Healthy Eating with a Side of Chocolate...

I've said it once, I'll say it again. My name is Annie and I am a chocoholic.

As the new year begins, so along with it comes the realm of resolutions and beginnings, promises of healthier eating, exercising 6 times a week with no alcohol in January, being more positive, saving more, spending less, eating more greens, eating less meat and getting hot. These resolutions usually last about the same time as it takes for someone to ask me in the bleak days of London January, whilst sitting at my desk, looking out the window into the greyness of St Paul's... Should we go for a glass of red?

The luxury of time. Such an abstract concept. Why should time be a luxury? I never feel like I have enough time. My nights are a constant battle, filled with all the activities I really do enjoy doing vs having time to not do all the things I enjoy. Downtime. Which means different things on different days. Tonight it meant going straight home after work, no yoga, no hiit, no football, no catchups. 

'You'll never find time for anything. If you want time, you have to make it....'

So in the abstractness of the evening, I decided to make myself some soup. Like chicken soup for the soul, except not, as of course, I'm trying to eat less meat. So instead it was roasted sweet potato, butternut squash, spinach and quinoa soup for a wintery January evening. It was definitely soul warming and soothing. Perfect with a side of chocolate. Abstract recipe below. 

So I did actually write a few things down for 2015, but none of the usual points listed above. All of the above will be a bonus in the quest for a year of difference, yet made with the same ingredients. Abit of being stirred, rising,  baked, shaken and consumed. Yes, all of the clichés.

It will be about balance, the Ha and the Tha and the enjoyment and indulgence with virtue and purity in the company of strangers and loved ones. It is continually cultivating this balance somehow, someway, somewhere....

Sweet potato, butternut squash, spinach and quinoa soup for the non-chicken soup drinkers.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato

1 butternut squash 

1 onion

Few cloves of garlic

Few handfuls of spinach

1 cup of cooked quinoa 

Vegetable stock

To garnish (optional)

Parsley

Chilli flakes

Pepper

Crumbed feta 

1. Chop sweet potato and butternut squash into small chunks, drizzle with some Olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes at 190' (a highish heat!)

2. Gently fry the onion and garlic

3. Add the roasted squash and sweet potato to the onions and fry again briefly, then add vegetable stock and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Leave to cool slightly.

4. Cook the quinoa separately

5. Purée the soup in a blender or with a hand blender then pour back into a saucepan.

6. Add the Spinach until it wilts.

7. You can either add quinoa to the pot or just add desired quantity to individual

Servings (which is what I did).

8. Garnish and drink up!

On another note, the greyness of St Paul's can be rather mesmerising.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainan Chicken Rice

I had been craving this for awhile and so we took a trip to C&R in Chinatown last week, only to find it was closed for renovations. So post Bikram yoga session on the weekend, and bundles of energy, and seeing a friend's istagram feed from Singapore, I suddenly had the urge to cook this. Not eat it, just make it. I have made this several times before and I think the most important part is the rice. Some think it the chilli-ginger sauce or the silky chicken but I think the rice, followed by the sauces. I could eat that without the chicken. Recipe adapted from how I have made it in the past and also from the Rasa Malaysia site. Measurements are more estimates and you can adjust to taste!

Hainanese Chicken Rice (Serves roughly 4)

Ingredients:

For the rice

3 cups uncooked washed rice
vegetable oil (or your preferred oil)
4 cloves finely chopped garlic (more if you like - I used a food processor to mince the garlic and ginger to make enough for the rice and the sauces all at once, guestimates will do)
Chunk of ginger, cleaned and bruised

Excess chicken fats (optional)

1 & 1/2 tsp salt roughly

chicken broth to cook

For the chicken and stock

1 whole chicken, or chicken pieces and additional chicken bones
few big chunks of ginger, cleaned and bruised 
5-6 stalks of shallots, washed
1 carrot, roughly chopped

few tsp salt

I added two dried honey dates (used alot in Chinese soups, imparts a sweetness)

For the soy sauce (mix)

2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp chicken broth
3 tsp sesame oil

For chicken rice chilli ginger sauce (Blend altogether)

Few birds eye red chilies
Few cloves of garlic
Chunk of ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
few tbsp chicken broth
few tbsp of lime juice or rice vinegar, to taste

Variations of shallot oil, with or without ginger

1. Heat some oil, add some chopped shallots, salt and sesame oil 

2.Mince shallots, ginger, salt together. Heat some oil and pour it on top of the mixture.

Method

For the Chicken

1.Clean the chicken and if using a whole chicken, stuff some ginger, garlic into the cavity and rub with salt. If using pieces, add the ginger and some garlic, shallots to the pot, alongside the chicken bones. Add some more salt to season as necessary.

2. Bring water to the boil, add the chicken and reduce to low simmering heat and let the chicken simmer for about 40-50 minutes (or longer if necessary). Low heat will keep the stock pretty clear and prevent the chicken overcooking. Remove and submerge in cold water to stop the cooking process. Some recipes say to poach the chicken to give it a warm bath in order to get the silkiness. Next time.

For the Rice

1.Fry some of the mince garlic and ginger, make sure to not brown, then add the uncooked rice with some salt and fry until fragrant.(Note, I have in the past trimmed the excess fat from the chicken and fried this with the rice to give it more flavour, but if the stock has enough oil and flavour you can skip this, I skipped this time).

2.Cook rice as normal in the rice cooker, adding the chicken stock from the chicken with some additional salt. You want to scoop the top oily parts of the stock which is full of flavour and will give the rice the nice oily, chicken flavour.

To Serve

Chop up the chicken into bite size pieces and serve alongside the rice, with some sliced cucumber, accompanied by the ginger/shallot oil, chilli/ginger sauce, some soy sauce and a bowl of both with some coriander.

Seems long but is a very easy recipe! Enjoy!

What a fruitcake!

With a pending trip to Israel and a lack of research, we decided to get together for a dinner party in hope to plan some of our trip. Recent attempts at eating healthier, coupled by a request to make a healthy dessert brought me here. Well, not quite. I was actually looking for a hazelnut and fig cake recipe that I had been wanting to try and stumbled across this instead. It was healthy and full of the Middle Eastern ingredients of saffron, honey, yoghurt, dates, hazelnuts and figs. So, in the theme of things...well, I thought anyway. I was told pistachios would have made it more Middle Eastern.

The picture from the original recipe was so pretty - bright yellow from the saffron contrasting with the purple of the figs, on the brown base of the hazelnuts. The recipe called for powdered saffron but I had strands and couldn't get it anywhere as near bright yellow. I also substituted some of the full fat yoghurt for low fat but the 'cake' was abit icey so next time I wouldn't. The base could be used as a cheesecake base as a wheat free alternative to digestive biscuits. Tasted like Ferrero Rochers, without chocolate. An easy, pretty dessert for the health conscious! Just add more honey for extra sweetness.

Hazelnut cake with Frozen Saffron Yogurt and Honey Drizzled Figs

Crust
2 1/2 cups (350 g) raw hazelnuts (save a handful for the topping)
1/2 tsp sea salt
15 fresh medjool-like dates, pitted
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp water

Filling
3 cups (720 ml) fat whole-milk turkish/greek yogurt, unsweetened
1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk
4 tbsp runny honey + some extra for topping
1 gram (0.035 oz) powdered saffron (2 envelopes)
8 small fresh figs, quartered

Method
Preparing the crust: Toast the hazelnuts on a baking tray on 180°C (350°F) in the oven, for 10 – 15 minutes or until skin cracks. Let cool for a few minutes, then remove skin by rubbing the nuts between a rough kitchen towel. Add hazelnuts (save a handful for the topping) and salt to a food processor or blender and pulse for about 10 seconds. The nuts should be chopped but not powdered. Pour the nuts into a separate bowl and set aside. Add the pitted dates, coconut oil and water to the food processor and run it on high speed until the mixture comes together to a sticky paste. Add the chopped hazelnuts and run until everything is combined into a sticky pebbled mixture. Place in a 20 cm (8-inch) spring-form cake tin and flatten it out with your fingers. Put in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

Making the filling: Place yoghurt, coconut milk and honey in a medium size mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the saffron very gently with a spoon. Remove the spring-form cake tin from the fridge and pour the saffron filling on top of the crust. Then place the spring-form in the freezer for about 2 hours (you can keep it in the freezer for days but then you have to let it thaw for about 15-20 minutes before serving it). Top the cake with crushed almonds, fresh figs and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately and try to finish it all at once as it won't refreeze or look as nice the second time around.

Smokin' hot!

Nduja from Calabria

'Nduja (pronounced 'un-doo-ya) di Spilinga - A firey, smokey, soft spreadable salami which originates from the small town of Spilinga in the region of Calabria, in the deep South of Italy. 

In 2008, a stumble upon the roadside Trattoria da Mimma, in the Capo Vaticano area of Calabria, changed my life. Ok, well as far as food experiences go, the simple pasta dish I had at this trattoria had me craving it well after the holiday ended. To this date, I think this single food item forms one of the most memorable dishes I have eaten on all my travels. 

Ah, the joys of the simple things in life. Spicey and smokey, there is just something so addictive and moorish about the flavour. Fast forward a year or two later after my trip and I spot a Calabrian stand in London's Borough Market and I was ever so excited to see the 'nduja for sale here! It also started appearing on some pizza and pasta menus in London overtime.

It is apparently made with various parts of the pig that produce a high fat content, including belly, shoulder and jowl. The meat is ground very finely and then mixed with some salt, and ALOT of roasted and ground sweet and hot peppers (another region specialty). It is then stuffed back into the large intestine and smoked for about a week, then dried for three weeks or more. Then voila, you have this versatile ingredient, that can be spread on bread, eaten with cheese, mixed into pasta sauces and a whole host of other recipes that I can't wait to try!

For now though, it is best as a quick and simple pasta sauce.

My quick pasta alla'nduja e pomodori (Serves 2)

Ingredients
1. Enough pasta for two people (traditionally served with a long fusilli of the region, but linguine or whatever pasta you prefer is fine)
2. 1-2 tbsp of 'nduja to taste, depending on how much spice you can handle
3. Handful of cherry tomatoes
4. Salt and pepper to taste and basil to garnish

Method
1. Cook your pasta as you normally would
2. At the same time, in a little olive oil, throw in some cherry tomatoes and add the nduja to gently melt it. I prefer the cherry tomatoes still relatively fresh, so only cook these until the skin bursts. You could also use chopped tomatoes (tinned or fresh) if you prefer a more tomatoey flavour with just the hint of 'nduja.
3. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water and mix the pasta into the sauce. Add some of the liquid if the sauce is to dry. 
4. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with basil if so desired. I have also seen it served with ricotta, so you could add a dollop of ricotta or other soft cheese when serving, to soften the flavour of the 'nduja - it will melt and mix into the sauce.
5. Enjoy!

Quick and tasty dinner - 'nduja with pasta

Trattoria Da Mimma - Capo Vaticano in 2008

Fusilli alla 'nduja - the original dish I had

New Experiments and a Fresh Tart

Lemon and Lime Tart

I love citrusy and tangy foods. I have made a lemon meringue tart only once before, four years ago, inspired by my brief stint in the South of France at the time. For some odd reason as much as I enjoy this dessert, I have not made it since. 

Then Delicious magazine came and it was on the cover page and calling out to me to bake it, in an attempt to expand my repertoire. Of all the shortcrust pastry recipes I have tried, this one turned out the best. I didn't have to mould and press and mend the dough into the tart tin. It fell in in one go and did not break, so I will definitely be using this recipe again. 

The tart filling had the right amount of zest and sourness I thought (if you prefer your tart sweeter, this tart is not for you!). However, it was slightly under cooked and needed perhaps another 10 minutes. I made small tarts with the leftover pastry and filling and they were a good alternative if you prefer a less citrusy filling to pastry ratio!

