Category: 2.12 Tapas and sides

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Gyoza, two fillings, pork and prawn.

Gyoza are a treat. I serve them with three dips: soy sauce, sweet chilli dipping sauce, and chilli relish. Cook them in batches of 6 and eat them straight away before cooking more. They are supposed to be a side/starter, but when I make them they become the whole meal.

I’ve got 2 fillings I use, one pork, one shellfish. For the shellfish you can use prawns, lobster, scallops, and for the pork you can substitute razor clams (spoots), or veal if you fancy.

Pork filling

150g pork fillet chopped

60g water chestnuts chopped

small sprig of chopped chives (or a spring onion)

1 small chilli chopped

4 or 5 shredded baby cabbage leaves

salt and pepper

Prawn filling

150g prawns, chopped

60g water chestnuts chopped

small sprig of chopped chives (or a spring onion)

a small handful of chopped spinach

salt and pepper

Method for prepping the filling

  1. Mix the ingredients in a blender and blitz to a grainy mix – not a paste, but not chunky.
  2. Dry fry for a couple of minutes to cook everything and drive off any excess water.
  3. Put to one side in a bowl

Making up the Gyoza

  1. Lay out your Gyoza skin, on one half place a good sized teaspoon of the filling.
  2. Fold over the skin and then fold over and press the edges. Trim the skin if you need to before you fold and press. You shouldn’t need any liquid or oil – the skin should just stick. But use a little if you feel the need.
  3. You can make them pretty with the way you fold, or not. Just make sure it’s stuck…

Cooking

  1. Steam the Gyoza for 3-4 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer then a colander over a pan of water works fine (but keep a lid on). This cooks the pastry. It is also possible to dunk the Gyoza in just simmering water for 60sec, but you risk losing them if they split.
  2. Transfer to a pan and shallow fry in veg oil, about 1min per side until golden. If you’ve done them beautifully then they will be vaguely triangular in cross section and you get to fry three sides. But if you’re like me it’s a bit hit and miss.
Gyoza – served on a napkin and ready to dip…
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Broccoli Cheese

Veg in in a cheese sauce is a classic. I don’t grow cauliflower but I do grow Kale and Broccoli. Both work brilliantly, and prior to Broccoli flowering you can use the leaves.

Cheesy heaven

So you may think it looks anaemic and if you do there’s lots you can do that I don’t. Adding some breadcrumbs to the top before baking, a few minutes under the grill at the end – stuff like that. Improves the look, but not the taste. If you want added crunch I’ve even had them with a sprinkling of croutons! So each to their own.

Prep: 10min Cook: 18min

Ingredients

250g broccoli/kale etc as florets and large bite size

250ml milk

20g parmesan grated

30g cheddar grated

2 slices Leerdammer chopped

1dstspn plain flour

25g butter

salt, pepper

1tsp english mustard (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 225c (fan)
  2. Par-boil the veg then quench in cold water and drain well (broccoli 6-8min, kale 0min)
  3. Make a roux with the butter and flour and slowly add the milk to make a creamy white sauce.
  4. Add half the cheese, mustard, salt (if you must) and pepper.
  5. Place the veg in an ovenproof dish, best to pat dry with kitchen towel. Cover with the sauce and then sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
  6. Cook for 18min in the oven.

Sometimes a large luxurious veg-cheese with crusty bread and butter is the best meal in the world, for this I’d double everything but triple the milk so there is dipping sauce.

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Roasties

I defy you to find someone who doesn’t like roasties. I cook them the way I like them, it’s not chefy but it’s how I want them…

Prep: 5min Cook: 15min then 35min

Ingredients

500g potatoes, halved-ish – in 7.5cm chunks

2-3 beetroot peeled and in thirds/quarters

2-4 decent sized chunks of squash, peeled

vegetable oil

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 225c (fan)
  2. Start cooking the beetroot in salted boiling water, set the timer for 7min.
  3. When it beeps, put a heavy pan in the oven with a covering of about 5mm of veg oil, put the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water. Set the timer for 8min.
  4. When it beeps drain the veg, give the potatoes a gentle rattle around the pan.
  5. Take the hot oil pan from the oven and place it on a medium/high heat (7/10 induction). Add all the veg and turn to coat with oil.
  6. Cook for 35min in the oven, turning once after 20min.

Oil choice is important. Veg oil is lighter, and needs a higher temperature. If you use olive oil the potatoes get crispier, but are also more heavily oiled on serving – up to you. Add an extra 5 min cooking time if you want more crisp, or make the potatoes a bit smaller.

Roasties

I serve roasties with rosemary salt so I don’t add salt or herbs to the pan.

You’ll notice I leave the skins on my potatoes – I like them like that, but if you want fluffy crispy roasties, peel and use a floury potato like King Edwards or Sharps Express. If you prefer a waxier potato the par boil them for 10min not 8.

If I roast carrots or squash I add them raw to the hot oil, and if I do want to add something extra I’ll put a whole garlic halved in to roast as well.

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Potato Curry – well a few types really…

Potatoes are a great ingredient, and I love a good potato and spinach curry. However, I don’t keep all the ingredients in the house for a proper saag aloo, and getting paneer is a four or five hour round trip… So I get a little creative.

Prep: 5 min Cooking : 10 min

Ingredients

150g potatoes cubed, skins on (Charlottes for preference)

75 g leaves (spinach, mustard, land cress or rocket) washed and shredded if needed

Optional – mozzarella cubed

1 garlic clove crushed or chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp tumeric

2 cardamon pods – seeds only

Method

  1. Par boil the potatoes, for 2.5cm cubes – 6 min in either stock or salted water.
  2. Part way through the cooking time wilt the leaves with a tiny bit of veg oil in a wok.
  3. Add the spices and stir, immediately drain the potatoes and add these (keep a little of the water/stock).
  4. Cook for a further 2 min adding water/stock if required
  5. If adding mozzarella, turn off the heat, mix the cheese through and serve immediately.
Potato, Spinach and Mozzarella curry (with Venison Tandoori in Tomatillo sauce)

Saag Aloo normally contains mustard seeds, spinach and stuff like ginger. I don’t keep mustard seeds in the house, but when I use shredded mustard leaves it gets closer to the ‘authentic’ flavour. But this, as a side dish, is more than good enough for my taste buds. The key flavour is the Turmeric, and if this is served with another dish with Turmeric in it they complement incredibly well.

Because I can’t source paneer locally, to mix things up I often add a Mozzarella. The trick is to add it only at the end so it warms but does not melt.

And as for potatoes. Well you can use what you want. I grow Charlottes and sometimes others, but Charlottes are the ideal for me because they are a little waxy and keep their shape well on par boiling. If you use a flourier potato like King Edward, then reduce the par boiling time by 2-3 minutes. And while I like keeping the skins on feel free to peel if you prefer.