Perfect dish for nights when you’ve little energy – dinner for two in ten minutes and lots of flavour.
Wine Suggestion: A warmer climate Shiraz/Syrah is our choice as you need the juicier fruit, but nothing too jammy please. Tonight a glass of the Wolftrap Red from Boekenhoutskloof in South Africa. Mostly Shiraz but with a touch of Mourvèdre and Viognier it has the fruit to counter the harissa heat, and a balance that doesn’t overwhelm the food.
Tagliatelle with mushrooms and harissa – serves 2
150g tagliatelle
300g chestnut mushrooms
4 scallions
2 cloves of garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp harissa paste
grated Parmesan, to serve
Bring a large pan of very salty water to the boil, then cook the tagliatelle according to the timings on the pack.
Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the scallions and continue to cook for a couple of minutes or until softened. Stir in the harissa paste.
Drain the pasta quickly and not too well, then tip into the pan with the mushrooms. Toss everything together, then serve in warm bowls with the Parmesan sprinkled over.
(Original recipe from A Cook’s Book by Nigel Slater, 4th Estate, 2021.)
This dish takes hours and it’s kind of hard to know if it’s all going to plan. We kept the faith and had delicious fluffy rice with tender lamb and carrots and a delicious crust on the buttom. Serve with some Greek yoghurt and pickles.
Wine Suggestion: This works well with an earthier red, either lighter and gentle, or an older richer style with a few years in the bottle. If you can fine Domaine Bargylus from Syria then you are in for a treat. The current vintage we have is 2014 (in 2022) and has beautiful rich core with layers of tertiary, warm spices.
Lamb, carrot & cumin rice – serves 6
vegetable oil for frying
1 large onion, thinly sliced
700g lamb neck fillet, sliced 1cm thick
2 tbsp cumin seeds
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into batons
500g basmati rice
Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and pour in enough oil to cover the base. Sauté the onion until starting to brown at the edges. Stir in the sliced lamb, then add the cumin seeds and other dried spices. Stir to coat the meat in the mixture. Pour in enough boiling water to just cover the meat, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 hours. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes or until cooking. You will need to stir occasionally and add a little more water if needed to stop the meat sticking. Remove from the heat, stir in the carrots and set aside.
Heat a large saucepan over a high heat, fill with boiling water and add lots of salt. Add the rice and parboil for 6 minutes. Empty the rice into a sieve and wash it with cold water until rinsed of starch and cold. Drain well and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Tip into a large bowl.
Rinse and dry the rice pan. Scrunch a large piece of baking paper into a ball, then open it out and use to line the sides and base of the clean pan. Drizzle in enough vegetable oil to generously coat the base of the pan and season the oil with salt.
Add the meat and carrot mixture to the rice, season generously with about 1 tbsp of sea salt flakes and black pepper, then fold together to combine. Gently pile the mixture into the lined pan in a mountain shape. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to to stab a series of holes that go right down to the base of the pan. Wrap the lid in a tea towel, then cover the pan and cook over the lowest possible temperature if using gas and medium-low for electric, for 45-60 minutes. If you have a diffuser for your gas hob you should use it and double the cooking time.
(Original recipe from Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2016.)
We’re big fans of a rösti and these spicy butternut versions are great for Sunday brunch with some poached eggs.
Butternut röstis with poached eggs – serves 4
1 small butternut squash, peeled and coarsley grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tsp sea salt flakes
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bunch of scallions, finely sliced
15g dill, finely chopped
5 large eggs
vegetable oil, for frying
Put the grated squash and the onion into a mixing bowl and add the salt. Mix well with your hand and leave to stand for about half an hour. Tip the mixture into a clean cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then return to the bowl.
Heat the oven to 160C/Gas 3.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil to poach the eggs in.
Line a baking tray with paper and heat a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the flour, spices, scallions and most of the dill to the squash mixture and mix well with your hands (gloves recommended). Crack in 1 egg and mix again, adding lots of black pepper. Shape the mixture into 12 small röstis, about 1cm thick.
Heat a good amount of oil in the hot frying pan, then fry the röstis for 5-6 minute on each side until browned and crispy. Keep warm in the oven on the lined baking tray while you fry the rest.
Carefully crack the eggs into the boiling water and poach for 3 minutes.
