Lentil and Cavolo Nero Soup

This recipe serves 4 people.

Here is a recipe for Lentil soup. Apparently it is a traditional dish in Italy over the New Year. Maybe they are hoping that a fair wind will blow for the next twelve months.

Fry 150 gms each of finely diced onion, carrot, celery and lardons in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add two tins of chopped tomatoes (+juice), turn down heat and gently simmer for twenty minutes. Add 300 gms of washed Puy lentils, season, stir and add 1.5 litres of stock.

I like liquid from cooking a piece of gammon (go easy on the salt) because lentils and bacon go well together but any stock or broth will do. Add a handful of finely chopped Cavolo Nero leaves (or kale or greens) and simmer for about an hour. When the lentils are cooked stir in 150 gms of coarsely grated parmesan and add a dash of tabasco.

Sweet and sour broth with Chinese meatballs, noodles and vegetables

This recipe serves 4 people.

Making a powerful sweet and sour sauce is pretty easy. It just involves frying ginger, garlic, spring onions and a little chilli and adding tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, sugar, soya sauce, sake, fino sherry, rice wine vinegar, ketchup etc etc etc. Or alternatively you can open a jar of Meridian Sweet and Sour Sauce.

You will need, I/2 a jar Meridian of sweet and sour sauce, 12 Chinese meat balls, 2 cups of mixed vegetables (leeks, kohlrabi, mooli, are all good), cut in matchsticks, 2 tea spoons of Miso, a generous dash of Soya sauce, 1 litre of chicken or veg stock and 2 slabs of egg noodles.

In a large saucepan mix the sweet and sour sauce, soya sauce, miso and stock. Bring to the simmer and check flavour. Adjust ingredients to your taste. Add the vegetables and meatballs and simmer for 15 minutes. Break up the noodles and stir in. When they are cooked the soup is ready.

Devils on horseback (prunes in bacon)

This recipe serves 1 person.

These are one of my favourites so my eyes lit up at the thought of dates, stuffed with matchsticks of chorizo, wrapped in pancetta or Riverford finest streaky. How about calling them squashed matadors?

Chorizo is particularly good marinated and poached in wine, then sliced as a tapa (or for a squashed matador). You can use them in soups or tortillas although I find the flavour overpowers the greasy potato taste, which makes Spanish Omelettes so appealing.

For Devils on horseback simply cut the rind off some thinly cut streaky bacon. Cut the slices in half across the middle. Wrap each half slice round a decent sized pitted prune and bake in the oven until the bacon is cooked. Nothing could be more simple, or delicious.

Broad bean and artichoke dip

This recipe serves 4 people.

You can use frozen broad beans for this one but add a little veg stock. For best results use fresh artichokes but the jars or tins are OK.
For 4 you will need;
500 gms of podded broad beans,
6 small artichoke hearts, trimmed and simmered in water for 30 minutes, or the equivalent tinned or jarred. If you use tinned artichokes, drain and marinate in olive oil for a few hours.
2 cloves of crushed garlic,
Ground cumin, oregano, pepper, lemon juice. (as it is made in a blender you can season to taste)
150 mls of olive oil.
If using fresh beans simmer them until cooked. Drain and keep some of the liquid. Bung everything in the blender and pulse, adding cooking liquid or vegetable stock if it is too thick.
To finish stir in some chopped flat-leafed parsley or coriander and some finely chopped spring onion.
I once made the mistake of serving it as a pasta sauce. It was impossible to eat because the pasta stuck together in an enormous lump.

Broad bean salad

This recipe serves 4 people.

250g (8oz) shelled broad beans
1 lettuce
1 bunch of spring onions
2 tbsp fresh parsley
2 medium tomatoes
For the dressing:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard
salt and pepper
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Instructions:
1. Steam the broad beans for ten minutes until tender. Leave to cool.
2. Shred the lettuce and mix with the chopped spring onions and chopped parsley. Slice the tomatoes and add to the salad.
3. Combine the dressing ingredients in a screw-topped jar and shake vigorously to mix. Pour over the salad and mix in the broad beans.

Smoked Trout Pate

This recipe serves 4 people.

For six as a starter you will need;

• 500 gm Smoked trout fillet

• 250 gm Curd cheese

• 5 Spring onions (finely chopped)

• Juice of one lemon

• salt and pepper

• 100 gm Red Piquillo Peppers (finely chopped) (optional).

