I’ve been feeling rather nostalgic lately. The start of the new year has brought memories from the past, plus with my son, Felix, recently flying the nest I’ve been overwhelmed by sentimental feelings; a mix of hope for the future yet also a longing for the past – where did my toddler go?!… Hence my kitchen has been filled with memories. I’ve been cooking up some old dishes (in a very modern way!) to the sounds of my childhood; a seventies soundtrack – a bit of Bowie with a taste of Abba thrown in! What better way to welcome in January than with some old classic dishes…

Menu One is ‘Coq au Riesling’, the classic of the classic dishes; a creamy take on ‘Coq au Vin’. A dish that not only exudes nostalgia but also comfort with its winey, creamy sauce. I favour Nigel Slaters’ recipe from his cookbook ‘Real Food’, the flavours are perfectly balanced and it’s relatively quick and easy to make. It deserves to be served with some smooth mashed potatoes, but it’s pretty good with just a green salad if you’re feeling virtuous! Menu Two is another chicken dish ‘Baked Chicken and Chorizo’. It’s a recipe which my friend introduced me to, it’s her ‘old classic’ family recipe, one which is good enough to be served to both family and friends; it’s been known to turn up on her ‘dinner-party table’. It’s been appearing on our supper table lately so I thought that it was time to share it with you! Menu Three is ‘Spiced Sausage Ragu’, another classic but with a modern spicy punch – a good recipe on a cold, winter’s day. Finally, Menu Four is perhaps the ultimate vegetarian classic, ‘Macaroni Cheese with Cherry Tomatoes’. I remember my mum making macaroni cheese back in the seventies, I wasn’t keen on it in those days as according to my fussy, childish taste buds it was too cheesy – perhaps if my mum had followed this recipe with cherry tomatoes I would have been asking for seconds (although in her defence, cherry tomatoes weren’t a thing you could easily find on the shelves of a seventies grocery shop!). Not only is this a fabulous version of macaroni cheese due to the sweet addition of roasted tomatoes but it’s hassle-free; instead of making a cheese sauce from scratch it calls for mascarpone cheese simply combined with Emmental cheese – so easy!…

So with these recipes shared the only thing I must do is wish you all “A Very Happy New Year”!!…

(If, like me, you’re feeling nostalgic, you’ll love my new playlist!… Click here to listen to ‘Music to Cook to…Menu Music Twenty Two’)

Menu One

Coq au Riesling (Serves 4)

This is the classic of classic dishes; a creamy take on ‘Coq au Vin’. A dish that not only exudes nostalgia but also comfort with its winey, creamy sauce. This particular recipe is from Nigel Slater’s cookbook ‘Real Food’, I’ve slightly adapted it to serve four. The flavours are perfectly balanced and it’s relatively quick and easy to make. It deserves to be served with some smooth mashed potatoes, but it’s pretty good with just a crisp green salad if you’re feeling virtuous!

50g butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

150g pancetta or streaky bacon, diced

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

8 chicken thighs

250g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered

500ml medium-dry wine, such as Reisling

250ml double cream

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a casserole and add the olive oil. Fry the diced pancetta (or streaky bacon), when it’s browned add the onions and garlic. Leave to cook over a moderate heat until the onions have softened but not coloured, then scoop everything out of the pan with a slotted spoon and keep to one side.
2. Add the chicken thighs to the casserole, let them brown well on all sides, add more oil if needed. Remove from the pan and keep to one side.
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes, then return the pancetta, onions, garlic and chicken thighs. Turn up the heat, pour in the wine and bring quickly to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook gently for 25 minutes, turning the chicken from time to time.
4. Lift out the chicken from the pan and pour in the cream. Continue to cook until the cream starts to thicken slightly. Season with salt and black pepper and stir in the parsley.
5. Return the chicken to the pan and reheat before serving.

