Rosemarie's Recipes - A tribute to my wonderful mum

Rosemarie's Recipes - A tribute to my wonderful mum

I feel I should apologise and explain about the lack of posts recently. Those that follow me on twitter will know  this, but I lost my mum in April after a 2 1/2 year battle with bowel cancer. It has been a very difficult couple of months and my distinct lack of healthy eating during this time has shown on my hips with a weight gain of 10lb. I am trying to come to terms with such an enormous loss and trying to get back on track to shift these excess lb but I am not finding it easy.


I am going to make a conscious effort next week to start trying out some new recipes (as this is what I love doing) and hope I can make a start in eating better. After all, a healthy, balanced diet can go a long way to prevent bowel cancer. We are delighted to have raised £890 in lieu of flowers at mum's funeral for Bowel Cancer UK and hope they can continue to raise awareness and help others catch this disease early enough that it can prolong life expectancy.


I feel very lucky to have learnt some of my mum's recipes although I couldn't help but give them my healthy makeover to make them Weight Watcher friendly, and I have given a round up here. Mum's Anglo-Indian upbringing made her cooking very unique and I am so happy to have captured some of these on my food blog. Many of her other recipes exist and I hope to add these in time.  These, and other of mum's dishes will always be favourites of mine and will always continue to remind me how lucky I was to have the most wonderful mother for 37 and a half years. Sleep tight mum.

Chicken Biriyani

Marinated lamb chops / steaks

Devilled kidneys

Chicken and vegetable curry

Tandoori chicken and white bhaji

Lancashire Hotpot

I love tucking into a roast dinner on a Sunday, but sometimes it's just not possible to spend hours in the kitchen especially since I was coping with a hangover and 4 hours sleep after hosting a very lovely early Xmas gathering on Saturday night. So on Sunday, in between looking after 2 energetic boys, going to a kids party and tidying up from the previous night's antics, I wanted to cook something quickly that was warming and comforting and something that was the perfect hangover food. 

Feeling guilty from the amount of bubbles consumed the night before, my chosen dish needed to be most definitely healthy but tasty! The end result was a Lancashire hotpot. I felt compelled to include this in my food blog as I am sure there are many of us who crave a comforting Sunday lunch without busting the diet.

The Lancashire Hotpot was particularly fitting for yesterday, Sunday 27th November as it was Lancashire Day. So what better way to celebrate it then by making a very famous dish originating from the area itself.  Although it takes a while to cook, the preparation takes just 20 minutes or so and you can get on with a million other things whilst the stew takes care of itself. Perfect for us busy mummies!

I couldn't resist adding some ale to bring out the flavour of the lamb and the kidneys and selected Thwaites Lancaster Bomber which is a chestnut colour ale, full of warmth and richness. It complimented the dish perfectly and this addition made the hotpot that bit extra special.

You'll need for 4:

• 900g diced lamb, such as Sainsburys Be Good To Yourself range
• 6 lambs kidneys, cut into pieces, sinew removed
• 1 large onion or 2 smaller ones, peeled & diced
• 4 or 5 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 3-4 sticks of celery , peeled and diced
• 2 big garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Few dashes worcester sauce
• 500ml lamb stock
• Seasoning
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp plain flour
• 125ml Lancaster Bomber ale (about half the bottle, drink the rest with your meal!!)
• 1-2 tsp butter, melted
• 750g potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

What to do:

Pre-heat your oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.  In a large heavy based saucepan, heat the olive oil. Brown the lamb all over, in batches if need be. Remove using a slotted spoon and keep to one side. Add the onion, celery & carrots to the pan with the garlic and stir well. Cook on a medium heat to soften the vegetables. Put the lamb back in and season. Sprinkle over the flour and stir it in well to cook out the flour. After a minute or two add the ale and stir continuously to prevent any lumps forming. Then add the lamb stock, bay leaves and thyme along with the Worcestershire sauce.

Give everything a good stir and add more water if need be.  Allow to cook on a low heat for a few minutes then remove from the heat. Transfer to another dish if your saucepan is not ovenproof, and add the potatoes overlapping the slices.  Cover with a lid or foil lid if in a roasting dish and place in the oven for a good 1 and half hours.

Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes, brush with the melted butter. Turn the oven up high to help brown the potatoes.

Serve with green vegetables of your choice.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 15

Chicken Biryani

The Anglo-Indian influence in my family has inspired me to learn the dishes that my parents grew up with.  My mother was largely brought up by her Grandmother in India after losing her mum very young and she learnt to cook from her Grandmother. I love the way families pass down their recipes and traditions and I feel it is absolutely essential we carry on in the same vein. With DH's family being Sicilian we have quite a repertoire of Italian and Anglo-Indian dishes now which we hope will enrich our tastebuds and give our children a sense of worldly cuisines.

