Talking of Tagines

… which I know we weren't, but in a roundabout sorta way we were - the tagine is a cooking pot used for slow cooking meat and vegetables.

The North African tagine is smaller and shallower than the Middle Eastern which is larger and deeper.

This slow cooking method is similar to stewing except that we would generally stew meat and vegetables in liquid – i.e. water or stock. The tagine is so shaped – it has a distinctive tall, conical shaped lid, so that the water formed from the ingredients turns into vapour, running down the sides of the conical lid inside, to the edges of the base ingredients. The meat and/or vegetables brown which you would not get with the stewing method where the ingredients are submerged in water.

The tagine was generally made out of clay or earthenware and sat cooking gently over a fire with the heat dispersing evenly all around the tagine – the end result is a naturally reduced sauce.

These cooking vessels were used for centuries before such luxuries as ovens. Which begs the question – when you consider how small a tagine is – what happens when there's a party – good question – answer – cook the food in giant pots, made out of copper, aluminium or stainless steel and you can buy or rent – known as “qdra”.

With “street” and “souk” food the stews are cooked in saucepans as they are in the poorer areas and more remote countryside too - known as “marqa”.

The word nowadays, though completely incorrect, has come to mean the contents of the pot, i.e. a stew in its various forms, for example - “M'quali” are cooked in oil and containing saffron and ginger and the sauce is yellow. “M'hammer” are cooked in olive oil or butter and spiced with cumin and paprika and the sauce is red.

So, in restaurants the “tagines” or “stews” are made in the larger pots and then transferred to the smaller tagines to serve at table.

If you are a lover of the sweet and savoury combination of flavours then this is the cuisine for you since the “stew” is very often enhanced with either apricots, dates, prunes and/or honey – I could go on!

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!