Recipes: Olia Hercules
Lamb Steaks with Mint Ajika New Potatoes (pictured above)
Portions: 2 adults & 2-‐3 kids
Cooking time: 20-‐30mins
Ingredients
1kg new potatoes
1 cucumber
3 lamb steaks
1 jalapeno chilli
2 cloves garlic
1 unwaxed lemon
200g radishes
40g fresh mint olive oil salt, black pepper
Method
Cook potatoes
Boil a kettle. Slice the potatoes in half and place in a large saucepan. Cover the potatoes with boiling water and cook for 10mins (until just tender), drain and set aside. Cut the lemon into wedges.
Prep ingredients
Pick a small handful of leaves from the mint and set aside for later. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Thinly slice the cucumber. Slice the radishes, some into circles and some into quarters -‐ it's fun to mix and match. Roughly chop the chilli.
Make dressing
Make the dressing using a hand blender to blitz 4-‐6tbsp of oil, the mint (including the stalks), chilli, garlic and 1tsp of salt. Use 1/2 of the garlic if you prefer less tang. Your adjika is ready!
Cook lamb steaks
Heat a griddle pan or medium frying pan on a high heat until hot. Rub the lamb steaks with 2tbsp of vegetable oil and grill for 3-‐5mins on each side for medium rare. Wrap the lamb steaks in foil if you like it more well done and rest for 8mins.
Griddle potatoes
Coat the potatoes in the remaining oil and grill on the same griddle pan you've just cooked the steaks on for 5mins or until nicely charred. Toss them in the mint adjika. In a small bowl mix the radish, cucumber, 1tbsp of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper.
Serve
Slice the lamb very thinly and arrange beautifully on a large plate with the grilled potatoes, radishes and cucumber salad, using the mint leaves as a garnish. Finish with a drizzle of oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Rice & Lentil Pilaf with Baked Aubergine & Yoghurt
Serves: 2 adults & 2-‐3 kids Cooking time: 30-‐40mins
Ingredients
3 aubergines
5g garam masala
3 banana shallots
300g basmati rice
300g yoghurt
20g dill
1 tin lentils
5g cumin
5g coriander
2g cinnamon
olive oil
salt,
black pepper
Method
Cook spices
Preheat oven to 220C/fan 200/gas 7. Drain and rinse the lentils and set aside. Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and rice and cook for 1min or until the spices release their aroma. Stir, so the rice is coated in the spices.
Cook rice
Add 650ml of cold water and 1/2tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat, without stirring, for 15mins or until the water is absorbed. Gently stir in the drained lentils and leave to rest with the lid on for 5mins.
Cook aubergine
Meanwhile, slice the aubergines into 2.5cm thick rounds, brush generously with olive oil, sprinkle over the garam masala and season well with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray in a single layer and roast in the oven for 10mins. Then flip them over and cook for another 10mins or until soft.
Prep onion
Meanwhile, cut the shallots in half through the root and peel. Slice, crosswise, as thin as possible.
Fry shallots
Heat 5tbsp of vegetable oil in a small frying pan and shallow fry the shallots on medium heat, stirring often for 2-‐3mins or until dark golden. Lift with a slotted spoon or some tongs and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve
Use a fork to fluff up the rice. Roughly chop the dill and stir half through the rice. Serve the aubergines on top of the rice, drizzle over some yoghurt, top with the crispy shallots and the remaining dill.
Georgian Pork Lavash with Pickled Spiced Carrots
Serves: 2 Cooking time: 20-‐30
Ingredients
300g carrots
1 pork loin steak
1g caraway seeds
1g cayenne pepper
30ml sherry vinegar
2 garlic cloves
150g yoghurt
200g spinach
5g khemeli suneli spice mix
2g coriander seeds
2 lavash
olive oil
sugar
salt
black pepper
Method
Prep ingredients
Peel the carrots. Use the coarse side of a grater to grate the carrots or use a peeler to peel them into long strips. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Toast spices
Heat a small frying pan on medium heat. Dry fry the the coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper for 2-‐3mins, until fragrant. Then use a pestle and mortar or the blade of a knife to crush them.
Make pickle
Mix the vinegar with the 1tbsp of sugar, 1tsp of sea salt, the coriander seeds, caraway seeds, cayenne pepper and garlic. Massage this into the carrots and leave to pickle until the rest of the dish is ready – the longer the better!
Prep pork
Remove the pork from its packaging and pat dry. Rub the khmeli suneli into the pork and season well.
Cook pork
Heat some oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork for 2-‐3mins on each side over a medium-‐high heat. Let it rest for 5mins before cutting into thin slices.
Serve
Scatter some spinach leaves, pickled carrots, pork, pickling juice and yoghurt onto the lavash, roll up and devour with abandon.
Herbed Pork & Pickled Carrots with Lavash Flatbread
Serves: 2 adults & 2-‐3 kidsCooking time: 20-‐30mins
Ingredients
400g carrots
5g coriander seeds
2g caraway seeds
2g cayenne pepper
60ml sherry vinegar
2 garlic cloves
200g spinach
150g yoghurt
2 pork loin steaks
4 lavash
10g khmeli suneli spice mix
olive oil
sugar
salt
black pepper
Method
Prep ingredients
Peel the carrots. Use the coarse side of a grater to grate the carrots or use a peeler to peel them into long strips. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Toast spices
Heat a small frying pan on medium heat. Dry fry the the coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper for 2-‐3mins, until fragrant. Then use a pestle and mortar or the blade of a knife to crush them.
Make pickle
Mix the vinegar with the 1tbsp of sugar, 1tsp of sea salt, the coriander seeds, caraway seeds, cayenne pepper and garlic. Massage this into the carrots and leave to pickle until the rest of the dish is ready – the longer the better!
