Pot roast guinea fowl with brandy, sausages and apple

This was quite a nice way of cooking guinea fowl and was different from the usual way we roast it. We served this with roast potatoes, sprouts with shallots and pancetta, and poured over some of the onions and liquid from the pan the bird had been cooking in.

Ingredients (seves 2 with leftovers):

1 guinea fowl

1 white onion

2 sausages (we used chipolatas)

1/2 an apple

300ml chicken stock

a large glug of brandy

salt and pepper

olive oil

bay leaf

• Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees
• Remove the skin from the sausages and put the sausage meat in a bowl. Grate the apple into the sausage meat and season the mixture with a little salt and pepper
• Carefully insert your finger between the skin and the breast of the guinea fowl to make a pocket. Using a teaspoon transfer the sausage and apple mixture under the skin and push the mixture down to the bottom of the breast so that it is evenly distributed
• In a large, deep frying pan heat a little oil. Slice the onion and add the onion to the pan when it's hot. After a few minutes add the guinea fowl and brown slightly on each side, this should take about 5 minutes. Once this is done, add the brandy to the pan and let it bubble away for a few minutes
• Transfer the guinea fowl, onions and brandy juices to a deep oven proof dish. Add the bay leaf and pour over the stock
• Place in the pre heated oven for around 1 and a quarter hours (depending on size of bird - test the thickest part of the thigh to see if it's cooked). Take it out every 20 minutes or so to baste the bird using the brandy/stock juices
• You could make a proper gravy by reducing the juices further whilst the guinea fowl is resting but we just spooned some of the juices directly onto the carved meat

Crab and Champagne risotto

It looks quite unappetising from the photo but it tasted a lot better than it looked! I know that Italians tend not to mix seafood with cheese in pasta and risotto dishes but the parmesan really suited this dish.

Ingredients (serves 2):

150g cooked white crab meat

1 cup full of risotto rice

1 glass of champagne

approx 200ml veg or fish stock

1 leek

1 clove of garlic

4 shallots

a handful of mushrooms

approx 50ml single cream

a handful of grated parmesan

salt and pepper

small knob ofbutter

• Peel and finely dice the shallots, garlic and leek. Heat the butter in a non stick pan and add the diced veg
• Finely chop the mushrooms and add those once the shallots/leek/garlic have softened
• Once the mushrooms have been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the rice and stir it through
• Alternate adding a splash of champagne and then stock into the pan. Keep adding liquid every 5 minutes or so as the rice soaks it up
• After 20 minutes or so the rice should be tender. Add the cooked crab meat and stir through the rice. Add the parmesan and a swirl of cream towards the end
• Season to taste and serve with a glass of champagne of course!

Slow roasted shoulder of lamb with garlic, rosemary and anchovies

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1/2 shoulder of lamb

4-5 small/medium sized potatoes

1 carrot

3 celery sticks

5 shallots

a handful of mushrooms

2 rosemary sprigs

1 bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic

2 anchovies

200ml of white wine and 200ml of stock

olive oil

salt and pepper

mixed greens

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees
• Peel the potatoes, carrot, celery, shallots and mushrooms and cut into chunks
• Make slits with a sharp knife in the lamb and insert slices of garlic, rosemary and a piece of anchovy into each. Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
• Add some olive oil to a large oven and hob proof dish and place on the hob on quite a high heat.
• Add the lamb and chopped veg to the dish and allow them to brown for around 5 minutes. Turn the veg and lamb over half way through.
• Transfer the dish to the hot oven and allow to roast for 30 minutes.
• Take the dish out of the oven and turn the heat down to 140 degrees. Add the wine, stock and bay leaf and put back in the oven for another 2 hours.
• Check on it occasionally and turn the veg and lamb over every half an hour or so. Add a little more stock and/or wine if it needs it and season to taste when there is about 10 minutes cooking time left.
• Towards the end of the lamb cooking time, cook some mixed greens in salted water and drain.
• When ready, turn the oven off, remove the dish from the oven and transfer the lamb shoulder to a chopping board. Put the dish with the veg and juices in it back into the oven to keep warm.
• Slice the meat off the bone - you should be able to pull chunks away using just a fork.
• To serve, place a pile of the greens in a deep bowl and ladle the lamb and vegetables on top. Finish by ladling some extra juices from the pan on top of the lamb.

