Eating Your Feelings

A Spanish Chip Butty from The Pen Factory in Liverpool. Unquestionably, one of the best things I’ve eaten this year.

I haven’t felt much like writing recently. I started 2017 with so many great plans and amazing intentions. This, I told myself, would be my year. But so far, things haven’t been going according to plan. Work has been slow and my many (many) hustling emails have mostly been met with a ‘no’ or – even worse – no reply. Numerous opportunities have fallen through. The sink is blocked. I broke a nail. I pulled my favourite necklace out of its box last week to discover that it had snapped in two. Trump is president and seems to be on a mission to cause as much damage as possible. And my Dad had a heart attack.

There was no prior warning, no prep time. Just an unexpected phone call from my brother one Friday night informing me that my Dad was in surgery. It’s not my Dad’s first medical emergency, or even his first heart attack, but no matter how many times you find yourself in this position, it still comes as a shock. As I write this, he’s recovering from a heart bypass and growing increasingly weary of being stuck in hospital. I can’t say I blame him. Thankfully, he’s recovering well. Hopefully, he’ll be discharged by the end of this week, but in the interim, I spend my time flitting between Liverpool and Manchester. The house I live in, the house I grew up in and the hospital adjacent to where both of my siblings were born.

It would be a lot to deal with even if it wasn’t all happening during January, that long dark Monday of the soul. So, I cope with it in my own way. I switch Twitter off. I read. I go on long bike rides around the wild, ragged coastline near my house. I watch an unhealthy amount of ‘America’s Next Top Model’ (while simultaneously praising and cursing Amazon Prime). And I cook.

I read this Bon Appetit piece yesterday about the joy that can be found in cooking for others. One paragraph in particular really leapt out at me. ‘Mincing onions, making stock, kneading dough, and setting a table with care shouldn’t, and can’t, replace volunteering, protesting, and other forms of activism. But building and caring for community is absolutely vital right now. My hope is that this kind of nourishment—real food, made with love, for myself and for my friends—will better equip me to engage in the long fight ahead.’

I tell myself that I am cooking for the people I love – lunch for my husband to take to work with him, dinner for my Mum so she has something warm and nutritious to eat when she comes home late from the hospital. But I am also cooking to heal myself. I cook because cooking is an all consuming process. You follow these steps and (usually) something delicious will result in the end. I cook because cookbook writing is an art, and because a good cookbook can be read in the bath like a novel and transports you to places you never even knew existed. I cook because butter always makes things better. And I cook because in the hardest of times, we need to look after ourselves and others. We need to nourish our bodies and minds for the struggles ahead, to provide ourselves with comfort and strength when the obstacles feel almost insurmountable.

It is easy to dismiss thinking and writing about food as being a frivolous act when huge events are taking place in the world. But I place just as much importance in ensuring the people around me are well fed as I do in other radical activities. We still need full bellies and comfort food in dark times, whether that be brownies warm from the oven, an enormous plateful of Shepherd’s Pie, or just a giant bag of Doritos and hummus to munch on while watching your favourite film. Today, I will be heading over to Manchester and making a pot of bolognese sauce for myself and my Mum – some for tonight, and some to freeze for later when the thought of cooking from scratch seems like an impossible task. Food is good. Food is important. Sometimes it’s OK to eat your feelings.

Some Comfort Food recipes I’ve been cooking recently:

• Bon Appetit’s Kimchi Noodles with Scallions
• Rachel Roddy’s Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage
• Diana Henry’s Chicken with Thyme and Lemon and Smashed Garlic Potatoes
• Nigel Slater’s Baked Aubergine Pasta

Recipe: Asparagus and Feta Quiche

On Saturday, I went for a long walk around Liverpool city centre and gloried in the fact that spring is finally here. The sun was shining, I had my sunglasses on and – for the first time in months – I didn’t feel as though I was trapped in the depths of some hideous endless winter. I’ve lived in the North West of England long enough to know that this could all change by tomorrow, but for the moment, I’m revelling in the return of short sleeves and balmy afternoons.

