Chicken Dhansak

I have recently started cooking this delicious curry at home, and whilst it’s a touch too spicy for the girls, it’s a great meal for Glen and I and has fast become one of our favourites.

I originally used this Olive recipe, but have made a few slight adjustments over the last few times of cooking, adding extra spices from research amongst other recipe resources.

Originally four types of lentil were used but I’m sticking with my favourite - the simple red lentil as they do the job, taste great in this dish and what’s more they cook in very little time compared to other types.

I also use chicken thighs as find this meat is always tastier and retains its’ moisture better - but you can use chicken breast if you prefer, and the traditional meat here is actually lamb or mutton.

Serve with rice, naan or just a simple cucumber and tomato salad.

The below serves four.

Chicken Dhansak

Here’s how:

• 300-400g skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 green chillies
• Fresh ginger - about a 3cm long piece
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 3 cardamom pods
• 100g red lentils
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml chicken stock
• Generous handful fresh coriander leaves and stalks

Firstly whizz up the paste by placing the green chillies - seeds and all, peeled ginger and garlic cloves and roughly chopped onion into a blender with a smidge of cold water - I use my Nutribullet for a really smooth paste.

Add the oil to a wok or heavy bottomed pan and place on a gentle heat and add the paste - cook for about ten minutes or until the paste is colouring to brown.

Now add the dried spices and use the knife to bash the cardamom pods up a little, then add to the mix and cook for a further few minutes.

Now add the chicken and cook to colour for a few minutes, then turn each thigh or piece and colour on both sides.

Now add the lentils and stir well to ensure they get a good coating of the base mixture, cook for a minute.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, stir well and allow to gently cook for twenty minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through. They will puff up to almost double their size, so it’ll be easy to tell.

Before serving remove from the heat and stir through half of the coriander and then use the rest as a garnish on top of the dhansak.

Serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

King Prawn Linguine with Chilli and Saffron

This is a delicious prawn pasta dish I've been tweaking over the past couple of years, but this version is just an absolutely winning crowd pleaser. 

If you read posts here often you'll know that as a family, we all love seafood and especially prawns and this has to be my favourite prawn pasta dish, I do make a few variants! 

This can be on the table in less than twenty minutes too - win, win.

For my family of four, I make the same as the below minus the red chilli for the girls, but you could always add a little extra creme fraiche to balance the heat. Make sure a finger bowl and towel is at hand as peeling them can be a little messy especially if the little ones attempt it - I tend to peel their ones for them to save the drama.

King Prawn Linguine with Chilli and Saffron

Here's how:

• 15-18 king prawns, raw and shell-on
• 4 spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 red chilli
• Handful cherry tomatoes
• 400g passata
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Black pepper
• Pinch of saffron strands
• 1-2 tablespoons of creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 300g linguine
• Few sprigs parsley

Firstly boil the kettle or place a large pot of water on the hob to boil for the pasta. Once boiled, add the linguine and cook for 10-11 minutes, or according to the pack instructions.

Now finely slice the spring onions, garlic, and chilli, and throw into a pan with the olive oil on a medium heat.

Now cut the cherry tomatoes in half and throw them into the pan once the onion, garlic and chilli have began to soften.

After two minutes add the saffron, passata and the tomato puree and season generously. Stir, and then allow to bubble away for ten minutes.

Now add the prawns, you will see the pink colour creep up the prawns as they cook, turn over after 1-2 minutes and allow to cook on both sides.

Before draining the pasta, add 1-2 tablespoons of the pasta water to the sauce, this will help to loosen it and coat the pasta well.

Add the pasta to the sauce, still on the heat and mix well. Then finally stir through the creme fraiche - 1 tablespoon is plenty for us, but if you taste to gauge the heat level at this point, you can always add a little more if you'd prefer it slightly less spicy.

Mix through thoroughly, then dish up and add a sprig of parsley to each. Enjoy!

King Prawn Linguine with Chilli and Saffron for the family

If like us you love a prawn dish, here are a few other ideas for you:
Prawn Saganaki
Chilli and Prawn Chorizo Spaghetti
Spanish Prawns with Chorizo and Tomatoes
Prawn and Chorizo Carbonara
Skinny Spicy Breaded King Prawns
Gourmet Seafood Burger
Honey Ginger and Chilli Prawn Stir Fry
Prawn Summer Rolls
Vicky's Special Seafood Stew

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake

My daughters love to cook with me but over all else, they love to bake. This morning, before heading out for the weekly shop, I gave my eldest, Bridget, Mary Berry's Baking Bible to rifle through and select something for us to bake together this afternoon - she chose this Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake.

