Quinoa with Roasted Olives, Cashew Nuts and Oranges

Photo provided by Sadiq Food Photography (Click here)

Here's a incredibly healthy and hearty salad that'll keep you sustained throughout the day. Very tasty and fully satisfying which is quite tricky to achieve when it comes to a vegan lunch.

250g quinoa
150g black pitted olives
1 long red chilli
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
100ml extra virgin olive oil
100g cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Sea salt
2 oranges
1 small bunch basil
70g rocket

Method:
Place a large pot of salted water on to the boil. Thinly slice the red chilli and garlic and lay out on oven tray with olives, bay leaves and half the olive oil, place in oven set at 180ºC for 20 minutes. In a separate oven tray lay out cashew nuts, drizzle over remaining olive oil and season with tumric and salt, place in oven with olives and cook until golden in colour.
Once the water is boiling add quinoa and cook for about 7-10 minutes until tripled in size, drain and cool under cold running water.
Slice the top and bottom off the orange and using a small paring knife run the blade round the orange removing the skin and pith, then slice the segment out of the oranges. Pick the leaves off basil and roughly chop, and in a large bowl add the quinoa and mix in the basil, oranges, olives and cashews until evenly combined. Serve with washed rocket leaves. 

Piccolo Parsnips with Smoked Garlic, Wild Fennel Seeds and Wood Sorrel

Photo provided by Sadiq's Food Photography Blog(Click here)

A very simple and tasty side dish that goes well with any main weather it be roast pork, chicken or even fish. Piccolo parsnips are a smaller, sweeter and more tender type of parsnip--no peeling required, just wash and cook. I've combined this parsnip dish with wood sorrel, which grows wild around tree stumps and is a foraged item. It has a distinct sweet lemon flavour and resembles clovers. Well balanced and no fuss to prepare.

1kg piccolo parsnips
1 bulb smoked garlic
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper
50g wood sorrel

Method:
Wash the parsnips then lay out on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Peel garlic and lay whole cloves over parsnips, lastly sprinkle over fennel seeds. Place in oven set at 180ºC for 20 minutes, then mix parsnips around tray and return to oven for a further 20 minutes.
Once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes, then rub soften garlic cloves onto parsnips. Serve parsnips with a generous garnish of wood sorrel.

Crab Apple Jelly

Photo courtesy of Photography by Sadiq

Preserving is slowly becoming a lost art in home-making due to the convenience of the local supermarket. There are several thousand types of apples and we literally use a handful of varieties.  This time of year I see crab apples growing round my neighbourhood and all over London, therefore the picking and begging to be made into jelly or fruit cheese. They may be too sour and fiddly in their raw state, however when preserved the finished product looks like edible jewels and, if stored properly, will last a long time in the pantry. Crab apple jelly is lovely on toast or served with a joint of roast pork. Also a massive big thank you to Sadiq for taking a fresh batch of shiny and beautiful pictures.

5kg crab apples
Granulated sugar
1 lemon

METHOD:
Place apples in a large heavy-based pot, fill with water until apples are just covered. Put pot over a high heat and bring to the boil, once boiling cook for about 20 minutes until apples are mushy. Line a large colander strainer with muslin cloth and place over a large bowl or pot. Pour the apples into strainer and leave to cool (don't squeeze or press the apples in strainer, as this will make the jelly cloudy). Once cool, cover strainer with cling film or chopping board, leave to stand for 8 hours or overnight.

Once the apple liquid and pulp has been left to stand, carefully remove the muslin and pulp (you can use the apple pulp to make fruit cheese, the recipe is found below).
For every litre of liquid you will need 750g of sugar, place apple stock, sugar and juice of lemon in a large heavy-based pot and put over a high heat. Avoid stirring as this can mess with the setting point of the jelly. Once jelly is boiling, cook for around 45 to an hour. Using a slotted spoon remove the scum during cooking and place a plate in the fridge to chill. To test if the jelly is ready put a tablespoon of jelly on the plate and leave in the fridge for 1 minute. Once cold run your finger through the jelly, if it wrinkles and doesn't merge back together the jelly is ready.
Using a ladle or stainless steal jug pour the hot jelly into sterilised jars and screw on the lid, leave jelly for 2 days before opening.

