A recipe for Morwenna’s cupboard.
Ingredients
butter or vegetable oil
rice (c. 90g-100g per person, rinsed)
2 smoked mackerel fillets
1 onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
a handful of raisins/currants/sultanas
almonds (whole or sliced – optional)
saffron (optional)
frozen spinach
To serve: lemon, tabasco and (optional) parsley.
How to make:
Rinse the rice well, place in a pan, add water to just under 1inch above the rice and a teaspoon of salt, and cook on a low-medium heat with the lid on tightly. When the water is evaporated, turn off the heat and leave with knob of butter and a tea towel over while you prepare the rest.
Wrap the mackerel fillets in foil with a little knob of butter on each and put in the oven to warm through on a low-medium heat. Remove when hot.
Boil the kettle and (if you have) soak a handful of raisins/currants/sultanas in a cup with hot water, and (if you have) add a nice pinch of saffron.
Meanwhile in a generous pan that can also fit the rice, slice one onion and gently fry it in 3 tablespoons of melted butter or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil until soft, at least 10 mins. Add 1 tablespoon of garam masala/curry powder and stir. Add 2 tablespoons of almonds whole or flaked (if you have) and fry for a minute in the spices. Add the soaked raisins and saffron including their water and stir. Add a few blocks of frozen leaves spinach and stir on a low heat until it’s defrosted. Add a little extra water if it’s needed to help the spinach defrost.
To assemble:
Fold the cooked rice into the onion pan, gently, so you don’t disturb the rice too much. Remove the skin from the mackerel and gently stir in generously sized pieces. Add the butter you used to warm the mackerel to the rice. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
To serve:
A wedge of lemon for each plate, and with a little chopped parsley if you have any. A bottle of tabasco on the table.
Dinner Document 