Maliha Cooks

Ratatouille is a hearty vegetable stew packed full of flavour. It is really lovely way to serve up the veg component of your meal.  Ingredients:  ·       1 aubergine ·       2 stalks of celery ·       8 brussels sprouts ·       1 bell pepper ·       1 can of plum tomatoes ·       1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ·       2 tbsp mixed herbs ·       Juice of ½ a lemon ·       Olive oil ·       Salt and pepper to taste Method:  1)     Begin by dicing all the vegetables into roughly the same sized chunks 2)     Add all your vegetables to a pan with some olive oil and fry them off until partially cooked 3)     Then add your canned tomatoes, herbs, and lemon juice 4)     Season to taste and allow the stew to reduce, keep cooking until the vegetables are ready to eat. Serve as a side, with rice. Enjoy! 

This rice dish is the perfect accompaniment for a variety of grilled meats such as grilled lamb or fish (take a look at my Oven Baked Garlic and Lemon Salmon recipe), it is also really tasty alongside roasted butternut squash for a really delicious vegetarian meal.  Ingredients:  ·       2 cups of basmati rice ·       ¼ cup ghee, you can use normal slightly salted butter if you don’t have this ·       ½ cup dill ·       1/8 cup dried mint ·       1 tsp saffron ·       1 tbsp milk Method:  1)     Add the rice to a pan with just enough water to cover it and some salt  2)     When there is only a little bit of water left add the ghee and herbs, and simmer until all the water has evaporated 3)     Once cooked remove 3 tbsps of rice into a separate bowl and mix it with the milk and saffron until the pigment of the saffron coats the rice and it becomes orange 4)     Add the saffron rice to the main rice dish and combine. Enjoy! 

Whether you’re looking for a light and quick dinner or something to serve up for a party, this oven baked salmon works perfectly each time and it’s so quick and easy to make. Ingredients:  ·       5 pieces of salmon (my salmon was sliced by the fishmonger with the skin on but filleted skinless salmon works perfectly too!)  ·       1 lemon slice ·       Juice of half a lemon ·       2 cloves of garlic chopped finely ·       8 tbsps olive oil ·       1 tbsps dried oregano ·       1 tbsps dried dill ·       1 tsp paprika ·       Salt and pepper to taste Method:  1)     In a bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, dill, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper.  2)     Line a baking tray with a piece of foil and brush a little bit of the olive oil mixture onto the tray 3)     Place your salmon onto the tray placing the lemon slice in between each piece 4)     Generously brush each piece with the olive oil mixture, ensuring that e

This vanilla and coffee marble cake is the perfect sweet treat for coffee lovers like myself. Even if you aren’t a fan of coffee, the vanilla helps to create a classic flavour palate that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I especially love to serve this as dessert as it works perfectly with your after dinner coffee or tea. Ingredients: For the cake: ·        200g caster sugar ·        200g butter ·        200g self-raising flour ·        3 eggs ·        2 tsps baking powder ·        3 tbsps milk ·        1 tsp vanilla extract ·        2 tbsp instant coffee (you can add more if you like it stronger) For the icing:  ·       100g butter ·       200g icing sugar ·       2 tbsps milk ·       1 tbsps instant coffee Method:  1)     Begin by preheating the oven to gas mark 4 and greasing and lining your baking tin 2)     Cream the butter and sugar together in your mixing bowl 3)     In a separate bowl sift the flour and mix in the