Christmas Soup

We know it's only November but it's been very foggy and cold today and we wanted to call it Christmas soup so there!!

Ingredients (makes 2 whopping bowls):

1 pheasant, roasted and the meat removed from the carcass (we only used half the meat and are using the rest for a pie)

4 rashers of smoked pancetta

1 carrot

1 onion

2 sticks of celery

1 clove of garlic

6 chestnut mushrooms

a handful of cooked chestnuts

a couple of handfuls of kale

800 ml beef stock

50ml marsala

1 tbl sp redcurrant jelly

pinch of dried thyme

1 bay leaf

olive oil

salt and pepper

• Chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and fry in a large non stick saucepan for a couple of minutes in olive oil.
• Dice the pancetta and mushrooms and add them to the pan.
• Once the pancetta has browned, add the pheasant carcass to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, turning the carcass every so often.
• Meanwhile, in another large pan warm the beef stock through and add the marsala, redcurrant jelly, bay and thyme.
• Pour the stock over the sauteed veg and pheasant carcass and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the carcass.
• Turn the heat down to a low simmer and add the reserved pheasant meat.
• After another 5 minutes add the kale and chestnuts. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, season to taste and then serve in warm bowls.
  

Lemon, chilli and garlic squid

Ross cooks the squid in the smoking hot griddle whilst I watch from a safe distance with a glass of wine.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 large squid

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 chilli, finely chopped

the juice of 1/2 a lemon

a small handfull of chopped parsley

olive oil

salt and pepper

• Pour a good glug of olive oil into a large bowl, add the diced garlic and chilli.
• Clean the squid and cut the tubes in half length ways and then in half again. Score the squid tubes with a sharp knife. Cut the tentacles into bite sized pieces.
• Add the squid, parsley and lemon juice to the chilli, garlic and oil and then season. Leave to marinade for around 20 minutes.
• Heat a griddle pan till smoking. Add the squid pieces to the pan - if there's not enough room for it all you'll have to cook it in batches.
• Turn the squid after a minute and spoon over some of the marinade. Cook for another minute or two and then serve hot.

Friday food

The best start to the weekend. A glass of fizz and a little plate of antipasti, and no work till Monday :-)

Chicken soup with dumplings

Even though we cheated with ready made stock and dumplings it was very very nice. And it was a work night so a little cheating is allowed!

Ingredients (for 2 large bowls with a little leftover):

4 chicken legs

approx 800ml good quality chicken stock

1 carrot, diced

1 onion, diced

3 celery sticks, diced

bay leaf and a pinch of dried thyme

salt and pepper

olive oil

dumpling mix or ready made dumplings

• Pre heat oven to 200 degrees
• Roast the chicken legs for approx 30-40 minutes until cooked
• Meanwhile, add the diced carrot, onion and celery with a splash of olive oil to a large saucepan and cook on quite a high heat until softened
• Once the chicken legs are cooked, pull the meat off the bones and chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Put the meat in a bowl and set aside.
• Add the chicken leg bones to the sauteed veg and then add the stock and herbs. Leave to simmer on a low ish heat for approx 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken bones and bay leaf from the soup and add in the diced chicken and dumplings. Correct seasoning and leave to simmer with a lid on for 5 minutes.
  

