Tag: dinner

April 2025

Menu MistressLeave a comment

My taste buds are particularly ‘alive’ right now as I have just returned from the warmer climes of Malaysia. What an incredible culinary adventure it was. This month’s recipes reflect my sunny mood. April has finally arrived and spring has officially started, so I think it’s only fair to reward ourselves with some fresh flavours!.. These recipes aren’t spicy hot, instead, they rely on the depth of flavour created from a combination of well-balanced spices. They’re dishes which all the family will enjoy – even those with younger taste buds!..

Menu One is ‘Fresh Turmeric and Peppercorn Curry with Prawns and Asparagus’. This is a wonderfully fresh curry with delicious aromatic flavours. The recipe is from Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, ‘Comfort; whilst I must admit that I’ve found the recipes in this book rather ‘hit or miss’, this one is an absolute winner! Menu Two is ‘Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes and Saffron-Honey Jam’, it’s yet another fool-proof recipe from one of my favourite cookery book writers, Diana Henry. It’s actually from one of her early cookbooks published around twenty-two years ago; ‘Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons’, has recently been updated and the new edition is a wonderful reminder of how some recipes have ‘staying power’. This is one of those recipes that should never be forgotten – the sauce is a delicious dream!..

Hopefully these recipes will reawaken your taste buds for the spring. Enjoy!

*Looking for some uplifting tunes for your kitchen?.. why not check out ‘Music to Cook to…Menu Music Fourteen’ – a refreshing mix of Motown and soul tracks!

Menu Mistress will away next week…

I will be back 15th April with a Tuesday Treat!..

Menu One

Fresh Turmeric and Peppercorn Curry with Prawns and Asparagus (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully fresh curry with delicious aromatic flavours. The recipe is from Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, ‘Comfort’; whilst I must admit to finding the recipes in this book rather ‘hit or miss’, this one is an absolute winner! The tangy ‘cucumber and ginger relish’ is a very important element to this dish – don’t be tempted to omit it.

145ml tin coconut cream

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

25g palm sugar, roughly chopped (or light soft brown sugar)

20ml fish sauce

500g asparagus, cut into 3cm lengths, keep the tips separate

500g peeled prawns

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Cucumber and Ginger Relish:

125ml rice (or other white) vinegar

80g caster sugar

½ cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced (200g)

20g ginger, peeled and julienned

1 red chilli, halved , deseeded and thinly sliced

10g coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly torn

1 lime cut into wedges, to serve

Salt

Spice Paste:

3-5g dried chillies, more if you like it hot (I used Kashmiri dried chillies)

½ teaspoon whole white peppercorns, toasted and coarsely ground

2 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

2 shallots (60g), roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

20g coriander stems, roughly chopped

10g fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon coconut cream

  1. First of all make the relish, this can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Put the vinegar and sugar into a small pan along with 60ml water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil, the simmer for a minute, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and, once cool, add the cucumber, ginger, chilli and coriander stems (not the leaves), transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge. Just before serving stir through the coriander leaves.
  2. To make the spice paste, place the dried chillies in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for a few minutes. Put the ground white peppercorns and coriander seeds into a small bowl of a food processor, along with the shallots, garlic, coriander stems, turmeric, coconut cream, soaked chillies and 1 tablespoon of the chilli soaking liquid. Blend to form a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
  3. Put the 145ml coconut cream into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer, add the spice paste and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until thick, clotted and oily – it will appear split. Add the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce  and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir gently, then bring to a simmer. Add the asparagus stalks, cook for 4 minutes, then add the prawns and asparagus tips. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through.
  4. Serve with jasmine rice, the cucumber and ginger relish (with the coriander leaves stirred through) and a wedge of lime.

Menu Two

Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes & Saffron-Honey Jam (Serves 4)

This is yet another fool-proof recipe from one of my favourite cookery book writers, Diana Henry. It’s actually from one of her early cookbooks published around twenty two years ago. ‘Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons’, has recently been updated and the new edition is a wonderful reminder of how some recipes have ‘staying power’. This is one of those recipes that should never be forgotten – the sauce is a delicious dream. It’s very simple, but do make sure you allow time to reduce the sauce so that it becomes really jammy – yum!

1.7kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

800g tomatoes, roughly chopped

275ml chicken stock or water

½ teaspoon saffron threads

3-5 tablespoons runny honey

1 teaspoon orange flower water

25g flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan

Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Season the chicken pieces and quickly brown them all over in the olive oil.
  2. Set the chicken aside and cook the onion in the same pan until soft and just colouring. Add the garlic, cinnamon and ginger and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
  3. Tip in the tomatoes, mix everything together well, reduce the heat and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  4. Boil the stock or water and dissolve the saffron in it. Pour this over the vegetables and bring the whole thing to the boil. Set the chicken pieces on top, together with any juices that have come out of them, and spoon the liquid over them. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the chicken is tender; it should take about 30 minutes, but check after 25.
  5. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside, cover and keep warm. Now bring the juices to the boil and simmer until well reduced to a kind of cream – it shouldn’t be at all sloppy. Add the honey to taste and continue to cook until well-reduced and jam-like. Check the seasoning and add the orange flower water. Return the chicken to the pan and warm through.
  6. Serve scattered with the toasted almond flakes and chopped coriander, with rice, couscous or flatbreads on the side.

