BANANA TARTE TATIN WITH MALAI ICE CREAM
CARAMELIZED BISCUIT TRAYBAKE
CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE BLOSSOM BAKLAVA
BURNT BUTTERSCOTCH BANANAS WITH ICE CREAM AND RICE PUDDING
CEREAL MILK ICE CREAM
CHOCOLATE ROSE PANNACOTTA TART
PRINCESS TORTE CAKE
CHOCO MOMO WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE
RAS MALAI CAKE
SERVES: 4 TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES
This doesn’t have to be made ahead, as it’s so easy to whip together, but if you have any left over, just pop it into the freezer for another time. It’s so simple it can be made with any fruit, but I like this combination, not to mention the beautiful colour with flecks of minty green.
500g frozen mango pieces
1 x 411g tin of peaches, drained
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
4 tablespoons golden syrup
a small handful of fresh mint, chopped
Pop all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until it comes together into a thick sorbet-type paste, making sure to occasionally scrape down the sides. If you find the mixture is not moving at any point, add an extra spoon of yoghurt.
While blitzing, you may find it becoming less frozen and more like a smoothie. If this is the case, pop it into the freezer for about 20 minutes before serving.
Store any leftovers in a Tupperware container, placed inside a ziplock bag to keep the sorbet soft and easy to scoop.
MANGO AND PEACH SORBET FLOAT
You can serve any leftover sorbet as a drink: take a scoop of it and put it into the bottom of a glass. Add a few frozen berries if you have any in the freezer, then pour in some lemonade to make the perfect chilled tropical-flavoured drink.
MANGO AND
PEACH MINT SORBET
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE
MAKES: 1 LARGE DISH OR 8 SMALL RAMEKINS TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES
This is the simplest mousse, and we all need a quick mousse recipe for when we want dessert or something sweet. I for one love chocolate hazelnut spread, but I also love the spreads that used to be just chocolate bars and have been reborn as the same thing in jars in a spreadable form. You can use whichever you like.
200g chocolate hazelnut spread
50ml whole milk
600ml double cream
1 tablespoon cornflour
3 tablespoons icing sugar
100g roasted chopped hazelnuts
whippy cream, from a can, to serve (optional)
cocoa powder for dusting, if you feel like it
Pop the chocolate hazelnut spread into a bowl with the milk and heat in the microwave in 10-second bursts until the mixture is runny and viscous, but not steaming hot. This should not take more than 20 seconds. Set aside to cool.
Put the cream into a large bowl with the cornflour and icing sugar and begin whipping. As soon as it begins to thicken, pour in the chocolate mixture and keep whipping until you have stiff peaks.
Fold through the hazelnuts (keeping a tablespoon back for decorating), then spoon into a serving dish or individual ramekins. If you want it to look extra special, you can pipe the mousse in.
Serve with whippy cream if desired, with an extra sprinkling of hazelnuts on top and a dusting of cocoa powder.
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE
FRYING PAN S’MORES
SERVES: 6–8 ACTIVE TIME: 5 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES
Does this even need an intro? S’mores are American madness in its best form: crunchy biscuit, melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow. They are not the easiest things to find here, so we often make them for the barbecue over the summer, but when we want a quick dessert this is the best thing ever! All made in a frying pan, with biscuits to dive in.
300g dark chocolate, chips or cut into cubes, or choc of your choice
1 x 220g jar of salted caramel
40–45 medium marshmallows
400g pack of digestives or oat biscuits
For this you will need a frying pan or skillet that is safe to go into the oven, or alternatively you can use a 23cm round cake tin. I use either/or, whatever I have to hand.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C and have the biscuits ready. You want to eat these while they are still hot and oozy, so be prepared.
Layer the base with the cubes of chocolate, or chips if those are what you are using. Spread the caramel all over the top. This is not traditional, it’s just an extra element I enjoy.
Carefully place the marshmallows on top, upright, and pack them in tightly. If you don’t want to cook this straight away, it will be fine in the fridge until you’re ready. Otherwise, bake in the oven for about 7 minutes.
It’s ready when the marshmallows are a golden brown and start to puff up.
Time to dig in – take a biscuit and dip it right into the base until you have melted chocolate, runny caramel and stringy marshmallow on your crisp biscuit.
COCONUT BARFI TRUFFLES
MAKES: ABOUT 25 TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES
Barfi is a delicious Indian sweet traditionally made with condensed milk and milk powder. It is my Abdal’s absolute favourite. His eyes light up whenever someone opens up a box in front of him, but they take time and a little more effort to make your own, so this is my easy version. Everything goes into a processor and is blitzed, so if you are taking the appliance out of the cupboard, it’s worth making double the amount. I like to eat them out of the fridge as little balls of energy, just perfect for when I need a sweet hit.