Chinese 5 spice pork scratchings

A perfect snack whilst watching the football with a bottle of beer

Ingredients:

top layer of a small square of pork belly

tea spoon of chinese 5 spice

sea salt

oil (olive or sesame)

• Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees
• Cut the pork belly skin into bite sized pieces and put in a mixing bowl. Mix with a splash of oil, the Chinese 5 spice and a good pinch of sea salt.
• Then place the marinated pork in an oven tray and place in the pre heated oven
• Roast for approx 30 minutes until they start to look like pork scratchings
• For extra crunchy scratchings place under the grill for the last 5 minutes

Rabbit stew

Ingredients (serves 2):

diced wild rabbit

3 rashers of pancetta, diced

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

1 white onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 large potato, cut into large chunks

1 rosemary and 2 thyme sprigs, stalks removed and leaves finely chopped

1 anchovy fillet

1 glass of red wine (we used claret which worked well)

150ml beef stock

salt and pepper

olive oil

• Pan fry the rabbit, pancetta, garlic and onion in olive oil until browned
• Add the carrot and potato and fry for a further 5 minutes
• Add the herbs and anchovy fillet and then finally the red wine and stock
• Put the pan on a low simmer and leave to cook for 1.5 hours
• Check seasoning towards the end and add salt and pepper if necessary

Rillettes

This was the first time we'd made rilletttes but it definitely won't be the last. We researched various recipes before coming up with a combination which we liked best. We had ours with hot toast and cornichons. Chutney is optional but I think it would have gone nicely with an apple or caremelised onion chutney.

Ingredients (makes about 4 greedy portions):

1 square of pork belly (approx 10cm by 10cm)

2 duck legs

1 bay leaf

leaves off 2 thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves

1 large glass of white wine

tea spoon of mustard seeds

salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to around 160 degrees
• Place the pork and duck legs in a roasting pan
• Add the herbs, garlic (peeled but not chopped), mustard seeds, seasoning and finally the wine.
• Cover loosely with foil and cook for approx 2 hours. Turn the meat over after an hour.
• Once cooked, drain the fat/liquid into a bowl and reserve.
• Using two forks, pull the duck off the bone and gently shred the pork belly into bitesized pieces. Mash the soft garlic into the shredded pork and duck mixture.
• Press the meat into ramekins and leave to cool slightly.
• Once cooled spoon the reserved fat on top of the meat in a thin layer (if the fat has started to solidify just warm it through gently in the microwave for 20 seconds).
• Place the ramekins in the fridge for at least an hour before eating but it is best to cook them a day before you want to eat them. I'm told they last a week in the fridge but I wouldn't know!

Potato and celeriac rosti

Rostis can be fiddly to make and have a habit of falling apart but I think we've mastered the art of the perfect rosti now. We had ours with pork and apple sausages, mixed greens and an apple and cider gravy. I think next time we'll have it with a thick slice of ham and a fried egg.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 large potato, peeled and grated

1/2 celeriac, grated or finely chopped

4 spring onions, chopped

1 egg yolk

a handful of grated parmesan

salt and black pepper

olive oil

• Put the grated potato in a sieve over a bowl and add salt. After a couple of minutes, squeeze the excess liquid out by pressing down with a spatula or wrapping the potato in a clean tea towel and wringing it over the sink.
• Combine the potato and chopped celeriac in a bowl. Microwave for a couple of minutes before draining off any more excess water from the bowl.
• Now add the remaining ingredients to the potato and celeriac mixture... egg yolk, parmesan, spring onion and black pepper and give it a good stir.
• Heat olive oil in a non stick frying pan, spoon the rosti mixture into the pan and press down firmly with a spatula so it is compacted.
• Cook on quite a high heat for 2-3 minutes without touching it so that the bottom seals. After 3 minutes turn the heat down slightly and continue to cook for approx 5 minutes or so.
• To cook the other side you can either put the pan under a moderate grill for 5 minutes or invert the rosti using a plate and then slide back into the frying pan the other way up.

