Prepare.Dinner.Today

Monday

2009-01-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

Stuffed vegetables

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 40 min
Cooking : 80 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 tomatoes
4 round courgettes
4 large onions

Stuffing:
150g cooked salt pork
150g cooked pork, veal or beef (left-overs or mince is fine)
150g long grain rice
300g parmesan, freshly grated if possible
6 eggs
1/2 bouquet flat parsley
5 cloves garlic
Breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Milled black pepper

For the tomato sauce:
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, black pepper

Recipe :
Onions and Courgettes:

Peel the onions, the slice top off, level bottoms so they will stand upright.
Bring a pan of salt water to the boil, then cook onions and their 'hats' for 10 mins.

Slice top off each courgette in same manner, level bottoms so they will stand upright, then cook in boiling water for 10 mins also.
Remove onions and courgettes, and refresh under running water.

Scoop out most of courgette flesh, and remove middle of onion, so that you are left with a hollow vegetable of about 1cm in thickness.
Keep onion flesh to one side.

Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce:

Wash and dry tomatoes.
Slice tops off and level bottom so that they will stand upright.
Remove flesh, leave a 'wall' of about 1cm in thickness.
Keep flesh to one side.
Sprinkle each tomato with a pinch of salt, then turn on their sides and leave to dry out for half an hour.
Put remaining tomato flesh in pan.

Peel onion and two cloves of garlic, then chop both together.
Chop remaining two tomatoes, then add to tomato already in pan, along with olive oil and mixed herbs.
Season and cook gently for 20 mins.

Stuffing:

Cook rice for 15 mins in salt water.
Strain and leave to cool.
Chop salt porc finely, along with other meat if need be.
Peel remaining garlic and press.
Mix meat with rice, garlic, parsley and onion.
Sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Beat eggs in a bowl and add to stuffing mixture.
Mix well and season.

Cooking stuffing:

Preheat oven to 210°C (400°F).
Fill vegetables with stuffing.
Brush a baking tray with a tablespoon olive oil and arrange vegetables.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, put tops back on and drizzle with olive oil.
Slide tray into oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Give tomato sauce a stir and pour into a sauce boat. Blend if need be.

Stuffed vegetables and sauce can be served cold or warm, with tomato sauce.

Advice :
Make an easy vegetarian option, by replacing meat with couscous or other vegatbles.

Sunday

2009-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Chicken with capsicums

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Allow 2 hours' marinating time

4 chicken breasts of 120g
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
140g bamboo shoots
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablepsoons white wine
2 sprigs frsh mint
2 sprigs fresh coriander
2 tablespoons ginger
Salt & black pepper

Recipe :
Peel onions and garlic, then slice onions and crush garlic.
Wash herbs and chop leaves.
Cut chicken into strips.
Arrange chicken in an oven dish, drizzle with soy sauce, wine and ginger. Add garlic and mint, cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate for two hours in the fridge.

Remove chicken, strain sauce and keep to one side.
Wash peppers, remove seeds and slice.
Chop bamboo shoots.
Saute onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add chicken and saute for 5 minutes.
Add peppers, cook for 4 minutes, then add marinade and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Add bamboo shoots, heat through for a minute.
Serve with basmati rice and decorate with a few mint and coriander leaves.

Advice :
Accompany with a Tavel or Côtes de Provence.

Nutritional Information:
298 calories per portion, 46g protein, 10g fat, 6g carbohydrate.

Saturday

2008-12-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

Savoury mini croissants

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 12 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 pack flaky pastry
30g ham or turkey
30g cheese (emmenthal or cheddar)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons milk

Recipe :
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Roll pastry out and cut into 6 rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half, to make 12 triangles.
Cut both the meat and cheese into small pieces, then arrange on half of the triangles.
Roll each triangle in on itself from the middle, to make a croissant shape.

Cover an oven tray with greasproof paper and arrange croissants on top.
Brush each croissant with beaten egg yolk and a little milk to glaze.
Put in middle of oven and cook for 12 minutes.

Advice :
Only 140 calories for 2 croissants...

Friday

2008-12-19T04:51:00.000-08:00

Turkey in champagne with Salardaise potatoes

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 75 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1 Turkey 1,5 kg
75g butter
1 tsp flour
300ml champagne (or sparkling wine)
salt and freshly ground black pepper.

1kg waxy potatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
3 tbsp goose/duck fat
salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe :
1 - Prepare the turkey (clean and truss) and season its cavity.
2 - Put 50g of the butter in a roasting dish and heat in the oven (200°C gas mark 6-7).
3 - Turn the heat up to 220°C (gas 7-8) and transfer the turkey to the oven. Roast for 1 hour, basting occasionally with then melted butter. (heat a serving dish in the oven for the last ten minutes of the cooking time).
4 - In the meantime prepare tbe Salardaises potatoes: Peel and slice into thin rounds.
5 - In a large frying pan, heat the fat, and add the potatoes. Fry vigarously for five minutes or until potatoes begin to brown. Then add the garlic, parsley and seasoning, mixing well.
6 - Transfer to a caserole dish, cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. (The potatoes should be browned on top and soft inside, like a gratin).
4 - Remove the cooked bird, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to stand.
5 - On the hob, deglaze the roasting dish with a good slug of champagne.
6 - Mix together the flour and remaining butter. Add to the roasting dish, stirring well.
7 - Add the rest of the champagne, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
8 - Serve.

Advice :
Salardaises Potatoes are from Aquitaine, France. The dish is similar to a gratin, traditionally made with goose fat.
Instead of a turkey, why not try a large chicken, or capon.

Thursday

2008-12-18T03:23:00.000-08:00

Veal escalopes with beansprouts and sesame

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : China
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 escalopes of 140g each
200 g bean sprouts
200 g water chestnuts
Soy sauce
Lemon Grass
Fresh coriander
Sesame oil
Spices
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Mix soy sauce, lemon grass,coriander, sesame oil and spices together and heat slowly.
Slice the meat.
Steam the bean sprouts and water chestnuts.
Serve the escalopes with a spoonful of sauce and decorate with vegetables.
Serve with rice and Chinese beer.

Wednesday

2008-12-18T02:41:00.000-08:00

Chicken tagine with lemons and olives

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2kg chicken legs
4 onions
4 cloves garlic
4 large tomatoes
1 piece fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
4 handfuld green olives, fresh if possible
6 lemons, preserved in salt
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1 30cm tagine dish, or similar

For the marinade:
1 glass olive oil
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
4 saffron stamens
Blak pepper

Recipe :
The night before:
Mix marinade with olive oil, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.
Marinate meat overnight.

The next day, remove chicken and saute in marinade until golden. remove and put to one side.
Peel and chop onions, then saute in same pan. Add crushed garlic and chopped tomatoes, stirring frequently. Add ginger and saffron, then leave to simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat.
Pour into tagine or covered oven dish, add chicken pieces and drizzle with lemon juice.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes at a low heat, then add coriander, olives and preserved lemons, cut into quarters.

Cook until olives and lemons heated through, then serve with couscous.

Advice :
Use breast meat if you are not a fan of meat on the bone.
Recommended Wines:
Rosé: Lirac, Côtes-du-rhône
Red: a Vouvray
...or try Moroccan or Algerian reds.

Tuesday

2008-12-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Cod papillote with ginger, citrus and sweet potato
Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
4 sheets of baking parchment or aluminum foil, 30cm x 30cm
Raffia or string to tie the parcels

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small chunks
1 orange
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp coriander leaf
4 cod loins or fillets, boneless & skinless
2 sticks celery, cut into strips
Sea salt and black pepper

Recipe :
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC, 325ºF, Gas Mark 4.
2. Cook the sweet potato in boiling water for 3 minutes and then plunge into ice water. Drain and dry thoroughly.
3. Peel the orange, and cut the flesh into segments.
4. Mix the zest and juice of the lemon and lime with the ground ginger, coriander leaf and olive oil. Add the cod, season generously and coat well.
5. Divide the sweet potato, celery sticks and orange segments between the baking parchment. Top with the cod fillets and evenly drizzle with the remaining marinade.
6. Close and tie each parcel with raffia or string. Place on a baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

Monday

2008-12-08T00:52:00.000-08:00

Chicken korma

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 60 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : India
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1 medium-sized chicken
2 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 small root of ginger
500g tomatoes
2 small dried red chillies
6 cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cardamon pods
oil
8 black peppercorns
4 pots yoghurt
1 teaspoon turmeric
A pinch of saffron
Salt

1 teaspoon blanched almonds

Recipe :
Take the skin off the chicken, bone and slice off flesh.
Slice onions, garlic and ginger.
Chop tomatoes and chillies.
Brown cloves and cardamon in a little oil and add onions, pepper, garlic, ginger and chillies. Fry for 5 minutes.
Add chicken and brown.
Mix the saffron and turmeric into the yoghurt.
Pour mixture into pan with tomatoes, cover and leave to simmer for an hour.
Add almonds and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Serve with basmati rice or naan bread.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
Tavel, Saumur Champigny

Sunday

2008-12-08T00:46:00.000-08:00

Crab cakes

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 5 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Europe
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
200g crab meat
1 lime
1 small bunch chives
4 eggs
250 ml crème fraiche
20g butter
Cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Beat the eggs and crème fraîche together with a fork, in a small bowl.
Remove and shell from crab meat and mash a little. Add to egg mixture.
Grate the zest from the lime and add to mixture, along with chopped chives.
Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Divide mixture into 4 greased individual flan/cake tins or similar.
Cook in oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 20 minutes.
Serve warm, with salad.

Advice :
Try making smaller crab cakes, then frying in a little oil for a crispy coating.

Recommended Wines :
- Alsace : Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux : Entre 2 mers
- Bourgogne : Maçon, St Véran
- Loire : Sancerre, Pouilly

Saturday

2008-12-08T00:40:00.000-08:00

Chayote stuffed with crab

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 crabs
2 chayotes (custard apples)
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 onions (1 chopped, 1 quartered)
3 cloves of garlic
1 lime
chives
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
chilli to taste
salt and pepper
1 glass white wine
5cl oil
bread-crumbs

Recipe :
1) ash the crabs and cook for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling water, with the carrots, the quartered onion, thyme, parsley and seasoning. Set asidea nd allow to cool.
2) Scoop out the crab meat, saving a few claws for decoration.
3) Wash the chayotes, cut in half and cook for 20 minutes in salted water. 4) In a pan, cook the chopped onion, garlic, chives, parsley and chilli, then mix into te crab meat. Loosen with the white wine.
5) Scoop the chayote flesh from the skin (save the skin) and mash with a little olive oil and the lime juice. Stir in some bread crumbs and season.
6) Spoon the mash into the chayote skins, topping with the crab mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and pass under the grill for 15 minutes, or until golden.

Friday

2008-12-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

Crab rolls

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : China
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
300g crab meat
60g noodles
1 grated carrot
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
75g bean sprouts
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 tablespoon soy sauce
18 spring roll wrapper (can be bought frozen)
1 teaspoon sugar
750 ml frying oil

Recipe :
Make filling :
Cook noodles and chop.
Mix with the crab meat, carrot, garlic, onion, bean sprouts, ginger, coriander and 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
Soak each spring roll wrapper briefly in a mixture of water, sugar and the rest of the soy sauce (can be done on a plate).

