Tackle The Winter Blues With Recipes From Spice Kitchen

I know it’s only the end of September, but today definitely feels like the start of Winter. Today is the day I start swapping in my winter wardrobe and thinking about what I’m going to batch cook over the next few months. Spice Kitchen have shared some recipe inspiration, so hopefully it will provide you with some meal prep inspo too:

Tandoori-Spiced Celeriac Butternut Squash Pie (serves 6)

Ingredients 

• 1 celeriac 
• 1 small butternut squash
• 2 leeks, washed and trimmed
• Large pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Tandoori Masala
• 60g (4 tbsp) butter
• 60g (2¼oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 600ml (generous 2½ cups) vegetable stock 

Topping

• 150g (½ cup plus 2½ tbsp) butter
• 1 x 250g (9oz) packet filo pastry sheets
• 2 tbsp black onion seeds

Method

• To prepare the filling, peel the celeriac and squash. Cut into chunks: it’s hard, with round vegetables, but aim for cubes about 2cm (¾in) along each edge. Slice the leeks into 1cm (½in) rounds.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Spread everything over a baking tin (pan), in a single layer if you can manage it. Dress with the salt, olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the tandoori blend. Toss so that all the veg is covered and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. The veg will be going into the oven again later, so don’t overcook it in the early stages, or you’re going to end up with a mush.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the flour. Stir through and cook for at least 2 minutes over a gentle heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of spice blend, then whisk in a splash of the stock. Keep adding the stock bit by bit, until you have a smooth sauce. Reduce until thick enough to coat the back of your spoon, then stir through the roasted vegetables.
• Tip into a roasting dish. Set the filling aside to cool while you prepare the topping.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Use a pastry brush to paint butter all over a sheet of filo, keeping the rest covered with a damp dish towel (filo dries out really fast). Scrunch the sheet up by pulling it in with your fingertips to create ridges, peaks and valleys in it. Place in a corner of the dish over the pie filling.
• Repeat with more sheets of filo, until the entire surface is covered. Top with the black onion seeds.
• Bake at 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 for 30 minutes, until crisp and golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving

Street Style Pav Bhaji with a Soft Bread Roll

Ingredients 

• 1 potato, peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 4 cauliflower florets
• 1⁄2 sweet potato, peeled
• 2 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste 
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
• 50g (13⁄4oz) frozen petits pois 

To serve 

• 2 soft white bread rolls
• 45g (3 tbsp) butter
• Lime, for squeezing
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander 

Optional toppings 

• Crispy fried onions
• Tamarind Chutney 

Mint and Coriander Chutney

1 red onion, finely diced
Bombay mix or sev
Freshly chopped green chillies (1 or 2 according to how hot you like it) 

Method 

• Chop the potato, carrots, cauliflower and sweet potato into similarly sized chunks. Steam or boil until they are soft, then mash to form a smooth consistency. You might want to start the potatoes off first as they will take a little longer than the rest. 
• Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. Fry the onion for about 5 minutes, then add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook for a minute, stirring regularly, then add the diced tomatoes, salt and Sri Lankan curry powder. Stir thoroughly and continue to cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. 
• Add your veggie mash and petits pois and stir. Continue to fry for 10 minutes until your mixture looks like a dry paste. 
• Meanwhile, slice the bread rolls in half. Heat another frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of the butter. 
• Once it’s melted, fry the rolls in the butter for a minute or so on each side, until lightly toasted but not burned. 
• Add the remaining butter to the vegetable mash, stir and then serve the mash piled onto warm buttery buns with a squeeze of lime juice, a sprinkling of fresh coriander and your choice of toppings. Bliss.

For more recipe inspiration, Spice Kitchen has a cookbook with 80 recipes, all packed full of flavour. Available to buy here for £22: Spice Kitchen Cookbook (Signed) | Spice Kitchen