I let my helper do the bulk of the shopping just pointing out stuff I like the look of or need. She haggles, squeezes fruit and veg with a trained eye and checks the scales before they weigh them, which it wouldn’t have occurred to me to try. She announces certain things ‘no good’ and we move on to the next stall. There is a sort of flick of the chin which means ‘OK I’ll take it’ which I must learn to perfect. Everything looks clean and abundant; there are stalls with simply heaps of bok choi, pak choy, choy sum – they all appear the same to me but some are better for stir-fries, others for dumplings, some for fish. There are stalls of incense, medicine, loo rolls, nuts, clucking chickens, rose petals… I have so much to learn. Never more so than when staring at a tank of live fish. Again I defer to my helper who looks each fish in the eye and pronounces it ‘maybe good’. If they have any damage to the scales around their mouth, they have been nosing the sides of the tank for a while and are ‘old’. She can’t imagine buying a fish fillet in a plastic tray – how would you know how fresh it was? We bought a fish, again expensively, which I didn’t see die, it just appeared in a plastic bag of ice. We ate it steamed with ginger, spring onions, coriander and soy sauce and it was delicious. Apparently you can taste the pollution from the Pearl River delta in the delicate flesh of the fish but I honestly couldn’t. I will try buying fish online, as I’m sure there’s truth in the rumours of metal pollution, but it’s so much more fun to buy like this.

I didn’t see any alligators on my trip to the market so substituted (Australian, imported) skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, you can also use pork loin or prawns. It’s from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Jamie’s America’, the inspiration for this recipe coming from Louisiana. The bright colours and sharp salsa appealed to me as the weather has been cloudless and warm after weeks of grey and cold. Judging from the popularity of the the sweet potato gratin featured on this site it should be a hit, it is heartwarming and comforting. It’s also really easy and requires very little preparation. Do marinate the chicken for as long as you can, I definitely felt it made a difference. I didn’t see any green tomatoes, but had a punnet of cherry tomatoes in need of eating so used those. I didn’t deseed them and Jamie was right that it made the salsa a bit wet. Over to you on whether you can be bothered…

Cajun chicken with sweet potato and salsa

Serves 4

4 sweet potatoes (approx 200g each), wrapped in foil

750g alligator tail, chicken breasts or pork loin, cut into 1cm thick slices

For the cajun marinade:

1 level tsp cayenne pepper

1 level tsp paprika

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a small bunch of fresh oregano, leaves picked [I didn't use any]

a small bunch of thyme, leaves picked

1 fresh bay leaf, spine removed, leaf torn into pieces [I used a dried one]

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

For the salsa:

3 spring onions, trimmed and very finely chopped

1/2 a fresh red chilli, or to taste, deseeded and finely chopped

2 green tomatoes, finely chopped

1 red tomato, deseeded and finely chopped

a small bunch of fresh curly parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp cider vinegar

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Start by making the marinade. Whack [so Jamie to say that] the cayenne, paprika and a pinch each of salt and pepper into a pestle and mortar with the fresh herbs and grind them together. Add your garlic, olive oil and mustard and grind again – the oil will help all the flavours come out. When you’ve got a thick treacly paste, transfer it to a large bowl and toss your pieces of meat in it until they are completely coated. Cover with clingfilm, then pop the bowl into the fridge and leave for at least 20 to 30 minutes or, if you really want those flavours to do their work, for a few hours or even overnight.

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/gas 6 and pop your foil-wrapped sweet potatoes in to roast for about 1 hour. When they’re nearly ready, make your salsa. It’s lovely and fresh, with the right amount of heat, crunch, herbiness, acid and salt to bring it all to life. Put all your salsa ingredients into a bowl, with a good pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavour of the tomatoes. Give it all a good mix.

When the sweet potatoes are ready, take them out of the oven but leave them in the foil so they stay warm. Put a large pan or wok on a high heat and get it ‘screaming’ hot. Quickly but carefully add your pieces of marinated meat and let them cook for a few minutes on each side so they get some nice colour.

Unwrap your sweet potatoes and put them on plates. Score them down the middle, then gently squeeze them so they pucker up. Serve your lovely cooked meat on top, and cover with a few spoonfuls of fresh salsa. And that’s it – beautiful meat, soft sweet potatoes and fresh lively salsa!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jamies-America-Jamie-Oliver/dp/0718154762/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297402889&sr=1-1

A doctor friend came to stay a couple of weeks ago, with news of a fourth pregnancy. I dished up this, which fortunately works for newishly pregnant ladies, and is dead easy to do while chatting and drinking and laughing and gesticulating. I also gave it to the husband one evening and while still really good it tasted different. I think how you measure out the spices makes a big difference. My tip is go easy on the pinch of cayenne pepper – that’s a pinch not a heap. I also didn’t bother with the flaked almonds, life felt too short. The recipe comes from Australian chef Bill Granger’s ‘Every Day’, which offers everything from energizing breakfasts to kid’s meals to Sunday roasts, all beautifully packaged with sunny photos of Bill and his Ozzie life – not dissimilar to how I imagine mine will look in a few months time…

Moroccan Fish Stew

Serves 4

Prep: 10 mins Cooking: 25 mins

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 cinnamon stick

pinch of cayenne pepper

400g tin chopped tomatoes

pinch of sea salt

500g firm white fish fillets (such as cod, snapper or ling) cut into chunks

400g tin chickpeas, rinsed

2 teaspoons honey

freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

fresh coriander leaves

flaked almonds, lightly toasted

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more, or until fragrant.

Add the cayenne, tomatoes, salt and 250ml of water and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the fish is just tender. Add the chickpeas and honey and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Season to taste. Serve garnished with coriander and flaked almonds.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Day-Bill-Granger/dp/1741963559/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297404118&sr=1-1

This recipe is by Tamasin Day Lewis and her wonderfully named book ‘The Art of the Tart’.

Courgette and basil tart

Serves 6

22cm shortcrust pastry case, chilled

800g small firm courgettes

salt and black pepper

2 – 3 tbsp olive oil

2 eggs and 2 egg yolks

150 – 300 ml double cream

a handful of basil leaves (about 4 tbsp)

Tomato dressing

1 small onion

1 clove of garlic

675g tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp each of torn basil leaves, chopped chives and flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Bake the pastry blind for 15 mins, then remove the beans, prick the base with a fork, and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Slice the courgettes into thinnish coins and layer them in a colander, salting each layer. Leave to drain for 20-30 mins, then rinse and dry on kitchen paper.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, throw in the courgettes, and cook until they are slightly softened and translucent, but do not allow them to colour. Remove from the pan and drain.

Whisk together the eggs, yolks, cream and seasoning: the amount of cream will depend on the depth of your tart tin, so begin with the smaller amount and add more if it doesn’t look as if the mixture will fill the pastry case. Put the courgettes into the pastry case with the torn basil leaves, and pour over the egg and cream mixture. Bake until just set, puffed up and deliciously browned, about 30 minutes. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before turning out, and eat while warm with the gutsy raw tomato dressing, made while the tart is in the oven.

Mince the onion and garlic together in a food processor. Put in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, stir, then cover and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes. Stir again, and spoon on to the plates alongside the tart.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Tart-Tamasin-Day-Lewis/dp/1841881325/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297404397&sr=8-2

Now I love gooseberry fool and think of gooseberries like damsons, a quintessentially English fruit that seems to have dropped out of favour and so is hard to find in the supermarket. Such a shame as surely they are a great herald of high summer. According to Sybil Kapoor in ‘Simply British’, they are not actually native to Britain but first arrived in England in 1275 when Edward I imported some direct from France for his garden at the Tower of London. By the early eighteenth century we were addicted – gooseberry clubs were set up and the newly formed Horticultural Society of 1826 listed 185 strains in its first catalogue. As other fruits became more available throughout the year, the gooseberry suffered and again, just like the damson, you are more likely to find them now in a country garden (or kitchen) than anywhere else.