Place wrapper on a cloth, with filling in a line 1cm away from top edge.
Roll up, fold ends in.
Boil oil in fryyer or deep frying pan and fry rolls until golden.
Blot excess oil with paper towel.

Advice :
Excellent with Chinese beer!

Thursday

2008-12-04T04:45:00.000-08:00

Kiwi and bacon bites

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 3 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
3 kiwis
200g bacon
Black pepper

Recipe :
Cut bacon into strips, removing fat.
Peel kiwis, slice each one into four.
Wrap bacon around each slice, then put in a moderate oven for 3 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Advice :
A glass of champagne!

Wednesday

2008-12-03T02:06:00.000-08:00

Prune and bacon bites

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 5 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
200g bacon
20 prunes
Black pepper

Recipe :
Cut the bacon into strips.
Wrap each strip around a prune, secure witha cocktail stick, then put in the oven at a low heat for 8 minutes.

Advice :
Great with a glass of champagne!

Tuesday

2008-12-02T02:12:00.000-08:00

Poached turbot with morels

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
4 turbot fillets, with their skin on
Salt and Espelette pepper (chilli powder)
1 small bunch of chives

For the court bouillon:
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 whole garlic clove
1 bouquet garni
Salt and Espelette pepper
1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
a few black pepper corns
1 piece of celery
1l water

for the Morel sauce:
200g fresh morels (or 40g dried)
60g shallots, finely chopped
100ml Noilly Prat
10g potato/corn flour
100ml chicken stock
5cl, Double cream (or unsweetened condensed milk)

Recipe :
The Sauce:
1- Put the shallot and Noilly Prat in a saucepan, bring to the boil and flambe (light to burn off excess alcohol)
2- Contiinue to cook over a low heat untiil the shallot is soft.
3- Add the mushrooms and sweat.
4- Add the chicken stock and reduce by 1/3.
5 - Sieve the sauce and save the morels.
6- In a cup, mix the potato/corn flour with a little water, then add to the sauce to thicken it.
7- To finish the sauce, add the cream and morels nad check the seasoning. Warm your plates in the oven.

Turbot:
1- Put all the court bullion ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
2- Add the turbot fillets (2 at a time) and gently poach for 8-10 minutes (the flesh should be just cooked through - overcooking will ruin the texture).
3- Once poached, carefully remove the skin.
4- Pour sauce onto your warm plates and arrange the fish on top. Garnish with chives and serve.

Advice :
Turbot is a medium lean, white fish, rich in protein. Poaching is the ideal way to prepare this types of fish, ensuring flavour, whilst ridding it of any fat.

Monday

2008-11-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

Bacon, courgette and cashel blue soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4-6
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
A little olive oil
5-6 streaky rashers, chopped
1 onion or 2-3 shallots, chopped
1-2 large courgettes, sliced
2-3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 litre (2 pts) stock, homemade if possible
75g (3 oz) Cashel Blue cheese, or Chetwynd Irish Blue, crumbled
125ml (¼ pt) cream
Black pepper
2-3 tablesp. parsley, finely chopped

Recipe :
Sauté the bacon for a few minutes in a little oil. Remove a few pieces of bacon for final garnish. Add the onion, courgette (reserve some slices for final garnish), and potatoes. Cover the pan and allow to cook until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Process the soup. Return to the saucepan. Stir in the cheese and cream and just heat gently. Add the reserved bacon pieces and courgette slices for final garnish. Finish with lots of black pepper and parsley.

Sunday

2008-11-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

Vegetable and prune soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 50 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
250g pumpkin, diced
3 leeks, chopped
4 carots, diced
2 turnips
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bouquet garni
1 whole onion, stuck with cloves
20 prunes
6 slices wholemeal bread, cut into croutons and grilled lightly
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt & black pepper
Nutmeg

Recipe :
Heat oil in a large pan, then saute vegetables for 5 minutes.
Cover with water (about 1.5l), add bouquet garni and onion.
Bring to the boil and leave to cook for 30 minutes.
Add prunes.
Season, then leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Put a few croutons in the bottom of each soup dish, then pour in soup.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve

Advice :
Recommended wine: Chinon

Saturday

2008-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Two mushroom soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 35 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
500g mushrooms
10g Porcini mushrooms
2 shallots
50g creme fraiche
20g butter
25g rice cream
1l chicken stock
25cl dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Pour wine and stock into a larger pan and add Porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped.
Bring to the boil, and leave to reduce about a third.
Wipe mushrooms and chop.
Peel and chop shallots, brown in a little oil, then add mushrooms.
Season, and cook until liquid has evaporated.
Add stock mixture.
Cook over a low heat for another twenty minutes, then blend.
Soften butter and rice cream together with a fork, then add to soup.
Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, croutons and snipped chives

Advice :
90 calories per person

Friday

2008-11-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Monkfish and fennel fondue brochette

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 35 min
Budget : Cheap
From :
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
800g monkfish tail
1/2 red pepper and 1/2 yellow pepper
1 onion
4 button mushrooms
4 lemongrass sticks or 4 wooden skewers
1kg fennel
1 bunch of dill
1 onion
Salt, pepper

Recipe :
Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 6).

Cook the onion, peppers and mushrooms in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Cut the peppers and onions into 8 squares.

Divide the monkfish tail into 12 cubes.

Slide the cubes of pepper, onion, mushroom and monkfish onto the wooden skewers or lemongrass sticks, arranging them as you wish. Place them in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish.

Add salt and pepper and leave to cook for 10 minutes.

Snip the fennel and cut the onion into thin layers.

Sweat the onion in a saucepan with olive oil.

Add the fennel, cook with lid on for 15 to 20 minutes on a low heat.

Add the chopped dill, followed by salt and pepper.

Serve the brochettes on the fennel fondue.

Thursday

2008-11-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

Four cheese tart

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Pastry:
120g self-raising flour + 20g for flan dish
200ml milk
10g butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
OR: 1 savoury pastry case

Filling:
80g Mozzarella
80g mature cheddar
80g Roquefort, or Stilton
80g Camembert
(or cheeses or your choice, like Comté, Munster, Cheshire, Caerphilly - but choose four different textures and tastes)

Recipe :
Mix flour, milk, oil and egg together in a large bowl.
Work together until your have a smooth paste.
Grease a 25cm flan dish, then sprinkle with flour.
Put in pastry, then score into four with the edge of a spatula.

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Cut cheeses into slices, and arrange a cheese in each quarter of the pastry case.
Bake tart in oven for about 15 minutes.
Leave to cool and serve with salad and baked potatoes.

Advice :
Try this tart with a Chinon.

Wednesday

2008-11-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

Cream cheese and apple sandwich

Type of dish : snacks
To serve : 1
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
4 slice wholemeal bread or nutty bread of choice
30g fat-free cream cheese
20g raisins
1/2 Granny Smith apple
3 teaspoons lemon juice
5 fresh mint leaves
Seasoning

Recipe :
Soak rasins in a bowl of luke-warm water.
Peel the apple half, slice thinly and drizzle with lemon juice.
Mix cream cheese and mint together in a bowl.
Arrange your slices of apple, cream cheese and raisins on two slices of bread, then close sandwich with remaining slices.

Tuesday

2008-11-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Cod papillote with ginger, citrus and sweet potato

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
4 sheets of baking parchment or aluminum foil, 30cm x 30cm
Raffia or string to tie the parcels

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small chunks
1 orange
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp coriander leaf
4 cod loins or fillets, boneless & skinless
2 sticks celery, cut into strips
Sea salt and black pepper

Recipe :
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC, 325ºF, Gas Mark 4.
2. Cook the sweet potato in boiling water for 3 minutes and then plunge into ice water. Drain and dry thoroughly.
3. Peel the orange, and cut the flesh into segments.
4. Mix the zest and juice of the lemon and lime with the ground ginger, coriander leaf and olive oil. Add the cod, season generously and coat well.
5. Divide the sweet potato, celery sticks and orange segments between the baking parchment. Top with the cod fillets and evenly drizzle with the remaining marinade.
6. Close and tie each parcel with raffia or string. Place on a baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

Monday

2008-11-23T04:16:00.000-08:00

Anchovies in vinegar

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : -
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 kg anchovies
Vinegar
Garlic
Parsley
Salt
Olive oil

Recipe :
Allow 24 hours marinating time.

Remove the heads and spines from the fish and wash carefully.
Open out.
Salt and put to one side in a dish with the garlic and parsley, finely chopped.
Soak in vinegar for 24 hours.
Serve with olive oil.

Sunday

2008-11-23T03:08:00.000-08:00

Tapas: Tortoiseheads

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Serves 4
- 8 chicory leaves
- 80 g crab meat
- ½ avocado
- 2 pinches chopped tarragon
- 20 g diced grapefruit
- 20 g diced celery
- 1 pinch salt, pepper

Sauce :
- 1 hard-boiled egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 10 ml lemon juice
- 20 ml orange juice
- table salt
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 20 ml cognac

Recipe :
Making the Tortoise Heads :
- Mix the crab meat with the avocado, tarragon, grapefruit, celery, salt and pepper.
- Mix with sauce and adjust seasoning.

Sauce :
- Mix egg, cream cheese, mustard, lemon juice, orange juice, salt, pepper, ketchup and cognac together until you have a smooth sauce.
- Transfer to another bowl and add 15g chopped tarragon.

To Serve :
- Take two chocory leaves and put a spoonful of filling in each.
- Place on a plate on top of a basil leaf.

Advice :
Try making 'vegetable crisps' for a fun starter or snack : Thinly slice some beetroot, courgette, celery, carrots or any other vegetables you fancy, then arrange on an oven tray.
Cook at a very low heat for 30 minutes, by which time the vegetables will have lost their liquid and become crisp and crunchy, without any oil !

Saturday

2008-11-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

Roast sweet potato soup with paprika and bacon

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pack bacon, diced
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 onion, finely chopped
1 litre stock
Sea salt and black pepper

Recipe :
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC, 400ºF, Gas Mark 6.
2. Toss the sweet potato with 2 tbsp olive oil, season and roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and soft.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until brown and crispy.
4. Add the garlic and paprika and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes, until softened but not browned.
5. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and gently add the roasted sweet potatoes, cook for 5 minutes.
6. Remove half of the onion and potato mixture with a slotted spoon. Then carefully blend the remaining soup, until smooth. Return the onion and potato mixture to the pan.
7. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season to taste.

Friday

2008-11-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

Quinoa salad

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 1
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Per person:
- 50g quinoa
- 2 big handfuls of rocket
- 100g herb tofu
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp almond purée
- 2 tsp tsp umeboshi (dried plum) juice (optional)
- 2 tbsp walnut oil
- 1 big handful of sprouting leaves and seeds (alfalfa, leek, red cabbage or radish)

Recipe :
Cook the quinoa in 1 1/2 times its volume of water. Meanwhile, wash and dry the rocket leaves and chop the tofu into cubes.