Meat & potato pie

Ingredients (serves 4):

shortcrust pastry

2 onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 large potatoes, grated

1 large carrot, grated

2 celery sticks, diced

250g minced beef

bay leaf

small handful of thyme leaves

1 beef oxo cube

2 tbl sp tomato ketchup

2 tbl sp Worcestershire sauce

olive oil

salt and pepper

100ml hot water

• Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees
• Fry the onion, garlic, carrot, potato and celery in olive oil until soft
• Add the beef and brown
• Add the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, thyme and bay leaf, follwed by the oxo cube dissolved in the water
• Turn the heat down to a low heat, season and leave to simmer for 30 minutes, then allow to cool slightly
• Line a pie dish with shortcrust pasrty and add the cooled mince mixture. Add a lid of shortcrust pastry and brush with egg or milk and some extra thyme leaves.
• Cook the pie for approximately 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top.
• Serve with whatever you like... mash or chips, extra veg and gravy

Roast duck breast with berry sauce and braised cabbage

Mmmmm, roast duck breast with crispy skin.

The berry sauce has the right balance of sweet and savoury and the dish is finished off nicely with braised red cabbage and sliced potatoes.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 duck breasts

2 medium potatoes, cut into thick slices

olive oil

salt and pepper

Berry sauce:

a handful of mixed berries

1/2 glass of red wine

a good splash of creme de cassis

100ml beef or chicken stock

leaves off a sprig of thyme

a bay leaf

salt and pepper

Braised cabbage:

red cabbage

red onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 glass red wine

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of apple sauce

1 tea spoon of sugar

knob of butter

salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Lay the potato slices on a lightly oiled baking tray and season. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes turn the potato slices over. If you have a wire rack that fits the baking tray, place it on top of the potatoes and place the duck breasts on top of the wire rack. If not place the duck breasts skin side up directly on top of the potatoes. Season the skin and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Check the duck breasts after 15 minutes as you don't want to overcook them.
• To make the sauce add all of the ingredients to a saucepan over a low heat and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning before serving.
• To make the braised cabbage; remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, cut the cabbage in half and then finely dice. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the cabbage, red onion and garlic. Cook for at least 10 minutes until the onion has softened. Then add the red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar and apple sauce. Season and leave to simmer for at least 45 minutes. Stir often and add a splash of hot water towards the end if it starts to look too dry. (This recipe makes far too much cabbage for 2 people which is good because I like it on roast pork sandwiches the next day).

Hangover breakfast

Quite disgusting to look at but a perfect all in one breakfast if you're feling a little delicate.

Ingredients (serves 2):

3 eggs

1 small white onion, sliced

1 medium sized cooked potato, cut into slices (prick it with a fork and blast in the microwave for 5 minutes or so first if you don't have any cooked potato leftovers)

4 rashers of streaky bacon

a handful of grated cheddar (or sliced if you can't be bothered to grate)

black pepper

butter or olive oil

tomato ketchup (optional)

pot of tea (necessary)

• Butter or oil a non stick pan before placing it on the heat. Once hot, place the onion and potato slices in one layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for approximately 3 minutes and then turn over for another 3 minutes
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season with black pepper
• Pour the eggs on top of the potato and onion mixture and swirl the pan slightly to ensure the egg mixture covers the bottom of the pan
• Pre heat the grill to a medium heat
• After a couple of minutes sprinkle the grated cheese on top and then place the bacon rashers on top of the cheese (you can pre grill the bacon rashers for a couple of minutes first if you like them crispy)
• Place the pan under the grill until the bacon is cooked and the egg mixture is set
• Slide it on to a plate and add a good dollop of ketchup on the side

In our house a pot of tea would be necessary to gulp alongside it.

Spaghetti with crab, chilli and watercress

Ingredients (serves 2):

spaghetti
fresh cooked crab (As much as you like/can afford! We used white meat only)
1 chilli, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 a bag of watercress
olive oil
1 lemon
salt and pepper

• Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water
• Meanwhile fry the chilli and garlic in olive oil, add the crab and watercress for the last 3-4 minutes to warm them through and to wilt the watercress
• Add the drained spaghetti to the crab and watercress mixture, season with salt and pepper and dress with extra olive oil and lemon juice to taste

Tapas

Tapas - herby lamb meatballs, patatas bravas, courgette and feta fritters and tomato salad

Ingredients and method (serves 2, add bread and a green salad and it would probably serve 4):

