The Shank and Spice!

In “Nigella Bites” first published in 2001 there's a recipe for Aromatic Lamb-Shank Stew.

I found the recipe itself really appealing but knowing my family serving a whole shank doesn't go down too well.

What follows is my version of that recipe although obviously the original is very much available!

4 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil

6 lamb shanks

2 onions, finely chopped

4 tsps garlic paste

sprinkle of salt

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tsps cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

black pepper

3 tbsps honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Marsala

Using the oil, brown the shanks and place in your slow cooker. Fry the onion and garlic paste until soft, sprinkling with salt. Stir in the turmeric, ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg and season with pepper. Add the honey, soy and Marsala. Tip the mixture over the shanks and cover with boiling water. Leave for as long as you like. 4 to 6 hours. Remove the shanks and strip off the meat – add the meat back to the gravy in the slow cooker.

The lamb is ready to serve when you are, fridge until required. You can freeze it if you wish, it enhances the flavour.

The other ingredient my family isn't wild about, is couscous. However, they do love roast potatoes, so, I serve this “stew” with the biggest pan of roasties I can. There's loads of spicy gravy and roast potatoes somehow fit.

If, like my mob, couscous isn't your thing, new potatoes would work just as well, just not as crunchy.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen food disappear quite so fast – absolutely nothing left – so, if you like the idea of a spicy roast then this is for you, it's worth every second of prep and it's not complicated.

A huge thank you to Nigella for the recipe.

Posh lamb!

This is seriously gorgeous – if you want a dish to impress guests that looks the real deal, here it is and it's all done ahead of the game and takes no time at all to bring together and serve.

Lamb shank with Redcurrant and Port jus

Three large lamb shanks

Lamb stock/cube

3 tsps of garlic paste

227g jar Redcurrant jelly

200ml Port

Slow cook your shank – seal the shanks in a little oil – set aside – gently fry the garlic ensuring it doesn't burn and heat the stock so it boils. Slow cook for 4-6 hours – whatever is convenient . Leave to cool, overnight is best, then strip the meat. Chop the meat as finely as possible.

Oil dariole moulds and then line with cling film ensuring there is enough overlapping to fold in when you've filled with the chopped lamb. There should be enough for 6 or 7 moulds from three large shanks.

Fill each mould with the chopped lamb and press down firmly. Fold the cling film over the mould. At this point you can chill in the fridge or freeze. If freezing defrost before use and allow the moulds to reach room temperature.

You don't have to use dariole moulds. Alternatively you can oil and line a square oven-proof tray 15 cms approx with cling film and then fill with the chopped lamb and press down firmly. Fold over the excess cling film to cover. Chill or freeze as above.

To serve, pre-heat oven to 180 fan/200c/Gas 6.

Heat a little oil in an oven-proof pan. Gently ease the lamb from the moulds – the excess cling film will assist and brown on all sides. If using a tray, ease the pressed lamb from the tray and divide into portions using a sharp knife and brown on both sides. Pop into oven for 20 minutes.

For the jus melt the redcurrant jelly in a pan over a gentle heat, add the port and boil, uncovered for 10-12 minutes until syrupy. If you are freezing the jus let it cool - it will freeze for a month. Defrost the sauce at room temperature and reheat to serve.

Again the dariole moulds come in useful!

The shank in all its glory!

These days there's not a lot of spare dosh - know-one has it to throw away. Meat is expensive and so it makes sense to me that when you do indulge you want to make sure, as much as it's possible, that you'll get value for money and the result on the plate won't resemble boot leather.

You know what my answer is – the slow cooker in the first instance – cooking cheaper cuts of meat in the second. On the bone is where the meat is always sweeter - it's a win win and that's without mentioning saving time.

I'll admit to one flaw and that is with the lamb suggestions that follow, you'll have to strip the shanks but hey there's no pressure, you don't have to do it the same day they've been slow cooked!

