Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 50

My first recipe of the week was a much needed pick-me-up for the evening following our work Christmas parties (without fail every year my party is the same night as hubby’s), and with us both feeling decidedly worse for wear I figured the best option was curry. I was quite impressed that we didn’t feel worse to be honest but the overriding feeling was one of sheer exhaustion, so after a mid-afternoon snooze I felt ready to tackle the evening meal. I chose Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry from Sarah Raven’s Food for Friends & Family. Luckily it was fairly straightforward and even in my sorry state I was still able to hack up a cauliflower and chuck it in a pot with some spices and create a very tasty dish. I did cook it for slightly longer than it said because when I checked the cauliflower was still retaining too much bite, but that was ok since it gave me time for another quick nap. The spices weren’t overly hot but gave a really nice flavour to the cauliflower and together with the chickpeas made a very substantial vegetarian curry; I served it with naan bread to mop up all the delicious juices.

It turned out to be a very curry oriented week as my next dish was Keema from Nigella’s Feast, although I did allow a few days between curries. I love lamb, peas and curry so this was always going to be a winning recipe for me, the spices smelt wonderful as I added them to the pan and created a really lovely aroma in the kitchen. The overall heat from the finished dish probably good have done with a bit more of a kick but the actual flavour was delicious and served with some basmati rice it was the perfect end to a chilly winters day.

My third and final new recipe of the week was a Southern Sausage Stew from Jamie’s America, another spicy dish and this one seemed to have inherited the heat from the Keema earlier in the week, boy was it a hot one! With an abundance of paprika and cayenne pepper this was a rich and spicy stew filled with peppers and big meaty sausages. I served it with plain rice which was great to soak up the lovely thick sauce, and also to provide a bit of relief from the spicy hit that came with every mouthful. I think if I were to make it again I might just tone down the spice a bit, but other than that I think it was a very nice midweek meal.

Oh and look what my lovely husband bought for me this week, meet Jacques the Snowman, from Maison Blanc...

Recipe Count: 163
New Target: 156