Marrow and Runner Bean Curry

 It has been a strange summer here in London. Boiling hot June then cold and wet July. Hasn't stop the garden cropping well but has deterred me from going down to the patch as often as I should (along with two new kittens arriving hot on the heels of the loss of our 20 year old cat Fitz). 

Onyx & Jasper

 So when I did pop down I found a courgette that had hidden from me last time and had gone rogue! The runner beans like the cooler, wetter weather and they are cropping well. So I needed something to use up the bounty.

 

 

A glut of Beans and Marrow

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 tbsp rape seed oil

1/2 Marrow, deseeded and sliced

1 Red Onion sliced into half moons

1 handful of runner beans de stringed and sliced

2 tsp curry paste - or more depending on your tastes

1 small can coconut cream

Splash of lime

Rice to serve.

Method

Fry the onion in the oil until it starts to take a little colour. Add the marrow and fry for a further few minutes. Add the runner beans and the curry paste and stir together and fry had for a few minutes. Add the coconut cream and a splash of water. Simmer for abut 10-12 minutes while you cook the rice and the vegetables are cooked. Add a splash of lime and serve.

Vegetarian Curry in less than 20 minutes.

Chicken & Kale Curry

Our vegetable and meat boxes from bel & Cole are great but at the moment due to the pressure they are under there is no opportunity to swap any of the contents. This has meant that I have a glut of potatoes and kale at the moment and quite a bit of chicken in the freezer. How to combine the two in a tasty way led to this quick but rich curry.

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 onion finely sliced
2 fat cloves of garlic
1 thumb-sized lump of ginger - peeled
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fenugreek
1/4 tsp chilli powder
250ml coconut milk
1 chicken thigh diced
1 medium potato peeled and diced
1 good handful of kale stripped from the stem and sliced up
6 ripe cherry tomatoes
Small bunch of coriander

Method
Fry the onion in a little oil until softened and starting to colour. Mince the garlic and ginger together and add to the onion. Fry for a few minutes. Add the chicken and potato and fry for a few minutes. Add the spices and a splash of water to stop them burning. Add the tomatoes and kale and again fry for a couple of minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked.

Serve with rice and chopped coriander. 

Christmas Curry

Haven't blogged many recipes recently, Liz has been away and with Christmas and guests visiting I've been busy cooking traditional seasonal food. As usual there has been lots of leftovers and salads of cold ham and turkey with slaws made from cabbage, apple, onion and home grown beetroot have been a staple. However after a while I start to crave something spicy and so here is my version of something my mum used to make. She used to make this after we had a roast chicken on a Sunday for supper on a Monday. I've tried many different versions and have eventually been able to get close to the taste of her curry. These quantities made enough for three generous portions and three smaller portions for lunch the following week! The chickpeas are my addition I don't think I had heard of them back in the seventies!

Ingredients:
Two large onions sliced finely
4 medium carrots grated
2 eating apples grated
1 chilli finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons of malt vinegar (I use the vinegar from a jar of good pickled onions as it has a bit more flavour)
Cold roast turkey or chicken or beef or lamb cut into chunks
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 bunch of coriander
A thumb sized chunk of root ginger grated 
1 stick of cinnamon
2 fresh tomatoes, quartered
Handful of frozen peas

Spice blend:

1/2 a teaspoon of peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 a teaspoon of cloves
The seeds from 8 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon of turmeric



Method:
Fry the onion in a little vegetable oil until softened and starting to brown at the edges. Add the carrots, ginger and chilli and fry for a few more minutes. Add the apples and fry briefly. Grind the ingredients of the spice blend together and add to the pan and fry for a few minutes (add a little water if the spices start to catch) then add the vinegar, turkey and chickpeas. Stir then add the tomatoes, the cinnamon stick and a can and a half of water.
Simmer for 30 minutes then add the chopped fresh tomatoes, frozen peas and 2 teaspoons of garam masala. Simmer for 5-10 minutes stir in the chopped coriander and serve with rice.

For a non-meat alternative use a firm fish cut into large chunks and add after the rest of the curry have been simmering for 20 minutes, cook for 10 more then add the tomatoes etc. You could also replace the meat with a cauliflower or more chickpeas.

Thai Vegetable Curry

We've had a bit of a vegetable build up at home in the last week, we've both been away/working late etc and so I needed something tasty involving vegetables and so I came up with this.