Another place which is happy to see the return of spring is my kitchen. After months of opening my veg box to discover piles of root vegetables (I’m still ploughing my way through all the beetroot, carrots and parsnips), I was overjoyed to see asparagus in last week’s Abel and Cole delivery. English asparagus season is short, so I love to eat as much of it as I can while it’s here. I wanted to do something a bit more exciting than merely grilling it and serving it with hollandaise when the idea hit me to pop it into a quiche.

This quiche is inspired by two excellent female food writers, Ruth Reichl and Delia Smith. I’m currently cooking my way through Reichl’s My Kitchen Year which discusses how she used cooking as a means of coping with the grief she experienced when Gourmet – the magazine she edited for a decade – suddenly folded. Reichl’s writing can be a bit flowery at times, but she has a wonderful recipe for a basic quiche (‘a custard in a crust’ she calls it) which has been rattling around my head ever since I read it. Delia Smith is (arguably) the queen of custards and crusts, and it would be remiss of me not to credit her for some of the methodology behind this one.

A mere hour’s work in the kitchen will reward you with crisp asparagus, salty pops of feta and a gloriously wobbly, savoury custard. This quiche was made for picnics, parties and long lazy lunches in the sunshine. When was the last time you said that about a Pret sandwich?

ASPARAGUS AND FETA QUICHE (Serves 4 – 6 people)

You will need:

For the crust

• 280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 150g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• Handful of grated cheddar cheese (optional)
• A pinch of salt
• Ice water

For the filling

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 40g feta cheese, diced into cubes
• 1 tsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs, beaten well
• 284ml single cream
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper to season

Make It!

1. Start by making the crust. Rub the flour and butter together until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the cheese, salt and ice water – a tablespoon at a time – until the dough comes together. It should be smooth yet tacky to the touch. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
2. When you’re ready to make the quiche, roll the dough out until it’s about the thickness of a 2p coin. Use your rolling pin to lift it up and drape it over a tart case. You want the dough to hang over the sides as it will shrink when you’re baking it. Prick the base of the dough with a fork, cover it with baking paper and fill it with baking weights. (You can get these from Lakeland, or alternatively, just use some dried beans.)  Bake on 150 degrees c for 20 minutes. Take it out, remove the weights and paint the crust with a bit of beaten egg. (You can use some of the egg you’re using for the filling.) Let it cook in the oven for another five minutes.
3. Make your filling. Snap the asparagus spears in two and remove the woody ends. Blanch them for two minutes in boiling water. You want them to be barely cooked and have plenty of snap. Arrange them and the feta cheese at the bottom of the pastry case.
4. Beat the eggs and cream together and season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour this mixture over the asparagus and feta. Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the top.
5. Bake at 200 degrees c for 30 minutes until the pastry is puffy and the filling is barely set and golden. Allow to cool and serve. This keeps well for 2 – 3 days and goes really well with a crisp green salad.

 

Recipe: Spaghetti with kale, anchovies and chilli

For someone who is so vehemently anti January food bullshit, I feel a bit guilty about my first post of 2016 involving kale. I mean, it’s kale. The poster child for all things ‘healthy.’ But (and hear me out here), I feel that kale gets a bit of a bad rep. Primarily because people don’t bother to use it properly. They add it to smoothies (NO), they use it raw in things like Caesar salads (DOUBLE NO) and they think that they can make it more palatable by giving it a good old massage. (Yes, that’s really a thing).

Kale is not a premier league footballer. It will not become more palatable if you give it a thorough rub down with some olive oil and whisper sweet things into its ear. However, it does become absolutely delicious when you blanch it, fry it with some anchovies, garlic and chillies and throw it into a big pot of pasta.

This recipe for spaghetti with kale, anchovies and chilles is one of my winter staples. It’s quick, it only involves one pot and it is pretty much impossible to mess up. The leftovers also make a cracking lunch which is great if (like me) you’re trying to save money this month by ignoring the siren call of Pret.

