Gluten Free Lamb Koftas (Kebabs)

Watched some telli program on Sunday where they made these sorta lamb kofta things, didn’t remember the recipe exactly so made mine up as I went along. They turned out yummy and perfect for the bbq if the sun ever comes back again. We have a bbq evening planned this Friday at my parents in law, so I think these will be my contribution, a winning recipe! Though the weather doesn’t look amazing this Friday, so perhaps these will be going under the grill.

This recipe made 4 massive kebabs, which were too big really, so I think six or even eight mini ones would be better from this quantity of mince. You will need some wooden or metal skewers for these kebabs, if you use wooden ones check for splinters and soak in water for an hour first.

organic lamb mince 400gms
red onion 1, chopped finely
large free range egg 1
gluten free breadcrumbs (made mine from one gluten free muffin) a handful
fresh mint 20 leaves, chopped
red or green chilli half, chopped finely
ground cinnamon 1 level tsp
coriander seeds 1tsp
cumin seeds 1tsp
fennel seeds 1tsp
dried apricots 8, chopped smallish
dried oregano 1tsp
salt and pepper

For basting while cooking:
butter 25gms, melted
lemon 1, juiced


Mix together the melted butter and lemon juice and put to once side, this is for basting later. Now grind your whole spices (or use ready ground). Then, easy peasy, stick all the remaining ingredients except the breadcrumbs in a bowl and mush up with your hands till well mixed. Include a plenty of salt, about half to three quarters of a teaspoon, and a big grind of black pepper. The egg will have made this mixture a bit wet and sticky, so now add breadcrumbs till the mixture holds together well, I needed almost a whole gluten free muffins worth of crumbs as my egg was large.

Divide your mix up into six or eight balls and squish into sausage shapes, then spike onto the skewers. Give them an extra squish once on your sticks to make sure they are even and won’t fall off. This is harder with metal ones but you will get there in the end! If it’s really not working try adding some more breadcrumbs for a firmer mix. Oh and if you are worried about your seasoning then fry a bit of mix in a pan to taste it first, but I’m sure with all those flavours they will be lovely.

Depending on your kofta size and type of stick cooking times will vary. I cooked mine under a very hot preheated grill till crispy on the outside, turning once, and they were done through to the middle after 4 minutes each side, but they were massive ones! While they cook brush the lemon butter mix on the tops to keep them juicy and add flavour. Aim for lots of colour on the outside for a bbq flavour.

Serve these in gluten free pitta bread with the following extras, prep your salads first and do your pitas just before the kebabs are done so they are warm):

Tatziki (cucumber, yogurt, garlic, fresh mint, salt and pepper)
Chilli sauce (I bought a nice one at tesco, don’t get the sweet chilli Chinese one, look for a simple red chilli sauce)
Cucumber salad (chopped cucumber, tomato, red onion, olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and dried oregano)
Finely sliced lettuce or cabbage (like kebab shop salad!)

Wet your pitta slightly under the tap then warm under the grill or on the bbq till they puff up, just about 30 seconds each side.

Stuff each pitta with the salads, drizzle on some tatziki, add your kofta off the stick, and then add more tatziki and some chilli sauce if you like things hot. Mmmmmmm so yummy and very filling! If you make mini koftas you can cut your pitas in half to make mini pockets.

I have read a few recipes for koftas that add feta to the recipe that sounds kinda nice, I would cut out the added salt though as feta is salty enough. I think if you had any left over you could warm these up, cut into pieces, in a simple curry sauce and have it with rice.

I also need to let you know that I used my carrot cake recipe again this weekend, but instead of putting the mix in a muffin tin I just bunged it in a small square cake tin, about 18cms each side, but quite deep (it’s for brownies really). Turned out nice, needed 5 extra minutes in the oven, and I sliced into little squares after I iced the lot so it looks like those little squares you get at a bakers. Nice and traditional looking, I just need some teeny marzipan carrots to top each square now for the full effect. Carrot cake is my mother in laws favourite, so maybe I will make another batch for Friday also. Made twelve small squares, which will be perfect for six of us I think. I have four squares in the fridge at work waiting for me, such a shame the other girls here are on a diet, oh well, more cake for me and the expanding bump! (Did I tell you I’m making a baby?!)

What I Can and Can't Eat

I'm blogging this list for people who are cooking a yummy dinner for me and the husband, and have kindly asked what I can eat. The hubby can just refer the lovely people to this post, easy peasy.

