Saffron Chicken

 Saffron has to be my favourite spice, and I'm sure my husband will testify that it is no coincidence that it is also the most expensive. I have very fond memories of Saffron, for me it is synonymous with Christmas. In Sweden "Lussekatta", are traditional sweet Saffron breads / buns that are eaten in abundance during the festive period, and in honour of St Lucia. When I was younger I would know it was getting closer to Christmas when I could smell the heady mixture of yeast and saffron rising up a storm above the boiler. My mother would prop me up on a stool and get me to plait the dough or roll them into snails and stud them with fat plump raisins. I have to confess that most of the raw dough ended up in my tummy which usually resulted in a stomach ache of yeasty proportions, but still saffron is in my blood. I know that it is a pricey spice but I feel that when I use it, I make sure I make the most of it, and let me tell you I am never stingy nor should you be. This chicken recipe is one of my favourites, purely because I have dreamt this up using my taste buds as blue print, never-the-less it packs a huge flavour punch.

 I do de-bone my own chicken (don't panic) this is not essential but I love the end result. If you are not feeling brave, simply spatchcocking a Chicken will do, split the bird down the back either side of the birds spine, remove the spine and reserve for stock, open the bird out like a book and using your weight push down to crack the bones and flatten the bird. Simple really.

You will need:
0.4g pack of saffron
4 tbsp of light tahini paste
2 tbsp of honey
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of cumin
2 tsp of sumac
2 tsp of sweet paprika
1 tsp of smoked paprika pimenton
2 tsp of maldon sea salt
the juice of a lemon
5 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp of powdered ginger
2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses 
a  large whole spatchcocked Chicken

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c

In a bowl combine all of the ingredients apart from the chicken and mix until it resembles a smooth sauce. Place the Spatchcocked chicken into the marinade and leave for at least 3 hours, overnight would be best. Place the full lot including the marinade onto a baking tray, chicken bone side up to start with and cook for 15 minutes, turn over the chicken so that the skin side is facing upward and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the skin is well coloured. To check that the skin is thoroughly cooked make a small incision in-between the thigh and breast and is the juices run clear it is perfect. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

The Spanish Food cupboard

 Those of you who know me personally will know that I am a market junkie, I love buying seasonal food from my local market, there is nothing more inspiring than conjuring up a recipe on the spot using a single ingredient as a brain child. I have noticed over the past few years that my local market in Beverley, East Yorkshire has seen some exciting new changes, this is entirely down to some outstanding market stalls that are breathing new life into what was once a simple market. As a raving foodie it fills me with utter glee to see fellow foodies, that also have such a deep passion for food and are sharing their passion with others. My Local green grocer M. Pattinson and Daughter, has an amazing array of unusual produce and top of the range seasonal and local fruits and vegetables at insanely cheap prices. 
  In the last few weeks  that I have been to the market I have noticed a new kid on the block, The Spanish Food cupboard are run by an extremely friendly couple who specialise in Spanish cookware and top quality herbs and spices. I have been looking for authentic Spanish cazuela and tapas dishes for quite some time, but I have never found the real Mcoy, I was so surprised to find that the Spanish food kitchen not only import the dishes directly from Spain, they also sell fantastic quality spices, a range in abundance, at a very reasonable price. I couldn't resist buying a few products, and although I have not used them to cook authentic Spanish food YET, I have used the dishes as a visual wow at my latest dinner party. I will be doing my lovely new dishes justice soon but for now I leave you with an image of my new cookware and insist you pay a visit to Beverley market or visit their website www.thespanishfoodcupboard.co.uk

Hummus

  My Father-in-law and I  have a lot in common and one of our shared interests are we both love our food and anything food related. He often refers to our family unit as the Cook (that is me) the musician (my husband) and the baby (our son Tobias). Recently he bought me an amazing cook book, Jerusalem by Sami Tamimi and Yottam Ottolenghi,  this has since been a culinary inspiration to me. I love having my knowledge on food tested, and when I read a cook both with strange, new and exciting ingredients I read it cover to cover like a novel. 

