A very funny line from a sitcom in the early eighties ….  And now I’m showing my age!

Rhubarb is one of my favourite ingredients for this time of year and I grow it in my garden.  This year I’ve made some conserve with it as well as poaching to make compote to eat with breakfast or as dessert.  I also blanch it then freeze it and use it for smoothies  or for fruit crumbles (which is love) for later on in the year.

Rhubarb Conserve

 Ingredients:

450g rhubarb

450g sugar

Zest ½ orange

Juice of 1 orange

2 tbsp of lemon juice 

Cooking Instructions: 

1. Cut the rhubarb into 1 cm/1/2 inch pieces and place in bowl, now sprinkle the sugar over them.  Leave for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Transfer the rhubarb and sugar into a deep pan.  Add the orange zest and orange juice. (Not the lemon juice at this point). 
3. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and then add the lemon juice and boil steadily until setting point is reached.
4. Allow to cool slightly, stir well.  Then spoon into sterilized jars. 

Cooks Tip 1: Remember no need to put in the fridge! 

Asparagus with Quinoa & Chervil    

Aparagus is in season and what better way to enjoy the goodness of this great vegetable than with something equally as interesting as quinoa.  Together this combination is a powerhouse of taste and nutritional goodness.

 Quinoa is a great protein that can easily replace a starchy carb like risotto.  It’s easier to cook then you think and seasoned correctly can be a very tasty and healthy ingredient.  It’s equally diminutive cooking time, makes it a big hit with me, its then finished with salty pecorino cheese and the delicate liquorice flavoured chervil; yielding, soft flavours and textures of spring.  I originally found this recipe on the ‘food 52’ blog site but I have adjusted it to my preference and used quinoa instead of couscous.  

Serves 2 

Ingredients: 

4 tablespoons salted butter divided into 2
1 tsp of finely chopped garlic
200g quinoa

150 ml good white wine
200 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
100g finely grated Pecorino
50g chopped pistachios, toasted if desired
3 finger pinch roughly chopped chervil leaves 

Cooking Instructions: 

1. Toast the quinoa in the oven at 120 degrees for about 8 minutes to enrich the flavour. 
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa and garlic and gently toast again, this time with the butter for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the wine and half of the stock bring to boil then drop the temperature to very low and cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes.  When the liquid is nearly absorbed add the asparagus and the rest of the stock and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Once the quinoa and asparagus are tender, stir in the Pecorino, pistachios, chervil and remaining butter. Sprinkle servings with additional Pecorino, pistachios and chervil, if desired.

Spagetti alle Vongole

The weather is still a little nippy but the sun was out brightly today – perfect weather for Vongole i think! The pasta is warming andstill carby yet the dish is light and refelcts the sunshine. 

I hope you’ll try it - the recipe is incredibly simple for something that tastes rather special, and clams are available quite easily at the moment and reasonably priced.  

Spagetti alle Vongole    

 Serves 2

 Ingredients:

300g small clams (carpet shell are great!)
350g spaghetti or fettuccini or linguini

30g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, finely chopped

1 large shallot

½ medium heat red chilli, finely chopped

¼ tsp black pepper
150ml dry white wine
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of ½ a lemon 

Cooking Instructions:

 Rinse the clams in cold running water, and scrub if necessary, then put them into a large bowl with a couple of tablespoons of flour and salt, cover them with cold water and leave for an hour or so. 

1. When you’re ready to use them drain and rinse to remove any grit or sand.
2. Put the spaghetti into a large pan of salted boiling water and cook for a couple of minutes under the recommended time, until nearly done.  Slightly  more than aldente since it will continue cooking once its in the vongole sauce.
3. Meanwhile, put half the butter and all the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and soften the shallots, garlic and chilli.
4. Add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes before adding the drained clams, and turn up the heat.  Cover and leave for a couple of minutes until most of them have opened. Discard any that are still closed.
5.  Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan along with the remaining butter. Toss well and leave for a minute, then stir through the chopped parsley, black pepper, lemon zest and juice, season to taste and serve.

Aloo Tikki's - Recipe by Kumud Gandhi - The Cooking Academy cookery school

I was talking to a dear customer today, Nick is a regular on our classes and really embracing Indian food in all its glory.  He’s about to join me on our ‘Cook like an Indian’ class – the two day comprehensive Indian.  We got talking about food ! yeees can you believe it?  Nick was describing something that sounded like Aloo Tikki’s – a traditional savoury potato patti kind of dish.  They are really yummy, so I thought I’d share them with you too!  I hope you have a go – they are really simple to make.   

Aloo Tikka’s  

 My Aloo Tikka’s are a favourite throughout India and are commonly eaten as a street food or late afternoon snack.  I think they work well as a starter in the context of modern dining or an additional dish…  The Aloo Tikka’s in my picture contain gardens peas as a variation on the theme or you could also add cooked chickpeas.   

