Tag: potato

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food: saag aloo a la Hugh

I kind of invented this by mistake. Supplies were running down in the fridge and I found the ingredients below, assembled them into a version of saag aloo a la Hugh. I’m sure it’s breaking every rule in Indian cuisine by adding the rashers, but I suppose you could omit them if you want to make it vegetarian. Anyway, it’s delicious by itself. Really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 kg baby potatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion
2 tbsp curry paste
1/4 tsp salt
two large handfuls spinach uncooked (I have big hands)
5 back rashers
large bunch of coriander chopped roughly, stalks and all
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Method:
Chop the baby potatoes into cubes or crescents and steam for about ten minutes. Meanwhile chop the onion, garlic and rashers and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil or ghee if you have it for a few minutes in a heavy casserole or pot. Add the curry paste and keep everything on the move. Add the spinach. Toss in the can of tomatoes and bring everything up to a simmer. Then toss in the potatoes and stick a lid on your casserole and cook for another couple of minutes until the potatoes are tender. I poured in a few tbsps of the cooking liquor from the steamer. Season with the salt.

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saag aloo reinvented

I kind of invented this by mistake. Supplies were running down in the fridge and I found the ingredients below, assembled them into a version of saag aloo a la Hugh. I’m sure it’s breaking every rule in Indian cuisine by adding the rashers, but I suppose you could omit them if you want to make it vegetarian. Anyway, it’s delicious by itself. Really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 kg baby potatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion
2 tbsp curry paste
1/4 tsp salt
two large handfuls spinach uncooked (I have big hands)
5 back rashers
large bunch of coriander chopped roughly, stalks and all
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Method:
Chop the baby potatoes into cubes or crescents and steam for about ten minutes. Meanwhile chop the onion, garlic and rashers and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil or ghee if you have it for a few minutes in a heavy casserole or pot. Add the curry paste and keep everything on the move. Add the spinach. Toss in the can of tomatoes and bring everything up to a simmer. Then toss in the potatoes and stick a lid on your casserole and cook for another couple of minutes until the potatoes are tender. I poured in a few tbsps of the cooking liquor from the steamer. Season with the salt.

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food: curried cauliflower & potato soup

A warming soup for late Autumn. Not the most attractive soup you’ve ever seen, but blessed with restorative properties like its counterpart, Chicken Soup. The turmeric is an attempt to make its colour a little less wan.

INGREDIENTS

  • half a cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 medium/large potatoes, peeled & diced
  • 1 head of garlic, roughly chopped. Yes, a whole head.
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp each of coriander, cumin & fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp each of turmeric & chilli flakes
  • 1 heaped tsp hot curry powder (or to taste)
  • 1.5 litres good quality stock

METHOD

In a large pot soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add the cauliflower florets and potato. Throw in the various seeds, turmeric, chilli flakes and curry powder and allow to cook for a few minutes more before adding the stock. It should smell amazing. Bring up to a slow boil and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are all cooked through. Then pass the soup through a blender to pulverise the lumps (but not to the extent that it’s creamed) and return to the heat.

Serve in white bowls with hunks of bread.

And for those of you brave enough, you could try adding a bit of stilton or gorgonzola, something a bit blue from the cheese department for that extra bite.

Posted on

curried cauliflower & potato soup

A warming soup for late Autumn. Not the most attractive soup you’ve ever seen, but blessed with restorative properties like its counterpart, Chicken Soup. The turmeric is an attempt to make its colour a little less wan.

INGREDIENTS

  • half a cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 medium/large potatoes, peeled & diced
  • 1 head of garlic, roughly chopped. Yes, a whole head.
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp each of coriander, cumin & fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp each of turmeric & chilli flakes
  • 1 heaped tsp hot curry powder (or to taste)
  • 1.5 litres good quality stock

METHOD

In a large pot soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add the cauliflower florets and potato. Throw in the various seeds, turmeric, chilli flakes and curry powder and allow to cook for a few minutes more before adding the stock. It should smell amazing. Bring up to a slow boil and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are all cooked through. Then pass the soup through a blender to pulverise the lumps (but not to the extent that it’s creamed) and return to the heat.

Serve in white bowls with hunks of bread.

And for those of you brave enough, you could try adding a bit of stilton or gorgonzola, something a bit blue from the cheese department for that extra bite.