Leftover Lamb Biryani (in the style of Jamie Oliver #savewithjamie...but tweaked Egg and Chips stylie)

Right, there I was one balmy June Monday evening punching away on the treadmill at the gym. On comes a brand new series on channel 4, #savewithjamie. I wanted to give up on the cardio, but was compelled to watch the whole programme. Love a Jamie Oliver series, right back to The Naked Chef days (the original and best in my eyes) to 15 minute meals, he's always done a damn good cooking programme. The type that inspires, excites and influences your decision on what to eat that week!

What's this I see?...left over lamb? I'm always at a loss of what to do with it, shepherds pie or curry....curry or shepherds pie?!!!!! Now I like those two things but I enjoy roast lamb far too much to only have a two dish cooking option for a left over meal. This was all about to change!!!! 

I like the fact he describes making this dish layering (literally) and layering (flavours), like you would a lasagne or moussaka. I can prepare this dish well in advance getting all the components ready to go. Everything is in one dish (a big plus), even though I may've used every utensil/pot and pan in the kitchen when making. But that's okay, as when baking in oven with eager anticipation I can load dishwasher and clean the surfaces. I've never attempted a biryani before, I've always been intimidated by I the likes of Madha Jaffrey's two page recipes, and that's just the ingredients list! 

I can post this recipe as I've made it mine by altering a few elements and adding some needed (in my opinion) flavours. After all, be bold, use recipes as a guideline and tweak where necessary. Keep tasting, just have the confidence to add what it needs. 

Serves 4

Left over lamb from a roast (I tend to use leg but shoulder would work), cut into chunks 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, chopped finely

1 inch of fresh ginger, grated

A small bunch of fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp curry paste of your choice (I used korma here)

2 tsp medium curry powder

1 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp mango chutney

1tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 lamb/chicken stock 

A squeeze of tomato purée 

4 discs of frozen spinach 

A splash of water

300g basmati rice

Salt and pepper

Pilau rice seasoning, a few shakes (I used Schwartz)

Cardamom seeds, a small handful

Flaked almonds, a small handful

Preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Remove meat from bone and cut into rough chunks. Place bones into about a pint of water and boil to make stock. All those lovely flavours from roast will go into stock. Simmer for an hour till reduced slightly and set aside.

Boil rice according to packet instructions, when cooked al dente wash over a colander under running cold water and set aside.

Now get two pans and add olive oil, onion, ginger, garlic and chilli, pepper to both pans, cook down to soften slightly. In first pan add your frozen spinach and a splash of water, cook down for 10 mins. Season and set aside.

For main curry - in other pan add curry paste, chopped coriander stalks, curry powder, flour, mango chutney and lamb. Coat meat well in flavours in a medium heat. Add stock and tomato purée and red wine vinegar. Simmer gently for 20 mins for flavours to marry. 

Using a well buttered oven dish start layering the biryani. Half the rice first, season well and sprinkle pilau seasoning and cardamom seeds. Then the spinach mix. Then the lamb (without the sauce, strain through a sieve and set aside). Now the last layer of rice and a final seasoning, sprinkling of pilau rice seasoning and a good handful of flaked almonds. Cover dish in foil and place in oven for 40 mins. Serve with curry sauce/gravy on the side, a dollop of yoghurt or raita and fresh coriander. Enjoy this. You'll want to do it again and again! 

Anne

Turkey???!!!!!!!

I know that Siân won't approve, she says...to quote "it's the grainy, squeaky texture", she cannot abide. Well I disagree, I bloody love it! Breast, leg, wing, skin and the juices...oh the juices!!!!
Dripping and jelly so intense of rich "gamey-poultryness". The aromas that permeate throughout the house of the best roast dinner, what smells like Christmas morning in homes across Britain. Poor turkey, it gets a bad press and I think there's a snobbishness. Those to blame are the trendy cheaper joints of meat, like lamb shanks and ham hocks perhaps. People think it's dry. Yes, overcooked it is. Why oh why do people feel the need to start cooking it overnight in the oven?? A short high temperature and a good basting ensures moist luscious flesh that melts in the mouth.  

Cooking a turkey at Easter time is rather odd (especially as late Easter was this year). Spring has sprung, the temperature is rising, everything outdoors seems to sing in the light. Perhaps this is what it's like to be cooking a turkey at Christmas in Australia....or the closest I'll ever get. In winter time it's all about the root veg, christmassy spices and rich accompaniments. Which is why it's odd to cook a turkey in spring. It's an exciting time for a cook like me, as I'm tempted by freshness. Green, fresh, quenching, lemony, zesty, young, herbal, spicy.....my taste buds are wanting to be woken up from the slumber of the long winter months of 'bowl', comfort food.  

All this considered, my love for roast turkey is so much I have to put my seasonal confusions aside and enjoy this big bird for what it is. Instead of roasting parsnips alongside I've thrown in the occasional jersey royal as they're just coming into season and a few spears of asparagus (but I confess to having asparagus all year round, I love it. I try not to take notice of the label when says it comes from Zanzibar!).


So I buy just a small turkey from Sainsburys, says it serves six to eight. There's an abundance of choice, no one seems to want/buy turkey for Easter these days. Instead they favour the ridiculously priced spring leg of lamb. Which I love but refuse to pay such a high price, I'll wait until it goes down, well into the summer my butcher assures. Oh how I wish you could buy turkey all year round!....but then again would I enjoy it as much? It seems an extravagance when you consider the size of the bird, taking up humongous amounts of space in your fridge, the beers and wine will have to be relegated out for now.

I paid just under twenty pounds for mine, yes this seems quite a bit just for us, to feed a family of four. But honestly, I cannot tell you enough how far it'll go and how much you will get for your money. In this time of frugality, being this thrifty with one piece of meat should be in anyone's interest. Day one we do a roast for lunch with all the trimmings. As with any bird of this scale there's the capacity to stuff it generously. I used about a pound in weight of good quality sausage meat from my butcher, with breadcrumbs (approx 2 slices blitzed in magimix), dried sage and a diced onion with plenty of seasoning. In the evening we have turkey and stuffing with cranberry on toast. Day 2 we have leftovers with yesterday's stir fried veg. So that's quite a bit of the meat gone. I might have just enough to make a pie, if I add gammon or ham. Could do a curry? I'll definitely be doing soup, the stock you get is amazing. 

So there you have it, with two days meals that's £2.50 per head. The more you stretch out the lower the price. I am content and smug knowing that my dinners are sorted for the next few days. And no.....I'll never get sick of turkey!

Anne

Thursday mish-mash veg soup

I often like to make soup at least once a week for lunch, especially nice on a cold day. If my "veggie" friend comes over it's a good way of feeding her, as I never know what to give her other than cheese or egg mayo and salad rolls! It's a good way of using up veg in the fridge, a slightly limp stick of celery, a bristly carrot. 

This one I made today was lovely, peppery from the leeks and another layer of "pepperiness" from the watercress thrown in at the end.....and lots of freshly ground cracked black pepper on top. 

This is what I found in my fridge - onion, a leek, stick of celery, new potatoes and a bag of watercress, half a butternut squash

Sweat in butter, a chopped onion, leek, celery, butternut squash, potatoes and a few lentils, a sprinkling of split peas etc (often called soup mix)

Add about a pint and an half of chicken stock and simmer gently for an hour or so, until veggies and pulses have softened. Season generously. 

Blitz together with a hand blender until smooth

Add a big bunch of watercress and blend again. 

Here it is. Wonderful on a chilly day in February.

Enjoy!!!!

Anne