Tuesday Treat

Menu MistressLeave a comment

Ice-Cream with Mars Bar Sauce (serves 4)

Yes, I know it’s still March and it’s cold outside, but this ice-cream dessert is served with a hot sauce! In addition it’s the simplest dessert to whip up; a proper ‘cheats’ recipe. It’s been my ‘go-to’ recently as I’ve been away a lot and time in the kitchen has been hit and miss, however, this recipe is one which always delivers even when running around like a ‘headless chicken’!.. As Skye McAlpine, the creator of this recipe, says in her cookbook, ‘A Table Full of Love’… “There is nothing that is sophisticated and absolutely everything that is utterly delicious about this pudding”…

100g Mars bar (about 2), chopped

8 tablespoons double cream

Vanilla ice-cream

Sea salt flakes

3-4 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan (optional)

  1. Put the chopped Mars bar in a small saucepan. Pour in the cream and warm gently over a low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Add a couple of generous pinches of salt to taste.
  2. Scoop the ice-cream into bowls. Pour over the hot chocolate sauce and, if using, sprinkle over the almonds. Serve immediately!

March 2025

Menu MistressLeave a comment

I don’t need to tell you that I adore cookery books. I could happily while away time flicking through my cookbook library, unfortunately there are never enough hours in the day and I always end up feeling rather guilty for having ‘wasted’ time… even if these days I have the excuse of ‘research for Menu Mistress’. Anyway, one advantage for my family is that it’s always easy to choose a present for me! Unsurprisingly I received quite a few new additions to my collection last Christmas, so since the new year, I’ve been enjoying ‘trying and testing’ them.  One of those books is  ‘Agak Agak’ which is a cookbook of everyday recipes from Singapore. It was an inspired gift as this month, for the first time, I’m visiting Singapore and Malaysia. This cookbook by Su Han Lee has been whetting my appetite for the authentic food which I’m looking forward to trying. The cookbook itself has lots of inspiring recipes, I’m gradually making my way through the book but one recipe which I’ve made and particularly liked is ‘Hainanese Pork and New Potato Curry’. So this month I thought I’d share this so that you too can escape with me, at least for an hour or two, to South East Asia!…

This month’s Menu One is the aforementioned recipe, ‘Hainanese Pork and New Potato Curry’. It’s a sweet and mild dish with a depth of moreish fragrant flavours. It’s one of those curries which the whole family will love – they’ll be wanting second helpings so you might want to double the recipe! Menu Two has totally different flavours but is none the worst for it. ‘Peppered Rack of Lamb with Creamed Flagelolet Beans’, is perfect for making the most of the new season’s spring lamb. It’s a recipe which I found in an old cookbook, ‘5th Floor Harvey Nichols’ by Henry Harris. The original recipe was made with a rump of lamb but I prefer a rack, however, feel free to use the cut you like, just adjust the cooking times. The creamed flageolet beans should be noted as a ‘stand-alone-recipe’, as they make a great side for lots of other dishes and are super easy to make!

Menu One

Hainanese Pork and New Potato Curry (Serves 3- 4)

This recipe, from the Singaporean cookbook ‘Agak Agak’, is a sweet and mild dish with a depth of moreish fragrant flavours. It’s one of those curries which the whole family will love – they’ll be wanting second helpings so you might want to double the recipe!

500g pork shoulder, cut into 3cm chunks

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

2 lemongrass stalks, bashed lightly

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

200ml coconut milk

About 250ml water

250g baby new potatoes, unpeeled, left whole, larger ones halved

3 tablespoons light soy sauce or to taste (gluten-free if required)

2 teaspoons light brown sugar or to taste

For the spice paste:

100g shallots, roughly chopped

15g piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Big pinch of sea salt

  1. For the spice paste, pound the shallots, ginger and garlic using a pestle and mortar or whizz in a blender until you get a smooth paste. Then mix in the ground spices and salt. Coat the pork chunks with the spice paste and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
  2. In a wok or shallow casserole, fry the whole spices and the lemongrass in the oil over a medium heat for about 1 minute, to help release their fragrance.
  3. Add the marinated pork, scraping in all the spice paste, then fry for about 10 minutes until the pork browns.
  4. Next stir in the coconut milk and enough water to just cover the pork. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook, partially covered, for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  5. Gently tip in the potatoes and season the curry with soy sauce and sugar. Pop the lid back on and cook for another 20 minutes, or until the pork and potatoes are very tender. Taste and adjust seasoning with more soy sauce or sugar if you like. Serve with rice.