I found the berries in our farmers market but if you can’t find them there try frozen or apparently you can get tinned. I halved this recipe and used more yoghurt than cream as that happened to be the situation in my fridge. This recipe is one I made up from several others – the inclusion of lemon rind being entirely my own invention but when tasting it before putting it in the fridge it definitely needed some added sharpness. Apparently elderflower is a common partner and works well too.

Gooseberry fool

Serves 8

800g gooseberries

200g golden caster sugar

500ml double cream

500ml plain yoghurt

zest of one lemon

Put the gooseberries and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stew for 10 mins, until softened, then let them cool. Whip the cream to very soft peaks and fold in the yoghurt. Fold in three quarters of the cool gooseberries through the cream and add the lemon zest. Spoon the fool in to glasses or little bowls and spoon over the remaining berries and leave in the fridge until needed (this will help them set slightly). Serve with something like (hard) macaroons or biscotti for dunking.

Last week I had a few too many to manage. I’d ripped out this recipe from the Telegraph Stella magazine, by Diana Henry, and gave it a try. It’s very easy, the Greek yoghurt and lime gives the ice cream a bit of sharpness and you have a luscious taste of summer in the freezer whenever you need it. In this batch of recipes was also one for a mango bellini – you make a puree similar to the one above, ie mangoes and lime (and perhaps some sugar if needed), chill till icy then pour into a jug with prosecco and serve. Haven’t tried it but it sounds delicious too.

Mango, lime and cardamom ice cream

Serves 8

Prep time: 20 mins

100g granulated sugar

150ml water

seeds from 10 cardamom pods, crushed

3 large, really ripe mangoes, peeled

juice of 5 limes

200ml double cream

6 tbsp Greek yoghurt

4 tbsp icing sugar, sifted

Heat the sugar and water over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring from time to time. Add the cardamom. Turn up the heat a little and simmer gently for 10 minutes, until syrupy. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Strain to remove the cardamom.

Peel the mango and cut the ‘cheeks’ off each side. Remove the rest of the flesh from the stone using a small sharp knife. Put all the flesh into a food processor. Whizz until you have a smooth puree; there should be about 600ml (1 pint) of it. Add the lime juice and sugar syrup and combine thoroughly.

Whip the cream until it holds its shape then add the puree, stirring as you do so. Add the yoghurt and icing sugar as well. You need to beat well to ensure there are no lumps of cream or yoghurt. [I found there were quite a few lumps and they were quite hard to get rid of]

Pour the mixture into your icecream maker or, if you don’t have one, into a shallow container and place in the coldest part of the freezer for about two hours or until it is beginning to freeze around the edges. Then, using an electric beater, whisk the frozen edges into the middle, replace the lid and return to the freezer for a further two to three hours. Repeat the whole process then freeze again until it is quite frozen.

Before serving, take the ice cream out to soften a bit.

Serves 8

This curry, not as hot as the name vindaloo suggests, is made so much more delicious with thick, cold yoghurt and mint and coriander leaves. The recipe is for 4 but it’s even better eaten the next day or reheated from frozen so do make more than you need. I found myself searching my freezer hoping for one last bag of this the other day which seemed the sign of a good recipe.

Don’t be put off by the length of the ingredients list, it’s a cinch to make and most of this lot are just spices you quickly tip into the pot. Another from the wonderful Mr Ottolenghi, this time from his new cook book ‘Plenty’, which will be the first of many recipes I’ll try. Not sure the husband was convinced with the lack of meat in this recipe but even he had to admit it was pretty good – once he was pursuaded to try it.

Two-potato vindaloo

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 Cooking time: 2 hours

8 cardamom pods

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp vegetable oil

12 shallots (300g in total), chopped [I didn't bother with shallots, just used the onions I already had in the fridge]

1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

25 curry leaves

2 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger

1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped

3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped [I used tinned]

50ml cider vinegar

400ml water

1 tbsp caster sugar

400g peeled waxy potatoes, cut into 2.5 cm dice

2 small red peppers, cut into 2cm dice

400g peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 2.5 cm dice

salt

mint or coriander leaves to serve

Start by making a spice mix. Dry-roast the cardamom pods and cumin and coriander seeds in a small frying pan until they begin to pop. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and add the cloves. Work to a fine powder [i found this quite hard work, not sure how 'fine' you'd call what I ended up with], removing and discarding the cardamom pods once the seeds are released. Add the turmeric, paprika and cinnamon and set aside.

