Kid Rogan Josh

One of the most interesting cookbooks to come out in the past couple of years is James Whetlor's Goat - a book of recipes for using goat meat.

Whetlor used to work with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall at River Cottage then set up a company called Cabrito to sell the meat from billy goats who would otherwise have been immediately put down because they were not milk producers.

He saw the potential for using this sustainable and delicious type of meat and has been selling it to chefs and consumers ever since. (It's well worth reading the fascinating introduction to the book.)

This is his recipe for Rogan Josh which he says is one of his favourite curries, worth doubling up and freezing any leftovers.

Kid Rogan Josh

Serves 4

600g/1lb 5oz diced kid

75g/1/3 cup plain yoghurt

2 teaspoons chilli powder (add more if you want it hotter)

2 teaspoons unsmoked paprika

1 red onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

small bunch of coriander (cilantro), leaves and stalks separated

30g/2 tablespoons butter

1 cinnamon stick

5 cardamom pods

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

3 whole cloves

3 tomatoes, roughly chopped, or ½ x 400g/14oz can tomatoes

salt

Mix together the meat, yoghurt, chilli, paprika and ½ teaspoon salt, and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, and up to 8 hours in the fridge.

Put the onion, ginger, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and the coriander (cilantro) stalks in a small food processor and blend to a coarse paste.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add all the whole spices and fry for 30 seconds. Add the paste and cook for 15 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated and the paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the meat and its marinade with the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to break down the tomatoes. Add 200ml/scant 1 cup water then cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich and thick. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t dry out, adding a little bit of water if it does.

Check the seasoning and sprinkle with the coriander leaves, roughly chopped. Serve with rice, naan and chilli and garlic chutney (the recipe for which is also in the book).

What to drink: I like a young rioja or other tempranillo with a rogan josh which is not an exceptionally hot curry though you can obviously add extra chilli powder or chilli flakes in which case I'd probably go for a South African pinotage.

Extracted from Goat: Cooking and Eating by James Whetlor (Quadrille, £20.00) Photography: Mike Lusmore. 50% of the royalties from the book go to the charity Farm Africa.

You can buy goat from the Cabrito online shop and other specialist online meat suppliers.

Baingan Bharta - roasted smoky aubergine

I've been lucky enough to eat my friend Romy Gill's food on many occasions - she's an inspired home cook - so it's great to finally see her recipes in print.

This is one of her favourites from her lovely new book Zaika, which she describes as her 'ultimate desert island dish'.

Romy writes: The beauty of Indian food is that it not only has regional dishes but families cook each of these in so many ways. If you don’t like one method, you can just cook it another way! Baingan bharta with dal and roti would be my ultimate desert island dish; the perfect balance of smoky aubergine and the warmth of the green chillies is so divine.

The aubergines are roasted on the hob and then left to cool down before peeling off the skin and mashed; this recipe is how my mum made it, so I give her all the credit.

30 minutes

SERVES 3

2 medium-sized aubergines

6 tsp rapeseed oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 medium onions, finely chopped

3 green chillies, seeds in, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

20g coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

Roti, to serve (there is a recipe in the book)

Roast the aubergines over a gas burner on the hob over a medium heat using a pair of tongs to hold them, or under a preheated hot grill. Either way, turn the veg regularly for even roasting. Allow to cool, then when cool enough to handle, peel off the roasted skin. Mash the flesh in a large bowl.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, then add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the onions and chillies, cook for 4–5 minutes over a high heat and keep stirring. Once the onions are translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and coriander to the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes. When the tomatoes have broken down into the onions, add the rest of the spices and salt and mix together well. Finally, stir in the mashed aubergine and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat.

Serve with roti.

What to drink: I'd probably drink lassi with this or one of the lovely soft drinks in the book but you could drink a light aromatic white like a sylvaner or riesling (I know Romy's favourite is the Kung Fu Girl riesling) or a rosé.

Extracted from Zaika: vegan recipes from India by Romy Gill, published by Seven Dials at £20. Photo ©Del Sneddon.

What wine to pair with curry: my top five picks

Kimchi fried rice

If you're a bit of a kimchi addict you'll love this recipe for kimchi fried rice which comes from chef Judy Joo's book Korean Food Made Simple. I think would be brilliant for a weekend brunch.