Grill the pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a pan without adding oil. Dilute the almond purée with the umeboshi juice and walnut oil, and store in a small glass pot or container.

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled, mix all the ingredients together and add the dressing just before serving.

Thursday

2008-11-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

Crab and grapefruit salad

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
300g guacamole
1 grapefruit (pink if possible)
350g crab meat, drained
50g cashew nuts, crushed
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tsp dill, chopped
lemon juice
lime

Recipe :
1- Peel and segment the grapefruit. Cut into large cubes.
2- In a bowl, combine the crab, nuts, grapefruit, shallots, dill and lemon juice. Season to taste.
3- Take 4 glasses and layer alternatively the crab mixture and guacamole.
4- Garnish with a thin slice of lime and serve.

Wednesday

2008-11-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Carrot and chanterelle soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Cheap
From :
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
500g carrots
200g chanterelle mushrooms
80g shallots
1 garlic clove
100ml white wine
1 dash of hazelnut oil
2 tbsp of crème fraîche
1l chicken broth
Parsley
4 slices of gingerbread (not too sugary)
Salt and pepper

Recipe :
Peel and thinly slice the shallots and garlic.
Prepare and wash the chanterelles.

In a frying pan, heat a dash of hazelnut oil and sweat the shallots, garlic and chanterelles. Keep a few chanterelles aside for decorating.

Peel and cut the carrots into cubes and add to the pan. Pour in the white wine, leave to reduce and add the chicken broth. Add a small amount of salt plus the parsley. Leave to simmer for about half an hour and check the carrots are cooked by tasting one.

Mix the soup, add the creme fraiche and heat. Remove from the heat when your soup starts to boil. Add seasoning to taste.

Cut the gingerbread into small cubes and fry slightly. Warm the chanterelles, place them on the side of each plate, pour the soup into bowls and garnish with the gingerbread croutons.

Variations: the chicken broth can be replaced with water; the gingerbread with cubes of smoked ham.

Tuesday

2008-11-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

Summer pea, broccoli and mint soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From :
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 tablespoon olive oil
25g butter
1 medium white onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove peeled and finely chopped
400ml chicken stock
400g shelled peas
100g broccoli florets
juice of 1 lemon
salt and cracked black pepper
small bunch of mint shredded
extra virgin olive oil

Recipe :
1. Melt the oil and the butter, add the onion and garlic and cook over a gentle heat until soft, for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil, add the peas and broccoli and cook until they are soft, for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove half of the soup and blend in a food processor then add back into the rest of the soup.
4. Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Stir in mint.
5. Serve in warmed bowls with extra virgin olive oil.

Monday

2008-11-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Chunky sausage soup

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 25 min
Budget : Cheap
From : United Kingdom
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
6 thick pork sausages
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
400g tin mixed beans drained and rinsed
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 packet of Schwartz sausage casserole recipe mix (or equivalent)
1 tbsp Schwartz parsley
Sea salt and black pepper

Recipe :
Grill the sausages for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, heat the oil and fry the onion for a few minutes until softened

Add the beans and tomatoes. Chop the sausages into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan. Make up the casserole according to the packet instructions. Add to the saucepan

Add 450 ml boiling water to the pan, season and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

Serve with chunks of brown bread

Sunday

2008-11-16T11:53:00.000-08:00

Tomato soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 25 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 kg ripe tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
3/4 litre chicken stock
2 onions
Salt & pepper
8 leaves mint
Fresh chopped parsley

Recipe :
57 calories per person

Wash, peel and seed tomtoes, then cut into quarters.
Peel and slice onions and garlic.
Brown the onion with a couple of chunks of tomato instead of butter or oil.
Add stock and rest of tomatoes.
Cook for 25 minutes, then blend.
Add parsely and mint leaves, as well as garlic.
Serve.

Saturday

2008-11-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

French onion soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 35 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 tbsp olive oil
500g onions, finely sliced
1 clove garlic
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 l beef stock
salt and pepper
4 sliced of baguette
25g grated gruyére or cheddar
25g parsley

Recipe :
1- In an oven proof saucepan or casserole, heat the oil and add the onions, cook over a low heat for 15 minutes until golden.
2- Add the garlic and the sugar.
3- Heat the beef stock ab=nd add to the onions, mix well.
4- Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season to taste.
5- Lightly grill (or toast) the slices of baguette, top with cheese.
6- Float the cheese topped baguette on the soup, and place under the grill for 5 minutes, so that the cheese melts.
7- Sprinkle parsley on top and serve.

Friday

2008-11-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

Spiced coconut soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
120g fresh coconut
1 papaya
1 large onion
250ml chicken stock
250ml coconut milk
250ml creme fraiche
60g sweetened butter
2 tablespoons curry powder
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Allow two hours' chilling time for this recipe

Thinly slice the coconut (using a peeler or zester might help).
Peel papaya and dice flesh.
Gently heat butter, then saute chopped onion until translucent.
Add curry powder and leave to cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add stock, coconut milk, creme fraiche, salt, pepper and papaya.
Leave to cook for 15 minutes, then add coconut and stir well.
Chill for two hours before serving.

Thursday

2008-11-14T02:17:00.000-08:00

Iced avocado soup with salmon

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 avocados
100ml low-fat cream, or liquid creme fraiche
100ml chicken stock (cooled)
Juice of 1 lime
3 or 4 drops of Tabasco sauce
Salt & pepper
1 pinch cumin
Smoked salmon to taste
A few croutons
A few leaves fresh coriander

Recipe :
Peel and mash the flesh of four chilled avocados.

Mix with cream, lime juice and stock. Add a little more stock if too thick.

Season with Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper and cumin.

Share out into bowls.

Dice salmon and decorate each bowl with salmon, coriander leaves and a few croutons.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
- Bordeaux: St Emilion
- Burgandy: Maçon, Saumur Champigny
- Rhône Valley: Tavel, Côtes de Provence

Wednesday

2008-11-12T02:47:00.000-08:00

Couscous

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 60 min
Cooking : 190 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 kg meat (beef shoulder or sides, lamb shoulder or pieces of chicken)
A few bones
200g chickpeas
3 onions
4 tomatoes
4 turnips
750g courgettes
500g pumpkin
1 stick of celery
1 cabbage heart
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
A few crushed coriander seeds
Salt and pepper
Allspice
1 kg couscous
a little harissa

Recipe :
The night before, soak the chickpeas.
You need a 2-part steamer or couscous maker. Place the oil and chopped meat in the bottom part, add the chopped onions and quartered tomatoes and after 10 minutes, add 2 litres of cold water, the bones and chickpeas. Bring to the boil on a moderate heat and after 1 and a half hours, add the turnips, celery, coriander and paprika. Season and add a handful of allspice. In a pan, blanch the cabbage heart for 2-3 minutes. Add 30 minutes before the end of cooking along with the courgettes and pumpkin. In the upper part of your steamer, steam the couscous with the steam from the cooking vegetables. To serve, arrange the couscous on a serving dish, pour a little olive oil over. Reduce the mixture to about a litre and a half, remove the meat and vegetables from their stock and serve them in a separate dish. Water the harissa down and pour into a sauce boat with a ladleful of the meat and vegetable stock.

Advice :
Recommended wine: red

Tuesday

2008-11-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Rack of lamb with spinach and mushroom gratin

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 40 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Reasonable
From :
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
2 racks of lamb, each with around 8 ribs
80g butter
1kg fresh spinach
500g large mushrooms
100g cream
Rock salt
Fine salt
Freshly-ground pepper
1 clove garlic

Recipe :
De-stalk the spinach, wash and blanch for a few seconds in a pan of hot salted water, then plunge into a bowl of icy water to keep it fresh and green.
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms, wash and chop finely. Brown in a knob of butter and set aside.
Glaze the mushroom pan with cream, heat until it becomes saucy and season. Drain the spinach well, compact using your hands and sauté in a knob of butter with salt and crushed garlic, using a fork. In small gratin or baking dishes, place a layer of spinach, a layer of mushrooms and top with cream.
Separate the lamb and cook in a knob of butter, turning to brown them on all sides.

Advice :
Guy Savoy recipe
Photos: Owen Franken

Monday

2008-11-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

Lamb and prune tagine

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 5 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1.2kg shoulder of lamb, cut into small pieces
400g prunes
100g blanched almonds
2 large onions
1 stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon pepper
Salt

Recipe :
Peel and slice onions.
In a large pan, saute onions in 2 tablespoons oil for about 3 minutes, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon.
Add meat, cinnamon stick, turmeric and pepper, stir carefully.
Add 400ml water, bring to boil, then cover, lower heat and leave to simmer for at least an hour. Salt.

Wash prunes and add to dish. Leave to cook over a low heat for 30 minutes.
Mix honey and powdered cinnamon together, pour into pan and leave for another 15 minutes. Stir well, but do not cover.
Heat the rest of the oil in another pan, then saute almonds for a few minutes, over a high heat.

Serve tagine piping hot and sprinkled with almonds, with couscous in a separate serving dish.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
A Rosé: Lirac, Côtes-du-Rhône
A Red: St Emilion
...or try a Moroccan or Algerian red.

Nutritional Information:
Approx 768 calories per portion
Proteins: 38g
Fats: 52g
Carbohydrates: 37g

Sunday

2008-11-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Beef bourguignon

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 145 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1 1/2 kg braising steak, diced

Marinade:
1 large onion
1 or 2 cloves
1 carrot
6 peppercorns
2 tablespoon oil
1 bottle full-bodied red wine, preferably a Burgandy
100 g lean bacon
1 tablespoon Marc de Bourgogne or Eau de vie
12 small onions
20 g butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon flour
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Preparation for this recipe must be done the night before, as the meat needs to be marinated for at least 3 hours, preferably 12.

Marinade:
Dice meat into 5 cm cubes.
Put in a casserole dish with the chopped onion, sliced carrot, cloves and peppercorns.
Mix wine and oil.
Add to casserole.
Leave to chill for 3 hours, ideally overnight.
Stir from time to time.

Cooking:
Put the bacon in a pn of cold water and bring to the boil.
Leave on heat for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
Strain and dry carefully.
Dice bacon.
Put in a small bowl and soak with Eau de Vie.
Chill until needed.

Peel small onions.
Sauté until translucent in a small pan with a little butter.
Leave to brown for about 15 minutes, half-covered.

Heat oil until hot in a saucepan.
Strain meat from marinade and and brown on all sides.
Sieve flour into meat, stir in.
Turn up heat and brown.
Add garlic, bacon and Eau de vie bacon has been soaked in.
Brown for a couple of minutes.

Cover meat with marinade, adding a little water of necessary.
Season and add bouquet garni.
Leave to simmer for 2 hours over a low heat.

After 1h45, chop and add small onions.

Put beef in a large dish, cover with sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve with boiled potatoes.