   I adore hummus so naturally this is the first recipe that I tried from the book. I am a hummus addict, I know it's probably a marmite situation, you either love it or hate it, but I love it so much that I think I would bathe in it given the opportunity. I have adapted the recipe (as usual) to my own taste. I have to say the technique resulted in the smoothest hummus I have ever tasted. Top the hummus with toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil. Try this on a toasted pitta bread with torn fresh coriander and chilli jam, you wont be disappointed. This hummus is an accompaniment in a meze style Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean meal in honour of my father in law. 

You will need:
250g of dried chickpeas
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
10 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves
270g light tahini paste
1 tablespoon of maldon sea salt
100ml of ice-cold water
pine nuts and olive oil

Soak the dried chickpeas overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain the chickpeas and dry fry them in a sauce pan with the Bicarbonate of soda, this loosens the skins from the outside. When you have fried the chickpeas for five minutes add one and a half pints of water and cook for 20-40 minutes (until you can easily crush the chickpeas between your fingers). Drain the chickpeas again and empty them into a food processor and pulse until you have a rough paste. Add the tahini paste and continue to blend, (the tahini has a tendency to seize up but this is totally normal). Crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar along with the salt as an abrasive, add this to the processor, followed by the lemon juice and the ice cold water. Blend until fully smooth. Make sure you refrigerate the hummus for at least an hour. Drizzle the top with olive oil and top with toasted pine nuts.

Torta Della Nonna

Torta Della Nonna translated means grandmothers cake, not my grandmothers cake but a grandmothers cake, it is a classic Tuscan dessert, and a huge favourite of mine. I'm not usually a dessert lover and I have an extremely savoury tooth, but I do find myself making desserts or sweet treats daily for my husband who is a total sweet addict. This is a dessert that finds a happy balance for the both of us, it is not too sweet and the heady flavour of vanilla permeating the soft set custard centre is a comforting and familiar flavour, like a tight hug when you need it the most. I know there will be British purists who will stress that a Classic British custard tart cannot be beaten, but I am willing to brave the criticism and put it out there that the Torta Della Nonna wipes the floor with our Anglo custard tart. Italians have a knack of using very little ingredients and turning it into what can only be described as a master piece. It's about style over content and in this case less is more. This is a very simple tart to make, even if you are a pastry novice, it is perfect to wow friends or to be eaten whilst curled up on the sofa with a glass of red in hand. A perfect pud.

You will need
For the pastry:
400g of plain flour
200g of cold butter
1 pinch of salt
4 extra large egg yolks
150g of icing sugar
1 vanilla pod, split and the seeds scraped out
To decorate
3 tablespoons of pine nuts 
Icing sugar

If you have a food processor put all the ingredients into it and pulse until they are combined and resemble a dough, take out of the processor and knead for a minute and wrap in cling film and place into the fridge for an hour to firm up. If you do not have a food processor, rub the butter, flour and sugar in a bowl, rubbing it between your thumb and fingers until they resemble bread crumbs, add the yolks, vanilla and salt a mix until the dough starts to come together, wrap and place in the fridge.

For the filling:
8 egg yolks
2 vanilla pods split and seeds scraped out
250g of vanilla caster sugar
2 pints of whole milk
the zest of one unwaxed lemon
a tablespoon of good quality lemon curd
80g of plain flour
2 tsp vanilla extract

