HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

I love curries. There are so many different types! I enjoy the curries from Thailand for their amazing fragrant flavours, but also like a good Indian curry. This one from Sri Lanka is a bit in between, with the coconut milk, it is milder than the traditional northern Indian curry. It really makes a difference if you make your curry from scratch. There is a recipe below to do that. However, I used some Sri Lankan curry already made from a very good brand and it turned out beautiful. I couldn't find any fenugreek or curry leaves in the shops near where we live, so I had to cook it without them. INGREDIENTS 4 large fish steaks (jewfish, kingfish or cod) 1/2 kg fresh prawns (optional) 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground turmeric oil for frying 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced 1 tsp grated ginger 1 small stick cinnamon 8 curry leaves 1 1/2 Tbsp Ceylon curry powder 1/2 cup tamarind liquid 1x400ml tin...

INGREDIENTS Ceylon curry powder 1 cup coriander seeds 1/2 cup cumin seeds 1 Tbsp fennel seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 cinnamon stick, about 5 cm 1 tsp whole cloves 1 tsp cardamom seeds 2 Tbsp dried curry leaves 2 tsp chilli powder, optional 2 Tbsp ground rice, optional METHOD: To make the Ceylon curry powder, roast separately the coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek in a dry pan over low heat, stirring constantly until each one becomes a fairly dark brown. Do not let them burn. Put into a blender container together with the cinnamon stick broken in pieces, the cloves, cardamom and curry leaves. Blend on high speed until finely powdered. Combine with chilli powder and ground rice if used. Store in an airtight jar.

This recipe from the cookbook 'Simple' by Yotam Ottolenghi is super simple and delicious. I didn't have time to marinate the chicken, so I followed the recipe below without the marination, but I can see that the flavours would be even better if I had done so. The leftovers eaten the following day were scrumptious. INGREDIENTS 2kg chicken drumsticks or drumstick and thigh attached 5 garlic cloves, crushed 15g fresh oregano, picked, plus extra to serve 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar 3 Tbsp olive oil 100g pitted olives (green or black) 60g capers 120g Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthways 2 bay leaves 120ml white wine 1 Tbsp date molasses / syrup (or treacle) salt and black pepper METHOD: Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses, along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and...

This is the first time that I have tried this recipe. It was easy to make and the result was delicious. A healthy and tasty recipe that can be used to accompany meat, poultry or fish, or just by itself. It's from the cookbook 'Feasts' by Sabrina Ghayour. INGREDIENTS olive oil 1 large onion, very finely chopped 1 large eggplant, very finely diced 1 red capsicum, very finely diced 1 green capsicum, very finely diced 2 zucchini, very finely diced 100g sultanas 100g pine nuts 1 small bunch dill, finely chopped 1 small bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped 500g brown basmati rice 50g salted butter, cut into small pieces Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper METHOD: Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a large frying pan set over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and fry for 6-8 minutes, or until translucent and the edges start to brown. Add the eggplant and fry until it starts to turn golden.  Add ...

I'd forgotten how nice this recipe was. I haven't made it for quite a while. It is very tasty and healthy. I sometimes use a store bought pasta sauce if I don't have the time to make the tomato sauce. But make sure that it is a good one. It is from one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. INGREDIENTS Tomato sauce 25g dried porcini mushrooms 4 anchovy fillets, optional 1 dried red chilli or chilli flakes 2 garlic cloves, crushed 700g passata a small handful of pitted black olives 1/2 bunch fresh basil Ricotta fritters 1 large egg 400g ricotta cheese good pinch of nutmeg zest of 1 lemon 40g parmesan cheese 1 heaped Tbsp plain flour olive oil balsamic vinegar Zucchini salad 2 small zucchini (about 400g) 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 fresh red chilli 1/2 bunch fresh mint juice of 1 lemon METHOD: Put the porcini in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for about 15 minutes. Crack an egg into a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, a good...