Mix the ingredients and adjust the seasoning. Mixing by hand will give a coarser, more home made texture. The peppers add a little richness and colour.

Chestnut, chorizo and chickpea soup

This recipe serves 6 people.

This is my soup of the year - an unbelieveably hearty and tasty concoction. A variation of 'Sopa de Castanas' from the excellent Moro Cookbook.

First, roast 500 gms of thawed out frozen, peeled chestnuts in a medium oven for a few minutes to bring out the flavour. Break them up a little with a rolling pin or in the food processor.

Fry a Spanish onion and a couple of carrots and celery sticks (all finely chopped) in olive oil for a few minutes. Add a couple of chopped cooking chorizo and a pinch of salt and fry for about fifteen minutes until the mixture begins to brown and disintegrate into a paste. Add a couple of chopped cloves of garlic, a teaspoon each of ground cumin and thyme leaves and if the chorizo was mild rather, than piquant, a broken up, dried chilli. Stir and add a tin of chopped tomatoes and the chestnuts. Fry for a few more minutes and add 1.5 litres of vegetable stock and a couple of tins of drained chickpeas (or even better a jar of Monjardin Garbanzos). Bring back to the boil and simmer for ten minutes. Briefly pulse in the food processor in order to keep plenty of texture.

Curried meat balls in tomato and yoghurt sauce

This recipe serves 4 people.

Curried meat balls in tomato and yoghurt sauce. Allow about four meat balls per person. Brown in a hot oven for five minutes. Meanwhile fry two finely chopped onions and four cloves of garlic, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, 250 mls of chicken or veg stock and natural yoghurt. Bring to the simmer and add the meat balls. Cook for half an hour.

A lot of the flavours of the meat balls will mingle into the sauce but add more spices if you want. Check seasoning, add more yoghurt and some chopped coriander. Serve with rice or, if you are feeling really lazy, baked potatoes.

Merguez or Kofte meatballs with couscous, yoghurt sauce and roast vegetables

This recipe serves 4 people.

Make your sauce first by whizzing up 200 gm of feta, 300 gm of plain yoghurt, a clove of garlic and a pinch each of ground cumin, coriander seed and cardoman. Leave to set (and thicken) in the fridge. Halve six tomatoes, slice an aubergine and a few courgettes, a couple of cloves of garlic and shallots. Place on a roasting tray, season and coat with olive oil and roast for half an hour.

I have used leeks, fennel and baby carrots before with good results. Cook your meatballs (hot Merguez or mild Kofte) in the oven, or reheat if they are already cooked. Next cook your cous cous, fluff up and mix with the roast vegetables, add a little chopped coriander and sweet chilli sauce or harissa paste. Serve with the meatballs and a good dollop of Goureme.

Uncle Vito's Spicy Meatballs

This recipe serves 4 people.

Why anyone wants to eat boring old Spaghetti Bolognese when for they could be eating this beats me. This is the kind of food they all sat around eating in The Godfather which probably explains why they were all so far (except you Lucca).

The key ingredient is a good fresh (as opposed to salami) 100% meat, fairly spicy Italian meatball. We make one with pork, chicken, bacon, fennel seeds, chilli and garlic which is brilliant for this recipe. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add 5-600 gms of meat balls. Stir and break up some of the meat balls. Add two each of chopped red onions, garlic cloves, dried chillies (depending on the heat of the meat) and bay leaves. Cook for about half an hour until the onions begin to brown and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add 250 ml of red wine, increase heat and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Add 2 tins of drained chopped tomatoes and cook at a bare simmer until you have a nice thick sauce. Add 150 ml of creme fraiche and 120 gm of grated parmesan. Penne, or a similarly chunky pasta, goes well with this sauce. I often have it with Barilla egg tagliatelli.

Chinese Meatballs with a mild Sweet and Sour Sauce

This recipe serves 4 people.

Riverford' s Chinese Meatballs, with their child friendly blend of hoisin sauce and Chinese five spices, make an easy family supper.

For four, or two adults and three/four children you will need:

• 500gms Chinese Meatballs

• 2 tins Chopped Tomatoes

• 2 cloves Finely chopped garlic

• 1 tsp Finely chopped ginger

• A good cup full of crisp vegetables, chopped into 5x5x25mm pieces. These could include carrots, leeks, spring onions, mooli, calabrese stalks and heads etc.