It is a fairly simple bake and results in a lovely crumbly texture with a rich iced finish. It went down incredibly well in our household - whilst I'm more of a Lemon Drizzle Cake girl, everyone else loves a chocolate cake.

I took this from Mary Berry's Baking Bible in the 'chocolate cakes' section - aside from a couple of very minimal modifications, this is Mary's to the letter.

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake

Here's how:

• 225g softened salted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self raising flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 level tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1.5-2 tablespoons warm water

For the icing:

• 150g dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons water
• 100g butter
• 80g milk chocolate

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a 3 pint ring mould generously. I use a silicon mould as find them easier to remove cakes from after baking that metal tins.

Omitting the cocoa powder and water - place everything else into a mixing bowl and fold in and mix well.

Once everything is well mixed, take a tablespoon and place 1 scooped tablespoon of the cake batter in the mould, and then repeat around the circular mould with small gaps in between each mound of batter. Use about half of the batter - this will help with the marbled effect.

Now pop the cocoa into a tea cup or mug and add the water and mix well, to an almost paste like consistence. Now add this to the remaining cake batter, and spoon over the batter in the gaps and all around until it is all in the mould.

Place the mould onto a baking tray and into the oven for 30-35 minutes. Test with a skewer that the cake is cooked through, and if so remove and leave in the mould for 5-10 minutes to cool a little. Then turn out carefully to cool completely - I place onto a wide chopping board as it's an easy place to ice the cake shortly.

For the icing, break the dark chocolate up and place into a bowl, with the butter and water. Place above a small saucepan of boiling water and allow to slowly melt, stirring with a wooden spoon to help it on its' way.

Once melted, it should have a beautiful glossy sheen to it, then spoon or pour over the cake to completely cover it. Now set aside somewhere cool and allow it to set for about an hour.

For the final part, break the milk chocolate into another bowl, and then place above the saucepan with recently boiled water. Once melted, transfer it to your piping vessel - you can of course use a piping bag, but I don't have much luck with them, so I just used a food bag and snipped a small hole in it.

Then finally drizzle over the cake in any pattern you'd like - the beauty of a homemade cake is the rustic appearance so let the children get involved and go crazy. Enjoy! 

Here are some other cakes and bakes you could attempt with your children as an activity during the holidays:
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Guilt Free Apple Cake
Pig Face Cupcakes
Chocolate Cornflake and Marshmallow Cakes
Banana and Berry Breakfast Muffins
Deliciously Ella Sweet Potato Brownies
Monte Carlos Biscuits
St. Clement's Drizzle Cake

Crab and Asparagus Linguine with Parsley Pangritata

I love any kind of seafood pasta but a crab linguine is one of my favourites, and I find that the simpler the list of ingredients, the better it tends to be.

I make a few variations with tomatoes, some with fennel and all with fresh chilli and garlic but this is one of our favourites and the sauce is a simple amalgamation of the brown crab meat, a splash of white wine, lemon juice and then an egg at the very last second before serving. 

The parsley pangritata acts as a beautiful seasoning and gives a contrasting texture  - it's simple but works so well and is a great family meal.

The below serves four.

Crab and Asparagus Linguine with Parsley Pangritata

Here's how:

• 1 slice of bread
• Handful walnuts
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large dressed crab
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 red chilli
• 1/2 glass of white wine
• 1 lemon
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Handful of asparagus spears
• 1 egg
• 200g linguine

Firstly fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil for the pasta. 

Pop the slice of bread into a toaster or under the grill and lightly toast, then place into a blender. Peel one of the cloves of garlic and pop in the blender too with the walnuts and about two thirds of the parsley then blitz. Once it has become a crumb texture, add to a dry pan on a low heat and toast slightly, turning it over to a very lightly browned colour, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the pack - be careful not to overcook. 

Finely slice the remaining garlic clove and the chilli and add to a further pan with a drizzle of oil on a medium heat. 

Finely slice the asparagus and add to the pan.

Now scoop out all of the brown crab meat and add to the pan, mix slightly. It should cook down quite quickly and look like a bit of a paste, then add the wine and allow this to cook down completely.

While everything is cooking, crack an egg into a small bowl, season generously with salt and black pepper and mix well. Set aside.

