Fajita Spice Mix

Everybody loves a fajita, but the ready-made spice mixes you find in the shops can not only be expensive, but not have quite the flavour balance you want (too smoky, too hot, too salty etc.) plus have a few nasty additives in there. So make your own! It's so simple to do, cheaper and you are in control of the flavours.

This makes enough for one batch of fajitas for the family, but if you have them regularly, up the ratio and keep them in an airtight container (or keep hold of an empty spice container). Simple add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix.

Ingredients for one batch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Half teaspoon ground chilli (or chilli flakes)
Half teaspoon paprika
Half teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Half teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Pickled Red Onions

These pickled onions (and cucumbers too) are amazing with cheese, salads, in sandwiches or our favourite, on tacos. So much better than shop bought (as you control the flavour) and surprisingly easy. Just make sure you save those old jam jars and sterilise them properly by giving them a proper scrub then either boiling for 10-minutes in a pan (along with the lids) or putting into an oven set at 160C for 10-minutes. 

This makes one small jar, so if you have bigger jars, just increase the ratio. 

1 - Thinly slice 3 red onions and place into a colander. Pour over boiling water straight from the kettle and leave aside to cool.

2 - In a pan, add 300ml of white wine or cider vinegar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp salt then your flavourings of choice: I used 6 peppercorns, 1 star anise, 2 bay leaves and a tsp mustard seeds. Like it hot? Add a couple of chillies. But leave them out if you want it plain and simple. 

3 - Bring to the boil then simmer for a minute and take off the heat.

4 - Pack the red onions into a sterilised jar. Pour over the pickling liquor to the top, put on the lid firmly and keep aside until cool. You can keep them unopened in the fridge for 6 months or consume within 2 weeks after opening. Remember: the flavour develops with time.

NOTE - For pickled cucumbers, thinly slice half a cucumber and repeat exactly the same method. 

Spiced Pickled Beetroot

Beetroot are an acquired taste. Boiled to submission, they can retain all of the character of a Saturday night singing contest. However, roasted slowly to tease out the sugars makes for a unique vegetable that sits perfectly alongside your Sunday roast or simply diced and tossed into a cold pasta or rice salad.

They are probably more used to the pickling treatment in this country. This process can demolish the beet's subtle flavours but when you have more beetroot than you can juggle with, sometimes the pickling jars are the only option. I've devised a simple spiced version with a balanced flavour of sweet and sour. Placed in between two doorsteps of bread with a hunk of strong Cheddar cheese, it helps to make arguably one of the best sandwiches in the world.

Spiced Pickled Beetroot
Makes approximately 4 large jars

8 whole beetroot
Olive oil
500ml malt vinegar
200g caster sugar
4 whole chillies
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
4 large picking jars

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/GM4. Clean the beetroot and place into a square of foil. Drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap thoroughly then place onto the middle shelf and bake for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
2 - Sterilise your jars by placing into a warm oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
3 - To make the pickling liquor, place the vinegar, sugar, chillies and spices into a large pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.
3 - Peel the skin from the beetroot. Slice thickly then place equally into the jars. Pour over the spiced pickling liquor and share out the chillies and spices. Seal and put into a cool dark place for at least 2 weeks to allow the flavours to develop before eating.

Chermoula (Moroccan Marinade)

This is a very easy to make but stunning marinade or paste for use with chicken, pork and fish. Used extensively in North Africa in countries such as Morocco or Tunisia, it's a cheeky blend of spices, lemons, chilli, garlic and fresh coriander and adds a punch of flavour to pretty much any grilled or pan-fried meats. You can even try it with hardy roast vegetables such as squash, beetroot and potatoes.

I like to use mine with fresh tuna, seared perfectly on the BBQ or a griddle pan and served with bulgar wheat, cous cous or quinoa. Toss in a few pomegranate seeds and things become even more exciting. Try it.

Chermoula 

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp each of ground cumin and paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Either 1 fresh deseeded chilli finely chopped or 1 tsp ground chilli
A couple of handfuls of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

1 - Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Taste for seasoning.
2 - Add your choice of meat and leave to marinade for a few hours. Cook as normal.

Harissa Sauce

We've recently been turning to ways of transforming otherwise bland leftover food into something amazing. In our fridge there are always airtight containers with last night’s rice, pasta, cooked vegetables, fish or meat in. Waste not want not is the mantra.

