Chicken Tikka, Lentil, Spinach & Naan Salad

Dear reader, 

I am uploading on the same day I cooked, which is new! 

Just as the food is settling, the fresh pictures through which I can smell the smell I smelled only two hours ago, so I decided to get it out of the way and share this recipe with the world as well. 

On pg. 86 of the "Chicken" section, you can find the Chicken Tikka, Lentil, Spinach & Naan Salad which really is unlike any other salad, and you can read below why:

This is what I came up with:

To start off, I would like to say this recipe was so over the top. It took me the whole morning to prepare all the ingredients and to cook it all up, and I am positively done with life. 

The reason being the mango chutney and naan breads. 

Since you cannot buy them pre-made at the supermarket like you can in England I suppose, I had to make my own. 

The naan bread took 3 hours and the mango chutney took around that time too. 

I found the naan bread recipe here: http://reallifedinner.com/how-to-make-naan-bread-step-by-step-instructions-and-pictures/ ...

...and the mango chutney recipe here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_mango_chutney/

If you read above, you will see the preparation time needed for both, and the process, and understand me completely. Once the two were done, I started on everything else (or rather continued).

Before all, I soaked my lentils in hot water as mine were packaged dry, and they don't sell "ready to eat" lentils in Croatia. This then took care of itself.

I like to take care of the meat first because I have a feeling that if I let it sit with the spices, it will absorb them and I will feel them throughout. I set my meat aside to soak, and dealt with all the vegetables. 

I washed and sliced the spring onions, chilli, tomato, coriander, baby spinach, a cucumber and a carrot. 

I then took to the sauce, whizzing coriander stalks, the juice of 1 lemon, yoghurt, cashews, mango chutney and turmeric until smooth and emptying into a little dish. 

My lentils were ready by now, so I added mustard and cumin seeds in a pan with oil, and then the spring onion and chili. I waited until that fried a little and then added in all the lentils, the tomato, (salt and pepper) and a splash of red wine vinegar. I kept that on the heat until it all combined, and then set aside. 

I put my chicken to fry on a tablespoon of oil, on low heat though to control the speed, and during that time I peeled the cucumber and carrot with a speed peeler, sliced the naan, feta and coriander leaves and set them aside for near use. 

After my meat was done, I used the same pan to roast some mushrooms, and while the mushrooms were roasting I sliced the meat too and arranged everything on my grand-aunt's mother platter. 

And voila! 

At first I honestly thought this was just another summery salad recipe with some chicken and bread and sauce, but I was totally wrong. 

This recipe is the right combination of filling but healthy. Because, honestly, I can nibble on some cucumber which is healthy, but it won't fill me up. This recipe contains the meat and bread and lentils to fill you up, alongside the gorgeous veggies which add that much needed balance. The great sauce rounds the meal up, and the side-yoghurt is great for dipping the naan! If you do not own the cookbook, the recipe is as follows:

*Ingredients out* Griddle pan, high heat* Small frying pan, medium-low heat* Liquidizer*

Serves 4, 607 calories

Ingredients

Chicken

2 x 200g skinless chicken breasts

2 heaped tsp Patak's tikka paste

4 chestnut mushrooms

Salad

4 spring onions

1 fresh red chili

1 heaped tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

olive oil

1 x 250g pack of ready-to-eat Puy lentils

1 ripe tomato

red wine vinegar

1 big bunch of fresh coriander

2 lemons

4 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt

1 heaped tbsp cashew nuts

1 heaped tbsp mango chutney

1 tsp turmeric

2 naan breads

200g baby spinach

1/2 a cucumber

1 carrot

30g feta cheese 

Start cooking 

On a large sheet of greaseproof paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper and the tikka paste. Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken to 1,5cm thick with a rolling pin. Place on the hot griddle pan with the halved mushrooms, turning after 3 or 4 minutes, until nicely charred and cooked through. Trim and finely slice the spring onions and half the chili.

