Ingredients

Methi Chicken

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced into half moons
• 2.5-cm piece of cassia bark
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 clove
• 1 Indian bay leaf (tej patta)
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1kg boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 5-6-cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 200 g full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasur methi)
• 1 tsp each salt and chilli powder
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• ½ tsp sugar

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until golden brown and caramelised. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible, and place on a plate to drain. Spread the onions across the plate so they crisp as they cool.

Add the cassia bark, cardamoms, clove, bay leaf and red chillies to the pan, then add the chicken and cook over a medium-high heat until golden brown all over.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the ginger and garlic and stir for about 2 minutes until the garlic no longer smells raw. Add the turmeric and ground coriander and stir for a minute, then add the yoghurt, followed by the fenugreek leaves.

Do not let the yoghurt boil – you should not need to add any water, as the yoghurt will prevent the spices from sticking to the base of the pan. Add the caramelised onions, salt, chilli powder and tomato purée and stir gently. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid, stir in the sugar until it has dissolved, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir, uncovered, until the oil comes to the surface. Serve hot, garnished with cream and coriander, if using.

The ingredients are:

For the spice rub:

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon,

1 tsp ground coriander,

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp black pepper

Main Dish

birds eye chillies (remove the seeds to reduce the heat),

4 cloves garlic,

ginger root,

vegetable oil,

shallots,

pork shoulder,

1/2 litre chicken stock,

2 tbsp tamarind paste,

4 tbsp kecap manis

2 tbsp soy sauce.

Bulky strong veg, i.e. spud, sweet potato etc. Towards the end, I added some string beans and peas.

Cook in the pot until meat and veg are soft. Keep the lid on for most of the time, then remove and reduce to an almost dry mix.

rice

veg , meat, onions , garlic, ginger , beans etc . Anything which is strong enough to survive the cooking.

Make a stock based on JB Chinese Curry Sauce.

Marriande the main ingredients in JB Chinese Curry Sauce.

If using meat, Stir fry until sealed/browned.

Stir fry until veg start to soften.

Beans, prepare in your normal way. I used dried beans which have been rehydrated separately.

IMPORTANT Keep the Stock Hot .

Add the rice.

Laddle in the stock until everything is covered and give it stir to ensure everything is covered.

Cook on low / middle heat. Add small amounts of hot stock as needed.

I like to add chopped toms close to the end.

6 whole  star anise pods
1 ½ teaspoon whole cloves (or 1 1/4 teaspoon ground) 
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long ) or two tablespoons ground
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns ( or sub 3 teaspoons regular peppercorns)

Ingredients  

• 2 cups low sodium stock I made this using stock cubes and water
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch use with about 2 Tablespoons of water to make slurry
• 2 teaspoons curry powder – The generic one is fine. I prefer my own JB Madras Mix.
• 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dark soy sauce
• Salt to taste optional

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
• 1 ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp ground ginger

^[8]

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 onion, sliced
  
• 1 clove of garlic
  
• 1 tbsp butter
  
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1 tbsp plain flour
  
• 500g fillet steak, sliced or 500g of hard veg, i.e. spuds, turnips, swedes, carrots, parsnips that type of thing.
  Could also add a variety of beans.
  
• 150g crème fraîche or substitute to make low cal
  
• 1 tsp English mustard
  
• 100ml beef stock or veg stock
  
• ½ small pack of parsley, chopped

Method

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan then add 1 sliced onion and cook on medium heat until completely softened, around 15 mins, adding a little splash of water if it starts to stick.

Crush in 1 garlic clove and cook for 2-3 mins more, then add 1 tbsp butter.

Once the butter is foaming a little, add 250g sliced mushrooms and cook for around 5 mins until completely softened.

Season everything well, then tip onto a plate.

1 tbsp plain flour into a bowl with a big pinch of salt and pepper

Add 500g of sliced fillet steak in the seasoned flour.

Add the steak pieces to the pan, splashing in a little oil if the pan looks dry, and fry for 3-4 mins, until well coloured.

Add the onions and mushrooms back into the pan.

Whisk 150g crème fraîche, 1 tsp English mustard and 100ml stock together, then stir into the pan.

Cook over medium heat until either meat or veg are to your taste. I often use a slow oven ( 150C ish) or a slow cook put (about 5 hours on low)

Ingredients

Qty	Desc
500g	strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
7g	fast yeast ( 1 sachet)
1tsp	sugar
2tsp	oil ( I’ve used sunflower and olive).
up to 325 ml	Luke warm water

Method

1. Tip the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and oil into a bowl.
   
2. Pour in up to 325ml warm water a little at a time, then mix (with a spatula or your hand), until it comes together as a shaggy dough. Make sure all the flour has been incorporated.
   
3. Cover and leave for 10 mins.
   
4. Lightly oil or flour your work surface and tip the dough onto it.
   
5. Knead the dough for at least 10 mins until it becomes tighter and springy – if you have a mixer you can do this with a dough hook for 5 mins.
   
6. Pull the dough into a ball and put in a clean, oiled bowl. Leave for 1 hr, or until doubled in size.
   
7. Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8.
   

For Rolls

1. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a long sausage shape.
   
2. Halve the dough, then divide each half into four pieces, so you have eight equal-sized portions.
   
3. Roll each into a tight ball and put on a dusted baking tray, leaving some room between each ball for rising.
   
4. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for 40 mins-1 hr or until almost doubled in size.
   
5. When the dough is ready, dust each ball with a bit more flour. (If you like, you can glaze the rolls with milk or beaten egg, and top with seeds.)
   
6. Bake for 25-30mins, until light brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
   

For Loaf

1. Knock back the dough by tipping it back onto a floured surface and pushing the air out.
   
2. Mould the dough into a rugby ball shape that will fit a 900g loaf tin and place in the tin.
   
3. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 30 mins.
   
4. Dust the top of the loaf with a little more flour and slash the top with a sharp knife if you want.
   
5. Bake the bread for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and continue to bake for 30 mins until the loaf sounds hollow when removed from the tin and tapped on the base.
   
6. Leave the bread on a wire rack to cool completely. The loaf will stay fresh in an airtight container for 3 days or can be frozen for 1 month.
   

Very Fine chop shallots ( pref), 2nd pref red onion. Last choice normal onion. It is good to get some of the sweetness from the shallot / red onion.

Gentle Fry until soft. Fine grate Garlic towards the end of cooking. Be careful not to burn this.

Add whole peppercorns. Black or Green, mix any are fine.

Add stock, about 500ml. Stock cube is fine, be aware they have salt added so you may need to balance the flavour. Tradional is beef stock. Veg is fine if you pref.

Bring to boil reduce it down and starts to thicken.

Add cream – 100ml whipping cream.

Boil until nice and thick.

Maris Piper, King Edwards are good chip spuds.

Peel and Cut spuds to size of chip you want. 1cmx1cm is quite good for this method. I sometimes make string fries more the French Style. These are ok, be careful with cooking times

Soak in water for 10 to 15 mins. Change the water and repeat a few times. This removes the starch. The same concept as rinsing rice.

Dry , really dry.

Dont over fill the fryer. About 1/2 full.

Fryer at 120 – 130 for about 10 to 15 mins. They should not brown. This cooks the inside. You know when its done because a skin appears.

Leave to cool. — VERY IMPORTANT DO NOT RUSH THIS PART.

When ready, Frier up to 190 fry until good colour and crispy, time will vary depending on the spud, size of chip etc.

Dont over fill the fryer. About 1/2 full.

Method

Place bread in a liquidiser. Once blended add seasoning.

Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk with a fork.

Place plain flour into a shallow bowl with seasoning.

Coat the chicken in egg and cover in plain flour.

Coat in egg again and then cover in breadcrumbs.

Place on a covered baking tray and bake in oven at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

.

Ingredients

500 to 750ml	Stock, your choice veg, beef, chick etc.
	Arrow Root – You may need some arrow root to control thickness. If you dont have, corn flour will work but will change the colour.
Some	Ghee
1 med	chopped ( big chop, even rings are ok) onion
2 clove	garlic
2	Cloves – 1 tsp Gnd Clove
1 inch	Cinnamon Stick / Cassia Bark
1tsp	Garam Masala
Some	Chili To Taste
1/2 tsp	Turmeric
1/2tsp	Gnd Corriander.
2	Tomatoes
1 tbl	Yoghurt
2 med	Spuds, chopped into large chunks
100g	Peas
Some	Corriander Leaves

.

Method

Use a largish sauce pan. Its your chocie to use a lid or not. That will help with loss / keeping the water content.

Toast or Fry Dried Spice powder. I do them in with the Ghee whilst softening the onion in the pan.

Add the potato chunks to soften a little.

Add stock and everything else EXCEPT TOMS.

Cook until the veg is starting to soften, the add the toms, I put them in for the last 10 or so mins, its to your taste. I like to have the toms as chucks of tom and not disappear into the sauce.

Whilst cooking, control the heat, add liquid as needed. If needed add some thickening re above. Another thickening option is to start with extra spuds. Remove some, mash to a paste then put them back. The starch will thicken..

.

Background

This is inspired by a Biriyani dish. It is not a Briyani. I was playing with some ideas and came up with this.

.

Ingredients

	Rice Part
Qty	Description
Some	Ghee, used for cooking
1 tsp	Cumin Seeds
1 small	Onion
450g	brown rice. Next time try aboria or rissoto uncooked
1tsp	Sea Salt
1/2 tsp	Gnd Black Pepper
90ml	Stock
Some	Corriander Leaves.
	Potato and Pea Curry Part.
Some	Ghee
1 med	chopped onion
2 clove	garlic
2	Cloves – 1 tsp Gnd Clove
1 inch	Cinnamon Stick / Cassia Bark
1tsp	Garam Masala
Some	Chili To Taste
1/2 tsp	Turmeric
1/2tsp	Gnd Corriander.
2	Tomatoes
1 tbl	Yoghurt
2 med	Spuds, chopped into large chunks
100g	Peas
Some	Corriander Leaves

.

Method

Pre heat oven 150 Cish

Mix all spices to paste

Use an overproof casserole dish/pot

Gently Fry the onion and cook out the spices, add garlic and ginger

If adding meat brown off in a separate pan.

Add everything to the pot, including the rice and stock

Place in oven until veg are done – Depending on Qty 30min to 1 hour. If the meat has been added you can turn the temp down and slow cook to help the meat stay juicy and also tenderise it.

For Basmati use 1 measure rice to 1.5 measure liquid.

Cheat Sheet

Rice	Liquid
1	1.5
2	3
3	4.5
4	6

Wash Rice, until the water is clear.

Optional: Toast the rice in Ex Virgin Olive Oil – Adds a nice flavour

Bring liquid to a soft bubble boil

Add Rcie

V Important- heat to low, tight-fitting lid on

15-20 mins.

Turn off heat. Do not remove lid. Do not stir. LET IT REST for 10 Mins

Its ready. Do not use a fork to separate. It will break the grain. Use a paddle, spatula etc.

Tips for no-fail basmati rice recipe

• Rinse basmati rice very well before cooking. Wash a few times (4 to 5) until the water runs clear. This will help remove starch from the surface of the grains. Starch is what makes cooked rice sticky and gummy, so for fluffy rice, it is important to remove the starch.
• Use the right amount of cooking liquid. The ratio of basmati rice to cooking liquid (water or broth) is 1 cup of rice to 1 ½ cups of liquid. Any more or less will affect the texture of the rice.
• Use a non-stick pot. To avoid any potential issues of rice sticking to the bottom of your pot, just use a non-stick pot.
• Toast the rice before adding water. I like to start by toasting the rice in extra virgin olive oil first, this is not traditional but a great way to elevate the flavor and play up the nuttiness of the rice.
• Add flavor. Season the rice well with Sea salt. And if you like to add more flavor, try adding cardamom pods or bay leaf (this is completely optional).
• Allow the rice to rest before serving. Once the rice is fully cooked, let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. It is tempting to remove the lid and immediately serve, but I’ve found these few minutes of rest essential in cooking perfectly fluffy and tender rice

Iiquid it depends on the mood and style. Start with a good stock.

A common Indian way is 1 cin stick, 2 cloves garlic, some onion, turmeric, seeds etc.

Suggestions below are copied from various websites. They are just ideas.

Mediterranean Rice

Stir 1 – 2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts and 1 – 2 Tbsp. dried currants or dried cranberries into the cooked rice. The textures and flavours contributed by these add-ons elevate the rice to a sophisticated side.

3. Japanese Rice

My family absolutely loves this rice dish with its varied textures and flavours. When the rice is cooked, stir in 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 cup shelled and steamed edamame, 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, and 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds or sesame oil (stir in a tsp. of miso paste if you happen to have it.)

