Turkish Pie

5 06 2011

Possibly one the hardest things to make look good in a photo, but trust me when I tell you these are good. I spent a couple of weeks in Gumusluk, Turkey about 5 years ago. We find a great place to eat and ended up having lunch there almost every day. Their pies were great and the kids loved them. I thought I’d give them a try.

This made 3 large pies – enough for 5-6 people for lunch

4-5 potatoes – peeled, boiled and mashed.
large bag of spinach – wilted, drained of as much liquid as possible, then chopped
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
salt
black pepper
Grated cheddar – as much as you like
3 very thin village breads – also known as markouk and found in good Lebanese shops
Olive oil

Put the potatoes, spinach, cheeses in a large bowl and mix well. Season to taste. Carefully unfold the breads and divide the potato mixture between them – spread evenly in the centre of each bread. Fold the bread over to create a square parcel.

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan then gently fry each side of the pie until browned on the outside and the filling is hot. Cut into portions and serve with leafy salad, natural yogurt or tsatziki.


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Sag Aloo

29 11 2010

What better way to keep warm through the cold snap than warm, gently spiced spinach and potatoes. I made this along with Paneer Masala as a homecoming treat for my daughter who is quickly realising that it is true what people say when they claim “it’s grim up north”.

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
3-4 medium potatoes – peeled and diced
3-4 handfuls of spinach – well washed
1 onion – finely chopped
3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper/chili powder (quantity depends how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon garam masala

Bring a pan on water to the boil, add the diced potato and boil for about 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Wilt the spinach in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on in a saucepan with a lid. Squeeze as much liquid out as possible then chop roughly.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds then the onion and garlic. Fry over a medium to high heat until the onion starts to brown. Add the spinach and fry for a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Now add the potatoes, salt, chili powder and garam masala. Stir well, reduce the heat and cook gently with a lid on until the potatoes and cooked through.


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Bubble & Squeak

13 10 2009

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Late night supper having worked till after 9pm – serves 2

about 6 cavalo nero leaves
3-4 potatoes
1 onion – chopped
a few knobs of butter
glug of olive oil
2 eggs
nutmeg
salt

Peel and cube the potatoes. Boild in salted water until tender, driain then mash with a little butter and some salt.

Remove the woody stems from the cavalo nero, then finely chop and boil for 5 minutes or so until tender. Drain and add to the mashed potato.

Fry the onion in a little butter and olive oil. When starting to brown, remove from heat and add to the mashed potato and cavalo nero.

Add a little grated nutmeg, mix well.

Heat a little more olive oil in a large frying pan. Shape the mash mixture into patties and fry for about 5 minutes on each side until well browned.

Place on plates, then gently fry the eggs in the same pan.

Place an egg on top of the bubble and squeak patty and server with a generous spoonful of beetroot relish.


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Courgette & Feta Rösti

3 08 2009

Not only am I now fighting my way through what seems like a never ending supply of courgettes from the allotment, the wet weather made me think about digging up some of the salad potatoes before they start to rot underground. I am bringing home bagful after bagful. So what better than to combine the courgettes and potatoes in a tasty, rösti style fritter, served on a bed of watercress with a generous side helping of home-made beetroot relish.

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The quantities make about 6-8 rösti.

1 largish courgette
1 medium onion
5 medium waxy salad potatoes – Nicola or Charlotte are good
1 200g pack of feta cheese
1 medium egg
few springs of mint
salt and pepper
a little olive oil for frying

Grate the courgette, onion, potatoes (just give them a good scrub and leave the skins on) and cheese. Place in a large bowl and add the egg, chopped mint and seasoning. Give it a good stir.

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Take a handful or forkful of the mixture and shape roughly into a burger shape (I cheated and used muffin/poaching rings). Place gently into the frying pan and fry off slowly until the potato is cooked and the underneath os golden. Gently flip over until the other side is nicely browned.

To serve, place a large bunch of watercress or lambs lettuce on the centre of a dinner plate. Place one or two rösti on top depending on how big you made them and how hungry you or your guests are. I served mine with some home-made beetroot relish made with beetroot, bramley apples, sugar, onions and vinegar. You could also use a simple natural yogurt, mint and chive dressing which I think would work well.


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The Big Lunch

18 07 2009

24 hours to go till the Big Lunch. Not being one for BBQs I have made enough Chick Pea and Potato Curry to feed about 25 people. Just hoping the weather holds out.

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I used a whole pack of dried chick peas – soaked overnight then boiled until tender.

Fried up 2 onions with a tablespoon of black mustard seeds and a tablespoon cumin seeds. Then added about 8 diced potatoes (large ones – par boiled), a teaspoon of ground turmeric, a tablespoon of ground coriander and 2 tablespoons ground cumin. Then added the chick peas, a 400g tin of coconut milk, about 500ml water, 2 teaspoons salt and a chopped large bunch of coriander.

I’ve have also thrown in a loads of spinach from the allotment that was starting to go to seed, 3 green chilis and a teaspoon of chili powder/cayenne pepper. The photo was taken before the spinach went in!

Planning on serving with a stack of warmed chapatis and cucumber raita.

Now I am making chocolate rice krispie cakes – 50 of them.


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Aloo Tinda

6 07 2009

I popped into Sabar Brothers in Slough last week and picked up some tindas. Not sure why, but fancied trying something different so I made a curry with them, potatoes and tomatoes. Tasted fantastic, but didn’t look too great so instead of photographing the finished dish, here are the tindas before I prepared them.

I served this with bhaturas and a sag paneer so it made enough to serve 5 with some left over for breakfast.

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3 tablespoons sunflower oil
3 tindas – peeled and cut into large dice
3 medium potatoes – peeled and cut into large dice
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 large clove garlic – finely chopped
1 chunk of ginger – about 1cm long – finely chopped
1 green chili – finely chopped
1 tomatoes – chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cover the potato and tinda with the turmeric and salt and fry for about 15 minutes stirring from time to time. When browned remove from the pan.

Keep the pan on the heat and now add the ginger, chili and garlic. Fry for a few seconds then add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the tomatoes and ground cumin and coriander. Fry until the tomatoes break down and darken a little, Now add the potatoes and tinda and the garam masala. Stir well, then add a little water and cover the pan. Cook until the potatoes and tinda and tender.


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