Put the mustard and cumin seeds and 2 tablespoons of oil into the frying pan, followed by the sliced spring onion and chili. Tip the lentils into the pan, squash in the tomato and add a punch salt and pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar. Toss occasionally for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat off. Rip the coriander stalks in the liquidizer with the juice of 1 lemon, the yoghurt, cashews, mango chutney and turmeric, then whiz up until smooth. 

Remove the cooked chicken and mushrooms from the griddle and put the naan on the pan. Tip the baby spinach on to a serving board or platter, scatter over the lentils, speed-peel the cucumber and carrot over the top and sprinkle over the mushrooms. Slice the chicken, naan and remaining chili and arrange on top, then crumble over the feta and spoon over the dressing. Finish with the coriander leaves and serve with lemon wedges. 

Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above. 

Bon Appétit! 

Lamb Kofte, Pitta & Greek Salad

As the sequel to the lamb chop recipe, I prepared the Lamb Kofte, Pitta and Greek Salad at pg.108 of the "Lamb" section!

I can, without another meal in my mind say this is my favorite Jamie Oliver recipe ever, and one of the best foods I had the pleasure to eat in my life. Read below why!

I copied his meal accordingly:

I had some leftover lamb mince from a previous lamb mince recipe (see below) so I treated that with salt, pepper and garam masala and set aside for the flavors to soak in. 
I took to my couscous, for which I whizzed the leafy part of the mint and a chili, along with some salt and pepper, stirred in the couscous and boiling water and left to sit throughout the rest of the cooking process. 
I then cut up all the salad ingredients, including the lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomatoes and olives, with the exception of dividing the cucumber and seasoning with salt for the liquid to drain out and not drench my finished salad. 
I also prepared my feta by cutting it up, and mixing the yoghurt with lemon juice and salt and pepper. 
This is when I crushed the pistachios which I de-shelled the night before, and guiltily ate half, as I don't own a pestle and mortar. 

Around this time I went to make my pitta breads. As I have never in my life seen pitta bread anywhere in Croatia, but of course ate it abroad, I decided this recipe really called for it and by God would I do it. So I simply googled and chose a site that seemed most authentic. I prepared it according to http://mideastfood.about.com/od/breadsrice/r/pitabreadrecipe.htm 
and I was pretty happy! Not that it came close to any authentic pitta recipe, but good enough for this meal!

*excuse the bit of couscous on the very right pitta*

I turned to my final step, preparing the meat. 
I was very excited about this because most of all I love minced meat, and the combination of honey which Jamie included in previous recipes was divine. More so, pistachios have become my favorite salty nut, and I mourn their Croatian price daily. So the thought of the bashed pistachios stuck onto honey coated lamb balls, I didn't even want to start the fantasies.
I divided the mince into way more than 8 balls, I took a teaspoon and made many like that, but shaping them more like little fingers than little balls. I put those to fry on one tablespoon of oil and finished off my couscous, which I served in a little bowl (you will have more than in the picture). 
I also mixed the salad with the cucumber and feta on a dish, and cut open the hot pitta breads. 
My meat was just about done, so I drained the fat that came out during cooking, leaving the heat on low, I drizzled honey over and immediately followed up with a crazy amount of pistachios. 

I did have some extra crushed pistachio though, which I sprinkled over the salad. 

The small bits of honey coated pistachio that stayed in the pan were engulfed by me in a frenzy.
And voila, this was it!