“Roast” Lamb

The lamb is not roasted, it's slow cooked, left to cool and then stripped. Because you are cooling (overnight is ideal) the lamb is easy to strip, the fat that inevitably settles is easy to scoop off and discard, leaving a good lamb stock for gravy. I used a litre of lamb stock (two stock cubes). Seal the shanks in a little oil – you could also add a tsp or two of garlic paste to de-glaze the pan and then add the stock (ensuring that it has been brought to the boil). Slow cookers vary – I left mine for six hours on a medium setting (2). At this stage you can freeze the lamb and the stock. If you do freeze defrost thoroughly - preferably overnight before preparing to serve.

What you don't seem to see these days – probably because it's considered to be an old fashioned accompaniment to lamb, is onion sauce. Truly delish – a marriage made in heaven. The sauce can be made ahead and warmed through :

Quick Onion Sauce

3 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped

Good glug of rapeseed oil and generous knob of butter

30g plain flour

500ml milk

salt and white pepper

freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Soften the onion in the oil and butter, sprinkle over the flour and mix.

On a low heat, gradually add the milk, whisking continuously. Let the sauce come to the boil when you've added all the milk, then remove from heat and season with the salt and pepper and nutmeg if you wish.

So straight forward, what you see is what you get, roast lamb that is ready to roll when you are, with a sauce that's a little different.

The ultimate lunch box:

… tiffin

I mentioned in “Tiffin time” that tiffin is also a midday meal and in particular a portable lunch.

These boxes are usually round and have three/four separate compartments with a lid and clips to secure, to prevent spillage of the contents and a handle.

In Mumbai, India (and in other areas there too) a dabbawala (literal translation “one who carries a box”) is a person who is an integral part of a delivery system of food to workers – collecting from the workers' homes in the morning in time to deliver at the place of work by lunchtime and then return the lunch box to the home for use the next day. The boxes are taken by bike and then on to trains, picked up from their destination and taken to the appropriate place of work.

Each box has a code – for collection from home – outward railway station – station destination and then a distinguishing mark for the receiving dabbawala at the place of work enabling delivery, i.e. to the appropriate building and floor.

Lots of office workers prefer to eat food from home. There are obviously restaurants and also street food stalls, but clearly the tiffin box has remained popular - this service first appeared in the 1890ies and has grown and grown – research says that between 175,000 and 200,000 tiffin boxes are moved every day.

Thought you might like to see what they look like :

                                      

Fast food – there's fast and then there's fast!

Last call for Easter: …Tiffin time!

The yummiest of biscuit type treats, this snack is so easy to make, doubly perfect because it requires no baking - another possible candidate for the kids to make during the Easter holidays.

The jury appears to be out as to its origin. There's the “tiffin” which began life in India (and still exists today) in the days of the British Raj as a midday meal or luncheon – “tiffin” then went on to describe what we now know as the British custom of afternoon tea. In certain parts of India tiffin is regarded as a snack, in others it is a substantial portable lunch. However, I also discovered that it was invented in the 1900's in Troon, Scotland.

Tiffin

4oz unsalted butter

2 tbsp castor sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

4 tsp cocoa

8oz digestive biscuits, crushed finely

(or Rich Tea if you prefer)

Handful of raisins

or, if in a festive mood - cranberries

8oz chocolate

(you can mix 4oz milk, 4oz plain)

Melt the butter, sugar, syrup and cocoa.

Add the biscuits and raisins, stir to combine. Pour into a Swiss roll tin or into foil trays to suit your purpose, press down firmly.

Melt the chocolate – either in the microwave or in a bowl over simmering water (as always being careful not to let the bowl touch the water). Pour the chocolate over the mixture . Put into the fridge and leave to set for an hour.

Makes approximately 20 pieces.

A voyage of discovery – whether Indian or Scottish it's as old as the hills and delicious either way.

Happy Easter!

Last call for Easter: …bag, tag, bow and away you go!

If you've received feedback from circulating your list with any luck you'll get more than one person choosing the same ingredients!

I'd use a tray bake, measuring 30 x 19 cms approx. One tray bake divided into four portions and then each portion cut into small 1cm squares will give a generous treat.

Take a glance at the photo of the Rocky Road in Last call … to get an idea of the size. To give perspective, Nigella's recipe mentions 24 squares of treat in the final paragraph – these are large, so scaled down you'll get a much larger quantity, it depends on how small a square you cut. It doesn't matter – I don't think anyone will be taking out their tape measure!