Advice :
Recommended Wines: WIne used in preparation, or Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Saturday

2008-11-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

Haunch of venison-style leg of lamb

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 180 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1 leg of lamb, weighing around 2 kg, boned and tied with string
3 tablespoons oil
25g butter

For the Marinade:
2 litres red wine
3 chopped carrots
2 onions, in skins
3 cloves
2 milled pepper
2 stick celery
Thyme, bay leaves, salt and black pepper
3-4 cloves garlic
1 glass red wine vinegar
1 teaspoons coriander

Recipe :
Make marinade 3 days in advance:

In a pan, saute vegetables and spices in wine and vinegar. Bring to the boil, then allow to cool.

Place the meat in a roasting dish or tin, then add marinade and chill for 3 days.

On The Day of The Meal:

Brown meat in butter and oil, and roast in an oven preheated to 400°F (210°C), for a 1/4 of an hour per half a kilogram (a pound).

Meanwhile, reduce marinade over a high heat. Pass through a sieve, and your sauce is ready.

Carve meat, then arrange two slices of lamb on each plate, covered with sauce.

Serve with roast vegetables and celery purée, or mashed potato.

Friday

2008-11-08T04:07:00.000-08:00

Pork fillets with pineapple

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 25 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : India
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 pineapple
3 tbsp olive oil
30g butter
2 pork fillets (tenderloin)
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp rum
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 chicken stock cube
3 tbsp water
salt and pepper

Recipe :
1) Peel the pineappple and remove the eyes. Slice into rounds approximately 1/2 cm thick and then cut into quarters, removing the core.
2) Heat the butter and oil in a pan. Seal the pork over a relatively high heat,then remove.
3) Fry the onions until soft. Remove and set aside.
4) Fry the pineapple, until gently caramelised.
5) return the onion to the pan for 2 minutes,with the pineapple, add the rum, and flambee.
6) Add the garlic, lime juice, stock cube and water.
7) cover and simmer for 25 minutes, adding the pork half way through.
8) Carve the pork and serve with the pineapple and sauce.

Advice :
Once the meat is sealed, remove to a board and cover in aluminium foil.

Thursday

2008-11-08T03:56:00.000-08:00

Roast beef and roast potatoes

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 90 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : United Kingdom
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1.4kg/3lb Irish Topside of beef
1.1kg/2 1/2lb floury potatoes (King Edward are best)
4 tbsp goose fat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Watercress for decoration

Recipe :
Weigh the joint (or remember what the butcher said) and calculate the cooking time at 15 minutes per pound plus 15 minutes extra for rare.

Prepare the potatoes: peel and cut into even sized chunks. Parboil in lightly salted boiling water. Drain. Place a lid on the pan and shake the potatoes around to rough up the surfaces. Heat goosefat in a roasting tin and transfer potatoes to it. Season. Roast at Gas 6 400F 200C for around 30 minutes, turning over now and again until crisp and golden. Remove from tin and keep warm.

Heat oil in a pan and brown beef on all sides. Transfer to a roasting tin and season with freshly ground black pepper. Place in a pre-heated oven Gas 6 400F 200C for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to Gas 4 350F 180C for remaining time. Cooking times will depend on the thickness of the joint as well. To test for ‘doneness’, rare beef should give, when squeezed or prodded with a finger. Medium is more springy. Cook for longer for more well-done.

Remove from oven when cooked to choice, and leave to relax for at least 15 minutes. Season again with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve on a platter in slices with best ever roast potatoes around. Decorate with a flourish of watercress.

Advice :
Potatoes roasted in goose fat make roasties with a crackly, crunchy outside, fluffy inside perfection and blissful flavour.

Wednesday

2008-11-04T13:50:00.001-08:00

Beef tortillas

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Mexico
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 pepper
1 courgette
3 tomatoes
240g minced beef
4 tbsp kidney beans (cooked)
8 tbsp mexican sauce (salsa)
4 tortillas
salt & pepper

olive oil to fry
guacamole and salad to serve

Recipe :
Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan, fry the onion and garlic together gently, until soft.
Cut the pepper and courgette into thin strips and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Wash, and finely chop the tomatoes, add to courgette and pepper.
Add the mince, kidney beans and sauce and season. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas 6).
Fold the tortillas into cones and heat for 10 minutes.
When evrything is ready, serve with salad and guacamole.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
- reds: Maçon, Saumur Champigny
- rosés: Tavel, Bandol

Tuesday

2008-11-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

Roast monkfish with mango and leek

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 35 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
350g monkfish
1 mango
2 leeks
75g butter
2 limes
2 shallots
15g fresh ginger
1 teaspoon capers
2 tablespoon soy sauce
10g chopped basil
10g parsley
2 cloves garlic
5 peppercorns
Rock salt

Recipe :
The day before:

Peel and grate ginger.

Peel and chop shallots.

Put ginger, shallots, garlic and pepper in a bowl with the juice of both limes and soy sauce. Leave to marinate overnight.

Boil leeks in salt water for 20 minutes. Leave to cool.

Wrap in a clean towel and leave to dry overnight, so cloth absorbs water.

On the day:

Caramelise the leeks in 25g butter, then remove from pan and keep warm.

In same pan, fry fish in remaining 50g butter, 5 minutes on each side. Keep warm, on same plate as leeks.

Peel and slice mango, then in same pan again, sauté for a few minutes and add lime and soy sauce mixture.

Add leeks, then fish.

At the last moment, add chopped herbs and capers.

Serve with basmati rice.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
- Alsace: Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeau: Entre Deux mers
- Burgandy: Maçon, St Véran
- Loire Valley: Sancerre, Pouilly
- Rhône Valley: Tavel

Monday

2008-11-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Salmon ceviche

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
150g salmon
1 shallot
Juice of 1 lemon
A couple of slices of fresh ginger
A few sprigs parsley
A few capers or gherkins
A dash tabasco sauce

Recipe :
Remove skin of salmon.
Dice fish, add shallot, finely chopped.
Mix together, then add lemon juice, parsley, ginger, and a chopped gherkin or a few capers, all to taste.
Season with a dash Tabasco sauce, salt and milled black pepper.
Serve with toast.

Advice :
This is a great summer recipe - the fish 'cooks' in the acid of the lemon juice, retaining more nutrients and flavour than when cooked with heat.

Great with a Sancerre!

Sunday

2008-11-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

Salmon blinis

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 6
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 5 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
for the batter:
200g wholemeal flour
150g buckwheat flour
75cl milk
3 eggs
25g yeast
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp sugar
100g melted butter

6 slices smoked salmon
Philadelphia to garnish
chives

Recipe:
Warm the milk in a pan for a few minutes.
Mix the yeast and 15cl milk.
Separate the egg whites and yolks and beat the yolks. In another bowl, mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and mix. Add the egg yolkd and 60cl milk bit by bit, until you get a thick but fluid mix.
Set aside for 45 minutes.
Whe the batter has risen, whip the egg whites and add.
In a small oiled pan (8cm), add 2 tsp batter and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Mix the chives, 2tsp milk and Philadelphia.
Garnish the blinis with the mixture uing a spoon, add a slice of smoked salmon to each one and top with dill.

Advice :
Delicious with vodka or cider

Saturday

2008-11-01T03:31:00.001-07:00

Mussels with Valerie sauce

Preparation: 15 min
Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients for 2 people:
1 kg mussels (360g shelled)
1 shallot
125ml white wine
1 egg yolk
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper

Recipe:
Dice the shallot and heat in a saucepan with the white wine.
Season and bring to the boil, then add the mussels.
Keep stirring as you cook them, and remove from the heat as soon as the mussels are cooked. Separate the mussels from the sauce, sieve the sauce, add egg yolk to the sieved mixture and beat.
Mix the cornflour and lemon juice, add to the sauce and pour over the mussels.
Mix and heat for a few minutes before serving.

Friday

2008-11-01T03:24:00.000-07:00

Choosing and preparing mussels

Here are our guidelines:

Choosing mussels: Mussels are sold in baskets or containers, by the litre or by weight. In a restaurant, you often get a whole kilo as a portion, but by the time you've de-shelled them you end up eating 300-400g. Someone with a small appetite will manage around 1 litre; someone with a hearty appetite may get through 2-3 litres!

If you buy your mussels fresh, make sure they're alive, the shells are closed, they're heavy (but not too heavy, which could mean they're full of mud!) and bright in colour. They keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a container covered with a damp cloth. They can be frozen, but should be used within 3 months.

Once you've rinsed and soaked your mussels a little, throw out any shells that are slightly open, which could give you a nasty case of indigestion!

Making mussels tender: Scrub, wash and drain them, place in a basin and add a few handfuls of flour. Mix and set aside for 1-2 hours, then rinse the mussels and cook according to your recipe. This is the Belgian way of making them soft and tender.

Frying mussels: Dip them in light batter made from flour, sparkling water and beaten egg white and fry them in hot oil for 30 seconds.

Once you've cooked them dry (in a big pan, until they've opened up), you can also marinade them in spicy tomato sauce, garlic vinaigrette or flavoured olive oil.

Thursday

2008-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

VEGETABLE RISOTTO

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients (for 4 people):

300g risotto rice
1 aubergine
1 courgette
1 tomato
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
60g parmesan
1.5 litres chicken stock
olive oil
3 basil leaves

Method:

Dice the aubergine, courgette and tomato. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the vegetables. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil then the rice.

Leave to brown for 3 minutes and add the stock. Cover and leave to simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes until all the stock is absorbed. Add parmesan and chopped basil leaves and serve.

Wednesday

2008-10-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

Spreads for open sandwiches

Type of dish :Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : -
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy

Beetroot hoummous garnish
- 1 tin cooked chickpeas
- 2 tbsp puréed sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 small cooked beetroot

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and blend together with the rest of the ingredients. Garnish slices of bread with the hoummous and finely grated red cabbage, radish, alfafa or luzerne.

Pomegranate and goat's cheese garnish
- 200g fresh goat's cheese
- 3 tbsp soy yoghurt
- 1 pomegranate

Crush the goat's cheese and add the soy yoghurt. Add a pinch of salt and the pomegranate seeds, arrange on slices of bread and scatter with grilled pine nuts.

Variation: Replace the pomegranate with diced melon and the goat's cheese with ricotta.

Tuesday

2008-10-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ratatouille

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
500g tomatoes
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper
300g courgettes
300g aubergines
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bouquet garni
1 sprig thyme
Salt & pepper
1 pinch chilli

Recipe :
Prepare vegetables:
Peel and chop tomatoes, pepper, onion, courgette, aubergine and garlic.

