Tag: #familyfood

My Desi Keema Pie (a twist on Shepherds Pie)
Alliyah Dawud
April 5, 2019

I love old Skool family meals and for me Shepherds Pie screams not just comfort food but good family grub. Although pies are linked to Autumn and colder days I feel pies are great even in Spring…when the weather is warming up.

Since I can remember I have added tweaks to classics; however I brand them or let folk know that this is a variation of the classic. Perhaps the purest in me couldn’t face classics being destroyed.

Anyhow I love spice. Show me how spicy you like it baby and I’m likely to match it or go large on you.

This is my ‘desi’ aka spicy take on Shepherds Pie. I find a bit of spice helps warm me up super quick in colder months. Of course you could omit the spices and make an awesome classic as it would have been make back in the day pre-Alliyahism.

To serve 4/6

Ingredients:
500 grams mutton mince (Or beef/lamb/sheep whatever you use)
2 medium onions finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic-crushed
1 piece of ginger-whole (you will fish this out before baking)
2 medium carrots peeled and sliced (not too thick as you want them to cook through. You could also finely chop them if you wish)
80 grams peas (I use Petite Pois)
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
150 ml water
1 tablespoon Rapeseed oil
1 level tablespoon salt
1 level tablespoon cumin
1 level tablespoon coriander seed powder
1 piece of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

For the mash:
750 grams potatoes peeled and cubed
Low carb alternative (this is a bit more grainy in texture):
300 grams cauliflower, 200 grams parsnips 250 grams potatoes
4-5 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (or a little bit more)
Salt-to taste

1) Boil the potatoes as you usually would. If you making the low carb version you need to peel and chop up the parsnips and potatoes and boil til tender. Boil or steam the cauliflower separately. Once cooked mashed with the milk, butter and salt.
2) Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes (watch that the garlic doesn’t burn).
2) Add the spices and stir well. Add the mince once you can smell the spices. Fry for 5 minutes. If you find that the mince is catching onto the bottom of the pan add two tablespoons of water.
3) Add the carrots, water and the tinned tomatoes. Bring the mince up to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally. If you find that the pie mix is too dry (I find this can happen depending on the quality of the mince) add some extra water. If you end up with too much you can crank up the heat, remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate.
4) Turn the heat off and remove the ginger. Add the peas. Stir well.
5) Place the mince in an ovenproof dish and add the mashed potato. Place in the oven at 160 for 35 minutes.
6) Serve. I serve ours with baked beans and chili sauce.

Leftovers can be frozen. Due to the spices this pie tastes awesome the next day…for the record.

If you freeze leftovers always wrap them well.

Awesome Meatloaf and Pasta
Alliyah Dawud
March 15, 2019

Sometimes you don’t want a mince based pasta sauce and you certainly don’t have the patience to make meatballs. That’s when this winning meal comes in.

Meatloaf are a popular staple of many families Stateside. To explain what a Meatloaf is it’s literally what is says on the tin. It’s that simple.

I love meatloaf; its a simple humble meal you can tweak to your own desires. I serve mine with spaghetti and a simple sauce.

Why not get the children to mix the Meatloaf mixture?

Enjoy.

To serve 4/6) people….

Ingredients:
500 grams mince (I use lamb/mutton etc)
2 onions fried until soft
2 TBSP italian seasoning (herb mix) OR
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed black pepper
Salt-to your taste
Optional: 1 tsp chili flakes (if you like it hot)
I egg
4 TBSP breadcrumbs
1 ball of mozerella cheese

For the sauce:
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 carton passata
2 TBSP rapeseed oil
1 large onion diced (or two smaller onions; diced)
6 cloves of garlic; crushed
2 TBSP Italian seasoning (herb mix) or
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed black pepper
Salt-to your taste
Juice of one lemon (I feel it brings out the flavours of all the ingredients so if you don’t fancy it leave it out).

1) To make the Meatloaf:
Mix together all of the Meatloaf ingredients (apart from the cheese). Shape into a loaf and place in an ovenproof dish.

