Half a small watermelon or quarter of a large one.
4 garlic cloves, crushed.
1 pinch turmeric powder.
1 tsp cumin seeds.
6 – 8 cardamom pods.
1 tsp hot chili powder.
1 cup coconut milk.

Peel the watermelon and cut the flesh into bite-sized cubes.

Fry the garlic, cumin seeds and cardamom pods in a little oil a deep frying pan for one minute. Add the powdered spices and coconut milk. Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes until thickened.

Add the watermelon cubes to the sauce, gently tossing the watermelon cubes until each is fully coated with sauce. Remove from the heat and stir occasionally until cool.

Serve as a side dish or as a light meal with rice or naans.

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Some potential modifications – add more chilli powder to make it hotter and drop some garlic cloves to reduce the garlicyness.

The best thing about recipies is that while can be a trade secret  they can not be patented or copy written – this means once a trade secret leaks it can be spread around without the people spreading fearing any legal backlash (the person however who originally leaked it can get into lots of trouble).

So to the point of this post! Here be the recipie for the Soup from the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld  click the link, cook and enjoy.

You make soup for you!

Serving size: Serves 4
Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 thin slices of chilli pancetta, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g Swiss brown mushrooms, cut into 4 slices
100g button mushrooms, cut into 4 slices
2 cups arborio rice
100 mls white wine
1.2 litres chicken stock, hot
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup torn basil

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C. Heat 1 tablespoon oil on a medium heat in a
casserole dish or ovenproof saucepan with a lid. Add onion and cook
stirring until softened. Add pancetta, garlic and mushrooms cook for
further 2 minutes. Stir through rice until coated.

Add white wine and allow to reduce for 1 minute. Pour in stock, cover with
lid and place in oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until all liquid has been
absorbed. To serve stir in parmesan and basil and season well.

Preparation time: 25 mins

Cooking Time: 25 mins

Serves 4 or more!!!!!

5g Saffron threads

½ tsp salt

6 cloves garlic, pealed

1kg medium green prawns

125g cultured butter

2 red Serrano chillies, sliced (optional)

BUTTER RICE

30g cultured butter

1 onion

1cup long grain rice (basmati)

1cup chicken stock

1cup white wine

Place saffron threads in a small dry pan and heat for 1 minute. Place threads into a mortar and pestle, add salt and garlic, then pound until a paste forms.

Peel the prawns, leaving the tail on but removing the vein, then cut down the back and butterfly. Place the butter in a large heavy-based pan, add the chilli cook for 1 minute, then remove and set aside. Add the prawns and garlic mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the prawns change colour. Serve the prawns with the butter rice. Top with the fried chilli if desired.

To cook the rice: Heat the butter in a medium pan. When it starts to foam, ass the onion and rice, and stir over a low heat until the onion and rice are a pale gold in colour. Add the stock and wine and bring slowly to the boil. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the tunnels form in the rice. Turn off the heat, cover and stand for 15-20 minutes.

Variations: this can also be done with whiting fillets

• Approx. 500gms of Chicken (Chicken Breast is best) Diced and cooked
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 30 gms of butter
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 400gms Bacon Bits
• 2 cups of Aberio rice
• 3 cups of Chicken Stock
• 1/4 cups white wine
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups of mushrooms sliced
• 1/3 cup parmeson cheese

Method
Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic, brown onion and bacon. Add rice cook until brown approx. 5 mins. Stir frequently.
Add liquid ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes uncovered or until liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked. Add cooked chicken while mixture is simmering. Stir frequently.
Adjust consistency with stock or water, if necessary.

This receipe is good to double and keep siled in an air tight container for a couple of days in the fridge. Great at reheating in the microwave for lunch the next day

Before serving, stir in most of the parmeson cheese and pepper, Use some parmeson as garnish. Serve immediately.
This receipe is good to double and keep siled in an air tight container for a couple of days in the fridge. Great at reheating in the microwave for lunch the next day

In a large bowl, mix together the lemon juice, yoghurt, salt, one crushed
garlic clove and the ginger. Add the lamb and marinade in the fridge
overnight.

Heat the oil in a wok/pot/large pan and fry the cumin seeds for two minutes
until they splutter. Add the bay leaves and cardamom pods and fry for 2
minutes.

Add the onion and remaining garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Add the coriander,
cumin and chilli powder. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add the marinated lamb to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom.

Add the tomatos, tomato puree and water. Cover and simmer for 1-1.5 hours.

Mad props to the Suprah driving (perhaps this recipie explains the pants on fire ) Yiannis .

If you are used to preparing bolognase sauce you should be able to transfer these skills into mad lasagne skills very easily. (Less reduction of the sauce).

Very basic – and easy:

You Need:

• 500gram low fat non preservative mince
• Two cans of tomato’s diced
• One jar of bolognase sauce (5 brothers, dolmio, etal) (500-700grams)
• One bottle of tomato puree not concentrate
• Some lasagne sheets (i used san~remo)

Cook the mince – (you may like to add herbs, garlic, chilli at this point even an onion – if you wish to use your own herb flavourings use a second bottle of tomato puree and leave out the commercial bolognase sauce). Once the mince is cooked add all the tomato sauces, cans of tomato and bottle of puree bring to the boil. You need to reduce it slightly, but it still should remain runnier than a bolognase sauce – the lasagne sheets need to absorb this moisture and you dont want to dry out your final product by over reduction at this point. Once you have the consitancy correct (it may take several lasagne attempts to work out the perfect consitancy – the required constistancy also depends on shape and depth of cooking tray and oven style).

Use a cup to pour 3-4mm of sauce mixture at the bottom of a tray with deep sides (i use corningware with 3″ sides) cover with lasagne sheets, repeat to a minimum of 4 sheets – and a maximum of 8 in a criss cross pattern with sauce between each. The top layer should have sauce placed on it and then covered with cheeze. (I use the pre-grated mozarella, parmasan and cheddar mix called “Pizza Perfection”, but mozarella with a little parmasan is fine) cover with alfoil and bake at 180C for 35-45 minutes. Remove alfoil, reduce temp to 150 and cook for a further 5-10 minutes (depending on how runny the lasagne is at this point – there still should be some moisture). Remove from oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes. (This allows it to cook to edible temperatures and absorb any remaning moisture before serving.). Serve with crusty bread, a fresh garden salad and a nice red wine.

For alternative toppings you could add: any combination shaved and chopped strips of ham, tomato, diced bacon between the cheeze within the top sauce layer – it adds a little something extra every now and then.

M