Simple Chicken And Split Pea Curry

This is another one of those batch cooked recipes that is essentially a whole meal in a bowl. Rich, flavoursome, nicely spiced and filling, this is a fairly simple meal that'll keep you going without being too heavy and stodgy.

You will need:
1 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
2 medium onions, chopped *
4 large chicken legs, skin removed **
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
3 chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp curry powder ***
500ml chicken stock
250g yellow split peas
1 pack sweet peppers, roughly chopped ****
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped *****
200g bag of fresh spinach

Method:
1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large saucepan with a lid.
2. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
3. Add the chicken and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes, until the chicken browns and the onions start to caramelise.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Stir in the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly to stop it catching, for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
6. Add the stock, split peas, peppers and sweet potato, stir to combine and cover with the lid. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 60 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes, until the sauce darkens and thickens and the split peas are cooked.
8. Check the seasoning and add salt, if needed.
9. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the spinach then leave to stand, with the lid on, until the spinach wilts.

Notes:
* I say medium onions only because they’re what I have, 1 very large onion or 3 smaller ones would be fine as an alternative.
** I ended up using 8 chicken thighs because they're what I had in the fridge.
*** I actually used curry paste because I happened to have a small pot left over in the freezer.
**** Again this could be swapped out for 2 ordinary peppers, I just happen to have these to hand.
***** This could be left out completely if you're serving this over rice or, alternatively, could be swapped out for normal potatoes or even butternut squash.

Turkey Meatballs In A Savoury Moroccan Tagine Inspired Sauce

You can't really cook casseroles and onepots without coming across the tagine. Tagines are named after they're distinctive earthenware pot they're traditionally cooked in and are generally a heavily spiced, richly flavoured stew like dish. This is my take on a Moroccan meatball tagine, replacing the usual lamb or beef mince with lower calorie, lower fat turkey mince.

You will need:

For the meatballs:
500g turkey mince
1 egg
1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable (rapeseed) oil
3 small onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 200g cartons passata
1 tbsp lemon juice (or half a lemon if you're using fresh)
1 can chickpeas

Method:
1. Add the turkey, egg and remaining meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix until fairly well incorporated.
2. Form the mixture into roughly 2cm diameter balls, place on a tray and set aside in the fridge.
3. Add the oil to a fairly large, heavy based, pan with a lid and warm over a medium heat.
4. Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
5. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
6. Add the passata, lemon juice and chickpeas, bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is rich and deeply flavoured.
7. Remove the meatballs from the fridge, add to the sauce, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Notes:
Serve over couscous or alongside a decent sized chunk of lightly warmed, crusty, buttered bread.

Reworked Turkey And Potato Curry

This is basically a re-working of one of my earlier recipes. At the time I originally wrote this up I’d tried a few things, in an attempt to give the dish more flavour, that I thought didn’t work as well as they could have. With that in mind, and the fact that I’ve not been able to come up with anything new, I decided to change a few things, add a little more bulk in the form of chickpeas, and try again.

You will need:
1 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
500g turkey mince
3 small onions, chopped *
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g turkey mince
5 tbsp madras curry paste **
1 can chopped tomato
300ml chicken stock
500g salad potatoes, half any larger potatoes
1 can chickpeas
200g bag of fresh spinach

Method:
1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, with a lid.
2. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.
3. Add the ginger, garlic and turkey mince, stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
4. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
5. Add the tomatoes, stock, potatoes and chickpeas, stir to combine and cover with the lid. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked though.
6. Check the seasoning and add salt, if needed.
7. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the spinach then leave to stand, with the lid on, until the spinach wilts.

Notes:
* I say small onions only because they’re what I have, 1 large onion would be fine as an alternative.

** 2 round tbsp of curry powder would be fine for this, I just happened to have some curry paste to hand, however, if you’re using curry powder I’d definitely recommend adding a couple of tbsp of tomato puree.

As with the original I’d serve this up in a bowl on its own, but if you want to bulk it out a little serve it over boiled rice or with a naan bread. Want a little extra veg? Throw in 150g of frozen peas, at the end of the cooking time, before taking it off the heat.