Also roll the lemon under the palm of your hand and then cut in half, ready to squeeze the juice over the pasta shortly.

When the pasta is cooked, use a large serving spoon to move two spoonfuls of the pasta cooking water to the crab mixture. This will loosen the sauce and help it to stick to the pasta.

Now drain the linguine, and add to the crab sauce. Give a good stir and ensure all of the pasta is well coated with the mix. 

Squeeze over the lemon and add the white crab meat and last spoonful of parsley, remove from the heat and stir through. 

Then finally add the beaten egg and season one last time. Stir it through and dish up onto a serving bowl or platter, then finally scatter over the pangritata breadcrumb mixture. Enjoy!

A few other pasta dishes:

Chilli and Prawn Chorizo Spaghetti

Bridget's Easy Peasy Cheesy Veg Pasta Bake

Truffled Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle

Prawn and Chorizo Carbonara

Pastitsio

Walnut and Basil Pesto Penne

Creamy Chicken, Tarragon and Lemon Spaghetti

Super Green Pasta Sauce

Easy Salmon Tacos

These are a great, quick and easy standby for a family dinner and they work for everyone - you can simply adjust the seasonings and fresh chilli accordingly.

I can have this meal on the table in a matter of twenty minutes, great for mid-week working days, and I don’t muck around making fresh salsas or guacamole for these nights. 

I add fresh chopped tomatoes, plenty of coriander, mashed avocado, some lettuce leaves and a load of sweetcorn kernels. As we are trying to reduce our ‘naughty’ treats in a bid to shift some weight pre-holiday (me and Glen not the girls) I omit from adding sour cream and instead dress with a little drizzle of 0% fat natural yoghurt. The final result is fresh, fragrant and delicious.

If you want to make them go further you can serve with some coriander rice or a bowl or tortilla chips and guacamole.

The below serves four.

Easy Salmon Tacos

Here’s how:

• Drizzle of vegetable or rapeseed oil
• X4 salmon fillets
• X4 tortilla wraps
• 2 tbsp All Purpose Seasoning (I use Dunne’s River)
• Handful lettuce leaves (I used pea shoots here but anything works)
• 3 tomoatoes
• 1 avocado 
• 2 tbsp cooked sweetcorn kernels
• Handful coriander
• 1 lime
• Few jalapeno pepper slices

Firstly coat the salmon flesh and skin side with the all purpose seasoning.

Drizzle the oil in a non-stick pan and place on a medium heat. Once it is has come up to temperature add the salmon fillets, skin-side down and cook for 6 minutes.

Now prepare the accompaniments.

Firstly place the four tortilla wraps into the microwave and cook for 20-30 seconds then place them all, with a fold on the middle hanging over some cans or bottles to try and get them in ‘taco shape’. It doesn’t matter if this doesn’t work and it doesn’t always.

Now roughly chop the tomatoes and the lettuce leaves and set aside.

Halve the avocado, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh and place into a small bowl. Mash with a fork and season with sea salt.

Prepare the sweetcorn - I use tinned so this is just a case of opening and draining.

Once the salmon has had the six minutes, you should see the colouration of the fish at the sides, it should almost be there. I then turn the fish to cook on the flesh side for 1 minute - but if you like your salmon more cooked through, increase this time accordingly.

Remove the salmon fron the pan and place on a board to rest for a minute. In the meantime, start building your tacos.

Easy Salmon Tacos

I begin by smearing on a spoonful of smashed avocado down the centre of each, then adding the lettuce, tomatoes and sweetcorn.

Now cut the salmon fillets into 3-4 pieces and place onto each taco, then finally top with as much coriander as you’d like, a squeeze of the lime juice and jalapenos for those who’d like them. Squeeze over a little low fat yoghurt 

or go nuts and have sour cream. Enjoy!

Pork Fillet in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This is a lovely comforting family meal that can be whipped up in no time at all and is versatile enough to be served with mashed potato, rice or simply with a ton of vegetables or salad leaves.

Pork fillet is fairly economical these days too and is leaner than other parts of the pig, but still has a great flavour.

I add just a light drizzle of truffle oil at the end of the cooking process here for a touch of decadence and whilst it takes less then 30 minutes to prepare and cook, this family meal really does feel quite special.

I used double cream here simply as I had it in stock, but you could use a lighter creme fraiche or sour cream here to lighten the calorie / fat intake.

I used chestnut mushrooms for the same reason - if you are able to get hold of some wild mushrooms, this will intensify the flavour here.

