Spicy Moroccan Chicken

This is my take on Delicious Magazine's Spicy Moroccan chicken. I substituted the chick peas in the original recipe for dates, for those who don't like chick peas. It gives it a much sweeter taste. Really easy to prepare and you could always adapt to cook in a slow cooker. Enjoy!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red onion, sliced
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp harissa paste
400g diced chicken
300ml chicken stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
100g pitted dates (or 200g tinned chick peas, or a bit of both)
Squeeze of lemon juice
6 tbsp natural yogurt
Small handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1. Gently heat the oil in a casserole over a medium-high heat, add the onion and cumin and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken and fry until browned. Add the harrisa paste and stir well. Add the stock, tomatoes, sugar and dates (or chick peas if using)
2. Season, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes to reduce the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice, yogurt and coriander.

Autumn cottage pie

Serves 4

• 500g minced beef
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 onions (I use 1 red and one normal), peeled and finely diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 handfuls of chopped green beans
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander 
• 1 tsp chilli oil
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 150ml beef stock
• 100 ml white wine
• 2 - 4 tablespoons milk
• 1kg potato, peeled and cut into small even sized pieces
• 50g butter
• 150g mature cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Fry the onions and carrots gently in the oil for 5 mins.
2. Add the minced beef and cook for about 10 to 20 minutes or until the onion and carrot have browned and the minced beef has browned.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree
4. Add a stock cube, and season well with salt and pepper, then add the mixed herbs, chilli oil and coriander, mix well
5. Stir in the flour, and mix well again.
6. Add 100ml wine and green beans and the water and bring to simmering point until the stock has reduced
7. Set aside whilst you make the topping.
8. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until they are soft
9. Drain and then mash them well adding the butter and the milk gradually. Season to taste.
10. Put the meat mixture into a separate baking dish. 
11. Evenly spread the potato mixture over the top of the filling and sprinkle with the grated cheese. 
12. Put into a pre-heated oven, 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for about 25 to 30 minutes until the topping is crusty, golden and bubbling

Carrot & Apricot loaf

• Such an easy cake to bake and getting some of your fruit and veg intake too!
• 
  
• 175g wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 150ml (1/4 pint) sunflower oil
• 175g soft light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 100g apricots
• 250g carrots, peeled and grated

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Prepare a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin, buttered and lined with a strip of baking parchment.
2. To make the carrot cake: Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the baking powder, spice and salt.
3. Then stir in all the remaining ingredients until well mixed. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven until it is firm to the touch (a skewer should come out clean after being inserted into the middle).
5. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. 

Butternut Squash Soup

Now that it's Autumn we are into butternut squash season! This soup is perfect to warm you up now that the days are getting cooler. 

1 onion chopped finely 
30g butter
1 small butternut squash cut into 1 inch pieces
1 litre boiling water
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tsp ground coriander 
Salt & pepper to season

1)gently heat the butter in a large pan then add the onion and cook for 2-3 mins until starting to soften 
2)add the butternut squash and stir in with the onion and gently fry for another 5 mins then cover with the hot water and crumble in the stock cube and coriander and stir well
3)bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and let it bubble for 15-20 mins until the squash has softened 
4)pour the soup into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Return to the pan, warm through and add salt and pepper to taste. 

✔️Top tip:for a different flavour use chicken stock and or add chilli flakes for an added kick

Butternut squash macaroni

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2½ cm/1in chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped 
15 sage leaves, 6 finely chopped
300g macaroni
50g butter
50g plain flour
1 tsp English mustard powder
500ml milk
200g cheddar

1)Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the squash with the olive oil and some seasoning, and roast on a baking sheet for 15-20 mins until tender. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni following pack instructions, then drain.

2)Melt the butter in a pan and lightly fry the onion until soft. Add the chopped sage leaves and cook for a minute more. 

3)Remove from he heat then stir in the flour and mustard powder to make a paste. Gradually whisk in the milk and return to the heat and simmer to thicken to a smooth sauce, stirring constantly.


4)Take the sauce off the heat and mash in a third of the squash with 3/4 of the cheddar. Season, then stir in the drained macaroni with the remaining squash. Tip into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and scatter with the sage leaves and bake for 30 mins a 180C until golden and bubbling.


Strawberry & Prosecco cupcakes

Makes 8 large gorgeous cupcakes. First attempt at piping icing!

• 110g butter softened at room temperature
• 110g 4oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla escence 
• 110g Self raising flour
• 1-2 tbsp milk

For the icing

• 55g softened butter 
• 120g cream cheese
• 250g icing sugar 
• 1 tsp prosecco flavouring 
• a few drops of food colouring 
• 8 small fresh strawberries, stalks removed 

1. Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a muffin tin with 8 paper cases.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.

3. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
5. To make the icing, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. 
6. Add the icing sugar and beat until combined then add the prosecco flavouring and food colouring and mix well. 
7. Put to one side and cutout a small hole in the top of each cake and pop in a strawberry
8. With a piping bag, pipe the cream in a swirl on the top of each cake. Voila! 

Fish curry

This is a delicious light curry and not too spicy  if you like it hotter add an extra chilli and/or more curry powder.

SERVES 4

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 green chilli chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground

2 tbsp mild curry powder

½ tsp tomato purée

1 medium tomato roughly chopped

1 lgreen pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1 tbsp ground coriander 

1 chicken stock cube

1 300ml  coconut milk

300g white fish fillets, cubed, 

300g peeled cooked prawns

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cornflour (optional)

1)Put the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the onions and stir them for 2 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the chilli and fry for another 3 mins then turn the heat down to low.

2)Add the garlic, coriander and ginger and fry for 3 minutes, then add the turmeric, cumin and curry powder. Fry for about 4-5 minutes and stir in the tomato purée as they cook.

3)Put the tomatoes, green pepper into a food processor and blend to a paste. Add this to the hot mixture and cook over a moderate heat, stirring regularly until it becomes a smooth purée.

4)Crumble in the stock cube and leave the mixture to bubble for 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes. If the sauce looks too runny, mix some cornflour with a small amount of water to make a paste then mix into the sauce to thicken  

5) Gently spoon in the fish cubes and prawns and cook for 4-8 minutes (the time depends on how big the pieces are). Do not stir as the fish will break up: simply shake the pan gently to mix the fish into the sauce. 

5)when the fish looks white and cooked through you are ready to serve with some fluffy boiled or pilau rice.