The Hackney Butchers Association

This comes from an awesome book I recently bought from Amazon, "India" by Pushpent Pant. His name alone is impressive! It is the first recipe I've cooked from the book, but if it is anything to go by, I will soon be trying the remaining 999 recipes... This book is not cheap, but worth every penny, i'ts a lovely object (that comes in it's own bag) , published by Phaidon,  and packed with enough info, ideas and great images to keep you going for years. Wow. I've just seen they've just slashed the price on Amazon (after I'd bought 2 copies!) to £20.  That really is a massive bargain. Anyway here's the basic recipe with a slight twist as I couldn't get fresh fenugreek and used dried instead. I also added some chopped fresh mint at the end just to freshen it up.  Probably a mortal sin, but still damn tasty... RECIPE BELOW:

Gulf baharat 1 tbsp red pepper 1 1/2 tsp cumin 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp ground loomi (dried lime) 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp saffron threads

July Artichokes, Aubergines, Apricots, Buckler-Leaf Sorrel, Broccoli, Beetroot, Blueberries, Blackcurrants, Broad Beans, Cherries, Cod, Crab, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Clams, Cockles, Coley, Dover Sole, English Lamb, Fennel, Grey Mullet, Greengages, Gooseberries, Garlic, Green Beans, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, John Dory, Kohlrabi, Lobster, Langoustines, Lemon Sole, Loganberries, Monkfish, Mulberries, Mackerel, Nectarines, Onions, Peaches, Potatoes, Peas, Plums, Plaice, Raspberries, Rabbit, Rocket, Runner Beans, Redcurrants, Radishes, Raspberries, Strawberries, Squid, Sea Bream, Scallops, Sea Bass, Swiss Chard, Sardines, Salmon, Spinach, Salad Leaves, Tomatoes, Whelks, Watercress. Wild Foods for July Crab Apples, Chanterelles, Green Walnuts, Marsh Samphire, Sea Purslane, Wild Blackberries, Wild Mint, Wood Pigeon. This list comes from the brilliant website The British Larder. I always find their monthly list a great way to remind me of things i haven't eaten or cook...

June Aubergines, Artichokes, Asparagus, Apricots, Borage, Broad Beans, Beetroot, Blueberries, Blackcurrants, Broccoli, Courgettes, Cherries, Cod, Crab, Coley, Cockles, Carrots, Chicory, Cucumbers, Dover Sole, Fennel, French Beans, Grey Mullet, Green Beans, Gooseberries, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, John Dory, Lamb, Langostines, Lemon Sole, Lobster, Mange Tout, Mackerel, Nectarines, New Potatoes, Onions, Peas, Pollack, Plaice, Redcurrants, Rocket, Radishes, Runner beans, Rhubarb, Romaine Lettuce, Raspberries, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Onions, Salmon, Strawberries, Sardines, Sea Trout, Turnips, Tomatoes, Watercress. Wild Foods for June Lime Flowers, Marsh Samphire, Nasturtium, Sorrel, Sea Purslane, Sea Beet, Wild Mint, Wood Pigeon. I bought a borage plant a few weeks ago, that despite the lack of sunshine seems to be doing really well.  The leaves are spiky like a thick stinging nettle.  Chopped really fine they can be eaten raw and taste mostly ...

Thanks to Amazon I am now the proud owner of four new curry books!  Very exciting stuff for me.  I've gone for quite a diverse selection, so it should be an interesting mix of old & new. The first to arrive is a very dated looking book called, "The Curry Secret: Indian Restaurant Cookery at Home" | PaperbackAuthor: Kris Dhillon It was a best seller at some point, but can now be picked up for the princely sum of 1p. Yes 1p.  I'm not sure there can be a better way to spend a penny.  Well, you know what i mean.  First published in 1989, it was updated & re-published in 2008.  Back by popular demand, so it must be good eh? It's written by an Indian restaurant owner & chef who spills the beans on restaurant 'tricks of the trade'. I'm yet to put it to the test but am already learning some top tips.  Loving it! For instance...I love the mint sauce that comes with onion bhaji & popadoms.  I have tried making it at home...

This was a quick mid-week experiment that really worked. Huss is widely sold as an alternative to Cod in Fish & Chip shops,  it's also known as Dogfish or Rock Salmon. It comes from the North Atlantic, Pacific & Mediteranean Seas.  It's a good, firm white fish.  For some reason I'd never bought or cooked it before this week.  After a mid-week bung-it-in-the oven meal for one, I'll now buy it again regularly.  Not only was it very cheap, but there was a lot of fish.  The piece I bought was £2 and could have fed 2 people, if I wasn't so greedy.... On the downside, there is a large spine that runs through the fish, but this comes out in one piece very easily once it's cooked. I will play about with various marinades now I know how easy it is, but the recipe I made up was as follows.. 1inch of fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped & then crushed to a paste 1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, ground 1/4 tea...

I ran out of time the other night with a plan to marinade & BBQ a rabbit.  So instead I tried out a really quick way to cook it up, pot-roasting.  This has the advantage of steaming the rabbit while it roasts, so it doesn't dry up and go tough.  It was pretty damn good if I say so myself! (SERVES 2)  Marinading time: 20mins-24hours / Cooking time:25mins Here's how: INGREDIENTS: 1 large rabbit, or 2 smaller ones 2 handfuls of chopped herbs (I used marjoram & rosemary) 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbs spoon honey 1 lemon, for zest & juice Olive Oil 2 glasses of wine (i used 1 red/1 white) METHOD: 1. Catch your rabbit (old joke...) 2. Joint your rabbit 3. Marinade rabbit pieces in the herbs, crushed garlic, lemon zest & juice, & honey. Season with salt & pepper.  Leave this for as long as possible, at least 20mins, preferably overnight. 4. Brown the rabbit pieces in a casserole dish (dutch oven) over a fairly high heat unt...