Very Easy Cheese Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 pint (600 ml) of milk

40 g of plain flour

40 g of butter

55 g of grated cheese (Gruyère, Cheddar, whatever you fancy)

30 g of finely grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Grainy Mustard

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a medium sized saucepan.

Sieve the flour into the pan and mix together to form a smooth paste.

Cook for 1 or 2 minutes.

Very slowly, add the milk, a little at a time, whilst continuously whisking or stirring with a wooden spoon.

Continue to stir or whisk and cook over a medium - high heat until the sauce starts to thicken and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Do not allow the sauce to boil.

Add the cheese and stir until it melts.

Add the cayenne pepper and then season with salt and freshly milled black pepper, cook gently for a few more minutes.

Stir well and then serve.

Green Tea Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons  green tea powder or 2 green tea bags
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 vanilla pod
300 ml double cream
50 g  caster sugar
300 ml  milk
30 ml  boiling water


DIRECTIONS

Take the dry green tea and soak in boiling water with the tablespoon of sugar for 10-12 minutes.

Put the vanilla pod and milk in a pan and gently bring to the boil.  Pour this over the tea. Leave to stand for 5 or 6 minutes.

Beat the egg yolks with all of the caster sugar in a separate bowl, and then strain the milk mixture into it.

Transfer into another pan. Gently heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture is thick. Leave to cool. Whip the double cream and fold into the cooled tea mixture.

Transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Speedy Pasta Sauce

Chop 1 red pepper and 2 red onions.

Fry in a tbsp olive oil for 2 minutes.

Add 1 tsp sugar and fry for a further 3 minutes.

Add 1 small glass red wine and turn up heat until alcohol evaporates.

Add chicken stock, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 carton passata and 1 tsp wild oregano.

Simmer for 10 minutes then blend with a hand whisk.

Serve with good quality pasta and grated parmesan.

Spiced Pumpkin and Ginger Soup

Fresh ginger is a great addition to many vegetable soups. In this recipe, it gives the pumpkin flavour a real lift.

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp olive oil

4 onion, finely chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed

5cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated,

2.5kg peeled and chopped pumpkin flesh

3 to 3.5 litres vegetable stock

cream

paprika

DIRECTIONS

Sweat the onions gently in the olive oil for 5 mins, add the onion, garlic, ginger and pumpkin and cook for 5 mins more. Add the water or stock and simmer for 30 mins, until the pumpkin is tender.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor and thin with a little extra stock, water or milk if necessary.

Serve with a swirl of cream and a sprinkling of smoked paprika.

Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS

600g red lentils
3 medium onions
4 cloves garlic
3 litres vegetable stock
Juice and rind of 2 lemons
1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns
6 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Peel the onion and chop in half. Slice finely. Peel and crush the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic. Saute gently for 5 minutes, until softening.

Crush the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar (or grind coarsely in a pepper grinder).

Add the pepper, cumin and coriander to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the lentils, lemon juice, rind and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer gently for 35 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

Stir regularly, to stop the soup from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You might need to add more water, if it gets too thick.

Season with salt to taste. Serve with a swirl of cream and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley.

Woolton Pie

INGREDIENTS

1lb swede diced
1lb carrot diced
1lb cauliflower diced
1lb spring onion finely chopped
1lb potato diced
1 teaspoon of marmite or vegetable extract
oatmeal

For the pastry:

6oz flour
1 ½ oz butter
1 ½ oz lard
2oz raw potatoes


DIRECTIONS

Put all the diced vegetables into a large pan.

Top and tail the spring onions, chop into small pieces and add to the pan.

Add a teaspoon of marmite or vegetable extract.

Add a tablespoon of oatmeal.

Cover the vegetables with water and place on the cooker to boil and soften.

Put the flour in a mixing bowl.Add the butter and lard.

Rub the fat into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Grate 2oz of raw potatoes and add these to the mixing bowl.

Add a little water and work into a pastry mix (you will need to work quickly so the potato does not turn the pastry grey.)

Remove the vegetables from the cooker, drain and place in a pie dish.

Flour the surface and roll out the pastry to the size needed to cover the pie dish.

Place the pastry over the edges sealing the edges to the pie dish, trim the pastry and make a few cuts in the pastry to let out the steam during cooking.

Brush the surfaces with milk.

Place in a moderate oven for half an hour. Remove from the oven and serve with brown gravy and carrots.

Pumpkin Ratatouille

INGREDIENTS

A 2.5 kg pumpkin, peeled and deseeded pumpkin or squash cut into 2cm chunks
A few tsps fine sea salt
A few sloshes of olive oil
3 large onions, roughly chopped
4 red peppers, seeded and cut into 1cm chunks
1 aubergine, chopped into same size chunks as above
200g roughly chopped field mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 bay leaves, preferably fresh
6 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or marjoram,
a few grates of nutmeg
3 tsps ground cumin
500 ml passata or tinned tomatoes
6 tbsp sweet red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon (or use any good-quality red wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar), mixed with 12 tbsp of water
5 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
Chopped parsley to garnish


DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl or pan, toss the pumpkin with the salt and set aside.

In a large deep saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat, then add the onions with a pinch of salt.

Stir well and cook, stirring often, for at least 15-20 min until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelise.

Next add the chopped red pepper, fry for a further 10 min, then follow with the garlic, bay leaves and rosemary.

Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, before adding the pumpkin (blotted dry if wet). Reduce the heat and fry for 20 min, until the pumpkin is barely tender, turning it every now and then.

Add the chopped aubergine and mushrooms.

Then stir in the oregano or marjoram, nutmeg and cumin, followed by the passata.

Cook for 5-10 min, until the pumpkin is completely tender, then sprinkle with the vinegar and water, and taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm, with the toasted pine nuts on top, and a further sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Elizabethan Pork

INGREDIENTS

6 tbsp vegetable oil
3 kg 1" cubed pork
6 medium sliced onions
6 tbsp plain flour
3 tsp ground mace
3 tsp curry powder
1 bottle red wine
1500 ml chicken stock
330g dried apricots
300g raisins
300g dates (stoned)

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.

Heat the oil in a large flame proof casserole and fry the pork in batches over a high heat until well browned.

Remove from the casserole and add onions.

Cook over a medium heat until softened. Sprinkle with flour, add the spices and cook, stirring for 1 min.

Stir in the wine and stock then bring slowly to a simmer. Stir in the meat and fruits.

Cook in the centre of oven until tender.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice. Garnish with a few flaked almonds and some chopped parsley.