The below serves a family of four.

Pork Fillet in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Here’s how:

• Tiny drizzle of oil
• Pork fillet (about 300g is sufficient)
• 250 chestnut mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Splash of white wine
• 200ml double cream
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Handful fresh parsley
• Drizzle of truffle oil

Firstly place on a low heat a drizzle of olive or vegetable oil in a non-stick pan.

Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to gently saute.

Now roughly slice the mushrooms and set aside for the moment.

Roughly chop the parsley and set this aside for the end.

Now cut the pork into little medallions of meat, about 1-2cm thick and then season generously on both sides with salt and black pepper.

Once seasoned, add them to the pan and allow to brown on one side, which should only take a few minutes and them turn to cook the other side. You’ll see once the meat is cooked as the colour of the little medallions shifts.

Once the meat is cooked through add in the mushrooms with the dried thyme for a couple of minutes, stirring them around to ensure they get a little sauteeing, but don’t over cook.

Add the splash of white wine and as soon as that has cooked away, add the cream and season again.

Allow this to gently cook down for five- seven minutes, remove from the heat, drizzle over the truffle oil and stir through the fresh parsley and serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Here's a couple of other pork recipes:

Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips

Middle Eastern Roast Pork with Roasted Roots and Yoghurt Dip

Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce

Skinny Mexican Pork Cheeks

Pork Souvlaki with Baked Feta

Roast Pork Shoulder with Crispy Crackling

Pork Cheeks Braised with Cider and Apples

Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant, Deal

I recently spent a couple of days with the girls and my Mum at her caravan in Deal, on the Kent coast.

As this is a fairly new purchase for my Mum, we are still exploring the town and local restaurant scene, however one that keeps drawing us back is the Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant. My Mum has been to this one in Deal one three times now and Glen and I enjoyed a fantastic fish and chips in the Dover outpost of the small independent chain back in March with the girls – you can see below how appetising it looked, and after a day in the cold and wet Betteshanger Park followed by a beach stroll in Dymchurch it really hit the spot.

Fish & Chips at Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant, Dover

In June however, we enjoyed a meal at the Deal branch of Hythe Bay. We know they source their fish locally and it has always been good each time.

We visited early on a Friday evening, which as those with children will appreciate, is an easier time to eat and be served without too much fuss before the witching hour begins.

Mum and I shared a fritto misto di mare between us – basically a selection of fried seafood including whitebait, cockles, calamari and prawns in a deliciously light batter and served with a garlic aioli. One of our favourites and reminded us of our recent trip to Kefalonia where we had a similar dish often.

Whilst we enjoyed our starter, the girls meal arrived – cod goujons with chips and peas. One children’s meal is sufficient to share for children of their age (3.5 and 1) and they really enjoyed their meal too. A far cry from pub-grub fish fingers, these are delicious and fresh fish goujons, and I would have happily eat them myself.

Although we were in a seafood restaurant, Mum couldn’t resist one of the specials on the menu – calves liver and bacon, she’s a stickler for the old school classics and she enjoyed it immensely. It came with creamy mash and a red wine jus and she said if there were any complaints it would be that the liver was over-cooked a little to her taste, and there could have been more of the red wine jus, but she ate it happily.

Calves Liver & Bacon, Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant

I opted for half a lobster cooked with a garlic butter and served with chips and salad. The lobster meat was cooked perfectly; sweet and tender and complemented greatly by the garlic butter which acted as a great dip for the accompanying chips. A rather decadent meal for a modest price of around £15.

Lobster in Garlic Butter with Chips & Salad, Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant

The girls’ meal came with two scoops of ice cream, which the restaurant staff were more than accommodating enough to put into two bowls so we had two very happy little girls who enjoyed a great two course meal.

Ice Cream @ Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant, Deal

Bea enjoying her ice cream at Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant

Mum and I had a bottle of the Chillean Sauvignon Blanc, which was a lovely light and crisp wine with the meal and really complemented the lobster.  

The full meal was around £70 for the four of us with drinks and two courses a piece, which was well worth it.

I’m sure we’ll be getting to know the staff at The Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant in Deal more as the season wears on. It’s a great restaurant, with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The décor is very much seaside chic on the upscale side, but with comfortable and reasoning price points. A great location for family meals.

Hythe Bay Seafood Restaurant is situated on 41-45 Beach Street in Deal and is open 10am-9:30pm seven days a week.