A great way of making, say, a load of cooked vegetables and cooked pasta taste good is to whack it all into a casserole dish, cover it in a good tomato sauce (hopefully one that you have made and stored in the freezer) top with a cheese sauce and cook until golden and bubbling. Or take your rice and combine with leftover chicken, lemons, cardamon and cinnamon and bake in foil for a lovely quick 'leftover pilaf'.

I like to make sauces such as salsa verdé or 'green sauce', a strong, piquant sauce made from store cupboard ingredients that transform the blandest of meals into a thing of pleasure and beauty. A close second to that is harissa, a fiery North African sauce of red pepper and chilli that is so easy to make yourself and again, transforms the boring into the beautiful. Try it with fish or white meats, rice and salad. Make the most of your own little store in your kitchen and soon you will be a master of the leftovers.

Harissa Sauce

2 red peppers
1 large or 2 small red chillies, deseeded
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika (smoked or unsmoked)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

1 - If you have a gas hob, light 2 rings and place the peppers straight onto the flame. Using tongs, turn regularly until the skin is black all over. Pop into plastic food bags, seal and leave to cool. If you don't have a gas hob, rub in a little olive oil and roast in a hot oven until collapsed. Again, place into the food bags, seal and allow to cool.
2 - Once cooled, peel off the skin and discard the stalks and seeds. Pop into a food processor along with the chillies and garlic.
3 - Put the coriander seeds and cumin seeds into a dry frying pan and pan roast for 2 minutes until fragrant. Bash in a pestle and mortar or put into a couple of food bags and bash them with a rolling pin. Add to the food processor along with the paprika and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
4 - Pour into an airtight jar and top with the olive oil. This will keep for a couple of weeks in a fridge.

Wild Fruit Jam

A day of plundering this weekend, and what a plunder it turned out to be. We sneaked over to our 'secret' sloe berry location anticipating disappointment after last year's wash out. And there before our eyes were bush after bush of the acrid berry that somehow transforms gin into liquid gold and, quite possibly, my favourite drink.

After plucking several kilos of sloes, the trip home became bonus time as we came across damsons aplenty. A quick shake of the branches and it rained wild plums onto our heads. Nature has more than made up for last year's harvest drought.

It helps to have a few little ones in tow when it comes to gathering fruit. Make sure they have some protective gloves on and away you go. With elderberries and brambles being thrown into the mix too, we eventually came home with more fruit than you can, erm, shake a tree at.

The sloe gin can wait until next week but the other wild fruit went into the pot for some loose jam ready for the yoghurt and muesli, porridge, hot muffins and one or two cakes and scones. There is something uniquely satisfying having made something almost for free and that pleasure doubles when you can have fun with your friends and family during the process. Happy days...

Wild Fruit Jam
Makes one large jar

1kg of wild fruit such as damsons, brambles, elderberries and sloes
200g caster sugar

1 - Put a couple of clean jars with the lids off into a hot oven and heat through for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven but leave in to remain hot.

2 - Place a couple of saucers into the freezer. 
3 - Put the fruit and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil. Give it a stir then fast boil for 10 minutes. Take a saucer out of the freezer and drop a little of the jam onto it. Put in the fridge for a minute then remove. Push it with the tip of your finger; if it crinkles, it's ready. If not, fast boil for another 5 minutes then repeat until ready.
3 - Carefully remove the hot jars with gloved hands then push the jam through a sieve into the jam jars (if you don't mind the skin and seeds, don't bother). Secure the lids and once cool, refrigerate. The jam should keep for 4 weeks.

Cranberry and Chilli Relish

This pickle, or relish, is one I turn to every year. We all reach for the cranberry sauce or jelly on Christmas Day, but I find them a little too sweet on a savoury plate for my palate. And once you have had a spoonful on your plate, it tends to sit in the fridge, slowly making its way to the back until discovered the following Christmas. I prefer something sharper, which means it can be used over the Christmas fallout with cheese and cold meats or even stirred into a soup. Packed with spice and fruit, it improves with age and makes that leftover plate a little more classier.

Cranberry and Chilli Relish
Makes 1 large jar

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
50g demerara sugar
250g cranberries, washed
Zest and juice of 2 satsumas
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
150ml cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat up the oil in a large pan then add the onions and garlic. Soften for 5 minutes, then add the sugar. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes until golden
2 - Tip in the spices, then stir in the cranberries, zest and juice and finally the vinegar. Bring to the boil then turn down and simmer with the lid half on for 30-40 minutes until everything is well reduced and the cranberries have completely burst and released their juices. You are looking for a thick, jammy texture.
3 - Remove the cinnamon stick. Grind in a little salt and pepper. Pour into a sterilised jar. This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months, if it lasts that long.