Today we had Brunch within our BUBBLE, Mexican Eggs, or that is what I call it. chunky spicy tomatoey soup with garlic, ginger, spring onions, poached eggs and avocados, served with sourdough toast and coffee, with choice of milk .Sunday Lockdown cocktails, has restarted definitely socially distanced, each on our own terrace, shouting across the void, but this time round the evenings are getting darker and colder.

Tonight we indulged in a kind of Indian Meal, obviously not what any self respecting Indian would serve, but it certainly tasted pretty authentic.

It started out as Tandoori Lamb Chops, but I defrosted Lamb fillets instead, and then things like Brunch and cocktails got in the way and I was way behind schedule, so Tandoori Lamb Chops became Lamb Boti Kabab!

For two you will need

1. 2 Lamb fillets
2. 100 g Full Fat Greek Yoghurt
3. An inch of fresh ginger finely chopped
4. 3 cloves garlic smushed
5. ( or if you have garlic and ginger paste, use about 50 grams)
6. 3 tsp chilli powder
7. 1tsp salt
8. Rind and zest of lime ( lemon will do if no limes)
9. 30 mls vegetable oil
10. 2 tsp Garam Masala
11. 2 tsp cumin powder.

Trim the fat from the meat and cut into chunks.

Mix together all the above ingredients and add the meat chunks. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. ( this is where I had to skip a long marinade, only a couple of hours).

Thread the meat onto the skewers and grill on a high heat for about 4 minutes a side, no more. Lamb cooks quickly.

We ate this with a mustard cauliflower dish. We can call it Cauliflower Gosh. A friend served this to us a few weeks ago, in those days when we could still meet and eat. I thought it delicious and have been researching ever since. It would seem that the whole world ( well not quiet) lay claim to it, from the famous New York restaurant, Lutèce, to Gordon Ramsey, to Marcus Waring, Jamie Oliver and now Yotam Ottolenghi, and now even to me.

The classic version incorporates put lentils, which I love, but they can take time to cook, unless you buy them in a ready cooked packet. So I omitted them. I also used cooking Mozzarella and not cheddar, otherwise I almost followed the rules.

For 2

1. Half a head of cauliflower either cut into florets or try slices
2. 2 tbsp ghee
3. 1 chopped white onion
4. 2 tsp ground cumin
5. 1-2 tsp mustard powder, this is English mustard powder, of,course you can use Dijon mustard if you prefer, but won’t have the same density of flavour.
6. +/-75 grams grated cheese
7. +/- 25 grams finely grated Parmesan
8. Some chopped parsley
9. 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs.
10. Pinch salt

Cook your cauliflower so that it is al dente. I use the microwave with my Lekué vegetable steamer basket, it took 4 mins. Drain and put to one side.

Melt the ghee in a saucepan and sauté the onions until translucent and soft. Add the spices and stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cream and the mozzarella ( or the cheese of your choice) and half of the parmesan. Stir to mix well and then carefully add the cooked cauliflower, mix well taking care not to break the cauliflower into tiny pieces.

In the meantime in a bowl mix together the rest of the parmesan, the Panko breadcrumbs and the chopped parsley.

Put the cauliflower mixture into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on the top and put under a high grill for 2-4 minutes until the top is crisp and golden.

Of course you can serve this with any meal, not a just ” Pretend Indian.”