Glazed Carrots

4 carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons sugar

1] Peel carrots and cut them into chunks.
2] Steam the carrots until they soften a little.
3] Put the carrots in an oven proof dish and add the butter and sugar.
4] Bake in the oven until they start to brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Ginger Carrots

6 carrots cut into chunks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon salt
Ginger to taste
Fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

1] Butter an oven proof dish.
2] Grate the ginger, and mix it with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
3] Coat the carrots in the mixture and dot some butter on top.
4] Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes, until they are tender.

You can speed this up by steaming the carrots for a while.

Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

Butter and Olive Oil
4/5 Shallots
2 Garlic Gloves
2 Green Chilli
2 Red Chilli
1 inch of Fresh Ginger
Chicken, cooked and broken up
Chicken Stock
Egg Noodles
Juice of 1 Lime
Fresh Coriander

1) Chop the Shallots and slowly fry them in some butter and oil.
2) When the Shallots are starting to get sweet, add the chopped Garlic, Chilli and Ginger.
3) Fry these for a few minutes, but watch that the Garlic doesn't burn and go bitter.
4) Add in the Chicken and fry for a few minutes.
5) Pour in the Stock (it's a good idea to warm thhis in a microwave or in a pan). Top up with boiling water if it needs bulking up.
6) Bubble away for a few minutes so the Chicken warms through, then add the Noodles.
7) Cook at a high simmer for about 5 minutes until the Noodles are cooked.
8) Add in the lime juice and stir it in. Taste for flavour.
9) Serve in warm bowls with Corriander sprinkled on top.
10) Deliver to the table with napkins.

Baked Leeks in mustard sauce

350g Small Leeks, trimmed washed and cut in half
Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper
50g Unsalted Butter
50g Plain Flour
425ml Milk
175g Cheddar Cheese, grated
25g Parmesan Cheese, grated
15g Wholegrain Mustard
15g Dijon mustard
5g English mustard
2 tbsp fresh white breadcurmbs
25g grated Cheddar Cheese

1] Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan oven).
2] Place the leeks in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes until just tender. Drain and put under cold water immediately to refresh and stop them cooking.
3] Place the butter, flour and milk in a saucepan and slowly bring up to the boil and whisk all the time. Once it is up to the boil, reduce the heat and let it just simmer for 2 minutes.
4] Add the grated cheddar and parmesan and then the mustards. Season with Salt and Pepper.
5] Put the Leeks into a shallow buttered serving dish and pour over the sauce.
6] Mix the breadcrumbs and the Cheese together and scatter over the top of the leeks.
7] Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8] Let them sit for a few minutes.

Grilled Garlic Swordfish Steaks

2 pounds swordfish steaks (about 4 - 1 inch thick steaks)
1 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup white white
1 lemon, cut in half

Melt butter. Add garlic and cook till garlic starts to change color. Add white wine and pepper. Brush swordfish steaks with marinade, then place on a hot grill. Cook about 4 minutes per side or until the fish flakes, basting frequently.
Place swordfish steaks on a platter. Squeeze lemon juice onto steaks and serve hot.

This recipe also works great with salmon or any larger fish that you can cut into steaks.

Tuna crusted with coriander and peppercorns

Adapted from the Sea Fish Authority
Serves 4

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time less than 10 mins

Ingredients
4 Tuna or Swordfish steaks
25g Peppercorns (Plain Black, or mixed)
2 Tablespoons of Coriander Seeds
Olive Oil

Method
1] Roughly crush the Peppercorns and Coriander in a pestle and mortar.
2] Brush the tuna with the oil. Spoon the crushed seeds over the tuna steaks and press into the flesh lightly.
3] Heat the griddle pan over a high heat.
4] Griddle the tuna for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Leek Risotto

Serves 4

Time 1 hour

300g Risotto Rice
4 Shallots
3 Leeks
2 Garlic Cloves
Choritzo
Butter
120g Parmesan cheese
Glass of White Wine
Chicken or Vegetable stock (400ml approx)

1) Slice the Leeks and slow fry them in butter, as slow and long as you can, until they start to go translucent and caramalised. 20 minutes would be good.
2) Set the Leeks aside, add a little more butter. Cook the diced Chorizo and sliced Shallots until they soften.
3) Turn up the heat and add the Rice, stir around for a few minutes until the rice goes translucent.
4) Add the Wine and stir until the Rice has absorbed the liquid.
5) Gradually add the stock in batches, stirring gently.
6) When the Rice is still al dente, add the cooked Leeks, a little Butter and the Parmesan, mix it in and serve immediately.
7) Serve with some fresh Basil as garnish.