5. Herbed Rice

Stir into cooked rice, ¼ – ½ cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, scallions, basil, or cilantro. So simple and so delicious.

6. Rice with Peas and Onions

I love this one because it adds some extra vegetables into the meal without anyone even noticing. In a small skillet, sauté ½ diced yellow onion with 1 Tbsp. oil until it starts to brown. Mix in frozen or fresh peas and sauté the mixture for about 2 more minutes. Mix the onions and peas into already steamed rice. Season it with salt or soy sauce, if desired.

Latin American or Tex-Mex dish you are preparing. Cook the rice according to the package directions (cook it in light coconut milk, if desired). When cooked, stir in the juice of ½ lime, ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. salt.

8. Caribbean Rice

You’ll practically feel the sand between your toes as you enjoy this rice that brings tropical flavours to your table with almost no effort. Cook the rice in light coconut milk with 1/2 tsp. ground allspice, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or stir in 1 tsp. fresh thyme after cooking), and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves.

9. Curry Rice

This flavorful rice makes a lovely side dish for any roasted or grilled meat or tofu dish you might serve. In a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, sauté ½ finely diced yellow onion in 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat until the onions are lightly browned. Add the rice.

Ingredients

For the marinade

450 g sirloin steak, sliced very thinly against the grain – Update, I’ve tried a few cuts. The best I found for flavour and texture was cross grain and picture, short skinny French Fries.

2 tbsp. Chinese black vinegar

60 ml soy sauce – For those who do not know, all Soy Sauce is made Dark. The light is dark watered-down i.e. source Interview with oldest traditional Soy Sauce farmer/maker in Japan.

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. granulated sugar

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 1/2 inch. freshly grated ginger or 2 – 3 tsp powder

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. Ground Szechuan peppercorn Use the multi-colour mix, green, red and dark peppercorns.

For the stir fry

3 tbsp. cornflour

3 tbsp. peanut oil

1 tbsp.fermented chilli bean paste (doubanjiang)

Add Black bean sauce as required.

dried red chillies to taste

1 tbsp. whole Szechuan peppercorns

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 spring onions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving

red chilli oil to taste

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 small carrots, thinly sliced

120 ml stock or water. I often make my own stock based on veg peelings and or leftover bones ( which since the do-gooders got involved who have never cooked in their lives and live on restaurant or ready meals ), are difficult to obtain in England, I do not know about Wales, Scotland and NI ). Stock cubes are fine, try to use a good brand for this stock i.e. OXO at a push Knor.

1 tbsp. hoisin sauce

Optional : 1 tbsp. sambal oelek. If you cannot find this, a tabasco like sauce can work, its not the same or as good. I guess you do not want to make your own Chinese Chilli Sauce. We buy ours from a family-run Chinese shop.

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil 

1 tsp. Chinese black vinegar. If this is not available White Rice wine vinegar can be used. Change the quantity to balance the flavour. We use Shaohsing.

Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients except for steak until fully combined.
   
2. Reserve half the marinade and set it aside. 
   
3. Add steak to a medium bowl and toss in the remaining marinade until evenly coated.
   
4. Let marinate for 30 minutes, then drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
5. In a large bowl, toss together the cornflour and marinated beef, shaking off any excess cornflour before frying
   
6.  In a large pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil.
   
7. Add steak in a single layer, working in 3 separate batches if needed, and cook until seared, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
   
8. Remove steak and set aside.
   
9. Return pan to medium heat.
   
10. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then add bean paste, dried chillies, peppercorns, garlic, spring onion, and a pinch salt.
    
11. Stir and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
    
12. Add in chilli oil and vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.
    
13. Add in stock and let cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.
    
14. Add hoisin, sambal oelek, and reserved marinade.
    
15. Stir to distribute evenly, and bring to a simmer. Add back cooked steak and toss until evenly coated. Let cook, stirring, until sauce thickens and clings to the steak. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil and vinegar.

Ingredients

1 cup	Juice, grape, orange, apple
1 1/2 cup	Water
1 tbsp	Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp	Sea Salt – Not Rock — Sea
1 tsp	Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate | Pharmaceutical Grade | Crystal Powder. If your not sure, I buy this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01591D0G0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 [18]
1tsp	Honey
Some	Sweetener, sugar to taste

Directions

This is based on the WHO guidelines and choice of mixtures.

Quantities are based on how much you sweat. That is where you lose your salts and minerals. It has no relationship with how much you drink.

Normal Day – 100 – 150ml.

Rest Day / Light Exercise Day- 220 – 250 ml

Work out Day 500ml.

.

Backdrop

Salad cream is a British fav dressing for salads. For those who know me I have travelled a lot and often either not been able to find it or had to visit an expat shop and pay rip-off prices.

I decided to use Heinz as a ref marker. It was not my intention to replicate or copy Heinz only use it as a baseline flavour.

It took a few attempts, this is what I came up with. It is close to Salad Cream, I may play around each time I make it.

I tried various mustards Dijon was tasty but the wrong flavour.

I think the key is the citric ( lemon juice ) to sugar balance and then balance that to the vinegar. Find that balance to give an almost neutral result. I tried both flavours toward vinegar and also towards lemon a little either side of neutral works well and is closest to Heinz. My taste favour towards the lemon but remember keep it subtle. You should not know any of them are in the recipe.

I think Heinz use an oil which has a flavour, I used Sunflower for my experiments. Olive oil would be overpowering. Rapeseed is a possible, Ill buy some next time I go shopping and give it a try.

Ingredients

.

Qty	Description
2	hard-boiled egg -yolks only hard boil them in shells then remove the yolks when cool.
1tbs	English mustard
1/2	lemon juice only
1 pinch	Pinch caster sugar
2tbs	white wine vinegar
100ml	double cream its a thick cream 48% fat but thats not important for this recipe-I think this might be USA Heavy Cream – it is a thick pouring with a little help cream Whipping and single cream are too thin) I guess Whipping cream which has been whisked until it starts to thicken but not all the way to solid.
100ml	veg oil
Some	Salt & Pepper

Those who do not know English Spoon sizes:

tbs means Table Spoon. My spoon set says its 15ml. My nan and I also know it as a quick measure for 1 once. Note, I use English Table Spoon, I know Australians have different cup and spoon sizes but most Aussies know how the conversion.

Method

Mix together in a bowl and blitz it until creamy.

I use one of the hand help spinny choppy things to blitz it but a liquidizer/blender on low speed would be as good.

For those who do not have a handheld spinny choppy thing, I love mine, when I was first given one by a friend my reaction was why do I need that. Now I love it. The pic is not the one I have but gives you an the idea.

^[20]

.

Everything chopped very fine and to taste.

80 / 20 mayo to tom ketchup.

Everything chopped very fine and to taste.

onion, garlic, ginger

colmans english mustard for 200g mix, 1/2 tsp it should be a hint not really tasted. See note below.

hard boiled egg.

Note:

English Mustard is not the obvious choice, its flavour is too strong. My reason for using it over any of the classic French and other Mustards is it adds a smooth richness to the mix.

In this case, you should not taste the mustard so be very careful, adding tiny amounts at a time. It should be one of those things you do not notice when its there but you feel something is missing which you cant put your finger on if its not.

mix well and leave to settle.

tiny tip of tea spoon at a time white vinegar — plain white not white wine. This is to offset the sweetness of the tom Ket.

It takes a few hours ( in fridge ), for the flavours to settle.

.

Clotted cream is wonderful. Probably best known as English Cream Tea. There is a long-running rivalry between Devon and Cornwall about this. Including, jam or cream first .. They are also still fighting over the pasty etc.

It is far more versatile than just cream teas and great on sweet pies such as fruit pies i.e. Raspberry, Strawberry, Pear and Apple etc.

It also works well as a topping on any fruit mix.

Many overlook the fact it works equally well in a savoury context, going well in mashed potato, risotto, scrambled eggs , in many cases, it can be thought of as an ice cream substitute and so on.

If you are unable to buy clotted cream it is not difficult to make. It does however need a little effort.

Traditionally eaten with scones ^[23] .

Cut scone in half and depending on if your from Devon or Cornwall, either put Strawberry Jam and then cream or cream then jam. Served with your favourite cuppa I like Twinnings English Breakfast or Assam tea which this.

Important

Using the right cream is vital. Just like when making ice cream, the fat content is key.

Also do not use ultra-pasteurized or other forms of process cream. Pasteurized is ok ( I don’t think unpasteurized is sold in shops anymore).

In the UK, double cream seems to work fine, I used it for this and also when making ice creams.

In Europe, Eastern Block – They have their own equiv which work fine, look for fat above 30%, in most places I have cooked in, they have an equiv of UK double cream which is 48% anywhere in that range has worked well for me.

WATCH FOR THE PROCESSING. NO ultra-pasteurized

I lived in LA for a couple of years a long time ago, so my memory is vague. I think you call it heavy cream.

Be Warned. This takes a long time to cook. Its worth the wait.

Ingredients

Qty	Description
300ml	cream – see notes above. I use 300ml as its a standard size sold . Our common sizes are 150, 300 and 600.

Method

Note, Im told by a chef friend of mine ( we have known each other over 20 years and often share tips/recipes), it can be done in a slow cooker. He is a head chef from a top hotel in London.

Ive not tried it but that hotel is at the top and is world-famous ( film stars, world leaders etc stay there, he always asks I do not give its name in case he gets into trouble for sharing info ) for its food.

• Day 1

Pre heat oven to 170-180C , I think that’s gas mark 3, 325 F

Pour cream into shallow/baking casserole dish, the cream should be can be about 1 to 2 inch deep but allow some extra height to make the dish easier to handle. I use one with a lid, if you do not have a lid cover it with foil. I think some prefer uncovered, my nan covered hers and I learnt from her. This should stop skin from forming. There must be a big surface aera.

After 12 hours, turn off oven and allow to cool naturally. Again, some remove the dish and leave to cool in a room. My nan left it in the oven a let them cool together. This was more gentle on the cream.

Once cool, it’s okay to store in the fridge.

Leave it to settle for the day / overnight, I guess if you need a number about 8 hours. My nan left the lid / foil on.

• Day 2

If it it has a skin, skim it off.

DO NOT STIR , TRY NOT TO DISTURB THE MIXTURE

Skim off the thick cream on top of the mix. If you have ever made cheese ( or seen it being made its the same idea, whey and curd).

Gently stir the remove thick cream until smooth.

Store in jars, tubs etc in the fridge the same as you would any other cream.

I do not know how long it will keep, my guess would be the same as normal cream. It never lasts long enough in my home to find out 🙂

Enjoy.

This is a mixture of notes made when I was a kid learning from Nan and some vague memories with a touch of translation into modern/international environments.

Dough

[table caption=”Ingredients” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,1,Onion
2,2drop,Lemon
3,1,Garlic
4,2tsp,Cumin
5,1tsp,Allspice
6,1/2tsp,Turmeric
7,1/4tsp,Mint

[/table]

Method :

Pestle & Morter, too big its

Mix.

Leave for flavours to fuse.

Dough

[table caption=”Ingredients” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Qty,Description
1/2 tsp,Salt
250g,Flour
some(125ml),Water
[/table]

Method Dough:

Mix. ( Mix salt with water, it helps even out when added to flour)

Leave to rest for about 30 mins, 1 hour ( Bag / Covered Bowl ).

Can knock back every 30 mins.

Cut into 1 inch cubes, roll out

Cover with a damp cloth or in bag to prevent drying out.

Fillings:

Anything.

Onions, mince, spices ( if powder, fry them out).

Use water as glue to stick edges together.

Ingredients

Ingredients

[table caption=”Shopping End Sept 21″ width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,2 tbl,Mint ( Fresh a big hand full fine chopped)
2,1tsp,Smoked Paprika
3,1tsp,Cinnamon
4,1/2 tsp,All Spice
5,2tbl,Orengano
6,1,Onion ( large chop)
7,2,Cloves Garlic fine chopped
8,1/2inch,Ginger fine chopped
9,1,carrot cut to size to tatse
10,1 tin, Pnto beans
11, Some, yoghurt
12,Some Stock
13,Some,Potato cut to size of baby spuds
14,some,Corn flour or any other non descript flour for thickening. About 1 dsp may be 1 tbl dependign on mix

[/table]

Method

This version is for spuds and veg, it also works with meat chops, other cuts. Not sure about fish, it should work but do not add until close to the end of cooking.

Use an oven-proof pot. I have heavy iron one, giving an even heat on the hob and also in the oven.

Pre heat oven to about 150 / 160.

Low heat oil , fry onion to soft

Add powder spices ( if they are big, pestle and mortar them before adding – not too small just smash them up)

Turn up heat, add spuds. A little more oil if needed, there should be enough to just coat everything)

Add carrots.