On the WeightWatchers plan, a typical restaurant Biryani would cost you an entire day's worth of ProPoints and it would certainly bust any calorie controlled diet. I now know why biryani dishes are such a no-no on a diet as there is virtually no portion control on the rice and they are laden with fried potatoes!  My aim in making this an Eat Healthy But Tasty dish was to get a fulfilling, flavoursome and authentic tasting meal. I was going to have to ensure not too much rice was used and find a way of roasting the potatoes with minimal fat.

I chose a day when my parents were visiting to make this, ensuring I got the spice mix down correctly. I should have expected mum would have a thing or 2 to say about my version...

Mum stated that "double the rice should be used for that amount of chicken curry". I explained to mum that using double the rice, plus the potatoes would make it a right old carb fest and just way too ProPoint /calorie /fat heavy. Mum also stated that Biryani is meant to be a dry dish and the way I was doing it would result in the dish being too "wet".  The thing is I actually prefer a bit more sauce in my Biryani and, dare I say it, feel mum's way is a bit too dry (eek!).  Much to my mother's disgust, the problem was resolved, for me anyway; less rice + more curry = moist, tasty, healthy, Biryani.

You'll need for 4:

• 1-2 garlic clove, crushed or grated
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil plus 1tsp extra
• 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 level dsp cumin
• 1 level dsp paprika
• 1 level dsp garam masala
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 2 dsp Pataks Biryani paste
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 3 dsp fat free natural yogurt
• 450g chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 300g charlotte potatoes, halved lengthways then cut into 4 or 6 pieces each half
• Salt
• 285g basmati rice
• Good pinch of saffron
• Half a pack of green beans, halved
• 2-3 tbsp frozen peas and sweetcorn or frozen mixed veg

What to do:

This is an ideal meal for preparing in advance. There are a few steps to complete when creating this dish: roast the potatoes, make the curry, boil the rice, bake the lot together...

In a non-stick roasting tray or dish place the potato chunks. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle over a 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. Using your hands rub the oil in thoroughly and place in a hot oven (200c fan) for about 20 -25 minutes until the potatoes are soft on the inside and crispy and brown on the outside.

For the curry, 2-3 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil in a saucepan.  Add the cinnamon stick, broken, the cardamom pods and cloves. After a minute or 2 add the onion and fry on a medium heat.  Mix the other spices and paste together in a mug with a bit of water and when all mixed together, fill to the top of the mug with water. Add to the pan and allow the spices to cook out for a few minutes.  Add the ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and a few dashes of lemon juice too, stirring occasionally.

Next add the chicken and coat thoroughly. Add the yogurt, vegetables and another mugful of water, less if you prefer the curry 'dryer'.  Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the potatoes to the curry.

Meanwhile rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve. Add to boiling, salted water. Add a good pinch of Saffron and cook as per packet instructions. Usually 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain into a sieve and pour over boiling water to rinse through.  Allow to cool.

In a oven-proof dish, lay some rice on the bottom followed by 1/3 of the curry. Repeat twice finishing with some curry on top. All of this can be prepared in advance. 

Cover with a lid or foil and bake in the oven at 190c fan for about 40-45 minutes.

Serve up!

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13

Lamb Koftas & Giant Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

I've got a thing about lamb at the moment.  My slow roast shoulder of lamb last week (it's not on this blog as not exactly WeightWatcher friendly!) was divine and we really enjoyed moussaka last week.  I'm always reluctant to have red meat as a mid-week supper as it does use up valuable ProPoints, but there is only so many times a week you can eat chicken!!

I was originally going to serve the lamb koftas with a tabouleh style dish but the weather changed so dramatically as the afternoon went on I wanted something more warming....then of course the sun came out again!  But never mind, couscous with roasted vegetables it was!

For the lamb koftas:

• 200g lean lamb mince
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp harissa paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 salt
• Sprinkling of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Half a small red onion, finely diced
• Handful fresh parsely, finely chopped
• Handful fresh mint, finely chopped

For the Couscous:

• 1 small aubergine, diced
• 1 yellow or orange pepper, diced
• 1 courgette, diced
• 8 or so cherry tomatoes
• A few mushrooms roughly chopped
• Half a red onion cut into wedges
• 120g giant wholewheat couscous
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• Seasoning
• 1 tsp olive oil

What to do:
Mix all the ingredients for the koftas together in a bowl.  With slightly damp hands shape around 4 wooden skewers.  I am a bit sad and weigh everything so I weighed the mix and divided it equally into 4 portions each weighing 74g!  (I told you I was sad!). If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in cold water for 20 mins or so beforehand.  Refridgerate the skewers until required.

