at my table

The weekend is my time to be a kitchen goddess (so I like to imagine). I took no photos during the last few days but I am going to transcribe my recipes regardless because they all worked so very well. Happy tummies all round.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is going vegetable mad this season, and I agree with his thinking ... autumn is the time to break free from the dogma of meat, even if briefly.

Big Baked Mushrooms

1 tsp oil
8 large portabella mushrooms
20g unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
60g mature cheddar, grated

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. lightly oil a roasting tray. Out the mushrooms, open-side onto the tray, dot with butter, scatter over the garlic and season.

Bake for 15 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and juicy. Serve as they are or sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes until golden and bubbling.

And yet another recipe I picked up from Waitrose: don't be put off by their anaemic photo. I used chicken thighs, a packet of lardons and a pheasant from the freezer which i pot roasted in a little red wine, and then cut up into big bites. The pan juices from the pheasant contributed greatly to the dish. Nor did I bother with a pea and bean mix and instead used a swede, cut into little cubes, and a handful of mushrooms that I had in the freezer. I did add the tarragon and the sour cream, for a happy conclusion.

The leftovers worked even better: I reduced the sauce for 10 minutes, dissolving some frozen spinach as it heated. Added to a panful of pasta, more sour cream and a healthy dose of parmesan we quickly scoffed the lot.

I am on a mission to educate my children so make them a different curry every week or so. This is my (and their) favourite so far.

Roopa Gulati's Weekender Lamb Curry, unashamedly copied verbatim from the October edition of Waitrose Kitchen.

1 tsp fennel seeds
3tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 cardamom pods, split
1tsp dried chilli flakes
1 cinnamon stick
3 red onions, grated or very finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
5cm fresh root ginger, grated
750g lamb neck fillet
2 bay leaves
400g can chopped tomatoes
1tsp turmeric
3 green chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 tsp garam masala
250g charlotte  potatoes, halved
175g turnips, peeled and cut into 4cm cubes
350ml chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped coriander

Heat a small frying pan on a medium heat and toast the fennel seeds for about 20 seconds or until they give off a sweet aniseedy scent. Using a pestle and mortar, pound them to a powder and set aside.

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, lidded ovenproof casserole and add the cumin, cardamom, chilli and cinnamon. Stir and fry the spices until they give off a nutty aroma (about 20 seconds)

Add the onions and fry for 10 minutes, stirring often, until goden. Add the ginger, garlic and 75ml water; cook for 1 minutes until the water has evaporated.

Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Tip the lamb and bay leaves into the pan and fry for about 10 minutes until well browned, stirring all the time. Add a dash of water if the meat starts to catch.

Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, green chilies, garam masala, potatoes, turnips and crushed fennel. Simmer for 5-7 minutes til the tomatoes have cooked down.

Pour over the stock, bring to a simmer and cover. Transfer to the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the meat is tender. Scatter with the chopped coriander and served with flatbreads or rice, and some yogurt.

A photo, just because i can.