I can’t remember where I first discovered this recipe, but it must have been from somewhere because originality with kale has never been my strong point. (Out of interest, if the person who invented this recipe is reading this, please leave a comment so I can find you and buy you a pint.) While it may not make you love kale, it may help you to at least make a truce with it.

Quick note: This blog is now a whole year old! Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this, both old and new. I hope you enjoy reading my rambings about food and fashion as much as I enjoy writing them. 

Spaghetti with kale, anchovies and chilli (Makes two decent sized portions)

You will need:

• 140g spaghetti (I prefer to use wholemeal here, but I’ve used white spaghetti to make this too and it works just as well)
• 1/2 bunch of kale, ribs removed and sliced into strips
• 1 tin of anchovies
• 2 fat cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon of dried red chillies
• 1 lemon
• A good handful of grated parmesan
• Salt and black pepper

Make it!

1. Cook the pasta in a good amount of salted boiling water. When the pasta is just about ready (roughly 8-10 minutes into cooking), throw in the kale. You want it to just be blanched so it’s not too tough.
2. Drain the pasta and kale, reserving a tablespoon of the cooking water for the sauce.
3. Thoroughly dry the pan you used to cook the pasta and kale (this step is important – water and oil DO NOT mix.) Heat two tablespoons of oil and add the anchovies with the oil they’re packed in. You want to break the anchovies up as they cook so they form a paste. Add the sliced garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Then add the dried chillies and cook for another 30 seconds.
4. Add the cooked pasta and kale to the anchovy, garlic and chilli mixture and mix thoroughly to combine. Grate the zest of the lemon over everything (I like to squeeze the juice of the lemon over the pasta as I think this adds a nice bit of pep. However, this is totally optional.)
5. Serve topped with the grated parmesan, salt and black pepper. Feel free to add a touch more chilli to the mix if that’s your thing. After all, it’s January and it’s cold out there.

Recipe: Chocolate Baileys Mousse

We are now in that hinterland between Christmas and New Year. It’s a period where you’ve consumed most of the leftovers and the dreaded diet talk is creeping into conversations. Quite frankly, I don’t have the time or inclination to listen to Weight Watchers and their ilk when there’s still a good few days of feasting and fun left. If anyone dares lecture you about healthy eating, stick your fingers in your ears. This is no time for a guilt trip.

And besides, what better way to use up any leftover Christmas chocolate than using it to make this delectable mousse? This is light and airy, with a nice smack of Baileys to give it a bit of edge. A few years ago, I made a chocolate ice cream which (accidentally) contained half a pint of Baileys – something which I have never lived down. I’d argue that this is twice as delicious and definitely won’t give you a hangover afterwards.

This can be thrown together in a mere half hour and makes enough to feed a streets worth of people. (I found myself filling numerous pudding receptacles trying to use this up. Then, when I ran out, I just ended up eating it out of the mixing bowl in front of the TV.) Make it for a New Year’s party, or just as a delicious indulgence for yourself.

Chocolate Baileys Mousse (Makes approx 6 servings)

Based on this recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

You will need:

• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 100g caster sugar
• 200g milk chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 125g unsalted butter
• 500ml whipping cream
• 2 shots of Baileys
• Milk chocolate shavings, to finish

Make it!

1. Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for ten minutes until they are light and airy. (An electric mixer works best here unless you have robotic arms!)
2. While the eggs are whisking, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and melt in a microwave. I recommend blasting the mixture in 40 second bursts, and stirring with a wooden spoon until they’re melted completely.
3. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the chocolate mix to the egg mix in a steady stream – it is important to combine the two gradually but continuously, with the chocolate going into the eggs and not the other way around.
4. Add the two shots of Baileys to the whipping cream, and whisk until it begins to firm up (when you lift the whisk, the cream dribbling off should create ribbons in the mixture before disappearing).
5. Gently fold the semi-whipped cream into the egg and chocolate mix, and pour into serving bowls (e.g. ramekins or wine glasses). Chill for at least an hour to set.
6. Shave some milk chocolate over the top of the mousse before serving. It should be good for 2-3 days (if it lasts that long.)