Keep things moving and temp at med to high. Stir fry method.

Add garlic, ginger

Let cook for a few mins

The aim is to soften and cook out the spices not crisp them off.

Stir in a some flour, about 1 tbl , adding at this stage and stirring in means it wont lump later.

Keep everything moving and adjust heat as required to keep things cooking gently

Add in Beans , if tined, wash them off in a sieve before adding. If own rehydrated , just add.

If its dry and sticking do NOT ADD MORE OIL, add a little water.

Add yoghurt, enough to give a good covering.

Add stock to cover.

Give everything a good mix to ensure everything has a good covering.

In oven 160 for about 1 hour.

Keep checking and giving it a stir , add stock as needed.

It should be wet, not swimming.

Cut spuds to fat chips, dry

light fry spuds and soften, 2 cloves garlic, 1 onion and 1tbl paprika

1/2tsb honey to caramelise spuds.

Oven 180-190 turn and cover from time to time until spuds soft and good colour.

Go for a good crispy. Once done put on wire rack and leave in oven for a short time to let oil

drain and cook dry.

Sauce

[table caption=”Sauce” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,1,Tin Toms
2,1,Onion
3,1,Clove Garlic
4,1/4 tsp,Pepper
5,1/4 tsp,Salt
7,1/2 tsp,Cinnamon
8,1/2tsp,Gnd Cumin
9,1/2 tsp,Turmeric
10,1 tsp,Honey
11,some,Parsley
[/table]

Meet Balls

[table caption=”Meet Balls” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,1,Mince Meat
2,1,Onion
3,2,Clove Garlic
4,1/4 tsp,Pepper
5,1/4 tsp,Salt
6,2tbl,Cumin
7,2 tsp,Oregano
7,2 tsp,Oregano
8,100g,Bread Crumbs
9,1,Egg

[/table]

Method:

Meat Balls:

Soften onion, garlic, fry spices.

Let cool.

Mix bread, mix above, meat, herbs

Make balls.

Oven 190C

Brush balls with olive oil (its worth the expense).

General Items

[table caption=”Ingredients” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,1,Tin Toms
2,1/2,Onion
3,1,Clove Garlic
4,1/4 tsp,Pepper
5,1/4 tsp,Salt
6,1/2 tsp,Paprika
7,2 tsp,Oregano
8,1/2 tsp,Worcester Sauce
9,1kg,Harricot Beans( soaked or rehydrated – I prefer in a simple stock to rehydrate in slow cook pot)
10,1 tsp,Parsley

[/table]

Method:

Soak / Rehydrate Beans ( 4 hours high, 6 low in a slow cook).

Gentle fry onion to soft, add garlic , pap, pepper, salt

Add tin toms

Bring to simmer for a few mins.

Add herbs and everything else except beans

Puree ( choppy thing) the mix.

Add beans and I add the stock used to rehydrate beans.

Thats It.

1/2   peppermint
1  ginger
3/4 honey
1 genko
1/2 vanilla
1 coriander leaf
1 rosemary
1/2 All Spice
1/2 Gnd Corriander
1 thyme

All are given in units.  Do not mix and match uints.

rosemary, basil, paprika, cumin, sage, all spice, oregano, lavender, thyme

Ingredients

[table caption=”French Onion Soup” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,2,Garlic
2,2,Onions
3,1L,Stock
4,1 tbsl,Brown Sugar
5,glug,Wine Vinegar( White or Red)
6,1 tbl,Flour
7,1 tsp,Honey
[/table]

Method

1. Heat a large frying pan or sauté pan until hot, add two tablespoons of olive oil, the onions, thyme and soft brown sugar. Fry for 10-15 minutes over a medium-low heat, or until softened and golden-brown, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch on the bottom.
2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the white wine and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes.
3. Add the brandy and sherry, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook gently for about 10-15 minutes.
4. While the soup simmers, heat a griddle until hot. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the bread and toast on one side. Set aside.
5. Check the seasoning of the soup, adding plenty of salt, a little black pepper, and more sugar or alcohol if necessary to suit your own taste.
6. Preheat the grill to high.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the toasted bread. Add the cheese on top of the bread and grill until bubbling and golden-brown.

Ingredients

[table caption=”Moring Tea” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100|50″ colalign=”left|left|center|left|right”]
Item No,Qty,Description
1,1 dsp,Mint
2,1/2tsp,Ginger
3,1/4 tbl,Lemon grass
4,1/4 tsp,Allspice
5,1/4tsp,Cinnamon
6,1 tsp,Honey – Added when brewed
[/table]

.

.

Method

.

1. Prepare the potatoes and carrots and place in the slow cooker.
   
2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and mix to cover.
   
3. Prepare the celery, onion (could add mushrooms ) and add these to the slow cooker with half of the herbs.
   
4. Dissolve the stock in boiling water with balsamic vinegar and some of the honey, set aside.
   
5. Heat a frying panto a medium high heat then add the bacon, cook until crisp.
   
6. Pour a little honey over the bacon and cook for 30 seconds.
   
7. Transfer the crispy honey bacon to the slow cooker.
   
8. Return the pan to the heat before adding the chicken thighs.
   Coat the chicken in the juices from the bacon and seal until golden.
   
9. Add in ginger and garlic, herbs, I used thyme and rosemary, finally add the stock to the frying pan.
   
10. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker and pour over the stock mixture. Sprinkle over salt and pepper and remaining herbs. Cook for 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
    

.

Ingredients

.

• 500g lean minced beef (10% or less fat)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1–2 tsp hot chilli powder ^[35]
• 2 tsp ground cumin ^[36]
• 2 tsp ground coriander ^[37]
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml red wine or extra stock
• 300ml beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes ^[38]
• 400g can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Place a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat and add the beef and onions. Cook together for 5 minutes, stirring the beef and squishing it against the sides of the pan to break up the lumps. Add the garlic, 1–2 teaspoons of chilli powder, depending on how hot you like your chilli, and the cumin and coriander. Fry together for 1–2 minutes more. Sprinkle over the flour and stir well.
2. Slowly add the wine and then the stock, stirring constantly. Tip the tomatoes and kidney beans into the pan and stir in the tomato purée, caster sugar, oregano and bay leaf. Season with a pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Bring to a simmer on the hob, then cover loosely with a lid. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mince is tender and the sauce is thick. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.

.

Ingredients

[table caption=”Ingredients” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100″ colalign=”left|left”]
Qty,Desc
25g (1oz), dried mushrooms
275ml (9½fl oz), boiling water
50g (1¾oz) ,butter
110g (4oz), dark-gilled mushrooms roughly chopped
2 medium, carrots chopped
2 ,celery stalks chopped
1 medium, onion chopped
1, leek washed and chopped
2 ,bay leaves
1½ teaspoons ,chopped fresh thyme
2 ,cloves garlic crushed
2ltr (3½pt), vegetable stock
some, flour to thicken
[/table]

.

Method

.

Put the dried mushrooms in a jug with 275ml boiling water and leave them to soak for 10 minutes

Melt the butter,

Saute all the prepared vegetables, herbs and garlic, stir well over a gentle heat until everything is glistening with a coating of butter NOT MUSHROOMS.

Pour in the dried mushrooms and their soaking water, followed by 2ltr (3½pt) of hot stock.

Bring up to a gentle simmer and, keeping the heat low, let the soup barely simmer for 1 hour.

After that, place a colander over a large bowl and strain the soup into it.

Remove the bay leaves, and purée the vegetables with a little bit of the stock in a liquidizer , then return this to the rest of the stock and whisk to a smooth consistency.

Add flour and hard boil to reduce.

.

REF: .

https://tastylicious.com/how-to-make-kimchi/ ^[41]

.

https://tastylicious.com/5-best-daikon-radish-substitutes/ ^[42]

Ingredients

[table caption=”Ingredients” width=”500″ colwidth=”20|100″ colalign=”left|left”]
Qty,Desc
4,Cabbage- Chinese Leaves
2 bundles,Spring Onion
1 big, carrot.
2,Chinese Radish
1, Strong Taste Apple for sweetness. Including peel.
6 cloves per cab,Garlic – Lots
1, small onion
1.5 inch,Ginger – Lots
Some,Salt for curing
Some,Chile powder.
Some, If needed a tasteless / low taste sweetener.

[/table]

.

Method

.

Make sauce whilst leaves are standing.

Dry leaves

Salt leaves, rub into whole leaf.

Set aside 30 mins – check if more salt needed. If so add, repeat every 30 mins.

For 2 to 4 hours- until wilted. The test is a white stalk should just start to soften when pinched.

No longer than 2 1/2 hours

.

Sauce.

Make garlic , ginger paste, onion, apple paste ( NOT Chile), may need liquidizer or spiny choppy thing. Add sweetener and water if needed. Should be thick paste.

Chop spring onion to 1inch lengths, not sliced. Bruise them.

Chop carrot into 1 inch long thin pieces. Julianne style.

Chop radish into 1 inch long thin pieces. Julianne style.

Mix to coat above with paste.

Let stand for flavors to fuse. ( This done whilst waiting for leaves )

Combine

Wash the leaves and let hang / drain until dry.

Rub sauce on both sides each leaf. Layer them. Sprinkle each with chile powder whilst layering.

.

Fermenting

.

Sealed Jar-

Cool place ( cool room ) for 2 to 3 days.

Then fridge 5 to 7 days.

.

Stock Cubes

flour / bisto

grnd pepper ( black )

fine / tiny chopped garlic

fine / tiny chopped ginger

mixed herbs

red wine vinegar

after cooking for a while to cook out the flour and to let vinegar evap taste, it might need a small amt of sweetener. I didnt use, if it does need sweetness, damera sugar would add a nice flavor to balance flavor.

.

Key to this is to allow for everything needing different cooking times. The best outcome is things are cooked but still have bite. i.e you have a piece of apple, the carrots have crunch.

Also make sure the pasta does not end up over cooked.

.

Marinade

50 / 50 Rosemary & Basil

Sesome Oil

White Miso

Garlic

Ginger fresh not powder.

Pestle & Mortar into a paste.

i.e qty for 1 kg meat, 1/4 cup Basil, 1/4 Rosemary, 2 heaped tsp Miso, Garlic & Ginger to taste (use fresh not powder ) Oil to make a thick paste.

The Meat

It should be thin cut about 1mm to 2 mm thick slices / strips cut CROS GRAIN

Depending on quality, it will need tenderizing.

This can be with a tenderizing hammer. Hit each one to break fibre. Down side of this is with you need to cut the fibres but not thin the meat.

Baking Soda – This works well but monitor the time carefully.
Dry the meat you can rub soda on to meat.

I prefer to dilute some soda in water and soak meat.

VERY IMPORTANT – MAX 15 mins. Longer will not tenderize more but will affect the texture and may make it chewy.

Salt- This works well but no my choice for this as it draws the moisture out. On a thick cut thats ok but on slices all moisture is important.

Acid Cook – This and be done by resting the meat in an acid :

vinegar (any kind, but be aware of its effect on flavor)
Worcestershire, tomato, teriyaki, or soy sauce
wine or beer
lemon or lime juice
yogurt or buttermilk
Kiwi fruit is good.
NOTE: Just because it is citric it does not mean it can acid cook.

Depending on thickness 1 to 2 hours. More will not help on thin cut.

After tenderizing , cover the meat pieces and leave in cool place for min 4 hours, over night is fine.

NOTE: Tenderizing is a separate step to marinading.

Main Dish

Carrot

Onion

Pepper, any colour is fine, green can be a little sour.

Tomatoes – quartered

Apple – At the end , peel and big chunks

Ginger – Fresh

Garlic

Stock – depends on the pan size, enough to mostly cover things.

Pasta shapes better than spaghetti

Method

Pre heat oven 160 C this is important. Do not skip.

Except for the Apple I peel, chunky chop in advance. I use bowls which are used based on cooking time.

Brown the meat can be done in the casserole dish

Gentle fry onions, add carrot cubes/ slices pieces.

Start to cook the pasta – no more than 3 mins boiling. It should have just started to soften a little. Cook less than Al Denti – Remove from boiling water and set aside.

The water from pasta can be used to make stock.

Add, onions to meat in casserole dish add a little stock, bring to gentle bubble boil.

Fry the peppers for 1 min – Re use the pan and oil from the onions.

Add peppers and the tasty oil to the casserole dish. There should only be a little oil

THE GOAL IS NOT TO LOOSE A Flavour

Add pasta

Add stock as needed.

Cooking in oven 15 – 20 mins

Stir in quartered toms and apple chunks.

Add garlic and ginger – use a press.

Check if more stock is needed. The final goal is there is a juice but the dish is not drowned in liquid.

A nice touch is sprinkle some cheese .

Cook 10 – 15 mins.

