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½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp gluten-free plain
flour (ideally Doves Farm)
2 tbsp groundnut or rapeseed oil
For the salad
A very large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
2 ripe tomatoes
½ red onion
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic, then place in a food processor with the chickpeas, sea salt and spices and blitz until you have a rough paste. Tip the mixture into a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for up to an hour or until firm.
Scoop up a tablespoonful of the chickpea mixture and, using the palms of your hands, carefully form it into a small round cake, approximately 2.5cm/1in in diameter. Repeat with the rest of the mixture to form about twelve falafel, then coat lightly and evenly in the flour and return to the fridge until ready to fry.
Next prepare the salad, first trimming the stalks from the parsley. Skin the tomatoes by placing them in a bowl, covering in boiling water and leaving for 1 minute. Drain and carefully peel away the tomato skins (they should slide off with ease), then slice in half, scoop out the seeds and finely dice the flesh. Dice the onion and combine in a bowl with the tomatoes and parsley leaves. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and toss lightly.
Heat the groundnut or rapeseed oil in a heavy-based frying pan and fry the falafel over a medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden all over – you may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your pan. Serve while hot with a handful of the fragrant parsley and tomato salad.
Chicken, Watercress and Quinoa Salad
This salad is light and crisp with a wonderful lemony, garlic zing. I love the combination of peppery watercress, succulent roast chicken and savoury quinoa. It is actually a very simple dish to create, especially if you are using leftover chicken, making it ideal to cook the day after roasting a chicken. You could even strip the meat from the chicken and then boil up the carcass with a few vegetables and a bouquet garni for some fabulous, homemade stock – perfect for using to cook the quinoa.
Serves 4
Contains nuts
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2 cloves of garlic
150g/5oz watercress
Grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ lemon
175g/6oz quinoa
500ml/18fl oz chicken or vegetable stock
200g/7oz frozen peas
50g/1¾oz unsalted cashew nuts
350g/12oz cooked chicken
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel the garlic and blitz in a food processor with the watercress and lemon zest until very finely chopped.
Place the quinoa in a saucepan and pour over the stock, then cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to its lowest temperature and leave to simmer very gently for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, lift the lid and add the peas, then re-cover and cook for a further 5 minutes or until all of the stock has been absorbed by the quinoa. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down.
In a heavy-based frying pan, dry-fry the cashew nuts over a medium–high heat for 3–4 minutes or until golden, shaking the pan regularly to ensure that they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper.
Next cut the chicken into small cubes, approximately 1cm/½in in size. Once the quinoa has cooled, fluff up with a fork and transfer to a large serving bowl. Gently stir in the watercress paste, add the chicken and cashew nuts, pour over the lemon juice and olive oil and season well with salt and pepper to taste. Toss thoroughly until well mixed and then serve.
Chicken with Orange, Fennel and Olives
I love the combination of oranges and olives – they seem made for one another, adding the kind of bright flavour to a dish that conjures up images of their sun-baked, Mediterranean origins. I recommend serving this with steamed white basmati rice, all the better to absorb the wonderful juices that pool around the roasted chicken and fennel. In addition to the rice, you could serve it with a green salad mixed with fresh herbs, although it would work equally well with wilted spinach or kale with perhaps a splash of garlic oil.
Serves 4
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1 large red onion
2 fennel bulbs
2 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of curly-leaf parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
Grated zest of 1 orange and juice of ½ orange
4 skinless chicken breasts
100g/3½oz pitted black olives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
First prepare the vegetables. Halve the onion and slice into thin half-moons, then trim the fennel bulbs and cut widthways into thin rounds. Crush the garlic and finely chop the parsley.
Combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the orange juice in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife and cutting to a depth of 5mm/¼in, score each chicken breast diagonally three times (this will help the meat to cook evenly). Place in the orange marinade, stirring each breast in the mixture to ensure it is thoroughly coated, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
In a large ovenproof dish or roasting tin, combine the onion, garlic, fennel, orange zest and olives with the remaining olive oil. Mix thoroughly, season well with salt and pepper and place in the oven to cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, stir well and then place the chicken breasts on top of the fennel and onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper and return to the oven to bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and, when pierced with a skewer, the juices run clear. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve while hot, on a bed of white basmati rice.
Chicken Rogan Josh
Rogan josh is one of those versatile curries that can be adapted to suit your palate. By that I mean that if you like your curries hot, rogan josh lends itself to the addition of a few extra chillies without losing any of its complexity of flavour. There is something reassuring about a sauce made of tomatoes and onions; it can really hold its own with a whole array of herbs and spices, while the ground almonds, when cooked, add a buttery note to the curry that enhances the whole dish.
Serves 4
Contains nuts
—
6 skinless and boneless
chicken thighs
2 red onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli (or more if you prefer)
2 large tomatoes
3 cardamom pods
2 tbsp groundnut or rapeseed oil
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
A good pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
5 tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp garam masala
A small bunch of coriander
Begin by cutting the chicken thighs widthways into slices about 1cm/½in thick. Halve the onions, slicing them into thin half-moons, crush the garlic and slice the chilli (or chillies) into fine rounds, keeping the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and crush the cardamom pods with the flat side of a knife.
Heat the groundnut or rapeseed oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the onions and sauté gently over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes or until soft but not browned. Stir in the chilli powder, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, ginger, sugar, crushed cardamom pods and salt. Cook the spices for a minute or two or until fragrant, then add the tomato purée, garlic and fresh chilli, and continue to sauté for a further 2–3 minutes.
Add the chicken and mix in thoroughly so that all the pieces are coated in the spice mixture. Pour over the chopped tomatoes, along with 150ml/5fl oz water, and add the tomato quarters. Cover with a lid, then bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
Once the curry is cooked, stir in the ground almonds and garam masala and simmer gently, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Finely chop the coriander, sprinkle over the top of the rogan josh and serve with steamed white basmati rice.
Lemon and Cashew Nut Rice
This mildly spiced rice is ideal for serving alongside any of the curries in this book. Indeed, it provides a fresh and zesty accompaniment to any Indian meal.
Serves 4
Contains nuts
—
50g/1¾oz unsalted
cashew nuts
½ tbsp groundnut or rapeseed oil 175g/6oz white basmati rice
½ tsp turmeric
A bunch of coriander
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a heavy-based frying pan, dry-fry the cashew nuts over a medium–high heat for 3–4 minutes or until golden, shaking the pan regularly to ensure they don’t burn. Remove from the heat, season with salt and set aside to cool.
Pour the groundnut or rapeseed oil into a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the rice and turmeric and gently fry for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Pour over 500ml/18fl oz water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and leave the rice to simmer for 10–15 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
Remove from the heat and leave to stand for a minute or two before fluffing up with a fork. Finely chop the coriander and stir into the rice with the toasted cashews, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve.
Roasted Redcurrant Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary New Potatoes
If I were to be scrupulously honest, I would say that this is really a cheat’s version of a Sunday roast, with all of the flavour but half the work. It really is none the worse for it, however, and can transform a springtime supper or lunch into a time-saving delight for the senses. One of the beauties of this dish is that you cook it all together, not only bypassing the faff of having a numbers of pots and pans on the go, but also allowing the flavours of the dish to mesh in a beautifully fragrant way. Once the chicken is in the oven, you could lightly dress a fresh herb and baby-leaf salad to accompany it while sipping from a glass of something lovely – the perfect way to cook.
