Lemon chilli prawn spaghetti with pangrattato

The pangrattato acts as a seasoning and extra level of texture. It is great on top of pasta, risotto, soups and stews.

- First boil water for spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions.
- In the meantime finely dice a couple of banana shallots (or a white onion) and fry in olive oil until softened. Then add a finely chopped red chilli (we used a birds eye chilli), and a couple of cloves of minced garlic. Leave to cook for a minute or two whilst you prepare the pangrattato.
- In a food processor (or using a knife) blitz a slice of bread (preferably a day or two old) with a clove of garlic, a tea spoon of chilli flakes, the zest of a lemon, a handful of basil, a handful of parsley and an anchovy. Add a little olive oil to loosen.
- Add some cooked or raw prawns to the shallots, garlic, chilli mix, along with the juice of the lemon which you have left. Season with salt and plenty of pepper.
- Toast the pangrattato in a frying pan until golden but not burnt.
- Drain the spaghetti leaving a little of the cooking water and stir through the prawn mixture.
- Scatter the pangrattato on top of the prawn spaghetti and serve with extra lemon wedges and chilli oil for people to drizzle over the top if they like.

Lemon monkfish kebabs with basil aioli

These kebabs would be great cooked on the bbq or under a grill. Make sure you soak wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes before using them. Ask your fishmonger to prepare the monkfish for you.

-  Cut the monkfish into decent sized chunks. Marinade them  in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, and a pinch of chilli flakes if you like. Leave in the fridge for one hour.
- In the meantime, make the aioli using either homemade or shop bought mayonnaise. In a food processor (or using a pestle and mortar), blitz a clove of garlic with a large handful of basil leaves, some black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir this mixture into the mayonnaise and set aside.
- When the monkfish has marinaded for an hour thread it onto skewers, alternating with red onion wedges. Grill on each side for 5 minutes or so until cooked through. Baste with excess marinade every now and then.
- We like this with sauteed new potatoes, asparagus and green beans.

Minestrone

This is based on Jamie Olivers minestrone from his 15 minute meals book. Rather than following his recipe to the letter we just used it as the base for ours.

Serves 2 easily

Start by frying a chopped red onion, diced stick of celery and diced carrot in olive oil in a deep pan. After they have softened slightly, add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, the leaves from a small bunch of thyme and a couple of bay leaves.

Add 1L of hot chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Dice two chicken breasts or 3 boneless thighs into bite sized chunks and them to the hot stock, along with a large handful of small pasta shapes. Then add some broccoli and cauliflower florets and continue to simmer for 5 minutes or so.

In the meantime, prepare the accompaniments...

Make the salsa verde by blitzing herbs (we used parsley, basil and chives) with 4 cornichons, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tea sp capers, 1 tea sp of dijon mustard, 2 anchovies and a good glug of olive oil.

Dry fry a few rashers of pancetta with some rosemary and some chunks of slightly stale bread until they are crispy and browned.

Grate or shave some fresh parmesan into a bowl for scattering on the top.

As soon as the pasta shapes are cooked, the soup should be ready to serve. Let people add the toppings to their bowl at the table.

Shellfish risotto

This relies on a good quality fish stock. We made ours using langoustine shells simmered with bay leaves, celery, peppercorns, onion and hot water for an hour or two.

Otherwise, see if you can buy fish stock from your local fishmongers.

We made our risotto in the usual way, flavouring it with a small onion, a clove of garlic and a couple of sliced portobello mushrooms as a token veg addition. We added lemon zest, lemon juice, scallops, tiger prawns and squid rings for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, adjusting the seasoning as necessary.

Add some parsley towards the end as well if you like and serve with extra lemon wedges.

Spaghetti with squid

This is simple, quick and packed full of flavour. It relies heavily on chilli, garlic and parsley so use plenty!

We like to use squid ink spaghetti from Carluccios but use regular spaghetti if you can't get hold of any. Get your fishmonger to clean and prepare the squid for you in advance so that it is cleaned and cut into rings.

- Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions
- In the meantime, fry a diced banana shallot (or small onion) in some olive oil. After a minute or two add a couple of chillies (we used birds eye chillies).
- Once the chillies and shallot have sizzled for a few minutes add 3 cloves of crushed garlic and the zest of one lemon (keep the lemon for later) and plenty of salt and black pepper.
- Chop the parsley stalks (retaining the leaves for later) and add these to the garlic and chillies. Also add the squid at this stage and cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes.
- Drain the cooked spaghetti retaining a little (1/3 of a cup) of the cooking water. Add the spaghetti and cooking liqour to the squid, adding the juice of the lemon and the chopped parsley. We also add a glug of extra virgin olive oil at this stage.
- Give everything a good stir, check the seasoning and eat immediately.