Place a large saucepan on a medium heat and warm the milk, lemon zest and curd, sugar, vanilla pods and seeds and extract, heat the milk mixture until just simmering. In a large bowl separate the yolks from the whites (save your whites in the freezer for meringues) and pour half of the hot milk over the yolks whilst whisking continuously. Then whisk in the flour until it is fully incorporated and there are no lumps, add this back to the remaining milk in the pan and continue to whisk and cook on a medium heat for a further 10-15 minutes until it is the thickness of hollandaise sauce or thickened cream. Sieve the filling into a bowl to remove the vanilla pods and any lumps that may be left behind. Place a piece of cling film directly onto the custard to prevent a skin forming and allow to cool in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.
Butter a 9 inch loose bottom tart tin. Using half of the dough roll it out between two pieces of greaseproof paper until it is large enough to fit into the tin. Don't worry if it breaks, you can patch this up with any left over pastry. Leave any excess pastry to hang over the sides as the lid will adhere to this later. Make sure there are no holes or cracks in the bottom of tart by patching up any cracks with scraps of excess pastry. Empty the cold filling into the pastry case. Using the other half of the dough roll out the lid between the greaseproof paper pieces just like we did for the base, when you have a round that will fit the top of the pie carefully peel back the paper and place the disc on top of the pie to form a lid. To secure the lid roll over the edges with a rolling pin as this will stick both sides together. Scatter the pine nuts over the top and place in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is firm and the nuts are golden. Once cooled refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Before serving dust heavily with icing sugar.

Prawn Mofongo

I'm sure that a lot of people have never ever heard of mofongo, and that is sounds like a made up dish, but it's the national dish of both Puerto Rico and  the Dominican Republic, these two countries love this dish so much that they fight over where it originated. The most logical explanation is that it is a derivative of African fufu, that is a paste made by pounding cassava, yams or plantains. Both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico share the same ancestral roots of Africa and Spain, which resonates in the national dish. Mofongo is a highly flavoured mash made from deep-fried plantains, chicharron (seasoned pork rinds or pork scratchings) garlic and salt. This dish has always intrigued me and I honestly did not know what to expect, I can say I was very pleasantly surprised with the result, so much so I felt the need to share it. It's not often you come across an extremely simple dish with so few ingredients that leaves such an impression. Don't be fooled by the simplicity, it packs a serious flavour punch.

You will need:
For the Mofongo
75g of chicharron or pork scratchings
4 large Plantains
25g of fresh garlic
2 tsp of maldon salt
Vegetable oil for frying

I use enough vegetable oil so that it is al least a couple of inches deep, heat this in a pan on a medium heat. To test the oil is hot enough stick the handle of a wooden spoon or a wooden chopstick into it, if the oil bubbles slightly it is ready. Peel the plantains like a banana and slice into thick chunks, fry in the oil until golden brown. In a Pestle and Mortar crush the garlic using the salt as an abrasive, when crushed add the chicharrones and crush until it is a fine paste. Add the fried plantains and mash into the garlic paste one at a time until all of the plantains are incorporated. Traditionally the paste is then pushed into a bowl to form a shape and then turned out onto a bowl.

For the Prawns:
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 sliced red pepper
1 sliced green pepper
1 sliced red onion
2 fresh green jalapenos
1 tsp of smoked paprika pimenton
1 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp of salt
200ml of water
75g of chopped garlic
300g of fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp of white sugar
1 tsp of chicken stock paste
juice of 1/4 of a lime 
300g of raw deveined king prawns
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander

In a sauce pan on a medium heat, fry the onion and peppers in the olive oil until softened, add jalapenos, paprika and cumin and cook for a further five minutes to cook the rawness out of the spices. Add the chopped garlic and fresh tomatoes, sautee until the tomatoes begin to break down, add the water, chicken stock paste, salt, sugar, vinegar and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes until the sauce begins to reduce. Finally add the prawns and cook until just pink. Turn off the heat and finish the sauce with the lime juice for a last minute zing and fresh lemony chopped coriander. Spoon the sauce around the mofongo and serve immediately.