Put 3 röstis onto each plate, top with a poached egg, a sprinkle of dill and some black pepper.
(Original recipe from Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2016.)
It seems to be miso-roasted everything at the minute, which is ok with us. Here it is with some parsnips.
Miso parsnips – serves 6
4 tbsp olive oil
800g parsnips, peeled and quartered
60g white miso
1 tbsp maple syrup
Heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Put the oil into a deep roasting tin and stick it in the oven to heat up.
Bring a pan of salty water to the boil and boil the parsnips for 4-5 mintues, then drain and leave to steam dry in the warm pot for about 10 minutes.
Tip the parsnips into a bowl, pour over the miso and maple syrup, and season well. Stir to coat the parsnips in the mixture.
Remove the hot oil from the oven and tip in the parsnips, basting in the hot oil before roasting for 20 minutes. Baste again with the juices in the tin and return to the oven for another 10 to 20 minutes, until golden.
Wine Suggestion: We think this dish goes really well with a good Pinot Gris, like the Neudorf Moutere we were tempted to open. Dry, but full of fruit, and dusty, warm spices.
Shahi gobi saalan – serves 6
7 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large bay leaf
2.5cm piece of cassia bark
2 green cardamom pods
1 clove
5 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tsp ground coriander,
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
250ml water
750g cauliflower florets, cut into 5 cm pieces
1-2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
6 tbsp ground almonds
a handful of toasted flaked almonds to garnish
Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the bay leaf, cassia bark, cardamom pods and clove. As soon as the clove starts to puff up, add the onions and cook, stirring, until starting to caramelise.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add the coriander and chilli powder and cook, stirring, for another minute to cook out the spices. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick. Add the salt and sugar, then pour in the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow boil, then cover and simmer until the oil comes to the side of the pan.
Add the cauliflower and stir to coat in the onion mixture. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly, cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is just cooked. Taste and add more salt or sugar to taste.
Add 1.5 tins of coconut milk and the ground almonds and cook, uncovered, for a few minutes. You want a thick and creamy gravy so only add the rest of the coconut milk if needed. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over to serve.
(Original recipe from Ammu by Asma Khan, Ebury Press, 2022.)
A Diana Henry recipe inspired by but not quite the same as the Dominican dish. This is perfect for a weeknight despite the long list of ingredients. Most will be in your cupboard and it’s really easy to put together. Lovely bright colours and flavours. This works on it’s own or with some crusty bread or rice.
Wine Suggestion: despite the inclination to go for a richer white, we felt in the mood for a red instead so chose Domaine Gayda’s Cepage Grenache. A brambly, dark red fruited wine with a juicy core and gentle, ripe tannins. We served it slightly cool to great effect and it made a delightful counterpoint to the chipotles (ours were very hot!).
Guisado de Pollo – serves 6
2 tbsp olive oil
800g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
75g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2.5cm chunks
400g waxy potatoes, cut into 1cm chunks – you can peel them if you like, we didn’t bother
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely grated
4 tsp ground cumin
a small tin of pineapple in natural juice, drained and cut into small chunks
400g tin plum tomatoes
1 tsp soft dark brown sugar
2 tinned chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, or 3 tbsp chipotle paste (reduce if your chipotles are very hot)
3 sprigs of thyme
500ml chicken stock
1 jalapeño chilli, halved lengthways and deseeded
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
juice of 1 lime
a small bunch of coriander, chopped, to serve
Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole and fry the chicken in batches until browned on both sides. It doesn’t need to be cooked through at this stage. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add the chopped pumpkin and potato to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until starting to colour. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion and pepper to the pan and cook until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic cand cumin and cook for another 2 minutes.
Stir in the pineapple, tomatoes, sugar, chipotles, thyme, chicken stock. Season and bring slowly to a simmer.
Cut the chicken into thick strips, then add to the casserole along with any juices from the plate. Add the potatoes, pumpkin and the jalapeño. Stir gently then leave to simmer for 25 minutes without a lid. Give it a stir now and again. It’s ready when the vegetables are soft and the sauce thickened.
Add the capers and lime juice and season to taste. Stir in the coriander and serve.
(Original recipe from A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry, Mitchell Beazley, 2015.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 