The Hackney Butchers Association

This is becoming a bit of a habit.  Another unmissable music track, with the lame excuse that you could listen to it while cooking? The original by Feist is also really beautiful.  It has a really old school, Carpenters type feel.   Amazing what a bit of sub-bass can do though.  Awesome song either way. I don't think it's been released as a single & youtube have removed it since I posted. But you can still hear it on Hype-M.  Click here for link    Phew. CLICK HERE

FOR THE MOJO ROJO RECIPE CLICK HERE! GARLIC ALERT!!!!

Dukka is a traditional Egyptian side-dish, but exists across many Arabic countries..  It's usually made from crushed dried spices, herbs & nuts.  It's often eaten with bread or raw vegetables, but can be used to flavour cooked foods too. The exact mixes vary enormously and can include sesame, nigella seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, marjoram, mint & a whole host of other spices.  The flavour can also therefore vary quite a bit!   They are simple to make.  Lightly toast whatever nut your using in a hot dry pan, then add your selection of spices for a minute.  (The smell coming off the pan will be incredible!).  Then blitz in a food processor until it goes to a light crunchy texture.  The whole procedure takes about 5-10mins. This would be something you could make in advance and sprinkle over all sorts of foods for a bit of wow factor. For a sweeter flavour, you can add desicated coconut & ground roasted almonds. The one I made here ...

You can buy this bottled, it lasts for ages.  There are dozens of different brands available. I'm lucky enough to have a large Turkish community nearby, so can get this easily.  If you can't get it from local shops, you can try online.  There are loads of companies shipping all over the world.  This is one I found immediately. I'll be posting a load of pomegranate recipes soon.  In the meantime, I came across this good looking BBQ sauce using pomegranate.    It can also be made from scratch very easily if you can get hold of a pomegranate or two... CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE:

Za'atar is an Arabic spice blend made with toasted sesame seeds.  There are many variations using cumin, savoury, caraway seeds, fennel seeds etc. The one given here is a lovely citrus mix, thanks to the addition of sumac. You can rub it on chickens or fish prior to roasting, add a small amount to vinaigrettes,  add to olive oil as dip for toasted bread, roll meatballs in it prior to sealing, sprinkle over hummous... There are hundreds of recipes using it, it's very easy to make, and keeps for months in a sealed jar. Gotta be done really... RECIPE BELOW :

Both parts of this side-dish are great by themselves.  The frying cooks out most of the pepper taste of the radishes, and makes them far more like a potato.  So this is like crispy potatoes with a slight twist.  They are a healthier option than fried potato too.  Which means you can eat more... bonus! The spiciness of radishes is mostly in the skin.  Peel them if they are too strong.  Personally I love the spice. RECIPE BELOW:

I know you only need the recipe Pete, but I've added the method too in case anyone else needs it.  Enjoy! x 450g Flour (Type 00 preferably) 14g quick yeast 1 pinch sugar 1 pinch salt 225ml warm water 2 tbs olive oil This makes 2 large pizzas. CLICK HERE FOR METHOD: