Food Stuff!

I love tomatoes - but they have to be REALLY well cooked, I prefer black bits even.

I LOVE avocado and often have them together with my poached egg.

I am cutting dwn on bread and this is an ABSOLUTELY delicious, healthy alternative.

Beat an egg and add to cauliflower rice. Form this patte's and cook in coconut oil until golden brown.

I am working on a healthy corned beef pie!

Watch this space!

Zero waste.

We are just about back to normal - but I couldn't resist one of my all time favourites to use up some left over cheddar and some ggs - yes we have an egg glut!

I grated the cheese, whipped up a couple of eggs, mustard and some worcester sauce - awesomeness on a plate.

The fridge is full so I am refusing to buy any food until we have used up everything. Our lovely organic vegetables last us for 3 night's dinners and by day 4 any left go into a soup.

The roast vegetables get chopped together and I make a vegetable kegeree with spring onions. The yorkshire puds ahem have now all gone.

The mashed potato had the lovely addition of some celariac - again I added spring onions and will make the mixture into fishcakes.

I haven't thought about any New Year's resolutions but zero food waste is one of my aims. Throughout January and February we will be eating traditional warming dinners and I also want to eat more fish.

Mrs Nesbitt's Curry.

I have been experimenting in the kitchen and have come up with my own curry recipe.

Depending on personal taste and level of heat liked 1 teaspoon of the following spices + 1 teaspoon of garam masala. From watching Rick Stein's curry expedition it would appear that different regions have their own versions of garam masala. I have my own version but I can't tell you what's in it.......not because it's a secret - I forget what's in it.... but it's yellow! A while ago I had a spice revamp/clear out and put all the various spices into one big jar! Mrs Nesbitt's own Garam Masala - I can never reproduce this to taste exactly the same - such is everyday life here in my kitchen!

 

 

Getting back to the plot - mix all spices together.
Cut two chicken breasts into pieces and put to one side. (Away from Dog's noses!)

In a pan cook through some chopped onion with  oil of choice. I use Frylight - or water.
Add spices and water to reach a paste stage and add more water.

Add garlic - again according to personal taste and who you are with - I use the prepared frozen cubes - so easy and convenient.
Add diced chicken and cook through - usually 5 - 10 minutes.
Stir in chopped veg of choice - I always have a bag of frozen chopped peppers in the freezer.

Add Passata - until mixture is nice and thick and chicken and vegetables are covered.

 

Crumble in a chicken stock cube.

Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until all veg is hot and mixture is thick. Add more water or passata if needed.

Just before serving stir in a Mullerlight Coconut Yoghurt.

It will look like this and taste amazing!

I made this only a couple of nights ago and Jon said it was the best curry I had ever made, and it's all my own take on a curry.

I served it with  rice.

S is for Smoked Haddock Chowder

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
20 fl oz/ 600ml milk
½ cup/small handful flat leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
12 oz/ 350g, undyed smoked haddock fillet
2 oz/ 55g butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 leek, cleaned, green top removed and white finely sliced
½ carrot, peeled, sliced and cut into tiny dice
2 tbsp plain flour
1 cup/ handful baby spinach leaves, finely shredded
¾ cup/ 150g sweet corn, canned
¾ cup/ 175ml heavy/double cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 Boiled eggs, quartered

Preparation:
Serves 4

Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Remove the leaves from the parsley and add the stalks to the milk. Finely chop the leaves and keep to one side. Add the bay leaf and the haddock to the milk.

Bring the milk to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon remove the haddock from the milk and put to one side. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and res

Heat the butter in another saucepan, add the onions, leeks, carrots and cook gently for about 5 mins or until all the vegetables are soft taking care not to burn them.

Add the flour to the saucepan and stir thoroughly. Cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes.

Add the liquor to the vegetables and thoroughly. Continue stirring until the sauce is a thick, creamy consistency.