Menu Two

Peppered Rack of Lamb & Creamed Flageolet Beans (Serves 4)

This is a recipe which I found in an old cookbook, ‘5th Floor Harvey Nichols’ by Henry Harris. The original recipe was made with a rump of lamb but I prefer a rack, however feel free to use the cut you like, just adjust the cooking times. The creamed flageolet beans should be noted as a ‘stand-alone-recipe’; they make a great side for lots of other dishes and are super easy to make!

2 x 400g cans flageolet beans, drained and rinsed

250ml whipping cream

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

2 racks of lamb (six cutlets each)

1 tablespoon peppercorns, lightly crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

60g butter

4 tablespoons cognac

250ml strong lamb stock

  1. Combine the beans, cream, garlic and rosemary in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cream thickens, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
  2. Sprinkle the lamb racks with the crushed peppercorns and press in with the palm of your hand, then season lightly with salt (it’s important to do it this way as if you salt first and then pepper afterwards, the pepper is likely to fall off).
  3. Add the olive oil to a frying pan. When it is hot add the racks and fry briskly until they have a golden crust.
  4. Place the racks on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven (200’c fan) for about 25-30 minutes (if you have a meat thermometer it should register 65-70’c). Rest for 5-10 minutes then slice into cutlets.
  5. Meanwhile, pour off the olive oil from the frying pan. Add the butter, cook for a few minutes until it goes a gentle nut brown. Add the cognac and cook for a further minute or so to drive off the alcohol. Add the stock and bring to the boil and reduce, whisking regularly, until a good syrupy sauce is achieved.
  6. Finally, spoon the beans on to warm plates, arrange the cutlets on top and serve with a little of the sauce.

Menu Mistress will be away for a couple of weeks…

I will be back 25th March with a ‘Tuesday Treat’!..

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

Menu MistressLeave a comment

Potato and Smoked Mackerel Dauphinoise (Serves 3-4)

I figured that Februrary calls for a quick supper dish, so drum roll please for this months ‘Blast From the Past’… I first shared this recipe back in December 2020. It’s a great midweek supper dish, as you literally throw everything in a dish and leave it in the oven for an hour! I serve it simply with rocket, drizzled with a quality olive oil. The recipe is from one of Nigel Slater’s older cookbooks, ‘Real Food’. If you’re feeling particularly hungry, from personal experience, I think that for four people you should double the recipe and make two dishes – you can always reheat the leftovers for lunch the next day!

450g waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte

225g smoked mackerel fillets

2 bay leaves

300ml double cream

200ml full fat cream

1 tablespoon grain mustard

(Rocket to serve)

Serve with some rocket drizzled with a quality olive oil.

Wash the potatoes, there is no need to peel them, slice them lengthways (about 3mm thick).

Put them in a shallow baking dish about 30cm in diameter. Break up the mackerel fillets into large bite-sized pieces (remove the skin), and toss them gently with the potatoes. Tuck in the bay leaves.

Mix together the cream, milk, mustard and a little salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes.

Bake in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for about an hour until the cream is bubbling and the potatoes are tender.

April 2024

Menu MistressLeave a comment

Yes, I’m smiling it’s April and finally, it’s officially springtime (plus it’s the month of my birthday!). If like me you’re feeling full of the joys of spring, you’re probably out and about making the most of the brighter weather. Consequently, that means less time at home in your kitchens; so I figured that this month we would need some quick recipes with some bright flavours to match the weather and our mood… I happen to have a couple up my sleeve!

Menu One is ‘Sausage & Charred Citrus Traybake’, I must admit that I would never have thought that the combination of these flavours would work as well as they do – but believe me they absolutely do! The charred citrus juices blend beautifully with the cooking juices to create a tasty, aromatic sweet and sour sauce while the chickpeas stirred in at the end of cooking make it a substantial one-dish bake. Menu Two,’ Bandari Monkfish Tails with Shiraz Salad’, is an Iranian recipe which uses a tasty spice mix to permeate the fish with wonderful aromatics and colour. Served with the Shiraz salad it delivers a flavourful dish! Finally, Menu Three is ‘Spaghetti with Pancetta, Parsley and Parmesan’. The sweetness of this buttery, red onion sauce is cut beautifully by the salty pancetta and a sprinkling of parmesan. Once the onions and pancetta are chopped, it’s an easy sauce to throw together – a week-night pleaser!

I hope that these recipes for April have made you smile and let’s hope the weather can match their bright flavours!..

See you next week for my Tuesday Treat!

(Need some music for you kitchen?.. Lend an ear to my latest playlist, ‘Music to Cook to…MenuMusic Twenty-Seven’… With its upbeat soul tracks it’s made for the brighter weather!)