Sauté onions in a little oil in a saucepan.
Add tomatoes, bouquet garni, garlic, salt and pepper.
Leave to cook gently.
Brown courgettes in a separate pan and add to other vegetables.
Repeat with aubergines.
Add thyme and chilli.
Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Advice :
Serve with baked potatoes and salad, try melting a little camembert on the potatoes...
Recommended wines:
- Alsace: Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux: Entre 2 mers
- Bourgogne: Maçon

Monday

2008-10-27T12:45:00.001-07:00

Pizza alla marinara (seafood)

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 25 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Italy
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Pizza base
500g cockles and mussels
200g tomatoes
200g mozzarella cheese
Olive oil

Recipe :
Spread the pizza base with olive oil.
Boil shellfish to open shells, discard any which remain closed and remove rest from shells.
Peel and seed tomatoes, chop and add to pizza.
Sprinkle seafood on top.
Season.
Cut mozzarella into small pieces and add to pizza.
Pour a last helping of olive oil and put in oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Advice :
Try adding prawns and chopped garlic to your pizza for extra flavour.
Recommended wines: white Bandol, Sancerre, white Orvieto

Sunday

2008-10-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Seafood tapas

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : -
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 packet ready-prepared prawns
1 boiled octopus
Parsley
4 chunks lemon
4 potatoes
Mayonnaise
1 tomato
A few lettuce leaves for presentation

Recipe :
Wash and boil potatoes.
Chop parsley.
Strain prawns.
Season with olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon and serve onto four plates.
Sprinkle with parsley.
Slice tomato and put a couple of slices on each plate, along with lettuce.
Add a chunk of lemon and a spoonful of mayonnaise or aïoli.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

Saturday

2008-10-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Roast duck breast with red cabbage

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 5 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
8 small or 4 large Silver Hill Irish duck breast fillets, skin on
Chinese Five Spice powder
4 tbsp oil 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 small red cabbage, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
2 tsp sugar
150ml/1/4pt dry cider
Watercress for decoration

Recipe :
Rub duck breast on both sides with Chinese Five Spice powder. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and fry duck breasts skin side down first, pressing down with a spatula, so skin becomes crisp and golden - about 4 minutes. Repeat on other side but keep the meat bouncy to the touch to ensure they are pink in the middle.

At the same time heat remaining oil in a wok or pan, cook onion to soften. Add red cabbage and toss around with sugar - until cabbage is heated through but still crisp. Add cider and continue cooking until it almost evaporates and cabbage is cooked, but still with a bite. Serve duck breasts with red cabbage on the side, decorated with watercress.

Friday

2008-10-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

Plum and raspberry crumble

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 4
Preparation : 45 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Cheap
From : United Kingdom
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
125g butter
125g flour
100g sugar
400g plums
A dozen raspberries

Recipe :
Mix the butter and flour with your fingers until you obtain a sand-like texture.

Add the sugar and mix.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 6).

Pit the plums and cut them in half, then place them in the bottom of the oven dish.
Add the raspberries and cover with the crumble mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden on top.

For extra decoration, sprinkle with a few more raspberries once the crumble is cooked. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Advice :
For a variation, add walnuts or apples.

Thursday

2008-10-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Organic cream cheese with vegetables and herbs

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Organic ingredients for four:

- 500g organic cream cheese or fromage frais
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 courgette
- ½ cucumber
- 1 spring onion
- 1 lemon
- Coriander or other fresh herbs of choice
- Olive oil
- Freshly-milled salt and black pepper

Recipe :
Carefully wash the vegetables under running water, top and tail, then dice without peeling.

Peel onion, finely snip coriander.

Whip the cheese in a bowl, with 3 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice. Season generously, add half of the vegetables and herbs.

Pour mixture into four individual little bowls, then sprinkles with the rest of the vegetables and herbs. Serve chilled.

You can replace the coriander with parsley, chives or oregano, depending on your tastes.

Advice :
All classic dairy products have organic versions : yoghurt, butter, eggs, creme fraiche… They are made from organic milk which comes from organic farms. The cows which produce the milk are kept in comfortable conditions, no pesticides or fertilisers are used on their pastures and they are fed a natural, varied diet.

Organic milk is milked and stored separately from conventionally-produced milk to preserve its organic nature.

The final products contain no artificial colourings, flavourings, conserving agents or emulsifier.

Wednesday

2008-10-22T01:14:00.000-07:00

Paella

Preparation: 1h
Cooking time: 1h 25 min

Ingredients for 6-8 people:
400g rice
500g squid
1 litre mussels
12 langoustines
200g chorizo (Spanish sausage)
1 chicken
500g peas
4 cloves garlic
4 green peppers
6 tomatoes
1/2 glass olive oil
1 packet saffron
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper

Recipe:
Slice the chicken into pieces, wash the squid and slice into rings.
Heat oil in a frying pan and cook chicken until golden. Add squid, sliced chorizo and crushed garlic and leave to cook slowly.
Peel and dice the pepper and add to the meat and fish.
Stir with a wooden spoon.
Peel and dice tomatoes, add to frying pan and stir.
Add 1 litre of warm water, mix in thoroughly.
Season and leave to cook for 15 minutes.
In a separate pan, boil some salt water, then add the mussels, which should open easily.
Cook languostines in boiling water for five minutes also.
Wash rice and add to frying pan. Add saffron, mussels and langoustines and cook for at least 20 minutes.

Tuesday

2008-10-21T01:28:00.000-07:00

Mussels in white wine sauce

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20min-25min
Cooking : 20min-30min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Thailand
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients:

- 8 peeled, chopped shallots
- 80g butter
- 300ml dry white wine
- pepper
- 4 sprigs parsley
- 4 litres of well washed and scrubbed mussels
- chopped parsley

Fry the shallots in 30 butter for 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, pepper and parsley stalks, cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes on a low heat. Add the mussels, turn the heat up and mix from time to time. Remove the mussels gradually and place in a serving dish, throwing out any that stay closed, are an unusual colour or seem full of sand.

Keep however much of the cooking juice you need for your sauce on the heat. Add the butter in pieces and whip it in. Taste to check seasoning (as a rule, you don't need to add salt because the cooking juice contains enough).

Pour the sauce over the mussels and sprinke with parsley. Serve with French fries.

Variations: instead of butter, use either finely-grated garlic in your sauce or curry seasoning and cream. Other possibilities include blue cheese, pesto, fennel and lemon.

Monday

2008-10-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Crunchy wheat and apple salad
Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 Granny Smith, Fuji or Pink Lady apples
250g bulgur wheat
1/2 cucumber
150g cheese
75g nuts
1 small bunch green grapes
1/2 bunch chives
5 stems chervil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Pour bulgur wheat into a pan of boiling salt water. Cook according to instructions on packet, strain and leave to cool.

Cut cucumber in half, remove seeds and dice flesh.

Peel apples, core, quarter and dice.

Cut cheese into small chunks.

Slice grapes in half, crush nuts in blender.

Pour all ingredients into a large bowl, over cooled bulgur wheat, then add snipped chives and chervil.

Prepare a sauce, by mixing olive oil and vinegar in a bowl, season and pour over salad.

Mix and chill before serving.

Sunday

2008-10-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Chicken and apple couscous

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 75 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
8 chicken wings
2 chicken breasts
1 good onion
2 courgettes
3 carrots
3 Golden Delicious apples
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 level teaspoons chilli powder
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon orange flower water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small can chickpeas
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Prepare the vegetables: peel and slice onion, then peel and cut carrots into 2cm sticks. Wash courgettes and slice, then remove core and cut apples into eight. Soak sultanas in a bowl of orange flower water.

Trim chicken wings and cut into pieces, dice breasts.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté meat and onions. Sprinkle with spices, add tomato puree, season and mix well. Cover meat with water, bring to the boil and leave to cook for 45 mins at a medium heat.

Add carrots, courgettes, apples, raisins and chickpeas. Cover and leave to cook for a further 30 mins.

Cook couscous according to instructions on packet, then arrange on plates with meat and vegetables in the centre. Serve sauce in a separate container.

Saturday

2008-10-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

Melon and mozzarella salad with basil

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 5 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
- 1 large melon or 2 small ones
- 250g mozzarella
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 limes
- 1 sprig fresh basil
- salt and pepper
- a few flaked almonds

Recipe :
Cut the flesh of the melon into thin strips or make balls using a melon baller if you have one. Set to one side in a salad bowl. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices or cut like the melon. Alternate 2 slices of melon and 1 slice of mozzarella on each plate and season.

Finely cut the basil leaves, mix them with the olive oil and squeezed limes and drizzle over the melon and mozarella. Serve at room temperature.

Friday

2008-10-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Roast pork loin with roasted coriander seeds

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 60 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : United Kingdom
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
450g (1lb) pork tenderloin
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp olive oil
50g (2oz) butter
Sea salt and black pepper

Recipe :
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 5.
2. Scatter the coriander seeds onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
3. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the coriander seeds and then add the garlic granules and grind thoroughly to release the flavours.
4. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper and then roll the pork in the spices, coating evenly.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the pork and brown on both sides.
6. Transfer to a roasting tray and add the butter.
7. Cook in the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until cooked through.
8. Leave to rest for a few minutes before slicing to serve.

Thursday

2008-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

RIBBON AND ORGANIC BEEF KEBABS

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : Polish
Difficulty : Easy

Organic ingredients for four:

- 350g beef (rump steak or fillet)
- 2 courgettes
- 2 carrots
- Fennel
- 1 small cucumber
- 100g alfalfa sprouts (or mixed salad)
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- Fresh basil
- Freshly-milled salt and black pepper
- Olive oil
- Cheese of choice
- Wooden skewers

Method

Slice the beef as thinly as you can (think carpaccio), wrap in cling film and chill for 45 minutes.

Wash all vegetables carefully, top and tail. Peel carrots, then use the peeler to cut into long ribbon. Do the same with the courgettes, leaving the skin on.

Slice the fennel thinly.

Placer the vegetables in a basin and drizzle with juice of half a lemon. Sprinkle with oregano, season and leave to one side.

Lay out a strip of courgette, add a strip each of carrot, cucumber and beef, before rolling them all up together and skewering onto your wooden kebabs. Repeat three times on each skewer until you have eight kebabs.

Prepare a vinaigrette, with six tablespoons olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and a tablepsoon of roughly chopped capers. Season to taste.

Arrange a handful of alfafa sprouts or organic mixed salad and two kebabs on each plate, then drizzle with vinaigrette. Decorate with a few leaves of basil and add a few ribbons of cheese (use the peeler in the same way as you did for the vegetable ribbons).

More Info

Alfafa is also known as lucerne. After the Mung bean – more commonly known as bean sprouts - alfalfa provides the most shoots. With a gentle flavour, they are rich in amino acids, vitamins and mineral salts.

You can buy alfalfa plants and eat the shoots as long as you keep them in the fridge for no more than three days. You can also grow them yourself. Eat raw for maximum micro-nutrients.

Wednesday

2008-10-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Beef meatballs and yoghurt sauce

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
600g minced beef
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 pinch nutmeg powder
1 egg
2 rounded tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon very finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Oil

Sauce:
3 yoghurts
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint
Salt and pepper

Recipe :
Prepare the meatballs by mixing the meat with the chopped onion and garlic, parsley, cumin, nutmeg, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Make into balls and set aside on a plate.

To make the sauce, mix the yoghurts with the salt, pepper and finely chopped herbs and refrigerate.

Brown the meatballs all over in the oil for 10-15 minutes then drain them on kitchen paper. Serve with the cold sauce and onion pilau rice.