New Zealand Scallop sandwich

I know that a scallop sandwich may seem like a strange thing to write about, but I really felt like I had to share this. I discovered this in a little town called Kaikoura, which is a whale watching town on the East coast of the South Island, New Zealand. At the time I was completely ravanous and had just spotted a little burger van (or so I thought) along the coastal road. How very wrong I was, it was only when I got a little closer that I discovered that they were selling the freshest scallop sandwiches cooked al la plancha and lobsters straight from the sea.
 It seems like an extremely simple thing to make, but sometimes the simplest foods are the best, if the ingredients are top quality, there is very little that you need to do to it, subsequently there is very little that can go wrong. It still amazes me that street food in Britain, most certainly in the North is lack lustre at best, I would love to see a scallop sandwich van at my local market, simply the best fast food on the planet.

Makes two giant sandwiches
You will need:
2 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon of maldon salt (seems like a lot but you need it)
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped chervil
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped chives
the juice of 1/4 of a lemon
roughly 20 scallops
1 sliced ripened avocado
Rocket
A freshly baked granary bread loaf

In a pestle and mortar crush the garlic using the salt as an abrasive, add the butter, pepper and herbs and mix well. Dry the scallops well so that they can achieve a little colour. Place the butter into a hot frying pan and add the scallops, fry for 2 minutes either side until the scallops have a little colour on them, squeeze a little lemon over the scallops. Dip the sliced bread into the garlic butter and lay rocket leaves onto the bread, top with sliced avocado and the scallops, dip the lid of the sandwich into the butter and place on top of the scallops. Eat fast and with a loved one, it's really messy!

Peanut butter chocolate brownies

I have a confession to make, I'm an addict, a peanut butter addict, I love everything about it, the flavour, the stick to the roof of your mouth texture, but especially the sweet and salty combination that peanut butter brings. I have been known to sit with a jar and a spoon, and munch away. I would use any excuse to put peanut butter into a recipe, I have to say that this combination works extremely well, the peanut butter lends a savoury quality to the brownies and enhances the fudgeyness that brownies should have. I love getting creative with brownies, this is definitely another version to add to my repertoire.

You will need:
300g of plain chocolate
100g of 85% cocoa solid dark chocolate
225g of salted butter
1 tsp instant espresso powder
200g of caster sugar
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of salt
75g of plain flour
1 tsp of baking powder
4 large eggs
5 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter (skippy is the best)

Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees c.
I use a silicone 8 inch by 8 inch square baking tray, if you do not have a silicone tin line the bottom and sides of the tray with foil.
In a bain marie (a bowl of water sat over a pan of simmering water but not touching the bottom) melt the butter, chocolate, coffee, vanilla and salt together. When melted stir to fully combine and set aside to cool. Once cooled add the eggs one at a time, then the sugar, sieved flour and baking powder. When the mixture is thoroughly incorporated empty the filling into the baking tray, spoon the peanut butter in random blobs on top of the batter and place in the oven for five minutes so that the peanut butter has a chance to melt. Remove the brownies from the oven and using a skewer loosely mix the peanut butter into the chocolate batter in circular motions until the peanut butter has created a marble effect. Return the pan back to the oven for a further 20-25 minutes of until the top is very cracked. As soon as you remove the brownies from the oven bash the pan on the side to knock any air out of the brownies, this will result in a fudgey brownie. Leave to cool thoroughly as the middle should still be damp

Fish Pie

Once a week I teach cookery at the community centre where my husband works, it's an extremely rewarding experience as some of my pupils have various disabilities or learning difficulties which sometimes tend to hinder their mobility, and cooking can often be a time consuming task, despite these obstacles they are a hugely enthusiastic bunch that love to cook and do not shy away from any task I give them. Today's food of choice was none other than the great British Classic Fish pie. I think that for a lot of people fish pie is not well liked, which I think is a complete shame, though I do understand because fish pie is so often done wrong. 

I know that after this recipe the salt police will be on my back, but I really have to make it clear that fish needs salt as does mash potato, if you do not season correctly, food tastes bland and all you will end up with is a pie dish full of wallpaper paste. Now that autumn is here, and winter is tapping him on the shoulder, it is time to enjoy these lovely hearty dishes, I have to say that this went down a storm, we even managed to package up our delicious pies to sell, they were sold in within fifteen minutes.

