The Ultimate Lockdown Recipe Guide

Whatever walk of life you come from, people across the United Kingdom is coming to terms with a world in lockdown as the Covid-19 outbreak continues to spread across the globe. But one month into our self isolation, we are all starting to crave the niceties that we have previously taken for granted.

While outdoor exercise is still on the table — for now — most of our other leisure activities have been put on hold. Shops are closed, sport has been cancelled, and cinema trips are not possible. Possibly the greatest loss for people though is food. Yes, food is still available in supermarkets — depending on the time of day you go — but restaurants are closed.

The convenience of heading out for a carvery or tucking into a juicy steak just isn’t feasible at the moment. So, we’ve pulled together a few of our favourite culinary delights so that you can DIY your dish of the day!

Jamjar Newcastle

Geordify your evening’s serving by recreating Newcastle restaurant JamJar’s Radgie Bhaji. A radgie in the North East refers to a violent or aggressive person. Now, we’re not suggesting this burger will be violent or aggressive, but it has been a hit! It also caters for vegetarians too. The original is sold as a crispy onion bhaji burger fried in curry batter, served with rocket, cucumber, and juicy garlic chutney. It sounds complicated to make, but it’s not. If you don’t have a deep fat dryer for the curry batter, you can always replicate it with a deep pot and an appropriate frying oil.

What will you need?

Three medium-sized red onions, cumin seeds, ground coriander, garam masala, a bunch of mint leaves, a bunch of coriander, 150g of coconut yoghurt, brioche buns, gram flour, baking powder, a small knob of fresh ginger, cucumber, ¾ tbsp chilli powder, ½ tsp sugar, ½ lemon, 12 garlic cloves, salt, water.

How to do it

Mix together finely sliced red onions, two teaspoons of cumin seeds, two teaspoons of garam masala, and two teaspoons of ground coriander. Add a teaspoon of grated ginger, a tablespoon of chopped coriander stalks, a teaspoon of baking powder, four tablespoons of gram flour, and six tablespoons of water.
To make the raita grab the coconut yoghurt, a handful of grated cucumber, a handful of chopped mint and coriander, salt, and pepper, and mix it together.
Create a bhaji batter by combining a ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup of cornstarch, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ tablespoon of curry. Whisk the ingredients and add a bit of water. Once this has set, heat vegetable oil in a pan and add a tablespoon of the batter. Fry it for around 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Grill your brioche buns and then assemble your bhaji burger — Put a dollop of raita on the bun and add a bhaji. Repeat another time to have two bhajis in one burger.
To make your garlic chutney blend your garlic, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and lemon juice. Add water to create a smooth paste. Add to your burger with mint leaves to serve.

Take the Entire Family for a London-style Italian Pizza

Get the whole family involved by serving up pizzas. If you are self isolating with your family around you, take some inspiration from La Mela Bistro in Hackney and channel your inner Gino D’Acampo. They have a great variety of pizzas on offer, but we recommend sampling their Tuscany pizza – a mixed mushroom, Tuscany sausage, mozzarella, rocket, and black truffle delight.

What will you need?

1kg of white flour, 700ml of slightly warm water, 14gr of dry yeast, eight spoons of extra virgin olive oil, one spoon of salt, and one spoon of sugar, mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, Italian sausage, mozzarella, rocket, and black truffles.

How to do it

Melt the yeast in warm water and sugar.
Put the flour on a pastry board in a large bowl and add the dissolved yeast to the centre of the flour.
Dissolve the salt into warm water and add to the flour mix.
Gradually add additional flour and water until you arrive at the desired consistency of the dough, which should be soft and supple. Continue to work it well and place in a large bowl and leave to sit.
Once the dough has doubled in size (approximately 90 minutes later), draw up the dough for the pizza.
Now for the toppings! Use ripe tomatoes for your base and add the other ingredients to the pizza base.
Pop it in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, on the maximum temperature until it becomes a golden colour. Pour on mozzarella slices and stick it back in the oven for a couple of minutes before serving.

Bring the Birmingham Barby to Your Back Yard

Group gatherings are all but forbidden and even family gatherings, whether just the two or you, or four, social distancing of at least two metres remains the government’s advice. That puts going to the park for a picnic or barbecue out of the picture. Take inspiration though from Birmingham’s Nakira Grill & Bar and make your own peri peri chicken skewers for a lunchtime treat.

What will you need?

500g boneless chicken thigh, ½ cup of peri peri sauce, pepper, garlic, lemon, basil, and oregano.

How to do it

This requires some preparation the night before. To start, combine the pepper, garlic, lemon, basil, and oregano for the sauce.
Cut the chicken thighs into thin stripes and transfer into a bowl along with the sauce and leave it to marinate overnight. If you prefer to do it the same day, leave it for at least 30 minutes.
Thread the chicken onto bamboo skewers and grill until nicely browned on both sides, using oil during the grilling.
Tuck in and devour this spicy delicacy.

Steak Done the Home Way

You might not be able to take advantage of any Manchester Restaurant Deals during lockdown, but if steak is your go-to for a meal out, why not try your hand at cooking a meaty rib eye steak? Toro’s in Manchester might serve up a sumptuous 8oz steak, but you should find out how simple they are to rustle up in your kitchen and enjoy the taste sensation.

What will you need?

24oz bone-in ribeye steak, kosher salt and ground black pepper, one tablespoon of canola oil, three tablespoons of unsalted butter, three cloves of garlic, three sprigs of thyme and two sprigs of rosemary.

How to do it

Use paper towels to pat both sides of the steak dry and season generously with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
Heat a medium cast iron skillet over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes and add canola oil
Put steak into the skillet and cook, turning every 2-3 minutes until a dark crust forms on both sides, usually 12-14 minutes.
Move steak to the side of the skillet and add butter, garlic, thyme and rosemary to the other side. Tilt the skillet towards the butter and cook for around one minute until the butter is foaming.
Spoon the butter over the steak for 1-2 minutes, turning over once until it reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit for a medium rare finish.
Allow to cook for longer depending on how you like your steak cooked and then leave for 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with potatoes or salad, whichever takes your fancy.

None of us know how long we could be in lockdown. What we do know though is that you might as well make the most of your kitchen while you are stuck indoors. Find your inner chef. Swapping the restaurant for some home-cooked delights could even spark a new passion. So, what are you waiting for?