Menu for the week

Tues: Superb squash soup

Wed: Chicken Tikka wraps

Thurs: Double Tomato Bruschetta

Frid: Paneer and Vegetable Skewers

Sat: Potato and Mushroom Soup

Sun: Chicken in Creamy Yoghurt

Mon: Potatoes with a spicy filling

Trout in a bag

You need a piece of foil 4 x bigger than the fish.

serves one

Either two fillets of trout or one whole trout

salt and pepper

2 bay leaves

1 red onion

Basil

any other herbs you like

For trivet for fish to sit on : fennel chopped or 1 carrot chopped or celery sticks

Olive oil, slices of lemon, knob of butter

Fold foil in half and assemble on the foil.

Lay out fennel or other veg and put seasoned fish on top. If fish is whole you can score the skin and rub salt and pepper in.

Peel and slice thinly the onion put on the fish with basil, if whole stuff cavity with basil including stalks. Also put bay leaves on fish and olive oil over the top. Dot with little bit of butter and sliced lemon.

Fold over the foil and seal the 3 sides by folding a seam twice if possible.

Put on a baking tray and bake at 220 for about 10mins maybe 15 depending on size of fish and whether whole or not.

Pan fried cod

This was supposed to be plaice but use whatever is filleted and flat rather than a thick slice. It could be haddock, cod, plaice, sea bass...

serves 2

6 thin slices of parma ham or proscuitto

25g season flour to coat the fish

2x 150g fillet of fish

knob butter

1 tbs mixed herbs

half a lemon

Coat the fish in the flour and heat a frying pan with oil and butter. Fry the fish in the pan and cook the bacon in the oven until crisp (or in the pan). 2min on either side. When fish is done put on a plate with crumbled bacon over it and make a sauce from the herbs lemon and butter in the fry pan , spoon over the fish.

Minestrone soup

Mmm one of the greats:

serves 2

1 tbs olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 carrot sliced

1 celery stick chopped

salt and pepper

a few thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

40g bacon

1 tbs tomato puree

1 x 400g tin of borlotti beans

75g cherry tomatoes halved

300-400ml stock

30g spaghetti or noodles broken into small pieces

large handful of basil finely chopped

parmesan for grating

heat olive oil in a pan and add onions, carrots, celery and some seasoning. Stir over a med heat for 6-8 mins until they begin to soften. Add herbs and bacon (can be cooked and added at end) increase heat and cook for 2mins stir in tomato puree and cook for 1 min. Tip in the beans and tomatoes and then ppur in the stock or water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and add spaghetti and cook for 10 mins . Season. Serve with basil and parmesan.

Bruschetta with Cavelo nero and Parma ham

Serves 2

Chop 150 - 200g of Cavelo nero. Fry 4 slices of Parma ham until crispy. Put on a plate. 1 tbs of oil in the pan and 2 cloves unpeeled garlic . Fry for 2 mins to flavour oil then add Cavelo nero until the leaves are tender and the water has cooked off. Cut ciabetta in half and toast, put ham and cavalo nero onto ciabetta and top with garlic.

Baked Potatoes

This was great ! potatoes baked (large) for an hour on 220. The filling was green pesto and mozzarella cut into cubes 1tbs of pesto for 50g of cheese. Also did a carrot salad with it. Grated carrot (1) and chopped coriander and mint then put in a dressing of e v olive oil and lemon. Also a mothership would be good with this.

Peperonata with Bubbling Goats Cheese

Heat 4 TBS of chilli infused oil in a frying pan. Thinly slice 2 red peppers and 2 yellow peppers and place in the pan with 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds. Fry over a high heat for 2-3 mins then season , reduce the heat and stir in 1 large crushed garlic clove. Cook for another 10mins stirring occasionally until the peppers have caramelized around the edges. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little. Cut a thin slice of goats cheese or mozzarella and cut a ciabetta in half and to the size you want - spoon on the peppers and then the cheese and grill , sprinkle with chopped basil.

serves 4 but can be adjusted for less

Menu for the week

MON: Ciabatta Peperonata with goats cheese

TUE: Baked potatoes with a carrot salad

WED: Minestrone soup

THUR: Pan Fried Plaice and Bacon

FRI:Trout in a bag , Kale crisps

SAT:Chicken and Broccoli Gratin

SUN: Pancakes

MON:Tabbouleh with Roast Spiced Salmon

Roasted Vegetables in Cumin Dressing with Feta

450 gram butternut squash, cut into small chunky pieces

1 red pepper, cut into small chunky pieces

1 courgette, cut

1 fennel bulb, outer layer removed

1 red onion, cut into thin wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

1 tin chick peas, drained and rinsed

100 grams feta cheese, crumbled into pieces

25 grams rocket

salt and pepper

foccaccia bread to serve

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C , gas mark 7. Put chunks of butternut, red pepper cougette and fennel into a large roasting tin with the onion, oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Cut asparagus stalks through the centre lengthwise to enable them to cook evenly. and make the cumin and lemon dressing by toasting the cumin seeds and then crushing them add lemon juice and oil.
season dressing and put aside

Add asparagus to roastng tin and turn everything over and roast for another 20 mins until all are slightly caramelised at the tips.

just before everything is ready boil some salted water and put chick peas in to warm up 5 mins.

Drain chick peas and put dressing over them. Put roasted veg on a plate and put dressing and chick peas over the top. Crumble feta cheese over that and rocket over that. serve with bread.

Flapjack

225g / 8oz butter

225g / 8oz soft brown sugar

85g golden syrup ( I think that's about 4 tbs)

450g /1lb porridge oats

20cm x 30cm baking tin (deep one)

oven 180C

Melt butter slowly in a pan and mix in sugar. Put oats in a bowl and pour in melted butter and sugar, add golden syrup , mix together. Press into a greased baking tin and bake for about 20mins?

When cooked browned at edges take out of the oven and gently mark into pieces in the tin. Let it cool down properly before breaking into pieces.

Deep Fried Mozzarella

A cross between eggy bread and a toasted sandwich. Too many of these wouldn't be good for you!!

Make a sandwich from slices of mozzarella, basil , and a few chopped olives, recipe also said anchovies but I didn't have any. Then press sandwich together and soak in egg , then fry.

Menu for the week

Mon: Deep Fried Mozzarella

Tues: Goujons and Chips

Wed: Pumpkin Ravioli

Thu: Vegetable soup

Fri: Vindaloo

Sat: Roast Provencale vegetables

Sun: Pizza Margherita

Pan Fried Citrus Trout with basil

Wow this was really good, it had a kind of caramelised orange/lemon on top of the trout. A bit like marmalade!

Painted Hills Potatoes

Served this with a salad, it reminded me of a hotpot, layers of peppers , sliced potatoes and sliced onions , also herbs : rosemary and oregano and some grated cheese. Would go well with sausages?

Wild West Rice

Great rice dish, reminded me of Kosheri from the Ottolenghi cookbook.

Excellent with hot chilli sauce!

Crispy Salmon Fingers with Dipping Sauce

Very good - like large goujons, used salmon but it could be any fish. Fish needs to be skinned so best to get fishmonger to do this or watch youtube to see how to do it! Want the recipe?

Dipping sauce was creme fraiche based with chives.

Menu for the week

Mon: Crispy Salmon Fingers with Dipping Sauce

Tues: Wild West Rice

Wed: Root Vegetable and nut Crumble

Thurs: Painted Hills Potatoes

Fri: Trout with Basil (Pan fried)

Sat: Cornish Cowboy Pasties

Sun: Bocconcini di pollo pistellati