Heat up the oil in a large heavy-based pot. Add the shallots with the mustard and fenugreek seeds, and saute on a medium-low heat for 8 minutes, or until the shallots brown. Stir in the spice mix, curry leaves, ginger and chilli and cook for a further 3 minutes. Next, add the tomatoes, vinegar, water, sugar and some salt. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add the potatoes and red peppers and simmer for another 20 minutes. For the last stage, add the sweet potatoes. Make sure all the vegetables are just immersed in the sauce (add more water if needed) and continue cooking, covered, for about 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the lid and leave to bubble away for about 10 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Serve hot, with plain rice and garnished with the herbs and yoghurt.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plenty-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/0091933684/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297404536&sr=1-1

And with news today that the British governmental health body NICE (ironically named in this biscuit-y context) is considering banning trans-fats used in commercial cakes and biscuits now might be the time to start baking.

This recipe is by Tamasin Day-Lewis, sister of Daniel, and comes from the wonderfully named ‘Art of the Tart’, a lovely book with loads of fairly easy to make sweet and savoury tarts, quiches and pies. As she says in the intro to this recipe, it is only to be attempted once you can bear to share the flavour of asparagus with others, and actually this recipe maintains the asparagus as the main event – the rest of the tart being very mellow and creamy. If you buy ready-made shortcrust pastry it really is dead easy. Tamasin talks of her ‘golden rule’ which is to steam the thicker, woodier ends of the stems first before you throw in the more tender tops – that way avoiding “the flobby mess” that putting them in at the same time can lead to. I didn’t do this, lazily, and while it didn’t matter I think she may have a point…

Asparagus tart

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 50 mins

22cm/9 inch shortcrust pastry case, chilled

beaten egg, for brushing

1 good-sized bundle of asparagus

300ml/10fl oz cream

150ml/5fl oz Jersey milk [funnily enough I didn't get this, I'm sure whole milk will also do]

4 egg yolks

2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Bake the pastry blind for 15 minutes, then remove the beans, prick the base with a fork and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pastry case from the oven and brush with beaten egg. Turn the oven down to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Steam the asparagus as discussed above and leave to cool. Whisk the cream, milk and egg yolks together, add the grated Parmesan and season. Spoon the cooled asparagus into the pastry case, then pour over the custard. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes, until puffed up and just set and browned.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and serve with a strong-noted salad, say raw fennel, orange and watercress with a hazelnut or walnut and olive oil dressing, which introduces astringence and pepperiness.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Tart-Tamasin-Day-Lewis/dp/1841881325/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1297404733&sr=1-2

This recipe comes from Bill Granger and his book ‘Feed Me Now’ (Quadrille, £20) a great title to include on this blog and well worth dipping in to for simple recipes you can rustle up in no time. This dish is SO easy. Appropriately I made this when an Aussie friend came round for dinner when the husband was out. She arrived just as I was bathing and feeding my little girl so she ended up helping out with the cooking while I put her to bed. Gotta love that ‘can do’ attitude…

You may be thinking there’s nothing particularly interesting about baked chicken, and this is a really simple recipe, but what made it a little different to me and stops everything from drying out, was adding the stock, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. The end result was a little sticky, not dry at all, and finished in one sitting.

