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Sauteed chickpeas

Sides

Serves 2 people

If you prefer a non-spiced version, use tomato puree instead of Nduja, leave out the cumin and replace the fresh coriander with fresh basil.

Base ingredients

  • Half a red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Half a red chilli
  • A few slices of pancetta
  • 2tsp Nduja
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice
  • Fresh coriander

Method to be updated

Roast pork loin with crispy crackling

Mains, Pork

Ingredients

  • Rolled pork loin joint with rind still on and scored at 1cm intervals – 1.5kg roughly serves 4-6 people.
  • Sea salt

Method

  • Pat the skin of the pork dry and rub in approx 1tbsp sea salt.
  • Leave at room temp for 30mins.
  • Preheat oven to 220c fan
  • Pat the skin dry again and rub in a half tsp sea salt
  • Put the pork in the oven and roast for 45mins. After 45mins, turn the oven down to 160c fan. Roasts for 20mins per 500g (so another hour for 1.5kg).
  • Rest for 10mins before serving.

Braised beef short rib

Beef, Mains

Prep time: 45mins
Cooking time: 3 hours plus 30-45mins resting time

You’ll need one rib per person. This recipe serves 4 people so adjust as needed.

Ingredients

  • 4x short ribs with bone in
  • 1 bottle of red wine (merlot or chianti)
  • 3-4 large shallots, sliced
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • Mix of fresh herbs – some rosemary/thyme, and 2-3 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 500ml-1l beef stock
  • Dash of worcestershire sauce
  • Dash of soy sauce
  • 1tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • Dash of sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Method

  • Remove the meat from the fridge at least 30mins before cooking to bring to room temperature
  • Preheat oven to 160c/140 fan
  • Pour the bottle of wine into a saucepan and simmer it on a low heat to sweeten it up, while you’re doing the rest
  • Roll the meat in flour and salt
  • Sear each rib in a large casserole dish – do them in batches if needed so they have space, really brown and crisp them up
  • Remove the meat and let it rest, turn the heat down a bit and add the shallots. Caramelise them for a good 5-10mins, stirring constantly
  • Add the carrots, celery and garlic, along with your herbs, let that cook down for a few mins
  • Add the puree and cook that for a couple of mins
  • Add the meat back in and pour in the wine
  • Add your stock until the meat is just covered, dash with worcestershire and soy
  • Put the lid on and pop in the oven for 3 hours
  • Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30-45mins
  • Remove the meat carefully – I sometimes like to keep it in the oven that’s off to keep the meat warm
  • Strain the sauce into a wide saucepan and get it boiling, turn it down to a strong simmer
  • Mix a ladel of the sauce with a tbsp of wholegrain mustard, a dash of your vinegar and 2 tbsp plain flour in a separate bowl.
  • Once the sauce has reduced significantly, add the slurry to the sauce and it should thicken up.
  • Season to your liking.
  • Serve with mash and veg 🙂

Apple and Pear Crumble

Desserts, Fruit

Ingredients

Filling:
3x granny smith or cooking apples
2 or 3 conference pears
2tbsp demarara sugar
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Dash of cointreau?

Crumble:
150g plain flour
120g unsalted butter
50g golden caster sugar
25g demarara sugar
Handful of walnuts

Method

Chop fruit and pop into a dish, sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon

Whizz the crumble ingredients in a mixer.

Sprinkle the crumble over the fruit. Sprinkle with some more demarara sugar.

Bake at 200c/180 fan for 20-30mins.

Creamy Sausage Pasta

Pasta and Rice

Warning: a lot of this recipe is guesswork/tasting so make sure you check you’re happy with amounts

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

  • 2x sausages per person so 4 for this 2 person recipe but you can scale up (I loves using those Jolly Hog sage ones or butcher’s farmhouse)
  • 1x medium white onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1x 400g tin of plum or chopped tomatoes (this goes up to 2 tins from 3 people)
  • Sprinkle of dried oregano
  • Sprinkle of dried chilli flakes (up to you how spicy to make it)
  • Half a bunch of fresh basil, chopped
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning
  • A dash of double cream – maybe 2tbsp
  • Optional extras – bit of puree if you want it more tomatoey, or a dash of worcestershire sauce for tang

Method

  1. Remove the skin from your sausages and break the meat into small chunks.
  2. Slice your onion and chop the garlic
  3. Heat a large pot on the hob on a fairly high heat (on an induction hob I’d go for 6. out of 9), once hot add a small splash of oil
  4. Add the meat to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon
  5. Once the meat is browned all over, use a slotted spoon (keep the fat in the pan) and transfer it to a frying pan on a high heat (7 out of 9) to crisp it up.
  6. Turn the heat down to medium on your big empty pot.
  7. Add the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes or until soft
  8. Add the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant
  9. Add the crispy meat back in along with any fat that cooked from it and give it all a good stir
  10. Add the tin of tomatoes, oregano and chilli flakes. You can add the optional bits here as well, but make sure you taste it!
  11. Season well with salt and pepper and let it simmer on a low heat (4/5 out of 9) for a good half an hour to develop the flavours
  12. Check the flavour in case it needs more salt/pepper.
  13. Get your pasta cooking – I like to do this one with rigatoni so the sausage gets inside the tubes
  14. When there’s 4-5mins left on the pasta, add your fresh basil and cream to the sauce. Check again for seasoning as cream can sometimes dilute salt flavour.
  15. Drain your pasta and chuck it all in the sauce, give it a good mix and serve!

P.S. Goes great with a nice garlic bread to dip 🙂

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Chicken, Pasta and Rice

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • Handful of green beans, cut in half to make them short
  • 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley – chop the leaves and stalks separately
  • 70-100g chorizo
  • 3 large chicken breasts, cut into large cubes
  • Olive oil
  • Paella spice mix
  • 1tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 chicken stock cubes
  • 300g paella rice
  • 750ml water
  • 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  • Heat some oil on a medium-high heat in a large lidded, shallow casserole pan or paella dish
  • Add the onion and cook for 5mins until starting to soften
  • Add the garlic and parsley stalks and cook for 1-2mins until fragrant
  • Add the chorizo and cook until it releases oils and starts to brown
  • Add the pepper and green beans, cook for 5 mins
  • Add the chicken and cook until browned all over (no need to cook all the way through)
  • Stir in the spice mix, puree and crumble in the stock cubes
  • Add the rice and stir until it’s all coated in the spices and flavours
  • Pour in 750ml boiling water, bring to the boil and then cover with a lid.
  • Turn down and let it simmer for 15mins – keep checking and stirring
  • Add water if needed but keep stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked
  • Sprinkle with the parsley leaves and serve with lemon wedges

Mexican Corn Ribs

Sides

Ingredients

For the corn

  • 3 corns on the cobb
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chilli powder (or any hot chilli powder)
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander

For the sauce

  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 4 tbsp sour cream
  • 1/2 lime, juiced and zested
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1tsp chipotle chilli paste
  • 1/4tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method

  • Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan
  • Cut the corn into strip wedges and add to oven tray
  • Mix oil with the seasonings and brush over the corn
  • Cook for 30-45mins (flip half way through)
  • In the meantime, make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients
  • Once the corn has cooked, drizzle the sauce over (keep some for dipping) and sprinkle with coriander

Summer Potato Salad

Sides

Ingredients

Keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge

  • 750g Jersey royal potatoes (or any baby salad potato)
  • 4 spring onions
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 30g fresh basil
  • Small handful of fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • Flakey sea salt

Method

  • Cut the potatoes into quarters and place into a deep saucepan with the garlic
  • Cover with water and generously season with salt so it tastes like the sea
  • Bring to a rolling boil, and turn down to a simmer for around 10-15 minutes until tender
  • Remove the garlic
  • In a bowl, mix together the spring onions, chopped basil and parsley, with a pinch of salt and pepper
  • Add in the olive oil and yoghurt, mixing to combine
  • Drain the potatoes and while still warm, tip into the herb mix. Toss evenly to coat and allow the herbs to wilt from the heat.
  • Add more oil/yoghurt as needed.

Upside down pear and ginger cake

Cakes, Fruit

Ingredients

For the caramelised pears:

  • 3-4 pears peeled, cored and thinly sliced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 85g unsalted butter
  • 2 pieces stem ginger in syrup, finely sliced (plus 1tbsp syrup)

For the cake:

  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 70g Greek yoghurt
  • 260g self raising flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 2tsp ground ginger

 

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C Fan. Grease and line a 20cm spring form cake tin
  • Toss the pear slices in the lemon juice
  • Make the caramel – add the sugar (100 g) to a medium-sized deep saucepan over a low heat until golden brown. Don’t stir until the sugar has melted. Be careful, the sugar will be extremely hot!
  • Once the sugar has completely melted, add in the butter (85 g) and stir with a long-handled spoon until melted. Take the pan off the heat, then add in the ginger (2 pieces) and 1 tbsp of ginger syrup. If the butter separates, add a splash of freshly boiled kettle water and whisk together (careful, it might spit!). Leave to stand for 15 minutes, until the caramel coats the back of a spoon.
  • Add the pears to the cake tin, arrange in a fan shape, then pour over the caramel to coat.
  • Whisk the softened butter (250 g) and sugar (250 g) until light and fluffy. Slowly whisk in the eggs (4) one by one, followed by the yogurt. Mix the flour (260 g), baking powder (1 tsp) and ground ginger (2 tsp) together, then gently fold through the butter and egg mixture until well combined.
  • Pour the cake batter on top of the pears and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cooked through. Insert a skewer in the middle – if it comes out clean, it’s ready.
  • Carefully loosen and remove the sides of the cake tin using a pair of oven gloves (it’s important to do this while the cake is still warm, otherwise the caramel will harden). Place a serving plate on top of the cake and carefully flip over. Remove the baking paper.

Slow cooked lamb ragu

Lamb, Mains, Pasta and Rice

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15mins
Cooking time: 3h20mins

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g lamb mince or lamb shoulder cut into cubes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 stick of celery, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped small
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250ml red wine
  • 450ml chicken stock
  • 2x 400g tins plum tomatoes
  • 1 large or 2 small fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Tip: make sure you dice your veg first, so you’re all prepped and ready

  • Put a large pan on a medium-high heat with 1tbsp of the oil. Once hot, add the lamb and brown all over.
  • Drain the excess fat and transfer the lamb to a separate bowl
  • Put the pan back on a medium heat (a bit lower than you had it), and add 1-2tbsp of oil.
  • Add the onion, carrot and celery and lightly sautee for 10 minutes, don’t let it brown, we just want it softened.
  • Once it’s soft, add the garlic and stir for a minute until fragrant.
  • Add the lamb back in and mix it all up with the puree
  • Add the wine and cook until it’s reduced by at least half.
  • Now add your tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with the spoon, and your chicken stock
  • Add the rosemary and bay leaf and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper
  • Let it simmer slowly on a medium-low heat for 3 hours, uncovered. If at any point it dries out a bit, add a splash of water or stock.
  • Once it’s ready, taste and season with salt/pepper as needed.
  • Serve with your favourite pasta