Naan breads

• 130ml milk
• 2tsp (7g packet) yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 300g self-raising flour
• 100g yoghurt
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp nigella seeds

1. Warm milk to be hand hot. Mix in yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 15 minutes so the milk begins to froth.
2. Stir so the yeast is fully incorporated.
3. Add self-raising flour, yoghurt, oil, 1 salt and (optionally) nigella seeds and mix to a dough.
4. Knead for 2 minutes on a floured surface to make a smooth soft dough (add more flour if its sticky and tricky to work with, I needed to) and leave to rise for 20 minutes in a lightly oiled bowl covered in cling film.
5. Split the dough into 4 and roll each out to a 5mm thick tear shape.
6. One by one dry fry in a hot pan until it rises and begins to get a good colour on the bottom.
7. Flip it over and brown the other side.
8. Lightly butter one side and wrap in foil.
9. You can keep these warm in an oven.

Ultimate Pizza Sauce

Copied from http://www.food.com/recipe/ultimate-pizza-sauce-114392

• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1tablespoon butter
• 1⁄2cup onion, chopped
• 1⁄4cup celery, chopped
• 1garlic clove, minced
• 1(8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1(6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1teaspoon dried basil
• 1teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄2teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄4teaspoon black pepper
• 1small bay leaf
• 1teaspoon fennel seed

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, melt butter with the oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until soft and transparent.
2. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer.
4. Simmer for 30-60 minutes (or not at all depending on your taste and time frame).
5. Remove the bay leaf and spread the sauce on your prepared pizza dough.

Late-Summer Vegetable Curry

Recipes of this length can seem intimidating. The fact is that the entire list of ingredients for the spice paste is just bunged in the food processor; the vegetables are simply peeled and roasted, then the whole lot is stirred together. It is honestly more about shopping than cooking. Veggies may want to leave out the nam pla. Serves 4 with rice.

For the spice paste:

• 50g lump of ginger
• 6 hot green chillies
• 4 fat sticks of lemon grass
• 4 garlic cloves
• 50g shallots or onion
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 1 heaped tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• a large handful of coriander leaves and stalks
• 1 tsp turmeric

For the curry:

• 500g courgettes
• 600g summer squash
• 450g tomatoes
• 200g small aubergines
• 750ml coconut cream
• the juice of 2 limes (to taste)
• 1tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• coriander leaves

It is probably best to roast the vegetables first. Slice the courgettes in half lengthways, then in half again, and place them, and all the other vegetables as you prepare them, on to two baking sheets. Set the oven at 220C/gas mark 7. Peel the squash, discard any seeds and fibres, then cut the flesh into strips a similar size to the courgettes. Cut the tomatoes in half. Slice the aubergines down their length, then in half again. Drizzle over a little olive oil and season lightly with salt and ground black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes till the vegetables are lightly toasted.

While the vegetables are roasting, make the spice paste. Peel and roughly chop the ginger, then put it into the bowl of a food processor with the chopped chillies. Peel away the outer leaves of the lemon grass, then chop the tender inner leaves. Add to the ginger. Peel the garlic and onions and put them in with the ginger. Add the white peppercorns, ground coriander, salt, cumin, coriander leaves and turmeric. Blitz, pouring in just enough water, or groundnut oil if you prefer, to make a thick paste.

Pour a little oil into a large saucepan (it will have to hold the vegetables later) set over a moderate heat. Let the spice paste cook for a good 6 or 8 minutes, stirring almost constantly so it doesn't stick. Pour in the coconut cream, lime juice and fish sauce and turn the heat down to allow a light simmer. Leave for 5 minutes then turn off the heat till the vegetables are ready.

When the vegetables are nicely toasted, remove them from the oven and stir them into the sauce. Bring slowly to the boil, turn the heat down and leave to putter away gently for 5 to 10 minutes. I tend not to cook it too long, to keep the flavours fresh. Season with lime juice and fresh coriander leaves.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/sep/02/foodanddrink.recipes

Salmon with Asian rice

I invented this recipe on the back of loads of similar styles (stir fry, paella, kedgeree). It's simple, tasty and (aside from the fish) cheap.