Slow cooked Cajun beef

This is so full of flavour and really benefits from a long marinade and a long slow cooking. Use any kind of beef which is good cooked slowly... chuck, shin, skirt etc.

This makes enough for up to 4 people.

- marinade 500g of your chosen cut of beef cut into chunks in a dry marinade made up of 1 tbl sp smoked paprika, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 or 2 chopped chillies, 1 tea sp cayenne, 1/2 tea sp ground black pepper, 1/2 tea sp salt, leaves from a few sprigs of thyme and leaveto marinade for a few hours. If you have any 'cajun spice' mix then add 1/2 tea sp of that too but dont worry if not.


- when ready to cook, brown meat in a casserole in some olive oil and set aside

- brown a chopped onion in the same pan

- add the meat back into the pan and add 500ml beef stock and a couple of bay leaves

- cook on a low heat on the hob or in the oven for a couple of hours, add a chopped green or red pepper 20 mins before the end. Sometimes we add mushrooms too. Keep an eye on it and add some extra stock if the liquid evaporates too quickly.

I'm not sure if its particularly authentic but a mixture or parsley and coriander on top is nice before you serve it.
We serve it with rice and an extra side of tinned sweetcorn roughly blitzed in a processor with a chilli, some basil, seasoning and a splash of double cream, then heated through on the hob.

Greek style gnocchi

This has become a new favourite way to eat gnocchi. We love it in the more traditional Italian style too but sometimes it’s nice to have a change.

Although this is good by itself or with a simple salad, it’s also great as a side dish alongside lamb steaks.

- Finely chop a red onion and 2 or 3 large cloves of garlic and fry them in a table spoon of good olive oil
- Finely chop a variety of herbs… we use basil, thyme, chives and oregano, and add them to the onion and garlic once they have softened.
- Add a large table spoon of soft cream cheese to the pan and mix well, add salt and pepper at this stage. You could use feta instead of the cream cheese.
- Leave the cheese, herb, garlic and onion mix on a low heat whilst you cook a pack of gnocchi in boiling salted water which will take around 3-5 minutes to cook.
- Add the cooked gnocchi to the cheese and herbs and stir through so that the gnocchi is well coated. Serve immediately.

Paella

We love paella. It’s so easy to make and virtually fool proof. Brown the meat, add veg followed by rice and stock, then cover and leave to cook. Add any shellfish and peas for the last five minutes and garnish with herbs and lemon.


We vary ours depending on what we fancy but this one is a favourite…

Ingredients (serves 2 but is easily doubled etc):
3 chicken thighs
4 mini cooking chorizo sausages
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
Pinch of saffron
¼ tea sp smoked paprika
Large handful of shell fish (we used mussels, langoustines and prawns)
½ cup frozen peas
200g paella rice
500ml chicken stock
1 lemon
1 small bunch of parsley

- Cut the chicken and chorizo into bite sized chunks and brown in a little olive oil. Set aside.
- Next fry the peppers, onions and garlic for 5 minutes or so until softened. Add the meat back into the pan.
- Add the saffron, paprika and rice and stir well.
- Add the stock and give everything a good stir. Cover the pan with a double layer of foil and make sure it is tucked tightly around the edges so steam doesn’t escape.
- Let the paella cook on a low-ish heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes lift the foil and add the peas and any shellfish. Re-cover with foil.
- After a further 5 minutes remove the foil and check to see that the shell fish is cooked.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and lemon wedges (we took the photo above before we did this)
- The rice should be tender and a crust should have formed on the bottom of the pan - don’t worry about this, it’s the best bit!

Thai beef salad

This is based loosely on the Jamie Oliver Thai beef salad from his 15 minute meals series. By 'based loosely' I mean based on whatever notes I scribbled down whilst watching the programme, as well as being dependant upon what food we had in the fridge. I have purposely left quantities approximate as we tend not to use specific measurments in recipes like this.