Serve

.

Ingredients

Hollandaise:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 300g clarified butter

Gastric:

• 4  tbs white wine vinegar
• 6 white peppercorns
• 1 shallot peeled and diced

To serve:

• 1 blood orange
• 1 tsp chopped tarragon

Method

To make the gastric put all the ingredients into a pan and boil to reduce to 2 tbs. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.

I use a Bayne marine to melt the butter when melted. turn off heat and drizzle in the egg yolks whisking constantly. Add slow and mix well, we want the heat of the butter to cook the eggs but also keep it a smooth sauce.

To make the sauce, blitz the egg yolks in a food processor then add the butter in a drizzle, whisking continuously. Add the gastric, season.

To transform into a béarnaise sauce, add 2 tbs of chopped fresh tarragon.

To transform into a maltese add the juice and zest of blood orange.

Chicken

bacon

ginger

garlic

peppers

pak choy

celery

sage

mint

vinegar ( White Wine )

bechamel / hollandaise sauce

Wok fry add bits at the correct time

When about 70% cooked add sauce.

Ingredients

• 300g/10½ oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g instant yeast (one sachet)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 175ml/6fl oz tepid water

Method

To make the pizza base, put the flour in a large bowl (or stand mixer) and sprinkle in the yeast.

Stir thoroughly before adding the salt.

Mix the olive oil with the water, then make a well in the centre of the flour and start pouring it in.

Stir until you have a fairly wet dough, then turn out and knead until it is no longer sticky, but soft and pliable.

Leave to rise for an hour in a large bowl, covered, then knock back and divide into two large or 4 smaller pieces, depending on the size you are able to cook.

When you are ready to cook the pizzas, preheat the oven to its highest setting and either heat baking trays or a pizza stone.

Shape the pizzas into large circles, then dust more baking trays with flour and transfer the pizza bases onto them – this is so you can slide them straight onto the baking tray or pizza stone.

Main Ingredients

Peel & slice sweet potato

Peel & slice sweet beets

Rough chop celery

Chickpeas

Baby Broad Beans

onions – softened

fine cut ginger

Layer everything in dish

Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Sprinkle with oats.

The purpose of the top layer of oats and seeds is to give a crust.

Sauce

Sweat fine chop onion & fine chop ginger

Stir in flour for thickening to make a Rue

Set heat to low and slowly add milk

Stir to prevent lumping.

Once boiling, set to slow buble for a few mins to cook out the flour.

Basically make a bechammel without the butter.

Pour sauce over the main dish.

Cover with shrededed cabbage, oats and pumpkin seeds

Oven about 150 until veg are soft about 1 1/2 hours.

Check liquid and add water if its too dry.. The oats and chickpeas drink alot whilst cooking.

It is very rich and tasty and can be used as petits fours or as a biscuit to go with ice-cream. Remember that when melting butter or chocolate, don’t let it heat above room temperature.

Ingredients

• 300 g (10 oz) caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 225 g (8 oz) unsalted butter
• 75 g (3 oz) cocoa
• 75 g (3 oz) plain flour
• 225 g (8 oz) good quality plain chocolate
• 100 g (4 oz) hazel or pecan nuts, chopped
• 100 g (4 oz) white chocolate, cut into 1 cm (½ in) chunks

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180–200°C/350-400°F/gas 4–6 and lightly grease a 20 cm (8 in) tin.

Beat together the sugar and eggs, making sure the sugar has completely dissolved.

Melt the butter and whisk into the eggs.

Sieve together the cocoa and flour and add to the butter and egg mix.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of warm water, then stir in.

Add the chopped nuts and white chocolate.

Turn the mix into the prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30–40 minutes. Leave to cool, then cut into wedges or squares.

1 tbl Lavender

5 drops Ashwagandha

1 tbl Basil

1 tbl Rosemary

1 tbl Mint

1/2 cup Hops

1/8 cup Passion Flower

1 dsp John Wart

Ingredients

• ½ of a big cooked beet *
• 350g (12oz) oats
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil / olive oil / rapeseed oil or any good stable oil.
• ⅓ cup milk
• ½ cup cooked chickpeas
• ½ cup honey
• a pinch of sea salt
• a pinch of baking powder
• ¼ cup cocoa (optional)
• cocoa nibs/dark chocolate to sprinkle (optional)

Substitutions

Natural Erythritol Granulated ZERO Calorie Sugar Replacement

Instructions

1. If chickpeas are dried. Use slow cooker on low setting. 3 X Water to 1 of Chickpeas.
2. Steam beetroot for about 25 to 45 mins. Medium size about 30mins. If its cooked a little too long no big deal.
3. In a liquidizer , blend oats, baking powder, pinch of salt, and cocoa until fine.
4. Next, add melted coconut oil, sweetener, and milk into the liquidizer and blend thoroughly.
5. When the dough is smooth, fold in chickpeas and cooked, grated beet and blend.
6. Put dough into a baking tray ( lined with baking paper ), you can sprinkle with dark chocolate chips or cocoa nibs and bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 °F) for 25 to 35 minutes.
7. Take it out of oven when the top is slightly brown and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Let the baked brownie cool for at least 15 minutes and then cut into smaller pieces.

2 tbl Cloves ( ground )

2 tbl ( 1/8 Cup) Garlic Granules

2 tsp All Spice

3 tsp Cinamon

4 tsp Ginger

3 tsp cup nutmeg

3 tsp turmeric

Ingredients 

 

• ▢ 120 ml dry sherry
• ▢ ½ tsp saffron
• ▢ 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 onion (diced)
• ▢ 1 shallots (minced)
• ▢ 90 g fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
• ▢ 1 stalk celery (minced)
• ▢ 1 carrot (diced)
• ▢ 454 g white fish (I used Alaskan true cod, feel free to substitute with halibut or ocean trout; cut into bite sizes)
• ▢ 1.1 kg seafood mix (your choice of shrimp, clams or mussels, lobsters, scallops, crab meat, squid, etc, defrosted in the fridge for a few hours, if frozen)
• ▢ 1 jar oyster (10 oz, 283 g)
• ▢ 1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz, 794 g with juice)
• ▢ 480 ml clam juice

Seasonings:

• ▢ 1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
• ▢ 1 tsp basil (or minced 1 fresh basil leaf)
• ▢ 2 Tbsp parsley (fresh)
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper

For Garnish

• ▢ parsley (chopped)
• ▢ crushed red peppers (red pepper flakes) (optional)

Instructions 

• Gather all the ingredients.
• In a small bowl, combine saffron and sherry and set aside.
• Cut vegetables and fish into bite-size pieces.
• Prepare and clean seafood as necessary. Some of the Costco sells a great frozen seafood medley pack and we used it today. It saves quite a bit time not having to clean and cut the seafood.
• In a large pot (I use a big Le Creuset pot), heat olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic and all the chopped vegetables (onion, shallots, a fennel bulb, a celery stalk, and carrot) and sauté on low heat until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Add Seasonings and mix well.
• Add all the liquids: a can of tomatoes with juice, clam juice, the juice from jar of oyster, and the saffron infused sherry. Bring it to just a boil and lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.
• Add all the seafood. When the soup starts to boil, skim off the scum and foam ^[54] from the soup, and simmer for 15 minutes. Skimming is very important to have a good clear soup with a refined taste.
• Top with garnishes and serve immediately with bread.

To Store

• You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or in the pot and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

2 tbl smoked paprika

1 tbl salt

1 tbl black pepper

1 tlb brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 flour

1 1/2 Hot Water ( Tap Hot )

1/2 tsp salt

Mix until dough forms ( Add the water as needed may not need qty above )

Roll out

Pre heat to a med heat heavy flat bottom pan —- Dry no oil.

Place totia on pan for a few mins, flip and a few mins. Done when colour looks right.

Ingredients

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 200ml vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lemon, juice and zest

Method

To make the mayo whisk together the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar.

Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously, until thick. Add the lemon juice and zest then whisk again.

Ingredients

1 pint cream / milk

6 large egg yolks

1 dsp cornflour

1 oz golden sugar

1 dsp Vanilla or a pod split

Method

Heat cream / milk

Whisk Egg yolks sugar and cornflour, if using vanilla extract mix here. If using a pod add to the milk to infuse.

Gradually pour hot milk into bowl with eggs etc stirring in as it pours.. Take your time or you get scrambled eggs

When its mixed return to heat. It can be done directly in a pan but it tends to burn or stick. I prefer a bai marie .

Slowly stir constantly. Until its done. Normally, nothing appears to be happening for a long time, then suddenly it thickens. Thats when you play with the heat , lifting the bowl replacing etc. To keep it from lumping , burning or sticking.

If you do overheat it and it looks grainy, transfer it to a jug or bowl and continue to whisk until it becomes smooth again.

Pour the custard into a jug or bowl, cover the surface and leave to cool.

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1 tsp ginger

Nutmeg to top

Beat eggs

Add milk sugar , ginger and mix.

Pour into oven dish

Sprinkle top nutmeg

Oen about 190C for 30mins to 1 hour, depending on depth of mix.

Use skewer test.

Should have a good wobble , dry skewer but still moist.

Dont over cook, it will be dry and have rubbery feel.

4 oz Pudding Rice

1 1/2 pint milk

10 floz cream ( optional )

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz Sugar ( Damera is good, normal White is fine )

1 tsp Ginger

nutmeg for topping

Put rice in seive

Pour boiling water over rice to clean

Bring milk, cream, rice to boil

During boil and simmer phase stir occassional to prevent sticking to pan

Simmer on most gentle bubble possible for 15 mins

Add sugar

Continue boil 15 mins

Pour into dish, sprinkle nutmeg on top & put in oven 150C for 45 mins.

Thymne

Margoram

Oregano

Parsely

Sage

Taragon

Basil

Mint

Rosemary

Ingredients Spice Mix

1 tbl Garlic Granules ( not powder )

2 tspFennel Seed

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 tbl Fenugreek Powder

1 tsp Gnd Cumin

1 tsp Ginger

2 tbl JB Garam

1 tbl Gnd Corriander

1 1/2 Chilli Powder – Can change for fresh Chilli

Ghee For Frying

Ingredients For Sauce

1 Tin coconut milk

1 large onion, chopped very large

3 tbl Curry Leaves

Method

Fry the powders in ghee.

Fry onion

Add Coconut milk

Add Curry Leaves

Slow as possible simmer ( very gentle bubble )

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seed
• 1 tbsp Fenugreek seed
• 1 tbsp Black mustard seed
• 10 cm Cinnamon stick
• 10 green cardamom pods split
• 6 dried Kashmiri chillies or other mild ones
• 1 tsp black peppercorns or 1 long pepper
• 12 dried curry leaves
• 2 tbsp ground turmeric

Instructions

• Heat up a skillet over a medium-high heat, and dry-roast the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, cinnamon stick, cardamom, chillies, and peppercorns for around five minutes, until the spices give off their perfume. Make sure you keep them moving around the pan or they will burn. Don’t inhale too deeply!
• Transfer to a mixie or spice/coffee grinder, along with the dried curry leaves, and blitz until you have a fine powder.
• Add the turmeric, and give the masala another blitz, to mix everything together.
• Remove from the grinder, and store for a month or so in an airtight jar, out of direct sunlight.

1 ” Cassia Bark / Cinnamon

2 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Gnd Cummin

1/2 tsp Coriander Seed

1 tbl Mustard Seed

1 tsp Fenugrek Seed

2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp chile

NOTE: Reglo 7 / 425F is 220C

Ingredients

1.5kg	waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1	large red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
3	large tomatoes, cut into thick slices
1 1/2 tsp	salt
12	turns black peppermill
1	leg of lamb (about 2.5kg)
	Juice 1 lemon
60ml	olive oil
1	bulb garlic, cut in half horizontally
1 tbsp	dried oregano
200ml	water
100g	feta cheese, roughly crumbled

Method

.

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomato in a large, flameproof oven dish or tin and season with the salt and pepper. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, then add the garlic halves to the dish. Sprinkle all over with the oregano .Pour the water into the dish and cover with foil, sealing the edges well to retain the moisture as it cooks. (A large enamelled, lidded, cast-iron pot,such as Le Creuset, would also be suitable to cook this in.)

Cook in the oven for 2½–2¾ hours until the meat is falling off the bone, adding a little more water, if necessary, halfway through to keep the vegetables moist. Remove the foil (or lid) and add the feta, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes. After this time, check the consistency of the juices. If the dish seems a little dry, add a little more water. If too dilute, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish and reduce down the liquid on the hob.

Serve the meat in chunks or thick slices with the vegetables and juices.