• 2 tbsps each of tomato ketchup, sweet sake and soya sauce. You can add more at the end.

Fry the garlic and ginger in a little sunflower oil in a large, heavy saucepan (le Creuset or something similar), add the vegetables and sweat for a few minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, sake, shoyu and ketchup.
Brown the meatballs in a hot oven for five minutes and add to the saucepan. Simmer gently for about half an hour.
The quantities given are for a mild, child friendly sauce. You can up the sake and shoyu quantities and beef it up in any number of ways. Using toasted sesame oil and adding a little chilli are two simple possibilities.

Black Cabbage, Fennel Seed and Chanterelle Risotto

This recipe serves 4 people.

(Rice with mushrooms and cabbage for us laymen.) Cavolo Nero is fast becoming a winter staple. It needs a fair bit of cooking so it is ideal in a risotto (with the above mentioned chanterelles).

You will need: 40 gms chanterelles (soaked in 50 cls of hot water), 300 gms Cavolo Nero leaves (coarsely chopped and blanched for 7 minutes), 1/2 bottle of red wine-added to the mushroom water and strengthened with a tablespoon of veg stock (1.2 litres of liquid in total), 3 medium onions and 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped), a large spoonful of fennel seed, 50 gms bacon lardons (optional), 400 gms Arborio rice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Parmesan to serve.

Fry onions, garlic, fennel seeds and bacon for five minutes in olive oil. Add rice and stir until well coated. Turn down heat and start adding the liquid (already heated). Keep stirring and adding the liquid as it is absorbed by the rice. After about ten minutes add the cabbage and a few minutes later, the mushrooms. When all the liquid has gone or the rice is done (whichever is sooner) add a splash of balsamic vinegar and plenty of black pepper. It should have got its salt from the veg stock, blanched cabbage (if you salted the water) and the Parmesan you are about to add. Stir in loads of coarsely grated Parmesan and a knob of butter.

Braised and Baked Gammon in Luscombe Ginger Beer

This recipe serves 6 people.

Domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson, swears by gammon, cooked in Coca Cola. Apparently it is an American classic from the deep South. Good it might be but I just can't bring myself to do it so I have substituted Luscombes hot ginger beer. Serves 6 with plenty of leftovers.

You will need 2.5kgs of gammon (smoked or green), 1.5 litre of ginger beer (if not Luscombe use Fentimans), an onion, peeled and halved, 100g fresh breadcrumbs, 100g of dark sugar, 1 tablespoon of mustard powder, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Bring the gammon to the simmer in water and leave for 15 minutes. Throw the water away. This gets rid of excess salt far more efficiently than soaking in cold water. Simmer gammon in the ginger beer (keep a little back for the glaze) and onion. Keep at a bare simmer for about two hours. Don't allow to boil. It will dry out the meat. Remove gammon from pan, allow to cool until you can peel off the skin. Turn the oven up to hot, make the glaze from the remaining ingredients. Add the ginger beer a teaspoon at a time until you have a slightly runny, sticky mixture. Smear over the gammon and whack it in the oven for 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Risotto

This recipe serves 4 people.

Use baked pumpkin as a base for a risotto, filling for pasta or soup. Pumpkin risotto is real comfort food, can be cooked in advance and is amazingly easy.
Peel and dice the pumpkin, brush with a mixture of garlic, olive oil and rosemary.
Fry some finely chopped onion, add the risotto rice and gradually add a stock (vegetable or chicken), red wine and vermouth (towards the end).
When the rice is nearly cooked add loads of finely diced Parmesan and frozen butter and your squash.
Stir in a good splash of vinegar, preferably balsamic, transfer to an oven proof dish and bake in a hot oven for ten minutes. Truly unctuous but the Worshipful Company of Risotto Makers would probably issue a Fatwa and have me sleeping with the fishes at the idea of putting a risotto in the oven but you can do it all in advance, it even freezes.
You can re-heat it the next day. I have even spread it on toast.

Cordero Verde (Spicy Lamb Stew)

This recipe serves 6 people.

For this you will need...