Menu One

Sausage & Charred Citrus Traybake (Serves 4)


I must admit that I would never have thought that the combination of these flavours would work as well as they do – but believe me they do! We have Ixta Belfrage’s incredibly inventive cookbook, Mexcla, to thank for this recipe. The charred citrus juices blend beautifully with the cooking juices to create a tasty, aromatic sweet and sour sauce while the chickpeas stirred in at the end of cooking make it a substantial one-dish bake. It’s very important to use good quality Italian style sausages for this recipe as their fatty juices will run into the veg and sauce and not dry out.

300g carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks

1 red onion, cut into sixths

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 large mild red chillies, halved lengthways

3 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon chipotle flakes

½ teaspoon Aleppo chilli or pul biber

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon fine salt

8 good quality, fatty sausages, preferably Italian style (gluten-free if required)

90g water

1 lime, halved

1 tangerine, halved

200g tinned chickpeas, drained

For the Cucumber Salsa:

½ cucumber, peeled, halved, seeds removed

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

5g fresh coriander, finally chopped

5g fresh chives, finally chopped

  1. Place the first 12 ingredients (everything from the carrots to the sausages) in a large roasting tin. Mix well, then spread the sausages out. Pour the water into the tin, around the sausages making sure that you don’t get them wet!
  2. Roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 35-40 minutes, turning the vegetables (but not the sausages) a couple of times, until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are golden brown.
  3. While the sausages are in the oven, place a large frying pan on a high heat. Once very hot place the citrus halves, cut side down in the pan and char for 3-4 minutes or until the cut sides are nicely charred.
  4. For the salsa, chop the cucumber into 1cm cubes and mix together with the lime juice, oil, and salt. Then, just before serving stir in the chopped herbs.
  5. Transfer the contents of the roasting tin to a platter and squeeze over the charred citrus then stir in the chickpeas. Top with some of the cucumber salsa, serving the rest on the side.

Menu Two

Bandari Monkfish Tails with Shiraz Salad (Serves 4)

This Iranian recipe from Sabrina Ghayour’s cookbook Persiana uses a tasty spice mix to permeate the fish with wonderful aromatics and colour. Served with the Shiraz salad (recipe below) it delivers a flavourful dish!

4 monkfish tails or loins, about 175-200g each, skinned and cleaned

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 fat cloves, crushed

5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

A handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped plus extra to serve

A handful of fresh dill leaves, finely chopped

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Olive oil

1 teaspoon salt flakes

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1. Mix all the dry spices together in a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, fresh herbs, lime zest and juice, yogurt and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the spice paste to rest.
  2. Place the monkfish tails in a shallow dish. Give the spice mix a good stir and pour over the fish. Use your hands to work the paste into the fish, ensuring all sides get an even coating. Once again cover with clingfilm and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and bring the fish to room temperature.
  3. Preheat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, drizzle with a little olive oil. Gently lay the monkfish in the pan and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until opaque and firm. Transfer to a serving plate and leave to rest for 1-2 minutes then serve, sprinkling with a little extra coriander and the Shiraz salad (recipe below) on the side.

Shiraz Salad (Serves 4-6)

Taking its name from the city of Shiraz in Iran, this is a popular Iranian salad. It’s the perfect accompaniment for spiced meat and fish dishes.

1 cucumber, finely diced

6 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored, deseeded and finely diced

1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly into ‘half moons’

Olive oil

3 good pinches of sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 heaped teaspoons of sumac

200g pomegranate seeds

  1. Place the cucumber, tomato and red onion in a bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and pour over the lemon juice then give everything a good mix. Finally, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and sumac and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, as it’s best served chilled. 

Menu Three

Spaghetti with Pancetta, Parsley and Parmesan (Serves 4)

The sweetness of this buttery, red onion sauce is cut beautifully by the salty pancetta and a sprinkling of parmesan. Once the onions and pancetta are chopped, it’s an easy sauce to throw together – a week-night pleaser!

8 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped (I use my food processor to save time!)

200g pancetta, finely sliced, then cut into 5mm pieces, plus 6 thin slices

400g spaghetti

150g butter

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

120g Parmesan, freshly grated

  1. Gently heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion and cook steadily for 15-20 minutes, then add the chopped pancetta and garlic. Turn the heat down, stir and continue to cook to blend the flavours for a further 10 minutes. Season generously with salt, pepper and dried chilli. The mixture should become quite dark. Add parsley and stir.
  2. Heat a small frying pan, brush with oil and fry the extra slices of pancetta until crisp.
  3. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, keeping back 2-3 tablespoons of cooking water. Mix the spaghetti into the warm parsley mixture and toss together, adding a little pasta water to help the sauce coat the spaghetti. Serve with plenty of grated Parmesan and a slice pancetta on each portion.