Spiced Lamb Balls recipe

This recipe comes from Burkina Faso, and is quite subtle, so don't be afraid to add more spice!

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chilli flakes / finely chopped fresh chilli
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 900g minced lamb
• 3 large eggs
• 50g breadcrumbs

Directions Add the oil to a large frying pan and fry the onion, cinnamon, garlic, garlic powder, chilli, coriander and salt until the onion is soft and golden brown. Allow to cool then mix with the minced lamb. Add the eggs and breadcrumbs to bind and mix well - watch out, it gets pretty sticky. Form into small meatballs with your hands. Cool for up to 1 hour then fry in oil until browned all over and cooked through. Serve over rice drizzled with Piri-Piri Sauce, or a curry of your choice. It's really easy!

Moussaka recipe (really good)

• This moussaka recipe is kick-ass. It's a based on Anthony Worrall Thompson's recipe, with a few changes made according to Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, and notes from cooking it repeatedly. It makes between 5 and 5.5 litres of moussaka, so make sure you have a big enough dish to cook it in - that's well over a gallon, both in the US and UK! Don't worry about cooking too much - it will all disappear, very quickly, and keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge. Just microwave to reheat.

Also, the recipe's quite intensive, and you'll be in the kitchen for an hour solid doing prep. It's really worth it!

Ingredients

• 75ml/6fl oz olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 675g/1½lb lamb mince (you can put in less of this if you like, and bulk out the sauce with more onions and tomatoes)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (it's a big recipe, 4 or 5 are fine too)
• 1.25ml/¼tsp cinnamon
• 1.25ml/¼tsp allspice
• 2 x 400g/14oz tin of chopped tomatoes (chopped plum tomatoes are great)
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp fresh, soft thyme leaves
• 175ml/6fl oz white wine
• 4 medium aubergines, cut into 1cm/½in slices - not much thicker, if you can help it
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Béchamel Topping:

• 85g/3oz unsalted butter
• 85g/3oz plain flour
• 900ml/1½pt milk
• 85g/3oz parmesan, grated
• 115g/4oz gruyère, grated (optional - more parmesan is fine too)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft, but not coloured.
1a. Brown just half of the lamb in a frying pan and add to the onion. Add the garlic and break up the meat with a wooden fork until it has a loose texture.
1b. Brown the remaining lamb; don't throw away the lamb juices. It's best to let it be a little undercooked.

2. Stir the cinnamon, allspice, chopped tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves and thyme into the casserole. Add the rest of the browned lamb and de-glaze the pan with white wine. Pour straight into the casserole dish, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 1 hour.

3. Place the aubergines in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes. This draws out any bitter juices.

4. Meanwhile make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and stir in the flour. Take off the heat and gradually (constantly, too - don't leave it for a second) stir in the milk. Return the pan to the heat and stir continuously until the sauce thickens. Simmer over a gentle heat for 5-8 minutes.
4a. Alternative: warm a pan, then microwave the milk for 30 seconds to 1 minute 30, paying close attention to make sure it doesn't overflow; add the milk to the pan, then the butter, then sieve in the flour on a medium heat while stirring.
4b. Remove from the heat, stir in 55g/2oz of the parmesan and 55g/2oz of the gruyère cheese and season with salt and pepper.

5. Rinse the aubergines and pat dry, then brush them with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in a hot oven (200C/Gas6) for around 15 minutes, until brown and tender. They should be soggy, and not dry or crispy - if they start going like this, whip them out. Make sure all aubergines are equally done - this will affect how soft they are after cooking. Season with a little black pepper. Drain on kitchen paper. Set aside until ready to construct the moussaka.

6. The white sauce should now have cooled enough to whisk in the egg and egg yolks.

7. Cover the base of an ovenproof dish (30 x 20cm/12 x 8in) with a third of the mince then cover with half the aubergine slices. Repeat the layers, ending in the last of the mince, then pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan and gruyère. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas4 for 50-60 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Allow the moussaka to settle for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

8. Serve the moussaka with a chunky tomato, cucumber, parsley and mint salad and crusty bread.

This dish can be prepared in advance until the point before it goes in the oven. Allow an extra 15 minutes in the oven if cooking from cold.

Focaccia Recipe

This is a recipe for a basic focaccia. I like to add additional salt and olive oil, and eat with pesto or as a side dish to anything it goes with. Really simple recipe and quite fun!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:
4 g white sugar
7 g active dry yeast (one sachet)
80 ml warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
250 g all-purpose white flour
30 ml olive oil (or more!)
2 g salt (or more)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly and lightly for about 1 minute tops.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Leave it for longer if it hasn't doubled by then.
4. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
5. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; briefly knead lightly. Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt, I like it with quite a bit more salt and oil.
6. Optionally, sprinkle on grated parmesan, or olives, or chopped sundried tomatoes. You can even add these as you knead it.
7. Bake focaccia in preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness. If you like it moist and fluffy, then you'll have to wait just about 10-15 minutes. If you like it crunchier and darker in the outside, you may have to wait 20-25 minutes.

Banana Bread Recipe

Preparation 15 minutes

Total time to make - just over an hour

Ingredients:

250 g all-purpose flour

5 g baking soda

2 g salt

115 g butter

110 g brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

525 g mashed overripe bananas (two or three, to taste)

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until something inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

You'll get a delicious and moist banana bread that'll keep for, well, not very long, as it gets eaten up too quickly!

Pork Stew Recipe

Serves 2, well


units: a pound is a little under half a kilo; a cup is a little under a quarter of a kilo; a teaspoon's 5ml (little spoon), and a tablespoon's 15ml (bigger spoon).

Ingredients:

1 pound pork shoulder, lean, trimmed of fat
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
2 tablespoons flour, all-purpose
4 teaspoons vegetable oil (or olive if you like)
2 cups onions chopped
2 teaspoons garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves dried
1 cup apple cider (or more!)
2 cups water
1 pound carrots chopped into 2 inch pieces (3-5 carrots)
1 pound potatoes red and white, chopped into 1 inch chunks. Adding extra potatoes is fine! New potatoes don't really go, though.
1 to 1 1/2 pounds turnip (two average turnips)
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard - don't even dream of substituting this with powder! Dijion is fine too.

Directions:

Trim pork of all visible fat and then cut in 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle pork with 1/4 ts of the salt and the pepper. Then, toss with the flour until coated.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from pork and add 1/2 to pan. Cook until browned, turning pork often, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and pork.

Next, saute the onions at a medium heat in a pan until softened and light brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Add pork, thyme, rosemary, cider, the remaining salt and one cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about n hour and quarter or until pork is just tender.

Add carrots, potatoes, turnips and remining 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Remove 1 cup vegetables with broth. Put in a food processor or blender with the mustard and puree until smooth. Gently stir into stew, and serve.