Ingredients (serves 2-3):

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves of garlic – finely sliced
• 2 shallots – finely diced
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 4 eggs
• 4 thick slices of fresh baguette
• 2 tablespoons of green pesto
• Pecorino romano cheese – grated

Heat the oil up in a large pan over a medium heat and fry off the shallot, chilli flakes and garlic for a minute or so.  Pour in the tinned tomatoes along with the sugar and salt and stir in well.  Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Continue tasting it and season to taste, or increase the spice levels if you like by adding more chilli flakes.

Take one egg at a time and crack it into the sauce.  It should form it’s own well in which it’ll poach.  If you have some help you can ask them to create a small well by pressing a ladel or large spoon into the sauce, just as you crack the egg in.  Crack the other 3 eggs in in the same manner and then put a lid on the pan and simmer for a further 5-7 minutes until the egg is poached to your liking.  Once cooked, remove from the heat and take the lid off.

Take the slices of baguette and spread each of them with green pesto.  Place these onto plates then using a slotted spoon remove each egg one at a time and place onto the baguette.  Finish it off by pouring over the rich tomato sauce and grate some parmesan or pecorino over the top.

Enjoy this peasant food style dish.  Lovely!!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 boneless & skineless chicken breasts or 6 thighs – cut into chunks
• 3 garlic cloves – finely sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger root – grated or finely sliced
• 5 spring onions – finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon of dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds – toasted
• 1 mug full of rice
• 3 eggs – lightly whisked

Start by preparing the marinade.  Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a pan over a medium heat until they start to give of their aroma and change in colour.  Mix the soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, honey, ginger, coriander, half the spring onions, sesame oil and sesame seeds together.  Put the chicken into the marinade and stir around to thoroughly coat all of the pieces.  Cover and leave in the fridge for 2-3 hours or at least 30 minutes if you’re in a rush.

Cook the rice in a pan by following the method of 1 part rice to 2 parts water and simmer with the lid on the pan until cooked, topping up with water if necessay.  You may also need to occasionally stir the rice to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Allow to cool once cooked.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, remove the pieces from the marinade and scatter them over a baking tray lined with tin foil.  Heat the grill up to high and cook the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side until just blackening on the outside and cooked right through.

While the chicken is cooking, pour the rice into a large wok over a high heat with a little oil.  Make a hole in the middle of the rice and pour in the lightly whisked eggs.  After a few seconds start to combine the rice and the eggs together.  Keep stirring until the rice and egg mixture is cooked in together.  Scatter over the remaining spring onions and stir over a medium heat until the chicken is ready.

Serve up the chicken on a bed of egg fried rice.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• Olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves – finely sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
• 1-2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• 2 x 200g blocks of feta cheese
• A french baguette or 1/2 baguette

Heat some oil in a medium to large pan and fry off the garlic for a minute or so, being careful not to burn it.  Add the chilli flakes, tometoes and oregano and simmer on a low heat for 20-25 minutes until nicely thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to around 200 degrees C when the sauce has about ten minutes to go.

Once the sauce is ready, break up the feta and scatter it around an oven dish then pour over the sauce.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until it’s bubbling and slightly blackened on top.

Enjoy with a fresh baguette!

Ingredients (makes 4-6 kebabs)

For the kebabs:

• 2 medium courgettes – cut into chunks
• 1 large red onion – cut into wedges
• 250g of low fat halloumi cheese – cut into 1″ chunks
• 12-16 cherry tomatoes

For the lemon baste:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Thread the halloumi, cherry tomatoes, courgettes and onion onto eight pre-soaked skewers.

In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, mustard and season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat the barbecue or grill and arrange the kebabs on the rack. Brush with the baste after quickly stirring it to make sure the ingredients are well distributed. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning often, until the cheese begins to turn golden and the vegetables are just tender.

Serve up straight away!  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

For the batter

• 75g of cornflour
• 75g of plain flour
• 1 egg – lightly beaten
• 188ml of a light coloured beer

For the prawn tempura

• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 50g plain flour
• Package of raw king prawns
• Soy sauce and chilli dipping sauces to serve

Start by making the batter.  Get a mixing bowl and mix together the cornflour and flour.  Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the beaten egg and the beer.  Whisk the mixture from the centre outwards until well combined.  Allow the batter to stand for a minute or so before using it.

Pour the plain flour onto a small plate.  Take one prawn at a time and coat each of them firstly in the flour and then dip them into the batter, making sure that they’re well coated.

Heat up about 1/2″ depth of oil in a large heavy based pan until a breadcrumb sizzles when dropped in it, but doesn’t burn.  Carefully take the battered prawns and fry them in the oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, turning as necessary to cook evenly.  Once cooked, remove the prawns from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate covered with kitchen paper to absord any excess oil.

