Author: Sophie

Tomato lentil soup

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The ideal accompaniment to a bonfire night outing, a chilly afternoon or a shivery dip in a river. Nourishing and tasty, it’ll warm your cockles.

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 100g red lentils
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 500ml stock
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil, add the onions and cook for 5 mins until translucent
  2. Add the tomato puree, garlic, thyme, cumin and paprika and cook for 2 mins
  3. Rinse the lentils and add to the pan with the stock. Bring to the boil then cook for 20 mins stirring occasionally until lentils are soft
  4. Add tinned tomatoes and sugar. Cook for a further 10 mins
  5. Add lemon juice and season to taste

Madhur Jaffrey’s lamb rogan josh

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Flipping amazing and entirely worth the effort. I’ve made it for 2 people and for 40, and it is without fail fragrant, succulent and rapturously received. Which just goes to prove that Madhur Jaffrey is a flipping genius and the queen of Indian cooking!

  • 2″ fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 cups water
  • 5 tbsp veg oil
  • 900g lamb shoulder, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 10 whole cardamom pods
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cloves
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp plain yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  1. Put the ginger, garlic and 4 tbsp water a mini food mixer. Blend into a smooth paste
  2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy saucepan over a medium-high heat. Brown lamb in several batches and set aside in a bowl
  3. Put the cardamom, bay, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon into the same hot oil
  4. Stir and wait until cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on colour.  This only takes a matter of seconds
  5. Now add the onions. Stir and fry for 5 mins until the onions go a medium-brown colour.
  6. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds
  7. Add the coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add the browned meat cubes and the meat juices
  8. Now put in 1 tbsp of yogurt, stir and fry for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended
  9. Add the remaining yogurt, a tbsp at a time in the same way.  Stir and fry for another 3-4 mins
  10. Add the remaining 1¼ cups water and bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in all the browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot
  11. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour or until meat is tender
  12. Every 10 mins give the pot a good stir to prevent burning
  13. When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the fire to medium high and boil off some of the liquid, stirring all the time, until the sauce is thickened
  14. Sprinkle the garam masala and black pepper over the dish and mix them in just before you serve

Serve with rice, raita, mango chutney, samosas, a huge feast of delicousness!

Apricot almond blondies

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Not sure if this is a cake, a traybake? Closest thing is a brownie, but this has not a hint of chocolate. These are squidgy and fudgy, fruity and almondy, just a tiny bit boozy with a cracked meringue top. Makes 12.

  • 100ml amaretto
  • 150g dried apricots
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 150g soft light brown sugar
  • 150g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g ground almonds
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 35g flaked almonds
  1. Roughly chop the apricots and put into a small bowl. Pour the amaretto and leave for 15 mins
  2. Melt the butter and leave to cool
  3. Preheat the oven to 160C fan (180C)
  4. Line a small square or rectangular roasting tin or ceramic oven dish
  5. Put both sugars and the eggs into a big bowl and beat until thick and smooth.
  6. Mix in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, melted butter, vanilla and salt
  7. Add the drained apricots and half of the amaretto (save the rest to mix with prosecco later, or just drink on its own) and stir through
  8. Pour the mixture into the prepped roasting tin and sprinkle the top with flaked almonds
  9. Bake for 35-40 mins until the top is golden brown and a skewer comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
  10. Cool in the tin then cut into squares. Tastes even better the next day.

Leek and pancetta orzotto

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A speedy, carby delight for a lazy Sunday supper or a midweek dinner. A risotto for a night when you don’t feel like standing there stirring for 20 mins

  • 1 tsp veg oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small leek, cleaned and sliced
  • 150g pancetta, cubed
  • ½ chicken stock cube
  • 250g orzo
  • 650ml boiling water
  • 150g frozen peas
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Handful grated parmesan
  • Black pepper
  1. Pour boiling water over the peas to take the cold off them
  2. Over a medium heat, warm the oil and cook the pancetta until crisp
  3. Add the garlic and stir in until it starts to turn gold
  4. Tip in the leeks and sweat until soft
  5. Crumble in the stock cube and stir in. It should almost dissolve in the oil
  6. Add the orzo and stir until coated with the bacony, garlicky oil
  7. Pour in the boiling water, turn down the heat and stick the lid on
  8. Simmer for 10 mins, stirring a couple of times while it cooks to make sure it’s not catching on the bottom. You can add a bit more of the recently boiled water if needed
  9. Beat the butter and parmesan into the pan, check the seasoning and serve straight away

Cheese scones

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Crunchy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside, savoury and gorgeous. Makes 12

  • 450g plain flour
  • 6 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp English mustard powder
  • 100g cold butter
  • 250g strong cheddar, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
  • 120ml cold milk
  • 100ml cold water
  • 1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk
  1. Heat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  2. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and mustard powder into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined
  3. Grate in the butter, then rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs
  4. Add 225g cheese and chives, stir in
  5. Mix in the milk then the water until the dough just comes away from the edge of the bowl. Don’t mix or handle it any more than necessary
  6. Tip onto a floured surface and flatten gently to about 2.5cm thick
  7. Cut out circles with a 6cm cutter
  8. Place on a baking tray and brush with the egg and milk mixture
  9. Sprinkle over the last of the cheese over the top and bake for 12 mins until well risen and golden. Allow to cool slightly on a rack before eating one immediately and then putting two in your pockets for later

If using to top a cobbler (beef and ale stew, chicken casserole, root vegetable stew?), place the scones on top, press slightly into the surface of the stew and bake at 200C fan for 25 mins

Mucver

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Turkish courgette fritters, small and perfectly delicious. Good enough to convert courgette-haters and an excellent start to a Mediterranean feast

