5 Artisan inspired recipes to keep you busy during lockdown!

If you’re anything like me, you’re making the most of the extra time at home to spend more time with family, take care of the house, and enjoy more home-cooked meals. In order to try and pass on some much needed good vibes, and to get everyone making the most of their newly found free time, we’ve put together some recipes suggested by our fantastic artisans.

Our Indian recipes were suggested by Shabnam who designs and creates some of our bespoke jewellery. Our Moroccan picks were put forward by the lovely Karim, who runs the artisan co-operative that supplies much of our rugs and other fabrics. Last but not least, the Turkish picks came from Kadir, who is the weaver of our luxurious Turkish towels.

 

India

Samosas

Samosas are a North Indian staple, with the shape and size making it the perfectly portable little snack. Having been written about by poets and scholars like Amir Khusro and Ibn Battuta in Medieval Times, it has become one of the most popular exports of all Indian cuisine.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil
• Chopped Onion - 60g
• Finely chopped Ginger - 1 tsp
• Frozen Peas - 60g
• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - ½ tsp
• Potatoes - 600g
• Melted Butter - 5 tbsp
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Filo pastry

For preparation, make sure to boil, peel, and mash the potato into small lumps. Also don’t forget to chop the onion and ginger, and to melt the butter.

The first step in this recipe is to make the stuffing. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the onions and ginger on a high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Then put the peas in to cook for another minute, then the potato lumps for another 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and salt at this point, and make sure they spread fairly evenly. Feel free to give it a quick taste and make any small spice or salt related adjustments too.

Now that the filling is done, it’s time to make the wrapping. Preheat the oven to an even 200C, or Gas Mark 6. You now have a choice, to brush melted butter on the pastry before wrapping the samosas, or wrapping and then buttering the wrapped samosas. My mum has always buttered samosas, but it’s very much a personal preference. These buttered samosas go in the oven for around 30-35 minutes, being turned over halfway through.

They go great with mango chutney, or even ketchup will do, they’re just great.

Idli

Very much in the same vein, Idli is absolutely a personal favourite from South Indian cuisine. It can serve as a vehicle for any flavour, being paired with all sorts of chutneys and sambars. While I tend to prefer dumping idli whole in sambar and fishing them out with a spoon, some do prefer to just dip them in some coconut chutney. Horses for courses, I believe.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice
• Brown Rice
• Urad Dahl
• Fenugreek

The amounts for the ingredients very much depends on the amount of batter you would like to make.

In preparation for batter-making, make sure to soak the dahl and the rice separately overnight, or at least 6 hours at the minimum. You can then blend or food process them into a fine paste. The batter should be set aside for about 8 hours to rise.
OR
You can also just buy ready-made batter in the Indian section of most shops.

You can use a variety of molds to shape your idli, or even make a dosa (savoury pancake) with the same batter. Make sure to lightly spread some oil on the mold before pouring in the batter, leaving enough space for the batter to expand into as it cooks. Then steam the mold for around 20 minutes, or when they look right. Once again, it is very much personal preference as the longer your idli cook, the more solid they will be.

Morocco

Bastilla

 A Moroccan bastilla is a popular dish to serve at special occasions, weddings, birthdays, banquets, and the like. They can also vary greatly in size, from a little side dish pie, to a large plate to be shared by multiple people. It may take a little longer than the other recipes, it is still an easy enough dish to make.

Ingredients:

• Filo Pastry
• Fish Fillets - 4 lbs
• Water
• Paprika - 1 tsp
• Cumin - ½ tsp
• Salt ½ tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Lemon Juice - 3 tbsp
• Egg Yolks - 2
• Oil
• Butter

The first step is to combine the salt and the water to create salted water. Then to poach the fish in said salted water for 5 to 10 minutes. Crumble the poached fist into a bowl and add all the spices (paprika, cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice), and any other spices you’d like to pop in. Set the mix aside for now.

Cover a baking tray in the filo pastry sheets, and brush them with butter. Then lightly brush the edges of the filo with the egg yolks.

Place the filling into the centre of the tray, and fold the filo pastry back into the centre. Cover the centre with at least two more sheets of the filo, and brush with some butter and egg yolk.

Bake the whole thing in the oven at 200C for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon over the top, and serve!

Tagine

A tagine is usually best cooked the day before, then left overnight so that the flavours infuse and become even stronger. However, it’s very much up to you as to whether you leave it for a night, or just eat it when it’s done. We won’t judge.

Ingredients:

• Crushed Saffron - ½ tsp
• Chicken Stock - 250ml
• Olive Oil
• Onions - 3
• Ginger - 1 tsp
• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Black Pepper
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Chicken - 1
• Lemons - 6
• Olives - 100g
• Parsley

Start by warming the stock and adding the saffron threads to the mix.
Then chop and cook the onions in a casserole pan until they’re nice and soft, and then add the chopped ginger, cumin, and the diced garlic. Cook that mix for a few minutes.

Add the chicken into the pan, and spread the mix of onions and spice over the chicken as much as possible. Quarter the lemons, and then add them to the mix and sprinkle the pepper over the top. Pour the stock broth over the top to coat the chicken as much as you can.

Bring the whole thing up to a simmer on the hob, then leave it on a very low heat for about an hour. The chicken should almost be falling apart.
Add the olives and finish it off with another 10 minutes on a low-ish heat. You can add the parsley or any other herbs you’d like just before serving. Enjoy!

Turkey

Mercimek Soup

Turkish cuisine is full of healthy lentils and beans, and most of the recipes are customisable to a fault. You can really adapt this recipe and add whatever vegetables you feel would work well with the base that you start with. It can also be paired with a large variety of dishes, from traditional Turkish breads, to many other cuisines.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• Red Lentils - 200g
• Chopped Onion - 1
• Chopped Carrot - 1
• Chopped Tomatoes - 400g
• Salt
• Cumin
• Black Pepper
• Water - 6 cups

This one really is an easy one. Start off by heating some oil in a pan and cooking the chopped onion until they are a healthy golden colour. Next, in go the chopped tomatoes for about a minute, mix well as they cook. The carrots follow, being cooked for a few minutes, until they are nice and soft.

Next is to add the lentils and the spices, stirring it well and mixing it all before adding the water and bringing the dish up to a simmer.
It should be left at a simmer under a lid for about 20 minutes, then another 10 with the lid off, the lentils should be well and evenly cooked, feel free to cook a little longer if they aren’t fully done.

Blend the whole mix to “soupify” it all, or leave it as more of a curry.
Make sure, as always, to enjoy!

We'd love to see what you all create, whether it's using these recipes or anything else you're making to make the most of your newly found free time!

Make sure to tag us in any posts at @harfionline or use #harfiinspo