Rick Stein's Lemon and Lime Tart (serves 10-12)
(Takes 25 minutes to make, 50 minutes to cook, plus resting and cooling)

Ingredients

For the pastry
250g plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
25g icing sugar
150g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
2 medium free-range egg yolks
1 egg white, lightly beaten

For the filling
3 large or 4 small lemons
2 limes
6 eggs
250g granulated sugar
150mL double cream
icing sugar to dust (optional)

Method - For the Pastry

1. Begin by sifting the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Next, chop your butter into small cubes and, if you have a magimix, pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. 

Add the yolks and 1-2 tbsp water, then pulse again until the pastry comes together. Remove and gently knead the dough before wrapping in cling film and leaving to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Once the pastry has chilled, roll it into a thin layer (using flour to dust) to line a 25cm diameter, 3cm deep loose bottomed tart tin. Prick the base of the tart with a fork and put it into the fridge to chill for 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/fan 180ºC/gas 6/395ºF and place a baking tray in the oven to pre-heat as well.

3. Line the tart tin with baking paper and baking beans, and bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove the baking paper and beans, and bake for another 4 minutes. Remove once again, brush with the whisked egg white, and return to the oven for a final two minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 120ºC/fan 100ºC/gas ½/250ºF.

For the filling

1. Begin by grating the zest from the lemons and set aside, then squeeze the juice from all of the lemons and limes (to achieve 150-175ml of liquid). In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs and sugar together by hand (you don’t want the eggs to be frothy), add the citrus juice and cream, and sieve the resulting mixture. Add the lemon zest last.

2. To bake the tart, to avoid spilling, Rick Stein suggests placing the baking sheet back in the oven, placing the pastry case on the tray and pulling the shelf half way out of the oven. Pour the filling into the pastry case, slide the shelf back into the oven and cook for approximately 50 minutes (until just set). The mixture should be quite wobbly in the centre still but will continue to firm up after it comes out of the oven. Remove from the oven and leave to cool (don’t refrigerate). Dust with icing if you feel inclined and serve on the same day if you can.

Perfect pastry

Fresh out of oven

Slightly runnier than it should be

Mini lemon tarts

You Rich and Evil Tart!

A Rich and Indulgent Tart

Chocolate and raspberries - you really can't go too wrong with this combination, the sharpness of the raspberries cutting the rich and bitterness of the chocolate in a perfect marriage of flavours. 

A new Magimix in tow (thanks peoples!), and a reason to bake had me sampling this recipe I had bookmarked for awhile now. The pastry was rather delicate and hard to roll out without breaking but nonetheless, once baked, you will know no difference! My tart tin was smaller than the recipe called for so I had plenty of chocolate mixture leftover. Baked in small ramekins, this makes for an easy and quick (but very rich) dessert. I would perhaps add some orange zest to the mixture and serve with creme fraiche or cream, if you are not concerned with the extra calories from what is already an extremely indulgent dessert! 

Silky Chocolate and Raspberry Tart (Serves 10-12)
(Takes 30 minutes to make, 50 minutes to cook, plus 35 minutes chilling)

Ingredients

1. 1. 150ml whole milk
2. 2. 500ml double cream
3. 3. 65g golden caster sugar
4. 300g good quality dark chocolate (ideally 70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into small squares
5. 4. 2 medium free-range eggs
6. 5. 1 tsp vanilla extract
7. 6. 200g fresh raspberries, plus extra to serve (optional)
8. for the crisp chocolate pastry
9. 7. 175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
10. 8. 25g good quality cocoa powder
11. 9. 50g icing sugar
12. 10. 100g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
13. 11. 1 medium free-range egg yolk
14. 12. 3-4 tsp cold water