50g pistachios
150g dried apricots
5 cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed, or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
160g desiccated coconut, plus 20g extra for coating
1 orange, zest only
up to 10 tablespoons condensed milk
Put the pistachios into the processor and blitz to crumbs. Add the apricots and blitz until they start falling apart.
Add the cardamom, coconut and orange zest and blitz again to mix everything together.
Now slowly add the condensed milk – this is best done with the kind that comes in a squeezy bottle. Keep adding it until the mixture starts to clump together. When it does, it is ready to roll.
Have the extra coconut ready in a bowl. Take walnut-size mounds of the mixture and drop them into the coconut, roll them around to coat, then shape them into perfect balls.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They can keep for up to a month, not that they last that long very often, but they’re great for providing you with a regular sweet treat when you need one.
FLORENTINE COOKIES
Any leftover truffles can be made into Florentine cookies. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place however many truffles you have left on the tray, spacing them apart. With the base of a glass, squash each truffle so it is 5–7mm thick and bake for 8 minutes. Cool on a rack.
CHOC BAR PUFFS
MAKES: 15 ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES
Two of the things I always have in the house are chocolate bars and ready-rolled pastry. For emergencies and for life in general. Put the two together and you have a pretty quick dessert – best of all, there is enough to make and put away for a rainy day.
2 x 320g sheets of ready-rolled puff pastry
a little flour, for dusting
8 full-size chocolate bars, the kind that lend themselves to being melted, halved
1 egg, beaten
cocoa powder, for dusting
Dust your rolling pin with a little flour. Roll out one of the sheets of pastry, leaving it on the backing paper, and pop it on to a baking tray. Have another baking tray ready close by.
Place the bars evenly in line on the pastry, 5 across, 3 up, making sure to leave a good gap between the pieces of chocolate. There will be one extra – you’re welcome, that’s for you!
Take the second sheet of pastry and roll it out to 1.5cm bigger on each side than the other sheet. (This has to go over the chocolate, so it needs a bit more give.)
Brush all the edges of the first sheet of pastry around the chocolate with most of the egg. Now place the other piece of pastry on top. Using the side of your palm, press down gently around the cubes of chocolate to attach the top to the base. Once it is all sealed, pop it into the fridge for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Take the pastry off the tray and cut out the little chocolate-filled cubes. Brush with the leftover egg. If you want a slightly more grown-up taste, you can sprinkle them with sea salt flakes. Divide them between the two trays and pop them into the oven for 30 minutes, switching the trays around halfway so they get an even bake and even golden-ness.
Once they are out of the oven, dust them with a little cocoa powder. If you are planning to freeze some, don’t dust those with cocoa. Let them cool, then freeze in a freezer bag.
CHOC BAR PUFFS
APPLE PALM PIES
MAKES: 12 ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
These are so easy and quick, because there is no peeling of apples, no coring or chopping, so you can have your pie and eat it too. The filling is a mixture of apple sauce mixed with spices, dried fruit and nuts, then wrapped in filo, perfect enough to fit in the palm of your hand and in your mouth, in a bite, or two. They freeze well, so when you need pie, be it for yourself or for guests, you’re always one step ahead.
2 x 285g jars of apple sauce, chunky
½ teaspoon mixed spice
50g mixed nuts, or nuts of your choice, roughly chopped
50g raisins
cooking oil spray
270g pack of filo pastry, or 6 sheets
demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Put the apple sauce, mixed spice, nuts and raisins i
nto a bowl, stir well and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Have a 12-hole muffin tray at the ready. Spray the inside of each hole liberally with oil.
Unroll the filo pastry on to a work surface. Stack all 6 sheets on top of each other and, using kitchen scissors, cut out all the pastry in one go to make 8 equal squares, which should give you 48 squares in total. Keep the squares you’re not working with under a tea towel to prevent them drying out.
Take 1 square of filo and spray it with oil, lay another square on top, spray again, then lay another on top and spray again. You should have three squares oiled together. It doesn’t matter if the squares are a bit off-centre. Place inside the oiled cavity of the muffin tray, press down, and repeat this process until you have filled all 12 holes in the muffin tray.
Fill each hole with an equal amount of the apple filling.
Take another square of filo and spray well, then fold in half and in half again to create a small square. Place the small square on top of the apple mixture and fold the pointy edges inwards. If any areas feel dry, spray with oil. Repeat for all 12, then sprinkle with sugar and bake for 14–16 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. These are best eaten warm, with ice cream or custard.
Any leftover pies can be cooled and frozen. I know 12 wouldn’t last very long in my household, so due to the ease of making these, why not double the ingredients and make another full 12 to freeze, providing you have freezer space!