 - marinade steak (we used two rib-eye steaks)  in a good pinch of salt, pepper, crushed szechuan peppercorns, chinese 5 spice/mixed spice and a slug of oil for at least 30 mins


- dry fry a mixture of nuts and seeds (we used sesame seeds, pine nuts, mixed nuts) and set aside

- make the dressing... lime juice and zest, fresh and/or pickled ginger, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, sesame oil, fresh chopped chilli, thai fish sauce - and set aside

- fry a sliced red pepper and a handful of sliced shallots until soft, add a splodge of oyster sauce if you have any

- cook/soak a portion of noodles and mix in with the fried peppers and shallots
- griddle the marinaded steaks on each side until medium rare, leave to rest for a few minutes and then slice thickly

- chop up a romaine lettuce, spring onions, coriander, parsley and scatter on a large platter. Add halved cherry tomatoes, rocket and sliced radishes if there are some to use up.

- pile the hot peppers, shallots, noodles and sliced steak on top of the leaves and finish off with the toasted nuts and seeds

- serve the bowl of dressing and a few extra lime wedges on the side

A seriously good sandwich

More of a construction job than a recipe...

Fry some sliced red onions in a knob of butter and a healthy drizzle of balsamic vinegar until meltingly soft. It should take at least 15-20 minutes on a low-ish heat.

Pre-heat a griddle pan until very hot. Season a lamb steak on both sides before placing on the hot griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side if you like your meat cooked medium.

In the meantime, toast a thick slice of bread or ciabatta. When the lamb and onions are ready you can assemble the sandwich... first sliced tomatoes (which should be at room temperature), then mayonnaise which has been mixed with a smidge of dijon mustard, then the lamb, then the slow cooked onions. Finally finish with a handful of rocket dressed with more balsamic. Top with a final piece of toasted bread if you like.

Lime and paprika chicken

This is easy Spring/Summer food, peferct for bbq's or an after work dinner with whatever salad bits you've got in the fridge. Marinade the chicken the night before or before you go to work if you can, otherwise an hour before you're due to eat it is fine.

Place de-boned chicken thighs in a bowl with olive oil, crushed garlic, the juice of one lime and plenty of smoked paprika. Add some dried chilli flakes for extra kick if you like. When you're ready to grill/griddle/bbq the chicken, season it with plenty of salt and pepper first before cooking the chicken fast on a high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with a little extra paprika once cooked if you like.

We had ours with garlic and parsley corn on the cob and a warm herby new potato, green bean, spinach, onion and tomato smush. It tasted a lot nicer than it sounds!

Herby green risotto

This was lovely and fresh and Spring-like, even if there has been snow and hail here in Cheshire in the last week or so :-(

I've not included how to make a risotto again here, just the ingredients used. For the first time ever we made a risotto without wine in it. It didn't taste any worse for it. Although it was rather odd to stand stirring the rice with a cup of tea in hand rather than the usual glass of vino.

Ingredients:
- veg stock
- arborio rice
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 fat clove of garlic, minced
- 6 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped
- handfuls of parsley, watercress and chives, blitzed
- handful of green beans and asparagus cut in half, cooked in boiling water for 2 mins and then set aside to add to the risotto for the last few minutes
- small tub of double cream, added towards the end
- salt and pepper
- plenty of parmesan grated on just before eating

Watercress sauce

We have this as a cold sauce to go with salmon wrapped in pancetta. You can warm it up gently too though which is equally nice.

Blitz a bag or two of watercress with a couple of handfuls of spinach (if you happen to have some), plus a small handfull of parsley and a handful of chives. Then add a small tub of double cream and season with salt and pepper.

Salmon and scallop teriyaki kebabs

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 thick salmon fillets, cut into large chunks
6 large scallops
100ml teriyaki marinade
25ml dark soy sauce
25ml mirin
tea spoon honey
tea spoon sesame oil

- Mix together all wet ingredients in a bowl and add the salmon and scallops. Leave them in the marinade for an hour. Soak wooden skewers in water in the meantime before you skewer the fish.
- Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees. Carefully add the salmon and scallops to the  kebab skewers, alternating as you go. Place in a roasting tray and pour over a little of the marinade.
- Cook in the pre-heated oven for approximately 10 minutes, but check after 6 minutes or so, especially if your scallops are small.
- Whilst the kebabs are cooking, stir fry some veg of your choice with some cooked noodles, adding the rest of the reserved marinade for the last few minutes. You could also add a little garlic, chilli, ginger and Chinese 5 spice to your stir fry for extra flavour.