Method

1. 1. For the pastry, sift the flour, cocoa powder, icing sugar and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Add the butter and whizz until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Beat the egg yolk briefly with the water. Add to the food processor and whizz until the mixture starts to stick together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Shape into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, then chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. 2. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out thinly on a flour-dusted surface. Use it to line a 25cm (across the top), 4cm deep, loose-bottomed tart tin. Trim the pastry edges, then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. 3. Put a baking sheet onto the middle shelf of the oven and preheat to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Line the pastry case with a sheet of crumpled baking paper and a thin layer of baking beans or rice, then blind bake on the preheated baking tray for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans/rice and blind bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and crisp. Turn the oven down to 170°C/fan150°C/gas 3½.
4. 4. For the filling, put the milk, cream and sugar into a pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring gently. Take off the heat, add the chocolate squares and stir until smooth. Cool slightly, add the eggs and vanilla extract, then mix together well.
5. 5. Scatter the raspberries in the tart case. Pour over the filling, carefully slide the tart back onto the baking sheet in the oven, then bake for 20-30 minutes or until the filling is cooked but still slightly wobbly. It will continue firming up as it cools. Remove and leave to cool somewhere cold (but not in the fridge) until set. Serve cut into thin slices and serve with additional fresh raspberries if desired.

Chocolate Pastry

I used 70% Cocoa Lindt chocolate

Perhaps less raspberries than this to allow more chocolate space!

Silky Chocolate Ganache

Out of the oven

Sweet dreams are made of this...

Raspberry and Almond Bakewell Cake

In-som-ni-a (Noun) - Habitual sleeplessness; inability to sleep.

Oh is that all. I expected a more textbook definition or hoping for something more insightful. Lately I have become quite the insomniac. For the past two weeks I haven't been able to differentiate whether my non-sleep is attributed to jetlag or well, insomnia. 

The alarms goes off, I hit snooze. It buzzes again. I trudge to the bathroom and declare "I slept so badly last night". My flatmate responds that for as long as she has lived with me she has never known me to sleep well. Hmm. That is over 18months. It never occurred to me my degree of restless and sleeplessness - for not getting my forty winks has really become the norm. It is easier the measure the number of hours I think I slept. If I think I slept 7 hours, then surely my brain would fool my body into believing it had?

Lack of light in my room means I have no inkling what time it is for the most part without hearing or seeing my alarm. I could leave my window pane slightly ajar but I would then have further problems of falling asleep. I like darkness. I get distracted too easily by any sound or light, external to myself. Although, for anyone who knows me, they will say that my lack of sleep is internal to me, to my restless and analytical mind. In university days, I would have said this was true. Now, still true, but too a lesser degree. I value my sleep alot more now... I crave it. On the few mornings I wake up feeling rested, I have energy and look forward to the day ahead. Today was one of them.

Caffeine really affects me. I love the smell and taste of coffee - it is just synonymous to walking, cup in hand on a chilled weekend and so I look forward to it daily. It perks me up. Give me two and I will feel guilty. Three, and I will be bouncing off walls. Caffeine past about 3pm is the death of me - an exhausted body with an alert mind are not the perfect match. Yet stubbornness, cravings and false pretences makes me cave in to my desires at times. I was supposed to give up caffeine for Lent. I am not religious but we at work all decided to give up something so I chose caffeine. It's a vicious cycle and it didn't last but if at first you don't succeed...so I am starting again tomorrow.

A friend sent me an article on foods for better sleep -  foods that help in the creation of melatonin in your body which apparently controls your internal clock - correcting the mismatch between this and your daily routine. In order these are:

Raspberries
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Cherries
Flaxseeds
Strawberries

I guess it is not as effective if these are coupled with lashings of sugar in the form of a raspberry and almond bakewell cake, washed down with a fresh mug of coffee. Perhaps that was where I was going wrong. More reading to be done. Recipe below anyway.

Ingredients
1. 140g ground almonds
2. 140g butter , softened
3. 140g golden caster sugar
4. 140g self-raising flour
5. 2 eggs
6. 1 tsp vanilla extract
7. 250g raspberries
8. 2 tbsp flaked almonds
9. icing sugar , to serve

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and base-line and grease a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Blitz the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract in a food processor until well combined.

2. Spread half the mix over the cake tin and smooth over the top. Scatter the raspberries over, then spread the remaining cake mixture on top and roughly spread - you might find this easier to do with your fingers. Scatter with flaked almonds and bake for 50 mins until golden. Cool, remove from the tin and dust with icing sugar to serve. ƒ

I served it with a dollop of clotted cream to satisfy the scone craving I had been having. Vanilla ice cream would also work.

