Stuffed Tomatoes

As I may have mentioned, you know…in passing, just maybe once or twice….I moved last week. In fact, I didn't just move, I moved into my very first real home that I own!!! Its all been a little bit mental and hectic (we completed about an hour before the man and van were arriving to move me out of my last residence) but I felt a little bit like superwoman on moving day. I really am my mother’s daughter because as well as getting everything boxed up/marked/moved, I managed to also prepare a rather delicious dinner for moving night. Very simple, cheap and perfect to prepare in advance just to chuck in the oven on the night. Before it seems like I'm just a big bragger, I didn't feel quite like superwoman over the next week as I don’t think I made one proper meal in my own kitchen during that whole time!

Ingredients

4-8 large tomatoes

1 cup rice

250g lamb mince

Handful of pine nuts

1 onion

Garlic

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch paprika

Salt/pepper

Mint/parsley/basil/thyme/sage (basically whatever fresh herbs you have available)

Cook the rice as you usually would but stop it ¾ way through (the rice will still have a bit of bite) drain and set aside. While the rice is cooking you can make the mince mixture. Cut the tops off the tomatoes (but keep) and scoop out their insides (keep these too).

Chop the onion and garlic and the insides of the tomatoes. Roughly chop the herbs.Cook the onions and garlic on a very low heat with a small amount of olive oil (lamb is a far fattier meat than beef and you will not need any more) until translucent (about 6-10 minutes), then add the lamb mince and turn the heat up. Keeping it moving, brown the lamb mince and add the cinnamon,paprika and pine nuts.

Cook for a few minutes before adding the chopped tomato insides, salt and pepper and some tomato purée  At this point, if it is looking a little dry, add a small amount of water and the ¾ done rice, giving it all a good mix. Turn off the heat and stir through the chopped herbs.

When you are ready, stuff the rice mixture into the tomatoes, spreading any extra around them in the base of the dish (I use my cast iron pot for this, but any heavy based dish suitable for the oven would do, i.e. a ceramic/glass one that fits everything in snugly) and pour a bit of water over.

As I didn't have enough large tomatoes,
I threw some chopped cherry ones around the rice
 at the bottom of the dish.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes on high (about 180-200) until the tomatoes have slightly blackened. Serve with a fresh salad and a rich tomato sauce and it’s a dinner for kings! If you are preparing this in advance, do everything until putting it in oven and then you are ready to go whenever you need it. 

Marinated Lamb Kebabs

There are few things as gratifying as waking up to a beautifully sunny day, particularly when it has rained continually for the past month. So what could be better? Waking up to sunshine two days in a row of course, and with the sun comes a whole new world of food possibilities. No longer does my body crave the comfort of a steaming plate of food, instead I want light lunches and finger food. Picnics, barbecues, anything which involves little effort and allows you to enjoy the sun as much as possibility gets a big tick in my book.

Kebabs in this country have a pretty bad name, they are associated with indistinguishable slithers of meat covered in some kind of sauce and some shredded salad, usually accompanied by a hangover the next day and kebab breath for far too long. It’s a shame really because (although I may have partaken occasionally in this drunken affair) they are one of my favourite things, so easy and surprisingly healthy!

I used a mix of cuts as that was what I had available (1 steak and 2 small pieces of neck fillet) and made 6 kebabs.

Ingredients

Approx. 300g boneless lamb

2 cloves

2 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)

1-2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin (just under)

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Soak your skewers.

Bash up the coriander seeds, cumin (if seeds), chilli flakes, salt (I’d use sea salt), pepper and garlic in a pestle and mortar.  Add the paprika and cumin, if not seeds, and mix well. Add the oil and the cloves (whole).

Dice the lamb into chunks about 2cm square and rub the marinade all over. Leave to marinade for at least 20 minutes (but the longer the better).

Cut the red onions into 8 pieces (half, half and half again). Thread the lamb onto skewers alternately with the red onion and cherry tomatoes. 

Grill on each side (either on the barbecue or under the grill) for approx. 2 minutes for pink lamb, longer for well done. Leave to rest for 5 minutes (if you can resist) and then tuck in.