Fennel salad with lentils

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 bulbs of fennel
2 carrots
2 bunches of celery
16 radishes
1.5 tablespoons vinagrette
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon warm water
salt and black pepper
4 tablespoons puy lentils cooked in salted water

Recipe :
1- Remove the horns from the fennel and cut off the bottom. Remove the outer layer. Wash and dry.
2- Peel the carrots and rinse the celery.
3- Wash and top the radishes.
4- Finely slice all the vegetables lengthways.
5- Plunge into icy cold water and refrigerate for an hour, so that they are really crunchy.
6- When you are almost ready to serve, make the dressing: Mix the vinagrette, orange juice, olive oil and warm water. Season well.
7- Add the lentils and stir.
8- Remove the vegetables from the fridge, arrange and serve.

Tuesday

2008-10-13T12:19:00.001-07:00

Chicken tagine with honey and dried fruit

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 free-range chicken, jointed and cut into small pieces
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
150g almonds
250g dates
250ml vegetable stock
4 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons honey
6 stalks corinader
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 pinch saffron stamens
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Saute onions and chicken pieces in oil, in a large pan until golden.
Sprinkle meat with spices, season and stir well.
Add honey and make sure all meat is covered.
Saute almonds until golden in a non-stick pan, then add to dish. Add dates, coriander and crushed garlic, then vegetable stock.
Cover pan and leave to cook slowly for 30 minutes, until most of liquid has evaporated.
Serve hot with couscous.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
Rosés: Lirac, Côtes du rhône
Reds: St Emilion
... or try a Moroccan red such as Sidi Brahim, or Algerian wines like Chateaux Tellagh or Coteaux de Tlemcen.

Monday

2008-10-12T13:48:00.001-07:00

Curried pork

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1kg pork fillet
1 courgette
1 aubergine
2 potatoes
1 banana
1 lime
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch chives
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 shallots
1 small chilli pepper
4 sticks celery
1 sprig thyme
2 tablespoons curry
Oil
Vinegar
Salt& pepper

Recipe :
Allow at least an hour's marinating time for this recipe

Cut the meat into small pieces, put in a bowl.
Peel and chop onion and chilli, season pork and sprinkle with onion and chilli, crushed garlic and a tablespoon of curry powder.
Drizzle with a tablespoon of vinegar and leave to marinate for at least an hour.

Heat the oil in a large pan and brown pork. Add marinade, then rest of curry powder and chilli, chopped parsely, chives and thyme. Mix well.
Wash and chop courgette and aubergine and potatoes, then add to pot.
Add a little water to prevent from drying out, cover and leave to cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare basmati rice, following instructions on paket.

Squeeze lime, then add to pot after about 25 minutes. Mix well, allow to simmer for a final 5 minutes.
Serve with rice and decorate with sliced banana.

Advice :
Recommended wine: Tavel

Sunday

2008-10-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sautéed lamb with grapes

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 12 min
Budget : Reasonable
From :
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
700 g de-boned shoulder of lamb
1 onion
1 bunch of white grapes
40 g pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
½ teaspoon cumin
salt and freshly-ground pepper

Recipe :
Chop the meat into bite-sized cubes.
Rinse the grapes, dry with kitchen roll and remove seeds.
Peel and chop the onion.
Cook the meat and onion in the oil for 10 minutes.
Add the grapes, pine nuts, cumin and thyme.
Season, mix and cook for 2 minutes and serve.

Advice :
Recommended wine: Bordeaux Médoc

Saturday

2008-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Seafood tagliatelle

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 25 min
Budget : Expensive
From : Italy
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
400g tagliatelle
1l clams
1l mussles
2 carrots
1 stick celery
6 sprigs parsley
1 onion
1 shallot
150ml white wine
4 tablespoons creme fraiche
10g butter
1 pinch safran
Pepper

To cook pasta:
1 tablespoon olive oil
Rock salt

Recipe :
Peel carrots and slice into sticks, then steam for 5 minutes. Put to one side.
Rinse shellfish under running water.
Peel and chop onion and shallots.
Wash and chop celery, then saute in butter with onions until translucent.
Add wine, heat gently.
Add shellfish to open in heat, remove once opened and leave to cool. Discard any which remain closed.
Cook pasta in boiling water, with oil and salt.
Strain, keep warm.
Remoce clams from shells and put to one side with mussels.
Strain shellfish cooking juices, and re-heat gently in clean pan.
Add shellfish, carrots, creme fraiche and saffron.
Season with pepper.
Heat for 2 minutes.

Arrange pasta in a serving dish or individual plate, with vegetables, shellfish and sauce on top.
Sprinkle with snipped parsley and serve.

Friday

2008-10-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

Fish carpaccio

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
400g lean fish fillets (sea bass, sea bream, hake...)
2 limes
2 ripe tomatoes
2 spring onions
Mixed herbs
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Slice fish into 1cm slices.
Marinate for an hour in a mixture of lemon juice, salt, pepper and herbs.
Peel and seed tomatoes, then chop as small as possible.
Snip spring onions into small lengths.
Arrange fish in the middle of each plate, surround with tomatoes, then sprinkle with onions.

Thursday

2008-10-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Lamb casserole

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 300 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1kg lamb shank
1kg side of lamb
marrow on the bone
500g carrots
500g turnips
500g leeks
1 stick of celery
1 onion studded with cloves
6 garlic cloves
1 cabbage heart
3l water
2 pinches of salt
10 pepper corns

Recipe :
In the casserole dish, heat the water with the salt and pepper. As it comes to the boil, add your meat, bones and vegetables (exept cabbage and garlic). Turn the heat right down and cook for 5 hours.
One hour before the end of cooking, add the cabbage and garlic.
Serve the meat and vegetables together, with sauce. Serve the bones on toast, with plenty of salt.

Advice :
Wine: Bordeaux (St Emilion), Bourgogne (Maçon, Saumur), Côtes de Rhône

Wednesday

2008-10-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

Sole terrine

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 8
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 50 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 soles (8 fillets)
500g whiting or cod
90g flour
2 eggs, separated
300ml milk
90g melted butter
500ml crème fraîche
Salt & pepper
nutmeg
700g blanched spinach, chopped

Recipe :
Make a white sauce. Remove from heat, add 2 egg yolks and leave to cool.
Put the whiting, egg whites and crème fraîche in a blender, add white sauce and mix until combined.
Grease a terrine dish and pour in half of the fish mixture.
Arrange 4 sole fillets on top, overlapping where necessary.
Mix spinach with butter, blend, then pour into terrine dish.
Arrange remaining sole fillets on top of spinach, then fnish with a layer of fish sauce.
Cook in a bain-marie (over boiling water); or bake for 50 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
Serve cold, with a lime mousseline sauce.

Lime Mousseline :
160 calories per portion.

Serves 4 :
- 1 egg + 2 yolks
- juice of 3 limes
- 100g butter

In a dish over boiling water, or pan over a low heat, beateggs and lime juice.
Remove from heat, chop the butter into small pieces and add, mix well until smooth.

Advice :
This is a good dish to prepare the day before.

Recommended Wines :
- Alsace : Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux : Entre 2 mers
- Bourgogne : Maçon, St Véran
- Loire : Sancerre, Pouilly

Tuesday

2008-10-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

Fish soup

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
500g gutted and prepared fish
1 bouquet garni
3 tomatoes
2 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic
2 leeks, sliced
1 pinch cayenne pepper
500ml dry white wine + same quantity water
2 tablespoon olive oil
croutons

Recipe :
Peel and chop tomatoes.
Slice leeks and onons, chop garlic.
Sauté leeks, onions and garlic in a large pan in a little oil.
Add tomatoes.
Pour in wine and water, add bouquet garni and cayenne pepper, then bring to boil.
Add fish, salt and leave to cook over a low heat for at least 30 minutes.
Take out the fish and bouquet garni.
Sieve soup and serve with croutons and a dollop of rouille sauce.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
- Alsace: Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux: Entre Deux Mers
- Bourgogne: Maçon
- Provence: Bregançon, Sanglière

Monday

2008-10-05T12:29:00.001-07:00

Chicken biryani

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 25 min
Budget : Reasonable
From :
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 chicken thighs with skin on
200g natural yoghurt
1 large onion
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp curry powder
4cm ginger root
2 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
500ml chicken stock
50g raisins
½ cup basmati rice per person

Recipe :
Chop up chicken and coat in yoghurt. Leave for at least 2 hours to marinate.
Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan and fry onions, chopped garlic, chopped chillies and grated ginger until golden.
Add coriander, raisins, rice and stock, cover and simmer for around 12 minutes.
Separate chicken from yoghurt, throw away yoghurt and fry chicken in 2tbsp oil for a few minutes. Add to rice and cook for another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the mixture is piping hot.

Sunday

2008-10-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Pork in satay sauce

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : China
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
600g pork fillet
1 medium onion
3 teaspoon mixed spice (fresh grated ginger, chopped chilli, cumin powder, coriander seeds and sugar)
100ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Satay Sauce:
150g salted peanuts
5 tablespoon coconut milk
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon chopped coriander

Recipe :
Cut the pork into strips.
Peel and chop the onion.
Add the spices, coconut milk and soy sauce to the onion and put in a large bowl.
Put the meat in the marinade, cover and leave for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Making the sauce :
Mix the peanuts, coconut milk, orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce and turmeric together in a bowl.
Stir thoroughly.
Add coriander.

Grill the pork strip for 20 minutes, then serve with satay sauce and basmati rice or noodles.

Advice :
Try replacing the coconut milk with soya milk as an alternative.
Recommended Wine :Tavel

Saturday

2008-10-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Venitian mackerel

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 5 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Italy
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
3 large mackerel
1 glass white wine
1/4l white sauce
1 tablespoon mixed herbes
1 tablespoon chopped chervil and tarragon
500g potatoes

Recipe :
Fry the fish in white wine for 10 minutes.
Cover with white sauce, add herbs. Sprinkle with chervil and tarragon, stir well and cook for 5 more minutes.
Boil potatoes and serve immediately with fish.

Advice :
Recommended Wines:
- Alsace : Silvaner, Pinot blanc
- Bordeaux : Entre 2 mers
- Bourgogne : Maçon, St Véran
- Loire : Sancerre, Pouilly

Friday

2008-10-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Roasted sea bass with thyme and tarragon

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 35 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
2 sea bass of around 700g each, gutted and prepared
150g peas
4 medium asparagus
200g mange tout
1 carrot, 1 small turnip
4 heads broccoli
3 sprigs thyme
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
8 cherry tomatoes
Sea salt
Black pepper

Tarragon Jus:
1 shallot
60g butter
3 tablespoon white wine
200ml fish stock
or 2 sprigs tarragon
1/2 lemon

Recipe :
Wash and prepare mange tout. Cook for 10 mins in boiling water, with a large pinch of salt.
Strain.
Peel asparagus, and chop carrot and turnip into sticks.
Cook all vegetables, incuding broccoli, in boiling water for 10 mins.
Strain.

Make tarragon jus:
Peel and chop shallot, saute in 10g butter for 5 mins. Add a little white wine, mix together and reduce until all liquid has evaporated.
Add fish stock, bring to boil and remove from heat.
Add 50g butter, and beat.
Add snipped tarragon leaves and lemon juice.