1 kg lean diced lamb or mutton, tossed in seasoned flour
300g chopped onion
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
250g unsmoked lardons of bacon
250g chorizo cut into cm thick slices
1 litre chicken stock
1/2 bottle red wine
Finely chopped zest and juice of 4 lemons and 4 oranges
1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a pinch cloves
150g lightly toasted pine nuts
One large iceberg lettuce
One large bunch of parsley, shredded

Alternatively substitute the spices and oranges for a jar of our spiced oranges, which will give a slightly sweeter but equally delicious result.

Heat some olive oil in a large solid saucepan and sear the lamb. Add the bacon, onions and garlic. Cook for about five minutes and then add the wine and stock. Bring to a bare simmer and cook until the meat is nearly done (30-90 minutes depending on the meat). If it is too runny pour off some of the liquid. Add the chorizo, spices and orange and lemon zest and juice and cook for another 20 minutes. Add the lettuce, parsley and pine kernels and cook for a few more minutes. Serve with rice or couscous.

Italian Beef Olives

This recipe serves 4 people.

I nicked the idea from Franco Taruschios excellent book ‘Leaves from The Walnut Tree’. Briefly they are thin beef escalopes rolled around a stuffing of bacon, pine kernels, parsley, pecorino and parmesan and stuck together with a skewer. Brown them quickly, gently remove the skewer and braise slowly in a white wine and passatta sauce. Franco suggests serving them with tagliatelle but I would go for rice or new potatoes.

Courgette and Lentil Gratin

This recipe serves 4 people.

Gluten free and a good source of calcium, zinc, iron, folic acid and vitamins A, B1, B12, C & D.

You will need:

For the crust:
125g red lentils
15 ml olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (crushed)
15 ml tomato puree
50g oat flakes
15 ml lemon juice
10 ml chopped mixed herbs.

For the filling:
250g diced courgettes
2 eggs (beaten)
15 ml wholemeal flour
50 ml skimmed milk
salt & pepper
50 g grated cheddar.

Cook the lentils until soft. Beat with a wooden spoon and drain. Heat the oil and gently fry onion and garlic.. Remove from heat and add lentils, tomato puree, herbs, oats and lemon juice. Mix well. If the mixture is wet add a few more oats. Press the mixture around the sides and base of an 8 inch flan dish.

Steam the courgettes for 4 minutes, blend the eggs with the milk, add the courgettes and season well. Spoon the filling into the flan, cover with grated cheese and bake at 190 degrees C for about 30 minutes.

Baked Aubergine

This recipe serves 4 people.

Lovely summer recipe that can be prepared well in advance for parties.

For 4 people you will need

500g mince
2 large aubergines
Olive oil
1 large onion & 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Handful chopped fresh coriander
Tomato paste
Ground cumin, cinnamon, allspice, paprika
2 good handfuls grated strong cheddar cheese
Glass white wine
Tablespoon Crème Fraiche

Just cover the beef with water in a lidded pan, and gently simmer for an hour and a half. Meanwhile slice the aubergines lengthwise in half and scoop out the flesh leaving just enough shell. Rub inside and out with olive oil and bake for 15 mins, then leave to cool. Sautee the onion and garlic until soft in olive oil . Add the chopped aubergine and continue to fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add a good dash of the spices according to taste plus a couple of spoons of tomato paste. Add the mince to the mixture and cook for another 1/4 hr.
Remove from heat, cool slightly, and stir in the coriander and lots of black pepper. In a small pan melt the grated cheese with the white wine and crème fraiche until smooth and creamy, season with black pepper. Pile the mince mixture into the shells, top with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with paprika. Finish off for 20-30 mins in the oven or refrigerate until cooking later. Delicious served with lemon wedges, raita and marinated peppers.

Havas con Jamon (Broad Beans and Ham)

This recipe serves 4 people.

This is an Andalusian classic, given a bit more punch by the addition of a handful of rocket leaves.

For 4 you will need:

700 gms of podded broad beans
2 cloves of chopped garlic,
A small glass of fino sherry,
2 tbsp of olive oil,
A handful of breadcrumbs,
200 gms of Jamon Serrano, (or thinly cut lean bacon)
A good handful of rocket leaves,
2 tbsp each of chopped marjoram or oregano and flat-leafed parsley

Soften (just) the garlic in the olive oil, reduce the heat, add the beans and sherry and enough water to cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add the ham (if you are using bacon add it earlier) and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the rocket and herbs and simmer for another 5 minutes, season, and then thicken by stirring in the bread-crumbs. It should be just thick enough to stand up a little on the plate. You may have pour off a little of the liquid before adding the breadcrumbs.

