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.

Lamb Fillet with Onion Marmalade

Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients: 1 fillet of lamb, weight approx. 1 – 1 1/2 lb; a bunch of rosemary sprigs and six garlic cloves, cut into large slivers; 1 large glass of red wine and 4 tbsp of olive oil.

For the marmalade: 3 thinly sliced Spanish onions; 125g (4oz) butter; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 3 tbsp raisins; 1 glass each of red wine and red wine vinegar

1. To make the marmalade, heat the butter and stir in the onions one by one. Cover and cook on a low heat for as long as you can (up to 1 hour) Remove the lid, boil fast, season, add the remaining ingredients and boil fast again, until the wine has disappeared.
2. Meanwhile, make small incisions all over the meat with a sharp knife and insert a small sprig of rosemary and a sliver of garlic in each slit. Place in a dish, pour over the wine and marinate for as long as you can (up to 1 hour). Remove the meat, wipe dry with kitchen paper and brush with olive oil. Season.
3. Cook the lamb over hot barbecue coals (or under a hot grill) for about 10 minutes on each side, covered and over a drip pan, if possible. Turn from time to time and baste with marinade – the lamb should be brown and charred, but still pink inside, according to taste.
4. Slice thinly and serve with the marmalade and chargrilled green beans.

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

Baked Cod Fillet with Vegetables

If you’re planning a buffet and would like to offer your guests one hot dish, this recipe works just as well hot or cold. Simply add the chickpeas, oregano and wine vinegar to the vegetable mixture while it’s still hot.

Serves: 12; Prep: 3 mins; Cook: 30 mins; Cals: 154

Ingredients: approximately 4 tsp salt for the aubergines; 2 aubergines, diced into 1 cm / 1/2 in cubes; 120ml / 4 fl oz virgin olive oil; 1.8kg/4lb thick cod fillets, skinned; 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped; 6 courgettes, diced into 1cm / 1/2 in cubes; 2 x 400g cans whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained, seeded and roughly chopped; 1 x 420g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 x 15g pack fresh oregano leaves only, chopped; 75ml/3 fl oz red wine vinegar; salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to Mark 4/350oF/180oC. Lightly salt the aubergines, put into a colander set over a bowl and leave for about an hour. Discard any juices and gently squeeze the aubergines with kitchen paper to soak up any excess liquid.
Oil a roasting tin with 25ml/1 fl oz of the olive oil. Cut the cod into 7.5cm / 3in pieces, removing any bones, and place in the tin. Cover with foil and bake for about 20 mins or until the fish is just cooked. Using a fish slice, carefully transfer the fish to a serving dish. Drain off and discard any excess liquid.
Heat 50ml/2 fl oz olive oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic. Sauté over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, then add the aubergines and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove aubergines from pan, add remaining oil and courgettes and sauté for about 2 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Cool mixture slightly, then stir in chickpeas and oregano. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the fish and serve hot or just at room temperature.

Beef and Mushroom Stew

This stew really does look after itself. The beef is simmered slowly to produce the most delicious stock, which gives a really glossy, well-flavoured sauce. If using a pressure cooker, cook the stew for 50 minutes. You can also add a bay leaf, orange peel, fresh thyme or Worcester sauce to help liven up the other flavours.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients: Cooking oil; 2lb (900g) stewing steak, cut into 1 1/2 in (4cm) cubes; 3 onions, sliced; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 2 glasses red wine (about 8 fl oz/250ml); 1 lb (450g) button mushrooms; 1· packet Crosse & Blackwell Bonne Cuisine Madeira Wine Gravy or White wine Gravy; Salt and pepper

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry half the steak for a few minutes to seal. Repeat with the rest and set aside.
Place the onions, garlic and red wine in a large pan and boil until reduced by half. Add the sautéed steak and 2 pints (1.2 litres) water, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 1 hour. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 30-40 minutes. You could also add some sliced carrot and celery to the stew at this stage.
When beef is tender, mix gravy powder with a little water until smooth. Stir in and simmer for 5 minutes. If sauce is too thin, boil and reduce. Season to taste and serve.

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

Skate with Hazelnuts

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients: 125g (4oz) butter; 2 tsp hazelnut oil; 750g (1 1/2lb) skate wings, cut into 4 pieces; 30g (1oz) flour; 2 tbsp chopped parsley; 60g (2oz) hazelnuts, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp white wine vinegar.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Dust the skate pieces with flour on both sides and fry in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side, according to the thickness of the skate. Remove from the pan and keep warm on individual plates.
Add the parsley and the nuts to the frying pan, turn up the heat and cook until the nuts brown. Add the vinegar, stirring it in well, then pour the nutty sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

* Accompaniment: Continue the nutty theme by serving this fish with a green salad tossed in a hazelnut oil dressing.