Ingredients

For the beef brisket

• 1.2kg/2lb 12oz well-marbled beef brisket ^[71], rolled and tied
• 4–5 tbsp sunflower oil ^[72]
• 4 onions ^[73], 2 thinly sliced and 2 quartered
• 3 sprigs bushy thyme ^[74]
• 1 large bay leaf ^[75]
• 2 tbsp tomato purée ^[76]
• 500ml/18fl oz hot beef stock ^[77], made with 1 beef stock ^[77] cube
• 200ml/7fl oz red wine ^[78]
• 4 large carrots ^[79], cut into 3cm/1¼in chunks
• 6 celery ^[80] sticks, trimmed and cut into 4cm/1½in lengths
• sea salt ^[81] and freshly ground black pepper

For the potato latkes

• 1 free-range egg ^[82]
• 1 free-range egg yolk ^[83]
• 1 large onion ^[73], grated
• 1.2kg/2lb 12oz potatoes ^[84], preferably Maris Piper, grated
• 25g/1oz plain flour ^[85]
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt ^[81]
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley ^[86] leaves or chives (optional)
• 6 tbsp sunflower oil ^[72], for frying
• freshly ground black pepper ^[87]

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
2. To make the brisket, season the beef all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the beef over a high heat for 8–10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. Remove the beef from the casserole and set aside.
3. Add the sliced onions to the casserole and fry for 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Stir in the thyme and bay leaf and cook. Return the beef to the casserole. Stir the tomato purée into the hot beef stock and pour around the beef. Add the wine and bring to a gentle simmer on the hob. Cover with a lid cook in the oven for 3 hours, turning after about 1½ hours.
4. Heat another tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the quartered onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and all the vegetables are lightly browned.
5. Remove the beef from the oven and nestle the vegetables around it. Cover and return to the oven for a further 1–2 hours.
6. To make the potato latkes, whisk the egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl. Place the onion and potato in a large colander, mix well and squeeze out as much liquid as possible over a sink. Place the squeezed vegetables in a clean bowl and add the beaten eggs, flour, salt and parsley or chives (if using) to the onion and potatoes. Season with lots of pepper and mix well.
7. Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a large non-stick frying pan and place over a low-medium heat. Take a handful of the potato mixture and form into a loose ball. Place in the pan and flatten with a spatula until around 1.5cm/½in thick. Repeat with 3 more balls of the potato until you have 4 latkes cooking at the same time.
8. Cook the latkes for 6–8 minutes on each side until golden-brown and cooked through. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat or the latkes will burn on the outside before they are ready in the middle. Put on a baking tray and set aside while you cook the remaining latkes. Add an extra 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil to the pan between batches.
9. Turn the oven up to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. When you are almost ready to serve the latkes, reheat on the baking tray in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until hot and crisp.
10. Lift the beef out of the casserole with a couple of forks and place on a board or serving platter. Cut off the string and carve into slices. Serve with the poached vegetables, latkes and the rich cooking liquor for gravy.

This is the video :

This is the video link ^[91]

Or on youtube

Ingredients

shoulder of pork

50 g soft brown sugar

4 tbl paprika

3 tbl sea salt flakes

1tb cayenne

1 tbl cumin

1 tbl mustard Power

1 tbl dried thyme.

Method

Mix all of the above in a bowl

Rub the pork with the mix above – note the salt is important as it draws out moisture from the pork

Only use half the mix

Leave in fridge for an hour or more

After the fridge rub in a 2nd coat of the mix

Really rub it in, good and hard rubbing

Note the spices have already started to chemical / cold cook. This is good but not a show stopper if not.

Add a cup of water to the bottom of the tin to stop things drying out and also create steam whilst cooking

Cover tin with foil folder the edges over good to form a seal.

Place pork in a roasting tin

Put in pre heat oven – 130 C fan oven- for 5 hrs.

Optional —-

For best result put on roasting / low heat bbq with hickory or apple wood chips in a smoker for 45 mins. Adlib, if you dont have the right wood chips or a smoking tin etc

Now pull pull apart and enjoy.

Ingredients

115g uncooked rice

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, crushed

450 g beef mince

1 (400g) can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 bell peppers, tops and cores removed

100 g grated Cheese

Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180ºC fan). In a small saucepan, prepare rice according to package instructions.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, heat oil.
3. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
5. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 6 minutes
6. . Drain fat.
7. Return beef mixture to pan, then stir in cooked rice and chopped tomatoes.
8. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper.
9. Let simmer until liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
10. Place peppers cut side-up in a 23 x 33cm baking dish and drizzle with oil.
11. Spoon beef mixture into each pepper and top with grated cheese, then cover baking dish with foil.
12. Bake until peppers are tender, about 35 minutes.
13. Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbly, 10 minutes more.
14. Garnish with parsley before serving.

1. List Of Ingredients
2. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
3. 600g sausages
4. 2 onions, thinly sliced
5. 1 tbsp flour
6. 750ml beef or chicken stock
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 2 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp rubbed sage
9. a good dash of Worcestershire sauce
10. butter, for greasing and dotting
11. 1kg floury potatoes, thinly sliced
12. 250g black pudding, peeled and cut into slices
13. flaked sea salt
14. freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.

Skin the sausages, break each one into a couple of pieces and flatten them slightly into little patties. Fry the sausage patties for a couple of minutes on each side until seared, then remove them and set them aside on a plate.

Add the onions to the frying pan with a pinch of salt and a splash of water. Fry them until they’re starting to soften – a few minutes – then sprinkle over the flour. Stir until the onions are completely coated with the flour. Add the stock, together with the herbs and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until the liquid has thickened.

Grease a large casserole dish with some butter. Divide the potatoes into 3 batches and arrange the first batch in the base of the casserole. Season them with salt and pepper, then add half the sausages and half the black pudding. Pour over half the gravy.

Arrange a second layer of potatoes over the sausages and black pudding, season again, then add the remaining sausage, black pudding and stock. Top with a last layer of potatoes, then dot with butter. Press down each layer to get rid of any gaps.

Put the lid on the casserole dish and cook the hotpot in the preheated oven for an hour. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes on the top are crisp and golden.

Good served with some spring greens.

From Ainsley’s Food We Love

Based on my mum’s delicious Jamaican brown stew with rice n’ peas – I’ve made a few changes over the years, but this always reminds me of my childhood.

Ingredients

• 6-8 skinless chicken thighs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 500ml chicken stock or water
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 scotch bonnet, whole
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• For the Marinade
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 1 heaped tbsp of dark brown sugar
• 5cm fresh root ginger, finely sliced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• For the Rice n’ Peas
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 25g butter
• 3 spring onions or 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp allspice
• 450g long grain rice, washed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 400g can red kidney beans or black-eyed peas rinsed and drained
• 125g creamed coconut, coarsely grated
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli, left whole
• 1 litre hot water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

In a bowl or dish mix the marinade ingredients together and add the chicken ensuring they are well coated. Cover and marinade for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick casserole or deep-sided frying pan with a lid over a medium-high heat. Pat off the extra marinade (reserving the marinade) from the chicken, season and add to the pan and cook for 10 min, turning occasionally until brown all over and caramelised. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 4-6 minutes then add the tomatoes, any remaining marinade, ketchup, stock and allspice. Give everything a good stir and then add the scotch bonnet, bay leaf and thyme and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the sauce has reduced a little, then return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Cover with a lid, and simmer gently for another 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Check for seasoning, stir through the parsley and remove the scotch bonnet before serving.

Rice n’ Peas

For the rice and peas, fry the onion in the oil and butter over a medium heat for two minutes then add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the rice and thyme until everything is well coated in the oil.

Pour in the kidney beans or peas, add the grated creamed coconut and stir until the coconut has dissolved and the mixture is creamy.

Stir in the hot water with half a teaspoon of salt, pop in the chilli and all spice and bring to the boil, cover and cook over a low heat for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside, undisturbed, for five minutes. Remove the chilli.

Season the rice and peas to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the chicken stew with a portion of rice n’peas sprinkled with parsley.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 700g well-trimmed lamb leg meat (or leg steaks)
• 2 tsp sunflower oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced (about 300g prepared weight)
• 2sticks of celery , chopped
• Perl Barley to taste – Remember they swell a lot during cooking
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 600ml lamb stock, made with 1 lamb stock cube
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 rosemary stalk or ½ tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the topping

• 3 medium potatoes (about 500g)

1. Trim any visible fat off the lamb and cut the meat into rough 3cm chunks. Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the lamb in 2 batches over a medium-high heat until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to a medium casserole dish– it will need to hold about 2.5 litres.
3. Tip the barley, onions and carrots into the pan with the lamb and sprinkle with the flour. Toss everything together well, then pour over the stock and add the thyme leaves, rosemary and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.
4. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3½. Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about 5mm thick. Arrange the slices on top of the lamb, overlapping and layering them as you go. Season with ground black pepper , add some small knobs of butter to add crunch and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
5. Bake the hotpot for 1 hour, then remove the lid and bake for a further 45 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely browned and the lamb is tender. Check by poking with the point of a knife into the centre of the lamb filling – if the meat is done the knife should slide in easily. Serve with freshly cooked greens.

This is a wonderful eat anytime curry adapted from a recipe by Pat Chapman of The Curry Club. The curry is so easy to make and will be loved by all. I added chickpeas to my version as I love them but you could add peas which is more traditional.

Ingredients

2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
2 medium red onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp chilli powder (use less if you don’t like your curries too hot)
4 cloves
1 cardamom
500g mince. This can be lamb, beef or pork which ever you like
400g tin of tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
225g tin tomato soup
400g tin chickpeas
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp fenugreek
To Serve
boiled rice (this can be cooked at the same time in the top pot)
salt
2 hard boiled eggs sliced

Instructions

Add the ghee or oil to the inner pot over a medium heat.
Fry the onions, garlic and ginger until the onions start to soften.
Turn down the heat slightly and add the turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, cloves, cardamom and a little water if too dry. Cook for 5 minutes stirring from time to time.
Mix in the meat, tomatoes, ketchup and soup. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil while stirring from time to time.
Add the garam masala and fenugreek. Simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on before putting the inner pot into the insulated outer container.
Shut the lid and leave to thermally cook for a minimum of 2 hours without power.
Check the seasoning before serving. Serve with rice and sliced boiled eggs on top

Ingredients

4 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

salt and black pepper – to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

500g minced beef

¼ cup tomato sauce

Method

Use machine on dough mode.

Shape dough into a  ball(ish) shape.

Place on a try.   In our case a pizza / bread stone.  Use lots of flour on stone to stop it sticking.

Use sharp knife to cut a X in the top to allow it to expand without tearing during cooking

Brush the top of it with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the porridge oats.

NOTE : I place a tray of water in the oven / bbq, the steam helps to give a nice crispy crust.

1. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas
   
   1. OR Heat BBQ to high, put apple / hickory chips in smoker.
   2. Cook for as below.
2. Bake the loaf in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through (the loaf is cooked when it is risen and golden and sounds hollow when tapped underneath).

I often make / cook our loaves this way.

Ingredients

Loaf

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
• 7g sachet fast action yeast
• 1½ tsp caster sugar
• 1½ tsp fine sea salt
• 300-350ml warm water
• vegetable oil, for the bowl

For the topping

• 90g rice flour
• ½ x 7g sachet fast action yeast
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 90ml warm water

Method

• Add the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir through the yeast, sugar and salt.
  
• Make a well in the middle and gradually pour in the water.
  
• Swiftly mix together, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface
  
• Knead the bread for 8-10 mins or until smooth and elastic.
  
• Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, then put the dough in the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size.
  
• Once the dough has risen, tip it onto a worktop and knead it three times.
  
• Shape the dough into an oval as best you can.
  
• Lightly flour a baking sheet and sit the loaf on it.
  
• Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film and leave for a further 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size again.
  
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  
• Whisk together all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl until you get a spreadable paste, adding more water and/or flour if necessary, then set aside to rest for 5 mins.
  
• Gently spread the mixture over the loaf with a palette knife.
  
• Place the baking sheet in the centre of the oven and bake for 35 mins.
  
• Once cooked, the loaf should sound hollow when the base is tapped and should feel light for its size.
  
• Leave to cool completely before cutting into slices.

