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Ingredients

1 heaped teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2.5 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon cinnamon

5 Sprigs of thyme, tied together with a string

5 gloves of garlic, roughly chopped

500g braising beef, chunks work well, roughly chopped into 4cm chunks

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds

1 heaped teaspoon coriander seeds

½ red chilli (or more if you like it hot) thinly sliced

2 Spanish onions, cut into large dice

2 carrots, cut into small dice

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

2 x 400g kidney beans, drained (if using dried beans, soak 200g overnight in cold water and add at the same point in the recipe as the tinned ones)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lime

Salt

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Method

Put the dried chilli, ground cumin, oregano, cinnamon, thyme and half the garlic into a dish and add the beef. Turn the meat to coat and leave in the fridge to marinate for few hours – overnight if possible.

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Heat the olive oil in a deep stew pot over a medium heat and gently fry the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes until you start to smell them.

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Whack up the heat, stir in the beef with the thyme and fry on all sides, picking up a good brown colour. Add some salt, the fresh chilli, remaining garlic, Spanish onions and carrots and keep stirring until the onions are transparent and the carrots soft – about 15 - 20 min.

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Tip in the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes before the kidney beans join in the fun. Pour in water just to cover and simmer for 1 hour with the lid on. Then take the lid off and simmer for up to an hour more, until the meat is very tender and the whole lot has become quite thickened.

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In a little bowl squeeze the lime juice over the thinly sliced red onion; turn the onions over with a spoon a few times, then leave to macerate for half an hour.

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Finish by adding a good pinch of ground cumin to the chilli to give fresh flavour to the slow cook.

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Lastly check the seasoning and consistency – if it looks a little dry, just slowly stir in water until it is pleasingly loose.

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Ingredients

122g butter

175g caster sugar

2 eggs

125g self-raising flour

1tsp baking powder

2 heaped tbsp coffee, dissolved in 100ml water

100g walnut halves

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Icing

200g butter

2 – 300g icing sugar

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Method

Heat the oven to 170OC/gas mark 3. Line a deep 18cm loose-based or spring-form cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar together with electric beaters and then beat in the eggs, flour and baking powder.

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Beat in 1tbsp of the coffee mixture and then add up to another tbsp little by little until the mixture drops easily off the spoon. Keep the rest of the coffee mixture for the icing. Stir in half the walnuts, snapping them in half as you drop them into the bowl. Spoon into the tin. Level the top and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Cool.

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To make the icing, beat the butter until soft and then beat in 200g icing sugar followed by the remaining coffee mixture, little by little. Stop when you have a depth of colour and flavour that you like. If the icing looks a little soft, beat in extra icing sugar.

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Cut the cake into 3 slices horizontally and then sandwich the layers together with some of the icing, you need a reasonably thick layer. Ice the top of the cake with the rest of the icing and decorate with the rest of the walnuts.

Ingredients

200g quinoa

500g shelled broad beans (fresh or frozen)

2 medium lemons

2 small ripe avocados

2 garlic cloves, crushed

200g breakfast radish, halved lengthways

50g Purple radish cress (or small purple basil leaves)

1tbsp ground cumin

75ml olive oil

¼ tsp chilli flakes

Salt and black pepper

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Method〶Ä

Place the quinoa in a saucepan with plenty of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 9 minutes. Drain in a fine sieve, rinse under cold water and leave to dry.

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Throw the broad beans into a pan of boiling water, bring back to the boil and immediately drain in a colander. Refresh with cold water and leave to dry. Then gently press each bean with your fingers to remove the skins, discard these.

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Take the lemons and use a small sharp knife to slice off the top and tail. Stand each one on a chopping and cut down the sides, following the natural curve, to remove the skin and white pith. Over a large mixing bowl, cut between the membranes to release the individual segments into the bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl with the segments.

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Peel and stone the avocados. Slice thinly, then add to the bowl and toss to cover in the lemon juice. Once the quinoa is dry, transfer it to the bowl. Add the broad beans, garlic, radishes, half the radish cress, the cumin, olive oil, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper.

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Toss very gently, without breaking the avocado. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you wish. Plate and garnish with the remaining cress.

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