One final thought, you could mix it up completely and create a mixed bag of Rocky Road, Malteser Cake and Chocolate Hokey Pokey.

Malteser Cake

125g unsalted butter

400g milk chocolate, broken into small pieces

2 tbsp golden syrup

250g digestives - crushed

135g Maltesers

Line a 20cm tin with parchment.

Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the chocolate and syrup until melted.

Remove the pan from the heat, allow to cool slightly then stir in the biscuits and Maltesers. Pour into the tin and refrigerate for two hours.

Cut into squares.

Chocolate Hokey-Pokey

75g unsalted butter

100g pecan halves, roughly chopped

sea salt flakes

300g dark chocolate

2 tbsp golden syrup

3 x 40g Crunchie bars

Heat a small knob of butter in a pan and when foaming, tip in the pecans with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or till toasted – you will smell them when they are ready. Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt, in a medium pan, with the rest of the butter and the syrup, stirring. Once the chocolate mixture is smooth, take the pan off the heat. Bash the Crunchie bars (in the wrappers – less messy!). Add the Crunchie pieces, along with the toasted pecans, to the chocolate mixture. Gently mix together before transferring to an 18cm round or square foil tray (or cake tin if you prefer to wash-up!)

Leave to set in the fridge. Once set, remove from the tray and cut into 1cm squares.

Whatever combination you choose bag, tag and bow – check out The kit and the cost – and away you go!

Last call for Easter: …your version

So, my final Easter treat idea is design your own “Rocky Road”.

I circulated a list and asked for three choices – not giving the game away of course.

Here it is :

Peanut

Pistachio

Pecan

Hazelnut

Glace cherry

Dried sour cherries

Cranberry

Apricot

Banana chips

Pineapple

Sultanas

**Nougat

**Turkish Delight

**Fudge

**Toblerone

**Praline

**Salted Caramel

Mini Marshmallow

Popping Candy – you can even get

chocolate coated popping candy

Those choices marked ** should be cut into 1cm (ish) squares.

This list is not exhaustive – I'm sure you've got plenty of ideas of your own. All you need to do is substitute the three ingredients marked * in the original recipe with those you prefer.

You might be amused and surprised at the feedback – I never knew that my Editor and IT Consultant loathed and detested cherries and that's putting it mildly … “cherries – never. Never, ever, ever. The only thing worse than cherry is artificial cherry and why would anyone make an imitation of something that horrible? We don't know but studies are being done as we speak”.

Yikes!

Last call for Easter: ... chocolate treats that is!

Rocky Road – your version

Rocky Road was first mentioned in Outside the box and Outside the box Take II. To refresh your memory, the traditional version looks like this :

You'll see that my version is cut into small bite sized pieces, not the larger squares mentioned below – it's whatever floats your own boat!

Here's the traditional recipe :

Rocky Road

250g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

175g soft butter, unsalted

4 x 15ml tbsp golden syrup

200g amaretti biscuits (or hobnobs if you can't get hold of amaretti)

*150g shelled Brazil nuts

*150g red glace cherries

*125g mini marshmallows

Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin to get a mixture of rubble.

Put the Brazil nuts into another freezer bag and bash them too.

Chop both sorts of chocolate into small pieces, or use chocolate buttons made for melting and then put them into a heavy-based saucepan to melt with the butter and syrup over a gentle heat.

Take the pan off the heat and add the biscuit and nuts, cherries and mini marshmallows. Turn carefully so that all the ingredients are coated with the syrupy chocolate.

Tip into a foil try (I use a tray bake size), smoothing the top as best you can, although it is meant to be bumpy.

Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, which will take about 1½-2 hours. Take the set block out of the tray. With the long side in front of you cut 6 slices down and 4 across so that you have 24 squares.

This was taken from “Nigella Christmas” – Christmas Rocky Road

Make ahead tip:

Make the Rocky Road and refrigerate to set, cut into bars and then store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

Freeze ahead tip:

Make the Rocky Road as above and free for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in a cool place.