Mine and Jamie's mutual serving suggestion, with some couscous below the meat stuck by the lemon yoghurt:

The meal was just a dream. I am usually very interested in Middle Eastern cuisine, and I usually always tend to go for it, try anything new from it, etc. So I knew this recipe would be good, but I could never imagine it would be this good. 
The meat primarily was out of this world. I have never tasted such an amazing combination of salty and sweet like in Middle Eastern recipes. The pistachios just adapt to the honey's texture and taste and just give this powerful overtone of the strong meat. 
Secondly, the couscous is so fluffy and spicy, though I do wish I could have felt the mint more, but I guess that depends from bunch to bunch. At first I though the couscous could be more flavorful, more spices used on it, but then I realized that was the neutral component to such a strong meat and salad dish. 
Next, the salad was so fresh yet so rich, especially because of the feta and tiny bits of pistachio I sprinkled over. Alongside pastry-like things such as the couscous and pitta, the salad allowed ingredients to flow down smoothly. 
And lastly, the pitta breads which looked nothing inside like Jamie's, but nevertheless contributed with such an authentic feel and a great holder for all the ingredients, too! 

For an amazing mix of sweet and salty in the most oriental way possible, to achieve this recipe you will need:

*Ingredients out* Kettle boiled* Large frying pan, high heat* Food processor (bowl blade)*

Serves 4, 587 calories 

Ingredients

Kofte 

400g lean lamb mince

1 tsp garam masala

olive oil

25g shelled pistachios

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tbsp runny honey

Couscous

1/2 bunch of fresh mint 

1 fresh red chili

1/2 mug (150g) of couscous

Salad

1/2 an iceberg lettuce

1/2 a red onion

1/2 a cucumber

5 ripe cherry tomatoes

4 black olives (stone in)

4 heaped tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt

2 lemons

40g feta cheese

To serve

4 pitta breads 

Start cooking

In a large bowl, mix the mince with salt, pepper and garam masala. Divide into 8, then with wet hands shape into little fat fingers. Put into the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, turning until dark golden all over. Tear off most of the top leafy half of the mint and blitz in the processor with a pinch of salt and pepper and chili until fine. Remove the blade, stir in 1/2 a mug of couscous and 1 mug of boiling water, put the lid on and leave to sit in the processor. 

Cut the lettuce into wedges and arrange on a nice board or platter. Peel and coarsely grate the onion and cucumber into a bowl, season well with salt, then squeeze out any excess salty liquid and sprinkle over the lettuce. Chop and add the tomatoes, then squash, destone and dot over the olives. Mix the yoghurt in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon, season to taste, then drizzle it over the lettuce and crumble over the feta. 

Bash the pistachios in a pestel and mortar. Drain away the fat from the lamb, then toss with the bashed nuts, thyme leaves and honey, and turn the heat off. Pop the pittas in the microwave (800W) for 45 seconds to warm through, then cur in half and add to the board with the kofte. Fluff up the couscous, scatter the remaining mint leaves over everything and serve with lemon wedges. 

Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above. 

Bon Appétit! 

Glazed Sizzling Chops, Sweet Tomato & Asparagus Lasagnetti

Welcome to yet another blog post and another recipe! 

This time, it is the rest of my lamb chops, whose expensive story you can read in the posts below. 

Now, I again cooked two recipes in one day, so I was absolutely drained by the second recipe, which you can read in the blog post timeline as a sequel. 

Sunday was a very busy day obviously, and instead of half an hour that it was supposed to take me to make both, it took me quadruple that, if not more. So read below whether it was worth it!

This is what I came up with:

I started off by de-freezing the lamb chops and peas early in the morning. 

I then tossed the lamb with only a pinch of salt and set aside to soak in and add flavor as no other spices are mentioned to be used on the meat. 

I then trimmed all my veggies, including the asparagus, spring onions, chili and tomatoes (used the 300g of regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes as suggested). 

I also prepared the leafy half of the mint and 3 cloves of garlic and chucked it into a pan with two tablespoons of oil (+ salt and pepper). 

I then put my lasagna sheets to cook, as I didn't have them pre-cut and I couldn't cut them in their original dried state. I recommend taking them out when semi-done, just cuttable, as they will cook further with the veggies, so there is no need to cook them entirely in this step. 

So I cut them into lasagnettis and put into the veg pan.