Flake the smoked haddock into meaty chunks taking care to remove any bones you may find. Add the haddock, spinach,and sweet corn to the soup.
Simmer gently taking care to not break up the fish too much, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Taste the soup and add eggs, salt and pepper as needed. Serve

R is for....

Red Pepper and Broadbean Quiche

My cookery challenge continues and this week I am sharing a new vegetarian recipe. There is a true link to reality with this quiche as on Saturday we are having friends round for supper and one is a vegetarian so this was the reason for my choice!


Serves 6
Takes 20 minutes to make, 40-45 minutes in the oven, plus chilling, freezing and cooling

Ingredients
• 200g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100g Lurpak Lighter Spread
• 3 medium eggs
• 200ml reduced-fat crème fraîche
• 40g vegetarian Parmesan, finely grated
• Handful fresh chivess, plus extra sprigs to garnish
• 250g freshly podded broad beans ( I will be using frozen ones)
• 280g jar roasted red peppers in oil, drained and roughly chopped



1. Place the flour in a bowl and add the Lurpak spread. Rub in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons cold water and work the mixture into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and use to line a 23cm round x 3cm deep loose-bottomed, fluted tart tin – press into the tin if you find this easier. Prick the base several times with a fork and pop in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans and blind-bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or until the pastry is dry and pale golden.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, crème fraîche and Parmesan. Stir in the thyme, broad beans and red peppers and season with plenty of black pepper. Pour into the pastry case and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is just set and pale golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then put on a serving plate.
5. Garnish with chives, slice and serve with a salad, if you like.


Once again I find I have only managed one blog entry this week, this is because life is busy and we are going to the Isle of Man on June 4th for our annual TT visit so lots to do and I have 2 wedding commissions on too!

No rest for the wicked! lol!

Q is for Quick!

 

The hens are producing outstanding eggs - my favourite way to cook them is to poach - as seen here!
I just drop into a pan of boiling water with salt! Done! 2 - 3 minutes until perfection!

P is for people & Paella!

Paella

When we have friends round I do not like to be stuck in the kitchen at any part of the evening, I like to be amongst my friends having fun!
I tend not to do fiddly food but more of the "Help Yourself" type of dishes.
Paella is a great way to use up any fish, sausage or chicken from the fridge.
Ingrediants are not cast in stone just a great one to cook in advance and eat with bread!

Paella
serves 6
120 ml (8 tbsp) oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, crushed
275 g (10 oz) long-grain rice
salt and freshly ground pepper
pinch turmeric
600 ml (1 pt) chicken stock
1 red pepper, seeded
1 green pepper, seeded
225 g (8 oz) white fish, boned
150 ml (1/4 pt) white wine
1 bay leaf
4 - 8 chicken pieces
100 g (4 oz) peeled prawns
Left over spicy sausage
7 g (1 tbsp) parsley, chopped

1.Heat three quarters of the oil in a large frying pan or casserole.

2. Over a low heat cook the onions until they become translucent. Add the garlic.

3. Gradually add the rice and stir around in the onions and oil until the grains are coated with oil.

4. Add seasoning and turmeric to the hot stock and pour on the rice gradually, stirring as the rice is brought to the boil. Cover with a lid or with foil, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile dice the green and red peppers and blanch for 1 minute in boiling water.
6. Poach the white fish in water with a little of the wine and the bay leaf for about 5 minutes.

7. Fry the chicken in another pan in the remaining oil until golden brown and cooked through.

8. Remove the lid from the rice and separate the grains with a fork. Stirring gently, add the peppers, the white fish, prawns, about 150 ml (1/4 pt) fish stock and then add the chicken and stir in sliced spicy sausage.

Cover and cook until rice is separate and liquid is absorbed.

O is for original!

 

N is for New Poatoes!

New Potato Salad

A few weeks ago my Sister in Law gave me a small bottle of olive oil containing chillis and garlic. It has become one of my favourite ingrediants. To make a very simple dish to accompany left over meat or chicken, or to go with a quiche just cook the new potatoes and stir in herbs or vegetables of your choice.

