Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

This is so tasty, and full of good things!

Chicken, honey, sesame seeds, sesame oil

Ginger, garlic, peppers, sugar snap, cabbage

Cauliflower, Mustard and Cheddar Soup

This will serve four or more.

50g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large, or two small, heads of cauliflower, cut into large chunks
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 bay leaves
1.4L vegetable stock
200g or so punchy cheddar, grated
A little wholegrain mustard

1. Melt the butter in a large pan until soft, then add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, before adding the cauliflower, bay leaves and mustard powder. Stir well until the cauliflower is well coated, then add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the cauliflower is tender.
2. Remove the bay leaves, then ddd the cheese and whizz to a smooth soup with a blender. Stir through a little wholegrain mustard, and serve.

You can use any strong cheese if cheddar isn’t available.

Creamy Butternut Squash and Chilli Soup

This makes three large bowlfuls.

1 butternut squash, about 1kg, deseeded and roughly chopped (no need to peel)
Olive oil
Butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
850ml vegetable stock
200ml double cream, plus more to serve

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the squash into large cubes, about 4cm/1½in across, then toss in a large roasting tin with half the olive oil. Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft.
While the squash cooks, melt the butter with the remaining oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions, garlic and ¾ of the chilli. Cover and cook on a very low heat for 10 to 15 mins until the onions are completely soft.
Tip the squash into the pan, add the stock and the cream, then blend until smooth. Season to taste. Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of cream and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli.

A lovely variation of this is to add coconut milk instead of double cream, and a squeeze of lime when serving. Some ginger also makes a good addition.

Parma, Mozzarella and Sun Dried Tomato Salad

This is a wonderful salad, which is worth using the best buffalo mozzarella for.

Per person:

A few thin slices of parma ham, torn into pieces
50g or so mozzarella, roughly chopped
A few sun dried tomatoes, chopped
A handful of salad leaves
Good olive oil, and salt and pepper

Simply pile everything together in a bowl, drizzle with some olive oil, and season. If the tomatoes come in olive oil, you can use that oil instead.

Avocado Sauce

This is a great way of using up leftover avocado, and is a great accompaniment to tuna or salmon, especially with some crunchy vegetables on the side.

1 ripe avocado
Fresh dill or coriander to taste
1/2 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Juice from 1 large lime

Blitz all the above in a blender, and serve at room temperature. Add a little more oil if it needs loosening up.

Hot Smoked Trout and Avocado Salad

This is one of my favourite summer salads.

Per person:

1 hot smoked trout fillet (or salmon), flaked
1 small ripe avocado, chopped
A large handful of rocket or watercress
A chunk of cucumber, or a few radishes, sliced
Olive oil and a little lemon juice
Salt and pepper
A little fresh dill, chopped (optional)

Pile the fish, avocado and cucumber or radishes over the rocket or watercress, and pour over dressing to taste made with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the fresh dill if using. I sometimes use chopped, cooked asparagus instead of the cucumber or radishes, and a little horseradish in the dressing.

Spinach with Ginger and Green Chillies (Saag Bhaji)

This is one of my favourite Indian side dishes. This is plenty for two or three.

Small chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
Unsalted butter
500g bag frozen spinach, defrosted (or use fresh)
1 tbsp garam masala

Put a generous amount of butter into a large, wide pan and set over a high heat. Add the ginger and stir until the ginger starts to brown, then add the garlic and garam masala and cook for a minute or two more. Add the spinach, and stir until it’s cooked through. Add salt to taste.

Dauphinoise

Made with either potatoes or celeriac (or a mix), this is a delicious and indulgent side dish.

Plenty for two.

1 head celeriac (about 400g), or the same weight in potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Butter
1 tbsp finely chopped sage or tarragon (or use dried)
500ml double cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4, grease an ovenproof dish with butter and place a layer of celeriac/potato slices on the base. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sage/tarragon and a few dots of butter. Repeat layers of celeriac/potato, sage and butter until all the vegetables are used.
2. Pour over the cream, and bake for an hour or until the vegetables are tender.

Puttanesca

I like this very gutsy so use plenty of anchovies, capers and olives.

For two.

Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
50-100g anchovies (to taste)
Approx 50g capers
Approx 100g pitted black olives
Tin chopped tomatoes
A splash of red wine
A handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
Spaghetti for two (approx 225g)

1. While the spaghetti is cooking, gently fry the garlic in olive oil, then add the anchovies and cook for a few minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and red wine, cook for another few minutes, then add the capers and olives. Simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened, then add the basil.
3. Drain the spaghetti and add to the puttanesca sauce.

Serve with plenty of parmesan.

The sauce is delicious poured over purple sprouting or tenderstem broccoli, either steamed or roasted in olive oil, for a low carb alternative.

Braised Lamb Shanks

4 large lamb shanks
Butter
Olive oil
1 or 2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 anchovies, chopped
500ml or so red wine
2 tbsp tomato purée
A sprig of rosemary

1. Heat the oven to 140C/gas 2
2. Heat a casserole and add a little butter and olive oil. Add the onions and cook until beginning to soften, then add the lamb shanks and brown all over. Add the garlic, anchovies, tomato purée, wine, rosemary and season.
3. Cover, put in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is almost falling off the bone (turn the oven down if it seems to be cooking too fast). Remove the lamb from the casserole and keep warm covered with foil until you’re ready to serve. Boil down the juices to slightly thicken them and pour over the shanks.