It's not everyone's cup of tea – there will always be someone who doesn't like this or that ingredient. Furthermore in these days of serious allergies – nuts for example – you can select whatever suits you and/or family and friends so that everyone can indulge!

Here goes nothing – or how to segment an orange!

STEP 1

Top and tail your orange so that it's stable.

STEP 2

Using your bread-knife held at an angle and using a gentle sawing motion following the shape of the orange, remove the outer peel.

Continue until all the peel is removed.

STEP 3

Sit the orange in your hand – you can see the segment membranes – they look like fine white lines. Gently slice the left-hand side of your first segment making sure you keep the white line to the left of your knife.

Repeat, slicing the right side of the segment, now keeping the white line to the right of your knife.

• one perfectly formed segment! Repeat this process until you've segmented the whole orange.

STEP 4

You'll be left with a handful of membranes and pith loaded with fresh juice – squeeze into the container with your segments.

Here's the finished bowl of both!

Enjoy your Master Class!

Thinking cap!

Ice cream on its own doesn't look particularly exciting, even if it is home-made. Whilst the sundae mentioned previously does sound fab it's a little too much of a sweet hit for my personal taste and for that matter, for my guests and friend too.

With that in mind what better to go with a rich chocolate truffle ice cream than oranges – oranges are the best fruit! Surely one of the best marriages, chocolate and orange.

Orange segments are the answer – although creating the perfect one can be a tricky business.

There are three elements you'll need to tackle, the thick outer peel, the white pith on the inside and finally the thin, tough outer membrane of each segment.

Choosing the right type of orange also matters – “naval” fits the bill since it has no pips (or seeds if you like).

You don't need a fancy dancin' posh piece of kit for this chore either – I find that a serrated bread knife is just the job – naturally used CAREFULLY AND SAFELY!

Wear gloves if you are offended by sticky hands from the orange juice. You'll need a container for your segments.

Get yourself organised before you begin. Decide how many oranges you want to divide. As a guide you'll get 10 ish segments per orange – it will vary – at least you'll have an idea, depending on how many guests you're serving.

You can serve the segments as is or, if you are serving adults you can soak them in either Cointreau or Grand Marnier – add 1 tbsp of liqueur to 100mls of additional fresh orange juice per two segmented oranges.

Give a thought to decoration – small amaretti biscuits would meet the brief, as would tuile biscuits – a little added crispy texture.

Have I got your attention?

The Road Test!

taken from “delicious.” magazine

March issue

“Chocolate truffle no-churn ice cream

300g dark chocolate, preferably 70%

cocoa solids, chopped into chunks

397 tin condensed milk

500ml double cream

100g milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a plan of simmering water – don't let the water touch the bowl, remember it's the steam that melts the chocolate! Leave it to cool to just above room temperature, then stir in the condensed milk.

Put the double cream into a large bowl, whip softly until just holding its peaks. Fold in the condensed milk/chocolate mixture, using a balloon whisk, carefully so that you don't knock the air out. Once combined add the milk chocolate chunks. Transfer to a freezer suitable container and freeze for at least 8 hours. Bring it out of the freezer 10 minutes before you want to serve it to allow it to soften.

Makes 1 – 1.2 litres

It will keep in a properly sealed container for up to 1 month.”

Full details are in the magazine along with another serving suggestion, “Banana, peanut and caramel chocolate ice cream sundae”.

The Road Test ice cream was served as a dinner party dessert and then to my friend who was visiting and an ice cream connoisseur to boot – verdict from both – oh yes, yes, yes!

A “delicious.” magazine!

A while ago now a friend asked me if I'd like a subscription to “delicious.” magazine as a Christmas and birthday gift – it sounded like a good plan!

Ordinarily I'm not a buyer of magazines – definitely the phrase “style over substance” comes to mind. As I've said before though there's always the exception that breaks the rule. There's something quite decadent about having a posh glossy mag delivered each month and I can truthfully say that I look forward to its arrival.

If you are thinking of treating yourself then this one gets my vote.

This month, with Easter approaching, not surprisingly there are lots of ideas for the holidays and there's an extra - “delicious. THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION CHOCOLATE 10 OUTSTANDING RECIPES TO PULL OUT AND KEEP” It was worth the £4.20 for this supplement alone. (If you do decide to take out a subscription it will be considerably cheaper).