Ingredients

• 6 lamb shanks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ swede/turnip, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 250g (9oz) pearl barley
• 1½ litres chicken stock
• 2-3 tbsp mint jelly
• 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

• 1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
• 2. Season the lamb shanks with salt and black pepper.
• 3. Heat a large ovenproof casserole until hot, add the oil and lamb shanks and cook on each side until golden brown.
• 4. Remove from the pan then add the onions, carrot, swede and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• 5. Add the rosemary, bay, thyme and tomato puree and cook for a further minute.
• 6. Add the pearl barley and stock to the pan then add the lamb shanks and bring to a simmer.
• 7. Cover tightly then transfer to the oven and cook for as long as possible – 3-6 hours.
• 8. Remove from the oven, then add the mint jelly and parsley.
• 9. Check the seasoning then serve.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil or lard ^[103]
• 1kg/2lb 4oz lamb or mutton ^[104] neck fillet, cut into chunks
• 2 onions ^[73], roughly chopped
• 2 garlic ^[105] cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds ^[106], lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp dried thyme ^[74]
• 2 tbsp tomato purée ^[76]
• 3 celery ^[80] sticks, trimmed and cut into large chunks
• 4 carrots ^[79], peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 large potatoes ^[84], peeled and cut into chunks
• ½ pointed or hispi cabbage ^[107], cut into wedges or chunks
• 250g tin sweetcorn ^[108] or hominy, drained and rinsed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper ^[87]
• finely chopped celery ^[80] leaves, to garnish

For the cornmeal dumplings

• 125g/4½oz medium fine cornmeal or polenta
• 125g/4½oz plain flour ^[85]
• 1 tsp baking powder ^[109]
• 1 tsp dried thyme or oregano ^[110] (optional)
• 50g/1¾oz butter ^[111], chilled and diced
• 125ml/4fl oz milk ^[112]
• salt and freshly ground black pepper ^[87]

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large casserole over a high heat. Season the meat with plenty of salt and pepper, then add the lamb to the casserole and sear on all sides until it has developed a rich brown crust. You will probably need to do this in two batches. Remove from the casserole and add the onion. Fry until lightly browned, then stir in the garlic, coriander seeds, thyme and tomato purée. Continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, and then pour in 1 litre/1¾ pint water.
2. Return the lamb to the casserole and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes and cabbage, cover and cook for another hour.
3. While the vegetables are cooking, make the dumplings. Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and thyme, if using, in a bowl and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add the butter and rub it in until you have a mixture resembling fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the milk and work until you have a dough. Divide the dough into six dumplings.
4. Add the sweetcorn to the casserole and push down into the liquid. Place the dumplings on top, cover and cook for around 20 minutes, until the dumplings are well risen and cooked through.

• 2 big knobs of butter
• glug olive oil
• 4 medium onions, cut into various sizes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 large potatoes, cut into various sizes
• 8 lamb chops, excess fat trimmed off and reserved – thick neck chops will be best (go to a butcher if you can)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 565ml / 1 pint good-quality lamb stock
• chopped parsley

1. Melt butter with the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Add the onions and garlic and sweat them gently, slowly teasing the flavours out – 15 minutes or so over a low heat should do it.
3. Add the potatoes and stir well to cover in the creamy juices from the onions and garlic.
4. Add lots of freshly ground black pepper and three pinches of salt (two pinches if you’ve got big hands!).
5. Leave the potatoes and onions in the pan for a further 15 minutes over a very low heat, taking care not to let them burn – if they begin to stick add a little bit of stock.
6. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a low heat and add the excess trimmed fat from the lamb to the pan. Let the fat render down and add salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Remove and solid fatty bits that remain and add the chops to the pan and brown on both sides.
8. Once browned, remove the chops and add them to the potatoes.
9. Add some of the stock to the frying pan and stir well to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add this to the chops and potatoes.
10. Add the remaining stock to just below the level of your ingredients. Put the lid on the pan and cook over a low heat for one and a half hours.
11. If you like, add some parsley 10 minutes before the stew is ready.
12. Remove the stew from the heat and leave to rest for about 10 minutes before serving, then taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil ^[115]
• 1kg/2lb 2oz neck of lamb ^[116], chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4 lambs’ kidneys ^[117], cleaned, trimmed, cut into quarters
• 2 onions ^[73], peeled, sliced
• ½ tsp salt ^[118]
• 1 tbsp plain flour ^[85]
• 250ml/9fl oz lamb stock ^[119]
• 1 sprig fresh thyme ^[74]
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce ^[120]
• 50g/2oz butter ^[111], cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
• 2 x 250g/7oz black pudding ^[121] rings, outer casing removed, thickly sliced
• 1kg/2lb 2oz potatoes, peeled and sliced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper ^[87]

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the lamb pieces and kidneys for 1-2 minutes on both sides, or until golden-brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, cook the onions and salt for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Stir in the flour until the onions are well coated with the flour.
4. Add the stock to the pan along with the thyme, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened slightly.
5. Butter a lidded flame-proof casserole dish and place a layer of potatoes (about a third) over the bottom of the dish and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon in half of the browned lamb and lambs’ kidneys, then lay over half of the black pudding slices and pour over half of the thickened stock mixture. Repeat the layering process until all of the potatoes, lamb pieces and kidneys, black pudding and stock have been used, finishing with a layer of potatoes on top. Dot the potatoes with the butter, then cover with a lid.
6. Place the casserole into the oven to cook for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden-brown on top.
7. To serve, spoon into serving bowls.

This was a family favourite of ours.I would often help either Nan or Mum make this. Serves well with mash or baked potato, boiled veg and Or if you prefer after steaming it can be fried to give a crisp coating. This was one of my sister’s favourite ways of enjoying. We mostly did this option with left overs for breakfast the following day.

Ingredients

• 1 mix of Click Here Suet Pastry Mix. ^[123]
• 6 rashers of bacon. The number varied depending on the size poly you make or how much bacon you like. I personally like to put as much as I can fit into the dough mix.

Method

• Remove the pastry from the fridge.
• Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface, this stops the pastry from sticking to the surface whilst rolling it
• Using a rolling pin or if you do not have one, I have used a heavy bottle such as a wine bottle. Roll the pastry regularly turning over and give it a twist until the pastry is the correct size and thickness ( I like about 1cm thick) remember you will be rolling it up like a Swiss roll.
• Place the bacon along the pastry ( rectangle ) using as much as you wish.
• Roll up the pastry and a bacon to form a sausage shape. This should result in a layer of pastry, layer of bacon and so on. Again like a Swiss Roll.
• Cover a piece of greaseproof or baking paper with a thin a covering of butter / other fat.
• Cover the roll with the paper from above and also wrap it in an outer layer of foil.
• Secure the foil with some string or elastic bands.
• Pre heat a steamer either a dedicated device or a large pot with a steaming tray which fits inside and does not touch the water. It must also have a well fitting lid.
• Place the roll in the steaming tray. Put the lid on.
• Steam after 20 mins if needed add a little more water.
  THE STEAMER MUST NOT BOIL DRY.
• Total cooking is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  • To test when its done use a skewer or small knife and put through the top. The knife / skewer should be clean and not have wet pastry sticking to it. Its the same method you use when testing cakes.
• When its cooked, remove the pudding(s) from the steamer.
• Remove the foil and greased paper coverings and allow to cool a little before cutting into slices and serve.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 225g/8oz Flour
• 110g/4oz butter, chilled, diced
• 1 medium free-range egg , lightly beaten

For the filling

• 450g/1lb  golden syrup
• 85g/3oz fresh breadcrumbs
• generous pinch ground ginger
• 1 lemon, zest, finely grated

This was a family favourite of ours.Nan would make for us to have fresh for our evening meal. Serves well with mash, boiled veg and lots of gravy left made from some of the cooking juices. Or if you prefer a cold snack a slice of pudding with salad is tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 mix of Click Here Steak & Kidney Mix. ^[126]
• 1 mix of Click Here – Suet Pasty Mix. ^[123]
• Gravy thickening flour. I use Bisto gravy browning powder. Corn flour works equally well. Add about 3tsp to a small cup. Mix with enough water to make a very thick paste.
• 1 egg, broken into a cup and mixed until the yolk and white combine.

Method

• Select your pudding bowl this recipe makes 2 x 500g or 1kg.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge. Divide the mix into 2 parts, 1 being about a 1/4 the size of the other. If making 2 off 500g then its 4 parts etc.
• Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface, this stops the pastry from sticking to the surface whilst rolling it
• Using a rolling pin or if you do not have one, I have used a heavy bottle such as a wine bottle. Roll the larger of the pastry pieces, regularly turning over and give it a twist until the pastry is the correct size and thickness to form a base and come up the sides of your pudding bowl(s).
• Wipe the pudding bowl(s) insides with a small piece of butter / other fat, on some towel, greaseproof paper etc. This is to stop the pudding from sticking to the bowl(s).
• Place the rolled out pastry over the a pudding bowl and work it into the bowl. Helping the base touch the base of the bowl and working the pastry up the sides of the tin up to its top edge. Repeat for each bowl.
• Now fill the pudding bowl(s) with the filling. I use a slotted spoon to make sure it is mostly the meat with only a little of the cooking juices.
• Roll out the smaller piece(s) of pastry until it is the correct size to form a lid.
• Before lifting the lid on brush a little egg wash around the pastry edge both the pastry in the bowl(s) and the lid just made. The egg acts as a a glue to keep things together.
• Place the lid on top of the pie and press using a finger tip all around the edge to help the lid stick to the pie.
• Trim the edges to form a neat edge to the pie. This is easy, run the back edge of a knife around following the edge of the pudding bowl.
• Brush the lid with some egg wash. This stops it sticking during steaming
• Pre heat a steamer either a dedicated device or a large pot with a steaming tray which fits inside and does not touch the water. It must also have a well fitting lid.
• Cover the tops of the puddings with butter / fat covered baking or greaseproof paper. This helps to keep the top moist during cooking.
• Cover the top of the bowls with foil and tie some string tightly around the bowl(s). An elastic band may be used.
  • Note in times gone past a clean linen cloth would be used and string tied to seal it and make a handle to help lift the pudding when it’s hot.
• Steam after 20 mins if needed add a little more water.
  THE STEAMER MUST NOT BOIL DRY.
• Total cooking varies on size of bowl. For 500g its about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. For a 1kg its about 3 hours.
  • To test when its done use a skewer or small knife and put through the top. The knife / skewer should be clean and not have wet pastry sticking to it. Its the same method you use when testing cakes.
• Warm up the cooking juices and mix in the gravy paste made earlier. Stir slowly until the gravy reaches a simmer.
• When its cooked, remove the pudding(s) from the steamer.
• Remove the foil and greased paper coverings and allow to cool a little before tipping it out of the pudding bowl on to a plate ready for serving.

This was a family favourite of ours.Nan would make for us to have fresh on a Friday evening. Serves well with cream, custard or as is.

A good recipe for custard is made by The Hairy Bikers and can be found here.

Ingredients

• 1 mix of Click Here Apple / Fruit Mix. ^[128]
• 1 mix of Click Here – Sweet Pasty Mix. ^[129]
• 1 egg. Break an egg into a cup and mix it up. This makes the egg wash.
• Optional – sultanas, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Method

• Select your 8″ / 20 cm pie tin or any other oven proof dish.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge. Divide the mix into 2 parts, 1 being about a 1/4 the size of the other.
• Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface, this stops the pastry from sticking to the surface whilst rolling it
• Using a rolling pin or if you do not have one, I have used a heavy bottle such as a wine bottle. Roll the larger of the pastry lumps, regularly turning over and give it a twist until the pastry is the correct size and thickness to form a base and come up the sides of your dish.
• Wipe the dish insides with a small piece of butter / other fat, on some towel, greaseproof paper etc. This is to stop the pie from sticking to the dish.
• Place the rolled out pastry over the dish and work it into the dish. Helping the base touch the base of the tin and working the pastry up the sides of the tin up to its top edge.
• Now fill the pie with the filling. You can add a hint of either nutmeg or cinnamon. I also like to add a few sultanas.
• Roll out the smaller piece of pastry until it is the correct size to form a lid.
• Before lifting the lid on brush a little egg wash around the pastry edge both the pastry in the tin and the lid just made. The egg acts as a a glue to keep things together.
• Place the lid on top of the pie and press using a finger tip all around the edge to help the lid stick to the pie.
• Trim the edges to form a neat edge to the pie. This is easy, run the back edge of a knife around following the edge of the pie tin.
• Brush the lid with some egg wash. This gives a nice colour to the pie once its cooked. Sprinkle a little sugar over the lid.
• Place in a pre heated over ~ 170 C – 180 C
• Check after 20 mins if needed add a little more cooking time. The lid should be a deep golden brown colour.
• Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool a little before serving.

This is a basic apple sauce Mix which is used for many things such as pies Apple sauce etc.
The quantities are given as a guideline for an 8″ / 20 cm pie.

Ingredients

• 5oz golden sugar ( Demerara ). White or Basic brown sugar is fine.
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 600g/1lb 5oz Bramley or Granny Smith cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced. The same weight for other fruits such as pears, plumb, fig, berries, passion fruit or a mix of all of them.
  • Apple and raspberry or black berry works well.
  • Apple or Pear with gooseberry also works well.
  • Apple or Pear with Apricot is tasty.