For the fish filling

500g of smoked un-dyed haddock

500g of haddock fillet

200g of raw king prawns, peeled and de-veined

700ml of whole milk

1 large white onion

2 cloves

4 peppercorns

4 bay leaves

4 tablespoons of chopped dill

4 tablespoons of fresh chopped chervil

2 tablespoons of chopped chives

180g pack of baby spinach 

a handful of frozen peas

100g of butter

60g of plain flour

2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg

100g of frozen peas

3 teaspoon of maldon salt

2 teaspoon of honey dijon mustard

For the mash

1kg of maris piper potatoes

100g of butter plus 1 tablespoon of butter

1 sliced leek

2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp white pepper

200ml of double cream

1 tablespoon of salt

I start by doing the mash potatoes, in a large pan of boiling water add the salt and the peeled chopped potatoes, cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are falling apart. Meanwhile fry the sliced leek in the tablespoon of butter and soften on a low heat. Drain the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer. Beat in the butter, cream, nutmeg and pepper until super smooth then mix in the sauteed leek.

For the fish:

In a sauce pan bring the milk to a simmer with the onion, bay leaf, nutmeg, cloves and peppercorns in the milk to allow to infuse. Once just boiling remove from the heat. Place the fish into a baking tray, lay in one layer and top with the hot milk. Cover the fish and prawns with foil and place to one side to poach for at least half an hour.

Remove the fish and prawns from the milk and sieve the milk into a pan. In another sauce pan melt the butter and the flour together until it has created a rue, add a ladle full at a time of the sieved milk stirring vigorously so that no lumps are formed, carry on with this process until the milk is gone and the sauce is thick. Add the mustard, salt, herbs and frozen peas and turn off the heat. Flake the fish off the skin and place into your chosen baking dish, top this with the peas and prawns. Wilt the spinach in a pan with a tablespoon of butter, once cooked squeeze any excess water from the leaves. Scatter the spinach onto the fish and top with the sauce. Spread the mashed potato on top, working from the outside in, finally grated cheddar cheese onto of the mash for fish pie perfection.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees C. 

Fish and Chips

                    A recipe for my Uncle Len

My Uncle Lennart has recently lost an obscene amount of weight, so I'm sure this particular meal will no longer be on his agenda, but I do have very fond memories of him coming to stay with us, and despite my mothers superb culinary abilities, he would still only want to eat his beloved "fish and ships"! That is no spelling error my friends, that is just what he would call them.     My uncle did not think that much to English food but had a real weakness for Fish, ships and mushy peas and good "Singer Mal" whisky (single malt whisky). I always loved my Auntie and Uncle coming to stay because I knew it meant that we would be having fish and chips at least four times a week if not daily. It seemed as though whenever I saw him he would have a paper parcel in hand. I know that he will not be eating things like this now, but if he ever wanted to treat himself for all of his hard work, I think this should be what he cooks himself. This one is for you Len!

                     For the mushy peas:
200g of dried marrow fat peas (soaked for 12-16 hours)
1/2 white onion
4 bay leaves
700ml of water
3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp of sugar
2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of malt vinegar
1 tbsp of butter
Allow the peas to soak overnight in a bowl of water and two of the three teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda. Once soaked, drain the water away and place the peas into a sauce pan with the 700ml of water, onion, bay leaves, sugar, salt, vinegar and the remaining teaspoon  of bicarbonate of soda. Allow to boil for 45 minutes to an hour until the peas have reduced and are thickened, once thick add the butter and stir to fully incorporate.