My rule of thumb with both cookery books and/or magazines is that if I get a couple of ideas that I can tweak, or am so inspired by a variation on a theme I already use, then it has absolutely been worth the financial investment.

There's an absolute cracker of a recipe for a no-churn ice cream. Regular readers will know that I'm a real fan – mainly because if it means you don't have to shell out on expensive pieces of kit it gets my vote. Jack pot hit on two counts and counting.

So, on your behalf what follows is the result of a road test – I aim to please!

Class Report : They said …

Honey Roasted Beetroot & Goats cheese Crostini

… for someone who doesn't really like goats cheese it was delicious. Beetroot, goats cheese and crispy toast was lovely.

… delicious

… wonderful sweet beetroot with the slightly salty taste of the cheese – perfect. Great for a lunchtime snack with a salad. Also good for a supper starter. I shall definitely do this!

… sooooooo yummy!

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken and Maple Glazed Veggies

… this is one meal which I shall definitely use at home – often! So very tasty.

… I liked this as a no carb supper dish.

… it looked beautiful and is something I will use often at home. Chris will love it.

… chicken and stir fry with a twist, very tasty, looks so easy.

Orange Tiramisu

… another that looked easy and it was delicious – didn't want to stop eating it!

… have to say the dessert was not big enough – yum, yum, yum.

… well, what can I say. Yet another light dessert which includes cream but is not sickly. The orange juice and the booze was just the right quantity. I loved it – one of my top desserts!

… wow – zingy, light and lovely.

Thank you for all your effort, we appreciate it. X

Class Report : A decadent dessert

After an appetiser and a main that were relatively healthy it would be boring not to indulge when it came to pud!

The Orange Tiramisu first appeared in GOM: Chapter 16 “The Dinner Party ….” it was well received on that occasion – it is easy to make, can be made ahead, covered and fridged. For the purists – not everyone likes coffee – so a variation on a theme.

Orange Tiramisu

Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges

20fl oz whipping cream

4tbls Cointreau (optional)

20 sponge fingers or Madeira cake

4tbls caster sugar

8oz Mascarpone or curd cheese (Philadelphia)

2oz plain chocolate (grated)

Mix the orange rind and juice with the Cointreau.

Mix the cream carefully with the sugar and mascarpone.

Cut up the cake in shapes that suit the bowl you are using and dip into the orange mixture.

Grate the chocolate

Layer the mascarpone mixture with the sponge and sprinkle with chocolate.

I'm stating the obvious that you'd omit the Cointreau if serving to kids.

A couple of variations – decorate with small amaretti biscuits. You don't have to use plain chocolate to decorate – crushed flake works well for the milk chocolate lovers or you could combine the two as illustrated below :

Finally a thank you to my husband who made the template for me so that I'd get straight lines of chocolate for the decoration – left to my own devices it would not have been a pretty sight!

Here's the serving bowl – diameter 20 cms and with the template over the top. The Tiramisu will serve six generous portions.

Class Report : Miso and Maple

The idea for the main dish came about from an impromptu conversation during the previous class. Don't ask me why the subject of miso came up, such is the nature of the classes that completely random questions pop out of nowhere! Anyway on that occasion I uttered those immortal words, “hold that thought” and disappeared into my pantry returning clutching a packet of sweet white miso.

This is what it looks like :

It's available from most supermarkets – mine came from Daily Bread Co-operative Ltd www.dailybread.co.uk.

I first mentioned Miso Maple Glazed Chicken in The Method in my Madness – The Creaking Table as part of a supper for Christmas Eve.

For ease, here it is :

Miso Maple Glazed Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 tbsp baking powder*

4 fl oz/½ cup maple syrup*

2 fl oz/¼ cup white miso paste*

Mix * together, add the chicken breasts and

marinate for 24 hrs

Sprinkle with chopped spring onions

Bake in a pre-heated oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6

for 35 minutes

Again, takes no time at all and, if you marinate the chicken in one of my famous, washing-up free foil dishes, it can go straight from the fridge, into the oven.