I then piled all my lamb chops into a frying pan with one tablespoon of oil, 5 scattered garlic cloves and rosemary leaves which I rotated and waited until they were very well-done on both sides as I like my meat definitely cooked through. 

I cooked them on low heat, just to be able to control the process, I didn't care about the longer time span as much. 

When they were just about right, I poured the honey and balsamic over them and removed to a plate to rest and set. 

My lasagnettis were done, I really only waited for the asparagus to soften, and I took the pan off the heat. I grated some Parmesan on top and scattered some mint on the sticky lamb, and voila!

Here are some closeups for you to feel the flavor: 

And that's it!

I did follow the recipe truthfully, and honestly, it was rather bland for me. I guess I am too accustomed to my mother's and Jamie's other recipes full of flavors and strange spices, so a classic dish like this really awoke no sensation. However for a regular nutritional meal during a weekday, it will satisfy your needs. Or, if you are the polar opposite of me and do not like spice mixtures and unusual tastes, this will be right up your alley! The sticky and sweet lamb was the highlight though, and I discovered I have quite a distaste for asparagus - I don't understand why anything cooked for so long would be so crunchy, it just doesn't feel right!
To achieve this recipe you will need:

*Ingredients out* Kettle boiled * Large frying pan, high heat* Large casserole pan, medium heat*

Serves 4, 650 calories

Ingredients

Lamb
8 large lamb chops, trimmed of fat
olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, plus extra to serve

Lasagnetti
4 spring onions
2 bunches of asparagus (600g)
1 fresh red chili
300g ripe cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh mint
1 small bulb of garlic
300g fresh lasagne sheets
30g Parmesan cheese

Start cooking

Toss the lamb chops with a pinch of salt and put into the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, turning regularly until golden (around 8 minutes). Trim and finely slice the spring onions, asparagus (leaving the tips whole) and chili, and halve the cherry tomatoes. Scrape the veg into the casserole pan with 2 tablespoons of oil.

Roughly chop most of the top leafy half of the mint and add to the veg with a pinch of salt and pepper, then squash in 3 cloves of unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher. Bash the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and add to the lamb with the rosemary leaves. Cut the lasagne sheets into 2cm-thick stripes, scatter them over the veg, then cover with 500ml of boiling water and mix together.

Reduce the heat under the lamb to low and toss with the honey and balsamic to glaze, then remove to a plate to rest. Finely grate the Parmesan over the lasagnetti and turn the heat off. Serve with the lamb, adding an extra drizzle of balsamic and sprinkling over the remaining mint.

Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above. 

Bon Appétit! 

Lamb Lollipops, Curry Sauce, Rice & Peas

Hello there, today I come to you with a very unusual dish for me, as I have never in my life as a human being in need of food come across something like this.

I searched high and low for these damn lamb lollipops, on every market, every supermarket, asked acquaintances in the culinary business etc., and finally found them in "Metro", a supermarket where only licensed trades can buy, mostly for large quantities - goods wholesale. 

Two packages of lamb lollipops at cca. 600g each came 200kn or 25€ or 35$ or 20£, which is absolutely ridiculous.

I hope this costs less in a civilized country (kidding), but I went for it anyways, as my mom was absolutely dying for it ever since she first opened the cookbook.

So congratulations mom, you better have enjoyed the taste of 200kn!

This is what I came up with:

Firstly I want to say this was a long and hard process, partly because I have a small kitchen, partly because I didn't rehearse any of it, and partly because I had to make almost double.

I cannot believe Jamie made 8 lamb cutlets for 4 people?! Anyways, I had to double the rice too, and make my own Korma paste.

I went ahead by de-freezing the meat and the separating into the amount I decided per person (around 6 I think). I then also took out my frozen peas and covered the red lentils in boiling water to re-hydrate. 

I then put my plain rice to cook with no more and no less than 8 cloves of garlic, since that takes the longest, and set out to make the Korma paste. 