2) To make the sauce:
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions. Fry until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, black pepper and herbs. Try for 2 minutes on a low heat (FYI: burnt garlic tastes horrendous).
3) Turn the heat back up to a medium flame. Add the tomatoes, passata and salt. Stir. Bring up to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add the lemon juice.
4) To complete the Meatloaf: Cover the Meatloaf with 1/4 of the pasta sauce and add the cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven at 150 for 50 minutes.
5) To serve: Stir the sauce (the 75% you have left) through the pasta and serve with the Meatloaf. Squirt over the lemon. Enjoy!

Notes:

Meatloaf freezes well. Cut into slices, wrap up well and freeze.

To change things up: add chopped up olives, chopped up sun dried tomatoes and zest of a lemon.

You could also add a layer of cheese in the ‘middle’ of the meatloaf. Oh the possibilities!

My Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Low carb Soup.
Alliyah Dawud
March 8, 2019

When I switched my diet to low carb I started to notice exactly how many dishes contain carbs…soups with pasta being one of them. So one day I got thinking and came up with this soup that I have to admit I really really like. Packed with lots of protein it’s pretty amazing really. It also uses my browned mince hack that helps cut prep time on the day no end.

Now this is a recipe INSPIRED by Bolognese (the American-Italian pasta sauce). Note that I have added cannelloni beans. You can however use any beans that you feel fit your taste buds.

Even my daughters love it. So to add carbs to their meals I add cooked pasta. The oldest takes this to School with her Thermos (apparently the other kids wanted to know what the awesome smell was-result).

As you can see from the ingredients list I have my ‘mince hack’ on there which is mince browned with onions.

This soup tastes awesome to the last drop. It’s that good.

If you want to serve this to the family and want to add pasta then that’s cool too. I didn’t miss the lack of carbs so doubt anyone else would…enjoy.

PS: you can switch the mince for Quorn mince and make it vegetarian.

To serve 4/6

Ingredients:
500 grams browned mince (with onion and garlic)
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes
1 carton of passata
125 ml of water
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix (or x1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme)
Salt-to taste
Handful of kale
80 grams sliced mushrooms
1 can white cannellini beans rinsed and drained (or use any pulse you wish)

1) Place all the ingredients APART from the kidney beans in a Slow Cooker and cook on a high heat for 2 hours. Stir half way.
2 Add the kidney beans 15 minutes before the end cooking time.
3) Turn off the Slow Cooker and serve.

Cumin and Onion Rice aka Simple Pulaw (Pulao)
Alliyah Dawud
March 1, 2019

Sometimes I crave a simple warm homely rice dish but don’t want a heavy protein meal. And the desi in my needs a bit of heat…once in a while. And if I am to let carbs past my lips the food best be worth it….and this dish is worth it.

This rice dish is awesome with pretty much any curry and I love it with tarka daal, coriander and lemon potato curry..everything.

It’s a simple straight forward dish…and doesn’t call for millions of new ingredients.

To serve 4 (or six…) you’ll need:

Ingredients:
250 grams of basmati rice (once you weigh out the rice you’ll need to work out their measurement in volume. Place the rice in a glass and write it down. You then double that amount to work out how much liquid you need to cook the rice. So I and a half glasses of uncooked rice will require 3 glasses of water to cook using the method I used below).

3 tbsp oil (I use rapeseed oil)
2 large onions sliced thinly
1 TBSP salt
1.5 tbsp cumin seeds
1 heaped tbsp garam masala
1 heaped tbsp crushed coriander seed powder
Stock or water to cook the rice (to keep the dish veggie friendly just use water or vegetable stock)
1 dried red chili
1 piece of cassia bark
3 medium green chilies-pricked with a folk to avoid them exploding (optional)