Broad Bean and Chard Omelette

This recipe serves 4 people.

The Provencal equivalent of tortilla, this needs to be cooked in advance and served luke warm.

For an inch thick omelette in a 12 inch pan you will need:

6 large eggs
500 gms of podded broad beans,
250 gms of chard, coarsely chopped,
2 cloves of garlic, crushed with salt,
Olive oil,
2 tbsp chopped marjoram
300 gms grated Pecorino type cheese

Lightly beat and season the eggs and stir in the cheese. Blanch, drain and dry the chard and beans. They do need to be quite dry so put them in a salad washer or clean tea towel. Soften the garlic in olive oil in a heavy pan, add the vegetables and stir in the eggs. Season, but go easy on the salt if the pecorino may be salty.
You can either go through the palaver of cooking, sliding out onto a plate, turning over and sliding back onto the pan or you can stick the whole thing in a medium oven. If I had a grill I might fry and grill but turning over a half cooked omelette, even with the help of Holby City paramedics, sounds like a disaster to me. Call in Mr Meyer.

China Chilo

This recipe serves 6 people.

You will need:

700g mince
Good knob butter
1 Chinese cabbage, finely chopped
2 large onions, finely sliced 500 g peas

Plus, in a jug, place the following:
1/2 teaspoon salt
teaspoon cayenne
teaspoon turmeric
teaspoon black pepper
2 crushed cloves garlic
teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Pour over with 1/4 pint boiling water to infuse.

Melt the butter in a large casserole, then build up individual layers of cabbage, mince, peas and onions.
Repeating twice.
Spooning over the spices and water each time.
Cover tightly and cook in a medium oven for 2 hours.
Serve with basmati rice and crisp green salad.

Beef Cheese - an Old Plymouth Recipe for an Excellent Meatloaf

This recipe serves 8 people.

1.5 kg mince
360g minced gammon
90g butter
I onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves of garlic, 1 whole, 1 crushed
1/2 teaspoon mace
A teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme
Large wine glass of cooking brandy
& enough rashers of streaky bacon to line a loaf tin

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients (except the whole clove of garlic) together really well.
Rub the inside of a loaf tin with the garlic clove, then line with the rashers of bacon.
Spoon in the mixture, pressing down well and smooth the top.
Cover tightly with foil and bake in a low oven for 4 hours.

Mince & Macaroni in Tomato Sauce

This recipe serves 4 people.

500g macaroni, cooked until tender with a dash of olive oil to stop sticking
1 onion and 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g mince
Olive oil
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste & mushroom ketchup
2 beaten eggs
2 good handfuls grated strong cheddar cheese

Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Add the mince and 2 teaspoons of Baharat, stir frying until well browned.
Reduce heat, add tomatoes, tomato paste, mushroom ketchup and 1/4 pint water.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Place half the cooked macaroni in a greased dish, add the meat sauce and cover with the rest of the pasta.
Pour over the beaten egg, sprinkle with the cheese and bake in a medium oven for 35 minutes until golden brown—a meal in itself or serve with garlic bread and a mixed salad.

A Riverford Tip… the mince mixture is also good as a stuffing for green peppers, beef tomatoes, courgettes, vine leaves or how about wrapping in in filo pastry envelopes and deep frying — lovely!

Lamb Steaks with Quince

This recipe serves 4 people.

Mark and Charlotte Russell raise delicious lamb at Lanteglos, near Fowey. The best lamb steaks are cut from individual leg muscles. That way there is no connective tissue and the grain and texture of the steak will be the same throughout.

First slowly cook 8 whole shallots and 4 whole cloves of garlic with a sprig of rosemary and olive oil in a small saucepan until soft. Drain and put to one side.