  • 2 medium courgettes
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 100g feta, crumbled
  • 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped
  • Salt & pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Open out a tea towel and place a box grater in the middle of it. Grate the courgettes directly onto the tea towel, then gather up the edges around the little mountain of green gratings and squeeze as much liquid out of them as you can
  2. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. It should form a stiff batter
  3. Heat veg oil in a large frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the mixture. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon and fry the mucver until they’re golden on each side (keep cooked ones warm on a rack in a low oven as you cook them)
  4. Serve straight away with some plain yogurt on the side

Chicken and sweetcorn soup

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A takeaway favourite, surprisingly simple to make at home and doubly delicious. Feeds 4

  • 1.2 litres decent chicken stock
  • 300g sweetcorn (fresh, frozen or tinned) – or a combination of creamed corn and whole kernals
  • 1 tbsp of shaoxing rice wine
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • 2 tsp cornflour blended with 2 tsp water
  • 250g cooked, shredded chicken
  • 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp sesame oil
  • Spring onions, finely sliced
  1. Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan
  2. Add the sweetcorn, lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 mins
  3. Add the shaoxing, soy sauce, sugar and pepper and stir through. Taste and add salt if needed
  4. Pour in the cornflour slurry and whisk in
  5. Bring the soup back to the boil and then turn down to a simmer
  6. Add the chicken and then, in a steady stream, pour in the egg mixture. It will set as it hits the broth and give you those lovely trailing tails of egg through the soup
  7. Serve immediately, sprinkled with spring onion

Carnitas in the slow cooker

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Juicy, intensely flavourful pork, just begging to be wrapped in a torilla and put into your mouth. Incredibly easy to make, amazing for a party. This will fill your house with mouthwatering smells all day – then it’s just a quick 15 mins to pull it all together when you’re actually ready to eat. Feeds 6 generously

  • 1.4kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into large cubes
  • 180 ml orange juice
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • 7 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • ½ tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • ½ tbsp dried oregano
  • Small bunch coriander, chopped (incl the stems!)
  • 60ml chicken stock
  • Ground black pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Place all the ingredients except the oil in the slow cooker and stir to combine
  2. Set slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
  3. Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon.if its not quite there, give it a little longer
  4. Heat a large, ideally non-stick, frying pan with 2 tbsp oil over a high heat
  5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat from the slow cooker to the pan and fry it until the edges go brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it. For best results, cook it in batches so you don’t crowd the pan

Serve with flour tortillas and any combination you desire of salsa, chopped tomato, jalapenos, diced avocado, finely chopped onion, sour cream, slaw, fresh coriander, black beans and lime wedges to squeeze over.

(If you don’t want to waste the cooking juices, deglaze the frying pan with stock or a slosh of Corona and combine with the pork cooking juices for an excellent tortilla soup base)

Dried apple rings

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I like making these on a drizzly day. They make the house smell of cosy, appley happiness. Excellent for using up a glut of apples, whether it’s because you have a prolific tree or you just pressed the wrong button on your online grocery shopping

  • Apples (probably no more than 4 unless you have a big oven…)
  1. Peel and core the apples. As much as I don’t advocate for buying unecessary gadgets, this is MUCH easier if you have an apple corer
  2. Slice the apples thinly into rounds about 3-5mm thick
  3. Arrange the apple slices on a baking tray (probably a number of baking trays) in a single layer
  4. Heat the oven to 50C fan (60-70C)
  5. Bake for around 6 hours, turning the slices over every hour or so
  6. They’re done when they’re still bendy but leathery in texture without any spongy, damp bits. Smaller, thinner slices will be done first, so you can take them out as they are done
  7. Cool completely before sticking them smugly in a jar on a prominent shelf because they look so pretty and you just made them yourself

These will last for ages as long as no-one in your house sneakily scoffs them when you’re not looking. An excellent snack on their own or an excellent addition to apple cinnamon muffins.

Nusstorte

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Nut cake. Possibly Swiss in origin? Who knows. I’ve never seen a recipe for this version of it anywhere but my grandmother’s handwritten notes and my typed-up-and-converted-to-metric copy. This is another family tradition that goes back generations. Always my mum’s birthday cake. Incredibly light, moist, and flavourful.

  • 6 eggs
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 200g ground hazelnuts (if poss, grind them yourself from whole – it gives a better texture and moisture)
  • 3 tbsp dry, white breadcrumbs (you can use plain flour instead, or rice flour if you want to keep it gluten free)
  • 1 tsp almond essence
  • Apricot jam
  1. Pre-heat oven to 160C fan (180C). Grease and line 2 round baking tins (or a single springform tin)
  2. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites into stiff peaks
  3. In separate bowl, beat together the sugar, yolks and almond essence until mixture turns pale yellow
  4. Alternating, fold in the breadcrumbs, egg whites and hazelnuts a spoonful at a time
  5. Pour into the tins and bake for about 40 mins. (If making as a single cake, not 2 layers, bake for an hour)
  6. Once baked, risen and golden on top, remove carefully from tin and leave facedown to cool on a rack
  7. Once cool, warm the apricot jam slightly to loosen it and use to sandwich the layers together
  8. Ice with the chocolate glaze below and decorate with toasted almond slivers arranged in flower patterns

Serve with schlagsahne (whipped cream) and a strong coffee

Chocolate glaze

The only chocolate icing recipe you’ll ever need.

  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 30g butter
  • 80g dark chocolate
  • 3 drops veg oil
  1. Melt together and dissolve all ingredients until smooth (bain marie or careful microwaving equally legit)
  2. Remove from the heat, stir well and add the oil
  3. Cool slightly and spread over the cake – this quantity will do the top and sides