KIMCHI FRIED RICE

KIMCHI BOKKEUM BAP

SERVES 4

Judy writes: My sister used to make this for me when we lived together in New York, and I loved it! Fried rice is the perfect way to use up leftovers, so feel free to improvise. Any kind of veggies or meat you have in the fridge – just toss them in. This is a great lunch or side dish. A variation, called omurice, is to make omelettes with the eggs and wrap them around the fried rice like a burrito. At Jinjuu, we like to fancy up our kimchi fried rice with a garnish of julienned roasted seaweed (kim) and lotus root chips.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 slices thick-cut bacon, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped

9 button mushrooms, destemmed and diced

1⁄2 courgette, diced

3 spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle

225 g (8 oz) drained Cabbage Kimchi (there's a great recipe in the book but you can obviously use ready prepared kimchi), chopped

700 g (11⁄2 lb) steamed short or medium grain Korean rice, at room temperature

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 soft sunny-side-up fried eggs

In a large pan heat the oil over a medium- high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a kitchen paper-lined plate to drain.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the carrots and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constant- ly, until the carrots are just softened. Add the mushrooms, courgette, two-thirds of the spring onions and the kimchi and cook for 4–5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the rice and drained bacon, breaking up the rice with a wooden spoon and combining it with the other ingredients. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot. Season and spoon the fried rice into four bowls and top each with a fried egg and the remaining spring onions.

TIP: Kimchi can stain your chopping board and the smell has a habit of lingering, too. To avoid this, put the kimchi in a bowl and use kitchen shears to cut it into smaller pieces.

What to drink: When I tried this dish in Judy's restaurant JinJuu (with which she is no longer associated) we drank cocktails (Jumi - Earl Grey infused soju with yujacha (citron tea) and HIte Korean lager with the meal which worked really well. Maybe just the yujacha (for which you can find a recipe here) if you have it for brunch!

From Korean Food made Simple by Judy Joo, published by Jacqui Small

Cherry, herb and freekeh tabule

You might not think of putting cherries in a salad but it can work wonderfully well as Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich of Honey & Co demonstrate in this clever twist on a tabbouleh from their most recent book Honey & Co: At Home.

You can buy freekeh from their deli in Warren Street, Honey & Spice or from specialist middle eastern shops.

Cherry, herb and freekeh tabule

Throughout the Middle East, freekeh is prepared in the spring.The wheat is picked while the sheaves are still green and the wheat kernels are still soft. The crops are harvested and arranged in piles to dry, and then are carefully set on fire to burn away the chaff and straw. The moisture in the wheat kernels prevents them from burning; they just take on a very subtle smokiness. Once cooled, the wheat is rubbed by hand (hence the name: farik means rubbed in Arabic), then dried and stored for use throughout the year.

Makes enough salad for a party or for 8–10 as part of a spread

For the freekeh

250g/9oz/12⁄3cups dried freekeh

2 celery sticks

1 carrot, peeled and halved lengthways

1 bayleaf

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

For the salad

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 small bunch of parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

1 small bunch of tarragon, leaves picked and roughly chopped

1 small bunch of mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped

60g/2 1⁄4oz/1⁄2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped

60g/2 1⁄4oz/scant 1⁄2 cup roasted almonds, chopped

300g/10 1⁄2oz/2 cups cherries, pitted and quartered

1 celery heart, stalks finely chopped

1 tsp seasalt

3 tbsp olive oil

Rinse the freekeh under cold water, then place in a large pan and cover with 1litre/1 3⁄4 pints/4 1⁄3 cups of fresh water. Add the celery, carrot and bay leaf, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove any foam that comes to the top and reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and salt, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the freekeh is just al dente. The timing may vary as there are different grades of grain.

Drain the freekeh and use tongs or a fork to remove the vegetables and bay leaf. Taste to see if you need to add a little more olive oil and salt. Best to do this when the freekeh is hot, as it will absorb the flavours better.

Transfer to a serving bowl and allow to cool before mixing in all the salad ingredients. Toss with a light hand to combine, and taste for seasoning again before serving.

What to drink: I imagine most likely be having this as part of a bigger spread. If it accompanies grilled meat I'd go for a light red like a cinsault or mencia. If it's part of a veggie feast - and at this time of year - I'd pick a dry rosé.

Recipe from Honey & Co at home: Recipes from our Middle Eastern kitchen by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (£26, Pavilion). Photography by Patricia Niven.