Ingredients:

 400 g potatoes, (i like Maris Pipers) peeled and quartered

½ tsp salt or to taste – definitely add whilst the potatoes are boiling

1.5 tsp roasted cumin seeds

½ tsp green chillies – finely chopped

¼ tsp hot chilli powder

2 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

½ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp chaat masala (optional)

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp lemon juice

A generous handful of chopped fresh coriander

4 strands spring onions – finely chopped 

Cooking Instructions:

 Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, drain.  When cooled enough to handle peel and grate (not mash – the texture becomes too sloppy) then place in a bowl.

1. Add the dry spices, ginger fresh chillies, lemon juice and herbs including the spring onions, mix well and season to taste.
2. Divide the filling into equal sizes portions and shape into cookie sized discs, around 7 cms diameter by 2 cms thick.  Dust a little semolina flour over them and place them on a tray in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set and firm up. 
3. When you’re ready to cook them, heat a few tsps of oil in a non stick pan and when the oil is warm place in them.  Fry on a medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side until they are crisp and golden. 
4. Serve with a chilli and mango dressing or tomato chutney.  

Cooks Tip 1:  You could try adding some cooked chickpeas or gardens peas to the filling to add texture and sweetness.  Just mash them up a little before adding! 

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi –Writer & Broadcaster, Founder of The CookingAcademyCookerySchoolin Rickmansworth Hertfordshire

I’ve just been asked for my recipe for paneer tikka kebabs following my tweet about my dinner plans.  It is of course the recipe we cook in our cookery class and is always popular with the delegates.  So for all those of you who have not attended the Indian class, here it is.  Do enjoy and do pass to all your friends

Paneer Tikka Marinade 

Serves 2

 Ingredients:

12 pieces of fresh paneer cubed into 2cm square pieces

1 dessertspoon natural yoghurt Greek or bio yoghurt

1 tbsp Lemon juice

½ tsp fresh grated ginger

½ tsp finely chopped garlic

¼ tsp red chilli flakes

¼ tsp paprika 

1/8^th tsp salt to taste

½ tsp tomato puree

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

3 finger pinch of fresh coriander 

Method:

1. Place all ingredients except the paneer in bowl, mix well and taste.
2. Add paneer and mix well and set aside to marinate for as long as possible, overnight is ideal.
3. Place on a tray in a hot oven for approximately 12 minutes at 180° or 10 minutes if fan assisted.

Cooks Hint 1: The paneer can be marinated and used up to 3 days later. 

Cooks Hint 2: If you’re using this spice blend with chicken to make Chicken Tikka masala, add 1 tbsp of oil as well the yoghurt to the mixture.   

A delightful additional to any dinner party menu

Yep, this real onion bhaji is a delightful dinner party gem,  It looks like onion, tastes like onion and there’s just enough seasoned gram flour to hold it together.  Surprise your guests with this outstanding starter.

Onion Bhajia’s

 Ingredients:    

2 large white or red onions

3 stalks of green salad onion for colour

Handful of fresh coriander

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves

1 tbsp coursely ground coriander seeds

½ tsp salt

½ tsp hot chilli powder or fresh green chillies

100 ml cold soda water

100g gram flour

Oil to fry

Karahi to fry in

 Cooking Instructions:  

1. Slice the onions thinly and set aside.
2. Place the karahi of oil to heat.
3. Meanwhile, In a separate bowl add the gram flour, chaat masala, dried feneugreek  leaves, coursely ground coriander, salt, chillies (dry or fresh) fresh coriander. 
4. Mix well and then slowly add the soda water and whisk to ensure a smooth batter (although it will have plenty of texture with the various spices), you may not need all the soda water, keep it fairly thick to start with as it will thinly rapidly once you mix the onions.
5. Pour the mixture spoonful at a time into the sliced onions until the onions are thoroughly coated and can hold in a clump.  Don’t be tempted to add too much of the flour mixture, otherwise the bhaji’s will resemble those from a restaurant, just enough to bind the onions.
6. Test the oil to ensure the temperature is correct.
7.  Create bhaji’s the size of a golf ball into the oil and cook for about 90 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon.
8. Garnish with fresh coriander on the serving plate and a squeeze of lemon.

Cooks tips 1:  Don’t allow them to get to brown in the oil as they will continue to cook and brown after removing.

Cooks tips 2: Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving to make the texture a little more crunchy.

Cooks tips 3: Red chilli flakes are also very good

Cooks tips 4:  Serve with home made tamarind and dates chutney

Recipes by Kumud Gandhi

Purple sprounting brocolli with an Asian style dressing - The Cooking Academy Cookery school

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Chilli and Sesame Dressing

 This is simply a delicious way to serve brocolli, Its quick and simple yet show off brocolli at its best.  Its completely loaded with minerals just what the doctor and the waistline orders at this time of year.  