For the thrice cooked Chips:
1 kg Maris Piper potatoes
2 litres of vegetable oil
salt
There is a real art to the perfect chip, I have tried various way but this is they best technique that I have found, and this is the only one I will use. I start by cutting the potatoes into very chunky chips and I boil them in heavily salted water until just knife point tender, this should take about 15-20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place on a baking sheet lined with kitchen paper. Place the chips into the freezer for an hour, by doing this is means that the steam from the inside of each chip cools down very quickly so that the potatoes are dry, the drier each chip is the crisper the end result will be. Take the chips out of the freezer and fry in the vegetable oil at 130 degrees for 10 minutes or until a light crust has formed. Remove from the fat and place onto kitchen paper, cool the chips in the freezer for  another hour. Fry the chips for a final time in the oil, temp 180 degrees and cook until golden brown. Place the chips onto kitchen paper to drain any excess fat away. Season well.

For the fish:
160g plain flour
200ml ice cold beer
2 tsp salt
1 tsp malt vinegar
1/4 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoon of plain flour
2 pieces of 350g haddock fillet

In a bowl whisk the 160g flour, beer, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, vinegar and  bicarbonate of soda until smooth.
 Dry each piece of fish on kitchen paper and season with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, dust each piece of fish with a tablespoon of flour so that the batter sticks to the fish. Dip each side of the fish into the batter until it is fully coated and fry in the vegetable oil at 180 degrees c, cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Tartar sauce:
5 tbsp of mayonnaise
3 tbsp of double cream
1 tsp of honey
1 large shallot finely chopped
3 tbsp of finely chopped gherkins
2 tbsp of finely chopped capers (in vinegar)
2 tbsp of chopped dill
1 tbsp of chopped chervil

I love tartar sauce but I think you either love it whole heartily or you do not care for it. If you are a tartar fanatic like myself this is the holy grail of tartar and nothing works so wonderfully with flaky white fish like a piquant tartar.
Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl, it's that simple!

Pork bánh mì

Your probably looking a this and thinking, what a sandwich in Vietnam? This is a product of French colonialism in Vietnam, though a Vietnamese baguette really does put a french baguette to shame, it's lighter than a cloud. Bánh mì not just a sandwich, is the ultimate sandwich. If you have ever been to Vietnam it is almost impossible to walk throughout the streets without passing a bánh mì stall. I first had this in Hoi an, a street vendor was selling these in abundance from the smallest stall, I bought one for my train journey and as soon as I tried it, I immediately knew I should have had two.

 I'm not sure what I expected, but it far exceeded my expectations. A  bánh mì consists of a french baguette stuffed with pork pate, lemon grass flavoured pork, pickled daikon and carrot, stalks of coriander, chillies, cucumber and chilli oil. It may sound like a mixed bag of ingredients but it is by far the most unbelievable sandwich I have ever had. You would think that the pork would be the main component of the dish, but I feel that it is merely a vehicle for the fragrant flavour of the lemon grass. You know something is sheer brilliance when you think about it from time to time, this is one of those dishes. This is one of my stand out dishes of my backpacking days, so grab some cold beers and a few bánh mì and you will be Happy!

This makes very large bánh mì
You will need:
For the Daikon and Carrot pickle
75g of grated carrot
75g of grated Daikon (known sometimes as mouli)
1/2 tsp of maldon salt
2 tbsp of boiling water
2 tbsp of white sugar
1 1/2 tbsp of rice vinegar

Add of the above ingredients into a bowl and allow to pickle for at least an hour.

For the lemon grass caramel pork
2 large pork shoulder steaks
3 lemon grass stalks pounded in a pestle and mortar
1 solo garlic clove or four normal cloves
50g  of fresh ginger
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp of maldon sea salt
2 tbsp of oil
the juice of a lime
500ml water
6 tbsp of white sugar
5 tbsp of water

In a pestle and mortar crush the garlic, lemon grass and ginger using the teaspoon of salt as an abrasive. Empty the contents of the pestle and mortar into a bowl and add one tablespoon of oil and the fish sauce. Place the pork steaks into the bowl to marinade for at least a couple of hours. In a sauce pan add the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the meat to allow to marinate. When the meat has a little colour to it add the 500ml water and allow to cook on a medium heat for 45 minutes with the lid on. In a frying pan heat the white sugar and 5 tbsp of water until it is a caramel brown colour. Add this to the  meat and allow to cook for a further five minutes along with the lime juice. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.