Tomato sauce:

glass of red wine

3 fresh tomatoes, chopped

tub of chopped tomatoes

dessert spoon of tomato puree

1/2 red onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, diced

4 mushrooms, sliced

olive oil

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
• Fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil until soft
• Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes
• Add the red wine and turn up the heat to allow the alcohol to cook off for 5 minutes or so
• Turn the heat back down, add the chopped tomtaoes and puree and let the sauce simmer for 45 minutes

Lamb meatballs:

approx 200g lamb mince

approx 200g lamb mince

1/2 red onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, diced

a handful of fresh herbs (basil, pasrley, thyme, rosemary) roughly chopped

salt and pepper

• Combine the lamb mince, onion, garlic and herbs and season
• Form into meatball shapes and refridgerate until needed
• Brown meatballs in a frying pan before placing them on top of the prepared tomato sauce. Be careful not to stir them in to the sauce too vigorously as they can break up
• Cook meatballs and sauce in a hot oven for 20-30 minutes

Patatas bravas:

2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red pepper, diced

pinch of red chilli flakes

1 small clove of garlic, diced

olive oil

• Par boil the potatoes before putting them in an oven proof dish with a splash of olive oil and placing them in the oven
• After 15 minutes or so fry the garlic and red pepper in olive oil until soft
• Add the tomatoes and chilli flakes to the garlic and red pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes
• Add the garlic/pepper/tomato mixture to the potatoes and stir through
• Return potatoes to the oven for approx 20 minutes

Courgette and Feta fritters:

1 egg

1 table spoon of plain flour

1 courgette, grated

approx 25g of feta, cut into small chunks

3 spring onions, chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil

• Salt the grated courgette and place in a sieve over another bowl. Leave for 15 minutes and then press the courgette mixture to remove the exess water
• Mix together the egg, flour, feta, spring onions and grated courgette and refridgerate for an hour or so until needed
• Heat some oil in a non-stick pan
• Placed 4 heaped spoonfuls of the batter mixture in the pan and press each one down lightly. Turn each one over after 3-4 minutes to cook the other side

Tomato salad:

2 tomatoes, cut into chunks

1/4 cucumber, diced

handful of olives

approx 25g of feta, cut into chunks

olive oil

pepper

• Mix together the tomatoes, olives, cucumber and feta
• Dress with olive oil an black pepper
• Refridgerate or cover until needed

Cabbage, bacon, shallots & cream

This is our favourite cabbage dish. We could eat a bowl of it on its own quite easily but it's also perfect with a pork chop and mustard mash.

Ingredients (serves 2):

½ pointed cabbage, shredded
3 rashers of streaky bacon, diced
4 shallots, peeled and quartered
Small tub of double cream
Black pepper

1. Sauté the bacon and shallots for 5 minutes or so
2. Put the cabbage in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes, but don’t let the cabbage get too soft and soggy
3. Drain the cabbage well and add to the bacon and shallots
4. Stir in the cream to heat through and season with black pepper
   

Sticky sausage burgers with blue cheese

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 pork sausages

2 spring onions, sliced

tea spoon of apple sauce

tea spoon of whole grain mustard

25g of blue cheese (we used Danish blue)

2 burger buns

1. squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins and place the sausage in a glass bowl
   
2. add the spring onions, apple sauce, mustard and cheese and mix well


3. mould the mixture into 2 burger shapes


4. heat some oil in a non stick pan until hot


5. cook the burgers on each side for approx 6 minutes
   

We served them in a toasted sesame seed bun with an extra slice of blue cheese. On the side we had new potatoes and green beans in a garlic, herb and caper mayonnaise.