Pasta And Turkey Meatballs In A Tomato And Herb Sauce

Growing up in a working class household, spaghetti and meatballs was a regular family meal for us. A tasty, satisfying meal that would easily feed a family of 6, on a very low budget, I have fond memories of sitting around the table with a big bowl full of this and enjoying every mouthful. This recipe is my slightly healthier, batch cooked, and somewhat nostalgic, take on the old school spaghetti and meatballs I grew up with.

You will need:
350g brown fusilli

For the herb mix:
2 tsp dried basil
1 & 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 & 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the meatballs:
1 tbsp vegetable (rapeseed) oil
500g turkey mince
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs (I used panko, but only because I had most of a bag sat in the cupboard)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

For the sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable (rapeseed) oil
2 small onions, 1 finely and the other fairly chunkily chopped
2 medium/large carrots, 1 finely and the other fairly chunkily chopped
2 celery stalks, 1 finely and the other fairly chunkily chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tin chopped tomatoes
200ml chicken stock

Method:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the basil, oregano, thyme salt and pepper until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Pour the oil into a high sided pan and place over a medium heat to warm.
3. Add the turkey, egg, garlic, onion, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce and 2 tsp of the herb mix to a large bowl and mix until fairly well incorporated.
4. Form the mix into 8 evenly sized balls, place the balls into the pan and fry for about 10 minutes, turning regularly to ensure they're browned on all sides Once browned remove from the pan and set aside.
5. If needed, add more oil to the pan and allow to warm over a medium heat.
6. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and colour lightly.
7. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the veg starts to soften.
8. Add the tomato puree, stir through the veg and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the remaining herb mix, stir through, and pour in the tomatoes and stock.
10. Add the browned meatballs into the sauce, bring to the boil, turn the heat to low, put the lid on the pan and allow to gently simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the meatballs are entirely cooked through.
11. After about 20 minutes, cook the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the stated cooking time, drain, add the pasta to the sauce and stir through.
12. If you're going to be eating this straight away, allow to cook, uncovered, for the remaining 2 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. If this is going to be re-heated later, remove from the heat straight away and stand the pan in a bowl of cold water to cool the sauce as quickly as possible.

Notes:
Cooling the sauce quickly, before the pasta has time to cook through, should mean that when it's re-heated the pasta isn't rubbery and over done.
Dish this up into foil containers, sprinkle over a bit of grated cheese and freeze for individually portioned pasta bake ready meals. 45 minutes, from frozen, in a cold oven set to 150 degrees and you're done, that's just about enough time for a quick soak in the bath.

Comforting Beef And Tomato Stew

I’ve posted recipes in the past for both a hearty beef stew and a simple beef goulash, this rich, tomatoey and comforting beef stew is somewhere in between the two. Flavoured with rich paprika and a variety of winter root vegetables, this recipe is warming, filling and healthy.

You will need:
3 tbsp plain flour
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1000g braising steak, cut into good sized chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed oil)
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 medium/large carrots, roughly chopped
1 small swede, roughly chopped
1 large parsnip, roughly chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
750ml beef stock
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 rounded tbsp english mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
1 small butternut squash, roughly chopped
1 tin butter beans, drained

Method:
1. Mix the flour, paprika, salt and pepper together in a large bowl, add the braising steak and toss until thoroughly coated.
2. Add half the oil to a very large saucepan and warm over a high heat.
3. Add the beef to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the beef is nicely browned.
4. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside in the large bowl.
5. Turn the heat down to medium/low, pour the remaining oil into the pan and add the onions. Cook the onions for 3 - 4 minutes, until they start to soften.
6. Add the finely chopped carrot, celery and tomato puree and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Return the beef to the pan, add the remaining carrots, swede, parsnip, tomatoes, stock, vinegar, mustard, worcestershire sauce and oregano and stir thoroughly. Allow the stock to come up to the boil, turn the heat down low, cover with the lid and allow the stock to simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
8. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash to the pan, re-cover and allow to cook, over a low heat, for a further 30 - 40 minutes.
9. Add the butter beans, turn up the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 5 - 10 minutes, to warm through the beans.
10. Check the seasoning of the stew and add more salt and pepper if required.

Notes:
Serve with warm, buttered toast for just about the most comforting meal there is. I had half a punnet of mushrooms sat in the fridge and threw these in to add a little extra bulk and flavour.