This recipe is as easy as falling off a log.

Continuing with the “flying by the seat of my/your pants” theme, serve with :

Maple Glazed Veggies

100ml dark soy sauce

50ml Maple syrup

1 tsp garlic paste

2 tbsp light olive oil

black pepper

You can choose any veggies you like, here's my choice :

Mange tout – cut in half diagonally

Baby sweetcorn – cut in half lengthways

Carrots – peeled, topped and tailed and cut into batons -

5 cms long x 1cm, as a guide – you'll get approximately

28 batons from 1 large carrot

Red Romano pepper – topped, tailed, de-seeded and

cut into a similar size to the batons

Salad onions – topped and tailed and cut diagonally.

A word of caution – it's important that your veggies are of a similar size so that they cook evenly. Some veggies take longer than others, so, when making your choice bear that in mind.

Heat the oil until hot in a frying pan (or wok) add the salad onions and garlic paste and cook for 1 minute, tossing as you go. Add the baby corn, carrots and red pepper for 2 minutes and then finally add the mange tout for another minute.

Add the soy/maple syrup mixture and toss through the vegetables for another 2 minutes, season with black pepper.

Serve immediately in bowls and top with sliced Miso Maple Glazed chicken.

The food you eat should look appetising, hence the expression “you eat with your eyes”, more than that it has to taste good. I chose the veggies because they ticked all the boxes – eye catching colours, great flavour and great taste. An additional bonus - a carb free speedy lunch or supper.

Here are a couple of photos of the finished dish.

P.S. I know that many of you will know about miso, but, for those that may not, it is Japanese. I'm not going to blind you with science – suffice it to say it's a seasoning in a paste, made from fermenting soybeans with salt and koji, or rice or barley. There are many types but the two most common are white and red. The white is sweet and lighter in taste. The red is aged, darker and a stronger flavour. Probably the most well known miso dish is the soup – it has many other uses, in casseroles and sauces. Its benefits are that it is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals but above all, it tastes great!

Pps.  Another bonus - the miso is organic and gluten-free too!

Class Report

This time I decided to mix it up a bit and “fly by the seat of my pants”.

I know that I'm always suggesting using the humble beetroot and one of my most favourite recipes is Honey Roasted Beetroot. Recently I demonstrated a pie with the beetroot recipe as a side. One of my friends, who has been coming to my classes since they began had clearly missed the previous occasions when I'd used it – she absolutely loved it. So, that set me thinking and here's the result.

Honey Roasted Beetroot

& Goats cheese Crostini

or

Fly by the seat of your pants!

Ciabatta, sliced

Goats' cheese, sliced

Garlic paste, mixed with a glug of olive oil

*Balsamic vinegar – 2 tsp

*Olive oil – 2 tbsp

*Clear honey – 2 tbsp

Cooked beetroot – 500g

Salt and black pepper

*Chopped fresh thyme – 2tsp or a sprinkle

of dried if you can't get fresh

If fresh beetroot is in season, choose beets of a similar size and roast in foil - @ 180f/200c/Gas 6 for an hour and then test, leave to cool, peel and slice thinly.

For speed and/or when beets are not in season, you can use the vac packs you can get in the supermarket - as an indicator I choose beetroot that is approximately the same size – a 300g vac pack gives you 8 small to medium beetroots. Slice thinly but not so that you can see through – don't use the ends of the beets – they won't “sit” on the bread evenly – save them for a salad or a sandwich.

Combine the ingredients marked * above and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange your slices of beetroot in a foil tray, overlapping the slices to a similar size as your slices of ciabatta. Pour your combined ingredients over the beetroot. Roast in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/gas 6 for 10 minutes until the beetroot is sticky and glazed. Set aside.

To assemble your crostini, toast one side of the bread and spread the other, sparingly, with the garlic and oil paste, layer with beetroot and top with goats' cheese. Warm through in the oven for 10 minutes and serve.

I'll save the comments from the Ladies until later, in the meantime, here's a couple of photos

The beauty of this recipe is that you can leave it as it is – an appetiser, or you can scale it up for a lunch or a supper with a side salad.