Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

We eat a lot of spicy food here at Roe Manor. Indian, Mexican and Thai are our flavours of choice, but it's usually a curry that wins out. I invented this particular recipe because I love sweet potato in curries and because I had half a bag of spinach in the fridge. Every ingredient in this recipe is from the wonderful Keelham Farm Shop.

Mrs Roe's Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry

Ingredients

2 tsp sunflower oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 heaped tbsp curry paste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 large red chillies, one finely chopped, one thinly sliced

300ml vegetable stock (OXO cube is fine)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

100g spinach

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then gently fry the onion over a low heat for at least ten minutes. It needs to be soft and golden brown.
2. Add the garlic, curry paste and the chopped chilli (keep the sliced chilli to one side). Fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then add the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and simmer for five minutes, before adding the chopped tomatoes. Continue to simmer until the sweet potato is cooked through.
4. Just before serving, add the sliced chilli and the spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt, then serve with minty yogurt, mango chutney and naan bread.

• The flavours will vary, depending on the curry paste you choose to use. I am a big fan of Mr Huda's Universal Curry Paste. You can buy it online from Spices of India, if you're not lucky enough to find it locally.
• This is a bit of a hottie. If you prefer milder flavours, omit one (or both) of the chillies and/or the cayenne pepper.
• To make minty yogurt, add a decent teaspoonful of mint jelly to a couple of tablespoons of natural yogurt and mix thoroughly.

Bean and Pepper Chilli

We've been eating pretty badly recently, as I've been working on loads of job applications (soo time consuming) and, as a result, I have a fridge full of good stuff to use up.

So, in the mood for something spicy I concocted this chilli (chili) recipe last night. It was good, although it could have done with more heat for my tastes. We ate it with baked potatoes and some soured cream that was left from the weekend.

There's plenty left today, so I'd say this recipe serves at least 4 people.

Mrs Roe's Pepper & Bean Chilli

Ingredients

1 tsbp sunflower oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp chilli powder

1 large red pepper (capsicum), chopped

1 large yellow pepper (capsicum), chopped

50g red lentils

1 can chopped tomatoes

2 tsp soft dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 can kidney beans in water (drained and rinsed)

1 can chick peas in water (drained and rinsed)

100g closed cap mushrooms, chopped

3 pieces sun-dried tomato, drained thoroughly and chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan (it needs to be a pan with a lid), then add the onions and fry gently for about 15 minutes. You need to get them really soft and they'll start to turn golden in colour. Keep the heat low to stop them burning.
2. Add the smoked paprika and chilli powder and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly.
3. Add the red & yellow pepper and the red lentils. Mix everything together so the oniony mixture combines with the lentils, then turn up the heat and add about 125ml hot water. Stir and let the mixture come up to the boil.
4. Next, add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and put the lid on the pan. Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
5. Serve with baked potatoes, rice or tortillas, topped with a blob of soured cream or a little grated cheese.

• The lentils help to thicken the dish slightly so you don't get a watery consistency. You could use rice, cous cous or other grains instead, but I'm not sure whether the results would be exactly the same... 
• I used kidney beans and chick peas as this was what I had in the cupboard. You could use any combination of beans you like, but they need to be in water, not sauce. Canned sweetcorn would also be a good addition.
• If you don't have smoked paprika, just omit it from the recipe.
• I would definitely add more chilli powder next time, but adjust the amount to suit your own tastes.
• Feel free to throw in any combination of veg. Even frozen mixed veg would do at a push.

Chilli con Bolognese

The last of the Bolognese sauce became a chilli tonight and it was good. So easy, I think posting a recipe is a bit of a cheat, but you might like to try it, so read on if you do...

You can't beat a good chilli on a cold winter's day.

Mrs Roe's Chilli Bolognese

Ingredients

1/3 Bolognese sauce (here's the recipe)

1 x 400g can kidneys in chilli sauce

1/2 tsp smoked chilli flakes

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

Method

Easy! Put everything in a pan, mix it all together and heat thoroughly. Simple as that.

We had it with rice, but it would be good with bread, or chips, or as a filling for enchiladas, or a topping for nachos... You get the idea!

I used Encona West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce, because it's what I had in the cupboard. It's good, because it adds a slightly tangy flavour as well as heat. You could use Tabasco, or leave it out completely if you don't want it too hot.

The smoked chilli and paprika give it a lovely flavour, but it can be hard to get hold of them so just use ordinary chilli flakes and paprika if you can't find the smoky stuff. I am on the last precious flakes of smoked chilli (which I bought from a Greek herbs and spices stall on a European market). I am dreading the moment when I run out.