Sea bream with tomatoes, red onion and lemon

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 sea bream fillets

1 large potato, sliced

2 large tomatoes, sliced

1/2 lemon, sliced

1 red onion, diced

1 bay leaf

1 clove of garlic

1/2 glass of white wine

salt and pepper

olive oil

1. pre heat the oven to 180 degrees


2. par boil the potato slices and then layer them on the bottom of an oven proof dish with a drizzle of olive oil, season


3. layer the tomato and red onion slices on top of the potatoes and cook in the oven for 10 minutes


4. add the garlic, lemon slices, and bay leaf, season the fish and place the bream fillets on top side by side


5. pour over the white wine and put the dish back in the oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets

Chinese omelette

Ingredients (makes 2 omelettes):

3 eggs

cooked peeled prawns

shitake mushrooms, sliced

3 spring onions, sliced

splash of soy sauce

1 clove of garlic

pinch of dried chilli flakes

1/2 tea spoon of chinese 5 spice

1. fry the mushrooms, spring onions, chilli and garlic until the mushrooms are just soft, add the soy and chinese 5 spice for the last minute or two


2. beat the eggs and pour half into an omelette pan


3. once the omelette is almost cooked, heap half of the the cooked prawns and mushroom mixture on one side then fold over the omelette


4. continue to cook for a few minutes until the prawns are warmed through


5. repeat for 2nd omelette
   

Lamb with garlic and herb risotto

Ingredients (serves 2 with leftovers):

arborio rice (approx 2 cups)
1 white onion, chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1 sprig of rosemary, chopped

2 sprigs of thyme

pinch of dried oregano

a few mint leaves

1/2 pack chestnut mushrooms, sliced

1/2 bag spinach

1/2 cup of peas

approx 400ml veg, lamb or chicken stock

approx 300ml white wine

parmesan, to taste

salt & pepper

olive oil

lamb (either rack, chops, cutlets etc)

1. Fry the onion and garlic until soft
2. Add the mushrooms and herbs and cook for another 5 minutes or so, season with salt and pepper
3. Add the rice and stir through to coat the grains
4. Start to add the stock and wine in stages and keep adding liquid when it needs it
5. After about 15-20 minutes put the lamb chops/cutlets under the grill and cook to your liking
6. Add the spinach and peas to the risotto for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add the grated parmesan and adjust the seasoning
7. Serve the lamb on top of the garlic and herb risotto

Tomato and feta salad

This is almost a Greek salad, but as I don't like olives I prefer to serve them separately so Ross can add his own!

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 large tomatoes
1/3 cucumber

1 red onion

2/3 pack of feta

good olive oil

pepper

basil or parsley (if you like)

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and feta.


2. Dress with olive oil and season with black pepper. Leave to marinade for about an hour before you want to eat it. The raw onion should be much milder in taste after an hour of marinading.


3. Sprinkle with herbs (if using) just before serving.


4. Best served at room temperature.

Rabbit and rosemary pie

As the weather has been a bit rubbish recently we decided that a pie was in order for a rainy Saturday night in. Apart from a pastry disaster (and a quick trip to Sainsburys for some ready made stuff!) it was pretty easy really.

Ingredients (serves 2):

300g diced wild rabbit (we got ours from Waitrose)
plain flour, for dusting
a couple of rosemary sprigs, finely chopped

tea spoon dried thyme

4 shallots, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 pack chestnut mushrooms, sliced

2 slices of pancetta, diced

1 bay leaf

1/2 tea spoon dijon mustard

200ml chicken stock

200ml white wine

pastry (puff or shortcrust)
olive oil

egg

1. Pre heat the oven to approx 150 degrees.


2. Dust the rabbit with flour, salt and pepper, and brown in a hot pan, then set aside.


3. Fry the shallots, garlic, pancetta and mushrooms until soft, add the browned rabbit meat.


4. Add the herbs and bay leaf, followed by the stock, wine and mustard. Cook on a high heat for a few minutes to cook off some of the alcohol.
   
5. Transfer the rabbit mixture into an oven proof dish, cook in a low oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The liquid content should have reduced by 1/2 to 3/4. Turn the oven up to 200 degrees once you've taken the filling out.
   
6. Prepare the pastry (we won't give suggestions here after our dreadful attempt!).


7. Transfer the filling into a pie dish and top with pastry. Egg wash the pastry top and put in the hot oven for approx 30 minutes.