Menu Two

Chorizo and Chilli Chicken (Serves 4)

This is a recipe which my friend introduced me to, it’s her ‘old classic’ family recipe, one which is good enough to be served to both family and friends; it’s been known to turn up on her ‘dinner-party table’…

8 chicken thighs

1 tablespoon olive oil

225g chorizo, sliced (about thickness of a pound coin)

400g tinned tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 red onions, cut into wedges

2 red peppers, roughly diced

2 handfuls whole black olives

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken, skin-side down until browned, then turn over and quickly brown the underside. Remove from the pan and place in a roasting tin.
2. Add the chorizo slices to the frying pan, fry for about 5 minutes before adding the tinned tomatoes along with the tomato paste, chilli flakes, Worcestershire sauce and onion wedges. Season with salt and pepper, stir and bring to the boil.
3. Pour over the chicken and gently mix, making sure that the chicken thighs are left skin-side up. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and gently stir through the diced red peppers and black olives, then return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
5. Finally, stir through the parsley before serving.

Menu Three

Spiced Sausage Ragu with Rigatoni (Serves 4)

You can never have enough sausage ragu recipes, this variation has a subtle spicy kick. It’s great on a cold winters evening!

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (or more to taste)

2 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

6 pork sausages (gluten free if required)

150ml whole milk

1 lemon, zested

350g rigatoni pasta (gluten free if required)

½ bunch parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Grated parmesan to serve

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli and rosemary, then cook for a further minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile remove the casings from the sausages and mash up the meat. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes until browned.
3. Add the sausage to the sauce together with the lemon zest and milk, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
5. Toss the drained pasta through the sauce. Scatter over the parsley and serve sprinkled with parmesan.

Menu Four

Macaroni Cheese with Cherry Tomatoes (Serves 4)

I remember my mum making macaroni cheese back in the seventies, I wasn’t keen on it in those days as according to my fussy, childish taste buds it was too cheesy – perhaps if my mum had followed this recipe with cherry tomatoes I would have been asking for seconds (although in her defence, cherry tomatoes weren’t a thing you could easily find on the shelves of a seventies grocery shop!). Not only is this a fabulous version of macaroni cheese due to the sweet addition of roasted tomatoes but it’s hassle-free; instead of making a cheese sauce from scratch it calls for mascarpone cheese simply combined with Emmental cheese – so easy!…

250g cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

350g macaroni (gluten free if required)

250g mascarpone cheese

300g Emmental cheese, coarsely grated

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Place the cherry tomatoes in a 2 litre ovenproof dish. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 15 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and the skins have slightly split.
2. Meanwhile cook the macaroni until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
3. In a bowl, combine the mascarpone, emmental and mustard, stirring until evenly blended.
4. Drain the pasta and stir in the cheese mixture, then gently fold in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Tip the mixture into the ovenproof dish used for the tomatoes. Bake in the preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Cranberry Kringle Cocktail (Serves 1)

Whilst searching the internet for the perfect Christmas cocktail (on your behalf, of course!) I came across this ‘Cranberry Kringle Cocktail’. Yes, I know, it’s a terrible name, but believe me it goes down a treat, you might want to make a jug if you’ve got a crowd around!…

90ml cranberry juice

30ml Peach schnapps

30ml vodka

A handful of ice

1. Simply put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake for 15 seconds until cold. Strain into a chilled glass.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!

Menu Mistress will be taking a break next week but will be back

Wednesday 4th January.

Spiced Venison Stew (Serve 6)

I just had to share this recipe again! I first shared it in January of this year, so relatively recently, but it’s so good that now we’re in the ‘season of stews’ I felt it deserved another mention – don’t overlook this recipe! It’s the perfect choice when entertaining for a crowd over the Christmas season. The recipe uses the idea of mulled wine and its spices to create a wonderfully warming stew which has a subtle spicy ‘kick’. It’s from Rosie Birkett’s cookbook, ‘The Joyful Cook’, which I thoroughly recommend! You could substitute the venison for beef shin, however venison’s rich flavour works particularly well with the robust spices in this stew. The amount of chilli paste depends on the make of paste you use and your taste buds, it is a matter of trial and error. I use ‘Gran Luchito’ chipotle chilli paste which can be found in supermarkets or online, I start with about ½ tablespoon and add more towards the end of cooking depending on my mood.