Now, Jamie bought it pre-packaged, Croatia doesn't have it, but luckily I found a recipe on his site with that specific paste, and a couple other similar ones: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/recipe/easy-homemade-curry-pastes

The instructions are rather vague, but the ingredient list is sufficient so I made my way with that, and the fact that "dry ingredients with dry, then add the wet into the dry". 

I didn't have the groundnut oil, instead of which I used olive oil and I didn't have desiccated coconut, so I just skipped that altogether. I also added a bit more garam masala and cayenne pepper because I just couldn't not add more. That's how much I love it.

I added all that in my processor, first the spices to break down the chunkier ones until they were all rather powdery, and then the wet ingredients to bind it all together. 

I set that aside and drained my rice, and set somewhere to keep warm. 

I then turned to my meat, rubbing the lamb with salt, pepper, and a whole lot of garam masala, then put in two rounds into a frying pan with one tablespoon of oil until very well done, as I like my meat definitely dead. That took rather a long time, around 10 minutes all together as I fried it on a fairly low heat as I wanted to control the way it cooked. 

While one side or the other was frying, I heated another pan and placed all my Korma sauce and all my coconut milk to boil, and then simmer for five minutes. 

I then decided it was time to stir my peas and lentils into the rice and set aside.

Now here came the tricky part - the glazing of the lamb.

I cooked it in two rounds, so one was already done, but I wanted it that way because I decided to coat only one batch in the honey and balsamic vinegar. I decided to roast the jarred and pre-cut peppers, ginger, spring onions and chili after the lamb, as it all just wouldn't fit at once.

However I did roast it in the pan I took the lamb out of because I needed just a coat of some sort of sauce over it, to add some flavor.

Once that was hot enough, I arranged it all as Jamie suggests, and voilà! 

P.S., I didn't even bother with the poppadoms as a) I had rice as a carb, b) you can't buy them done in Croatia and c), I didn't want to bother with making them. 

If you want to seem really fancy and well introduced in the Art of Cooking, especially Middle Eastern meals, this is the recipe to go for. If you rehearse several times in a country where this meat doesn't cost as much as pure gold, I say go for it. You won't regret it any time, especially the Korma paste which adds such an unusual tinge to the meal.
To achieve this recipe, do as follows:

Serves 4, 632 calories

Ingredients out* Kettle boiled* Medium lidded pan, high heat * Two large non-stick frying pans, medium-high heat*

Ingredients

Rice&peas
1 mug (300g) of 10-minute wholegrain or basmati rice
8 cloves
40g dried red split lentils
300g podded raw or garden peas

Lamb
8 large lamb cutlets on the bone, trimmed of fat
1 tbsp garam masala
olive oil
4 spring onions
1 fresh red chili 
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
4 jarred red peppers
1 heaped tsp runny honey
balsamic vinegar
3 sprigs of fresh coriander

Curry sauce
2 tbsp Patak's korma paste
1 x 400g tin of light coconut milk
1 lemon

Garnishes
2 uncooked poppadoms
fat-free natural yoghurt

Start cooking

Put 1 mug of rice and 2 mugs of boiling water into the medium pan with a pinch of salt and the cloves, then put the lid on, stirring occasionally. Rub the lamb with salt, pepper and the garam masala, bash and flatten them with your fist, then put into one of the hot frying pans with 1 tablespoon of oil, turning when gnarly and golden brown.

Put the korma paste and coconut milk into the other frying pan with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, stir together, bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes, then turn the heat off. Mix the lentils into the rice. Trim and slice the spring onions, chili, peeled ginger and peppers, then toss in with the lamb. Stir the peas into the rice and lentils.

Pour half the curry sauce into a bowl (pop the rest in the fridge to use another day). Break up the uncooked poppadoms and pop in the microwave (800W) for a minute or two to puff up. At the last minute, toss the lamb with the honey and a splash of balsamic. Serve the lamb scattered with coriander leaves and scrunched-up poppadoms, with the rice and peas, yoghurt and lemon wedges on the side. 

Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above. 

Bon Appétit! 

Smoky Maple Pancetta, Fluffy Corn & Chilli Pancakes

Overdue a week but finally here, I present to you the first of several breakfast/brunch/my-lunch recipes from Jamie's breakfast section.
As I didn't have time to cook anything proper last weekend yet was still in need of food, I wanted something simple, easy and quick, something meant for one person, something I could maybe make more of to fill myself up.
I came across this brunch recipe which seemed fairly interesting, the corn part of the meal really hitting the spot and tipping over the scale. Once I read further on, I realized I had all the ingredients on hand, and that I never really tried anything like it, so I decided it went with my requirements and started!

I tried, just like with every meal to make it as similar to Jamie's as possible, and this is what I ended up with:

Firstly I took my corn can and set the corn in a sifter for the liquid to drain through.
Then I took a fairly large bowl and added the flour, egg, milk and salt using my handy-dandy cup measurer which I discovered I owned just several weeks ago. I whisked that into a dough-like consistency, and I remembered I added a little more milk as it was too hard.

I then grated my cheese, and instead of Cheddar cheese which isn't my favorite, I went with something I knew would give the most delicious form to the dough, and that is Mozzarella. Instead of 40g I may have gone a bit farther, however having half your dough in Mozzarella is heaven, at least in my opinion. With the cheese, I folded in the corn (with which I also went overboard because sweet corn also equals heaven in my book), and diced green chilli.

I set the dough aside as I chopped my one large tomato and small avocado, tossing with lime juice, salt and pepper and coriander leaves. 

I then fried my pancetta, and I am constantly amazed with how the pancetta coats itself in oil, none needs to be added by me! And I didn't glaze it with maple syrup as I don't have any because I don't like it. 

Now, here I think I misread Jamie's instructions which must be about dividing the batter into several batches, but I took a rather large frying pan and poured all of it on one tsp of oil. I spread some one the edges, in an attempt to recreate Jamie's crispy edges. 
While the batter was frying, my pancetta was done so I removed it off the heat, and flipped the batter on the opposite side to get that golden color on top and bottom. 
When it was done, I assembled the tomato/avocado salad, yoghurt, chilli sauce, pancetta and some chives on top as I didn't have any more coriander leaves.

Even though I explained this recipe in 10,000 words, it really comes down to basic cooking and ingredients, an ideal light lunch if you ask me! To achieve this recipe, do as follows:

This is an amazing weekend breakfast - it will put a smile on your face, get you going and make you feel really satisfied. A hit of chilli wakes you up better than any espresso, trust me. 

Serves 4, 477 calories

Ingredients

Pancakes
1 cup of self-raising flour
1 large egg
1 cup of semi-skimmed milk 
1 fresh green chilli
40g Cheddar cheese
1 handful frozen sweetcorn
olive oil

Topping
4 ripe tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
1 lime
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander
8 rashers of smoked pancetta
maple syrup
2 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt
Lingham's chilli sauce 

Start cooking

Whisk the flour, egg and milk in a bowl with a pinch of salt until smooth. Finely slice the chilli, grate the cheese, then fold both into the batter with the sweetcorn. Roughly chop the tomatoes and the peeled, destoned avocado, then toss with the juice from 1/2 a lime, the top leafy half of the coriander, salt and pepper.

Put the pancetta into a medium frying pan on a medium-low heat, turning when crisp and golden. Drizzle with maple syrup, glaze for 20 seconds, then remove from the heat. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil into a small frying pan on a medium heat, add a ladleful of batter and spread it out to the edges. Flip when golden and remove to a plate once done.

Place 1/4 of the topping and pancetta on top of the pancake and serve with a dollop of yoghurt, a wedge of lime, and chilli sauce if you like that extra hit. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve as and when they're ready. 

Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above. 

Bon Appétit!