Chermoula

 This is a great accompaniment to grilled or fried fish such as mackerel or sardines. It has a fresh vibrant flavour that cuts through the oiliness of the fish. There are many different versions of chermoula, depending on the country or region it comes from. I like to keep my version as fresh as possible with lemon juice, rather than vinegar.

1 clove garlic
10g fresh coriander
10g fresh parsley
1 red chilli (de-seeded)
Half a red onion finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
50ml extra virgin olive oil
5g cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the clove of garlic in a small bowl and pour over just boiled water to cover, leave for 2 minutes before removing and finely chopping

Finely chop the parsley, coriander and chilli

In a pan over medium heat, toast the cumin for 1 minute before roughly crushing ( either with the flat of a knife or with a mortar and pestle)

Place all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine, allow sit for an hour to allow the flavours to infuse

Season to taste before serving

Yorkshire puddings

Saying I love Yorkshire puddings would be an understatement. A traditional Sunday roast accompaniment, but I have been known to have these with gravy for breakfast. I cannot get enough of them. They are not too difficult to make, follow a few simple rules when doing so and they will turn out just fine. This batter recipe can also be used for traditional recipes such as toad in the hole.

This recipe makes 6 Yorkshires, to make more just double the base quantity.

120g flour
2 eggs
300ml milk
Pinch of salt
70ml oil or preferably beef dripping to cook the puddings 

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt
Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into the middle
Add about 50ml of milk
Start to whisk the eggs and milk, use small strokes and do not try and incorporate the flour all at once, otherwise you'll end up with a lumpy mixture
Add the rest of the milk gradually until you have a smooth and thin mixture
Place to one side for 1-2 hours to allow the batter to rest, do not place in the fridge, it needs to be room temperature
Heat the oven to 200c
Take a muffin tin and place 5ml of dripping/oil in each compartment
Place in the oven and heat until the dripping/oil starts sizzling
Remove from the oven and quickly pour the batter into each compartment, filling about 3/4 of the way up
Place back in the oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes until the puddings are risen and golden brown
At no point during the cooking process should you open the oven, it will cause the Yorkshire puddings to fall flat

Chilli and apple jam

I've been making variations of this jam for many years now. Because the chillies do not have a high pectin content the jam is often difficult to set. For many years I struggled with the setting point but I was given some crab apples by a friend and knowing that they have a relatively high pectin content thought it would be good to give them a go in the jam. It certainly helped with the setting and also the flavour too. This jam goes really well with cheeses and makes a great base for chilli dips to accompany spring rolls or Thai fish cakes. 

350g red chillies
350g crab apples or bramley (peeled and cored) 
300ml cider vinegar
700g jam sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

To help set if not using jam sugar 50g powdered pectin 

This makes about five 200g jars of jam

Remove the stalks from the chillies, you can remove the seeds if you like, I prefer a bit of heat, so I leave them in
Place the chillies and the apples in a food processor and pulse until you have a very rough paste, you do not want a smooth paste
Place in a heavy bottomed pan with the vinegar and sugar and on a high heat bring to the boil
Allow to boil until such time as it has reached 105c which is setting point

You can also check the setting point using a plate which has been left in the freezer for about 10 minutes;
Pour a small amount of jam onto the plate and check to see if you can push the jam across the plate and that it wrinkles and does not flood back to where it was

Ensure your jars are clean and both the jars and the lids have been sterilised using hot water or a hot cycle in your dishwasher
Allow the jam to cool slightly and ensure the jars are warm while filling otherwise they may crack
Place the lids on immediately and store in a cool dry place until you wish to use it
The jam will keep for up to a year in a cupboard
Once opened the jam will keep for up to six months in the fridge

Home made ketchup

Everyone has a bottle of ketchup lurking in their fridge, its a universal store cupboard staple. Have you ever considered making your own? Now that tomatoes are in season and full of flavour its a great recipe to have to hand. Nothing beats home made ketchup and it is so easy too. 

1kg tomatoes
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon – about 3cm long
2g freshly grated nutmeg
100g brown sugar
150ml red wine vinegar
5g smoked paprika
10ml maple syrup
Juice half lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 red onion halved
Pepper and salt
50ml olive oil

Method
To prepare the tomatoes, onion and garlic set your BBQ up for indirect cooking at 120c, add some hickory chips for extra flavour
You can also roast the veg in an oven if you don't want to BBQ, 120c (fan) 130c (normal) 
Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil
Cook for 90 minutes in the BBQ or oven

Allow to cool
Roughly chop the onions, garlic and tomatoes
Place the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients in a pan on the stove top and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes
Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced and thickened
Once cool, remove the cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves, you can either blend further to give a smooth sauce or keep it rustic if you like

Pour into sterilised airtight jars, this will keep for up to 3 months in the fridge

Mustard

I sometimes like to make my own mustard. Like many recipes such as these, you think its some long drawn out complicated process and it turns out to be simpler than you think. I did quite a bit of research to look at the various recipes out there, also a trip to Fallot moutarderie while in Beaune was interesting to see their processes. Mustard is made by the addition of liquid (water, vinegar, wine, beer, cider etc...) to mustard seeds and whatever else flavouring you care to add. I generally add 1 and half times the amount of liquid to seeds as they tend to absorb the liquid quite well.

There are three different types of mustard seed and they will produce different results. Yellow/White can pack a lot of heat, brown they tend to have a milder flavour and not so much heat and black which have a good kick and are more bitter in flavour. I tend to use either yellow or brown when making mine. Next up is the liquid, it is pretty much up to you what you'd like to use. When I first made mustard I just went for a basic recipe and used water and a small amount of vinegar. I like to leave the seeds for a few days in the fridge to absorb the liquid. After that you can liquidise the mixture for a smoother mustard or leave it as it is for a rough texture, up to you. 

Here is my recipe for cider vinegar and honey mustard, this one is made using vinegar as the base liquid.

100g brown or yellow mustard seeds or a mixture of both
150ml cider vinegar
20ml honey 

Place the seeds, honey and vinegar in a glass bowl and cover with cling film
Place in the fridge for 3-4 days until they have absorbed all or most of the liquid
Using a hand mixer or food processor pulse the seeds until they form a paste like mixture
Place into a clean sterilised jar with a lid, this will keep for several months in the fridge
I always give the mustard a few days before eating as often it can be a bit bitter after pulsing, the flavours will start to mellow and develop 

Mango chutney

This recipe was born out of necessity. I'd been craving mango chutney for a while but wanted one with a bit of a kick and not too sweet. The varieties I found here in the shops tended to be too sweet and not enough aromatic spices. So like most things since I moved to the land of clogs I decided to make some myself. Naturally this recipe involved a bit of research on traditional recipes and what spices are used, but after some playing around I think I got it to where I wanted it.

4 almost ripe mangoes peeled and roughly chopped
2 red chillies finely chopped
2g fennel seeds
5g garam masala
2g mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
5g cumin
70g caster sugar
100ml white wine vinegar

In a heavy based saucepan roast off the fennel, mustard seeds and cumin for 2 minutes on a medium heat
Add some oil and cook for a further 2 minutes
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes

For those of you using the Magimix CookExpert
First roast off the spices in a separate pan
Next place all ingredients in the metal bowl
Expert programme speed 2A for 15 minutes at 95c or Speed 3A if you want a smoother chutney

Pork, sage and apple stuffing

Pork and apple are a natural flavour combination and with the addition of sage it gives a nice herby hit to the stuffing. I like to combine both streaky bacon and pork shoulder in this stuffing which keeps it moist. I used quite a lot of sage in my recipe as the variety I had was quite mild. Some sage can have quite a strong flavour and can end up overpowering the dish, so if it has a strong aroma, it will be strong in flavour, so just add it little by little. If using dried sage then use it sparingly as that can be quite strong as well.

This serves 10 people or 5 people who like their stuffing. 

200g pork shoulder finely minced
100g streaky bacon finely minced
100g breadcrumbs
20g fresh sage finely chopped (use 10g dried or 10g if the fresh variety is strong)
1 apple grated
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
15ml dijon mustard
10ml oil for frying
2 eggs beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry off the garlic and onion on a low heat in the oil until soft and glossy, place to one side and allow to cool
Place all the ingredients together with the onion and garlic in a bowl and stir well to combine
Season with salt and pepper
To test if there is enough seasoning, fry off a little of the mixture in a pan and taste, add more seasoning if you require
Place the mixture in a 500g loaf tin lined with baking parchment or tin foil and bake in a moderate oven at 160c (fan), 170c (normal) and cook for 50 minutes 
For those of you baking this on your BBQ, set the BBQ up for indirect cooking and at 170c, cook for the aforementioned time

Red onion marmalade

I've been making this recipe for years now. No idea how this recipe came about or where the inspiration came from. 

I always liked grilled goats cheese and this seemed to pair nicely with it. I'm not a prolific jam or chutney maker, but I do like to have something to hand to liven up meats, pates or cheeses.

Red Onion Marmalade

1kg red onions - finely chopped
100ml balsamic vinegar
50ml port or madeira
Salt  and pepper to taste
100g brown sugar
oil for frying

In a thick bottomed pan fry off the red onions until soft on a medium heat
Add the sugar and continue to cook on a medium heat until they start to caramelise
Increase the heat and add the balsamic and port and allow to boil for 1 minute
Decrease the heat and allow to cook and reduce until the mixture has thickened, keep stirring throughout otherwise the mixture will stick to the pot and you will have bitter burned bits
Once reduced and nice and thick add the seasoning, not too much salt as the mixture should have a nice sweet and sour tang
Allow to cool and then pot in sterilised jam jars and let sit for one month before using.
Once opened keep in the fridge.

This goes well with cold meats, pates or my favourite grilled goats cheese on toasted bread.