Crab Apple Fruit Cheese

Photo courtesy of Photography by Sadiq

Fruit cheese is similar to quince paste and can be made using the leftover pulp from crab apple jelly. Because apples are high in pectin the purée sets like cheese after cooking for a long period over high heat. A lovely condiment on crackers served with cheese and pickled onions. The best part is it keeps for several months and a nice little gift for friends and family round Christmas time.

5kg crab apples
granulated sugar
1 lemon

METHOD:
Put apples in a large heavy-base pot and add water until apples are just covered. Place pot over a  high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling cook for about 20 minutes until apples are mushy. Line a large colander strainer with muslin then place strainer over a large bowl or pot, pour the apples into the strainer. Leave apples to cool, then cover strainer with chopping board and stand for 8 hours or overnight (with the apple liquid in the pot you can make crab apple jelly using the recipe above). Pass mushy apples through a fine sieve and discard the seeds and skin. Weigh the apple pure and add equal amount of sugar to a heavy-based pot. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir all ingredients together, place pot over a medium-heat and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, turn the heat down slightly and stir every 5 minutes. After about 45 minutes of cooking the fruit cheese should be glossy and clumping together, remove from heat.

Cut about 8-10 square pieces of muslin cloth 20x20cm. To wrap the fruit cheese place a piece of muslin cloth in a tea cup and scoop a couple of large spoonfuls of fruit cheese into cup. Tie the four corners of cloth together making a nice neat ball. Repeat with remaining fruit cheese and line the fruit cheese along one half of a large tray. Place tray in a cool, dark place and prop a small plate under the side of the tray the fruit cheese is on. This will let the remaining unwanted liquid strain away from the fruit cheese and you should get a more firm set fruit cheese. Leave for 3 days, after which you can unravel as needed for consumption.

Roasted Chantenay Carrots with Red Pepper Sauce

Here's a very tasty and vibrant little side dish with plenty of bite. Bound to make history at a dinner table near you.

1kg washed chantenay carrots
50ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Red Pepper Sauce:
100g flaked almonds
450g canned roasted red peppers
2 plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 dried red chillies
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
100ml extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Place carrots on baking tray and drizzle oil on carrots then sprinkle salt over top, place in oven set at 190oC for 45 minutes. Half way through cooking stir carrots around the tray and place back in oven to finish roasting.
For the sauce place frying pan over a medium heat and add the almonds, toast almonds while stiring round the pan till golden brown. In a food processor add all the sauce ingredients and blend together for 2 minutes.
Once carrots are roasted serve with a side of red pepper sauce.

Lemon, Mint and Poppy Tofu Salad

Here's a easy and almost fat free vegan salad. Generally I use a firm chalky tofu for salads as it gives bite and texture, silken tofu is nice but better for dessert making.
This is also the time of the year for excellent cucumbers and peas. Cucumbers are more fragrant than earlier crops and pea's are sweeter and juicer fresh from the pod. I highly recommend you shell your own pea's, this may be more laborious but definitely worth the reward.

500g firm smoked tofu
300g fresh peas
1 cucumber
70g washed rocket
4 lemons
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
6 springs of mint
1 green chilli
1 clove garlic
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Method:
Slice tofu into 2cm cubes and lay over baking tray. Juice the lemons and strain out the seeds, sprinkle tofu generously with salt then drizzle over the lemon juice and half the olive oil. Lastly sprinkle over poppy seeds and bake tofu in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes.
Finely dice chilli and garlic together, place a small pot over medium heat and add the remainder olive oil. Once oil is hot add, garlic, chilli, peas and a teaspoon salt, saute the peas till just tender then remove from heat. Using a potato masher very roughly mash the peas for a few seconds just to break the skin's a little.
Slice cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds, then cut into 2mm slice's. Once the tofu is cooked roughly chop the mint and sprinkle over tofu, when tofu has cooled down enough mix the mint and tofu together. To make the salad you can either make 4 individual portions or a large platter. First lay down rocket, sprinkle over cucumber and peas and lastly top with tofu and serve.