4 leg steaks, each weighing about 150 – 200 gms each. (If you can’t buy neat, lean steaks, then use neck fillet, cut in thin slices instead).
about 25g butter and a dash of oil
about 200ml light stock (chicken or beef)
4 tablespoons cream
about 40g quince jelly or paste/membrillo (if it’s very stiff, soften in a little warm water). If you have no quince jelly or paste try using Cumberland sauce.
salt, pepper, a little lemon juice
Melt half the butter in a large frying pan. When hot, add the lamb steaks and fry rapidly on both sides until done to your taste. Remove to a heated plate and keep warm whilst you make the sauce.
Add the remaining butter and the cooked shallots and garlic cloves. Add the stock, turn up the heat and cook rapidly until syrupy. Stir in the cream and let it amalgamate. Then add the quince jelly, and cook, stirring, for a few moments to mix thoroughly. Taste, correct the seasoning and add a squeeze of lemon juice if the quince jelly is on the bland side. Serve with the steaks.

Beef and Ale Casserole (Carbonnade Flamande)

This recipe serves 6 people.

This is a humdinger of a stew. It is easy to forget stews and use beef for roasts, steaks and mince. I did, but not anymore. The recipe calls for Tracklements Beer Mustard but I used their Urchfont Mustard, which, with its touch of chilli, worked well.

For 6 to 8 you will need:

1.5 kg - chuck steak in large cubes
250mls - strong ale
2 onions - thinly sliced
1 garlic clove - crushed
125 mls - beef stock (or strong chicken stock)
1 tbsp each of brown sugar and vinegar (cheap balsamic is good)
flour, salt and pepper.
stale (at least two day old) french stick
Tracklements Beer or Urchfont Mustard

Soften the onions and garlic in a little oil and put into a casserole. Coat the steak in seasoned flour and brown, in batches, in a 'smokin' frying pan and add to the casserole. Add a little more oil to the frying pan, sprinkle on a teaspoon of flour and add the beer, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the vinegar, stock, sugar and a tbsp of mustard and pour the mixture into the casserole. Add a bouquet garni and cook in a medium oven for around two hours, or the bottom oven of the Aga for four. Remove the lid and cover with slices of stale bread spread, sparingly, with mustard. Return to the oven without the lid until the bread crisps.

Tracklements recommend serving with stir-fried cabbage and mash. I put a hold on the mash.

Chinese Chicken with Star Anise

This recipe serves 4 people.

8 chicken thighs, skin off
Sunflower oil
a large onion, halved and sliced lengthways
ginger - a good sized knob, finely chopped
300mls Chicken or vegetable stock
4 tbsp Soft brown sugar
4 tbsp Sweet Sake cooking wine
2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
3 flowers of star anise ground in a pestle and mortar or with a rolling pin

Brown the chicken pieces in sunflower oil and put to one side.

Stir the onion into the oil and leave it to soften, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. Add the ginger. When the onion is soft and almost translucent return the chicken and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to the simmer and turn down the heat so that the liquid simmers gently. Cover with a lid and leave for an hour, turning the chicken just once.

Serve with rice and greens.

Quick Fabada Asturiana (Spanish Sausage and Beans)

This recipe serves 6 people.

This Northern Spanish classic should be made with dried butter or, at a pinch, haricot beans. However to make it quick you have to use tinned beans and the only thing in a tin that seems to keep any bite is chickpeas so that is what I use.
If authenticity is higher on your list of priorities than texture use tinned butter beans instead.

You will need:

An onion and three cloves of garlic (finely chopped) and a flaked dried chilli,
200 gms of lardons or finely chopped bacon,
2 Chorizo and 2 Morcilla (I leave the black pudding whole becazuse I am the only one who eats it and finely chop the Chorizo),
2 tins of chick peas and 1 of chopped tomatoes,
250 mls of chicken or veg stock,
A good handful of greens of some description (I prefer purple sprouting) roughly chopped.

The technique is simple. Fry the onions etc and add the rest of the ingredients in order. Fry for 10 minutes after adding the Morcilla to soften the skins. Bung in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the simmer for 30 minutes or until the greens are done.

Serve in bowls with French bread and a green salad.

Stir Fry Beef & Noodle Soup and Salad

This recipe serves 6 people.

Our marinated stir fry beef is not only a winner in a wok but also in a soup or salad. In either case, the meat, noodles and vegetables need to be cooked in the stock, ideally in a sieve which you can lower into the saucepan for the required length of time. Trying to add to the pot according to estimated cooking time, i.e. longest cooking time first, shortest time last can work, or it can all go horribly wrong.

