Sirloin Steak with New Potatoes

This was with your average 1 inch thick piece of sirloin steak.
Part boil the new potatoes.
Using an oven-proof fying pan, start to fry the potatoes in some olive oil. As they start to colour add some unpeeled garlic cloves, chopped spring onions, thyme and green beans. Season and put into the oven for about 20 mins to come together.
Just before it's done fry well-seasoned steak for about 1min 30seconds on each side before resting for 4 mins. This should leave it medium rare. 1min 40 seconds should serve it medium.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

• Pasta
• 1 aubergine
• 1 courgette
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• basil - chopped roughly
• 1 tin tomatoes
• tomato and chill paste
• pecorinon toscano cheese - grated
  

Roast the vegetables for about 20 mins drizzled with olive oil.
Cook the pasta at the same time.
When they're done, drain the pasta, add the vegetables to the pasta and the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to the boil and serve, sprinked with the cheese and the basil.

Lamb Shank Madras

As many as you have of the following for the curry powder:

• coriander seeds
• cumin seeds
• fennel seeds
• cumin seeds
• mustard seeds
• black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick

Make sure you're fairly heavy on the coriander. Fry them dry before crushing.

Make the curry paste.

• garlic
• 2 green chillis, deseeded
• ginger

Put the paste ingredients into a food processor and blend.

In thick pan (Le Creuset is perfect), season then fry the 2 lamb shanks for 3-4 mins in a little vegetable oil until starting to colour. Remove the lamb, and then fry 1 onion for a few mins until softened.
Add the curry powder and paste and stir.
Return the lamb, together with a tin of chopped tomatoes and 200ml beef stock.
Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
At the end, remove the lamb and fiercely boil the sauce uncovered for 5 mins to let it thicken into a great sauce.

Serve with rice and something else. Not sure what - a nice little accompaniment of some kind.

Pork Belly with Cabbage

• lemon juice
• 500g pork belly
• lardons
• chopped cabbage
• 50ml white wine
• 130ml double cream
• chopped parsley

Preheat oven to gas 7.
Rub some lemon juice and sea salt into the pork rind.
Roast for around 20 mins.
Reduce to gas 4 and continue to roast for another 50 mins.
Fry lardons until brown. Add cabbage and some butter and cook for 3-4 mins until cabbage begins to wilt.
Add wine and cream and bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins until reduced.
Carve the pork into thick slices and serve on top of the cabbage. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with new potatoes.

You can replace the cabbage with leeks.

Spanish chicken with chorizo

• 1 small tin of butter bean (can use other beans)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tbsp paprika - I use smoked
• chopped parsley, thyme and a few bay leaves
• 4-6 chicken thighs, preferably without skin
• new potatoes, cut into chunks
• chorizo (good amount) cut into chunks
• 75-100g baby spinach
• 500-600ml chicken stock
• 3-4 tsp cornflour mixed with cold water
  

In large, heavy saucepan (Le Creuset), put in the chicken, herbs, paprika, onion and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 mins.
Remove the chicken. Add the potatoes, beans and chorizo. Season to taste. Return to the boil and simmer for 30 mins more.
Return the chicken to the pan, with the spinach and simmer for 5 mins more.
Serve.

Simple steak sauce

Add around 5 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to frying pan and reduce to sticky substance.
Add wholegrain mustard.
To make it less thick add a few drops of water.

Sausage stew

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 sausages
• 1 onion
• 1 tin chickpeas
• 1 tin tomatoes
• approx 2 tsp sundried tomato paste
• 150ml chicken stock
• 1 garlic clove
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• new potatoes to serve

Cook sausages.
Fry onion in the oil until softened.
Add chickpeas, tomatoes and tomato paste, and stock. Bring to boil.
Return sausages to the pan and simmer for 5-6 mins.
Scatter on the chopped garlic, orange zest and parsley.
Serve.

Smoked fish and leek risotto

• small knob of butter
• 1-2 leeks depending on size, sliced thinly
• risotto rice for 2
• approx 550ml fish or veg stock
• approx 180ml milk
• smoked fish cut into chunks - I used river cobbler
• 2 tbsp creme fraiche
• 70g baby spinach

Heat oven to gas 6. Heat butter in oven proof dish and fry the leek until just tender. Add rice and stir for further 2 mins.
Add stock and milk, bring to the boil and bubble for 5mins before laying the fish on top.
Cover and put into oven for around 18 mins.
Fold in the creme fraiche and spinach and season with lots of pepper.
Re-cover and leave to rest for 3 mins before serving.