1kg venison shoulder cut into 2-3cm chunks (or you could use beef shin)

4 tablespoons plain flour (gluten-free if required)

1½ tablespoons olive oil

100g smoked pancetta lardons

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, strings removed and sticks finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra to garnish

1 cinnamon stick

Pinch cumin seeds

1 star anise

½ -1 tablespoon chilli paste (see note above)

1 tablespoon tomato purée

400ml spicy red wine (Malbec or similar)

½ orange, juiced and zest grated

250ml beef stock

Sea salt and black pepper

For the pink pickled onions:

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 black peppercorns

1 clove

1 teaspoon caster sugar

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

1. Dry the chunks of venison well with kitchen roll, then season the flour with salt and pepper and roll the meat in it.
2. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish over a medium-high heat, add the pancetta and fry for 4-5minutes, until they are lightly coloured and starting to caramelise. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside. Now, working in batches brown the venison in the fat for a few minutes on each side. Add the brown meat to the pancetta.
3. Add the vegetables, bay leaf, herbs, spices and chilli paste to the casserole dish. Stir well and cook over a low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, adding a little extra oil if needed. Now stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute then pour over the red wine and orange juice and add the zest, turn up the heat, stirring well to release any bits stuck to the bottom.
4. Return the venison and pancetta to the casserole. Add the beef stock and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and place in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 1½-2 hours, until the venison is meltingly tender and the sauce thick and rich. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly, adding more chilli paste if you like.
5. Meanwhile make the pink pickled onions. Place the onion slices in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 1 minute. Drain off the water, then add the spices, sugar, salt and cider vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine. When you are ready to serve, drain on some kitchen paper to get rid of the brine.
6. Serve the venison topped with the pink pickled onions and some chopped parsley. This is great with my ‘Favourite Mashed Potato’ (recipe here).

Florentine Meringue Cake (Serves 6-8)

This is a real show-stopping dessert and one which is perfect for the Christmas season. It’s my interpretation of a recipe I found in Skye McAlpine’s cookbook ‘A Table for Friends’ which layers meringue with a marron glacé-cream filling. I found that this version was overly sweet, plus it seemed a rather extravagant use of the expensive candied ‘marrons’; McAlpine does suggest similar additions such as candied peel, so I started playing around with different cream-filling combinations. I can proudly say I’ve come up with the ultimate meringue cake one which, as its name suggests, is inspired by a favourite of mine, florentines! Despite being incredibly easy to make it looks incredibly impressive on the dinner table; topped with redcurrants frosted with sugar it makes the perfect winter dessert – a fantastic centrepiece for a Christmas celebration!…

300g caster sugar

6 egg whites

2 teaspoons cornflour

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons icing sugar

700ml double cream

200g plain dark chocolate, roughly chopped

40g candied peel, chopped

20-30g soft caramel sweets (I use Werther’s Soft Caramels), roughly chopped

30g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

To decorate:

Redcurrant sprigs

3 tablespoons caster sugar

*You will need three baking trays and grease-proof paper.

1. On three separate pieces of grease-proof paper draw a circle roughly 23cm in diameter (you could trace around a cake tin). Place each piece of paper on separate baking trays and set aside.
2. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar. Once the egg whites are stiff and glossy gently fold in the cornflour and vinegar. Divide the meringue evenly between the baking trays, using the circles as a guide.
3. Bake in a preheated oven, 130’c fan, for 1 hour, then switch off the oven and leave the meringues there to harden for another hour.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the frosted redcurrants (if using to decorate). Simply dip the redcurrant sprigs in water, then gently roll in the caster sugar and set aside to dry out.
5. When you are ready to serve the meringue cake, sift the icing sugar into the cream and whip until firm but still silky.
6. Set one of the meringue discs on a serving plate and top with one-third of the cream and sprinkle over a third of the chopped plain chocolate, candied peel, caramel and pistachios. Top with the second meringue disc and repeat. Finally, top with the third meringue, followed by the remaining cream, chocolate, candied peel, caramel and pistachios.
7. Finally, if using, decorate the top of the cake with the frosted sprigs of redcurrants.
8. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve, it will keep for up to 12 hours.

Christmas is on the horizon and that means a ‘festive cooking list’. Recently my son, Felix, having returned home from university has moved into a nearby flat, so this Christmas he has suggested that he could invite us over for dinner during the Christmas holidays – I’m sure the novelty will soon wear off! Naturally, he has asked me for some recipe ideas, so I’ve been thinking of dishes which are ideal for casual entertaining and which won’t cause a lot of stress for the cook. I am well aware that for many of us the season of ‘treats’ means spending a lot of time in our kitchens but let’s face it, it shouldn’t be ‘all work, no play’. Remember, entertaining can be casual, the main thing is that we’re enjoying time together! The key is balance – finding a couple of recipes that can be prepared in advance and that will happily sit in a warm oven whilst you enjoy one or two aperitifs with your close ones. You’ll be pleased to hear that this month I’m sharing some recipes that fit that criteria – nothing too fancy, just good, honest dishes which everyone will enjoy!… (Of course, all of these recipes work just as well for a family supper at any time of the year!).

