Tag Archives: Midweek Meals

Beef Kofta Feast

February 23, 2016 Alyson Brooker Leave a comment

I may have told you this before, but there is nothing I love more than some sort of delicious meat served up with a dip or chutney, flatbreads and salad. I don’t know if it’s the spice or the contrast in textures or the DIY element, but this mini feast has given me some of my very favourite ‘a little bit of what you fancy’ suppers. These lovely little beef koftas are packed with flavour, and if you cook them just right they’re be deliciously juicey too. A great light alternative to a burger or a kebab, as well as being something a little different to make with that packet of beef mince. You could even make mini versions to serve up with a dip at a party, if you were of a mind.

You will need (to make 4 koftas to fee 2 greedy souls)

500g beef mince

1/2 onion

clove garlic

2cm piece ginger

1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

black pepper

1/2 tsp dried parsley

dash Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp ground cumin

medium pot Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

dash lemon juice

pinch salt

salad vegetables of your choice

flatbreads or pitta – I used wholemeal pitta, which keep really well in the freezer

Wooden or metal skewers

1 Chop the onion and grate the garlic and ginger.

2. Add the olive oil to a small saucepan over a medium heat. Once it’s warm, throw in the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until translucent – don’t give it too much heat as you don’t want it to burn. Set aside and allow to cool when ready.

3. Bring the mince out to room temperature around half an hour before you want to use it if possible so it isn’t too fridge chilly. Try to use good quality mince – it’ll be less fatty, taste better, and be better for you – and a little goes quite a long way with all the accompaniments you’ll add in. Preheat the oven to 180c.

4. Add the cooled onion-garlic-ginger mixture to your mince I a large bowl, then add the ketchup, mustard, parsley, 1 tsp cumin, pepper and Wprcestershire sauce.

5. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty here -just make sure they’re nice and clean in the first place. Mix everything together well with your hands and you’ll be left with this lovely beefy mixture.

6.Now, grab your skewers! I use wooden ones, so I make sure to soak them in water beforehand so that they won’t catch in the oven. Grab a quarter of the mixture and form it into a sort of thick sausage shape in your hand. Place the skewer in the middle then close your hand around the meat, squeezing it tightly onto the skewer.

7. Repeat with the remaining mince mixture and set the koftas out on a foil lined baking tray and stick them in the oven. They should take around 20 minutes, but check after 15 and turn over.

8. Now put together a lovely, fresh, crunchy vibrant salad which will give a nice contrast to that meat, yoghurt and bread.

9. Get your little pot of yoghurt ready. You have two options here: do things properly and set out a lovely dip bowl for your yoghurt, or just mix it up in the yoghurt pot – which is what this scruffy girl went with (less washing up!).

10. Chuck in the spices, salt and lemon juice, and mix, mix, mix.

11. Remove the koftas from the oven when they’re ready to serve up.

12. Toast your pittas (a toaster works just fine) and serve everything up with plenty of napkins!

13. Enjoy your messy feast!

Recipes

Mango Prawns

January 18, 2016 Alyson Brooker Leave a comment

Mangoes – once you’ve worked out a system to remove their stones and peel them, that is – are really rather delicious. They look and taste like sunshine; juicy but not too citric, beautiful in a fruit salad, delightful grilled, and nourishing puréed. We love mangoes. As it’s winter, I thought I ought to find a new way to put these to work to brighten up my supper, and this, rather satisfying little thing, is the result. Serve with noodles or rice and enjoy.

To feed one, you will need:

1/2 onion

1/2 red pepper

5 or 6 florets of broccoli cut into smaller sprigs for better cooking

1/2 ripe, fresh mango

Handful uncooked King prawns

1 clove garlic

3 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Dash lime juice

Splash groundnut oil

1. The first thing to do is make the marinade for the prawns. Grate the garlic into a bowl and add in the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and lime juice. If you don’t have sweet chilli sauce, just use a teaspoon of honey and a dash of sriracha or some chilli flakes.

2. Prepare the prawns by cleaning them and making sure there are no nasties still attached (which is actually the most time consuming part!). Dab off with some clean kitchen towel and set them in the marinade to have a nice time. Get the rice on or ready the noodles to go on in 10 minutes.

3. Slice the onion, pepper and broccoli and add to a large pan or wok which had a little groundnut oil heating in the bottom. Turn down to a medium heat so the vegetables are softening, not burning. Cook until the onion is soft, and the broccoli is just about done.

4. Slice the mango into chunks,being sure to remove any skin, and add this to the pan right before the prawns are ready to go in, so that it is just heated through rather than cooked.

5. Push the veg to one side of the pan then add a little more groundnut oil. Give it time to heat then place the prawns in the oil. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and give them a quick stir.
6. After a minute or so, check if the prawns have cooked on the first side – they should be a nice healthy pink.
7. Turn the prawns, cook until pink on the other side, then mix in with the vegetables and mango. Give it 30 seconds to come through the heat again and serve.

I served mine with some jasmine rice, but you do you!

Healthy, Recipes

Warm Sesame Salmon Salad

October 6, 2015 Alyson Brooker 3 Comments

There are some evenings you just need something light and healthy for supper. The problem with salad is that it can often be dull and uninspiring, but adding in different textures and flavours can really elevate a salad to something much more filling and luxurious, without necessarily adding carbs. This protein- packed warm salad is a perfect example.

You will need:

A handful of lettuce

1 medium carrot

1/2 large red pepper

Chopped cucumber, a piece about 3 inches is a good starting point

Any other vegetables you love to add to a salad! I know I’m not normal but I can’t deal with raw tomatoes, so feel free to add them liberally if that’s your bag…

1 egg, soft boiled (I aim for 4 minutes on a rolling boil, then immediately cool in cold water before peeling and slicing)

1 salmon fillet

1 clove garlic, grated

1 knob ginger, grated

1 tsp honey

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp shaohsing rice wine vinegar

1 tsp chilli sauce or sriracha

Couple of drops sesame oil

Couple of drops lemon juice

1 heaped tsp sesame seeds

1. Prepare the marinade by mixing together the wet ingredients, including the garlic and ginger.

2. Set the salmon in a piece of foil and drench in the marinade. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so.

3 Preheat the oven to 180c and prepare the vegetables and boiled egg, if you haven’t already done so, adding the cooled egg slices to the salad and getting some really beautiful colours! Now you’re getting excited about that salad!

4. Just before putting the salmon in the oven, sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top, and bring the sides of he foil in towards the salmon so it’s in a little foil basket. This will help to prevent the marinade burning.

6. Bake in the oven for around 8 minutes, or until just cooked, then remove from the oven and flake with a fork. Add to the top of the salad, pouring out any excess marinade as a sort of warm dressing, and enjoy!

Brookers of Blunty's

Tag Archives: Midweek Meals

Beef Kofta Feast

Mango Prawns

Warm Sesame Salmon Salad

Common Sense recipes for everyday eating