Potato And Leek Soup

*one of the great taste sensations, truly adaptable and you don't have to use a meat stock
*try adding a clove or two of garlic too, its a great combo
*serve it with plenty of great bread

large leeks that you have trimmed top and bottom then sliced thickly and put into a bowl of cold water to rid them of the dirt that clings
50 gr (1 1/2oz) butter
2 medium potatoes (not too small) peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped small
850mil (28floz) of chicken or vegetable stock
275 mil (9floz) milk
salt and pepper

Put the butter in a heavy based saucepan and melt, add the leeks and onions and cook over a ,moderate heat until they begin to become clear, they should not brown, add the potatoes and stir them around coating them with the butter. Put the lid on the pan and allow the whole lot to sweat over a low heat for about 15 minutes, give them a stir occasionally.

Add the stock and the milk and bring all to the boil, turn the heat down and put the lid back on, now simmer for a further 20 - 30 minutes until all the vegetables have become soft.

Use your hand held liquidiser and process the soup until it is thick and creamy, return to the heat and bring back to the boil, but don’t overcook, it will burn easily now.
Serve it with chives or put it in the fridge for the next day and call it vichyssoise, serve it cold with some sour cream swirled in. Very versatile.

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Chick Peas Stewed With Chorizo

this is a great Spanish dish, it is not difficult to find chorizo, they are well worth the hunt.

2 cups dry chick peas
1 small onion quartered
1/8 tspn cloves ground
1/8 tspn cinnamon
1 bay leaf
pinch of dried thyme
bunch of parsley stems
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion minced
3 cloves of garlic chopped very fine (the onion and the garlic can be chopped together with your mezzaluna)
375gr (12oz) of chorizo sausages, all pricked well with a fork.
salt and pepper

Cover the chick peas with water and soak over night. Next day, drain them and place in a saucepan with the quartered onion, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems and enough water to cover by 4cm. Simmer uncovered until the skins begin to crack open and the bean are tender about 30 - 45 minutes.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic and chorizo until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the chick peas and their liquid and simmer slowly uncovered until the liquid is almost gone. 40 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Remove the chorizo from the pan, slice diagonally and return the slices. This recipe will work well with any sausage that is poached.

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Bouillabaisse (Fish Soup)

This French Mediterranean fish dish is a combination of fish and shellfish poached together and served as a main meal soup. The greater the variety of seafood, the richer the flavour A selection of the following seafood makes one of the most delicious dishes and one well worth the effort

shellfish - choose 4-6 pieces per person
mussels, green prawns, yabbies, Moreton Bay bugs, crabs. crayfish cut into pieces
fish - choose 3 varieties to weigh in total 1 5 kg
blue grenadier, trevally, gemfish, flathead, gurnard, redfish, morwong, dory. boar fish, flake.
2/3 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick celery
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup Chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped fennel
1.5 litres water
grated rind 2 oranges
pinch of saffron
bay leaf,
pinch thyme
1 x 450gr (14oz) can peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry white wine

Prepare the shellfish by cleaning all the grit and dirt but leave the shells intact

Fillet the fish and reserve the bones and fish heads. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions, celery garlic parsley and fennel for 5- 10 minutes until soft but not Coloured. Add the remaining ingredients, fish heads and bones and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve. This stock may be made 24 hrs ahead of time and stored in a refrigerator.

Place the shellfish in the base of a large saucepan, pour over stock and poach gently for 10 minutes Add the fish fillets and poach without boiling for a further 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked

Serve immediately into large soup bowls and accompany with French bread.

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Eggs Baked In The Pan With A Rich Tomato Sauce

These are eggs cooked in a hot spicy tomato sauce.

4 to 6 large fresh eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, peeled, seeded and chopped.
2 cloves of garlic crushed and finely chopped
1/2 tspn chilli powder or 1 small chopped chilli
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4teaspn dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
a few drops of Tabasco to taste
large tin of Italian tomatoes
110gr (3 3/4oz) Cheddar cheese grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper

You will need a heavy, medium-sized frying-pan.

Heat the oil in the frying-pan and fry the chopped onion, green pepper and garlic gently for about 10 minutes until softened, stir in the chilli and cumin powders and add the oregano, basil and a few drops of Tabasco. Mix thoroughly and then add the contents of the tin of tomatoes.

Turn up the heat and let the mixture cook (uncovered) for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick pulp, then season with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Use the back of a spoon to make indentations and carefully break the eggs into the pan on top of the mixture, sprinkle the cheese all over the eggs, cover the pan with a close fitting lid or a large plate and, lowering the heat, simmer very gently for about 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Alternatively, you can place the pan under a hot grill until the cheese is browned and bubbling and the eggs just set (7 minutes for soft eggs, 10 for well done).

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lots of bread or toast to dunk into the juices

This soup has the spices of the Levant, follow it with a great Lebanese roast lamb.

1kg (2lb) of butternut squash
3 tblspns olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 tspn paprika
1 1/2 tspns ground cumin
3/4 tspn turmeric
1 tspn ground coriander
sat and pepper
4 large carrots, trimmed peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tspn sugar
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups of water
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 tblspns fresh chopped coriander leaves

Preheat the oven to 180°c/360°f

Cut the squash in half, place it on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 45 - 60 minutes until the squash is soft and you can spoon out the flesh.

In a soup pot, heat the oil, cook the onion until soft for 10 minutes, add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, salt and pepper, fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, add the squash, carrots and sugar, fry for a further 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and water, bring to the boil, reduce and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Puree in a blender in several batches until the soup is smooth and light. You can thin the soup with extra stock if it is too thick.

Season with the yoghurt, salt and pepper and stir well. Serve in bowls with chopped coriander on top and a swirl of yoghurt.

This soup improves if made the day before you want to eat it.

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Ham Soup With White Beans

One of those great winter soups that you can make a meal of and leave the table deeply satisfied.

155gr (5oz) dried white beans
6 - 8 stems from Italian flat leafed parsley (you should always keep these, they are so handy to use in a flavour base, just freeze them when you have cut the leaves off and get them out when you want them)
pinch of dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tblspn virgin olive oil
125gr (4oz) thickly sliced smoked bacon cut into a 50mm dice
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped finely
2 smoked ham hocks (available from most delicatessens)
4 tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped or 1 1/2 cups Italian tinned tomatoes drained and chopped
6 cups good chicken stock (see above)
3 fresh mint stems, bruised with the back of your kitchen knife
salt and black pepper
5 tblspns chopped fresh mint

Cover the white beans with water and soak overnight. Next day, place them in a pot with the parsley. Thyme, bay leaves and enough water to cover the beans by 4 cm. Cook the beans on a simmer for 35 - 45 minutes.

In another pot, add the olive oil and fry the onion and bacon until the onion is soft, add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, add the ham hocks, tomatoes, chicken stock and mint stems, simmer for 1 hour.

Add the beans and continue to simmer for a further hour. Remove the parsley, mint stems and bay leaves. Take the ham hocks out, remove the skin and return the meat to the soup, do not ad the bones. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the chopped fresh mint.

Serve with crusty bread and a salad to follow.

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OssoBuco from Milan

750gr (24oz) braising steak cut into serving size pieces, not necessarily into bite size.
seasoned flour (flour with salt and pepper added, in a plastic bag is great)
1 tblspn of good olive oil
1 tblspn butter
3 large onions sliced 50mm thick in rings
1 - 2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 1/2 cups of good beef stock (if you are using a stock cube and nothing wrong with that, cut back on the salt in the flour)
1 bouquet garni

Preheat the oven to 160?c/310?f

Dredge the meat with the flour but shaking it in the plastic bag.

Melt the butter and oil in the bottom of a good solid cast iron casserole, brown the pieces of meat a few at a time in the hot oil/butter. Set aside.

Add the onions, you may have to add a drop more oil if it has all been absorbed by the meat brown them well, towards the end, add the garlic. When the onions are well browned, add the beef stock and the herbs, bring to the boil and add the meat. Stir the pot to mix everything together.

Cook in a medium oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Taste for seasoning before serving and adjust.

Serve with great garlic flavoured mashed potatoes and peas that have been cooked with some fresh mint.

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6 large eggs or more if you have more to feed
for the sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 small green pepper, de-seeded and chopped fairly small
75gr (2 1/2oz) whole green-brown lentils washed and drained
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 rounded tablespoon flour
1 tblspn of hot Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 level teaspoon ground turmeric
570mil (18floz) boiling water
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
salt
garnish
chopped parsley and thin slices of raw onion

Heat the oil in a thick-based saucepan, fry the onion, browning it a little, then add the celery, carrot and pepper, and continue to fry till these have browned, (about 5 minutes), stir in the lentils and crushed garlic, and after that sprinkle in the flour and spices, gradually add the boiling water. Add some salt, then put a lid on and simmer gently for about 35 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

While the sauce is cooking put the eggs in cold water, bring them up to simmering point and then simmer for 7 minutes exactly, run some cold water over them until they're cool enough to handle, peel them and slice in half lengthways.

Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary, stir in the yoghurt and add the halved eggs.

Serve the curry with boiled rice sprinkled with chopped parsley and raw onion slices and mango chutney to go with it.

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1 kg (2lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 large onion chopped
1 tblspn butter
2 tblspns chopped chives
2 tblspns chopped sage leaves
pinch of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
300gr (9 1/2oz) goats cheese
100 gr (3 1/2oz) mozzarella grated
250 gr (8oz) lasagne sheets
grated cheddar cheese for top
béchamel sauce
50 gr (1 1/2oz) butter,
2 tblspns plain flour
700 mil (22 1/2 fl oz) milk
salt and pepper

Cook pumpkin till soft. Sauté onions in butter till soft, add to mashed pumpkin, with chives, sage salt and pepper.

Make the béchamel sauce in the usual manner.

Do layers of pumpkin, layers of cheese,(mixed goat cheese and mozzarella) layers of the lasagne sheets that have been pre cooked, layers of the béchamel, topped with grated sharp cheddar,

Bake in a preheated 220°c/430°f oven until the top is golden and the rest cooked through.

Serve drizzled with sage leaves that have been fried in butter.

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6 granny smith apples, peeled and cored
150g (5oz) butter
icing sugar
1 x 2.5kg (5lb) chicken, cleaned and cut into 12 pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper
flour for dusting
18 spring onions, peeled and green part trimmed
600mi (20floz) dry cider
250g (8oz) field mushrooms, stalks trimmed
300gr (9 1/2oz) creme fraiche

Place the apples in a baking dish. Dice 75g of the butter and scatter over the apples with a little sugar. Bake in a preheated 190°c (375°f) oven for 1 hour.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dust with flour.

Melt 40g(1 1/4oz) of the butter in a frying pan and lightly brown the chicken pieces all over. Add the spring onions and cook for 10 minutes more. Pour in the cider and bring to the boil. Taste for salt and pepper, cover and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes.

Sauté the mushrooms in the remaining 35g (1oz) of butter and season with salt and pepper. When the chicken is tender, remove the pieces and arrange on a large platter. Cover with the mushrooms, surround with the baked apples and spring onions and set aside in a warm place.

Reduce the cider cooking liquid over high heat. Lower the heat, add the creme fraiche and cook until the sauce is smooth, creamy. Taste for salt and pepper, pour over the chicken, mushrooms and apples and serve at once.

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750gr (24oz) braising steak cut into serving size pieces, not necessarily into bite size.
seasoned flour (flour with salt and pepper added, in a plastic bag is great)
1 tblspn of good olive oil
1 tblspn butter
3 large onions sliced 50mm thick in rings
1 - 2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 1/2 cups of good beef stock (if you are using a stock cube and nothing wrong with that, cut back on the salt in the flour)
1 bouquet garni

Preheat the oven to 160?c/310?f

Dredge the meat with the flour but shaking it in the plastic bag.

Melt the butter and oil in the bottom of a good solid cast iron casserole, brown the pieces of meat a few at a time in the hot oil/butter. Set aside.

Add the onions, you may have to add a drop more oil if it has all been absorbed by the meat brown them well, towards the end, add the garlic. When the onions are well browned, add the beef stock and the herbs, bring to the boil and add the meat. Stir the pot to mix everything together.

Cook in a medium oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Taste for seasoning before serving and adjust.

Serve with great garlic flavoured mashed potatoes and peas that have been cooked with some fresh mint.

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vegetable oil
16 lamb shanks, trimmed of excess fat
4 onions, peeled and sliced
2 bunches of fresh coriander, washed
1/2 cup ground coriander
1/2 cup ground cumin
2 red chillies
10cm ginger peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
a pinch of saffron
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
30 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
250ml (1cup) white wine
30 pitted prunes, soaked in tea overnight
3 preserved limes, (or lemons) cut into small pieces

Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the shanks until brown. Set aside in a baking tray. In a large pot, sauté the onions in the oil until they start to caramelise.

Place the fresh and ground coriander, cumin, chillies, ginger, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon sticks, oil and honey in a food processor and process to a puree. Add the puree to the cooked onions and continue to sauté. Add the garlic and cook until the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the wine, stir well, and pour the mixture over the shanks. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 190?c/375?f oven for 1 hour. Test with a skewer after 40 minutes to see if the shanks are cooked. When they are cooked, remove the shanks from the sauce and cover with foil to keep them warm.

Skim the fat from the sauce and reduce the liquid until it has thickened. Add the prunes and a little of the soaking liquid and preserved limes.

Pour the sauce over the shanks, garnish with coriander and serve with couscous.

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CREPE OR A PANCAKE

Pancakes are found all over the world, here are recipes that will cover all your needs.

1 cup plain flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk or half milk and water
15gr (1/2oz) melted butter

Put it all in the food processor blend or in a bowl and with a hand held whisk or mixer, blend to a smooth batter.

Pancakes are cooked in a special pan that you use for nothing else, never wash it, just wipe it clean with a kitchen paper.

Put a tiny nut of butter into the bottom of the pan over a moderate heat, allow the butter to melt, pour enough batter in to allow you to cover the base of the pan while you are tilting the pan, cook until bubbles appear and then flip, cook for just a few more seconds until done, stack them on a plate covered with a kitchen cloth.

FILLINGS & TOPPINGS FOR PANCAKES
* try them with lemon and a little butter and sugar
* stack them up with chocolate and cream between each layer and bake to melt the chocolate.
* do the same with jam and cream between layers, you are making a pancake cake.
* try real maple syrup... don't even think about the imitation, its awful.
* stuff them with all manner of stuffing’s, top them with a sauce or melted cheese and bake in the oven.
* every cuisine on earth has recipes, look for the endless variations.
* stuff them with pureed berries, top with sweet cream and cinnamon and bake.

450mil (14 1/2fl oz) of liquid, 1/2 milk and 1/2 water
4 eggs (55gram)
1/2 tspn salt
250gr (8oz) plain flour
4 tblspns melted butter

put all of the above into a food processor and blend until it is a super smooth batter. now let it rest, it can lay about for an hour or more and it will be better for the experience, it enjoys the rest in a cool atmosphere, the fridge is great.

Cooking crepes is easy, use the pan that you never use for anything else, and, when you carried it proudly home from the cookware shop, filled it with oil, brought it to the boil and allow it to stand for 24 hours, drained the oil off and wiped with kitchen paper. The one that you have never washed. Put it over a moderate heat and add a small nut of butter, when the butter is melted, add enough, just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan which you are tilting then place on the heat. Use a spatular and quickly run it round the outer edge of the crepe and shake the pan to loosen the crepe from the bottom. Flip the crepe, it should have taken no more than a minute to cook and quickly cook then other side, about 30 seconds and put the crepe onto a plate that is covered with a kitchen cloth.

* there are hundreds of recipes that call for crepes. this mix will cover them all
* Italians call crepes crespelles
* crepes can be made into bundles with a filling, sealed with egg white and flour then deep fried, they puff and become golden crisp
crepes can be frozen with pieces of kitchen plastic separating each crepe

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Serves 4. 190c/375f
1 litre buttered dish.

For the pudding:
125 gr butter (4 oz)
125 gr castor sugar (4 oz)
Finely grated rind of one lemon
125 gr Self Raising flour (4 oz)
Pinch of salt
1-2 tbsps milk

For the sauce.
2 level tbsps cornflour
125 gr castor sugar (4 oz)
Juice of one lemon
Boiling water
Icing sugar-for dusting

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition (if curdling looks likely, just add some of the flour).grate in the lemon rind, or use a lemon zester to remove the zest. Fold in the flour and salt and sufficient milk to make a medium
Soft consistency. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and spread level.
Sauce.
Blend the cornflour, sugar and lemon juice together in a measuring jug. Pour in boiling water up to the 375 mil level stirring all the time. Pour over with icing sugar and serve.

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1 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 tbs mixed peel
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
90g (3oz) butter
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 tblspns of lemon juice or rum

Combine carrot, dried fruit, water, sugar & butter in pan. Bring to boil, simmer covered 5 minutes, remove from heat, stir in soda; cool to room temp. Stir in egg, sifted flours, spice and lemon juice. Divide mixture between 6x1 cup individual dishes. Place on oven tray. Bake in moderate for 30 mins. Serve warm with whipped citrus sauce.

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4 egg yolks
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
300ml (10floz) carton thickened cream, whipped
2 tbs lemon juice or rum

Beat egg yolks and sifted icing sugar in small bowl with electric mixer for 5 mins, or until thick and creamy. Gradually beat in orange juice. Fold cream and lemon juice into egg mixture.
Refrigerate covered, until serving time.

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2 1/2 (315gr or 10oz) cups of plain flour
1 tspns of ground ginger
Pinch of mixed spice (to taste, more if you like it)
1 tspns of bicarb soda
155gr (5oz) finely grated suet (if you don't want to use suet, use 125gr butter chilled and chopped finely)
1 egg
3/4 cup golden syrup
3/4 cup warmed milk
3 tblspns finely chopped preserved ginger

Sift the flour, spices, bicarb soda into a bowl, add the suet (or butter if using.. Then rub the butter into the mixture to make fine crumbs) make a well in the centre and pour in the beaten eggs mixed with the syrup and the milk. Stir well into a batter that is more runny than dough like.

Use a five (5) cup pudding basin and put the glace ginger in the bottom, pour in the mixture and cover with greaseproof paper and the lid and steam over hot water for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, making sure that the water is always bubbling and there is plenty of it.

Turn out from the basin and serve with a sweet white sauce.

2 tblspns sago
1 cup of milk
60gr (2oz) butter
1 cup of sugar
1 tspns bicarb of soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup of sultanas or mixed dried fruit
1 tblspn chopped mixed peel
1/2 tspns mixed spice

Soak the ago overnight in the milk. Beat the butter and sugar together, the beat in the soaked sago and milk. Add the breadcrumbs, fruit, mixed peel and spice. Mix well and put into a well greased pudding basin. Cover with greaseproof paper and the lid and steam for 2 hours.

Serve with custard and cream.

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