The one above I added chopped chives but it is equally lovely with chopped spring onions, red onions or dried tomatoes! It is such a refreshing change from the conventional potato saald made with mayonaise.

Supposidly we are approaching the warmer part of the year so instead of the root mashes/roast potatoes to go with a roast I will use this together with other vegetables, all in the same dish - so easy to prepare - I just steam all the vegetables, place in a large serving dish and add the olive oil!

As I write this I must admit I am feeling inspired to experiment with a variety of herbs/spices to add to the olive oil!

Hmmmm next week is O, sorted then O is for Olive Oil! - so come back to see what I am getting up to in the kitchen, all part of my Recipe a week challenge!!

M is for Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

I use a lot of minced beef in my recipes and one new recipe I have tried is this one!
Jon isn't particularly fond of tomatao sauce so I often leave it out and add an onion gravy!





Meatballs


Ingredients
serves 4
675 g (1 1/2 lb) minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
100 g (4 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 - 3 tablespoons dry red wine
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
150 ml (1/4 pint) beef stock ( I use oxo)

Grease a 1 kg/2 lb loaf tin.

1. Mix the mince, onion, parsley, breadcrumbs, egg, red wine and seasoning togetherform into balls.

2. Bake in a moderate oven (180‚°C, 350‚°)for 20 minutes

3. Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until soft.

4. Blend the tomatoes in a liquidiser and add to the onion mixture with the stock, parsley and seasoning to taste.

5. Bring the sauce to the boil, reduce the heat.and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened.

6. Tip the meat balls and arrange on a serving dish, then pour over the hot tomato sauce. Garnish with sliced pickled cucumber, if liked.

L is for Lamb

 

We love lamb and for Easter Saturday we sat down to this beautiful joint!
I rubbed olive oil, garlic and rosemary into the surface and cooked for a couple of hours. Awesome!

We have had leftovers and another meal from this so all in all a good idea of the time!

K is for Kegeree

 

We are currently watching the latest round of Masterchef on BBC1. We haven't watched every episode but catch it from time to time. One thing which always amazes me about the people who take part is the way they cook dishes they have never tried or tastedI I mean this is a COMPETITION so if it was me I would make sure the dishes I cooked were tried and tested beyond belief!

A few weeks ago one of the challenges was to cook kegeree. I decided to give it a go as it is something I have never cooked before. I do my own stir fry but with long grained rice. When I saw some proper risotto rice at a reduced price I had to buy some and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use some up. This then are the ingrediants I used:-

500g risotto( arborio)
Olive oil
1 pt stock
2 chopped onions
Spices to taste (cumin, chilli, etc)
Mixed vegetables
4 soft boiled eggs
Cooked flaked mackeral or fish of choice ( I quite fancy trying with monkfish)


Heat olive oil, add onions and cook till golden brown.
Add rice and stir in half the stock.
Cook until absorbed.
Stir in remainder with cooked veg and stir until rice has absorbed liquid and veg is heated thoroughly.
Add fish and cut egg.
Serve straight away!

J is for Jam and pure Joy!

Scones with jam and cream are sheer joy! Following on with my cookery challenge I tried out and modified another new recipe this week, infact only yesterday, Monday. From the Hairy Bikers recipe book this was the recipe :-

Ingredients

340g SR flour
pinch salt
85g butter
55g castor sugar
125ml milk
4 tbsp natural yoghurt

Heat oven to 200 c Gas 7

Mix salt in flour
Rub in butter
Add sugar, stir
Add milk & yoghurt
Work until soft dough
Roll and cut into scone shapes
Brush tops with milk

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes

I used vanilla yoghurt and the taste was simply out of this world!
Add strawberry jam & cream!
So easy but the taste, sheer sheer JOY!

I is for Interview!

We as a family have been in the news!
Last week I was featured on the Chris Evan's Breakfast show when I took part in the megaphone challenge, which takes place every morning around 8am! It was really funny and I had many people calling me up to say they had heard me.

I regularly take part on a Hospital Radio Show and a couple of week's ago I shared all about ABC Wednesday which you can listen to here. I am on half way through the programme, 33 minutes 45 seconds into the broadcast. I talk about various recipes and ofcourse ABC gets a mention!

Our Godson has his own radio programme on a local radio station, each Tuesday at 1pm. You can listen to it via this link!

Continuing with my cooking challenge this week I am cooking a traditional lancashire hotpot! A new recipe for me.

 

Ingredients

* 100g dripping or butter
* 900g stewing lamb , cut into large chunks
* 2 medium onions , chopped
* 4 carrots , peeled and sliced
* 25g plain flour
* 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
* 500ml lamb or chicken stock
* 2 bay leaves
* 900g potatoes , peeled and sliced


1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Heat some dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish, brown the lamb in batches, lift to a plate.
2. Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden. Sprinkle over the flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over the Worcestershire sauce, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Stir in the meat and bay leaves, then turn off the heat. Arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping. Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
3. Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.

H is for Herby Potatoes.

Life is very hectic at the moment what with my wedding commissions and Jon's business. Both entirely different but enjoyable in their own ways.
I am developing a new product at the moment and received a fantastic response at a recent Wedding Fayre. Responses are all very well, but it is the follow up which is a true test of success, so to receive a deposit for a definite booking was a good measure of future commissions.
With Jon's business it is all about bureaucracy and I am working on policy statements regarding Health & Safety, Quality Assurance etc. Sounds boring but it does bring back memories of the policy statements I was involved with in Education so I am finding it quite enjoyable in a strange way!

Keen to keep up with my cookery challenge, ie to develop or try a new recipe each week today I am sharing my Herby Potato Recipe, a recipe of my very own, inspired by a jar of mustard!

We were with one of Jon's customer's last week and for lunch I had warm potatoes together with a lovely fillet steak kebab. The customer runs a farm shop and had a variety of interesting jars on sale, amongst them I saw a jar of Horseradish Wholegrain Mustard. On our return home I cooked some roughly cut potatoes and stirred in a couple of tablespoons of the mustard together with 2 beaten eggs. I then transferred the mixture to a greased oven dish and cooked for 15 minutes. Absolutely awesome! We have to return to the shop in the not too distant future so I will be developing the recipe when I try out different mustard and other bits and bobs!

G is for Good Old Fashioned British Cooking!

Easy Chicken & Mushroom Pie!

We all go through fads and fazes, hubby announced only last night that he was going off fancy food! I was somewhat surprised as I would not regard myself as a fancy food cook, but heyho in the everyday life of a domestic goddess I guess one has to take delivery of such comments gracefully and move on! before I move on however I will mention that this comment came after he "played" with his Lamb Biryani and said that he didn't really like lamb biryani! My mind cast back to last week when I remember removing an empty plate after he had heartedly tucked into ....yes you've guessed Lamb Biryani! BUT as I say.....quickly moving on.........
so I decided to do a good old fashioned pie, chicken and mushroom to be precise, why? cos we had chicken and mushrooms in the fridge.

This is my recipe, I made it up for ease, and to be part of my cookery challenge!

Short crust pastry

Diced chicken
Mushrooms
Stock cubes
cup of milk
2 Tablespoons of flour
Seasoning

Cook chicken in a splash of oil.
Add stock cubes/stock and cook until chicken well coated.
Add mushrooms and milk.
Dissolve flour in a jug with a splash of cold water, gradually add in stock from pan.
Stir until thickens.
Leave to cool after seasoning

Line pie dish & bake blind for 10 minutes
Pour chicken filling into pie dish
Coat crust with water
Add pastry lid and trim edges.
Coat with beaten egg & cook 20 - 25 minutes in 180 oven.

We will be having this tonight, will let you know how it goes, but the tasting I did throughout was very favourable, let's see what the boss? thinks! lol!