On basic terms I cannot eat wheat or gluten. Some items will claim to be wheat free, but not gluten free, or visa versa. I cannot eat these as I cannot eat both wheat and gluten.

What I can't eat: The obvious stuff

Wheat flour
Spelt flour
Bread
Cake
Biscuits
Pastry
Breadcrumbs
Wheat pasta
Pastries
Barley extract and flour
Bulgar wheat (and tabulah)
Couscous
Durham wheat
Rye flour and wheat
Oats
Semolina
Bran
Rusk (in sausages)

Wheat noodles

What I can't eat: The not so obvious stuff

Normal soy sauce (and some other sauces, like teriyaki)
Most sausages
Gravy thickening
Most packet cereal, as they put barley on it (thanks kellogs)
Pre-made or packet sauces
Hams with breaded outside
Salamis and meats with breadcrumbs/rusk in
Some crisps and nachos
Some marinades
Some salad dressings
Some fishcakes
Some sauces, like american mustard
Ice cream with brownies in and things
Chocolates with wheaty bits in or fillings
Some caramel, toffee and fudge sauces

What I can eat

Well anything that's not on the lists above, so meat, fish, veg, fruit, dairy and....
Rice flour
Potato flour
Gluten free flour (dove farm is good - but behaves different to normal flour)
Gram flour (chick pea flour) (this means I can eat popadoms and onion bhajis if not contaminated)
Rice
Potatoes
Polenta
Gluten free soy sauce
Corn products (corn tortillas, nachos, tacos)
Corn flour (this is what I use as an alternative gravy and sauce thickener, or dove farm flour)
Buckwheat
Quinoa

Rice noodles

Also worth noting is I can't drink beer/larger, so drink cider instead, or wine.

Some people struggle with dessert for me, but I can eat meringues, ice cream, sorbet, panacotta, creme brulee, fruit, cream and chocolate, so there are things I can eat! One of my friends makes a lovely gluten free apple crumble :)

What happens if I eat something on the bad list? Well a couple of days later my stomach will be very poorly, and will remain that way for a few days. I also get a sort of wheat hangover, puffy face, headache and aches. On the inside my body is making antibodies to 'kill' the gluten, but these antibodies are eating my stomach villi too. Even a little bit causes my body to make these antibodies, so its very important to not contaminate the food by mixing spoons and things too. It takes about 2 months to fix itself again fully. So yes, even a little but can hurt. Good news is it takes a while to kick in, so I won't vomit over the dinner table if I sniff a breadstick.

Gluten Free Garden Pea and Prawn Risotto

Some people will tell you risotto is hard to make, and you have to add the water really slowly and stir it exactly every 2.3 minutes with a wooden spoon that has been blessed by a celebrity chef. This is not the case, its dead easy and just like a pasta dish you can bung all sorts of stuff in. The basic risotto is a white rice dish, then you add your flavours, and always finish by stirring in a load of parmesan.

So here is my recipe for pea and prawn risotto. It's like a children's dish in its colours and textures, but its a perfect comfort food for me. A lovely blob of white with bright pink and green accents. If you like prawns in a sauce, like fish pie or 60's prawn mornay, then this will be just your cup of tea. Makes plenty for 2, enough for 3 if you get an extra visitor.

small onion 1, finely chopped
white wine 1 small glass
garden peas, fresh or frozen, 2tbsp-ish (depends how much you like them!)
prawns, the normal sized ones, a small packet/box
arborio risotto rice 1 small cup
1 chicken or vegetable gluten free stock cube, made up as per the instructions
freshly grated parmesan cheese 1 big cup
garlic 1/2 clove grated
olive oil
butter
salt and pepper

In a heavy pan or le-cruset thingy slowly soften your onions in a bit of oilve oil and a nice blob of butter. Slooooooooly, so it just goes mushy and see through golden, not brown. Now add the garlic and cook for a moment before adding the rice. Cook the rice in the onion butter mix till it goes kinda seethrough on the outside, about two mins. Chuck in the glass of wine, and cook off till its all soaked in. Now for the stock, add about a third of the jug (a cube makes 500ml I think?), reduce to a simmer and cook slowly, stiring every 10 mins or so with your celebrity blessed wooden spoon. When it starts to stick and its gone in the rice, bung another third in, and then do the same stiring with that amazing spoon. All gone in the rice? Brill, bung in the rest of the stock. The starch from the rice will make a creamy sauce around the rice, perfect!

1 cup of rice takes about 500ml of stock, check the packet for exact quntities of you like. I just use the 500ml, and when thats all gone I taste the rice, if its too crunchy I just add boiling water in dribs and drabs, then cook and stir till the rice seems right. Its a good idea to have a risotto at a good restaurant so you know how the rice should feel in your mouth, it should be soft on the outside, but still have bite in the centre.

When your risotto is nearly done, add the peas, this will be after most of the 500ml of stock but when it still has about 4 mins cooking time to go. When the peas are done, bung in the prawns, a big blob of grated parmesan, a nice bob of butter and some fresh black pepper. Stir around for one min, then switch off and put the lid on, leave for a couple more mins, it will be all gloopy and the prawns will heat through.

Serve right away, sprinkled with some extra parmesan, and some chilli flakes if you like (we do!). Very nice with some pea shoots ontop if you can get them, or rocket salad on the side. Sometimes I make this with chopped sugar snaps instead. Wanna know what it should look like? Kinda like this.

Gluten Free Chicken and Bacon Taco Trays

As the strap line for the new Discovery Taco Trays says, I love tacos but hate the mess. These new little taco tracks rock my world, and we have been filling them will all sorts of yummyness. You can get the trays on their own, or with some chilli spice mix and salsa. The spice mix is excellent, much nicer than anything by old el paso. I'm not into the salsa, the husband is though.

The husband is only just starting to warm to minced meat, so I made a chilli with chicken and bacon instead! Here is the simple recipe. Feeds 3-4, add more bacon/chicken or some more beans to stretch it further depending on how hungy your guests will be. The trays just need 3 mins warm in the oven when you are ready with everything else.

chicken breast 2, chopped into small long pieces
smokey streaky bacon 8 rashers, chopped into thin fingers
kidney beans 1 small tin drained and rinsed
tinned tomatoes 1 tin
roasted red peppers 1 jar
chilli powder (1 discovery packet or 2 tbsp of another mix- if you buy a mix get a good one with cumin and add dried oregano if your mix doesn't have it in)
onion 1 chopped finely
nutmeg 1/4 tsp freshly grated
garlic 1 clove, crushed
tomato puree 2tbsp
balsamic vinegar a splish

Discovery taco trays (between 4 of us we ate two boxes in one night, so make sure you have a spare box to hand if there are more than just two of you!)

Chop chop up the chicken and bacon, I cut it into bits about as big as my little finger for the chicken, and half that for the bacon. Fry the bacon off in a big pan till the fat has all run out and it nice and crispy (not burnt though!). Now fry the onion in the bacon fat with the bacon till soft, over a low heat. Next add the chicken and fry that off, then the garlic and spices. Give these a quick fry then add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, nutmeg, and about half a cup of water. Drain and chop up the peppers into fingers and bob those in too. Add salt and pepper and a splish of balsamic vinegar. Cook for 30 minutes on a low heat until thick, red and yummy. Add the beans, and cook for another 10 mins.

To serve, I have the chilli in my le cruset, then the following things in more little bowls so everyone can build each taco as they like them: -

shredded iceberg lettuce
grated mild cheddar
sour cream
chopped spring onion
pickled jalapeno peppers
salsa

Pile you filling and toppings onto your tray and shove in your gob. Repeat, repeat again, say you are full, eat another one anyway, put more trays in the oven, eat just one more, and another. Lick dishes.

This is good buffet or party food, as its not too messy and people can add the toppings they like. Of course this recipe works just as well with any mince instead of the chicken, or even quorn mince and swap the bacon for some smoked paprika for the same smokey flavour.

Arrrrrrrriba!

Gluten Free Fish Curry (Boatman Curry)

The husband loves fish curry, this one is derived from another recipe, and we call it Boatman Curry. I like to imagine an Indian river fisherman cooking this up in a big pan on his boat, the smells wafting over the river at sunset. Perhaps an over romantic vision, but I'm that sorta girl. This recipe makes enough for 2 people. I make using white fish, though really this would be made with river fish like Tilapia which you can get in some places these days. You can also add prawns if you like, or a mix of fishes.

onion 1, sliced
coconut milk 1/2 tin
tomato puree 2 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves, crushed or grated
fresh ginger 1 inch, grated
red chilli 1 chopped, no seeds (add less if you prefer a mild curry)
lime 1/2 juiced
smoked paprika 1 tbsp
cumin 1/2 tsp
coriander 1/2 tsp
fennel 1/2 tsp
garam masala 1 tsp
(use ready ground spices or grind your own)

white fish 2 fillets, skinned and chopped into large chunks
(I like to use whatever cod alternative the supermarket is offering, as long as it is sustainable and cheapish)

First gently fry your onion slices in some oil or butter till soft, add the ginger, chilli and garlic and fry for two mins, then fry off all your spices in the oil for a moment, before adding the tomato puree and a small mug of water. Add salt and pepper (I add quite a bit of salt to any curry), and cook for 15 mins till this mixture has reduced by at least half. It will make a red sauce, add more spices at this point if it needs it, just have a taste and see. Don't worry if it blows your head off, the coconut milk will calm it down.