Competition time! Win a copy of Meera Sodha’s ‘Made in India, Cooked in Britain’

I adore Christmas for many reasons – long lie ins, crap TV and not having to get dressed unless it’s strictly necessary. But mostly it’s because I love receiving presents and cooking up a storm in my tiny Merseyside kitchen. So, I was over the moon when the lovely people at Penguin Random House sent me two recipe books as a lovely festive gift. One of them was The Happy Pear, a book full of vegetarian recipes which I’ll be squirreling away until the New Year when I’ll (probably) be in the grips of a resolution to eat more vegetables. And the other was Meera Sodha’s incredible ‘Made in India. Cooked in Britain: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen,’ which is full of delicious, easy to follow Indian recipes.

I’ve taken ‘Made in India…’ out of my local library so many times over the past year that I’ve lost count. It’s a gem of a cookbook which dazzles the senses with pretty pictures, beautifully written prose and mouthwatering recipes. (The Coriander Chutney Chicken is a favourite in our house – it’s fresh, quick and a great way to use up that huge bunch of coriander moldering away at the bottom of your veg drawer.)

As a lovely little Christmas present, I’m giving away a copy of ‘Made in India…’ to one lucky reader. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment telling me which dish you’re most looking forward to scoffing this Christmas. Perhaps it’s pigs in blankets? Or a whole baked Camembert? Maybe you’re one of those people who will be taking to their bed with a family sized Tiramisu once you finish work for the festive season.  No matter how big or small, there’s no judgement here.

The competition closes at 12pm 5pm on Friday 18th December and I’ll endeavor to get this sent out on Monday 21st so it reaches you before Christmas. Unfortunately, this competition is only open to readers in the UK and Ireland. Sorry folks!

Good luck and may all your Christmases be filled with half price M&S party food selections.

 

 

 

St. Clements Cake (Lemon cake with an orange glaze)

It’s a clichéd food blog trait to write a preamble about why you made a certain recipe. These are usually long and overblown, maybe a bit saccharine, maybe including a mention of the weather. I’m as guilty of these as anyone else – well, apparently it’s poor form to just say ‘I made this and it was great,’ – so, here are some reasons to make this cake.

Because it’s Sunday.

Because you feel like it.

Because you’ve had an orange and a lemon sitting in your fruit bowl for over a week.

Because you want to do something with them which doesn’t involve gin, or vodka or campari.

Because you’re hungover.

Because you’d been out dancing to techno until 3am two nights in a row.

Because it’s something to do which doesn’t involve Twitter.

Because you’ve got deadlines coming out of your ears and you’re procrastinating.

Because you want to show that baking isn’t just something done by posh twee girls in posh twee kitchens.

Because you fancy some cake.

Because life is always better with cake.

Because a lemon scented sponge covered in an orange scented glaze is always a delicious prospect.

Because this St. Clementines Cake tastes like the last gasp of summer.

Just…because.

ST. CLEMENTS CAKE 

You will need:

• 3 medium eggs
• 125g unsalted butter
• 170g caster sugar
• 170g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (fat) lemon, juiced and zested
• 4 tablespoons milk

For the glaze

• 140g icing sugar, sifted
• The juice and zest of an orange

Make It!

1. Grease/line your cake tin (I used a medium sized springform tin, but this also works well when baked in a loaf tin), and heat your oven to 325°F/170°C/Gas mark 4.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, and mix well, before adding the lemon juice and zest. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly curdled. It will all come together once you add the flour.)
4. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk, and combine until you get a pale, smooth batter.
5. Pour the mixture into your tin, and bake for 30 minutes. To check it’s done, insert a skewer into its centre for 4 seconds. If it comes out clean, it’s baked.
6. Make a syrup by combining the orange zest and juice with the icing sugar. You want the glaze to be runny enough to get into every nook and cranny of the cake, but not so liquid that it runs right off. When you’ve taken the cake out of the oven, leave it to cool for ten minutes before pricking it all over with the skewer and pouring the glaze over it.
7. Leave the cake to cool, and remove from the tin. This goes really well with creme fraiche, greek yoghurt or double cream.