You will need:

For the stock:
1.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock,
Brown Miso to taste,(approx 2 tablespoons),
five cloves of garlic, a fresh red chilli, decent sized knob of ginger, a couple of star anise and a cinnamon stick (all bruised or squashed but not chopped).

Place the whole lot in a saucepan and simmer for an hour. Strain off the liquid, rinse out the saucepan and bring the stock back to the boil. At this stage I add a good slug of sweet cooking sake and 200 mls of our slow cooked tomato sauce.

From here on in it is a doddle. It is simply a question of preparing a selection of ingredients, cooking them for the required amount of time and then stirring them in at the end.

Last time I used:
350 gms of our marinated beef strips,
a packet of medium egg noodles,
two chopped heads of calabrese (stalks peeled),
150 gms of chopped spinach,
a couple of sliced salad carrots,
a bunch of coriander.

Virtually any vegetables will do, just keep them seasonal.
The beef will take no time at all. If the soup is boiling or you over cook it, it will disintegrate. Ninety seconds at a good simmer should do it. If I am really hungry I have added a few of our Chinese meat balls (cooked first).
If you fancy a salad, simply cook the ingredients, mix together and dress when still warm. I particularly like Spanks, Salad Dressing with tamari and celery seeds but I am sure anything will work.
Alternatively prepare a double whack and have soup one day and salad the next.

Ham Hocks with White Beans

This recipe serves 2 people.

1 Ham hock
3 sticks celery finely chopped
1 leeks finely sliced
1 carrots peeled and finely sliced
1/2celeriac cut into julienne
Parsley stalks
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh coriander seeds
1bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
500ml chicken stock
1 420g cans of butter beans drained
Parsley leaves and chopped chervil

Place the hocks in 2 large sauce pans cover in water and leave overnight in a cool place
Discard the water and return the hocks to the pans with half the vegetables in each

Season each pan with parsley pepper coriander seeds bay leaves and thyme. Add half the stock to each pan and top up with water.
Bring to the boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Allow to cool in the pan.

Carefully remove the skin from the ham hock and discard. Remove the meat from the bone and return to the pan.

Season the soup and add the beans bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and serve.

Pork Steaks with Parmesan

This recipe serves 4 people.

Pork Steaks with Parmesan and breadcrumb coating.
I watched Nigella Lawson give lamb chops a similar treatment and have never forgotten it. It works even better with pork. Lay the steaks (8 thin loin medallions or two tenderloins cut at 45 degrees into 1 cm pieces) on a board and cover with Clingfilm. Roll with a rolling pin, pressing down as hard as possible. When they are appreciably thinner and wider remove the Clingfilm.
Crack and lightly beat a couple of eggs and grate about 120 gms of Parmesan. Mix the cheese with a similar amount of fresh-ish breadcrumbs.
Fill a heavy bottomed saucepan to a depth of about 15mm with olive oil (or half olive and half sunflower oil) and place on a moderate heat. Any less and the crust will stick to the bottom and come off. When the oil is hot, dip the steaks in the egg, transfer to the cheese and crumb mixture (making sure as much sticks as possible) and then to the oil. Fry until brown and crisp on each side (approx ninety seconds a side). Drain and then pat dry with kitchen paper. Serve with slice of lemon and a green salad. Sieve and save the oil for next time.

Portuguese Beef Casserole

This recipe serves 2 people.

500g braising steak 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 red peppers Halved and seeds removed Juice of ½ lemon 2 cloves garlic Handful parsley leaves 500ml dry white wine 8 peeled shallots 300g cherry tomatoes 2 bay leaves 2 sprigs of thyme 250ml beef stock Freshly ground pepper and salt

1. Preheat the oven to 200c gas mark 6
2. Season the beef with Black pepper, heat 2 tablespoons oil and sear the meat on all sides and transfer to a casserole dish
3. Place the peppers on a baking tray and drizzle with the remaining oil. Roast for 15 minutes and allow to cool.
4. Turn the oven down to 180c gas mark 4.
5. Remove the skins from the pepper and place in the processor with the lemon juice, garlic ,parsley, and white wine. Process until smooth.
6. Place the shallots and cherry tomatoes in the casserole with the meat and pour over the sauce. Add the thyme and bay leaves and enough stock to cover. Place in the oven and cook for 1/1/2 hours until tender.
7. Serve with rice or pasta.