Recipes serve 4, unless otherwise stated
LAMB KOFTAS, COUSCOUS AND MINTED YOGHURT (SERVES 8)
1kg minced lamb
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp harrisa
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan and ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, ditto
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp flat parsley
zest of two lemons
500g couscous
zest of one orange
zest and juice of one lemon
4 small tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp chopped flat parsley
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
100ml olive oil
plain full-fat yoghurt for serving
Combine all the ingredients in the first list in a bowl, mix well and set aside for 24 hours. Form into 16 sausage shapes. Run a skewer through each and set aside.
Cook the couscous according to instructions on the packet. Mix with the other ingredients in the second list. Season and set it aside.
Grill the koftas for five minutes each side, or until cooked (you can use a barbecue, ridged griddle pan or conventional grill). Serve with the couscous and a generous scoop of plain yoghurt.
MARINATED SPATCHCOCKED QUAIL WITH HERB SALAD
4 quail
half glass white wine
olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and smashed with the side of a knife
bunch flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 handfuls frisee lettuce
1 tbsp each of roughly chopped mint, basil, tarragon and chervil
lemon juice to taste
Remove the backbone from the quail and flatten them out. Place the birds in a shallow dish with a good grinding of pepper, the wine, half a glass of olive oil, shallots, garlic, and the stalks from the bunch of parsley, roughly chopped. Toss everything well; this helps the marinade to flavour the quail. Fix each bird with a wooden skewer (two makes things easier), running diagonally through the bird). Cover and set aside overnight.
Saute the breadcrumbs in three tablespoons of olive oil over a moderate heat until they are golden and crispy. Set aside. Brush the marinade off the quail and season with salt.
Preheat a grill or barbecue and cook the quail for three minutes, breast side down. Turn them over and repeat on the other side, returning to the breast side for a final two minutes. Combine the parsley with the rest of the herbs and frisee, four tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.Serve the quail on the salad, with a sprinkling of the breadcrumbs on top.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAGE SOUP
2 onions
one leek
four sticks celery
two cloves of garlic
knob of ginger
butter
500g butternut squash
1 litre chicken stock
125g whipping cream
1 tbs chopped sage
squeeze of lemon juice
Peel and finely chop the onions, leek, celery, garlic cloves and a two-centimetre square of ginger. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cover and sweat them for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Split the squash, remove the seeds and rind and cut the flesh into small dice. Add to the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cook gently for a further 25 minutes. Add a litre of chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer very gently for five minutes before adding the cream and sage. Simmer for a further five minutes. Cool, liquidise, pass through a sieve, reheat, adjust seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.