F is for Faffing About!

A few weeks ago in my quest to try out new recipes I did the hairy Bikers recipe of Dolmades which you can see here together with some more wonderful greek recipes. One ingrediant which I could not find anywhere was vine leaves. Determined to locate some I found a wonderful online shop here. Ofcourse I had to have a browse and really liked the sound of this rice it is an authentic biryani rice. Really easy to use, just microwave for 2 minutes. I did try one portion out and it was awesome. I simply chopped up some hard boiled eggs with it and the meal was just so..... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! There was some rice left which I added to some sausage meat and made a batch of scotch eggs.


At the weekend I cooked joint of lamb and we were left with the leftovers. Rather than just have sandwiches I cooked a pack of the biryani rice, added lamb gravy, left over carrots, parsnips & swede, some pansata and allowed it to simmer away slowly! The result was out of this world! A great way to use left overs!

Mrs Nesbitt's Lamb Biryani

I will be using this online store again and would urge people to have a browse. The prices are reasonable and the food is authentic with the necessary amount of spices added, just so easy to knock out an authentic quick dish!

E is for...Experimenting!

This week I have been experimenting with the greek recipes from the Hairy Bikers "Mum Knows Best" programme. Sadly the series has come to an end but it has inspired me and I have the book so I am using it when I have the chance. This was gorgeous. I made the recipe up then froze in portions. The picture above is dinner thawing ready for tonight.

I notice Masterchef is back so I will be watching in earnest for new ideas to try for my Cookery Challenge!

Bastichio

Ingredients

Middle Layer – Meat Sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
500g pork mince
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 well rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 heaped tablespoons dried mint
1 chicken stock cube
A really good handful fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
About 500g tomato passata
A good sprinkling of paprika
Half teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Base Layer – Pasta

350g penne pasta
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
A third teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 rounded tablespoon butter
About 200g Greek halloumi cheese, grated
8 tablespoons of the béchamel sauce
2 egg whites from large eggs, lightly beaten

Top Layer – Béchamel

200g butter, melted and cooled
Half teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 egg yolks from large eggs
2 pints milk
200ml crème fraiche
150g cornflour
About 100g Greek halloumi cheese, grated
Method
You will need a rectangular oven dish measuring approximately 33cm x 29cm and 7cm deep.
Begin by heating the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and then add the mince.
Fry the mince over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it browns, stirring most of the time to break down any lumps and to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Now, drain away most of the fat; no need to sieve it, just gingerly tilt the saucepan over the sink and use the lid or a slotted spoon as a barrier to stop all the mince from falling out.
Now return the pan to the heat, add the olive oil, onions and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add all the other ingredients – the cinnamon, mint, crumbled stock cube, parsley, passata, paprika, sugar and a seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper and give it all a really good stir.
Partially cover with the lid, and leave to simmer on a low heat until about 10 minutes before it’s time to assemble the bastichio, stirring every now and again.
Now bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the stock cube.
Add the penne and cook according to the packet instructions.
For the béchamel: while the meat and the pasta are happily simmering away, in another saucepan place your cooled, melted butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and egg yolks and gently whisk until well combined (a balloon whisk is best for this sauce).
Add all the milk and crème fraiche and whisk again to incorporate.
Set this aside for a few moments so that you can attend to your pasta.
When the pasta is ready, drain most of the liquid away reserving about 2 or 3 tablespoons. Then pour all the pasta with the reserved liquid straight into the base of your oven dish and whilst it’s hot and steaming, add the nutmeg, butter and the halloumi cheese and mix really well.
.Set aside for a couple of minutes to cool down slightly and then stir in your egg whites.
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C.
Now all we need to do is to finish making our béchamel.
Take the pan with the milk and add the cornflour, whisking as each tablespoon goes in.
Now place the saucepan onto a medium heat and start whisk well! That’s the secret; don’t stop whisking the sauce until it’s completely ready. It will look slightly unattractive and lumpy at the start, but don’t panic as it will transform into a beautiful, glossy sauce by the time it’s done.
As the sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat down slightly and stir a bit harder, so that it doesn’t catch the bottom of the pan.
When it starts to bubble gently, remove from the heat and stir about 8 tablespoons of the béchamel into the pasta.
Next, take your slightly cooled meat sauce and slowly spread all over the pasta, to cover it completely.
And finally, spread your lovely béchamel over the meat sauce and sprinkle generously with the grated halloumi cheese.
Place it in the top third of the oven for about 40 minutes until it’s nicely browned. Alternatively, once it has cooled pop it in the fridge until tomorrow when you can bake it fresh! Just remember to take it out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before you’re ready to bake it, and that it will require a longer cooking time: 1 hour or so, again until it’s nicely browned and bubbling and making sure the mince is piping hot.
Leave to stand for about an hour before dishing up (or preferably a bit longer if you can resist) as it allows the juices to settle and absorb, and makes it easier to cut into pieces. It’s definitely worth the wait, I promise!
Serves about 8 hungry people.

