Modern home comfort

Question

Lamb kofta with yogurt dressing and herby cucumber salad

A wonderful light lunch or easy dinner. Ideally, you would use eight metal or wooden skewers here to form the meat around, but if you don't have those, emura pfanne Erfahrungen shape the koftas into sausages and fry them instead.






Serves 4 


400g minced lamb

tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp water

4 pitta breads, to serve

For the salad


1 cucumber, grated

½ bunch of dill, chopped

leaves from ½ bunch of mint

For the sauce


300g thick greek-style yogurt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 210C/ 190C fan/gas 6½. Put the lambin a bowl with the spices, oregano, garlic and salt andmix really well with your hands. Just as you think you have combined it enough, mix in the measured water (see Tricks of the trade).

2 Make 8 kofta sausage shapes around metal or wooden skewers (or see recipe introduction), place them on an oven tray and cook for 10 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, mix together the cucumber, dill and mint in a bowl. In a second bowl, mix the Greek yogurt with the olive oil and the vinegar, seasoning to taste with salt. If your sauce seems a bit loose - which can happen if the yogurt is runny - you might want to add the breadcrumbs to thicken it up.

4 Toast the pitta breads then cut in half with scissors. Spoon the cucumber salad on to plates, spoon some of the yogurt dressing over it, then add the koftas. Serve the toasted pittas on the side, for people to stuff as they choose, along with a bowl of the remaining yogurt dressing. Tuck in!

Tricks of the trade

Adding water to any meatball or burger mixture will help to keep it soft and juicy when cooked.


 


Chicken satay salad 

This is the perfect meal to throw together in 10-20 minutes. If you really are in a hurry, you could slice the chicken more finely and the strips will cook in half the time.






Serves 2

For the chicken and marinade


½ tsp ground cumin

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ red chilli, finely sliced

½ tsp sea salt

2 skinless chicken breasts, each sliced lengthways into 3

For the sauce


1 small onion, finely chopped

½ red chilli, finely sliced, plus more to serve

2 tbsp soy sauce

200g coconut milk, stirred to amalgamate

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 

½ tsp sugar

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

For the salad


2 heads of baby gem lettuce, quartered

2 tbsp mixed chopped nuts

handful of coriander leaves

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. In a large bowl, mix the cumin, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the oil, the chilli and the sea salt. Marinate the chicken breasts in this for 5 minutes, then scrape the marinade off into a saucepan.

2 Put the chicken on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, put the saucepan of marinade over a medium heat and add the remaining oil, the onion, chilli, soy sauce and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then stir in the peanut butter and sugar. Taste the sauce and add the lime zest and juice to brighten the flavour, then season to taste with salt.

4 Place the lettuce on one side of each plate and the chicken on the other. Pour the sauce on top of the lettuce and scatter with more chilli slices, the chopped nuts and coriander leaves.

Tricks of the trade

These flavours can be enjoyed hot or cold, so if you have any leftover sauce and chicken, save it in the fridge, add any chopped vegetables you have to hand and create a new version for the next day's lunch.


 


Sea bream puttanesca 

This is the single most surprising dish I've made at home. I can't quite believe that there is such a good recipe for which you need zero cooking ability!

You will wow anyone with it. Ideally, make it in a pan that comes with a lid, but if you don't have one you can always use a large heatproof plate as a cover instead.






Serves 2


2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp

1 garlic clove, halved

2 tbsp capers

10 kalamata olives, pitted

200g cherry tomatoes, halved

400g can of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp sugar

½ tsp sea salt

2 sea bream fillets, or sea bass fillets

leaves from a bunch of parsley

50g rocket

1 Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, capers and olives, stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, sugar and salt and let everything bubble together.

2 Add the fish skin-side down, place a lid on top (or see recipe introduction) and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 6 minutes. Once the fish is cooked, remove the lid and add the parsley.

3 Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the rocket leaves with the 1 teaspoon of oil.

4 Serve the puttanesca with the rocket salad and sourdough bread or toast, if you like.

Tricks of the trade 

If you want to make a vegetarian meal with these flavours, I find replacing the fish with vegetables that you know cook quickly - such as asparagus or pak choi - works brilliantly, because the sauce is so versatile. Either version is also great as a pasta sauce.


 


Tuesday night quick stir-fry 

This recipe is off-the-charts delicious, quick and easy. It can be adjusted to include whatever vegetables you have in your kitchen. Cauliflower or broccoli work instead of carrots, or cabbage instead of kale. The texture from the seeds and the aroma from the sesame oil make such an impact.






Serves 2


150g minute steak

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

1 thumb-size piece of root ginger, finely sliced

pinch of chilli flakes

2 spring onions, white and green parts separated and finely sliced

2 carrots, cut into strips, or into ribbons with a veg peeler

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp black sesame seeds, or white sesame seeds if you can't find black

big handful of kale, coarse ribs removed, leaves shredded

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 Sprinkle your steak with the bicarbonate of soda evenly on each side. Set aside for up to 10 minutes. This will make it super-tender and melty. Rinse the steak briefly to remove the bicarb and slice it finely.

2 Heat the oil in a saucepan or wok, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until the garlic is just starting to brown. Throw in the chilli flakes and spring onion whites, then add the sliced beef and stir.

3 Tip in the carrot ribbons and stir for 1 minute.

4 Add the honey, soy sauce, black sesame seeds and kale. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, just to start cooking the kale down.