The Hackney Butchers Association

170g lamb, (minced) 1/2 large red onion 2 good pinches of ground cinnamon 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts Salt & ground black pepper Chopped parsley A sprinkling of paprika Serves 4 Prep time: Buy Hummus, or make some by blitzing a tin of chickpeas with olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Add a little at a time until it tastes how you like it... I usually make mine without tahini. Not authentic I know!.. but it still tastes great. Over a low-medium heat, fry the onion in 3 tbsp olive oil until golden & sweet. Remove from the pan, and stir in the ground cinnamon. When ready to eat, get the pan hot, and add the onions & their oil followed by the lamb. Stir it about to break up & when crispy, add the pine nuts & season with salt & pepper. Put the lamb on top of a small plateful of the hummus & sprinkle over the paprika & parsley. Serve with toasted pitta bread. A little goes a long way, so you can get away...

I was lucky enough to be given a one-day baking course at the fabulous E5 Bakehouse in Hackney.  That was a year and a half ago... but I finally got around to going last weekend.  Damn good it was too!  A very patient & knowledgeable instructor, Eyal Schwarz, the head-baker took the course. On the day we made Fat Bagels (mine shown above), Ciabatta, a 66% Rye loaf & their signature loaf, the 'Hackney Wild'. The Bagels were made with 100% strong white flour, using a white leven & fresh yeast for a very quick rise.  Poached for 1 min in boiling water then baked. The ciabatta were much looser dough which is near on impossible to shape, hence the sometimes random splodges they became.  Tasty though. I wasn't expecting to like the 66% Rye so much, I thought it was going to be too heavy and strong, but on top of looking totally amazing, it has a very interesting flavour that develops as you eat it.  It's a bread (I'm advised) that'...

This is a very pretty side-dish that works equally well with grilled fish as a lamb steak. It's cheap & quick to make, but looks like it wouldn't be out of place in a bistro.  Not bad for a bit of lettuce! Serves 4 Takes 15minutes Quarter 2 little gem lettuces & toss with a bunch of spring onions & 1 tbsp olive oil. Griddle for a few minutes until seared & golden. Heat 15g butter in a pan. Add juice of 1/2 lime & 1/2 de-seeded finely sliced green chilli. Pout over the vegetables & eat!

This is a bloody good soup!  With a bit of bread, or some toasted pitta, it is a filling meal and a bit of a treat. Sweet & subtly spiced. Serves 4 (Left-overs can be frozen) Preperation time 10mins Cooking time 40mins Ingredients: 2tbsp Olive Oil / Rapeseed Oil 1 large Onion, peeled & chopped 1-2 bay leaves 1 carrot, peeled & chopped 1 small celery stick, chopped 3 garlic cloves 4cm ginger, peeled & grated 2 red chillies, chopped (de-seed if wanted less spicy) 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp ground cumin 180g red lentils 1 litre vegetable stock Juice of 1/2 lemon Sea salt & fresh ground pepper 1 small handful coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped Spiced Yogurt: 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 pinch of caraway seeds 1 pinch of cayenne seeds 4 tbsp plain yogurt 1 tbsp olive oil On a medium flame, heat the oil in a large saucepan, then sweat (fry with the lid on) the onion & bay leaves for 10mins until soft. Add the carro...