Lamb meatballs cooked in a thick balti curry sauce Carol’s way.

                                                                                      

These are little meatball treasures, jewels of deliciousness worth spending time to make. I make this recipe in 3 stages then combine everything together at the end. serve with spicy roast potatoes and Naan bread it doesn’t get better Get your family and friends together around the table GO ON DO IT.

You can make the basic curry sauce in advance it will keep in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container.

  

Balti spice mix ingredients. Make up in advance and store in an air tight container will keep in your store cupboard till ready to use.

2 x tsp paprika

½ x tsp chilli powder

1 x tsp salt

1½ x tsp ground coriander

1 x tsp ground cumin

Mix all spices together use as recipe states in stage 3*. Store the rest for future balti recipes

Stage 1

Basic curry sauce ingredients

3 x tbsp vegetable oil

6 x onions peeled and chopped

1 x inch fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped

3 x garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped

2 x tsp ground coriander

1 x tsp ground cumin

½ x tsp chilli powder

1 x tsp garam masala

½ x tsp turmeric powder

6 x cardamom pods lightly crushed

2 x bay leaves

6 x dried curry leaves

2 x tbs tomato puree

6 x fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped or 1 x 400g tinned tomato

½ tsp x salt

1 x tsp pepper

300ml x water

Recipe for basic curry sauce.

Using a large pan heat the oil on a medium to high heat, add the onions and ginger, stir and cook until the onions are just beginning to brown round the edges, reduce the heat and add the garlic, cook for a further minute, add the rest of the spices plus the bay leaves, curry leaves and  tomato puree stir and cook gently for 5-10 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and water, bring to the  boil reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and cardamom pods, cool the sauce before putting into a Liquidizer and puree until smooth, or use a sieve. Return the sauce to the pan and set aside till the meat balls are ready.

Stage 2

Meatballs ingredients

600g x minced lamb

2 x small onions as finely chopped as possible

2 x cloves garlic crushed

1 x green chilli finely chopped

1 x tsp paprika

½ x tsp ground ginger

2 x tsp chopped coriander finely chopped

1 x large egg lightly beaten

4 x tbsp vegetable oil or gee

Meatball recipe

In a large bowl mix all the meatball ingredients together apart from the oil mix until everything is well blended together, form into 1 inch balls you should end up with around 30. Heat the oil in a frying pan and over a medium to high heat brown the meatballs turning gently to brown all sides (do this in three batches so you don’t over crowd the pan).

Add the meatballs to the balti sauce pan and set aside.

Use the meatball pan and any oil and residue left from the meatballs to complete stage 3.

Stage 3

Balti spice finishing touches

1 x onion peeled and chopped

1 x inch piece fresh ginger peeled and grated

1 x cloves garlic peeled and crushed

1 x green chilli finely chopped

3 x tsp balti spice mix* from the store cupboard

2 x tbsp fresh coriander chopped

Salt and pepper

Gently fry the onions and ginger in the meatball pan till onions become tender and translucent, add the garlic, green chilli and balti spice mix, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes,  add to the meatballs and Basic curry sauce pan and stir gently till everything is combined  bring to a simmer add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally, just before serving stir in  the chopped coriander

Serve with spicy roast potatoes and Naan bread.

Creamy smoked haddock pie with a cheesy potato topping

Do you like smoked haddock? Then trust me you will love this dish, Serve with garden peas or mixed vegetables of you choice. Don’t forget to look for bargains at your local supermarket if they sell fresh fish then there are bargains to be had, Go on have a look you know you want to.

For the filling

800g x un-dyed smoked haddock cut into pieces or any firm white fish

300ml x milk

1 x garlic clove peeled leave whole (optional)

1 x bay leaf

6 x black peppercorns

40g x butter

40g x plain flour

100g x mild cheddar cheese grated

100ml x double cream

Juice of ½ lemon or 2 x tbsp dry white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Potato topping

800g x peeled potatoes cut into chunks 

40g x butter

100g x cheddar cheese grated and 50g x parmesan cheese grated mixed together

½ x tsp salt

Good pinch white pepper

Cook in a pre-heated oven 190c/gas mark5/375f for 30 minutes till golden brown

FILLING

Place the fish in a large pan add the garlic clove, peppercorns and bay leaf, pour on the milk and on a medium heat bring to a simmer, take of the heat and cover with a lid and leave for at least 1 hour.

Remove the fish from the milk, strain the milk through a sieve and reserve for the sauce, and discard the bay leaf, peppercorns and garlic.

Remove any skin and bones from the haddock and discard, flake the fish using your fingers this is a good way because if there is any remaining bones you will find them, set to one side while you make the sauce.

Place the butter in a pan and melt on a medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, take off the heat and with a hand whisk or wooden spoon gradually stir in the milk, place back on the heat and stir till the sauce thickens and starts to gently bubble, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 minute, take off the heat and stir in  the cheese, double cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well, pour into a large oven proof dish and put to one side until you are ready to assemble the dish.

TOPPING

Place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water, bring to boiling point turn the heat down and cook till potatoes are tender around 20 minutes, Drain the potatoes through a sieve return to the pan and over a medium heat dry the potatoes for a minute, take off the heat and mash the potatoes till smooth add the double cream and most of the cheese (reserve around a ¼ of the cheese to sprinkle on top of the potatoes) add the salt and pepper and mix well.

Using a dessert Spoon cover the fish with mashed potato start from the outside and work your way to the middle until the fish is covered with a potato spoon shaped topping, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.