Baked chicken with lemon, potato and green olives

Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 50 mins

Serves 4 [I sort of halved the ingredients for 2, less potatoes and chicken but probably similar amounts of the rest]

1 kg roasting potatoes, such as Desiree

1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges

75g green olives

1 lemon, sliced

50g pancetta, cut into strips

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

120ml chicken stock

1 x 1.7kg chicken, jointed

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

chopped flat leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place in a roasting tin or oven proof dish. Scatter over the onion, olives, lemon, pancetta and bay leaves. Stir the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar into the chicken stock, then pour over the potatoes. Lay the chicken pieces on top, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or until the chicken is golden.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm plate, cover with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place. Increase the oven setting to 220C/Gas 7 and return the roasting tin or dish to the oven for 10 minutes or until the potatoes, onion and lemon slices are well coloured.

Place the chicken back on top of the potatoes, scatter over some chopped parsley if you like, and serve.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feed-Me-Now-Bill-Granger/dp/1844007065/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297404822&sr=1-1

It feels like I’m just getting back my cooking mojo after a few months of not being able to think ahead as far as the next hour let alone the next meal. As I bathe and feed my little girl at around 6.30 – 7.30pm this means any cooking has to be prepared in advance, made by someone else or it has to be a super-quick recipe, all good for the purposes of this blog. This recipe does fall into the latter category, surprisingly for a curry, and the list of ingredients isn’t nearly as long and arduous as most curry recipes so often are.

If you have an anniversary, birthday, other good reason or it’s simply a gorgeously sunny day, I highly recommend a trip to Skye Gyngell’s, particularly for Sunday lunch. As well as serving beautiful and taste bud inspiring food it is hidden away within a garden centre – hence it’s name Petersham Nurseries – so feels like you’re eating in a secret garden, surrounded by terracotta pots, vintage wicker furniture and things like cloches and linen gardening aprons you never knew you needed. It’s down by the river near Richmond and when I took my husband there for a birthday lunch a couple of years ago we were barely speaking by the time we arrived as it took us ages in terrible traffic and the sat nav directed us to the wrong place. Luckily the sheer loveliness of the place immediately dispelled the monosyllabic mood that was threatening to ruin everything. Well worth the effort.

Fish curry with tamarind, roasted coconut, ginger and coriander

Serves 4  [I did it for 2 and halved the ingredients except, perhaps foolishly, the chillies...]

Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 25 mins

4 very fresh, live lobsters, about 500g each [or equivalent of any firm, white fleshed fish, eg monkfish]

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, peeled and finely sliced

5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 red chillies, chopped

1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted [don't miss these out they really make the dish]

5 ripe tomatoes, chopped [I used a tin of them, cut them up and drained away some of the liquid through a seive]

1 tbsp caster sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp tamarind water [She makes one up with tamarind pods, I didn't but used tamarind paste which worked fine. I don't think it would matter if you didn't use any but perhaps add some lime juice instead as tamarind adds a tart sort of flavour]

1 1/2  x 400ml cans coconut milk

75g unsweetened dried coconut flakes, lightly toasted

Bring a large pan of salty water to a fast boil, then drop in the lobsters [cringe] and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and leave until cool enough to handle, then extract the meat. Take a sharp knife and make an incision all the way down the middle of the body. Remove the flesh and cut into medallions, discarding the stomach sac and the dark intestinal thread, which runs the length of the body. Crack the large claws with the back of a heavy knife and gently remove the meat. Save the legs for garnish.

[If you're not using lobster the recipe starts here] Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, lower the heat a little and cook gently, stirring every now and then, until they are translucent.

Meanwhile, put the ginger, garlic, chillies, toasted coriander seeds and tomatoes in a blender and whiz to a paste. Scrape out the mixture and add it to the onions in the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add the sugar, fish sauce and tamarind water [or a couple of teaspoons of the paste] and stir well, then pour in the coconut milk. Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cooked lobster [or whatever fish you're using] and heat gently for 2-3 minutes until it is just warmed through [for my monkfish I cooked the pieces for about 4 minutes]. Check the seasoning.

Ladle the curry into warm bowls or soup plates and garnish with the reserved lobster legs [if using] and toasted coconut flakes to serve [I used some coriander instead].

Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Petersham, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AG - 020 8605 3627  www.petershamnurseries.com

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-my-Kitchen-Skye-Gyngell/dp/1844005925/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297404908&sr=1-1