Remove eyes and whiskers from fish if they are still there, and wash.
Arrange fish in oven dish, season with sea salt and pepper, and slide a sprig of thyme into each fish.
Drizzle with oive oil, sprinkle with rest of thyme, and arrange garlic cloves around each fish.
Bake for 10 mins at 250°C (450°F), making sure you keep it moist.
Leave to rest for 10 mins after you remove it from the oven.

Wash cherry tomatoes and slice each one in half.
Cook vegetables lightly in tarragon jus, adding cherry tomatoes at the last minute.
Drain off juices from fish, and add to tarragon jus.

Once vegetables are ready, gently place fish on vegetables, sprinkle with more tarragon jus, and serve

Advice :
Recommended wines:
A white Côtes du Rhône.

Thursday

2008-10-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Seychellois chicken curry

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 medium-sized chicken
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon quatre épices (mixture of nutmeg, cloves, ginger and pepper used in French cooking)
1 tablespoon saffron
2 tablespoon curry powder
Salt & pepper
200g potatoes
Cinnamon leaves
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoon oil
Ginger

Recipe :
Cut chicken into small pieces.
Boil up chicken, with pepper, salt and 2 tablespoons quatre épices, for 5 or 10 minutes.
Peel and crush garlic, ginger and saffron.
Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
Wash and dry cinnamon leaves, roughly chop.
Remove chicken from heat, place in a pan with two tablespoons of oil.
Add crushed spices, cinnamon leaves and curry powder.
Stir for 5 minutes over a low heat, cover and leave to cook.
Add coconut milk and potatoes, leave to simmer.
Cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until fairly dry.
Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Bon appétit!

Advice :
Serve with basmati rice, with a rosé from Provence.

Wednesday

2008-09-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 2
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients:
3/4 pound rotini, cooked according to pkg
2 tablespoons butter
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, sliced 1/2" thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
8 ounces heavy cream
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation:
Cook rotini (or similar pasta) according to package directions. Drain; set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, onions, Cajun or Creole seasoning and ground black and red peppers. Add bell peppers and mushrooms; stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover; stir in cream and let simmer another 2 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Remove sauce from heat, stir in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Advice :
Accompany with a Tavel or Côtes de Provence.

Tuesday

2008-09-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Rabbit Provencal with aubergine

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 35 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 1/2 rabbits, cut into pieces
6 aubergines
150g smoked bacon
12 cloves garlic
Few sprigs rosemary
100ml dry white wine
2 tablespoon tapenade
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Recipe :
Wash and dice aubergines.
Remove the bacon rind.
Heat oil in a saucepan and brown meat.
Add garlic and brown, without peeling.
Remove pan from heat.
Add 3 tablespoon oil and brown aubergines.
Turn heat up high under meat, add wine and stir carefully.
Leave to reduce, then season and add rosemary.
Turn heat down to medium and leave to cook for a further 25 minutes, with pan 2/3 covered.
Add tapenade, diluted with a little hot water, cover again and cook for a few more minutes.
Serve with rice or fresh vegetables.

Advice :
For a tase of the South of France, serve this dish with pasta.

Recommended wines:
Light reds (Saumur Champigny, Maçon)
Rosés (Bandol, Tavel)
Whites (St Véran)

Monday

2008-09-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday

2008-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Garlic potatoes

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 large potatoes
2 egg yolks
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Parsley

Recipe :
Peel and chop potatoes into small pieces.
Boil potatoes.

Garlic Sauce :
Put the egg yolk, garlic and salt in a bowl.
Mix well and add the olive oil little by little, until ingredients evenly combined.

Pour sauce over potatoes, add a sprig of parsley and serve.

Saturday

2008-09-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Light Waldorf salad

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : - min
Budget : Cheap
From : USA, Canada
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
4 tablespoons fat-free natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon skimmed milk
2 red apples, peeled and diced
200 g celery, chopped
2 tablespoons nuts
1 pack mixed salad leaves

Recipe :
Mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, lemon juice and milk in a large bowl.

Add the apples, nuts and celery.
Mix well and add the salad leaves.

Friday

2008-09-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

Chicken and pineapple salad

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 40 min
Cooking : 5 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : USA, Canada
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1 large roast chicken/ four chicken breasts
1 fresh pineapple
1 large Granny Smith apple
250g celeriac
1 lemon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lettuce

For the sauce:
2 egg yolks
1/2l oil
1 tablespoon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
100g crème fraîche
Salt, Cayenne pepper

Recipe :
Wash and dry lettuce.
Wash but do not peel the apple, cut into small pieces.
Peel the pineapple and cut it in half.
Peel and grate the celeriac, put in a large bowl with the fruit, sprinkle with lemon juice and dust with sugar.
Mix and leave to settle for 15 minutes.
Take the skin of the chicken and cut flesh into slices.
Make a lemon mayonnaise, salt and add cayenne pepper to taste.
Whip the cream and add to the mayonnaise to make it creamy.
Pour into a sauce boat or jug, chill.
Mix the chicken, fruit and celeriac, line a salad bowl with lettuce leaves, chill for an hour.
Serve with sauce.

Thursday

2008-09-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Porcini mushroom risotto

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Expensive
From : Italy
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
160g long-grain rice
500g porcini mushrooms (also known as ceps or cèpes)
1 onion
1 carrot
2 beef stock cubes
30g grated parmesan
1 teaspoon margarine
Salt & fresh-ground black pepper

Recipe :
Peel and wipe musrooms with kitchen paper.
Slice.
Wash and peel carrot, peel and slice onion.
Saute onion and carrot for 5 minutes in a pan.
Add mushrooms and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Make stock in 750ml boiling water.
Add rice to pan, mix well.
Pour in about half the stock, mix well, cover and leave to cook over a low heat.
Add rest of stock little by little as it is absorbed by rice, stirring regularly for 20 minutes.
Season.
Sprinkle with parmesan and serve in bowls.

Advice :
Recommended Wine: Macon

Wednesday

2008-09-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Chicken and citrus salad

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
300g chicken breast
12 cherry tomatoes
1 yellow grapefruit
8 baby corn on the cob
100g bean sprouts
1 packet Batavia salad
20g sesame seeds

Citrus sauce:
1 teaspoon strong mustard
1 small onion
A few sprigs fresh coriander
Juice of 1/2 a grapefruit
Juice of 1 lime
1 natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablepsoon curry powder
2 teaspoons ginger
A few pistachio nuts, shelled
Salt & black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Recipe :
Cut chicken into wide strips, then steam for 15 minutes. Season, then leave to cool.
Wash tomatoes and cut in half.
Peel grapefruit and cut into quarters. Wash lettuce and bean sprouts.
Dry fry sesame seeds for 2 or 3 minutes.

To make the sauce:
In a blender, mix chopped onions, mustard, oil and coriander. Add fruit juices and stir.
Add yoghurt, curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Mix until creamy.
Arrange lettuce in a large bowl, add tomatoes, bean sprouts and corn on the cob, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chopped coriander.
Serve.

Advice :
Recommended wines: Tavel, Côtes de Provence, Sancerre

Tuesday

2008-09-22T13:36:00.001-07:00

Tomato and tapenade tart

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 35 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
1 pot black olive tapenade
5 or 6 tomatoes
1 savoury pastry case
Basil sauce (see below)
Grated cheese

Basil sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 leaves fresh basil
1 packet parmesan cheese

Recipe :
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
Prepare pastry case, then spread tapenade over bottom of tart.
Wash and de-seed tomatoes, then slice.
Arrange in tart.
Using a teaspoon, spread each tomato with basil sauce.
Sprinkle with grated cheese, then cook in oven for 35 minutes.
Serve with a green salad.

Basil sauce:
Chop basil, then mix all ingredients together and blend in a food processor.

Advice :
You can also use green olive tapenade, or add anchovies instead of basil sauce.
Enjoy with a rosé.

Monday

2008-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Seychellois chicken curry

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 40 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 medium-sized chicken
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon quatre épices (mixture of nutmeg, cloves, ginger and pepper used in French cooking)
1 tablespoon saffron
2 tablespoon curry powder
Salt & pepper
200g potatoes
Cinnamon leaves
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoon oil
Ginger

Recipe :
Cut chicken into small pieces.
Boil up chicken, with pepper, salt and 2 tablespoons quatre épices, for 5 or 10 minutes.
Peel and crush garlic, ginger and saffron.
Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
Wash and dry cinnamon leaves, roughly chop.
Remove chicken from heat, place in a pan with two tablespoons of oil.
Add crushed spices, cinnamon leaves and curry powder.
Stir for 5 minutes over a low heat, cover and leave to cook.
Add coconut milk and potatoes, leave to simmer.
Cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until fairly dry.
Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Bon appétit!

Advice :
Serve with basmati rice, with a rosé from Provence.

Sunday

2008-09-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Duck cutlets in green pepper sauce

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 10 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : France
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
2 large duck cutlets (350g to 400g)
150ml cream
50ml vermouth
1 teaspoon chicken stock
1 tablespoon green pepper
Salt, black pepper

Recipe :
Cut each cutlet in half lengthways, to make four equal pieces of meat.
Put them all skin-side down in a frying pan, and cook over a low heat for 8 minutes.
Discard fat, turn meat and cook for a further 4 minutes.
Remove meat from pan and keep warm. Deglaze pan with vermouth and add green pepper, cream and stock.
Lightly salt, add pepper to taste.
leave to simmer for 2 minutes over a low heat, to allow sauce to thicken.
Serve duck with sauce, with potatoes Dauphinoise, fresh pasta or boiled potatoes and green salad.

Advice :
Enjoy with a Cahors or Bergerac red.

Saturday

2008-09-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Prawn cocktail

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : USA, Canada
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
700g prawns, cooked and peeled
1 lettuce heart, rinsed and torn
2 eggs
1 jar of palm hearts, sliced into rounds
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp brandy
Tabasco
Salt
Black pepper

Recipe :
1- Plunge the eggs into a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for three minutes. Cool them under cold running water, peel and slice.
2- In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, brandy and 2-3 drops of tabasco. Season to taste.
3- In 4 glasses, share out the lettuce, followed by the palm hearts and prawns.
4- Dress with the sauce and top with the egg.

Advice :
running the eggs under cold water prevents them from over-cooking

Friday

2008-09-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Buckwheat noodles with broccoli and dipping sauce

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Japan
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
200g dried soba noodles
100g broccoli cut into 4” strips
4 spring onions finely chopped
1-teaspoon wasabi
200ml soba noodle dipping sauce (available in most good Japanese stores)

Recipe :
1. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil, add the broccoli, cook for 1 minute, remove from the heat and cool under cold running water, then leave to drain.
2. Add the soba noodles to the boiling water and cook for the time stated on the packet. Once cooked cool the noodles under cold running water then leave to drain.
3. Wash the spring onion in a sieve to remove the strong taste.
4. Mix the wasabi with ½ teaspoon of cold water, mix together with dipping sauce and the spring onions.
5. Arrange on 4 plates, pile the soba noodles, broccoli and serve with the dipping sauce.