Chop your veggies up into bite sized pieces and place in a large roasting tray.  Use whatever veggies you like but I think this selection went really well with the lamb and couscous.  Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle over some dried rosemary.  Spray thoroughly using no more than 1 tsp olive oil.  Roast in a hot oven (200 fan) for a good 30 - 35 minutes turning every 10 minutes.

Heat a griddle pan until very hot.  Spray one side of the koftas with olive oil and place in hot pan.  Allow to sear and brown and the turn ensuring all sides are browned.  They should cook in about 10 minutes. 

Cook the couscous a saucepan following packet instructions.  I like to boil it in vegetable stock as it gives the couscous more flavour.  Drain well and mix into the roasting tray with the vegetables coating nicely in the juices that have been omitted in cooking.


WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 12

Lamb Skewers, Couscous & Roast Veggies

What a blowout Sunday I had!  I ate 2 portions of my husbands Nonna’s pasta al forno, a cornetto, a third of a cream cake and to top it all off I settled down to Sunday night TV with a slab of Taleggio and half a ciabatta!!!  What was I thinking??!!  I don’t even want to think about the ProPoints in all of that, let alone the wine that accompanied it all.

So time to knuckle down and knock off a few more lbs especially as I am on a 4 week countdown to holiday. 

I was really in the mood for some red meat and my mum had lamb chops marinating when I got to her house. This marinade is a flavour I will never forget.  Year after year and BBQ after BBQ Mum would marinade dozens of little lamb chops in this marinade and as a child I would feast on them.  You don’t get much on the little chops so now I am watching my weight I tend to go for a lean lamb leg steak removing any possible fat.  Portion control is critical so I allow 150g per person.

The longer this marinades the better and I allowed a good 4 hours.  When ready, skewer onto metal or soaked wooden skewers and bbq until cooked through.  You can grill turning occasionally.

You’ll need for 2:

• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried marjoram
• ¼ - ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4-5 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Sprinkling of ground black pepper
• 300g lean lamb leg steaks, trimmed of any fat and cut into chunks

To accompany the lamb you could have 200g new potatoes or 55g dried couscous.  I quickly roasted off some chopped vegetables (see previous blog entry for Couscous & Vegetable recipe) in 1sp olive oil and some seasoning to accompany.  I was lucky enough to get a doggy bag of mum's couscous too so all in all Monday nights supper came together without much effort at all!

WeightWatchers ProPoints Lamb per serving: 8

Moussaka

My hubby LOVES aubergines!  I too am fond of this unusual vegetable and incidently so is my Tesco delivery driver as he practically drooled over the 3 I unloaded from my shopping quizzing me how I was going to cook them.

I had been wanting to cook a Moussaka for a long time but of course needed to find a recipe that balanced out great flavour without busting the diet.  In my research I relied upon my trusty BBC Good Food website and found their Must-Make Moussaka recipe, but in typical fashion I set about improving it and adding my taste.  The result was met with silence at the dinner table as we both tucked in delightfully.

You'll need for 4 people:

• 1 large aubergine
• 1 small –medium sized onion, finely diced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, bashed
• Half a punnet mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small courgette, diced
• 400g lamb mince
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 200g pot 0% fat Greek yogurt
• 1 medium egg
• 30g grated parmesan or reduced fat cheddar
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Seasoning

Sliced the aubergine into thin ¼ cm slices.  Spray with olive oil or brush lightly using 1 tsp of oil.  Season with salt and then griddle until cooked through and soft.  This should take 1-2 minutes on each side.  Set aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the mushrooms and courgettes and continue to stir fry over a moderate heat.  Add the lamb mince and brown all over.  Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs and spices and cook for 15 – 20 minutes.

Mix together the yogurt, cheese, nutmeg and some seasoning.

In an ovenproof dish, spread half the lamb mixture on the bottom.  Next add half the aubergine slices and then repeat. Top with the yoghurt mixture.  All of this can be prepared in advance.

Bake in a hot oven at 200 – 210 c for approx 15 minutes.

Serve with 150g boiled new potatoes per person or 115g cooked couscous (30g dried) per person.  for a lighter supper or lunch you could serve with a green salad and fat free dressing. 

Weight Watchers Propoints: 8 per Moussaka serving