1) wash the rice and set aside. Yes we desi folk wash our rice before we cook it.
2) Take a large pot and heat it up over a medium heat. Add the oil.
3) Add the sliced onion and fry until golden brown (not dark brown and don’t burn the onions you’ll be able to taste it!).
4) Add the cumin seeds, chili and cassia bark (and green chilies if using) and fry for 2 minutes (you’ll be able to smell the cumin).
NOTE: if you find the onions are becoming ‘sticky’ or clumpy add 2 tbsp of water.
5) Add the salt, garam masala, crushed coriander.Fry for a further two minutes. Decrease the heat if you feel the mixture may burn.
6) Now add the rice. Stir to coat in the onion mixture. Add the stock or water (you need to sum earlier to figure out how much you needed).
7) Bring the rice to the boil. Then reduce the heat. The rice will need around 12-18 minutes to cook. Stir occasionally to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom. Alternatively if you do have access to one use a flame diffuser to help reduce the chances of rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Tip: I use a pan with a glass lid so I can keep an eye on it. That way if I see the water evaporating I can stir the rice and reduce heat further if required.
8) Once the rice is done (I usually take a few strands and taste them….) turn the heat off. To avoid over cooking the rice remove the lid.
9) Serve!

To serve this dish as is you can add a dollop of yogurt or a simple raita. Job done!

My Kitchen Mince Hack (to save you time)
Stylemesisteradmin
February 15, 2019

I admit that I actually include store bought Pizza on my meal plans and if I’m totally honest those nights are pretty hassle free when it comes to time in the kitchen.

Over the last few years I have picked up some hacks I use daily and some that I don’t event get how they made it to pinterest (but that’s a different story).

One hack that I recommend to everyone is bulk cooking; but in various formats.

If like me you use your Slow Cooker (aka Crockpot) at least once or twice a week this hack is going to be your bestie…just trust me on this.

When I talk to friends about using a Slow Cooker for making curries or sauces I often get met with the looks and comments that ‘it won’t taste right because the meat wasn’t browned!” which is quickly followed by “my family will never eat it as it tastes bland/different”.

One of the reasons I started using my slow cooker was to reduce the amount of time I spent in the kitchen. I felt I was tied to the cooker and wasn’t enjoying my food and developing poor editing habits. I started to dislike cooking and that was a problem for me. I never want my children to think cooking is a chore; I’m a believer that everyone should have the skill to cook healthy food. I don’t know where my girls may end up at University level so I honestly want them to have cookery skills and also enjoy the time they spend cooking (after all if you’ve got to do it why not enjoy it?).

We enjoy curries, mince based pasta dishes, casseroles….various meals as a family. A lot of these dishes call for braising of the the meat before adding liquids and the other ingredients. Now on some slow cookers you have this function which is bloody awesome! But not all models have this. Which is a shame.

Considering how simple I like to keep things when I cook things in the slow cooker I decided to do the following:

Brown off mince in bulk (so 2-3 KG at once) with garlic and onions.

I then drain and cool the mince before portioning the mince up and freezing it.

The result?

I have mince ready to go in:
Pasta sauces
Curries
Chili con carne
Shepards Pie
Cottage pie

Etc etc etc….

Because I don’t add salt or spices I’ve got more options. I never cook mince without garlic and onions however if you wished to you could omit them.

To create 6 family meals (servings produced: 6/7 giving me leftovers for School lunches and for myself the next day) you will need:

3 KG mince (I use mutton but you can use whatever you wish to)
6 medium onions diced
A full bulb of garlic crushed/minced (yes I love garlic)
3/4 Tablespoons rapeseed oil

Extras:
kitchen paper to drain off excess fat
Storage bags/boxes to store mince in freezer (don’t forget to label the mince)

1) Heat a large pan on a medium heat (if you don’t have a large pan you may need to do the browning in smaller batches. Add the oil.
2) Add the onions and fry for a few minutes until the onions are soft. You are not going to brown them.
3) Add the garlic and fry for a minute (you don’t want to burn the garlic. And believe me that’s a really easy thing to do).
4) Add the mince and break down the mince and fry.
5) Fry for 5-10 minutes. The mince won’t look very appetizing. That’s fine! What you want is to ‘seal’ the mince by frying it. The process won’t cook the mince completely and that’s fine too.
6) Turn the heat off and drain the excess fat off. I do this by tilting my pan when its slightly cool and scoop out the mince mixture and place it on kitchen paper. I let the paper absorb the fat.
7) Bag/box up the mince and label them.

How to use the mince:
I take the mince out the night before and place it in the fridge to defrost. I then add it to the slow cooker with the other ingredients and forget about it. Job done.

You can do the same with meat and treat it the same.

I’ll be over for Dinner later guys; so get cooking!