Menu One is ‘Beef, Tomato and Fennel Pie with Mustard and Gruyere Mash’. This delicious dish was made for sharing, it can be prepared in advance and just heated up when your guests arrive. It’s also a great dish to bring to a party – I’m bearing this recipe in mind in case my invite to Felix’s ends up as a ‘Mum can you bring over the diner’!… Menu Two is ‘Orecchiette, Pork, Milk & Fennel’, this is perfect for feeding friends, a real crowd-pleaser. Yes, it’s just a pasta dish, but wow what flavours it has, it’s definitely a dish which will impress your guests. It’s easy to prepare the sauce well ahead of any guests’ arrival, leaving you to simply make the pasta and perhaps a big green salad when they arrive. Menu Three is ‘Pot Roast Pollack, Chickpeas and Chorizo’, a wonderful, slightly smoky flavoured dish from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Proper Pub Food’. It’s excellent for entertaining as you can prepare the chickpea and chorizo stew beforehand and then when your guests are ready to eat just reheat it with the fish on top for about 15 minutes – easy peasy!… Finally, a vegetarian stew, ‘Black-eyed Beans and Chickpea Stew’ – yes, chickpeas again but this time they are delicately spiced and served with a good sprinkling of fresh coriander and rice on the side. If needed, you can make this well in advance and reheat it before serving.

There, sorted!… Merry Christmas!!… For my Christmas Dinner menu click here!

Menu One

Beef, Tomato and Fennel Pie with Mustard and Gruyere Mash (Serves 4 – 6)

This dish is reminiscent of ‘Shepherds Pie’ but only better. It does require quite a lot of chopping and slow cooking, but once it’s on the stove you can leave it to itself. Believe me, it really is a special dish, perfect on a chilly night – pure comfort!…

1kg beef (chuck), cubed

10g dried porcini mushrooms

Olive oil

2 onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 fennel bulb, chopped

4 bay leaves

Bunch of thyme, leaves picked and chopped

Bunch of sage, leaves picked and chopped

300g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons tomato purée

400g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

175ml marsala wine

175ml red wine

750ml beef stock

1kg potatoes

100g butter

25ml full fat milk

2 tablespoons mustard

200g gruyere cheese, grated

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First of all put the porcini in a small boil, cover with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and chop. Put to one side.
2. Meanwhile heat some oil in large pan, add the beef in batches, sear and brown. Once browned remove from the pan and put to one side.
3. Add the onion, garlic, fennel seeds, chopped fennel, bay leaves, sage and thyme to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes until they are starting to caramelise. Add the mushrooms and cook for another few minutes before returning the beef to the pan. Add the tomato purée and the cherry tomatoes, mix and then add the porcini, red currant jelly, marsala wine, red wine and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 2.5 hours until the meat has broken down. Now remove the lid and boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.
4. Meanwhile make the mash – peel the potatoes and chop into quarters, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 20 minutes until cooked through. Mash until smooth, adding the butter, milk, mustard and cheese and season generously.
5. Spoon the beef mixture into a large pie dish, probably you will not need all of the gravy, but keep it to one side (it’s delicious!). Top the pie with the mash, spreading it out to cover the meat filling – it can look a bit messy, but no worries it cooks up beautifully!
6.  Cook in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for about 25 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool a little before serving, reheating any reserved gravy to pass around.

Menu Two

Orecchiette, Pork, Milk & Fennel (Serves 6)

This is a wonderful slow cooked recipe in which the pork becomes beautifully tender and flavoured with the stock and milk. You could, of course, serve it with any pasta shape but the orecchiette work particularly well as the ‘little ears’ of pasta pick up the braised pork and capers perfectly. Serve with plenty of parmesan and, if you wish, an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes. This recipe is courtesy of Florence Knight, the wonderful chef from London’s ‘Sessions Arts Club’ (review here!).

