Aloo gobi -- which is to say, a speedy potato and cauliflower curry

Just right for this cold weather and you could serve this on its own or, perhaps, with another curry that you like. Trawl through the blog. There's a lot to choose from. I might serve this with rice --it's simmering away while I type; I might also serve it as is, with just a dollop of yoghurt on top. Other possibilities? It could jazz up some cold meat left from the Sunday roast, should you have had one; it would be nice with some lamb chops, which you have grilled or roasted with some garlic cloves and, perhaps, a little cinnamon to accentuate the natural sweetness of the meat; you could eat it to start the week with a fried egg and a mug of tea if you're up early enough to get yourself in gear; stuff it into a paratha or pitta; roll it in a dosa, chapati or flatbread? The favourite Monday night dinner of my childhood, by the way, was a similar curry served with the cold leftover meat from Sunday lunch. My mother favoured a hot potato curry with leftover roast beef. Be careful, though, to revere dietary laws here!

So, first of all, make the 'tarka' base, which is the slow and carefully cooked preparation of the base flavours. In this case, add two finely sliced onions to some sunflower oil in a big wide pan. Cook them slowly until they are soft but not caramelised. Then, add half a fresh red chilli, finely chopped, a tablespoon of ground cumin, one of ground coriander, a good fat pinch of asafoetida if you have it and a dessertspoon of turmeric. Stir carefully and do not let it all burn. Now, to the onions in the pan, add two tins of plum tomatoes which you have chopped in the tin. Bring this to the boil, add a flat teaspoon of sea salt and then simmer for ten minutes or so, stirring now and again. Then, add to the tomato mixture a whole medium cauliflower, which you have pulled apart and chopped into florets (or even half florets) and five medium potatoes, cut into small pieces. Best to peel them. Add also a good couple of handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped or, in my case, six little pellets of frozen leaf or chopped spinach. Bring the lot to a high heat and simmer for forty minutes or so, tasting for flavour at the end and making sure that the vegetables are soft. I actually like them beginning to fall apart in this dish.

You might like to stir in some garam masala at the end; I would usually add a fistful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped. But that's it. Tonight, I'm keeping the spicing very simple. Eat in big bowls and warm your toes if you've been sledging today. Oh -- the spices in the picture above, from left to right: cinnamon quills, cloves, turmeric and black peppercorns. Aren't they beautiful? A picture from Giles Turnbull of the supplies from my cupboard.

होप यू लिखे आईटी. क्ष