Denise on Delia!

Following on from my previous post it has to be said that the result was not successful, to say the least. I added some polenta powder which made the kebabs too crunchy, I also added spices.....but far too many, a definate flop...
SO I decided to follow Delia's ingredients & method to the letter.
The result I must say was bland, very bland and far too moist...so I blitzed 2 slices of bread in the processer and added chilli, more masala and pepper. Result was lovely! I served with some creme freiche which I added lemon juice and pepper to....so the ammended recipe will read as such...

Shami Kebabs Nesbitt style

225g minced lamb
1 chopped onion
225g tinned green lentils, drained weight
1 heaped tablespoon masala
1 teaspoon salt flakes
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns, with a pestle and mortar
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 small egg, beaten
1-2 tablespoons groundnut or other flavourless oil
1 rounded tablespoon seasoned flour
2 blitzed slices of bread to make breadcrumbs

Method
Place the quartered onion in a mini-chopper and chop finely, then add half the lentils and switch on again till the lentils have become a purée – you will need to push them down a couple of times in the chopper as you go. Now combine the puréed lentils with the meat, the rest of the lentils, themasala, chill,i salt and crushed peppercorns.

Use a fork (or your hands) to mix everything well, then add the beaten egg an mix again. Now using your hands, form the mixture into 12 patties. To cook them heat 1 tablespoon or the oil in a large frying-pan and, when it’s hot, dip the patties into seasoned flour and fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side, adding more oil if necessary.Finish off in the oven or just miss the pan bit out and cook in oven.Serve as above, with some mango chutney on the side.
Green salad would be nice or a simple dip!

D is for Delia!

Last night saw the final installment of the latest Delia food programme.
Continuing with my Cookery Challenge this is my latest recipe to add to the everyday menus in the Nesbitt household!

No pictures just yet, the technological revolution is on hold here, all down to batteries!
Watch this space!



Shami Kebabs

225g minced lamb
1 chopped onion
225g tinned green lentils, drained weight
1 heaped teaspoon Seasoned Pioneers cardamom masal
1 teaspoon salt flakes
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns, with a pestle and mortar
1 small egg, beaten
1-2 tablespoons groundnut or other flavourless oil
1 rounded tablespoon seasoned flour

Method
Place the quartered onion in a mini-chopper and chop finely, then add half the lentils and switch on again till the lentils have become a purée – you will need to push them down a couple of times in the chopper as you go. Now combine the puréed lentils with the meat, the rest of the lentils, the cardamom masala, salt and crushed peppercorns.

Use a fork (or your hands) to mix everything well, then add the beaten egg an mix again. Now using your hands, form the mixture into 12 patties. To cook them heat 1 tablespoon or the oil in a large frying-pan and, when it’s hot, dip the patties into seasoned flour and fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side, adding more oil if necessary. Serve as above, with some mango chutney on the side.