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

½-1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2 rosemary sprigs, picked and roughly chopped

500g pork mince

125ml dry white wine

200ml chicken stock

120ml whole milk

40g baby capers, rinsed

Zest of ½ lemon

340g dried orecchiette (or gluten-free pasta if required)

80g Parmesan cheese (to serve)

1. First of all in a dry, small frying pan toast the fennel seeds over a high heat for a minute or so until aromatic. Remove and grind in a mortar and pestle. Set to one side
2. Place a large heavy-bottomed pan over a low heat and add the olive oil. Once warm, add the shallots and salt and cover with a lid for 10-15 minutes until soft but without colour.
3. Stir through the garlic, chilli, rosemary and ground fennel seeds. Cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Turn up the heat and crumble in the pork mince. Stir to separate the mince, cook for a few minutes then pour over the wine. Once bubbling add the stock and half of the milk. Reduce the heat to a gently simmer and cook over a low heat for 30-40 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the meat is tender.
5. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the remaining milk, capers and lemon zest.
6. Meanwhile cook the orecchiette until al dente, according to their packet instructions. Stir through the warm sauce, adding a ladle or two of cooking water to encourage the starch to bind it all together. Grate one third of the parmesan into the pasta, stirring to combine.
7. Serve hot with plenty of extra grated Parmesean cheese.

Menu Three

Pot-Roasted Pollack, Chickpeas & Chorizo (Serves 4-6)

This is a wonderful, slightly smoky flavoured dish from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Proper Pub Food’. It’s excellent for entertaining as you can prepare the chickpea and chorizo stew beforehand and then when your guests are ready to eat just reheat it with the fish on top for about 15 minutes! Instead of pollack you could make it with another firm white fish, such as haddock or cod. (The original recipe uses dried chickpeas, but for an easy alternative I use tinned).

4 tablespoons sea salt flakes

A pinch of saffron

1 fillet of pollock, about 500g skinned and pin-boned (or another white fish such as haddock)

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 fresh red chillies, chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

4 cooking chorizos, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 dried bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

150g tinned chickpeas, drained

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

200ml chicken stock

200g spinach leaves

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Mix together the sea salt flakes and saffron. Place a piece of clingfilm large enough to wrap around the pollack on the work surface, sprinkle with half the salt mix and place the pollack on top, then sprinkle the remaining salt mix over the fish and wrap in the clingfilm tightly. Leave in the fridge for 1½ hours.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the garlic, red chillies and onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until the onion has softened.
3. Add the chorizo to the pot and continue frying for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cumin and paprika and fry, stirring, for a further 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas to the pot, then the tinned tomatoes and the stock. Bring to the boil and put in a preheated oven, 170’c fan, for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven. The sauce should have reduced a little and thickened. Taste and add salt if necessary.
6. Rinse the pollack thoroughly under cold running water. Pat dry and place on top of the chickpeas. Place the pot back in the oven for a further 10-15 minute, until the fish is cooked through and the flesh flakes easily.
7. Remove the pot from the oven. Gently take the fish from the pot and place on a large serving plate. Stir the spinach into the hot chickpeas until it just wilts. Spoon this mix over and around the fish and serve immediately.

Menu Four

Black Eyed Beans and Chickpea Stew (Serves 4-6)

This is a delicately spiced vegetarian stew, serve it with a good sprinkling of fresh coriander and rice on the side. The recipe is from Darina Allen’s cookbook ‘A Year at Ballymaloe Cookery School’.

225g fresh chestnut mushrooms

6 tablespoons groundnut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

140g onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Pinch of sugar

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

225g tinned black eyed beans, drained

225g tinned chick peas, drained

3 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1-2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped

1. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot put in the whole cumin seeds and cinnamon stick. Let them sizzle for 5-6 seconds then add the onion and garlic. Stir fry until the onions are just beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms, stir fry until they begin to wilt. Now add the tomatoes, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, sugar and cayenne. Stir and cook for a minute. Cover the pan and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add the drained black-eyed beans and chickpeas, 150ml of water, 2 tablespoons of the chopped coriander and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring the stew to the boil again, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
3. Serve with a generous sprinkling of the remaining chopped coriander and the mint, with rice on the side and a good green salad.