Ingredients

• 900g fresh mussels
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 1 small bunch of coriander
• 1 glass of white wine
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 fresh lime
• 1/2 small onion
• 25g butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Place the saute pan over the heat.
2. Add the mussels to the pan then throw in the chopped chillies with the white wine and crumble in the chicken stock cube.
3. Cover the pan with a lid and steam the mussels for 8-10 minutes or until all of the mussels are open.
4. Remove the lid, rough chop the coriander and throw into the pan.
5. Squeeze in half the lime and season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1/2tsp garlic powder
• 1/2tsp ground red chilli
• 1/2tsp dried oregano
• 1/2tsp chilli flakes
• 1tsp salt
• 1/2tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• roast potatoes to serve

Sauce

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2tsp hot oak-smoked paprika
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 beef or large tomatoes, skinned, halved and deseeded
• 2tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/2tsp sugar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• red kidney beans: 400g cooked or canned red kidney beans; 1tbsp olive oil; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Brush the shanks with the olive oil. Put the garlic powder, ground red chillli, oregano, chilli flakes, salt and pepper in a bowl, mix well, then sprinkle over the shanks.

Set the shanks end to end in a roasting tin. put in the middle of a preheated oven and cook at 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 for two hours, turning them over two to three times. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and cook to a light brown (it will give off a delicious roasting aroma). Add the paprika and cumin and coook for one minute without letting them burn.

Pour in the vinegar, then add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a woden spoon and cooking to form a lumpy sauce. Add the mint, season with salt and pepper and add sugar to taste.

To prepare the red kidney beans, drain and transfer to a small saucepan, stir in the olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste, then heat gently.

Dish up the shanks, pour off any excess fat and add two or three tablespoons water to the tin to make a little stock. Stir well, then add to the sauce.

Bring to the boil, then season with salt and pepper and add more sugar if necessary. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve with roast potatoes and red kidney beans.

• 12oz S. Bread Flour
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 egg

Cook in a hot oven.

The first time I thought about making these I went to the shop and bought Strong Bread Flour – the S in the above recipe was rather ambiguous. I later realised I should have got Soda Bread Flour. Another obvious omission was the lack of anything to bind the dry mixture together, so, I bought some buttermilk. The resulting scones were the prefect light and airy texture, but something was missing. Perhaps a bit of sugar. I haven’t made them again as I haven’t had an opportunity and it would require some guesswork to get the quantities right. But when I do make them again these are the ingredients I will use:

• 340g/12oz Soda bread flour
• 2 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 egg
• 150ml/5 fl oz buttermilk
• 75g/2-3oz sugar

Then I will cook them for about 15 minutes in a hot oven 200C/400F.

By Cyrus Todiwala

Published: The Sunday Independent, 05 February 2006

Rasam is a very healthy soup from south India, made in many different ways but usually with lentils. It forms a vital part of the meal and is sipped both to add flavour and aid digestion: the spices help to make the protein in the lentils much easier to absorb. A popular variation includes tomatoes.

• 50g/2oz yellow or pink lentils
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1tbsp coriander seeds, finely crushed
• 2 or 3 dried red chillies
• A pinch of turmeric
• A pinch of mustard seeds
• A pinch of cumin
• A pinch of fenugreek
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2tbsp tamarind pulp
• 1 litre/13/4 pints water
• 10 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

Wash and drain the lentils and put them in a casserole dish with the water, turmeric and some salt. Boil until soft.

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the mustard and let it crackle, then add the onion, curry leaves, coriander, chillies, cumin, peppercorns and fenugreek. Sauté for six minutes, then add the lentil broth and the tamarind and boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then strain and serve, adding a little coriander. The red chillies can be recovered from the sieve and left to float decoratively in the soup.