I get my baguettes from sainsburys because they are the closest that I have come to the light vietnamese baguette, but if you can get them from an asian bakery that is even better.
Cut the small baguette into two and cut open each half, smear pork pate on one side, top this with the lemon grass pork and a couple of tablespoons of the pickled carrot and daikon. This is topped with sliced red chillies, a few sprigs of corriander, sliced cucumber and a few splashes of chilli oil. Finish each baguette with a smear of mayonnaise on the other side of the bread and a few splashes of fish sauce.

The above quantities will depend on your own taste.

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

 I know what you are thinking, half Swedish girl writing about Moroccan meatballs rather than swedish meatballs? Do not fear my friends I have not turned my back on my roots, I will be writing about the wonderful spherical swedish balls soon, but for now I write about a spiced up Moroccan counterpart.

 I cannot say I have ever been to Morocco, nor that this is "by the book" authentic, but there is something I love about the flavours of Moroccan cuisine. I'm a huge fan of sweet, savoury food, and with the addition of saffron, dried fruits and nuts it has every possible flavour dimension in one dish. I know that in Morocco they have lamb called Tagine Kefta Mkaouara, which is a lamb meatball dish in a tomato based sauce and poached eggs in the sauce, so this is my take on that dish. 
 What inspired me to make this is that my local supermarket has just started selling Merguez sausages, which is a very spicy north african lamb sausage, that is flavoured with harissa paste or chilli peppers. 
 I have used this sausage as one of the main components in my meatballs which I'm sure is not traditional, but I feel it really works as the fat in the sausages baste the meatballs and help to retain meatball moisture. If you like a little spicy, sweet and savoury with serious depth of flavour, this is that dish.

You will need:

For the meatballs

250g minced lamb

300g of skinned merguez sausages
50g Pine nuts
50g  chopped Raisins
1 egg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
3 tbsp of chopped Coriander 
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp of olive oil

For the sauce

8 crushed garlic cloves
1 thumb sized piece of ginger finely chopped (roughly 3 tbsp)
half a large red onion sliced
2 green chillies finely chopped(if you don't like it hot add one)
0.4g of saffron threads
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp of smoked paprika pimenton
2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of ras el hanout
1 tsp of lemon pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt (I recommend maldon's)
4 1/2 tbsp of runny honey
100ml of water
1 kilo of fresh tomatoes chopped
the juice of a lemon
3 tbsp of double cream
5 large free range eggs
2 tbsp of  chopped parsley
4 tbsp of chopped coriander

Skin the merguez sausages and empty the contents in a large bowl. Add all of the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs apart from the olive oil. Mix well until fully incorporated. Using the meat mixture roll out into golf ball sized balls, you should get roughly twenty.
In a large heavy based pan (I use a cast iron casserole pan) fry the meatballs in the olive oil on medium until browned on all sides. The fat from the merguez sausage will render down from the meat balls. Remove the balls once cooked and set aside for later. In the remaining fat fry the garlic, chopped fresh ginger, chillies, onions, salt and the spices (cumin, paprika, ginger, saffron, lemon pepper and ras el hanout)cook on a low heat until the onions are soft. The spices will begin to thicken the sauce so let it down with the 100ml of water. Add the fresh tomatoes and honey and cook until the tomatoes have broken down, if you need a little extra water to do this add another 50ml, but the tomatoes should be juicy enough. The tomatoes will take about 10-15 minutes to cook down. Add the cream and stir well. Add the meatballs and herbs, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Crack five eggs into the sauce and switch the heat to low, place a lid on the top and allow to cook for five minutes until the eggs whites are cooked but the yolks are runny. Serve with cous cous.