Vegan Borlotti Beans with Bulrush Sticks

Here's another vegan recipe containing strange foraged items. Bulrush is a long leek like stem that commonly grows on the edge of ponds or slow moving rivers. The outer leaves are stringy and cant be eaten, however the inner pale grey/green leaves are sweet and starchy and almost dissolves on the tongue due to it's high starch content. Sweet like peas and reminds me of a softer asparagus.
During the summer fresh borlotti beans are available at your local fresh produce store and far superior in creamy texture over the canned or dried verities. Also Wild fennel seems to be growing madly this time of year and can be found in most parks and reserves, however the more it sits in the sun the more bronze it becomes, but still full of flavour.

1.2kg fresh borlotti beans
8 plum tomatoes
1 carrot
1 red onion
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 red chilli
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt
250ml apple juice
50ml extra virgin olive oil
8 bulrush
100g baby spinach washed


METHOD:
Shell the borlotti beans and place in a 3cm deep baking tray. Quarter tomatoes, peel and roughly dice the carrot and onion, slice pepper in half and remove the seeds then roughly dice. Peel and crush the garlic, dice the chilli and add both to baking tray along with tomato, carrot, onion, red pepper, bay, paprika, salt, apple juice and olive oil. Roughly mix together and cover in foil, place in oven set at 160oC for 1 hour and 30 minutes, give a little stir once cooked for 45 minutes and return to the oven.
In the mean time trim the tops off bulrush and remove a couple of the tough outer leaves then slice in half lengthways, the edible part of bulrush should be a very pale green or white colour.
Once borlotti beans are cooked remove foil and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
To serve place some baby spinach in a bowl and spoon over borlotti beans and garnish with wild fennel then serve with several sticks of bulrush on the side.

Jersey Mid Royals Infused in Cumin

A simple, easy and effective little side dish for dinner or Sunday lunch if you fancy. But you'd better be quick as these creamy sweet little potatoes are probably only going to last for another 3 to 4 weeks.

1kg jersey mid royal potatoes
3 tablespoons cumin seeds
6 cloves garlic
1 green chilli
1 celery stick
1 tablespoon hot mustard
1 bunch coriander
2 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon brandy
100ml vegetable oil
100ml extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:
Wash potatoes and put in a large pot and fill with cold water and 1 tablespoon of salt, place over high heat and bring to a light boil. Once water is boiling cook potatoes for around 10 minutes till just tender, drain and cool under cold running water.
Place a small fry pan over medium heat and toast cumin seeds (make sure they don't burn as this will make the seeds bitter), put cumin seeds in pestle and mortar and roughly crush into a powder.
Cut the roots off coriander and place in food processor with peeled garlic, chilli, celery, mustard, remaining salt, brandy, ground cumin, both oils and blend together for 2 minutes. Place a large heavy based pot over medium high heat and add the cumin paste, once the oil start's to bubble add potatoes. Cook jerseys till the skin starts to brown and remove from heat, eat either warm or cold and garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

Yukon Carrot Salad with Olives and Walnuts Cooked in Coconut Milk

Fresh batch of yukon carrots arrived last week from Canada, these carrot grow in a dense rich soil at a higher altitude making carrots more intense and sweet. Even better they have been harvested early meaning they are smaller and super tender when baked/poached. I've combined them with walnuts cooked in coconut milk which give a creamy bitter taste and black olives for saltiness. Very health and visual nor is it boring to behold.
Also a massive thank you to Etienne who has once again taken some amazing pictures, this one in particular is one of my favourite shots.

600g yukon carrots
300ml orange juice
3 cloves garlic
12 sprigs thyme
2 dried red chillies
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sea salt
50ml extra virgin olive oil
200g pitted black olives
100g halved walnuts
150ml coconut milk
70g rocket washed

METHOD:
Trim the tops off carrots and wash then place in deep baking tray with orange juice, thinly sliced garlic, torn thyme and red chillies, bay leaves, honey, salt and olive oil. Roughly mix together and cover in foil, bake in oven set at 180oC for 30 minutes. After the 30minutes roughly mix carrots around in tray and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes. Place walnuts and coconut in small sauce pan and bring to the boil over high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes till milk thickens and coats walnuts. Once carrots are cooked put aside to cool, place olives in food processor and blend for about 5 seconds till roughly diced.
To construct salad you can either make one large platter or make individual plates. On the base lay out rocket leaves then drape over carrots with a little excess cooking liquid and pieces of chilli. Garnish salad with walnuts and a good sprinkling of olives and serve as soon as possible.

Baby Aubergine with Wild Garlic Flowers

Just in season are 2 very pretty and delicate ingredients baby aubergine and wild garlic flower. The aubergines have a tender texture and easily soaks up olive oil making creamy and mellow flavours. Garnished with wild garlic flowers which are peppery at first but finish with surprising garlic tang.
Very simple but will give your palette an appreciation for good quality ingredients that compliment each other perfectly.
Also I must note photo production is going up a tad with shinny props and tableware thanks to Etienne's eye for detail and something different. Thanks Etienne!

800g baby aubergine
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic dressing
1 tablespoon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
20g wild garlic flowers

METHOD:
Place whole aubergine on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Season with salt and a good cracking of pepper, place in oven at 180oC for 15 minutes, after 15  minutes shuffle aubergines around tray and place back in oven for 10 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes then using your hands pull the stalk off. When serving sprinkle garlic flowers over aubergines.

Raspberry Jam

Spring is in the air (sort of) and British raspberries are here (sort of). Actually they've been coming from Spain but still very lovely and makes great jam. Its a lazy long weekend full of fickle weather so why not burn some time by making a batch of jam, this jam to be precise.

1kg raspberries
1 kg granulated sugar
1 small lemon
1 lime

METHOD:
Juice lemon and lime into large pot and add raspberries, place over medium high heat and stir till raspberries turn mushy. When raspberries start to simmer and bubble add sugar, turn heat up to high and bring to a boil, cook over high heat for about 20 minutes. Place a teaspoon of jam on cold plate and leave for 1 minute then run your finger through the middle, if jam doesn't merge back together and clumps slightly then its ready. Pour jam into hot sterilized jars and seal tightly, leave to set for a day before using.

Innovator Potatoes Roasted in Mustard

 A very tasty and moreish way to roast potatoes and are excellent on their own or as a side dish. Personally I like to eat the potatoes cold as the mustard flavours tend to mature as the day progresses.

1.2kg innovator potatoes
200g dijon mustard
1 white onion
1 stick of celery
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
100ml vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 small bunch coriander

METHOD:
Wash potatoes and leaving the skin on cut into 2cm cubes and place in baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over potatoes and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of salt, place in pre-heated oven set at 200oC for 30 minutes.
Put a small fry pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds, toast until seeds start to crackle and pop then remove from heat and place in pestle and mortar, roughly ground into a powder. Peel the onion and garlic, cut celery into 4 and place in food processor with mustard, ground mustard seeds, jalapeno, vegetable oil, vinegar, remaining salt and roots of coriander, blend together for 1 minute. Once potatoes have cooked remove from oven and pour the mustard dressing over potatoes, quickly and roughly mix together (if you take to long the heat from the potatoes hitting the mustard will make all your sensors run over time). Place potatoes back in oven for a further 30 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes and roughly stir together, serve with fresh coriander leaves.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli in White Syrup

More of a side dish than a salad, but I'd quite happily sit down and eat a whole plate but that's just me.
I originally used white sprouting broccoli which has a more delicate flavour and texture, but it can be quite hard to source which is why I have used purple sprouting broccoli.