Method

Mix the sugar, cinnamon and cornflour in a large pot – with a lid.

Stir in the apples.

Cover the pot and cook on a low heat.
Or if you have a slow cook pot, in mine it takes about 3 hours – The advantage being they do not stick to the pot.
Check from time to time. Its done when the fruit starts to soften.

Give it a little stir from time to time and if need add some water.
DO NOT LET THE MIXTURE STICK TO THE POT OR BECOME DRY – It will burn and not taste very nice.

The fruit is done when it begins to soften.

Add sugar to taste.

This was a family favourite of ours.Nan would make for us to have fresh on a Friday evening. Serves well with mash, boiled veg and lots of gravy left made from some of the cooking juices. Or if you prefer a cold snack a slice of pie with salad is tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 mix of Click Here Steak & Kidney Mix. ^[126]
• 1 mix of Click Here – Basic Pasty Mix. ^[132]
• Gravy thickening flour. I use Bisto gravy browning powder. Corn flour works equally well. Add about 3tsp to a small cup. Mix with enough water to make a very thick paste.
• 1 egg. Break an egg into a cup and mix it up. This makes the egg wash.

Method

• Select your 8″ / 20 cm pie tin or any other oven proof dish.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge. Divide the mix into 2 parts, 1 being about a 1/4 the size of the other.
• Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface, this stops the pastry from sticking to the surface whilst rolling it
• Using a rolling pin or if you do not have one, I have used a heavy bottle such as a wine bottle. Roll the larger of the pastry lumps, regularly turning over and give it a twist until the pastry is the correct size and thickness to form a base and come up the sides of your dish.
• Wipe the dish insides with a small piece of butter / other fat, on some towel, greaseproof paper etc. This is to stop the pie from sticking to the dish.
• Place the rolled out pastry over the dish and work it into the dish. Helping the base touch the base of the tin and working the pastry up the sides of the tin up to its top edge.
• Now fill the pie with the filling. I use a slotted spoon to make sure it is mostly the meat with only a little of the cooking juices.
• Roll out the smaller piece of pastry until it is the correct size to form a lid.
• Before lifting the lid on brush a little egg wash around the pastry edge both the pastry in the tin and the lid just made. The egg acts as a a glue to keep things together.
• Place the lid on top of the pie and press using a finger tip all around the edge to help the lid stick to the pie.
• Trim the edges to form a neat edge to the pie. This is easy, run the back edge of a knife around following the edge of the pie tin.
• Brush the lid with some egg wash. This gives a nice colour to the pie once its cooked.
• Place in a pre heated over ~ 170 C – 180 C
• Check after 20 mins if needed add a little more cooking time. The lid should be a deep golden brown colour.
• Warm up the cooking juices and mix in the gravy paste made earlier. Stir slowly until the gravy reaches a simmer.
• Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool a little before serving.

This is a basic pie filling which is used for many things such as pies.
The quantities are given as a guideline. The important part is use 1/2 kidney to 1 Steak.

Ingredients

• 500g Steak. The cheap cuts are fine. Cut into bite size pieces.
• 250g Kidney. I prefer lamb or pork. Cut into bite size pieces.
• Enough Stock to cover the meats once in a pot. I use beef Bisto stock cubes. Any own brand are fine.

Method

• Put the meat pieces into a large pot – must have a lid .
• Cover the meat with the stock. This is a slow cook dish so allow for some evaporation.
• Cook on a low heat for anywhere between 2 – 4 hours.
• Check the pot from time to time and add more stock as needed.
  DO NOT LET IT BOIL DRY.

This is a sweet pastry which is used for many things such as friut pies.
The quantities are given as a guideline. The important part is use 1/2 fat to 1 flour.

Ingredients for a 20cm / 8″ tin. Base & Lid

• 4 oz / 110g Self Raising Flour.
• 4 oz / 110g Sugar. I used either plain white or Demerara.
• 4 oz / 110g Fat. I prefer butter but marg can also be used. It is easier to work with if the fat is at room temp.

Method

• Sieve flour into a mixing bowl. If you don’t have a sieve do not worry just put it in a bowl.
• For ease of working I cut the butter into lumps. Add the fat to the flour.
• Use your fingers combine the ingredients.
• Now add 1/2 tsp of water and mix in. Repeat until the dough forms. It should form a ball in the bowl and is soft to touch.
• If it is sticky add some a little more flour.
• Cover the bowl or transfer the dough ball to a food bag and place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Longer is ok provided the bowl or bag is sealed. You do not want a crust forming on the dough.
• Remove when you wish to use it. Try to keep it cool up to the point of use.

This is a basic pastry which is used for many things such as pies.
The quantities are given as a guideline. The important part is use 1/2 fat to 1 flour.

Ingredients for a 20cm / 8″ tin. Base & Lid

• 8 oz / 220g Flour. For pies I use plain white but self raising can also be used.
• 4 oz / 110g Fat. I prefer low fat suet from a box called shredded suet. Fresh suet is great but can be difficult to obtain. It is easier to work with if the fat is at room temp.

Method

• Sieve flour into a mixing bowl. If you don’t have a sieve do not worry just put it in a bowl.
• For ease of working I cut the suet into lumps or pour from the box. Add the fat to the flour.
• Use your fingers combine the ingredients.
• Now add 1/2 tsp of water and mix in. Repeat until the dough forms. It should form a ball in the bowl and is soft to touch.
• If it is sticky add some a little more flour.
• Cover the bowl or transfer the dough ball to a food bag and place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Longer is ok provided the bowl or bag is sealed. You do not want a crust forming on the dough.
• Remove when you wish to use it. Try to keep it cool up to the point of use.

This is a basic pastry which is used for many things such as pies.
The quantities are given as a guideline. The important part is use 1/2 fat to 1 flour.

Ingredients for a 20cm / 8″ tin. Base & Lid

• 8 oz / 220g Flour. For pies I use plain white but self raising can also be used.
• 4 oz / 110g Fat. I prefer butter but marg can also be used. It is easier to work with if the fat is at room temp.

Method

• Sieve flour into a mixing bowl. If you don’t have a sieve do not worry just put it in a bowl.
• For ease of working I cut the butter into lumps. Add the fat to the flour.
• Use your fingers combine the ingredients.
• Now add 1/2 tsp of water and mix in. Repeat until the dough forms. It should form a ball in the bowl and is soft to touch.
• If it is sticky add some a little more flour.
• Cover the bowl or transfer the dough ball to a food bag and place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Longer is ok provided the bowl or bag is sealed. You do not want a crust forming on the dough.
• Remove when you wish to use it. Try to keep it cool up to the point of use.

I enjoyed this. We mostly had it for Thursday dinner cooked by Mum.
Mum had learnt it from her Mother , my Nan.

Ingredients

• Lamp chops were our family favourite. I have also tried this with pork and beef.
• 2 tbl Shop Dried Mixed Herbs or if you mix by hand- Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Sage and Basil. I would use about 1 tsp of each.
  • I often use various herbs based on what I have available.
  • Adjust the qty to your taste.
• 1 Onion – Chopped
• 1 Carrot – sliced / chopped , what ever
• As many as you want smallish potatoes halved
• Any other root veg such as swede, parsnips, turnips etc all cut to a reasonable bit size.
• 1 Clove Garlic – Crushed.
• I like to add a small splash of Worcester Sauce – But this is not how my Mum or Nan made it.
• Gravy thickening flour. I use Bisto gravy browning powder. Corn flour works equally well. Add about 3tsp to a small cup. Mix with enough water to make a very thick paste.

Method

• Pre – heat an oven to 170 C for normal cooking. It can be as low as 130C if you want to cook it slowly.
• Place the chops in a large oven proof pan or dish which has a lid.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrots, spuds and any other veg.
• Cover with hot water. I fill as much as the oven dish or pan can take.
  • But I do really like the gravy 🙂
• Stir in the thinking paste you made earlier. Make sure it well mixed in or you will end up with lumpy gravy.
• During cooking its worth give it all a quick stir from time to time. Mostly leave it alone to get on with cooking.
• If using 170C it should be done after 1:30 to 2 hours.
  If your using 150C about 4 hours.
  If your using 130C pretty much as long as you like.
• VERY IMPORTANT —– DO NOT LET IT BECOME DRY. THERE MUST ALWAYS BE A COVERING OF LIQUID.
  
  OR
• I sometimes use a slow cooker instead of an oven. The method is the same. It gives a different texture to the meat and also as it cooking for so long it gives a chance for the flavours to fuse together well. It also give a chance for the veg to give their flavour to the cooking juice and also absorb the overall flavour well.
  
  
• I still switch between oven and slow cooking depending on my mood at the time.
  If I am working out all day, the slow cook pot is good to come home to.

Cut spuds.

Soak in cold water – 20 – 30 mins.

Dry.

Fill chip basket no more than 2/3’s

Pre heat 130 – 140 C then cook for 10 Mins. Should light in colour.

Leave until room temp or cool. Not fridge temp.

Pre heat 180 – 190 C cook until crisp.

Ingredients
Serves: 4 

• 340g tinned corned beef
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons French’s® or Dijon mustard
• 1 large onion
• 600g potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Get your can of corned beef and cut into 1cm-ish pieces or break it up by hand for a more rustic look.
2. Combine the Worcestershire sauce and mustard in a cup and pour over the corned beef, stir to combine. Set this aside for later.
3. Slice the onion.
4. Wash the potatoes and cut into 1 cm cubes, leaving the skin on, place the cubes in a saucepan. Pour enough boiling water from the kettle to almost cover them, then add salt and simmer for 8 minutes with the lid on.
5. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
6. Fry the onions in the frying pan with oil until they are golden brown.
7. Put the heat on high, add the drained potatoes and toss these around with the onions. Add more oil if necessary.
8. Add the salt and pepper. Season to your taste.
9. Keep turning the mix, After about 6 minutes, add the beef and continue to toss everything around to allow the beef to heat through (about 3 minutes).

Tip

Add a bit of Tabasco if you like it hot.

Ingredients

• 300g self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 50g cold unsalted butter cubed
• 80g caster sugar
• 150g milk or plain chocolate chips
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 225ml milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. preheat the oven to 200 c / 400 f / gas mark . line 12 muffin cases.
2. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter untill the mixture is like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the chocolate chips.
3. In a separate bowl mix the eggs , milk and vanilla extract together , then pour the mixture all at once into the dry ingredients and mix briefly.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen , golden and firm to touch. cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
5. after 10 minutes of cooling in the tin , transfer to a cooling rack or serve straight away.

Instead of Choc Chip you can also use:

Blueberry , Cranberry, Banana slices / chips, sultanas,

There are many recipes for kebabs, this one I learnt from some Pakistani friends. I’ve also added my own tweaks to the original.

Ingredients For Kebab

• NOTE: An electric grinder can be used if you do not have a pestle & mortar.
• 1 lb beef , minced. Also works with Chicken, Turkey, Pork and of course Lamb.
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste or 1 clove of garlic and 1″ fresh ginger , crush them into a paste using pestle & mortar
• ¼ cup mint, finely chopped
• ¼ cup coriander, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp ghee or butter, melted to liquid. Ghee is a purified butter and gives a nicer taste than butter.
• 1 green chilli (grind into paste using pestle & mortar)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ¾ tsp cumin powder
• ¾ tsp cayenne pepper – you can add more if you like it spicy
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 small green chilli, modify to your taste

Ingredients For Rita

• 1 cup yogurt (I use a low or 0 fat version which is fine)
• 1 hand fresh mint
• 1 hand fresh coriander leaf which is about 1 – 1/12 tsp of dried coriander leaf.
• Optional some cucumber about 2″ or so can be mixed in with yogurt.

Instructions for Kebab

1. Preheat your Grill to 450 degrees F / 230 C , which is max for most domestic devices. I prefer to use a BBQ which gives a nice open fire taste. A type of BBQ is used in most restaurants. Often these are known as Tandoor ovens.
2. Into your meat, add coriander , cumin , cayenne pepper, salt along with the onion, ginger and garlic paste, mint, green chilli and melted butter. Be sure to squeeze the onions in your hands to drain its juice otherwise there will too much moisture in your meat and they won’t stick to the skewer.
3. Mix with hand until everything is incorporated but don’t overwork it.Cover with foil and let marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour preferably longer, I normally make the day before I want to use.
4. To make the kebabs, check the oven / BBQ is up to temp.
5. Scoop out a big ball of the meat mixture and pierce it through the skewer. Working quickly but gently, spread the meat on the skewer with your hands. Note: if the meat mixture is too moist and doesn’t stick to the skewer, add a few teaspoons of gram flour (besan). The flour will dry out the moisture.If your feeling arty, press you middle finger in a diagonal angle down the meat skewer to make the signature grooves on the kebab.
6. To cook the kebabs in the oven place on a rack in the upper third of the oven in a roasting tin that has a grill on it.
   If you find that your kebabs are getting dry, I don’t think you will need to add oil because unlike the heat from an outdoor grill, the oven keeps the kebabs cooking in its own juices.
   
