Sag aloo – potato and spinach curry

sag aloo, potato and spinach curryINGREDIENTS:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes or cut/broken into pieces
mustard or sunflower oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
300g spinach leaves
salt and pepper.

When preparing the potatoes I like to insert the knife and then break off so that you get different-shaped pieces.
Cook the potato in boiling water until tender. Drain.

Heat some oil in a deep-sided frying pan and fry the potatoes until crispy golden. Transfer to a plate.

Heat some more oil in the pan and sauté the onion until soft. Add the garlic and fry for another couple of minutes.

Stir in the spices and fry for a couple of seconds before adding the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add a splash of water and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add the spinach, cover and leaver for a minute or so until all the spinach has wilted. Serve.

Pumpkin spinach cannelloni

Pumpkin spinach cannelloni

pumpkin spinach cannelloni

Pumpkin spinach cannelloni

This recipe for pumpkin spinach cannelloni was based one I found in “Economy Gastronomy“. I particularly like the method for the cheese sauce which was really easy to make. This made enough for 4 people but you can easily split the quantities if there are fewer people.

INGREDIENTS:
1kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into thin wedges
4 cloves garlic, crushed
200g cottage cheese
300g fresh spinach, washed
300g button mushrooms, sliced
12 sheets lasagne
100g cheese, grated
40g butter, melted
40g flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

METHOD:
If using pre-cooked lasagne, soak the sheets of lasagne in hot water for 15-20 minutes and then lay out on tea towel.

Heat the oven to 200ºC. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the pumpkin wedges on both sides until caramelised and brown. Put into the oven and roast until tender (about 30 minutes). Leave the pumpkin to cool.

Pour some oil into a large frying pan and gently fry the garlic before adding the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Fry until soft and then add the spinach, seasoning again as necessary. Turn the heat right down and wilt the spinach. Drain into a colander to get rid of any excess liquid.

Mix the flour and butter together and heat the milk. Whisk in the flour/butter mixture into milk and season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and mustard.

Mix the pumpkin and cottage cheese in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Put a couple of teaspoonfuls of the mixture on each sheet and roll up.

Layer the spinach and mushroom mixture on the bottom of the roasting tin. Put a row of cannelloni down the middle of the roasting tin on top of the spinach and pour over the cheese sauce.

Cook in the oven at 180ºC for 20-30 minutes until hot and golden on top. Finish off under the grill if necessary.