Swahili Chicken - East African Cuisine

Swahili Chicken

I adapted this recipe from a book 200 Curries by Sunil Vijayakar - Hamlyn. This is a fabulous book presenting recipes from all over the world and has a great introduction section where it lays out information about different spices for curry addicts like us. It presents recipes in a simple format with variations and beautiful photographs to boot. If you need some curry inspiration or would like to try something a little different, it is a great addition to your cookbook collection.

Baked Artichokes with Parmesan Stuffing

Baked artichokes, Parmesan, herbs and breadcrumbs.

Globe artichokes, stuffed with breadcrumbs and Parmesan

Globe artichokes are funny lookin' things! At first like a cactus (but actually a thistle) and later like a delicate flower, an artichoke is worth the patience for its nutty and creamy decadence.
Although they look a little daunting to prepare, turning an artichoke can actually be very simple, although I was surprised how much of the vegetable is not actually eaten, only the soft heart is consumed once the leaves, scratchy 'petals' and choke are removed. The revealed heart can be boiled baked, grilled, barbecued or steamed and then stuffed with whatever you fancy really - cheese bread, ham, anchovies, tomato, bacon, egg - like a homemade mini pizza! They make a great side dish or a large artichoke would be a great vegetarian dish.

Rhubarb "Crumble"

Rhubarb and Greek Yogurt Crumble in a glass

Rhubarb pulling is usually between May and August but in early September the rampaging patch in my mum's garden was in dire need of a picking. We twisted off a few stem, discarded the leaves and poached the even 1cm cut stems in a honey and water syrup. I put about 3 tablespoons of honey and the same of water in a saucepan and simmered for about 20 minutes until a soft pulp emerged.

Oat-rolled Herring with Beetroot Puree

Last week in the supermarket was a big pile of reduced fish for sale. We decided to buy bags and bags of different fish including cod, bream and these herring. Most of the other fish went into our fish pie but the herring remained in our freezer. Although Liz really loves any kind of fish, cooked in any way, I am a little more cautious when it comes to oily and pungent varieties such as mackerel, sardines and, in this case, herring. As such, I prefer to fry these kinds of fish in plenty of butter and serve them with plenty of little side dishes so as the flavour blends in with the other food and is less empowering. We all know that fish can be battered in either breadcrumbs or a wet flour mix (as in our traditional fish 'n' chips) but I wondered if something different could be used - oats.