Serves 3-4

 Ingredients

 350 g purple sprouting broccoli

200g mange tout

salt to taste

 For the dressing:

 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

 1 dessertspoon sesame oil

 1 dessertspoon lime juice

 1 tsp Thai fish sauce

 1 dessertspoon Japanese soy sauce

 1 small red chilli, finely chopped

 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

 Salt to taste

 Cooking Instructions  

1. Start by preparing the broccoli by cutting it into even-sized pieces, stalks as well.  Top and tail and take the rind off the mange tout.  Wash thoroughly. 
2. Place both of the ingredients into fan steamer, place into a saucepan, add a little boiling water, sprinkle with a little sea salt and place the lid on firmly shut to allow to steam cook for about 4 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl, stir well and taste, season as per your preference.  
4. When the vegetables are cooked, remove from the steamer and transfer to a warm serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables, toss it around and serve straight away.

   Serve with steamed rice or with a meat/tofu main dish. 

 Cooks tips 1:  You could also use the dressing as a marinade for any meats or tofu

 Health tips 1:  Did you know that broccoli contains more vitamin C than most citrus fruits and it has more calcium than a glass of milk; it also has more fibre than whole wheat bread. 

 Health tips 2: The best way to eat broccoli is to steam it, boiling it loses its mineral value very quickly, though broccoli can be eaten raw as well. 

 Broccoli is high Vitamin A, C and Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic acid), B6, B9 (Folate).  It also comes packed with lots of good minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.

 Broccoli is considered a low-glycemic food which helps to normalize blood sugar. One of the keys to weight loss is controlling the body’s response to insulin.  

 The real potent nutritional value of broccoli lies in substances called isothiocyanates.  (Don’t let the name put you to sleep).  Isothiocyanates are a class of very potent anti-carcinogens. Meaning, they fight and help prevent cancer.  Specifically, tests have shown that broccoli’s anti-cancer compounds greatly protected mice from stomach cancer. Although you don’t hear about stomach cancer much per se, it is actually the second most common form of cancer.  Studies conducted at the John Hopkins University (USA) showed that broccoli contains compounds that trigger the body to produce a substance (sulforaphane) that, in turn, manufactures enzymes that are powerful cancer fighters.

 Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – Writer, Broadcaster & Founder of The Cooking  Cookery School  – Copyrights to The Cooking Academy

Watermelon & Raspberry splash - Nutritional cookery class at The Cooking Academy

Yes it’s that time of year when the waistband is fully expanded and gym memberships are at an all time peak.  

If the gym doesn’t appeal to you then there here’s the start of a range of simple smoothies that are designed to pack in the right Anti Oxidants, increase nutrient absorbtion and get you feeling fuller, but looking trimmer .

I’m starting with an all time favourite my Watermelon & Raspberry splash.  It also works as a cocktail with a dash of vodka but that’s for cheeky party night only.  Right now i’m concentrating on the post Christmas excess.  

Watermelon & Raspberry splash

100g raspberries

10 strawberries

400g watermelon deskinned – don’t worry about the seeds

150 ml Cranberry juice

2 tbsp lemon juice

6 fresh mint leaves

Place all the ingredients into a blender, process until smooth, add ice if the blender can withstand it….  serve as a superb breakfast or mid day pick me up.   

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi at The Cooking Academy cookery school.

Serves 2 or 3

Simple Mussels in white wine at The Cooking Academy cookery school

Simple Mussels in White Wine   

 Mussels are nutritionally rich, simple to cook and inexpensive, they make a great starter or simple supper for any time of year.  Here’s a very quick and simple mussels recipe I think you’ll enjoy! 

Serves 4      prep time: 15 minutes total

 Ingredients

 1 small knob of butter to fry the shallots

4 bay leaves

4 shallots – finely chopped

2 garlic cloves – finely chopped

1 kg good mussels – scrubbed and de bearded

1 pint of fish stock

200 ml of good white wine

Salt & pepper to taste

1 handful fresh Flat leaf parsley or coriander to taste

 Cooking Instructions 

1. Using a deep pan, melt the butter and add bay leaves, sizzle for a few seconds before adding the shallots and garlic.  Sauté for 5 minutes on a low to medium heat, long enough to remove the acidity from the shallots and soften them. 
2. Now add the stock and white wine bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce down a little to intensify the flavour. 
3. Add salt and black pepper to taste
4. Add the mussels, stir well and place a tight lid over the pan.  Cook for 2-4 minutes or until the mussels have opened up.
5. Discard the ones that have not opened.  Garnish with coriander or parsley to taste
6. Serve with a chunk of fresh bread. 

  Cooks tip 1: Add a dash of cream or crème fraise if you would like to add a little creaminess to the sauce

 Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – copyrights to The Cooking Academy