Serve the prawns up on a plate along with some soy sauce and chilli sauce for dipping.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 onions – sliced
• Knob of butter
• 2 garlic cloves – crushed and finely sliced
• 400-500g of spinach – roughly chopped
• Grated nutmeg
• 200g of feta cheese
• 2 eggs – beaten
• 4 large sheets filo pastry

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and slowly fry the onions until soft; for roughly 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.  Add the spinach a little at a time until you’ve added it all and it’s wilted.  Cook until the spinach takes up any excess liquid and then pour into a bowl and allow to cool for a minute or so.  Add the eggs and some grated nutmeg along with some salt and pepper to taste.  Brake up the feta and mix everything together.

Melt a little extra butter ready for brushing the pastry.  Grease a medium sized oven dish.  Lay the first sheet of filo pastry in the oven dish and brush it with the melted butter, allowing the pastry to hang over the side of the dish.  Keep adding the filo pastry sheets, alternating which way they face so that you have an even distribution ready for when you fold it over.  Butter the pastry in between in layer.

Tip the spinach and feta mixture into the pastry lined dish and spread evenly around the dish.  Brush the pastry lightly again if required and fold over the sheets to cover the mixture.  Brush the top of the folded pastry with a final coating of melted butter and then place the whole thing into the oven for around 20-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven when the pastry is golden and crispy and leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.  Lovely with some fresh salad and crustry bread.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 1 bowl of salad):

• 4 large vine tomatoes – cut into wedges
• 1 cucumber – peeled, deseeded and sliced
• 1/2 red onion – sliced
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 85g feta cheese
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Place the cucumber, tomatoes and onion in a large salad bowl.  In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and oregano along with a grind of salt and pepper.  Pour the herbed oil over the salad.  Break the feta into pieces and scatter around the salad.  Gently toss the salad to distribute the dressing evenly.

Serve up alongside a pasta dish and enjoy this refreshing salad!

Ingredients (makes about 4-6 skewers):

• 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut into 1″ cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed – roughly ground
• 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seed – roughly ground
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• 2 garlic cloves – crushed and finely sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf – crumbled
• 2 teaspoons wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 4-6 pre-soaked wooden skewers

Mix together the coriander, ground cumin and fennel seeds, paprika, garlic, salt, oregano, bay leaf, wine vinegar and olive oil in a container or bowl.  Add a little more oil if the mixture looks a little dry.  Pour the cubes of chicken into the mixture and ensure that all of the pieces are evenly coated in the marinade.  Cover and put into the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken heat up your grill or barbeque.  Slide pieces of the chicken onto the skewers until all of the chicken is used up.  Cook under the grill for 4-6 minutes per side depending on how hot you have your grill or barbeque set.  Make sure you don’t overcook the meat.

Once cooked eat straight away and serve with fries and/or salad.

Ingredients:

• 500g of shortcrust pastry
• 1 whole nutmeg – grated
• 4 large eggs
• 140g of golden caster sugar
• 300ml of double cream
• 300ml of whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to around 200 degrees C.

Roll out the pastry to about 1cm thick and grate over some of the nutmeg, fold over the pastry and roll out again, but this time to about 4-5mm thick.  It should be rolled out big enough to line the pastry tin plus leave a little to hang over the sides.  Place the pastry over the tart tin and press it gently into all of the grooves around the edge.  Line the pastry with baking paper and pour over a decent amount of baking beans or dry butter beans.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes then remove it from the oven and lift the baking paper with the beans on out of the tin.  Bake the bare pastry in the tin for a further 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting off all of the excess pastry from around the edge using a serrated knife.

Turn the oven down to about 140 degrees C.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.  Get a pan and add the cream, milk and vanilla extract and bring to a gentle simmer then remove from the heat and allow to cool for a moment.  Slowly pour the vanilla’y cream into the bowl with the egg mix in and whisk it all together until consistent.

Open the oven door and half pull out one of the oven trays and place the pastry tin onto it.  Pour the egg custard mixture directly into the pastry until right up to the top of the pastry.  Grate a nice coating of nutmeg all over the top then carefully slide the oven tray into the oven.  Bake in the oven for around an hour.  It will be done when it is nicely coloured on top and shows just the merest tremor when moved.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.  Remove from the loose bottomed tray and cut into slices.  Enjoy this classic dessert! 🙂

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 rack or 8-10 ribs
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

Mix the paprika, sugar, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper and oregano together in a large bowl.  Add the ribs to the dry rub mix and coat each of the ribs well in the marinade.  Cover with cling film and allow to marinate for at least a couple of hours.

Switch your oven on on a very low temperature; around 100-120 degrees C.  Pour the ribs and dry rub into an oven tray, cover it with tin foil and place in the oven.  Place the tray in the oven on the middle shelf and leave for about an hour.  Turn the ribs over and allow to cook for a further hour.  Remove the train from the oven after the first two hours and drain off any oil that has come off the ribs; a LOT came off mine.

Turn the heat up to about 180 degrees and return the ribs to the oven but this time without the tin foil.  Cook the ribs for a further 20 minutes or so until the skin has gone crispy.

Serve up with some fries and/or salad and enjoy these flavoursome ribs.