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Sunday 10 February 2008

Spiced Lamb Koftas braised in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

For the koftas:

400 g minced lamb
1 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 small onions, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the sauce:

400 g tomatoes
1 small onion finely chopped
1 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 sticks cinnamon
salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a lidded, flameproof casserole with a capacity of 2 litres.

Dry-roast the coriander and cumin seeds: place them in a small frying pan over a medium heat and toss them around for 2 minutes until they begin to jump and pop, then crush them as finely as possible with a pestle and mortar.

Next, place the lamb in a large mixing bowl. Put the onions in a food processor, along with the mint and coriander leaves, then pulse everything until the onion is finely chopped. Transfer all this to join the meat in the bowl, add the spices and a good seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper, then mix everything thoroughly and evenly together with your hands. Then take small amounts of the mixture and roll them with your palms into little rounds slightly larger than a walnut.

Now heat about a tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat and when it's hot, begin to brown the koftas, about six at a time, turning them to get brown on all sides. As they cook, transfer them to a plate and add more oil when needed as you continue browning all the others.

Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes for the sauce. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. After exactly a minute (or, if the tomatoes are small, 15-30 seconds), remove them from the water; slip off their skins (protecting your hands with a cloth if they are hot) and chop them into small pieces.

After that, place the casserole over a high heat, add another tablespoon of oil and when it's hot, soften the onions, stirring them around now and then and keeping the heat highish so they turn golden brown, which should take about 6 minutes. Next, add the garlic to the onions and cook for about a minute more. Now add the tomatoes and cinnamon, stir well, then add the koftas, stir once more, turn the heat down to low and let them simmer slowly for about 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid to allow the sauce to reduce, continuing to simmer for a further 30 minutes before

Hummus

Ingredients
170 g / 2 dl chickpeas
Juice of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
salt
1,5 dl tahini
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp paprika
4 rounds of pitta bread

Method
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight and gently boil in salted water (covered).
Drain the chickpeas once soft. Reserve a few whole chick peas for serving.
2. Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and some cooking water in a food processor, and whiz to a creamy purée.
3. Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Turn out into a dinner plate, and make smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the reserved chickpeas.
4. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with pita bread, warmed in a moderate oven for three minutes, and cut into quarters.

Friday 8 February 2008

Seared Salmon Fillets with Puy Lentil Salsa

2 salmon fillets weighing 175 g each, skinned
1 tablespoons olive oil

For the salsa:
75 g Puy lentils
2 large tomatoes
½ small red onion
1 red chilli, halved and deseeded
juice 1 lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Flat-leaf parsley chopped roughly

To garnish:
lime slices

While the lentils are cooking, skin the tomatoes by pouring boiling water on to them. After 1 minute remove them and slip the skins off, then halve and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the flesh into small pieces. After that chop the onion, chilli and parsley very small and keep all this aside, covered with clingfilm, until needed.

When the lentils are cooked empty the lentils into a bowl and, while they are still warm, toss them in the lime juice and olive oil. Add the seasoning and taste to make sure you add enough. Now add the rest of the prepared salsa ingredients. Mix well, cover and leave in a cool place.

To cook the salmon, wipe the fillets as dry as possible with kitchen paper and season them. Heat the oil in a good solid frying pan with the heat turned up to the highest setting. When it's very hot, add the salmon, keeping the heat highish, and give the fillets 4-5 minutes, then turn them over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Drain them on kitchen paper and serve with the salsa and lime slices.