Aubergine Curry

This is SO GOOD.

I love a good curry. This one is filling and wholesome and really delicately spiced. And veggie! I do want to reduce my meat intake slightly and I think Indian-style foods and spices are the perfect way to eat veggies.

I've had it for dinner yesterday and for lunch today - it's that good!

And it's a perfect one for a meal prep as you can add some delicious toppings and keep the variation up. I went with some flaked almonds and later (after photos) I added some shredded roast chicken. You could also add some fresh coriander, some pomegranate seeds, some pickled diced chillies.. whatever you fancy.

I also served mine with my favourite new creation of green rice (rice with shredded broccoli and spices) for which a post is coming soon.

Turkey Meatballs, Italian Style

I'ts nearly the weekend! And I can't think of any better way to celebrate than with pasta.

Turkey mince makes cracking meatballs. I have waxed lyrical about it before with another recipe with Honey Sesame Sriracha Sauce.

Well, I was planning to make that again this weekend but then I made some killer Italian style bread and needed to dip it in a rich tomatoey sauce. So I changed tack and changed the flavour a little.

Dinner and bread

This was a triumph and I'll be doing it again. It's basically an extra saucey bolognese. The addition of the milk is something I've heard about and read about but I was always a little nervous to add it. But then I thought - milk is similar to cheese and I will happily heap Parmesan in there until I have to be physically stopped. So I put it in and it worked! It takes the bitterness out of the tomatoes and just leaves a lovely silky texture for the sauce.

Enjoy!

Za'atar Lamb Meatballs with Spiced Lentils

You can make this in a smaller number of pots and pans than I did, but I’m not sure if my big pot is oven-proof so I transferred it to one of my lovely oven dishes to cook. I was just thinking how I never use my various mismatching Le Creuset stuff so I’m glad I was able to get some use out of them!

One of my favourite flavours that I tried in Lebanon was za’atar – traditionally a mixture of thyme, sesame, and sumac. It is earthy and nutty and sometimes almost tart. And it absolutely sings when spread on fresh hot bread and rolled up into a wrap. My mouth is actually watering thinking of this wrap I had.

And of course it’s cracking with a bit of lamb.

Serves 4, you get 3 meatballs per person

White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

So, I have a feeling that this is going to be a bit of an experiment. 

I came upon the idea of these cookies while trying to recreate the famous cookies from Van Stapele Koekmakerij in Amsterdam. These cookies were worth the 20 minutes I queued for them - you can spot the shop a mile off due to the queue. It's set in a tiny little shop on a narrow street and they only serve one thing - fresh, soft, super chocolately cookies. And the unusual thing about them is the huge nugget of white chocolate right there in the middle.

I amended this recipe from some that I saw online, and I love the idea of using a little bit of espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavour. And, if you like cakey cookies then these are perfect. I prefer mine with a bit more of a squish and I need to find a bigger piece of white chocolate to go in the centre, so I will continue to experiment for *my* perfect version of this cookie but these are a cracking biscuit all on their own.

Basil, Mozzarella and Garlic Loaf

Ooooh baby this is a good one.

You’ve got an easy peasy bread recipe, with unlimited filling options, AND it looks super pretty.

I went with nice Italian style flavourings, but this could be delicious with some onion, garlic and sage instead, or ramp up the cheese, and add some sundried tomatoes. Oh, OH or smear with pesto and cover in mozzarella and parmesan.

I will be whipping up variations on this for a long time. I love finding that perfect base recipe to riff off.

Winner!