Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1kg (2lb 3oz) onions,
8 green cardamom pods
5 black cardamoms
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
75g (2 ½ oz) ginger (weight before peeling)
4 medium sized green chillies
2 tsp each of ground cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander and paprika
1 tsp salt
30g (1 oz) butter
1.2kg (2lb 10oz) chicken breast, skin removed
300g (10 ½ oz) frozen peas
140ml (9tbsp) Greek yoghurt
1 x 390g tub or tin of chopped tomatoes
juice of 1 lemon or lime
small bunch of coriander
600g (1 lb 5oz) pilau rice
1.2 litres water
a few strands saffron
100g (3 ½ oz) almonds, blanched (skins removed)

Equipment

Very large non-stick pan with a lid
Sieve for washing rice

Method

The first stage is to prepare all your ingredients, in the following ways:
• Peel and chop the onion
• Measure out the spices into a bowl
• Peel and grate or crush the garlic and ginger and chop the chilli
• Weigh out the peas
• Chop the chicken into cubes, approximately 2 cm square
• Wash the coriander very well to remove any grit
• Wash the rice in a sieve several times with cold water
• Toast the almonds under a relatively low grill – keep a close eye on these as they may begin to burn quickly.

Heat vegetable oil in the large non-stick pan until quite hot, keeping on a medium to high heat: add onions, bay leaves and both types of cardamoms and fry for 10 minutes until they are getting quite brown.

Add garlic and ginger, turn the heat down a little and fry for 3 minutes more.

Remove a third of the onions from the pan and set aside.

Add spices and salt and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add butter and allow melting slightly, and then adding the chicken and cook, stirring until sealed.

Add in yoghurt and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 mins.

Then add the rice and stir gently to avoid breaking down the pieces of meat.

Add water, saffron and peas, bring back to the boil, cover, turn down to as low heat as possible, and simmer for between 20 and 35 minutes. Check it after 20 minutes of cooking and taste it. If it tastes too spicy, add limejuice or more yoghurt.

Once most of the water has cooked off, sprinkle with limejuice, coriander and the reserved fried onions and almonds (if using).

You can listen to this recipe’s podcast on the player or alternatively you can save the mp3 by right clicking and “saving as” on the download link below.

Ingredients

160g (5 ½ oz) plain flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground allspice
75 ml vegetable oil
90 ml clear honey
25g (1 oz) brown sugar
75g (2 ½ oz) caster sugar
1 egg
70 ml tea
1tbs dessert wine, liquor or milk
35g flaked almonds, sesame seeds or ground hazelnuts
a little butter or margarine, melted, for greasing the tin

Equipment

2 lb loaf tin (8.5 x 11.5 x 9 cm)

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 centigrade.

Grease the tin with the melted butter or margarine and either line with greaseproof paper or dust with flour.

Make a cup of black tea the usual size and strength that you would make a cup of tea.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices.

Stir in the two types of sugar with a fork.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg until it is slightly frothy.

Make a well in the centre of the sifted dry ingredients, pour in the oil, honey, whisked egg, tea and dessert wine, liquor or milk. Stir the mixture until smooth. Pour into the tin, sprinkle with almonds/sesame seeds/ground hazelnuts.

Cover the tin with tin foil, put in to the preheated oven and cook, covered for 40 minutes and then take off the tin foil (use oven gloves as it will be hot) and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, uncovered.

You can listen to this recipe’s podcast on the player or alternatively you can save the mp3 by right clicking and “saving as” on the download link below.

Ingredients

50g ground almonds
50g chopped hazelnuts or chopped nuts
280g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
70g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla essence
A pinch salt
200g unsalted butter, softened
8 tbsp raspberry jam
100g icing sugar
A little extra butter (approx 30g for greasing the tins)

Equipment

2 large flat baking tins
Grease-proof paper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 centigrade.

Grease 2 large baking tins with butter, line with grease-proof paper and then grease the grease-proof paper.

Place all ingredients together in a bowl and mix together with your hands until it forms a smooth dough.

Divide the dough mixture in half and shape half into ‘thimble’ shapes and half into ‘crescent’ shapes as follows:

‘Thimbles’ (also known as ‘thumbprint cookies’)

Roll the first half of the dough into little balls, each about the size of a nutmeg, and then shape these into little thimble shapes (which also look a bit like a very crudely shaped cup – like a cave man might have) by pressing your finger into the middle of the ball.

Then gently press down each ‘thimble’ to make it slightly lower in height and place these on the greased baking tray, at least 5cm apart from the next ‘thimble’.

Dredge (sprinkle) these with icing sugar using a sieve or tea strainer.

Then put your raspberry jam in a pan on the hob and heat gently until it is more liquidy, spoon a little dollop of jam into the hole in the middle of each biscuit.

Place these in the preheated oven and for 15-20 minutes

‘Crescents’ (known as ‘vanillekipferl’ in Germany)

Shape the other half of the dough into little crescent shapes about 1 inch across. Place these on the other greased baking tray, at least 5cm apart from the next ‘crescent’.

Dredge (sprinkle) these with icing sugar using a sieve or tea strainer.

Place these in the preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes

You can listen to this recipe’s podcast on the player or alternatively you can save the mp3 by right clicking and “saving as” on the download link below.

Ingredients

350ml cold water
1 stick cinnamon
3 pieces of lemon peel, peeled length-ways from a lemon
500ml red wine (2/3 bottle wine)
50g sugar
4 cloves

Method

Pour the water into a large pan and add spices and lemon peel.

Place the pan on the heat and heat gently until the water begins to boil. Once boiling, simmer for approximately 2 minutes.

Turn the heat down, add the sugar to the water and stir to melt. Then add the wine and continue heating on a low heat for about 10 minutes, as long as it takes for the mixture to get hot again. The most important thing is to be very careful not to boil the mixture after the wine has been added.

Serve in thick glasses (that don’t look like they will break under the heat of the Gluwein) or cups.

You can listen to this recipe’s podcast on the player or alternatively you can save the mp3 by right clicking and “saving as” on the download link below.

Ingredients

Dough:
375g plain flour, sieved
150ml warm water
3 tablespoon golden caster sugar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10g dried yeast
Pinch of salt

The rest:
600g blackberries
Extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons golden caster sugar
3 tablespoons fennel seed

Method

Sieve the flour into a heap on the worktop and make a well.

Dissolve the yeast in the water and mix in the sugar, salt and olive oil. Pour into the well and mix in with the flour. Knead for at least 15 minutes and then place in a bowl, covered with a damp tea towel (and preferably in a warm spot) for an hour (minimum).

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Knock back the dough and divide into two.

Press out half the dough onto a baking tray (greased with olive oil).

Cover with half the fruit and sprinkle with 1.5 tablespoon of sugar, 1.5 tablespoons of fennel seeds and some oil.

Cover with the remaining dough, crimp the edges and repeat.

Bake for around 40 minutes, leave to cool and serve.

You can listen to this recipe’s podcast on the player or alternatively you can save the mp3 by right clicking and “saving as” on the download link below.