Now open up your tin of coconut milk. I like to use blue dragon organic coconut milk, and what I do is gently turn the tin upside down and open it that way up. Coconut milk often has water added to it, and this water separates out from the coconut in the tin, the thick stuff settles at the bottom with the water on top. So if you turn gently, and open upside down, all the thick stuff will be at the top for you to spoon into your curry and you can leave the water behind. I only use half a tin for a 2 person curry, so I would rather add the thick coconut than the water.

Anyway, back to the curry, so bung in half the tin, if you have done my upside down trick this will be the thick stuff. Whatever you have done, its half the tin in right now, and bubble this very gently for another 15 mins. Keep an eye on the thickness, you want a sauce that's a bit thicker than a thai green curry, but not all gloopy and claggy.

Do your rice or whatever while this is cooking, and when that's just done leave to one side while you plop your fish into the sauce. It will cook in very little time, depends on your chunk size, but about 5 mins should be ok for 5cm cubes. Gently stir or it will turn to mushy fish, and you can poke a chunk in half to make sure its done before you serve. Just make sure its a whiteish colour, not translucent. Add the lime juice and serve right away, this doesn't sit around.

You can also cook whole fishes on the bone in this curry, just wack into chunks but they will take longer, wait till they are flaking off the bone.

I serve with lime wedges, white rice, raitha and hot mango chutney. The boat and river are left to your imagination.

Vegetable Ragu

I'm sorry everyone, I have been very slack these past few months, getting myself a nice new job! So now I'm working in Leeds and neglecting my lovely blog. Well I'm going to make the effort to blog when I can in my lunch break, as I have a raft of recipes to share.

I need to blog my recipe for taco's, well not so much of a recipe really as they are so easy, pea and prawn risotto, spicy lamb meatball curry, Italian meatballs and spaghetti and my fish pilaf (this started as kedgeree but is so curried now its a pilaf).

So to get us all started again, here is my yummy vegetable ragu recipe that is a great way of eating loads of veg, and is very versatile. I make it like a vegetarian bolognaise, so thick and strong, you can eat it on pasta, or make lasagna with it.

onion 1 large

aubergine 1

chestnut mushrooms a handful

courgette 1

tinned chopped tomatoes 1 tin

tomato puree 2tbsp

garlic cloves 2, chopped finely

dried oregano 1 large teaspoon

fresh basil a handful, chopped

salt and pepper

fresh grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp

balsamic vinegar 1tbsp

chilli oil or chill flakes

olive oil

Chop the mushrooms, aubergine, courgette and onion into very fine dice, really small, but not mush! I go for about 5x10mm rough dice, ok that's rectangles really... but its easy to make. Fry this off in a large saucepan in the olive oil, I use the big le'cruset dish. Fry slowly at first, to make soft, then a bit harder at the end to get some colour of the aubergine and things.

Now bung in the garlic, fry for a minute and then add all other ingredients. It will need a big pinch of salt and a load of black pepper. If its a bit thick at the point put in half of cup of water, you can boil this off later if its too thin, but its hard to cook properly if its thick, it will gloop instead of simmerl.

Bubble gently on the hob for 30 mins or so, till the veg are cooked and the sauce a nice thick, taste for seasoning before you serve. If it looks too chunky I sometimes mash it up a bit with the potatoe masher! This freezes well so make loads if you like, some for pasta, some for lasagna. Serve on gluten free spaghetti, sprinkle with grated parmesan if you are not vegan.

Show me your Tong da Tong Tong Tongs

I love my tongs, why didn't I buy some sooner? I have some of these type which are brilliant, they have a thingy on the top which you push in while holding them together so they are smaller in the drawer and dishwasher.

I use them for everything, but they excel in a frying pan or under the grill. Turning bacon, griddling aubergine, grilling peppers, turning chops, poking meat to see if its done, flipping pancakes, grilling sausages, bbq'ing anything.

If you don't have any, get some now, I keep telling my mum to get some but she hasn't so I'm just going to get her some anyway.