We didn't feel that it needed extra gravy but you could have some if you wanted. The pie was very rich and full of flavour, so we had it with plain boiled new potatoes and steamed asparagus.

Spiced curry monkfish with mussels

Mixing wine and cream with spices sounds a little odd but this really works. It's based roughly on a Gordon Ramsey recipe but we altered it slightly according to our personal tastes and the ingredients we had in the house.

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 monkfish cheeks

small bag of mussels, cleaned

100ml white wine

100ml double cream

1 carrot

1 leek

1 onion

1 bay leaf

tea spoon curry powder

pinch of saffron

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

butter

olive oil

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.


2. Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan and then add the mussels, bay leaf and white wine. Cover with a lid and cook for about 3 minutes, until the mussels have opened.


3. Strain the juices into a bowl and set aside.


4. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside in a second bowl.


5. Chop the carrot, leek and onion and saute in olive oil until soft. Add the curry powder, saffron, turmeric and reserved mussel liquid. Simmer until reduced by approximately half.


6. Whilst the liquid is reducing dust the monkfish cheeks with salt, pepper and a pinch of curry powder. Pan fry the monkfish in a hob and oven proof pan for a couple of minutes on each side before transferring to the oven. Roast for approx 5 minutes until firm.


7. Add the mussels and the cream to the sauteed veg. Heat through.


8. Serve the roast monkfish on top of the creamy mussel mixture. Asparagus or spinach would be a good accompaniment.

Roast skate wings with shallot and tartare butter

We're trying to cook with one new ingredient a week. This week it's skate wings.

We searched for various recipes and opted for a slight variation of a Gary Rhodes recipe where skate is served with a sizzling tartare butter. This is our version...

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 skate wings, skinned

salt and pepper

plain flour

4 shallots, finely chopped

dessert spoon of diced capers

dessert spoon of diced gherkin/cornichons

1 clove of garlic, crushed

juice of 1/2 a lemon

chopped parsley

leaves from a couple of thyme sprigs

butter

olive oil

mashed potato and steamed spinach to serve

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees.


2. Heat the oil in a hob and oven proof pan. Dust the skate wings with salt, pepper and flour and place them in the hot pan.


3. Cook the skate wings on each side for approx 3 minutes before transferring the pan to the oven. Roast for approximately 10 minutes, depending on the size of the skate wings. If they are particularly large wings, they may take a little longer.


4. In the meantime, heat some oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped shallots and garlic and cook until golden. Next add a knob of butter and once it starts to foam, add the capers, gherkin, herbs and lemon juice.


5. Once cooked transfer the skate wings to a plate and top with the sizzling butter.


6. Serve with olive oil mashed potato and steamed spinach.

Oxtail with horseradish and mustard mash

This was the first time we'd cooked and eaten oxtail. We weren't quite prepared for how messy it was to eat. Don't cook and eat this on a first date!

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 oxtail cut into pieces

1 carrot

2 celery stalks

1 white onion

1 bay leaf

2 rashers of bacon

bunch of fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme would be good)

3/4 bottle red wine

200ml beef stock

olive oil

potatoes for mashing

teaspoon wholegrain mustard
teaspoon horseradish sauce

1. Heat the oven to about 180 degrees. Season the oxtail.
   
2. Heat the oil in a hob and oven proof pan. Add the chopped bacon and oxtail pieces to brown.


3. Once the oxtail has been browned on both sides, add the chopped carrot, celery and onion and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the bay leaf, herbs, and wine and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Then add the stock.


5. Cover the pan with a lid if it has one, if not, cover with a piece of foil. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for about an hour. Take the lid/foil off after an hour and turn the oxtail pieces over. Cook for another 2 hours, checking it from time to time. If it looks like too much of the liquid has evaporated, add a splash of hot water.


6. Meanwhile, make the mashed potato however you like it. We didn't bother with butter or olive oil in ours. Just salt, pepper, mustard and horseradish.
   
7. Serve the oxtail and roasting juices with the mash and some green veg.


8. Napkins recommended!