800g purple sprouting broccoli
250ml white wine
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 dried red chilli's
1 sprig rosemary
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
250ml vegetable oil
100ml extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:
In a sauce pan place white wine, bay, peeled garlic, chillies, rosemary and place over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the wine mixture for 20-30 minutes till a thick syrup forms and remove from the heat, strain the liquid. Pick out garlic, chilli, rosemary and place in food processor with the reduced syrup add the mustard and salt. Blend together for one minute then while still blending very slowly pour in the vegetable oil followed by slowly drizzling in olive oil.
Place a large pot of water on to boil then trim stalk base off the broccoli and cut the larger piece's in half lengthways. Once the water is boiling add a tablespoon of salt and plunge in broccoli, cook for 4-5 minutes till just tender. Drain broccoli and cool under cold running water then toss broccoli in the dressing and serve on a large platter.

Heritage Tomato Salad with Sea Purslane and Hedge Garlic

First of the french Heritage Tomatoes have just arrived, though very expensive I couldn't help myself. All winter I've been dreaming of tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes! Not the dreadful grainy, cloudy, watery, pale and almost artificial Tesco's Finest substitute I've had to put up with every week since September.
Also on the market are some wonderful new cress the first is Hedge Garlic which has an extremely peppery taste followed by a intense garlic flavour. However my favourite new discovery is Sea Purslane which is grown in the sea marshes and picked during low tied. Wonderfully salty leaves that actually taste of sea air and pair's nicely with ripe tomatoes and hedge garlic.

800g heritage tomatoes
100g watercress
100g hedge garlic
100g sea purslane
Cracked pepper

DRESSING:
small bunch of basil
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 red jalapeno
1 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
First make the dressing by placing all ingredients into a food processor and blending together for 1 minute, put the dressing to one side and start preparing salad.
Wash watercress, hedge garlic and sea purslane and gently pat dry with a tea towel or paper towels. Pick off the leaves from hedge garlic and sea purslane, discard the stalks. Mix watercress, hedge garlic and sea purslane together in a large bowl. Wash tomatoes and cut into uneven bite sized piece', lay half the green leaves over a platter followed by half the chopped tomatoes and lastly drizzle with the desired amount of dressing and cracked pepper. Repeat the layer and serve as soon as possible.

Jersey Mid Royal Rosti

 

Just on the market are jersey mid royals but they wont be round for long. In the month ahead they will grow bigger and become plain old jersey royals, slightly more expensive but well worth the price and time it takes to prepare my very popular rosti.

1.2kg jersey mid royal potatoes
200g mature cheddar
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 sprig rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt
Cracked pepper

METHOD:
Put potatoes in large pot, cover with cold water and place over a high heat, bring to the simmer and turn down the heat slightly. Cook potatoes for about 15 minutes till just tender and drain into a clean sink. Place plug in sink and fill with cold water and leave the potatoes to cool for half an hour.
Grate cheddar and finely chop the rosemary leaves, once potatoes have cooled grate and place in large mixing bowl with cheese, rosemary, oil, salt, good cracking of pepper and mix together using your hands. Grease a 30cm fluted flan dish with removable base using oil spray or butter, gently press potato mixture into dish and cook in pre-heated oven 200oC for 45 minutes.  Once cooked garnish with a little extra rosemary leaves and cracked pepper.

Ortolana Salad

Based on my favourite pizza the Ortolana! Its a vegan pizza that usually consists of potatoes, onions, peppers and courgettes or zucchini if you're Italian. I've incorporated all the main elements and taken away the naughty bread so you can basically eat this salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner with out living with the guilt of over indulging.

500g king edward potatoes
2 red onions
2 large red peppers
4 courgettes
30g rocket
60ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper to season

DRESSING:
2 plum tomatoes
small bunch oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 chilli
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
Wash the potatoes and cut into 3-4cm cubes, peel the onions, top and tail then cut into chunky slices length ways, cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and stalk and slice into irregular and angled slices. Top and tail the courgettes and slice in quarters length ways then cut in half, on a large baking tray lay out the vegetables separately side by side and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper then drizzle over the olive oil and place in oven at 200oC for 35-40 minutes till tender and slightly brown.
To make the dressing place the tomato, oregano leaves, garlic, chilli, olive oil and salt into a food processor and blend together till smooth.
Once the vegetables are cooked and cooled slightly its time to construct the salad, on a large serving platter lay out the potatoes followed by the onions evenly distributed on top. Add the peppers and courgettes layering over one another then spoon the desired amount of dressing over the vegetables and garnish the top with rocket leaves and the salad is now ready to eat.