Now I want some silicone ended tongs, as sometimes they break my fishcakes when I try t turn them with the metal ended ones. These ones look cool but what colour? Red and blue would both go with my kitchen.

As I'm typing this my tea is cooking, the husband is out so I can eat what I like. Tonight that is some smashed up new potatoes and some kippers from tescos. Not gourmet food, but something he would never eat and something I crave. I may add some sweetcorn on the side just to be good! Though kippers are packed full of omega 3 so that's sorta virtuous. It's a meal that reminds me of home as my mum would sometimes make us 'yellow dinner'. That would be smoked haddock, mash and sweetcorn.

My tongs will be helping me get the kippers out the hot water. Brilliant.

Strawberry Overload! Eton Mess is the Answer

Strawberries are cheap at the mo in the UK, supermarkets are overflowing with yummy british ones, but they don't last long so eat them up! The classic strawberries and cream is always a winner, but if you like things a bit sweeter or need to make them stretch a bit further then Eton Mess is a yummy pudding.

It's very easy, it's broken meringues, strawberries and softly whipped cream all bugged together and mixed up. But there is an art to getting it really nice.

The meringues need to be good ones, M&S are the best you can buy if you don't have a french patisserie nearby. Best of all you can make them. Meringues can turn out different in texture and form. For a pavalova I like a thin crispy shell on a foamy marshmallow middle. This is less likely to crack, is easy to cut, and wont sink, and requires a long gentle cooking time and cooling in the oven to prevent it sinking. For Eton Mess I like a thicker crispy shell, and a sunken inside that has gone very chewy, for this type of meringue I make them small and overcook them, cooling out of the oven so they sink. If you made meringues like this all the time they would be a failure really, but these sunken cracked and chewy wonders are perfect for Eton Mess.

To check at what your final meringue is going to turn out like give it a little press, if it feels wobbly in the middle like jelly its going to be foamy, if its firm, has cracked, and you can see the inside like a big cave, then its Eton Mess time!

Making meringues for Eton Mess is also a good way to practice your meringues, as you are going to bash them up anyway. You can also experiment with cooking times with each one, and cooling some in and some out the oven, like a science experiment. Here is my recipe, it makes enough for 4 people.

english strawberries 450gms
double cream 300ml

for the meringues

large egg whites 4
caster sugar 250gms
vanilla essence 1/2 tsp
cornflower 2tsp
white wine vinegar 1tsp

Ok, so lets make these chewy meringues. Preheat your oven to 180. Whip you egg whites with a pinch of salt till they form soft peaks. Now add the sugar a third at a time and whip till its shiny and stiff. Sprinkle on top the vinegar, vanilla and corn flower and give a gently whisk to combine. Blob onto some grease proof paper on a baking sheet, it will make five big meringues. Keep your blobs tall rather than wide as they will grow a little. Put in the oven and drop the temperature to 150 straight away. Cook for 1 hour and 15 mins, then check for texture. Give another 15 mins if still foamy then cool out of the oven (If you are using this recipe to make a pavalova base, make one big round blob and cook for just the 1 hour 15 mins, then switch the oven off and leave to cool in there for a foamy finish). Your five meringues will crack and sink, but thats what we want!

While the meringues are cooling take the stalks of your strawberries and cut them in half. Put in a non metal bowl, sprinkle with a teaspoon of icing sugar, and leave in the fridge, they will go a bit juicy, some red will leak out, and they will taste better.

When you are ready, make this just before you serve it. Whip your cream till it makes very SOFT peaks, it should still slowly pour. DON'T whip it till its all hard and grainy, yack! Crack 3 meringues into big pieces and drop into your cream, followed by the strawberries and any juices. Stir to combine, be gentle so you don't mash the berries or turn the meringue to powder. The cream will continue to stiffen as you stir so don't over work this mixture, thats why we did it very soft, or by now it would be buttery and grainy and not nice.

Blob this into 4 nice bowls, sundae dishes, big wine glasses, whatever looks pretty really. You can save a few strawberries to put on top if you like, a small one with the stalk still on looks pretty. Or if its lost its stalk, replace that with a sprig of mint, fancy pansy.

You can make this with other berries, or cherries, or just made with passionfruit is divine. If you use a mix of berries the sharp ones like black currants work brilliantly. Of course these all make a good pavalova too, just make one big round meringue, cook till foamy in the middle, then turn it over so the crunchy top is on the bottom. Then spread the chewy bottom with softly whipped cream and top with your fruit. I once made a raspberry one and served it with dark chocolate sauce (just warm some double cream and then stir in some green and blacks dark chocolate), its a great combo!