   To cook in the BBQ place the skewers on the hottest part.
   If you find that your kebabs are getting dry, brush oil as needed.
   
7. TOP TIP: IF you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for a few hours before use. It helps to prevent / reduce burning during cooking.
   NOTE: Cooking times are very different between wooden and metal skewers. Metal cook much faster. Grill kebabs in oven for 20-25 minutes or BBQ about 10 – 15 mins, rotating as needed to brown the kebabs all around.
8. Once cooked, slide of the kebabs onto a plate and serve with rita, pitta, naan bread or salad.This makes 6 really big kebabs.

Instructions For Rita

1. While kebab is marinating, make yogurt rita.
2. Grind 2 tbsp each of mint and coriander along with the green chilli with a pestle & mortar – you can use an electric grinder if you wish.
3. If needed add a touch of water to make a paste.
4. Pour this paste into the yogurt. I also like to add diced cucumber.
5. Add water to get the desired consistency.
6. Season with salt and keep aside.
   
   

Ingredients

110g soft or spreadable butter

150g light brown soft sugar

^[143]1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

175g plain flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

75g toasted chopped hazelnuts

100g dark, milk or white chocolate chips

Method

First put the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4

Then beat in the egg and the vanilla extract before folding in the remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Now take slightly rounded dessert spoonfuls of the dough and arrange them (well spaced out) on baking sheets. Next flatten each one slightly, then bake them one sheet at a time on the shelf near the centre of the oven for about 15–16 minutes or until the biscuits have turned a dark golden colour and
feel firm in the centre when lightly pressed.

As soon as the biscuits are baked, remove them from the baking sheets with the aid of a palette knife. Cool them on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Serves 3

Ingredients

450g pork scotch fillet, cut into 5mm slices

2 to 3 tbsp olive oil

1 small brown onion, cut into wedges

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 heaped tbs Thai red curry paste

Pinch lemon myrtle

300 ml thickened cream

¾ cup chicken stock

300g potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped

200g green beans cut into 3 cm lengths

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

Pinch dried basil

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 cup long grain rice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
2. Coat the pork slices with plain flour.
3. Cook pork in two batches in the heated oil until browned on both sides. Adding more oil before the second batch, if necessary.
4. Remove pork from the pan and set aside.
5. If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan and allow time for it to heat.
6. Add onion to pan and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is softened.
7. Add garlic and ginger. Cook stirring for 1 minute or until fragrant.
8. Add curry paste. Cook stirring for 1 minute or until fragrant.
9. Add lemon myrtle, cream and stock and bring to the boil.
10. Add potatoes, beans, lime zest, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, basil and coriander to the mixture.
11. Bring mixture to the boil.
12. Reduce heat to low. Return pork to the pan, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegies and pork are cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened.
13. Meanwhile, place the rice in boiling water for 15 minutes, drain and rinse with hot water.
14. Serve the pork mixture over the rice.

Some butter and oil for saute

200g Onion – cut small

1 clove garlic – fine chopped

1 1/2 cup sweet corn

1  tin toms or 500g fresh toms

1 1/2 L  ( 750 ml ) Chicken / Veg  Stock

1/2 L ( 250 ml )Milk

2 red chilli  – Use flame or toast / grill  to darken and soften skin.

Parmesan Cheese  – cut into small cubes and add to the bowl for serving.

Method

Sauté onion, corn, garlic for about 5 mins ( lid on )

Add tomatoes ( small pieces ) and simmer 10 mins

Add stock and milk

After flaming / grilling the chillies, remove the skin cut into think strips add to mixture

Salt and Pepper to taste

Simmer 10 – 20  mins

Serve and add the cheese bits.

This is posted in honour and as a tribute to the late great Gary Rhodes.
Thank you for your inspired cooking.

Ingredients

• 12 medium slices white bread
• 50 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 egg yolks
• 175 g (6 oz) caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod or a few drops of vanilla essence
• 300 ml (10 fl oz) milk
• 300 ml (10 fl oz) double cream
• 25 g (1 oz) sultanas
• 25 g (1 oz) raisins

To finish

• caster sugar

Method

Grease a 1.75 litre (3 pint) pudding basin with butter.

Firstly, remove the crusts and butter the bread. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a bowl. Split the vanilla pod and place in a pan with the milk and cream. Bring the milk and cream to the simmer, then sieve on to the egg yolks, stirring all the time. You now have the custard.

Arrange the bread in layers in the prepared basin, sprinkling the sultanas and raisins in between layers. Finish with a final layer of bread without any fruit on top as this tends to burn. The warm egg mixture may now be poured over the bread and cooked straightaway, but I prefer to pour the custard over the pudding then leave it to soak into the bread for 20 minutes before cooking. This allows the bread to take on a new texture and have the flavours all the way through.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Once the bread has been soaked, place the dish in a roasting tray three-quarters filled with warm water and place in the pre-heated oven. Cook for about 20–30 minutes in the pre-heated oven until the pudding begins to set. Because we are using only egg yolks, the mixture cooks like a fresh custard and only thickens; it should not become too firm.

When ready, remove from the water bath, sprinkle liberally with caster sugar to cover, and glaze under the grill on medium heat. The sugar should dissolve and caramelize and you may find that the corners of the bread start to burn a little. This helps the flavours, though, giving a bittersweet taste, and certainly looks good. The bread and butter pudding is now ready to serve and when you take that first spoonful and place it into a bowl you will see the custard just seeping from the dish – it’s delicious!

Good with ricotta cheese sauce and bacon 0r Vegetable , onion bits.

Easy creamy ricotta cheese sauce

1. Finely-dice 1 onion and minced 3-4 cloves of garlic.

2. Heat 1-2 Tblsp olive oil in a frying pan and gently sauté the onions and garlic, seasoned to taste with sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, dried basil, and crushed red pepper flakes.

3. Once the onions are soft and fragrant, stir in 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese.  Then, thin with boiling starchy pasta water (or regular hot water if not preparing pasta) one ladle at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning’s as necessary.

5. Toss with bacon bits  or your favourite vegetables, anything else you might like to have in a cream sauce. I have used Sweet potato and Butter Nut Squash.  Garnish with freshly-grated Romano or Parmesan cheese if desired.

Spinach Pancakes

Serves: 4

• 100 g (3½ oz) young spinach ( I have often used frozen if fresh is not available)
• 125 g (4½ oz) plain flour
• 450 ml (15 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
• 1 egg
• generous pinch of grated nutmeg
• about 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• salt and pepper

1. Wash the spinach and place in a saucepan, then cover and cook for about 2 minutes or until wilted – the water on the leaves is enough moisture. Drain well, pressing out excess water.
2. Place the spinach in a food processor and add the flour, milk, egg and nutmeg. Season, then process to a smooth batter.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 20 cm (8 in) non-stick frying pan, then pour out excess oil into a small bowl. Add enough batter to the pan to coat the bottom in a thin layer, tilting and swirling the hot pan as you do so. Cook for about 1 minute or until the pancake has set and is beginning to bubble, and the underside is lightly browned. Use a palette knife to loosen the edge of the pancake, then carefully turn it over and cook the other side.
4. Turn the pancake out onto a plate. Use the remaining batter to make 7 more pancakes, oiling the pan after every 2 pancakes, if necessary. Stack up the cooked pancakes on the plate as they are made, interleaving them with greaseproof paper. When all 8 pancakes are made, cover them with foil and keep them hot over a saucepan of hot water.

Ingredients

• This is made of pretty much any root or root like veg.
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Herbs – Mixed herbs, Thyme, Rosemary or for a touch some oregano.

Peel and cut the veg into bite size cubes and put inside a container. A food bag is perfect.

Add a little olive oil and your choice of herbs. The idea is just. enough to form a coating on the veg. NOTE: They should not be swimming in the oil.

Add salt & pepper to your normal taste.

Roll the bag around to ensure the veg cubes have some herbs & oil.

Now leave for a time, ideal is overnight in a fridge or at least 1 hour. The longer the better to let the flavours come together.

Roll the bag around from time to time to keep the veg covered.

When ready put in a roasting tin, give them a stir to spread them out.

Roast in an over at 160C or add to an oven with an existing roast.

Give them a stir from time to time.

They are normally done in about 30 mins but its best to check and look for that nice roasted colour.

Ingredients

700g beef stewing steak trimmed and cut into 4cms cubes

2 large onions

1tblsp olive oil

1 clove garlic crushed

1 rounded tblsp plain flour

1 rounded tblsp smoked paprika – This also works well with sweet paprika or a mix of both

400g tin Italian chopped tomatoes

1 medium green pepper

1 red pepper

150ml soured cream

salt and pepper

Marinade

[table]

qty,ingredient

2 handful(s), pounded ( all crushed up ) fresh rosemary

6 clove,garlic

10 lugs, good olive oil

3 lemons, halved – juiced – skin squashed

some, black pepper

[/table]

Main

[table]

qty,ingredient

some, pork  about 8 chops

1, above marinade

3,parsnips

3, carrots

3,pears

680g,scrubbed spuds

[/table]

Mint Bread

[table]

qty,ingredient

3 hand, fresh mint

1 hand, chopped bread

some, extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp, mustard

some, red wine vinegar

[/table]

Method

1. Rub marinade into the pork chops leave for 1 – 6 hours.

2.Heat oven 220C

3.Clean, Skin, quater pears & parsnips, spuds

4. Add everything to a roast tin

5. Cover evenly with the marinade

6. Make  Minted bread when the roast goes in the oven.  Mix the ingredients balancing flavours, taste again after 30 mins

Roast for about 1 hour.

Ingredients:

300g best dark chocolate

50g best milk chocolate

175g unsalted butter

8 large eggs, separated

100g light brown sugar

100g caster sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt 

25cm spring form tin foil 

Method:

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and put the kettle on to boil.

Line the inside of the springform with foil, making sure you press the foil well into the sides and bottom of the tin to make a smooth surface. 

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave, let it cool. 

In another bowl beat the egg yolks and sugars until pale and really thick, like mayonnaise. 

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form then fold gently into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the cake batter into the foil-lined spring form which you have placed in a large roasting tin. 

Add the hot water from the kettle to come about half way up the sides of the tin and put into the oven.

 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

The inside of the cake will be damp and mousse-like but the top should look cooked and dry. 

Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before releasing from the tin.

Now peel the foil gently away from the sides.

Ingredients

[table]

Qty,Ingedients

4oz (110g),S-Raising Flour

1tsp,Baking Powder

8oz(220g),Castor Sugar

2,Egg

4oz(110g),Butter or Marg

1 lemon

1 Bramley / Granny Smith ( Cooking ) Apple

[/table]

 

Method

[table]

Mix sugar  and butter / marg  in a largish bowl

Beat eggs in a small bowl

Mix flour and baking power and sieve into sugar mixture and mix. Add eggs – be careful not to over stir .

Peel and chop the fruit into large chunks and stir into mixture

Pour mixture into  7″ cake tin

Oven 160C – Gas 2 1/2

Cook in pre-heated oven 160 C – Gas 2 1/2 for about  30 – 35 mins. Note: Because of the juice in the fruit cooking time will vary.

Depending on the amount of juice in the fruit the time may be longer.

If the top of the cake is turning very brown, put a cover – lid or foil, over it and continue cooking.

Start checking after 20 mins as some ovens cook faster – especially fan assisted

You know when it’s ready by putting the tip of a knife or skewer in the cake, when pulling it out it should be mostly clean.

When ready allow cake to cool on a cooling rack.

Enjoy

 

Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) dried spaghetti
5 oz (150 g) sliced smoked pancetta  or good baconFine chopped onion.Some garlic , chopped.
2 large eggs, plus 2 extra yolks
4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano, finely grated, plus extra to serve
4 tablespoons double cream
little olive oil
freshly milled black pepper Hand full of Peas Method First of all, cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes in boiling salted water to which 1 teaspoon of olive oil and peas  ( its ok from frozen ) have been added. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan and fry the pancetta, onion and garlic in  a little extra oil Next, whisk the eggs, yolks and cream in a bowl and season generously with black pepper then whisk in the cheese. When the pasta is cooked, drain it quickly in a colander, leaving a little of the moisture still clinging. Now quickly return it to the saucepan and add the pancetta and any oil in the pan, along with the egg and cream mixture. Stir very thoroughly, so that everything gets a good coating – what happens is that the liquid egg cooks briefly as it comes into contact with the hot pasta. Serve the pasta on really hot deep plates with some extra grated Pecorino.