Chicken Liver Pate

We all borrow recipes from great communicators, and I think Nigel Slater is one of the best down-to-earth writers I have ever read. So I am not changing much of his recipe, a bit more brandy, a bit more butter, and I tend to overload the pan with more livers than is probably proper, sorry Nigel.

500g Chicken Livers - Some butchers do them fresh/frozen in big bags, otherwise just use the ones they have frozen in pots. Defrost. Check over the livers and trim off any dark green bits. I have found that the ones in pots give a subtler flavour as apposed to free range ones from the butcher.

Milk
Brandy
150g Unsalted Butter
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Cream - Single or Double or Whipping (each gives a different taste/texture)

1] Put the Livers in a glass/ceramic bowl and cover them in Milk (This removes any bitterness). Leave for 30 minutes.
2] Drain off the milk, let the livers sit in the collander to lose as much milk as possible. (I have not thought up a way of using the bitter milk... let me know if you find a way, seems such a waste).
1] Heat a third of the butter in a big pan and heat until bubbling.
2] Add the livers and fry over a medium heat until they colour up. (the trick here is to not over cook them, you still want pink in the middle to give the Pate that wonderful colour)
3] Tip the Livers into the food processor, add in Salt, Pepper and Butter and give it a blitz.
4] Deglace the pan with the Brandy and add this into the processor, blitz.
5] Pour the lovely warm rich smelling stuff into the sieve and use a wooden spoon/spactuala to mash the warm mix through the sieve. This gives it wonderful velvet texture.
6] Spoon into whatever dishe(s) you want to serve the Pate in. Place in the fridge for no more than 30 minutes (put the kitchen timer on).
7] Melt a little more butter to pour over the Pate to seal it.



Fry the livers in butter, I have propbably overcrowded the pan here.



Put the livers into a amply sized food processer straight from the pan.



Deglaze the pan with some brandy.



Blitz till smooth.



Strain the Pate to get it velvety.



These are the grainy bits you want to lose.



I like to put them in small pots, and freeze the ones not to be used right away.
Unfrozen they will last a couple of days in the fridge.

Roasted Pumpkin with Red Onions

Roasted Pumpkin with Red Onions

600g Whole Pumpkin
2 Red Onions
Fresh Sage
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Maple Syrup (or Brown Sugar)
Sea Salt

1) Preheat oven to 200c.
2) Peel the Squash, deseed and cut into 8 slices.
3) Peel the onions, half them from top to tail, then cut each half into 3, top to tail, chunks.
4) Put the Onions, Pumpkin, sage (a good handful, but depends on how strong it is) into a roasting tray,
5) Mix up the Garlic, Olive Oil, Balsamic and Maple Syrup (I will leave the quantities to your taste, but lets say 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon of Balsamic and 2 teaspoons of Syrup - If you are using sugar instead of Syrup, just sprinkle a good tablespoon over the vegetables in the tray).
6) Massage this mixture all over the vegetables.
7) Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Pumkin and Goats Cheese Gratin

Pumkin and Goats Cheese Gratin

900g Whole Pumpkin
25g Unsalted Butter
Fresh Black Pepper and Sea Salt
250g Goats Cheese log
Parmesan Cheese

1) Preheat oven to 200c
2) Deal with the Pumpkin by peeling, deseeding and chopping it into chunks.
3) Boil the Pumpkin in plenty of water until it is tender.
4) Drain the Pumpkin, throw it back in the pan and mash it with the butter and salt/pepper to taste.
5) Butter an ovenproof dish and put in a layer of half the Pumpkin mix.
6) Slice the Goats Cheese and layer it over the Pumpkin.
7) Cover the Goats cheese with the remaining Squash.
8) Grate a generous amount of Parmesan.
9) Bake in the oven until it gets a lovely golden crust, 20-30 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger and Lime

1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger root
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 c. peeled, seeded and thinly sliced butternut squash
2 c. canned chicken broth
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice, or to taste
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. about 1 1/2 inch long julienne strips peeled fresh ginger root
4 thin decoratively cut lime slices

In a large saucepan, cook the onion and the ginger root in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and add the squash, the broth, 2 cups water, and the garlic. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the mixture covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until squash is tender. Puree the mixture in batches in a blender or food processor and transfer the puree to the pan.
Stir in the lime juice and salt and pepper to table and reheat the soup over moderately low heat until it is hot. The soup may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.
In a small skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it fry the ginger root, stirring for 1 minute or until it is pale golden. Transfer ginger root to paper towels to drain. Divide the soup among 4 bowls, float a lime slice on each serving and top it with some of the fried ginger root. Makes 6 cups, serving 4.