Categories
British Soups Starters Vegetarian

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Ingredients: 1 Medium cauliflower 75g Gruyere, grated 75g Mature cheddar, grated 1 Med onion, chopped 25g Butter 275g Potatoes, peeled and diced 1 pt/570 mls Vegetable stock 4 Slices baguette, 1cm thick 2 tsp Mustard 1 x 284ml Pot single cream 1 tbsp Snipped chives Salt and white pepper Method: Break cauliflower into florets. Cut […]

Categories
Chicken French Starters

Chicken liver parfait

Ingredients: 500g Chicken livers, rinsed and trimmed of sinew 1 Onion, finely chopped 1 Clove garlic, finely chopped A couple of sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped and chopped 1 Tbsp Port or brandy 100g Butter, melted (plus extra for frying) 4 Tbsp double cream Salt and white pepper Method: Fry the onion, garlic and thyme […]

Categories
French Starters Vegetarian

Cheese souffle

Ingredients: 300ml milk 1 Bay leaf 1 Shallot, halved 30g Butter 30g Plain flour 100g Cheese, mix of parmesan and Gruyere or Emmenthal 2 Large free range eggs seperated, plus 1 egg white 2-3 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs Salt & pepper Method: Put the milk in the pan with the shallot and bring to a simmer, […]

Categories
Mediterranean Starters Vegetarian

Greek Cheese Pies

Ingredients: 200g Feta cheese 10 Sheets filo pastry 1 Cup melted butter 2 Eggs, beaten A little fresh mint, chopped Pinch of pepper Method: Mash the cheese with a fork and add the beaten eggs, mint and pepper. Cut the filo pastry into 6cm wide strips and brush each strip with butter. Place a teaspoonful […]

Categories
Asian recipes Beef Starters

Beef and coriander wraps

Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic,chopped, 2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped, 200g lean minced beef, 2 tbsp Chinese rice wine, 6 Chinese mushrooms, roughly chopped (if using dried, soak for 20 minutes first),  1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 baby gem lettuces,  fresh coriander leaves to garnish. Method: Heat a wok or […]

Categories
British Soups Starters Vegetarian

Chestnut and butternut squash soup

Ingredients: 1 Small butternut squash (about 700g) or other squash/pumpkin 50g Butter 2 Onions, chopped 2 Garlic cloves, chopped 2.5cm Piece ginger, grated 2 tsp Curry powder 1.2 Litres vegetable stock 435g Can unsweetened chestnut puree 284ml Carton double crea Method: Peel and de-seed the squash. Cut the flesh into 2cm chunks. Melt the butter […]

Categories
Mediterranean Side dishes Starters Vegetarian

Chickpea, feta and mint salad

Ingredients: 2 x 400g Tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed Half a cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Red onions, finely sliced 2 Red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped 3-4 Cloves garlic, finely chopped 75ml Red wine vinegar Handful fresh coriander, chopped Handful fresh mint, finely sliced 200g Feta, crumbled 4 Spring onions, sliced Salt and pepper […]

Categories
Asian recipes Pork Starters

Chilli Ribs

Ingredients: 750g Pork spare ribs 2 Tsp chopped garlic 60ml Rice wine or dry sherry 1 Red or green chilli, chopped 2 Cups water 2 Tsp kecap manis – see Cook’s tip 1 Tsp honey or palm sugar 2 Tsp sugar 1 Tbsp dark soy Pinch of salt 1 Tbsp groundnut oil Method: Place the […]

Categories
Asian recipes Chicken Fish Starters

Chinese-style chicken and prawn skewers

Ingredients: 2 Tbsp groundnut oil 2 Dried red chillies 1 Small clove garlic, sliced 1 Large chicken breast, sliced 1 Courgette, halved lengthways and cut into slices on the diagonal 2-3 Spring onion, cut into 2cm chunks 16 Raw tiger prawns, peeled and de-veined 3-4 Tbsp sweet and sour dipping sauce Method: First make the […]

Categories
Asian recipes Chicken Starters

Vietnamese spring rolls

Ingredients: 6 spring roll wrappers 1 red pepper thinely sliced 2 cooked chicked breasts, shredded Handful of coriander and mint chopped 4 Spring onions finely sliced Half a cucumber, cut into thin batons 2 chillies finely chopped Handful of beansprouts Dipping sauce (see below)   Method: Soak the rice paper wrappers in warm water as […]

Categories
Indian Pork Starters

Indian Pork Patties

Ingredients: 250g pork mince 1 shallot, very finely chopped some fresh coriander, chopped ¼ tsp hot cayenne pepper 1 tsp garam masala ½ tsp salt freshly ground black pepper groundnut oil for frying Method: Put all the ingredients (except oil) into a large bowl and mix well using your hands. Divide the mixture into 8 […]

Categories
British Soups Starters Vegetarian

Roasted Squash and Chilli Soup

Roasted squash is a great base for a winter soup, getting it nicely chard (not cremated) gives the soup a great smokey flavour and the chilli lifts it to another level.  If you want you can also add smoked paprika

Categories
Asian recipes Fish Starters

Asian style sweet potato cakes

Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato (about 400g) 3-4 spring onions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped ½ tsp grated ginger 1 green chilli, chopped ¼ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander Some chopped fresh coriander or parsley (optional) Lime wedges and salad leaves to serve Method: Peel the sweet potato. Coarsely grate about a […]

Categories
Italian Main course Rice Starters Vegetarian

Asparagus risotto

Ingredients: 200g Risotto rice 1 litre of good quality chicken or vegetable stock 1 onion finely sliced A glug of white wine or marsala 25g of unsalted butter 25g of grated parmesan Method: Put the stock in a pan and bring to a simmering boil. Blanch the asparagus spears in the stock for a couple […]

Categories
Italian Main course Starters

Pancetta, red pepper and potato frittata

Ingredients: 2 medium sized potatoes, sliced (width of a pound coin) 6 slices of thin pancetta, finely chopped Half a red pepper, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional) Half a cup of frozen peas a handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional) Olive oil for […]