Prep pork
Remove the pork from its packaging and pat dry. Rub the khmeli suneli into the pork and season well.
Cook pork
Heat some oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork for 4mins on each side over a medium-‐high heat. Let it rest for 5mins before cutting into thin slices.
Serve
Scatter some spinach leaves, pickled carrots, pork, pickling juice and yoghurt onto the lavash, roll up and devour with abandon.
Spiced Aubergine Mujaddara with Shallot Garnish & Yoghurt
Serves: 2 Cooking time: 30-‐40mins
Ingredients
2 aubergines
2g garam masala
2 banana shallots
150g basmati rice
150g yoghurt
10g dill
1 tin lentils
1g cinnamon
3g coriander
3g cumin
olive oil
salt
black pepper
Method
Cook spices
Preheat oven to 220C/fan 200/gas 7. Drain and rinse the lentils and set aside. Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and rice and cook for 1min or until the spices release their aroma. Stir, so the rice is coated in the spices.
Cook rice
Add 350ml of cold water and 1/2tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat, without stirring, for 15mins or until the water is absorbed. Gently stir in the drained lentils and leave to rest with the lid on for 5mins.
Cook aubergine
Meanwhile, slice the aubergines into 2.5cm thick rounds, brush generously with olive oil, sprinkle over the garam masala and season well with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray in a single layer and roast in the oven for 10mins. Then flip them over and cook for another 10mins or until soft.
Prep onion
Meanwhile, cut the shallots in half through the root and peel. Slice, crosswise, as thin as possible.
Fry shallots
Heat 5tbsp of vegetable oil in a small frying pan and shallow fry the shallots on medium heat, stirring often for 2-‐3mins or until dark golden. Lift with a slotted spoon or some tongs and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve
Use a fork to fluff up the rice. Roughly chop the dill and stir half through the rice. Serve the aubergines on top of the rice, drizzle over some yoghurt, top with the crispy shallots and the remaining dill.
Tender Lamb Steaks with Mint Ajika Grilled Potatoes
Serves: 2 Cooking time: 20-‐30mins
Ingredients
500g new potatoes
1 mini cucumber
2 lamb steaks
1 jalapeno chilli
1 garlic clove
100g radishes
20g fresh mint
1 unwaxed lemon
olive oil
salt
black pepper
Method
Cook potatoes
Boil a kettle. Slice the potatoes in half and place in a medium saucepan. Cover the potatoes with boiling water and cook for 10mins (until just tender), drain and set aside. Cut the lemon into wedges.
Prep ingredients
Pick a small handful of leaves from the mint and set aside for later. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Thinly slice the cucumber. Slice the radishes, some into circles and some into quarters -‐ it's fun to mix and match. Roughly chop the chilli.
Make dressing
Make the dressing using a hand blender to blitz 4tbsp of oil, the mint (including the stalks), chilli, garlic and 1tsp of salt. Use 1/2 of the garlic if you prefer less tang. Your adjika is ready!
Cook lamb steaks
Heat a griddle pan or medium frying pan on a high heat until hot. Rub the lamb steaks with 2tbsp of vegetable oil and grill for 3-‐5mins on each side for medium rare. Wrap the lamb steaks in foil if you like it more well done and rest for 8mins.
Griddle potatoes
Coat the potatoes in the remaining oil and grill on the same griddle pan you've just cooked the steaks on for 5mins or until nicely charred. Toss them in the mint adjika. In a small bowl mix the radish, cucumber, 1tbsp of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper.
Serve
Slice the lamb very thinly and arrange beautifully on a large plate with the grilled potatoes, radishes and cucumber salad, using the mint leaves as a garnish. Finish with a drizzle of oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Tamarind Marinated Trout with Bok Choy & Fluffy Rice
Serves: 2 adults & 2-‐3 kids Cooking time: 30-‐40mins
Ingredients
5 garlic cloves
40g ginger
1 red chilli
40ml soy sauce
3 trout fillets
2 spring onions
300g jasmine rice
300g bok choy
30g soft brown sugar
60g tamarind paste
olive oil
salt
black pepper
Method
Cook rice
Rinse the rice in a sieve. Place in a medium saucepan, cover with 600ml of water and bring to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, turn the heat down to its lowest setting, cover with a tight fitting lid and leave to simmer for 13-‐15mins. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 8mins.
Prep ingredients
Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic. Peel and finley chop the ginger. Trim the spring onions and finely slice on an angle. Cut the chilli in half, remove the seeds and finely slice. Separate the outer leaves from the bok choy and cut in half.
Make garlic crispies
First make the crispy garlic garnish. Heat 2tbsp of sunflower oil in a medium frying pan on medium heat. When sizzling drop in the garlic slices and fry until golden, it will l take a few seconds. Quickly scoop them out with a slotted or regular spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.
Cook bok choy
Season the trout’s skin and place the fish into the same pan (make sure it’s hot), skin side down, and fry for 2mins over a medium heat. Lift the fish out and set aside. Turn the heat down to low.
Cook trout
Add the ginger and chilli to the same frying pan (add some more vegetable oil if it looks dry). Fry for 3mins, stirring continuously. In the meantime, heat 1tbsp of oil in another medium frying pan over a medium heat and cook the bok choy for 3-‐5mins until soft.
Serve
Back to the fish. Add the tamarind, a good splash of water (4-‐5tbsp), sugar and soy sauce to the ginger and reduce slightly. Add the fish, flesh side down, into the sauce and cook for another 1min. Divide the rice and bok choy between two plates top with the fish. Garnish with the spring onions and crispy garlic slices. Drizzle over any remaining sauce.
Recipe by Olia Hercules for Marley Spoon, The recipes will be available to order online until 24th June. Dishes start at £4.35 per portion with free delivery available nationwide. www.marleyspoon.co.uk