Courgette Carpaccio with Goats Cheese, Preserved Lemon and Chilli

I know that it’s a bit of a cliché to moan about the weather, but seriously summer, where the hell are you? I’ve been reliably informed that a heatwave is on its way, but I remain sceptical. Then again, I work in one of the rainiest parts of a rainy country, and I often wonder if it would just be cheaper to get myself laminated rather than spend another tenner on an umbrella which – inevitably – breaks.

So, I am forced to search for summer in my vegetable box. At the moment, it’s bursting with glorious green vegetables – big bunches of spinach, plump broad beans and crunchy courgettes.  Usually I like to throw them in pastas, ratatouilles and stews, but sometimes I feel like getting a bit more inventive, which is how this courgette ‘capaccio’ came about.

This isn’t a conventional carpaccio, given that it comprises vegetables rather than meat, but it’s still prepared the same way. Paper thin slices of courgette are dotted with goats cheese, preserved lemon zest (my new favourite ingredient), red chilli flakes and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Don’t have any goats cheese to hand? Ricotta or feta will do just as well. Served with a roast chicken, a hunk of bread and a glass of crisp white wine and you can almost believe that summer is here…even if you have the central heating on.

COURGETTE CARPACCIO WITH GOATS CHEESE, PRESERVED LEMON AND CHILLI (Serves two people as a side, or one person as a large salad)

A version of this recipe was originally posted on Little Red Courgette (my old blog!)

You will need:

• 2 small courgettes
• The juice of a lemon
• The peel from two preserved lemons
• 50g soft goats cheese
• 1 tsp red chilli flakes
• A large glug of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to season

Make It!

1. Top and tail the courgettes and slice thinly. You may wish to do this using a mandoline but I just used a sharp vegetable knife.
2. Slice the preserved lemons in half and scoop out the flesh (you can either discard this, or reserve it for another recipe.) Chop the peel finely.
3. Place the courgette rounds into a medium bowl and (carefully!) toss with the lemon peel and chilli flakes.
4. Arrange on a plate in an overlapping pattern, and dot with the goats cheese.
5. Drizzle over the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Steak and Asparagus Salad

Some recipes haunt you. They lodge themselves inside your head and remind you of your existence every time you open the fridge and wonder what you’re going to make for dinner that evening. I’ve not stopped thinking about Heidi Swanson’s Asparagus Panzanella since it popped up on my RSS feed. It’s the perfect Spring recipe – one which is simple, elegant and can be thrown together in half an hour. (Plus, she recommends topping it with a chopped hard boiled egg and – as we all know – everything is better when you put an egg on it.)

But, me being me, I had to tinker with it a bit. My bunch of asparagus didn’t look substantial enough on its own, so I added the leftovers of a box of mixed leaves I got in my Abel and Cole delivery. I had a pack of white miso lying unloved at the back of my fridge, so I decided to add it to the dressing to round it out a bit and add an extra ping of sweetness. And (while I never really need much of an excuse to eat steak), I’d had a bit of a crappy day, so lets throw a bit of medium rare rump in there too.

While it may not look as refined as the original, sometimes there’s no shame in being a bit rough and ready. This is a spring salad which satisfies, and the perfect way to celebrate English asparagus season while you’re at it.

STEAK AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

You will need:

• 1 medium sized piece of rump steak
• 80 ml buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon white miso (optional)
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 bunch of (English) asparagus
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large handful of good quality sourdough, torn into chunks
• 1 large handful of mixed salad leaves (I used these baby leaves I got from Abel and Cole)

Make it!

