Rooftop Gardening: An Introduction

The traditional view or thought of gardening is something I have never been overly interested in. I think it all stems from my teenage years having to mow our massive garden at home. But when I read an article about a unique gardening concept called Square Foot Gardening I was very keen to give it a go as this Spring/Summer is my first one being able to enjoy my new Roof Terrace.

Grilled Squid with a Tomato & Onion salsa

This salad is beautifully fresh and with the kick of chili & lemon it is a perfect start to any meal or even to have for a light lunch. Squid is remarkably good value if you are willing to clean it yourself. Cleaning is not for the squeamish so ask your fish monger to clean it for you if you do not want to do the dirty work.

Squid takes only 1 minute per side on a hot griddle pan so make your Tomato & Onion Salsa first.  

Tandoori Murg

This tandoori recipe is quite easy to follow, the only thing needed for it is time for the chicken to marinade. The general rule in Indian cooking is that meats are marinated twice. The first marinade removes moisture and the second introduces flavours and spices. You would ideally like to marinade in your yoghurt& spices for a minimum of 3 hours, a great idea is to marinade overnight and prepare for a weekend lunch or early dinner.

With the below recipe it is a single serving but a great idea for this recipe is to double the marinade quantities and buy a whole chicken and divide it into 4 pieces (2 legs, 2 breasts).

Using boneless pieces of chicken &  push them through skewers for a Chicken Tikka