Thursday

2008-09-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Cheese and herb omelette

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4/6
Preparation : 5 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
8 eggs
2 tablespoons low-fat crème fraîche
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tabelspoons grated parmesan
1 bunch chives
1 bunch chopped mixed herbs, inc : basil, thyme, marjoram, mint, salt, pepper

Recipe :
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
Mix the eggs, crème fraîche, oil and parmesan in a large bowl.
Add the herbs and chives.
Pour mixture into a greased flan dish.
Cook for 15 minutes.

Serve hot or cold as tapas.

Advice :
140 calories per 100g

Wednesday

2008-09-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sweet and sour pork

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 40 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : China
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
600g pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons plum sauce
Salt
Szechwan pepper

Batter :
200g flour
2 cups white wine
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites

2 tablespoons oil for frying
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 slices pineapple, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup clear honey
1/2 cup vinegar
1 pinch glutamate

Recipe :
Wash and dry pork.
Mix the soy sauce and plum sauce together in a bowl.
Cut the meat into strips, season with salt and Szechwan pepper, and marinate for 2 hrs in the fridge.

For the batter :
Mix the four, white wine and egg yolk together in a bowl until you have a smooth paste.
Whip the egg whites until stiff and white and add to mixture.

Put strips of pork in batter.
Heat oil in a wok or frying pan and fry meat until golden. take out and keep warm.
Fry vegetables, add pineapple and heat gently.
Make sauce, by mixing ketchup, honey, vinegar and glutamate.
Add sauce to vegetables and boil.
Add meat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with basmati rice or noodles.

Advice :
Recommended Wines :
Sancerre, Pouilly, St véran
Tavel, Bandol
Saumur, Champigny

Tuesday

2008-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Lemon chicken

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 45 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Greece
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
500g chicken
3 teaspoon peanut oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sliced ginger
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 bouquet garni, or tablespoon mixed herbs
1 pincf cinnamon
1 pinch powdered ginger
Salt & pepper

Recipe :
Dice the meat.
heat the oil in a casserole dish and brown the onion, garlic and ginger for 3 or 4 minutes.
Add the meat and sauté for a further 2 minutes or until golden.
Add lemon juice, soy sauce and 150ml water.
Add the bouquet garni or mixed herbs, cinnamon, powdered and sliced ginger and lemon zest.
Season and simmer for 45 minutes over low heat.

Monday

2008-09-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tuna rissoles

Type of dish : Nibbles
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Spain
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
250g white flour
25g butter
25g lard
½ glass water
½ glass dry white wine
Tomato sauce
1 tin tuna
1 large onion
Olive oil
Salt

Recipe :
Heat the butter, water, wine and lard together.
Mix in a bowl with flour and a little more salt, make into a ball.
Divide into smaller balls, then make flat cakes of about 10 cm across. Cut in half to make two semi-circle shapes.
Chop the onion very finely.
Mix with tuna and tomato sauce.
Make the semi-circles of pastry into cornet by folding round on themselves. Dampen one edge to seal.
Fill cornets with tuna mixture.
Heat olive oil and fry rissoles until golden.

Advice :
Do not fry the rissoles for too long, they should be golden, not brown.

Sunday

2008-09-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Stuffed sea bass

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 30 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : USA, Canada
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
Stuffing :
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon diced shallot
2 tablespoon pepper
1 peeked tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon of finely cut parsley
Salt, black pepper

1 sea bass
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 peeled and diced onion
1 pepper
1 bunch dill
100ml dry vermouth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt, black pepper

Recipe :
Stuffing :
Melt butter in a frying pan, add shallots.
Put to one side.
Add tomato, parsley and salt, mix well.
Preheat oven to 375°F(200°C).

Wash fish under cold running water, dry with paper towels.
Stuff the fish, tie with string.
Grease an oven dish with 2 tablespoons butter, add fish and surround with slices of onion, pepper and sprigs of dill.
Combine the remaining butter, vermouth and lemon juice, pour over fish.
Bring to the boil and add salt and pepper.
Cook in oven for 30 minutes, keep moist by sprinkling with water every 8 minutes.
The fish is ready when it is firm to the touch and the flesh falls away easily.

Advice :
Try replacing the sea bass with pollack, coley or trout.
Recommended Wine : Sauterne

Saturday

2008-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Roasted apricots with basil and parmesan

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Europe
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
- 12 apricots
- 1 sprig of basil
- 100g parmesan (chips or a block)
- olive oil
- pepper
- brown sugar

Recipe :
Cut the apricots in 2 and remove the stones. Fry them in a wok with a little olive oil on a high heat. Shake the wok so they roast all over then sprinkle the sugar over them. Remove from the heat.

Place the apricots in ramekins, sprinkle with basil, parmesan and pepper then finish with a dash of olive oil. Serve warm or cold, as a starter or dessert.

Friday

2008-09-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Pizza alla siciliana (artichoke and onion)

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 6
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 45 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Italy
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Pizza base
200g tomatoes
200g onions
200g artichoke
Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Sugar, salt & pepper
Nutmeg

Recipe :
Saute onions in olive oil with a little sugar and a pinch of nutmeg, for 15 minutes.
Season.
Spread pizza base with olive oil.
Cover base with peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes (or puree) and onion mixture, then slice artichokes and arrange on top.
Season.
Drizzle with olive oil, then cook for 25 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

Advice :
Recommended Wines: Etna white, Itlaian rosés, rosés from Provence.

Thursday

2008-09-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Chayote stuffed with crab

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 crabs
2 chayotes (custard apples)
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 onions (1 chopped, 1 quartered)
3 cloves of garlic
1 lime
chives
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
chilli to taste
salt and pepper
1 glass white wine
5cl oil
bread-crumbs

Recipe :
1) ash the crabs and cook for 10 minutes in a pan of boiling water, with the carrots, the quartered onion, thyme, parsley and seasoning. Set asidea nd allow to cool.
2) Scoop out the crab meat, saving a few claws for decoration.
3) Wash the chayotes, cut in half and cook for 20 minutes in salted water.
4) In a pan, cook the chopped onion, garlic, chives, parsley and chilli, then mix into te crab meat. Loosen with the white wine.
5) Scoop the chayote flesh from the skin (save the skin) and mash with a little olive oil and the lime juice. Stir in some bread crumbs and season.
6) Spoon the mash into the chayote skins, topping with the crab mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and pass under the grill for 15 minutes, or until golden.

Wednesday

2008-09-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Pasta carbonara

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 30 min
Cooking : 15 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Italy
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
5 slices of bacon, cut into strips
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 eggs
2/3 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley
Fresh pasta to serve 4
Milled black pepper

Recipe :
Heat the oil in a frying pan, over a medium heat.
Add garlic and bacon, then cook for 3 minutes over a low heat.
Drizzle with wine and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and put to one side.
Beat eggs in a bowl, season, then add cheese, stir well.
Pour over warm, strained pasta and stir briskly.
Add pepper.
Add the garlic and bacon, then sprinkle with parmesan and parsley.

Advice :
Recommended Wine: Côtes de Provence, Tavel

Tuesday

2008-09-09T03:02:00.000-07:00

Tahitian fish ceviche

Type of dish : Starter
To serve : 4
Preparation : 20 min
Cooking : 0 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Exotic
Difficulty : Easy

Ingredients :
Marinating time: 40 minutes

400ml coconut milk
400g fish fillets (whiting, salmon, scorpion fish, sea bream...)
12 prawns
1 carrot
1/2 red pepper
1/2 cucumber
Parsley
A handful chives
A bunch fresh mint
1 lime
2 lemons
1 dash chilli paste, harissa or tabasco sauce
Salt & black pepper

Recipe :
Wash fish, cut into small pieces. Arrange in a serving dish and sprinkle with salt.
Squeeze lemons and sprinkle juice over fish.
Prepare prawns, then cut in two lengthways.
Add to fish, then chill for 10 minutes.
Wash and peel vegetables, grate carrot, then dice red pepper and courgette.
Pour coconut milk and fish marinade into a large salad bowl, add fish, vegetables and prawns, then stir. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Serve in a large bowl or on individual plates, sprinkled with chopped mint, parsley and chives.

Advice :
Recommended wines: any white from Savoie, especially Apremont

Monday

2008-09-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Chinese chicken

Type of dish : Main course
To serve : 4
Preparation : 15 min
Cooking : 20 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : China
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
4 chicken breasts
300g noodles
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoon cold tea
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon fresh chilli
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup coriander

Recipe :
Bring 6 cups of water to the boil in a saucepan, add the chicken and boil for 10 or 15 minutes.
Leave to cool and cut into strips.
Keep the water you boiled the chicken in to one side, bring to the boil again and use to cook the noodles for 7 minutes.
Strain noodles and mix with sesame oil.
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients thoroughly, apart from the onion and garlic.
Fry onions and garlic in a little oil, then add a teaspoon of sauce.
Serve the chicken and sauce together with the onion and garlic in a bowl, keeping back half of the sauce for the table.

Advice :
Recommended wines:
Red: Beaujolais, Saumur Champigny, Brouilly
Rosés: Rosé de Provence, Bandol, Tavel
Whites: Tokay d'Alsace, Gewustraminer

Sunday

2008-09-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

German apple pie

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 10
Preparation : 45 min
Cooking : 45 min
Budget : Cheap
From : Germany
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
160g butter
80g sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 pinch salt
2 eggs

Filling :
1 kg red apples, preferably Cox's Pippins
100g sugar
100g raisins
30g butter
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 or 4 small macaroons
1 egg yolk

Recipe :
Chop the butter into small pieces and put in bowl with sieved flour. Rub in with fingers until perfectly combined, then add eggs, sugar, salt and lemon zest.
Roll into a ball and leave to chill in fridge.

Meanwhile, prepare the apples :
Peel, core and slice apples into a bowl.
Add sugar, raisins and cinnamon, stir well.

Grease a cake tin or pie dish and line with 2/3 of pastry.
Crush the macaroons and sprinkle on bottom.
Put apple mixture on top and sprinkle with rum and 30g melted butter.
Cover with rest of pastry, pinch edges to seal and brush with egg yolk.
Cook until golden in an oven preheated to 350°F(180°C)
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or hot with custard.

Advice :
Leave to settle before taking out of flan dish.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Coconut and lime cream

Type of dish : Dessert
To serve : 4
Preparation : 25 min
Cooking : 10 min
Budget : Reasonable
From : Thailand
Difficulty : Medium

Ingredients :
250ml milk
250ml coconut milk
1 lime
3 egg yolkss
60g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar or teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon rum
2 blocks gelatine

Recipe :
Dissolve the gelatine in cold water.
Wash and dry the lime, finely grate zest.
Whsik the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla, in a bowl until the mixture is white and stiff.
Bring milk to the boil.
Add the cornflour and hot milk, whisking slowly.
Pour mixture into saucepan.
Heat, but do not boil until mixture is creamy.
Remove from heat and add lime zest.
Cover and leave to simmer.
Strain the gelatine and heat, with a tablespoon of water.
Once it has completely dissolved, add coconut milk and rum and stir.
Put into individual pots and chill for 2 hours before serving.

Advice :
This dessert goes very well with a cup of tea.