Another simple dinner

It may not look all that great in the picture (no wonder food stylists get paid a good rate), but this dinner of plaice with a side of couscous and veg tasted pretty scrummy.

The plaice itself was well seasoned and then simply grilled, but it was the couscous and veg that made it special. I cut a couple of courgettes into chunks (quartering the courgettes lengthwise, then chopping them into 1cm-thick bits) and sauteed them in a sparing drizzle of olive oil.

While I was doing that, I also toasted some pine nuts in a dry frying pan (they've got some oil all of their own, so don't need any extra fat) and poured some boiling water over a small bowl of couscous then put a lid over it to let it swell up in the steam (with a stick of cinnamon in along with the couscous to add a bit more flavour).

I then got four or five pickled lemons (an ingredient traditionally used in Moroccan cookery and available in most supermarkets), sliced them into quarters lengthways, removed the pulp and roughly chopped the skins into large dice.

Once the couscous had absorbed the water and was completely tender, I stirred in the sauteed courgettes, the pine nuts, the pickled lemons and a good handful of chopped fresh coriander and a twist of black pepper. Very simple, but very good indeed.

South American steak, with all the trimmings

I bought some lovely rump steak at Borough market the other week: it had been hung for 45 days, so it had loads of flavour and was really tender. I marinated it in some olive oil and crushed garlic for a few hours before slapping it onto the griddle.

I served it with some chimichurri sauce, an Argentine relish. I haven't given specific quantities, because it's the kind of thing that needs to be balanced according to your tastes, and it also depends on how many people you're feeding.

To make chimichurri sauce, mix together:

olive oil
lemon juice
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh coriander, chopped
hot red chillies, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

I served the steak and chimichurri with some corn on the cob (Mark got some butter mashed up with lime zest to spread on his). I also dished up a salad based on quinoa, a kind of nutty-flavoured grain. In my own mind (but possibly nowhere else), this creates a kind of South American flavour to the meal because I based this salad on something I ate in a restaurant in Chile a few years ago. I've been making variations on the theme of nutty grains, herbs, tomatoes and chillies ever since.

Quinoa salad for 4:

a punnet of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
250g quinoa or pearl barley (I used quinoa this time round, but have used pearl barley with great success in the past)
1 chipotle chilli
1 red onion, halved and sliced finely
a big bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
a couple of limes
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 100C. Tip the tomatoes into a roasting tray and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Roast the tomatoes gently for at least a couple of hours, until they've completely softened and have started to caramelise. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Make up the quinoa or pearl barley acccording to the instructions on the packet and set aside to cool.

Soak the chilli in boiling water for half an hour or so, then chop finely.

Mix the quinoa/barley with the tomatoes, chilli, red onion, coriander and avocado. Drizzle with olive oil and the lime juice (start with the juice of one lime and taste before adding more juice). Season and serve.

Dishes that pack a punch (part two)

It got quite cold last week, and I really fancied a nice, warming bowl of chilli con carne. A little bit of what you fancy does you good, even if you are dieting, and even though I know that chilli is a really retro 80s kind of a dish, and therefore a bit naff, I've always been fond of it. Besides, I'm addicted to Chipotle chillies (a Mexican chilli with a smoky flavour that I buy in bulk from The Cool Chile Company), and I use them to liven up both the chilli itself and the guacamole that accompanies it.

Needless to say, Mark's portion was about twice the size of mine – the portion sizes here apply to my portions, not his.

Chile con carne for 6

2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
500g lean beef mince
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large chipotle chilli, soaked in hot water for half an hour, then chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can kidney beans, drained
200g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Warm a scant tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and brown the meat. Remove the browned mince from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Fry the onion gently in the remaining oil until it is soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and chopped chilli, plus the spices. Fry for a further minute.

Tip the meat back in the pan and add the kidney beans, tomatoes and oregano. There should be enough liquid in the pot to keep things moving relatively freely, if not add 100mls or so of chicken or beef stock.

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for an hour or two. Season to taste. Serve with a dollop of guacamole (see recipe below) and a spoonful of half-fat crème fraiche.


Guacamole for two

2 tbsp grated red onion
1/2 chipotle chilli, chopped
2-3 tbsp chopped canned tomatoes
1 avocado
juice of 1 lime
fresh coriander, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the onion, chilli and tomatoes together in a small bowl. Add the avocado, then mush together with the back of a fork – it doesn't matter if everything's a bit lumpy. In fact, lumpiness is part of the beauty of a home-made guacamole – who wants that bland smooth mush that comes in tubs at the supermarket? Stir in the lime juice and coriander and season. Serve as soon as possible, otherwise the avocado has a tendency to turn brown (although that's mitigated somewhat by the lime juice).