Mozzarella and Tomato Bruschetta

Serves: 6; Prep: 10 mins; Cost: £5.35; Cals per portion: 250

Ingredients: 3 beef tomatoes, sliced; 3 x 100g pkts mozzarella di bufala; extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle over ingredients; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 18 fresh basil leaves; 6 slices olive Ciabatta bread; 2 cloves of garlic, peeled

Arrange the tomatoes and sliced mozzarella on a platter then drizzle with olive oil. Season and scatter over the basil leaves and olives. Set aside in a cool place until ready to serve.
Just before you are ready to eat, toast the slices of Ciabatta until golden, then rub the surface of each with the garlic. Drizzle a little olive oil over the bread and serve warm with the salad.

Menu idea: Chicken with sage and prosciutto; Garlic and herb roast potatoes; Peppers with fennel; Mascarpone and chocolate cassata

Brie with Redcurrant Sauce

Serves: 4; Cals per portion: 328; Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients: 8oz/225g Brie; 1 egg, size 3, beaten; 2oz/50g dried wholemeal breadcrumbs; 1oz/25g mixed chopped nuts; oil for deep frying; lambs lettuce to garnish.

For the sauce: 4 tblsp redcurrant jelly; 2 tblsp ruby port

Trim the brie into four equal triangles. Place the egg in a shallow dish and mix the breadcrumbs and nuts in another.
Dip the Brie into the egg to coat, then into crumb and nut mixture, making sure all the sides are well coated. Shake off any excess.
Heat the oil for deep-frying to 350oF / 180oC. Fry the Brie in two batches for 2-3 mins, or until the coating is golden. Drain well.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat the redcurrant jelly and port in a pan until the jelly is melted.
Place the fried Brie on a serving plate, spoon a little sauce around it and garnish with lambs lettuce.
Serve with the remaining sauce.

Sticky Chicken Wings

Even a complete beginner can make these – they’re so easy and delicious.

Serves: 8; Prep: 5 mins; Cook: 25 mins; Cals per portion: 218

Ingredients: 16 large chicken wings; 8 tblsp runny honey; 1 tsp English mustard powder; 8 tblsp sesame seeds

Preheat oven to Mark 6/400oF/200oC. Arrange chicken wings in a large roasting tin. Season them generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Brush chicken wings with honey to coat them, then sprinkle them with mustard powder and sesame seeds.
Bake wings for 25 mins, turning and basting once until golden and tender..

Black Pudding Fritters

A Gary Rhodes recipe.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: Oil for deep-frying; 8oz (225g) self-raising flour; salt and pepper; 5 fl oz (150ml) lager or beer; 1 black pudding; flour for dusting; lemon quarters and fresh parsley to garnish.
Tartare Sauce: 4-6 tblsp shop brought mayonnaise; 1 tblsp finely chopped onion or shallot; 1 tsp chopped parsley; 2 tsp chopped capers; 2 tsp chopped gherkin

Preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 150oC/300oF. If you don’t have a fat fryer, the fritters can be cooked in 1 in (2.5cm) of fat in a deep frying pan. Do take care not to overheat the oil.
To make the batter, sieve the self-raising flour into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper then whisk in the lager or beer. You should have a batter with a thick consistency. Cut the black pudding into ½ in (1cm) slices.
Lightly dust the black pudding slices with flour, dip them in the batter and deep-fry until golden. They should take about 4-5 minutes in total. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the fritters. Remove them from the fryer and place them on kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat. Garnish with lemon quarters and fresh parsley.
To make the tartare sauce, spoon the mayonnaise into a bowl. Add the chopped onion or shallot, parsley, capers and gherkin and mix thoroughly. Serve with the black pudding fritters.
There are plenty of optional extras to sharpen and lift the flavour of the sauce. A teaspoon of horseradish cream, mustard or cayenne pepper will fire it up a treat.

Beef and Beer Casserole

Serves 4

Ingredients: 1 lb (450g) lean stewing steak; 1 jar Marks & Spencer Beer and Onion Casserole Sauce; 1 dsp horseradish sauce

Preheat the oven to 150-180oC/300-350oF, gas mark 2-4. Place steak in a casserole dish. Add sauce, cook in oven for 3-4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the horseradish sauce. Serve with unlimited potatoes and other vegetables.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Beef recipes. A recipe card is available for download here.

Beef and Bean Stir-fry

To keep this dish crisp, be sure to cook over a constant high heat. It works just as well with veal or pork.