1. Cook your steak (make sure you oil the meat, not the pan!) I find that two – three minutes on each side does the trick to get it medium rare, although this will depend on the thickness of your steak.
2. Make the dressing by whisking together the buttermilk, olive oil, mustard, vinegar, white miso, and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust if needed, before setting aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the cubes of sourdough bread and toss until every nook and cranny is smothered in melted butter. Continue to toss them gently on a medium heat until they turn crispy and golden. Transfer to a paper towel.
4. Trim the asparagus and blanch in a saucepan of salted boiling water until just tender – around a minute or so. Add the blanched asparagus to the rinsed mixed leaves.
5. Slice the steak against the grain into thin stripes. Add to the bowl, along with the toasted bread and a healthy drizzle of the buttermilk-miso dressing. Serve with a large glass of wine.

Mujadarra with Salmon and Spiced Yoghurt

New year, new you, new bulls-t. I have very little time for the guilt-laden diet talk which is so prevalent at this time of year. Juice cleanses, detox diets, intermittent fasting and ‘clean eating’ (urgh) can all go into the bin as far as I’m concerned. We have such a strange relationship with food in this country – one month you’re encouraged to indulge in bacchanalian levels of excess (‘all the meat! all the wine! all the cheese!’) and the next you’re expected to get through the bleakest period of the year on nothing but courgette noodles and almond milk. January is hard enough without the self flagellation of awful ‘diet’ food.

I like to think of this Mujaddara with Salmon and Spiced Yoghurt as ‘healthy’ (note the inverted commas there) comfort food. On paper, it doesn’t sound like much – brown rice, green lentils, onions. How boring. Yet, a strange alchemy takes place when you mix them (and, admittedly, more than a little melted butter) together. The first bite tastes good. The second either better. By the third, you’re just about ready to tip the whole bowl into your mouth and ask for seconds. Don’t skimp on the spiced yoghurt here either – it adds a nice bit of zing, zip and bite. Make extra and have it for breakfast with a poached egg on top. Eat the leftovers for lunch while watching your favourite comedy on Netflix (I’m fond of Brooklyn Nine Nine.) Add some spinach if you’re worried about getting scurvy. Why can’t all healthy meals taste this good?

Mujadarra with Salmon and Spiced Yoghurt
Mujadarra recipe adapted from Food52. Serves two hungry people, with just enough left over for a light lunch.

You will need:
2 medium sized fillets of salmon

For the Mujaddara
100g Puy lentils (aka the tiny hard greeny/brown coloured ones)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
120g brown basmati rice
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

For the yoghurt
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Juice and zest of half a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Make it!

1. Prep your lentils: Put the lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 500ml water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer lentils for roughly 20 minutes until they’re soft but not mushy. Drain lentils and set aside.
2. Prep your rice: Cook your rice in the way that suits you best. I swear by my rice cooker (a piece of kitchen equipment that will be prised from my cold dead hands), but boil in the bag, or simply cooking the standard way both work well here.
3. Prep your onions: While your rice is cooking, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan on a low heat. When butter has mostly melted, add onions and toss to incorporate with butter and oil. After 5 minutes, onions will have softened slightly and started to release their liquid. Raise heat to medium and cook 10 to 12 minutes more, until onions are very soft and browned. Add water by the tablespoon if pan gets too dry or if onions start to stick. When onions are well browned, add last tablespoon of olive oil and raise heat to high. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until bottom layer of onions has charred and crisped – try not to stir too much, or onions won’t crisp up.
4. Combine rice, lentils, and most of the onions in large serving bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes, to marry the flavors together. (This dish improves with age, so the longer you leave it, the better.) Taste, and add more onions if desired.
5. While the mujaddara is resting, cook your salmon. Brush each side with a dab of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a smoking hot frying pan. To get a super crispy skin, cook them on the skin side for four minutes, and two minutes on the other side.
6. Make the spiced yogurt by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
7. To serve, place the salmon on top of the still warm mujaddara, and add a dollop of the spiced yoghurt.