Spiced prune, chicory and sweet mustard salad

During the winter I'm easily drawn to rich and heavy foods, cream, potatoes, pasta, cheese, self- saucing lemon pudding, anything white and carb based. This is one of my own creations very popular when on the menu at work. Bitter, sweet, creamy, fragrant and incredibly healthy!

2 large white chicory
1 large avocado
Handful of coriander leaves

MARINATED PRUNES:
16 juicy prunes
1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
3 tablespoon sugar
150ml apple cider
1 red chili cut in half length ways

DRESSING:
4 tablespoon pommery mustard
4 tablespoon blossom honey
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
First marinate the prunes, place the prunes in a small pot with cinnamon, cloves, sugar, cider and chili.
Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice over prune mixture the put the skin and pith in the pot and place on a medium heat. Bring to the simmer and cook for about 5 minutes try not to stir too much as it will break up the prunes then remove from heat and leave to cool.
For the dressing place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl along with 4 tablespoons of the reserve liquid from the prune marinade and whisk together till evenly combined.
Cut the chicory in half and remove the leaves and discard the stalks, wash the chicory and drain well. Cut the avocado in half and remove stone and skin then thinly slice the avocado. To construct the salad tear half the chicory leave over a large platter followed by half of the sliced avocado. Spoon 8 of the prunes over top then evenly sprinkle half of the coriander leaves and finally drizzle with some dressing and repeat the process once again making 2 layers. serve the salad as soon as possible the fresher the better.

Avocado Juice

Perfect on a HOT day...!

I came across this drink on my journeys through Morocco in the summer time. Avocadoes are treated like a fruit in Africa, Asia and the middle east and commonly found in desserts and drinks. If the thought of avocado presented as a sweet just block you nose and think banana.

2 small perfect ripe avocados

750ml ice cold soy or almond milk

6 tablespoon white sugar






Method:
Spoon the flesh of avocado's into food possessor add milk and sugar and blend together till silky smooth and pour into 4 large glasses, sever straight away.

Baked Beans

If you've ever wondered what real baked beans are then here's a hearty tasty and orginal verson of the Heinze institute. Use butter beans as they give a lovely fluffy velvet texture and serve with loads of fresh coriander. 

410g can chopped tomatoes

400g can butter beans

1 brown onion

1 apple

1 clove garlic

1 sm knob ginger

1 sm bunch fresh coriander

4 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup water

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp sugar
Cracked pepper

Method:

Turn the oven on to 180oC, peel and finally dice onion and garlic and place in a baking dish. Peel the apple and grate and the chop into a semi mush and add to onions do the same with ginger. Add to the baking dish tomatoes, drained and washed butter beans, crushed root of the fresh coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, pepper and water mix all the ingredients then cover with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

Serve with warm crusty bread and garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

Cinnamon and Raisin Bread

A rich loaf made without butter, milk or eggs. Delightfully light yet filling and horribly tasty, I find the use of olive oil enriches the dough and brings out the flavour of the cinnamon and raisins. Best toasted and served with lashings of butter and/or jam.

350g strong flour

100g raisins

50 white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon dried yeast

300ml warm water
50ml olive oil
Honey to brush

Method:

Place the warm water into a small bowl, then pour in the sugar and yeast and leave to ferment for 10 minutes.

In a larger mixing bowl place flour, raisins and cinnamon. Once the water has fermented pour onto the flour (scrape out the sugar that has sunk to the bottom of the bowl) and add olive oil. Using your hand knead the mixture into a wet dough, grease and flour a loaf tin 5 inches by 9 inches (round 3 inches deep) and scrape the dough into the tin, leave to rise in a semi warm place for half an hour. Once the dough has raisin bake in oven at 200oC for 15 minutes, after the bead has baked brush with honey and leave to cool before cutting.
Best sliced and toasted with butter.