A Perfect Match

Chicken Liver Parfait with Saffron Apple Chutney

Pate, parfait, foie gras - anything laden with fat and cholesterol, and spreadable on baguette, brioche and anything else that is carbohydrate laden and equally as bad for you must taste good. I really believe there is an additive in liver products that make it so addictive. I am sure I am not the only one either. I believe I can exist on a diet of liver products - maybe not for long, but throw in some cured meats, cheeses, bread, pickles and a glass or two of red wine and I am one happy girl. My ideal type of meal is lots of small bites. Preferably served on a wooden board with a slab of something that is artery clogging.

This was my second attempt at chicken liver parfait and it was a better attempt. I added more brandy, perhaps more butter and more herbs and seasoning. I also made a saffron apple chutney to accompany it and the sweet and tangy chutney helped to cut through the richness of the liver. I love that it is Christmas and there are gatherings of people who I can use as guinea pigs.

Packaged up

Chicken Liver Parfait (adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients (makes about 450g, 4 small jars)
1. 250g block of butter and then some
2. 1 red onion, chopped
3. Olive oil
4. 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5. 1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
6. 400g chicken liver, preferably organic or free range, trimmed of sinew or any green bits
7. Sea salt and black pepper
8. 1 medium glass of brandy

Method
1. Make the clarified butter, using about half the block of butter. Put the butter on low heat and let it melt away for about 20 minutes. The clear oil will separate from the white part (whey). Skim the clear stuff off the top and put in a separate saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, heat a lug of oil in a large pan and when hot, add the onion, garlic and thyme leaves. Fry fast for about 4 minutes, tossing occasionally, until soft and starting to colour. Add a splash more oil, your chicken livers and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on a high heat for 4-5 minutes. (Some recipes say don't overcook and keep the livers pink in the middle but I am abit paranoid so I cooked it through and it was still pretty smooth).
3. Add your brandy to the pan of livers, and let it cook off. You can flame it if you want – this way you can see the alcohol cooking off. I tasted it at this point and I could still taste the brandy but as soon as I blitzed it, this taste was gone so don't worry if you think you have put too much brandy!
4. Tip everything into a food processor with all the juices, and blitz until smooth. The smell changes straight away. Have a taste, and season to a degree where you’re happy, then add a little more as the seasoning goes down when it gets cold, which is how you’ll serve it. 
5. Dice up your remaining pack of butter, and add it piece by piece, with the food processor still running. Wait for each piece to be combined before adding more. Keep whizzing when it’s all in, and you’ll see it start to shine. Taste again and season if necessary, then whiz for 2 or 3 minutes. 
6. You can serve in ramekins or whatever you like. Push the parfait through a fine sieve and then into your serving dishes.
7. Put a piece of greaseproof paper over the parfait and put it into the fridge until set. 8. Once set, if not eating straight away, pour over a layer of clarified butter which acts as a seal. Keeps in the fridge for a week or so.

Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, with fresh crusty bread, some chutney and dessert wine if so desired.

The apples simmering away

Apple, Saffron and Ginger Chutney

Quick Apple and Saffron Chutney (adapted from Gordon Ramsay)

Ingredients (makes about 350g)

1. Olive oil

2. Thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

3. Large pinch of saffron strands

4. 3 shallots, finely chopped

5. 150g caster sugar (then add more to taste)

6. 7.5 tbsp cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

7. 3 eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallots, ginger and a good pinch of sea salt, then fry for 3 mins. Crumble in the saffron, sprinkle in the sugar and carry on cooking for few mins until the sugar melts and starts to caramelise, stirring all the time.

2. Tip in the vinegar and apples, the recipe says cook for 5 minutes until the apples are just softened and coated in a syrupy sauce. I found I cooked it for quite abit longer, as the mixture was still quite liquid. I added more sugar at this point also to help it thicken and caramelise. You don't want the apples to become mush so keep an eye on them. Cool and serve. It tastes quite gingery when I tasted the chutney warm, but the flavour was not as strong once chilled.

Can be spooned into an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.