Ingredients
For the curry paste:
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 an onion
small bunch of corriander (including stalks)
1 stick of lemon grass
Few lime leaves
1 green chilli
juice of a lime
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of ground corriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin

Chop and blend all the ingredients above into a smooth paste.

For the curry:
1 small pumpkin peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots cut into chunks
Bunch of chard
Small cauliflower cut into florets
Can of coconut milk
Chopped coriander


Roast the carrots and pumpkin in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. Meanwhile fry the curry paste for a few minutes then add the coconut milk. Add the roasted veg, the chard and the cauliflower and simmer until the cauliflower is cooked. Serve with rice and sprinkled with coriander.

Rootie Tootie Curry

Have a bit of a glut of root vegetables at the moment; Jerusalem artichokes from the garden, carrots from the veg box and sweet potatoes from the supermarket. The solution - a hearty vegetable curry, mild yet warming.
Serves 4-5 

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato (I prefer the orange fleshed ones) peeled and cut into chunks
3 medium carrots cut into chunks
2 medium Jerusalem artichokes trimmed and peeled (I find this makes them less 'windy') and cut into chunks
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
Thumb sized chunk of ginger peeled and grated
1tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp corriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fenugreek
1 stick cinnamon
1 small bunch of corriander
1 can chick peas
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
Small head of broccoli
1 fresh tomato
2 tsp garum masala
3 tsp oil
juice of one lime

Heat a roasting tray in an oven at 170C and coat the root veg in 2 tsp of the oil. When the tray is hot add the veg and roast in the oven - shaking occasionally - for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile make the curry paste by blending together the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks. Grind the dry spices together. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the onion mix and fry stirring continuously. Add the dry spices and the cinnamon stick. Continue to fry for a few minutes then add the tomatoes, chick peas and coconut milk. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add the root vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli florets, garum masala and lime juice and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
 


Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and serve with boiled rice or Indian breads.

If you want a less mild curry add 1-2 fresh green chillies chopped finely when you fry the onion mix.

Chicken, Potato and Spinach Curry

Too many potatoes and too much spinach in my veg box so I came up with this recipe. Ingredient proportions are flexible depending on what you have! For a vegetarian option you could replace the chicken with chickpeas or lentils. You could easily do a fish version using a firm fish like monk-fish or cod but add the fish much later, after adding the spinach and cook the dish until the fish is done.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 bag of baby spinach
2 Chicken Breasts or 4 chicken thighs, diced
2 medium onions finely sliced
2 carrots, grated.
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
2 medium or the equivalent amount in small potatoes, diced. Peal them or not - it's up to you. Waxy ones are best.
Spices: 1 tsp of each of Cumin, Coriander, Turmeric, Fenugreek, 4 Cardamom pods, 2 cloves (ground), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 dried chilli (optional).
 Small bunch fresh coriander

Fry the onions in a tablespoon of oil in a large pan or a casserole - you need a big pan to fit the spinach in later - then add the chicken and fry until coloured. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and spices. Fry for a few minutes then add a cup or so of hot water or stock. Stir then cover and cook over a low heat until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through. Add more water or stock if the curry dries out too much, it should be fairly dry but should have some sauce.Wash and add the spinach and gently stir in. Cover and cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted. Add the chopped coriander and a teaspoon of garum massala, stir and serve with plain boiled rice and a yoghurt raita.

Aromatic Green Thai Curry

My better half (and no I don't mean Fitz) doesn't like spicy food so this version of a classic is aromatic rather than fiery.

Ingredients
For the curry paste:
Blend together:
Half a bunch of coriander (the stems have most of the flavour)
2 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2 stems of lemon grass
Thumb sized chunk of ginger (peeled)
Juice of half a lime
1/2 a teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 a teaspoon of ground cumin
6 dried lime leaves
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the curry:
4 chicken thighs (or equivalent in firm white fish)
1 large green pepper (diced)
1 large onion (diced)
1 can coconut milk
250g of mange tout or sugar snap peas
Rest of the coriander coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Blend all the paste ingredients together and then fry in a hot pan.
Add the chicken and fry quickly for a few minutes then add the pepper and onion. Fry for a few more minutes then add the coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Add the beans (and the fish if using). Cook for a further 10 minutes (or until the fish is cooked). Sprinkle on the rest of the coriander and serve with rice.

If you like it spicy add 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped to the paste.