Bits and pieces soup



I couldn’t decide what to call this one. It’s sort of like a minestrone with a few tweaks.
We love the savouryness of this soup. It’s also great for using up bits and pieces from the fridge, including veg which is just past its best.
Ingredients (suggestion):
Leftover roast meat (we used beef)
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Garlic
Green beans and/or mange tout
A handful of tomatoes
Mushrooms
Kale, cavolo nero or cabbage
1L of stock (veg, chicken or beef)
Splash of white wine
A handful of small pasta shapes
Herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay)
Salt and pepper
It’s not a recipe as such… Chop the veg (carrots, onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms) and sauté in a little oil until starting to soften. Then add the stock, wine, tomatoes and herbs. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes before adding the beans, cabbage, pasta shapes etc. When the pasta shapes are almost cooked add the leftover roast meat for the last few minutes to warm through. Adjust the seasoning. Top with some grated parmesan to serve. It would also be good with a chunk of buttery garlic bread to dip.

Celeriac and apple soup with cheese croutons

Makes approx 3 servings

Peel and dice one celeriac and 2 medium sized potatoes. Fry in a little oil with one chopped onion and a couple of cloves of minced garlic. After 5 minutes or so add a peeled, cored and diced brampley apple and a couple of sprigs of thyme.

Add 1.2 litres of veg stock and season with salt and pepper.
Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato and celeriac are soft.

Blend the soup (adding a little water or milk if it looks too thick). Warm the soup through again once blended.

Whilst the soup is warming, top mini ciabatta rolls with small chunks of cheddar and stilton. Put them under the grill to brown and then seve with the soup.

Beef, chestnut and mushroom pie

This is perfect Sunday food for when it's cold outside. Leave the filling to cook for a few hours while you sit back with a glass of wine and a good film!

- Season about 500g of beef chuck steak with salt, pepper and plain flour. Brown in batches in olive oil in a deep casserole

- Remove the beef once browned and set aside. Fry a diced onion with a diced celery stick and 2 cloves of minced garlic

- Add the beef back into the pan once the onions have softened a little

- Pour in 250ml of beef stock and 250ml of ale followed by a couple of bay leaves and some fresh thyme. Leave to simmer for around 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally

- After 1.5-2 hours add a couple of handfuls of button mushrooms and a large handful of cooked chestnuts and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or so. Check the seasoning and re-adjust if necessary

- Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees.

- Pour the filling into a pie dish and leave to cool slightly for 15 minutes or so. Then top with your pastry of choice and brush with a beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden

- We served ours with a selection of vegetables

Venison fillet with red wine sauce

Such a delicious piece of meat! We bought ours from an independant seller at Tatton Food & Drink fair.

Season the fillet and then brown on all sides in a little butter. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approx 10-20 minutes. This really will depend on how hot your oven is and how thick the fillet is - check after 10 minutes as you don't want to over cook it.

We made a red wine sauce using 250ml stock, thyme, 150ml red wine and a tea spoon of red currant jelly and reduced it down by half.

When the venison is cooked to your liking slice it into medallions and then pour over the sauce. We served ours with dauphinoise potatoes and steamed cavalo nero and carrots.

Moroccan lamb filo pie

This is a brillant way of using up bits and pieces from the fridge. You can do all sorts... Moroccan, Indian, Italian, vegetarian... whatever takes your fancy.

In this particular instance we used a small piece of lamb neck fillet, mushrooms, spinach, a sweet potato, courgette, an onion, a small handful of pine nuts and a little bit of feta. Everything was browned and then we added chopped garlic, ginger, a chilli, nutmeg, ground cumin, a little cinammon and some stock. We left it to simmer for 20 minutes or so until the potato was soft.

Allow the filling to cool a little and then you can build the pie in a loose bottomed cake tin. Overlap 6 sheets of filo pastry so that half of each slice is outside the tin perimeter, then spoon the filling into the middle. Fold over the filo sheets and scrunch to form a lid. Brush the top with a little oil before baking in a pre-heated oven for approx 20-30 minutes. Serve with appropriate accompaniments... with this we had a tomato chutney and salad.

Tandoori rack of lamb with saffron rice

First, make your tandoori spice mix. We used ginger, coriander, cumin, mustard powder, garlic, cardomom and paprika - mixed with yoghurt. Marinade the rack of lamb for at least an hour.

Roast the lamb in a hot oven for 15 minutes, and then put it under the grill for a final 5 minutes for pink meat.

Whilst the lamb is cooking prepare the side dishes. We had basmati rice with shallots and saffron, plus paneer cheese cooked with tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms.