Goan Chicken Curry

(serves 4)

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 3 tbsp veg oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 400ml coconut milk
• salt

For marinade:

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75ml water

Mix the marinade ingredients and marinade the chicken pieces for 30-60 mins.

Heat oil in deep frying pan/wok and add mustard seeds. When they start to pop add onions and garlic and fry until golden brown. Add chicken and marinade. Fry over gentle heat for around 8 mins and then add the coconut milk. Increase heat slightly, bring to simmer and keep it there for 10-12 mins until sauce has thickened slightly. Season. Serve with naan bread and rice.

Beef Balti

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
  
• 450g steak, sliced
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• 4cm root ginger, grated
  
• 1 chilli, chopped
  
• 1 green pepper, sliced
  
• 1 red pepper, sliced
  
• 3 tomatoes
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp dessicated coconut, flaked or shredded

Heat oil in wok and fry onion until lightly browned.
Add chilli, ginger and garlic along with the beef. Fry until beef is coloured.
Remove from wok and keep warm.
Fry the peppers, then stir in the garam masala and cumin. Cook for 1 min.
Add chopped tomatoes and lemon juice and some salt. Simmer, stirring for 3-4 mins.
If it becomes dry add a little water.
Sprinkle with coconut and serve with nan bread and rice.

Paprika Rice with Prawns

• Pinch saffron
• 500-600ml chicken stock
• 50g sliced chorizo
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 spanish onion finely chopped
• risotto rice for 2
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 small glass white wine
  
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 50g french beans, trimmed and halved
• prawns
• chopped parsley
• lemon wedges

Drop the saffron into the hot stock.
Fry the chorizo in oil until crisp and then lift out.
Tip away all but 1 tbsp of the oil.
Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft. Add rice, paprika and garlic.
Pour in wine and let it bubble away.
Tip in three quarters of the stock, stir, cover and cook for 10 mins.
Add pepper and the beans.
Add remaining stock if needed.
Cover and cook for 8 more mins.
Stir in the prawns and chorizo and cook until the prawns are pink.
Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges and bread.

Turkey Lasagne

• 500g turkey mince
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 100g mushrooms
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 10 pre cooked lasagne sheets
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 500ml milk
• 150g grated cheese

Preheat oven to gas 6.
Fry onion then add the mince.
Add the mushrooms, tomato puree, herbs and seasoning.
Cook for 20 mins.
For the cheese sauce, melt the butter, add the flour and then gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Add half the cheese at the end when off the heat.
Layer the lasagne, sauce and mince, finish by sprinkling over the remaining cheese and bake for around 30 mins.

Peppered Mackerel Fish Cakes

(Serves 4)

• 300g cold mashed potato
• 6 spring onions thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 250g peppered mackerel fillets, skinned and flaked
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 egg beaten
• 85g breadcrumbs
• sunflower oil
• salad and lemon wedges

Mix together the potato, onions, horseradish and mackerel in a bowl and shape into 8 cakes.
Roll the fish cakes in the flour, then dip in the egg before rolling in the breadcrumbs.
Cover and chill.
When ready, fry for 5-6 mins on each side. Serve with the lemon and salad.

Chicken with Chorizo

• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 chicken breasts cut into halves
• small bunch of chopped coriander
• soured cream
• As many slices of chrizo as you like
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Fry onion and garlic in the oil. Add tomatoes and cider vinegar.
Bring to simmer and cook for 10 mins.
Add chicken and chorizo and paprika for 10 mins until chicken cooked through.
Serve with coriander, cream and rice.

Lamb with Iman Bayildi

• 2 aubergines
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 spanish onion or red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled
• chopped parsley
• paprika
• 1 lemon, halved
• 150g greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cucumber, seeds scopped out, grated
  
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
  
• lamb chops/cutlets

Preheat oven to gas 5.
Halve aubergines lengthways, score flesh deeply and brush with the olive oil.
roast on baking sheet for 20 mins, or until flesh is soft enough to scoop out.

Fry onion until soft, add garlic and cinnamon and fry for 1 min.
Scoop out flesh from aubergines.
Roughly chop the flesh and add it to the onions.
Halve the tomatoes, scoop seeds and juice into a sieve set over a bowl then chop the flesh.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook everything for 10 mins.
Stir in the parsley, leaving a little left to scatter over at the end.

Lay aubergines in a baking dish and divide the tomato mixture between them.
Pour the juice from the tomatoes over them, drizzle more olive oil and bake for 30 mins until aubergines have collapsed.

Mix the yoghurt, mint and cucumber together in a bowl to make a tzatziki.

Season lamb and sprinkle with paprika.
Griddle or grill the lamb before squeezing over the lemon halves. Scatter parsley over. Serve.

Peppercorn sauce for steak

Once the steaks have been cooked, pour any excess oil from pan and add 1 tbsp red wine vinegar.
Bubble then add 125ml beef stock and boil until reduced by half.
Stir in 2 heaped tbsp double cream.
Bubble a little and then add lots of pepper.

Rice noodle salad with pork

• 250g rice noodles
• 2 carrots cut into matchsticks
  
• red onion, thinly sliced
  
• handful of mint and coriander leaves
• juice of 3 limes
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chilli cut into thin strips
• 300g pork mince

Pour boiling water over the noodles and let it sit for 5 mins.
Rinse under cold water and thoroughly drain. Place in serving bowl and add carrots, onion and half the herbs.
Mix the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce along with half the chillis.
Heat wok, add a drop of veg oil and cook mince until it browns. Once cooked through, tip it over the noodle mixture then toss over the dressing, giving it all a good mix.
Scatter with the remaining herbs and chilli slices.

Lamb and Apricot meatballs

(Serves 4)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 10g mint chopped
• 500g minced lamb
• 8 dried apricots
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• pitta bread

Soften the onions in the oil for 5 mins before adding the garlic and spices. Continue to cook for a few mins.
Spoon half of this mixture in a bowl and allow to cool.
Add tomatoes, sugar and seasoning to remaining onions and simmer for 10 mins until reduced.
Add lamb, mint, apricots and breadcrumbs to cooled onions. Season and mix well. Shape into little meatballs.
Fry the meatballs until golden. Stir in the sauce with a splash of water and cook for a few mins. Serve with the pitta and salad.

Chicken Caesar Salad

• 2 chicken breasts with skin
• 4 rashers streaky bacon
• 1 garlic clove
• juice 1/4 lemon
• 1.5 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 25g parmesan plus extra to serve
• worcestershire sauce
• 1 romaine lettuce

Season chicken, drape the bacon around it and roast for 15-20 mins until cooked through.
In a bowl mix the garlic, lemon juice, yoghurt, oil and parmesan and a dash of the worcestershire sauce.
Mix the sauce with the lettuce and serve with the chicken, adding some extra parmesan if you wish.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup

Grill 2 red peppers until completely blackened.
Seal in a plastic bag before peeling. Roughly chop.
Peel and deseed approximately 5 tomatoes.
Chop half a red onion and half a red chilli, and crush a clove of garlic.
Slowly cook the onion in olive oil until softened. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the peppers and tomatoes and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add a teaspoon of tomato puree, cook for a further minute before adding about 600ml vegetable stock. Add some chopped basil.
Liquidise thoroughly.
Continue to cook for 20 mins or so. Add a bit of sugar to sweeten during the cooking and then bring it to correct level of tartness using red wine vinegar.