Serves 4

3 fillets of skinless and boneless salmon
300g basmati rice
800ml vegetable stock
Olive oil
2 medium onions
1 chilli pepper
A thumb-sized piece of ginger
Two garlic gloves
100g frozen peas
6 - 8 good quality tomatoes (on the vine preferably)

1. Put a large pan on a medium/high heat and add the oil. Soften the onion in this for 5 minutes.
2. Chop the garlic, ginger and chilli (seeds removed) finely, and add to the pan, cook for a further minute.
3. Add the rice and mix so it gets covered in the oil. Now pour in the stock. Bring to the boil on a high heat and then reduce to the lowest heat and cover. Leave to cook for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile season and oil the fish, put these in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes until cooked through.
5. If the rice is undercooked after 10 minutes, add a little water and cook until that water has been absorbed.
6. Quarter the tomatoes and throw these in the rice. Add the frozen peas too. Stir it up to get heat through the vegetables.
7. Flake in the fish and mix briefly (without breaking the fish into tiny pieces).
8. Season and serve.

Jane's Rice Pudding with a hint of lemon

Rosie's mum gave us this recipe. After halving the ingredients I whipped up a batch and it is delicious. By treating it as a risotto (as oppose to throwing all ingredients into the oven) you get an extremely creamy end result with a delicious hint of lemon. Fab on its own, or served with a blob of jam.

Serves 4

1.1L milk (full fat or semi-skimmed)
150g pudding rice
2 teaspoons cornflour
150g sugar
2 - 3 strips of lemon peel

1. Pour the milk, rice and lemon into a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring up to temperature (hot but not boiling) on a high heat and then reduce to a low heat. Stir and cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft (half the recipe, 20 - 25 minutes cooking).
2. Mix the cornflour and sugar separately to get the flour evenly mixed in.
3. Stir the cornflour/sugar mix into the milky lemony rice.
4. Stir again for 20 - 30 minutes until thick (half the recipe, more like 10 - 15 minutes).
5. Remove the lemon and transfer to a serving dish and leave to cool. This can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature (or cold if that's how you roll).

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Lemongrass

Original Source: http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/veggilemongsoup.htm

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2 as a main entree

Ingredients:

• 225-280g dried Thai rice noodes, linguini-width
• 1-2 stalks minced lemongrass, OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
• 4-6 cups vegetable (or faux "chicken") stock (or regular chicken broth if non-veg.)
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick pieces
• 1/2 package medium or soft tofu (packed in water) - drain off the water and slice tofu into cubes
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
• 1-2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces (bok choy, baby bok choy or su choy)
• 1-2 carrots, sliced
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce OR wheat-free soy sauce (or use 3 Tbsp. fish sauce + 1 Tbsp. soy sauce if non-veg.)
• 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (available in frozen packets at Asian/Chinese food stores)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large (or substitute fresh coriander/cilantro)
• Optional: fresh-cut chilies OR chili sauce, to taste

Preparation:

1. Dunk noodles in a pot of boiling water and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soften while you prepare the soup.
2. Place stock in a soup pot together with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces if using fresh), plus galangal (or ginger), whole lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables. Simmer until vegetables have softened but are still bright in color (about 5 minutes).
3. Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring to dissolve. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring so it doesn't fall apart.
4. Add the soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add some fresh-cut chilies OR 1-2 tsp. chili sauce - or simply serve it on the side. Do a taste test, adding more soy sauce if not salty enough. If you find the soup too salty (this depends on how salty your broth was to start with), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. sugar.
5. Check rice noodles to make sure they have softened enough to eat (they should be 'al dente'). Drain the noodles and portion out into bowls. Pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle over fresh basil, and serve with chili sauce on the side, if desired