I never thought that I’d say this as part of this project, but I have a new favourite cookbook. Spice Market by Jane Lawson is amazing. I cannot recommend clicking on that link and buying that book strongly enough. The recipes I made (and I made quite a number this week) are amazing and tasty, the book is divided into sensible sections (seeds and pods, berries and flowers, roots and bark, spice pastes, and spice mixes), and although some of the spices are not common in Australia, most of the ingredients are, so finding a very tasty dish to make is not hard.
The instructions are also quite clear in the book, there is information provided about each spice and herb, and what complements them. To really test out this recipe book I cooked a recipe with cauliflower in it. I hate cauliflower, but I wondered if this book would make it something that I enjoyed. It did. This book is amazing, 5 out of 5 stars.
Cayenne Spiced Almonds
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g blanched almonds
Method:
- Combine the cayenne, cumin, paprika, sugar and sea salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- Put the oil and almonds in a saucepan over medium heat and stir for 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, add to the spice mixture and toss to combine. Cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally and serve.
Notes on this recipe:
- Unsurprisingly this recipe is really really spicy hot. Cayenne pepper is really amazingly hot, so this was spicy. It was also easy to make and tasty. The nuts in my household were eaten over several days.
Slow Roasted Spiced Lamb
Ingredients:
- 2.25kg leg of lamb
- 70g butter, softened at room temperature
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, extra, to serve
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220C. With a sharp knife cut small, deep slits in the top and sides of the lamb.
- Mix the butter, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl to form a smooth paste. With the back of a spoon, rub the paste all over the lamb, then use your fingers to spread the paste evenly, pushing into the slits, making sure all the lamb is covered.
- Put the lamb, bone side down, in a deep roasting tin and place on the top shelf of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then baste the lamb and return it to the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Bake for 3 hours 15 minutes, or until very tender, basting every 20 – 30 minutes, to ensure the lamb does not dry out. Carve the lamb into chunky pieces. Mix the extra cumin with the coarse sea salt and serve on the side for dipping.
Notes on this recipe:
- Lamb is the best meat. Roast lamb is the bestest. This was so incredibly tender and delicious that we didn’t want to stop eating it even though we were full. The slow roasting, combined with regular basting in butter and fat meant that the meat was so succulent, and the spice paste so delicious, that I could make this every day if I could afford the time and cost of buying lamb legs.
- Maybe I should farm sheep
Cauliflower filo rolls
Ingredients:
- 300g piece of cauliflower
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons thick, creamy, plain yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon toasted pinenuts
- 50g (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 sheets filo pastry
- 50g butter, melted
Method:
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the whole piece of cauliflower and cook for 10 minutes, then drain well and allow to cool. Meanwhile, put a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the sesame seeds and dry fry for about 1 – 2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the seeds are golden and lightly toasted all over. Watch them carefully as they burn quite easily. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- Preheat a BBQ hotplate to medium. Chop the cooled cauliflower into small pieces and place in a large bowl with the yoghurt, pine nuts, cheese, cumin, half the toasted sesame seeds and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Lay one sheet of filo pastry, with the narrow end nearest to you, on a flat surface and brush with melted butter to lightly coat. Put 2 tablespoons of the cauliflower mixture on the pastry, 10cm from the edge nearest you. Fold the bottom edge of the pastry up and over to enclose the filling. Roll in the sides and continue rolling firmly to form a spring roll shape. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling to make 8 rolls.
- Cook the rolls on the hotplate for 3 – 4 minutes, turning them at frequent intervals so they cook on all sides. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and serve.
Notes on this recipe:
- As I said earlier I hate cauliflower. I hate the way it smells as it’s being cooked and after it’s been cooked, and the texture it has when you’re eating it. I thought at the very least, the vegetarians who were coming to dinner, who both don’t hate cauliflower would have a nice dish to enjoy. And then I bit into one of these, there was no awful cauliflower smell or texture, there was crunch and tasty filling. I was an instant convert to this dish and the use of cauliflower in it.
- These are a tiny bit fiddly. I didn’t use a BBQ hotplate, but I might do if I make these again in summer. I ended up using a cast iron frying pan to cook these, and they turned out very nicely indeed.
Saag paneer
Ingredients:
- 500g English spinach leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 200g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 225g paneer
Method:
- Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes, then refresh in cold water, drain and chop very finely. Put a small frying pan over low heat and dry-fry the cumin for 2 – 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove, dry-fry the coriander, then the fenugreek for 2 – 3 minutes each, or until fragrant.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and fenugreek for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden and aromatic. Stir in the tomato, ginger and garam masala and bring to the boil. Add the spinach and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated. Fold in the paneer, trying to keep it in whole pieces. Stir gently until heated through. Season with salt to taste.
Notes on this recipe:
- Saag paneer is one of my favourite South Asian dishes, and one I’ve always been interested in cooking. When I found that this book contained a recipe for it, I had to cook it.
- I certainly wasn’t disappointed in this dish, although it wasn’t pureed as I have eaten in some Indian restaurants, it still tasted the same – though this version has no chilli in it at all, and I have had some versions with chilli.
- This was straight forward to make, the most fiddly bit being dry frying the spices.
Caramel brioche pudding
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup or dark corn syrup
- 10 x 2cm thick slices brioche or crusty white bread
- 40g unsalted butter, softened
- 90g apricot jam
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 90g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
- 800mll milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
Caramel sauce:
- 90g unsalted butter, chopped
- 60g soft brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup or dark corn syrup
- 250ml pouring cream
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 2.25 litre capacity ovenproof dish. Drizzle the golden syrup into the dish. Spread the brioche slices with the butter and apricot jam and arrange in layers in the prepared dish.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl until combined. Slowly pour the mixture over the brioche, allowing it to be absorbed gradually. Set aside for 10 minutes for some of the liquid to be absorbed into the brioche. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly puffed.
- Meanwhile, to make the caramel sauce, put the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Pour the caramel sauce over the warm pudding and serve.
Notes on this recipe:
- I couldn’t easily get my hands on brioche so I ended up using Pane [de] Casa bread (bread of the house), which is a nice crusty white bread, and available at Coles. I sliced up the slices and followed the recipe
- It would not at all be lying to say that this dessert is a dessert of the gods (if they exist). It was amazing, especially with the caramel sauce poured over.
- If you have the ingredients handy, or can get them without too much trouble, I cannot recommend strongly enough trying this for yourself.
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