Serves : 4

Ingredients: 1 tblsp sunflower oil; 3 garlic cloves, sliced; 2 red chillies, sliced; ½ tsp finely chopped ginger; 14oz (400g) beef, cut into strips; 14oz (400g) green beans, cut into 1 in (2.5cm) pieces; juice of ½ lemon; 4 tblsp stock; ½ tsp sugar; salt and black pepper; freshly chopped basil, to garnish.

Heat oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Add garlic, chillies and ginger, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add beef, stir-fry for 1 minute. Add beans, stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add remaining ingredients, except basil, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with basil and serve with Chinese noodles.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Beef recipes. A recipe card is available for download here.

Banana Corned Beef Hash

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 1 tblsp sunflower oil; 1 onion, peeled and chopped; 225g corned beef; 3 tomatoes, quartered; 2 bananas, cut into chunks; 1 large potato, cooked and mashed

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry onion until soft. Cut corned beef into cubes and add to the pan with tomatoes, banana and potato. Cook for about 10 mins. Serve with a green salad.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Beef recipes. A recipe card is available for download here.

Bacon & Onion Tart

Serves: 6; Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 40-50 minutes; Cals per portion: 354

A crispy short-crust pastry tart with a creamy onion filling – ideal for a summer picnic.

Ingredients:
Pastry: 6oz/175g plain flour; 1/2 tsp/2.5ml salt; 3oz/75g hard margarine; 2-3 tblsp/30-45ml water
Filling: 2oz/50g butter; 1 lb/450g onions, chopped; 2 rashers bacon, chopped; 1 1/2oz/40g flour; 7 fl oz/200ml milk; 2 eggs; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 8 in / 21cm flan tin, greased

Preheat the oven to Mark 5 / 375oF / 190oC. Sieve the flour and salt into a small bowl. Cut margarine into small pieces and rub it into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water to mix to a firm dough. Roll out on floured board and line the tin.
Melt butter in pan, add onions and bacon and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, stir in flour and mix well. Beat milk with eggs and pour over onions, mixing well. Season and pour into flan case. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve.

Bacon and Mushroom Tagliatelle

Serves: 4; Prep: 5 mins; Cook: 15 mins; Cals per portion: 595

Ingredients: 2 x 5 ml tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 225g/8oz rind-less smoked back bacon, chopped; 115g/4oz button mushrooms, sliced; 1 x 15ml tbsp tomato puree; 1 x 550g jar passata; 1 x 15ml tbsp red wine vinegar; 2 x 15ml tbsp capers or pitted green olives, drained; pinch of sugar; freshly ground pepper; 335g/12oz Egg Tagliatelle; 1 x 15ml tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 x 5ml tsp dried oregano

* Heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-5 mins or until softened. Stir in bacon and mushrooms and cook for 5 mins.
* Stir in the tomato puree, passata, wine vinegar, capers and sugar. Season the mixture generously with fresh ground black pepper, then simmer for 5 mins.
* Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add taleteller and cook for 5 mins, or until al dente. Drain well, then toss with oregano and bacon sauce.
TIP: For extra flavour add a vegetable or chicken stock cube to the water while cooking pasta.

Bacon & Mixed Root Vegetable Rosti

Adapted from a traditional Swiss recipe based on potatoes, this variation can be eaten as a meal in itself.

Serves: 4; Prep: 15 mins; Cook: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 lb (450g) potatoes; 8oz (225g) parsnips; 8oz (225g) carrots, peeled and grated; 4 rashers smoked back bacon, diced; salt and fresh ground black pepper; 4 tbsp (60ml) chopped fresh chives; 1oz (25g) butter; 2 tbsp/30ml olive oil.

Method:

Cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
Cook parsnips in the same way until tender, drain and leave to cool. Peel both the vegetables, coarsely grate them and mix with the carrots.
Fry the bacon until crisp and mix with the grated vegetables. Season well and mix in the chives.
Heat the butter and half the oil in a 23cm/9in heavy based (preferably non-stock) frying pan. When hot, spread the vegetable mixture evenly into the pan. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. To turn the rosti over, place a plate that fits snugly over it. Turn the rosti out onto the plate.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and, when it’s sizzling, slide the rosti back into the pan, cooked side uppermost.
Cook for a further 10 minutes, adding the remaining oil to the pan. Turn out onto a plate and serve hot.

Tip: The rosti can be cooked in the oven in which case you don’t have to reverse it onto a plate. Simply cook as described for the first 10 minutes, then put in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

Visit my shop to download this and 9 other Ham, Gammon and Bacon recipes in the Ham, Gammon & Bacon Volume 1 book. A recipe card is also available for download here.