Week 31- Warming Things Up

What a difference a week makes. Last week I was basking on a sun lounger, seeking shade in restaurants and going to evening barbecues.

This week, a 10 degree drop in temperature, jumpers and jackets coming out of the bottom drawer- and rain!




Time to warm things up- figuratively speaking (as today's recipes all contain spices) and literally - as they are all made out of  re-styled leftovers!

Firstly I have made vegetable samosas, followed by a chicken and vegetable biriyani (two ways) and a ginger tiramisu for pudding.

Leftovers to be used up- cooked veg, chicken pieces, vegetable curry and rice from the freezer, ginger biscuits and apricot jam.

Samosas are a genius way of making about two tablespoons of leftover cooked veg (from Sunday lunch perhaps) feed 6 people as a starter. The only tricky bit is folding the samosa- and once you've mastered that you can soon get a production line going. If you don't want to waste any food, you can always practice using a square paper towel or napkin.

First, make your filling: I had some leftover potato and courgette to use up so that was my base. I fried some mustard seeds, garlic paste, chili paste and ginger paste together in a pan in some oil until the mustard seeds began to pop. Then I added a chopped onion and fried it until soft, then some frozen peas. I worked in a heaped tablespoon of curry powder and then added the potatoes and courgettes (cubed). A little splash of water to moisten and then the filling is ready. Leave it to cool a little before rolling into the samosas.

Cook your filling

For the pastry, I used spring roll wrappers (from the Chinese supermarket) but you can use filo pastry. (In both cases, keep the pack under a damp teatowel whilst you work.)

1. First, fold the edges in to the middle so you have an oblong, three layers thick.
2. Then place a heaped teaspoon of filling into one corner and fold over to cover like a little fat triangle.

Lay filling in one corner

Fold over one corner 

3. Brush the pastry with water as you go to help it to stick
4. Then fold the triangle back upwards, then downwards, then up again until the strip is used up.
5. Seal up, and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet
6. Brush with oil and bake in a moderate oven -180 degrees- until lightly browned. (Much nicer and healthier than fried!)
7. Serve with mango chutney to dip

Fold triangle again upwards

And down again until you reach the end of the strip

3. Brush the pastry with water as you go to help it to stick
4. Then fold the triangle back upwards, then downwards, then up again until the strip is used up.
5. Seal up, and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet
6. Brush with oil and bake in a moderate oven -180 degrees- until lightly browned. (Much nicer and healthier than fried!)
7. Serve with mango chutney to dip

Seal up by brushing with water

 Samosas ready for the oven

Vegetable samosas with mango chutney

I made the biriyani from some leftover vegetable curry and rice - and some marinaded chicken pieces. You can buy either these ready cooked and 'tikka' marinaded or do-it-yourself with some chicken breast marinaded in a tikka paste and then fried in the frying pan.

If you do it that way, lift the chicken out but fry some onion, garlic and ginger paste in the tikka spices in the pan, then add your cooked rice. Stir through quickly and add your vegetable curry and work it in, then add the chicken pieces.

When piping hot (because it is reheated after all), serve in bowls with a yoghurt and mint dip flavoured with a teaspoon of turmeric and some sambals of chopped tomato, cucumber and grated coconut, if you have it.

Chicken and vegetable biriyani

I also took some of the biriyani from the pan and spooned it into a blanched pepper which is then cooked in the oven (along with the samosas). It made a lovely lunch with salad. 

Biriyani stuffed pepper

If you don't have leftover curry in the freezer (and why not?)- I have a recipe for one here:

Use whatever vegetables you like in this veggie curry- I always like sweet potato, and something green like broccoli, beans or peas- but you can use anything, any combination of fresh, frozen, leftover, cooked or tinned. They all work well- even baked beans added in go well. First, fry some chopped onion until soft, add your prepared veg and a good tablespoon or two of curry paste.( I don't have a good enough palate to blend my own spices for indian curry so prefer to use a spice paste.) I use korma - and then mix in coconut milk and stock to make the curry- or rogan (as here) with extra chopped tomatoes and stock.
I put it all in a slow cooker (or casserole) for a good few hours until the veg are soft and the flavours have developed.

Sweet potato curry

Finally- pudding!

This is simple and delicious- and uses up half a jar of jam and biscuits which are threatening to go stale in the biscuit barrel.

Lay a layer of ginger biscuits in the bottom of a dish, moisten with some rum or fruit juice, spread with jam (I used apricot but lemon curd would be good too) and then spread on a layer of whipped cream. Continue to build layers like this and then sprinkle the top with a crushed ginger biscuit.

Chill well in the fridge before serving.

Ginger 'tiramisu'

So, a touch of colour and warmth to brighten up a wet week- a bit like this photo I took of the rain and mist rolling in over the Sussex Downs: