In comparison to last week, this week has been very quiet; Felix has returned to Uni and it is just Nick and I at home – I must admit it feels a little flat! So we have been taking ourselves out to dinner for a couple of nights – I will be posting the reviews on my ‘Eating Out’ page. I have, of course, still been cooking, and thinking of new recipes for Menu Mistress, the first menu this week was inspired by the meal I had at the Wild Rabbit in August – you may remember that Nick and I had a short break in the Cotswolds, and that we were both very impressed by this restaurant owned by the Daylsford Estate in Kingham. When we visited, I enjoyed Turbot with Braised Lettuce and Peas. I loved the fresh flavours of this dish, so on my return started to search my cookbooks for a recipe which would emulate the flavours, but be easy to prepare and cook during the week…I am happy to say that I found a recipe which I think is a complete success, Halibut with Creamed Peas and Bacon, watch out the Wild Rabbit! This week’s second menu, Chicken with Mushrooms, Chickpeas and Tarragon Oil, is a perfect weekday supper, particularly as the evenings start to draw in, with its ‘comfort food’ flavours all cooked in one pan! For a vegetarian option, the mushroom and chickpea stew is delicious cooked without the chicken and served with the tarragon oil. Finally, I’m sharing an easy Bolognese sauce, a recipe which will also be a great addition to my new Menu Mistress @Uni page. This Bolognese sauce is one of two that I cook at home, it is the less elegant of the two, yet is very tasty, with homely, satisfying flavours – a great midweek treat! It is a recipe that I have taken and slightly tweaked, from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Happy Days with the Naked Chef’, one of his older books and one in which he looks very young, thus it makes me feel very old to own an original copy! The other Bolognese sauce that I cook is with cream so is slightly richer – I shall be sharing this one in the future!…

Menu One

Halibut with Creamed Peas & Bacon (Serves 4)

This recipe is good enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough to serve midweek as a family meal – a winner whatever the situation! It’s from J. Sheekey’s brilliant cookbook, ‘Fish’. You could substitute the halibut for another firm fleshed white fish, such as haddock. Try to get pea shoots as they give more flavour, but if they aren’t available you can use baby gem lettuce. I would serve this dish simply with steamed new potatoes.

4 x 180g halibut fillets, skinned (or another firm fleshed white fish – ask your fishmonger)

200g peas

60g unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

50g smoked bacon, diced

50ml vegetable stock

120ml double cream

3 spring onions sliced

A handful of pea shoots (or baby gem lettuce), roughly chopped

1 lemon, cut into wedges (to serve)

A little olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Place the peas in a pan on boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt 20g of butter and gently soften the shallot with the bacon, without colouring.
3. Add the vegetable stock and simmer until it is reduced by three quarters.
4. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer to reduce by half.
5. Add the peas, spring onions and pea shoots (or lettuce), and continue to simmer until the sauce is just thick enough to coat the peas. Add the remaining butter, check seasoning. Set aside and keep warm.
6. Heat the a little olive oil in a frying pan. Season the halibut and gently cook for 5 minutes then turn over and cook for a further 4 minutes.
7. To serve, spoon the pea sauce on plates and top with the halibut fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with steamed new potatoes.

Menu Two

Chicken with Mushrooms, Chickpeas & Tarragon Oil (Serves 4)

This simple recipe is cooked in one pan, the chickpea ‘stew’ is cooked under the chicken thighs so catches all of their beautiful juices. I found this recipe in Nina Parker’s cookbook ‘Nina St Tropez’, a favourite book of mine. The tarragon oil it also a great dressing for salads, particularly with chicken and avocado.

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

3 banana shallots, thinly sliced

400g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

400g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size

2 star anise

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked

Sea salt and black pepper

For the Tarragon Oil

¾ teaspoon chopped garlic

6 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

12 tablespoons olive oil

6 teaspoons cider vinegar

6 teaspoons lemon juice

¾ teaspoon sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish (with a lid). Season the chicken thighs and place in the hot pan, skin side down. Cook for about 6 minutes until golden.
2. Remove from the pan and add the shallots, stir and cook for a minute or two, then add the mushrooms cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Now add the chickpeas and the star anise, stir well before finally adding the garlic and thyme, stir again.
4. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up, on top of the chickpea mixture. Cover with a lid, turn down the heat to barely simmering and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lid, and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until any liquid has been absorbed by the chickpeas and mushroom mixture. Check the thighs are cooked (make a cut on the underside of the thigh beside the bone to check).
6. Meanwhile make the tarragon oil by pounding the garlic with a little salt in a mortar and pestle, then add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.
7. Remove the star anise from the chicken and chickpeas, and  serve with tarragon oil.

Menu Three

‘Everyday’ Bolognese Sauce with Spaghetti (Serves 4-6)

This is one of two Bolognese Sauces that I cook at home; it is the slightly less elegant of the two yet is very tasty, with homely, satisfying flavours – a great midweek treat! It is from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Happy Days with the Naked Chef’ (one of his original cookbooks – he looks incredibly young in the photos!), I have slightly tweaked it over the years. I serve it with spaghetti but you could serve it with other pasta shapes.

150g cubed pancetta

Small bunch of basil, leaves picked, and stalks chopped

Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

450g minced beef

1 wineglass red wine

1 level teaspoon dried oregano

400g tin of tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

200g tomato purée

450g spaghetti

Sea salt and black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve

1. In a large pan/ casserole dish that can go in the oven, fry the pancetta in a little olive oil until lightly golden.
2. Add the onion, garlic and chopped basil stalks (not the leaves), and fry for a further 3 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the minced beef, continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes before adding the wine and reduce slightly.
4. Add the oregano, both the tinned tomatoes and tomato purée, and the balsamic vinegar. Season well.
5. Now cover with a lid (or with foil), and place in a preheated oven, 180’c fan. Cook for an hour and a quarter.
6. Just before the end of the cooking time, cook your spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente.
7. Serve the sauce stirred through the spaghetti with the basil leaves, torn, sprinkled over and some grated parmesan cheese.

This week has been rather hectic as I’ve been helping Felix to prepare to return to University; he leaves at the end of this week.  I have also been busy adding a new page to Menu Mistress – Menu Mistress @Uni! As the name suggests it will be a page for students, giving them some simple but homely recipe ideas. Last year, before Felix went off to Uni, I ordered a student cookbook for him, I was so disappointed when it arrived to see that every other recipe comprised of mince or beans in some form or another. I understand that ‘budget’ is the holy grail when you are a student, but really, there has to be some joy, how can you be expected to go from home cooked, family food to weeks of ‘budget beans’! Further research showed me that this recipe book was not alone in its advice for budget student ‘grub’, it was all a little depressing, it was as if by leaving home any taste you had for good food disappeared. So instead of giving him one of these ‘student food on a shoe string’ books, I compiled a file with some of the recipes we cooked at home, which I knew he would be able to cook and that would not break the bank, plus in some cases the leftovers could be frozen for meals in the future – very ‘on budget’! Anyway, I decided a few weeks ago (as always a little spontaneously!), that it would be a nice idea to share these ‘Uni recipes’ on Menu Mistress. In most cases I will also be sharing these recipes on my main recipe page but I will tweak them to suit student life on Menu Mistress @Uni. So, please pass on this new page to any students you know!

The idea of student budgeting must be rubbing off on me, as this week ‘Menu Two’ uses the leftovers of my first menu! The first menu is one which is extremely popular in my household, a firm family favourite – Tarragon Pot Roast Chicken. Yes, another pot roast chicken recipe – I know, I only gave you one last week with figs, but this one is very different, I promise! And, as I have said before, I do love pot roasting chicken, as once in the oven it just looks after itself, it is less fatty and messy to cook than a traditional roast, plus the juices caught in the bottom of the pot create a lovely sauce. So it really is an ideal dinner menu anytime.

Menu Two is a Chicken and Leek Risotto which, as I mentioned earlier, uses up any leftover chicken from yesterday’s pot roast! Finally, a little childish treat for you – Chocolate Crispy Cakes!  I was thinking of making a batch for Felix to take back to Uni as a ‘home from home’ treat, and I thought that they would also be a great treat for you, plus they are a great recipe to ‘kick start’ Menu Mistress @Uni! I think everyone has a fondness for these little cakes which are often served at children’s birthday parties, indeed, I picked up this recipe when Felix was just a toddler. They really shouldn’t be reserved only for children –  everyone deserves these! I use 70% cocoa dark chocolate, so in fact they are more popular with adults than children – I have even been known to serve them up in tiny cases as petit fours after a dinner party!

Tarragon Pot Roast Chicken with Garlic Green Beans (Serves 4)

This is probably one of my all-time favourite chicken recipes – have I sold it to you?!… Seriously, it is very good and is super easy; the sauce is created from the delicious juices which are caught under the chicken in the pot. Tarragon and chicken are, of course, a classic combination, so you honestly can’t go wrong with this recipe! I serve it with Garlic Green Beans, which are amazing – try them – and also with either Concetta’s Potatoes or Roast Potatoes (recipes below).

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

1 garlic clove, crushed

50g unsalted butter, softened

1 x 1.6-1.8 kg chicken

2 teaspoons oil

150ml chicken stock

30ml white wine

1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)

1 heaped tablespoon tarragon leaves, roughly chopped

150ml double cream

1. Mix together half the butter with the 2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and place inside the cavity of the chicken, then tie the legs together.
2. Heat the remaining butter and the oil in a large casserole dish, and brown the chicken all over.
3. Add the wine and chicken stock. Cover the casserole and place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
4. Remove the chicken to rest in a warm place, making sure that you drain any juices from it back into the pan.
5. Skim a tablespoon of the surface fat from the cooking liquid and put it in a small bowl. Skim off any remaining fat and discard.
6. Add the flour to the reserved fat and mix to a smooth paste.
7. Whisk the paste into the cooking liquid over a moderate heat until the sauce boils and thickens.
8. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add the heaped tablespoon of chopped tarragon leaves, simmer for 2 minutes and then add the cream, reheating without boiling. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Carve the chicken, serve with the sauce spooned over and with Garlic Green Beans, Concetta’s potatoes or Roast potatoes (recipes below).

Garlic Green Beans (Serves 4)

This is a delicious recipe for beans, and despite the amount of garlic the recipe calls for, the flavour is not overpowering. I found this recipe in David Lebovitz’s cookbook ‘My Paris Kitchen’, I love French cooking, so this is a favourite book of mine, not only for the recipes but for the Parisian tales he shares. The recipe in French is Haricot Verts au Beurre d’Escargot (beans with snail butter!), apparently it refers to the butter mixed with copious amounts of garlic which normally dress the popular French dish of snails!

450g green beans

55g unsalted butter

3 tablespoons crushed garlic

30g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

Black pepper

Half a lemon

1. Cook the beans for about 4 minutes in boiling water until just tender.
2. Melt the butter in a small frying pan, add the garlic, cook for a few minutes until it just begins to brown. Stir in the parsley, salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
3. Add the beans to the pan, stir so that they are beautifully covered in this delicious ‘snail butter’, and squeeze over a few drops of lemon juice to taste.

A Staple Side Dish – Concetta’s Potatoes (Serves 4)

4 large potatoes – such as Maris Piper (roasting potatoes)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried sage

Sea salt and black pepper

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Olive oil

1. Peel and slice the potatoes, and parboil in boiling water for 4 minutes.
2. Place in a roasting tin, sprinkle over the rosemary, sage and garlic, season with salt and black pepper and drizzle over some olive oil – mix well.
3. Place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 35-40 minutes until crispy and well browned.

A Staple Side Dish – Perfect Roast Potatoes (Serves 4)

Everybody has their favourite roast potato recipe, I must admit, that having tried various recipes I have always returned to the one I found years ago in Delia Smith’s ‘Winter Collection Cookbook’ – you can’t beat it in my opinion. I use either olive oil or goose fat (I buy it in jars), depending on my mood. The olive oil gives a lighter, cleaner taste, whereas the goose fat has a richer flavour – both crisp up the potatoes equally well.

1.8kg Maris Piper or other floury, roasting potatoes

110g olive oil or goose fat (see note above)

Sea salt

1. Put the oil/fat in the roasting tin and place in the oven, 190’c fan, on the highest shelf so that the oil preheats whilst you prepare the potatoes.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into evenly sized pieces.
3. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and add the salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until the outer edge of the potatoes is fluffy – test with the points of a fork.
4. Drain the potatoes well and return to the saucepan. Place a lid over the pan and shake it vigorously. By shaking the potatoes in the saucepan in this way the cooked edges will become floury and fluffy – perfect for crisping up in the oven.
5. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and place the potatoes in the hot fat – careful as the oil may spit! Baste them well and return to the oven for about 40 minutes until they are golden brown and crisped.
6. Sprinkle with salt and serve straightaway – do not allow them to sit around otherwise they will loose their crunch (if they are cooked before you are ready, turn off the oven and leave them inside – but with caution, they don’t like to wait!)

 Leek and Chicken Risotto (Serves 4-6)

This is a fantastic recipe for using up leftover chicken. It is a lovely unctuous, satisfying supper dish. The recipe originally called for twice as much cheese but I really think that it overpowered the flavours of the dish so I have halved the amount and suggested that you sprinkle over more cheese at the table. As I like this risotto to be more substantial, I have doubled the amount of chicken the recipe originally called for –  but feel free to reduce or increase the amount to taste (and depending on the amount of leftover chicken you have!). This recipe is taken from Rachel Allen’s cookbook ‘Recipes From My Mother’, as the name suggests it contains lots of homely recipes.

1.5 litres chicken stock

25g unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium leek, chopped

500g risotto rice, such as Carnaroli or Arborio

75ml dry white wine

40g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated plus more to serve (see note above)

2-3 generous handfuls of leftover roast chicken, chopped (see note above)

Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

2 tablespoons of parsley

1-2 teaspoons chopped thyme

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to keep it at a gentle simmer.
2. Meanwhile melt the butter and oil in a large pan – I like to use a deep frying/sauté pan. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper, cover and sweat gently until soft (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the rice, stirring to coat it in the oil. Then add the wine, turn up the heat and let it bubble to evaporate (about 2 minutes).
4. Lower the heat and now add a ladle of the hot stock, stirring continuously until it has evaporated. Continue to add ladle after ladle in the same manner until the rice is cooked and it has a creamy consistency. It should take around 16-18 minutes.
5. When you are happy with the texture (the rice should be al dente, retaining a little bite), stir in the cheese, chicken, parsley, thyme and some lemon juice to taste. Check the seasoning and serve with more cheese sprinkled over according to your individual tastes.

Chocolate Crispy Cakes

An all-time favourite in my house, these were the staple children’s birthday party food when my son, Felix, was a toddler, they really shouldn’t be reserved only for children – everyone deserves these! I make mine with Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate, which gives them a more adult flavour, they are certainly not a childish treat – I have been known to serve mini ones as petit fours after dinner parties!

50g unsalted butter

4 tablespoons golden syrup

100g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate)

75g cornflakes

1. Gently melt the butter, syrup and chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water (a bain marie).
2. Stir in the cornflakes.
3. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases (or smaller ones to make petit fours!), or if you don’t have cases, just spoon large spoonfuls onto a buttered baking tray, and place in the fridge until set.

September is one of my favourite months. The weather is normally quite good and we often get some late summer, sunny days, which seem like a gift as summer is supposed to be over! After years of Felix being at school and having to follow the school calendar, September also feels like the beginning of a new year – a new beginning. It is a month which brings us gently out of our holidays and into routine, and if you know me by now, you’ll know that I love a bit of routine! With the cooler evenings, I often find that my dinners reflect this change – this week I found myself making lists of menus which included comfort food recipes such as mashed potato and pork chops with a creamy sauce! But don’t worry, I haven’t jumped into the autumn quite yet, instead this week’s first menu reflects the end of summer’s harvest of figs – Pot Roast Chicken with Figs (with Perfect Roast Potatoes or Concetta’s Potatoes). Any leftover figs are delicious served up cold the next day with cold meats, particularly with prosciutto. Meanwhile the second menu uses all the lovely fresh vegetables we have around at the moment with a subtly spiced Thai vegetable curry, a lovely vegetarian option.

Menu One

Pot Roast Chicken with Figs (Serves 4-6)

I  love pot roasting chicken as once in the oven it just looks after itself. It is less fatty and messy to cook than a traditional roast, plus the juices caught in the bottom of the pot create a lovely sauce and the chicken comes out perfectly moist! This recipe with the figs is rather luxurious, and naturally very tasty. Any leftover figs are great the next day cold (and sticky!) with prosciutto or other cold meats – what a beautiful lunch!! I found this recipe in Diana Henry’s wonderful cookbook ‘A Bird in the Hand’, which concentrates purely on chicken recipes – it is a very comforting cookbook. I like to serve this dish with Perfect Roast Potatoes or Concetta’s Potatoes (recipes below).

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1.8kg chicken

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons Armagnac

125ml dry white wine

125ml chicken stock

4 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

12 -18 figs, stalks snipped, halved

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

20g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, heat the oil in a large casserole dish (with a lid) and brown the chicken all over.
2. Pour off most of the fat and fry the onion until soft and golden.
3. Deglaze the pan with the Armagnac, scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove all the sticky bits, then add the wine, stock, thyme and bay leaf. Season with black pepper.
4. Return the chicken and any juices that have run out of it. Cover, put in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 70 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 20 minutes. Baste every so often
5. Remove the Chicken from the pan and keep warm. Skim off the fat from the cooking juices and strain into a frying pan. Boil to reduce them, until they become slightly syrupy.
6. Reduce the heat and add the figs, vinegar and honey. Cook for about 4 minutes.
7. Remove the figs with a slotted spoon and whisk in the cubed butter to make a rich and shiny sauce.
8. Serve the Chicken, either whole or jointed, on a warm platter with the figs surrounding it and the sauce in a jug on the side.

Perfect Roast Potatoes

Everybody has their favourite roast potato recipe. I must admit that having tried various recipes, I have always returned to the one I found years ago in Delia Smith’s ‘Winter Collection Cookbook’ – you can’t beat it in my opinion. I use either olive oil or goose fat (I buy it in jars), depending on my mood. The olive oil gives a lighter, cleaner taste, whereas the goose fat has a richer flavour – both crisp up the potatoes equally well.

1.8kg Maris Piper or other floury, roasting potatoes

110g olive oil or goose fat (see note above)

Sea salt

1. Place the fat in the roasting tin and place in the oven, 190’c fan, on the highest shelf so that the oil preheats whilst you prepare the potatoes.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into evenly sized pieces.
3. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and add the salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until the outer edge of the potatoes is fluffy – test with the points of a fork.
4. Drain the potatoes well and return to the saucepan. Place a lid over the pan and shake it vigorously. By shaking the potatoes in the saucepan in this way the cooked edges will become floury and fluffy – perfect for crisping up in the oven.
5. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and place the potatoes in the hot fat – careful as the oil may spit! Baste them well and return to the oven for about 40 minutes until they are golden brown and crisped.
6. Sprinkle with salt and serve straightaway – do not allow them to sit around otherwise they will loose their crunch (if they are cooked before you are ready, turn off the oven and leave them inside – but with caution, they don’t like to wait!)

A Staple Side Dish – Concetta’s Potatoes (Serves 4)

4 large potatoes – such as Maris Piper (roasting potatoes)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried sage

Sea salt and black pepper

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Olive oil

1. Peel and slice the potatoes, and parboil in boiling water for 4 minutes.
2. Place in a roasting tin, sprinkle over the rosemary, sage and garlic, season with salt and black pepper and drizzle over some olive oil – mix well.
3. Place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 35-40 minutes until crispy and well browned.

Menu Two

Thai Vegetable Curry (Serves 4)

You have probably noticed from the recipes that I share that I am a big meat eater, so pure vegetarian dishes a not a regular feature on Menu Mistress – however I am trying to change this! Having said that, this Thai Vegetable Curry is something that I have cooked on a number of occasions (I always feel very virtuous when I do!), it is a very comforting curry, with clean tastes; the water chestnuts really give it a lovely crisp texture. I use only one green chilli as I don’t like really spicy food, however you could use two to increase the heat factor.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons fish sauce

15g palm sugar (you could substitute this for brown sugar or maple syrup)

400ml coconut milk

400ml vegetable stock

2 sweet potatoes (around 600g), peeled and diced into 1.5cm cubes

12 button mushrooms, quartered

8 stalks Tenderstem broccoli

100g peas

1 x 220g tin sliced water chestnuts, drained

For the Green Curry Paste:

1-2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped (see note above)

3 shallots, peeled

2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped

4cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 bunch of coriander (stalks, leaves and roots – if possible)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ teaspoon sea salt

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

1. First make the curry paste by placing all the paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. When hot add the curry paste, fry for 4-5 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the fish sauce and palm sugar, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
4. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a clean saucepan, discarding the remnants in the sieve.
5. Bring the curry sauce to a simmer, season with salt (if needed). Add the sweet potato, cook for 10 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes.
6. Cook the broccoli in a separate pan, for 4 – 6 minutes until just cooked .
7. Add the broccoli, peas and water chestnuts to the curry and heat through.
8. Serve with rice.

Today, 2^nd September is my son’s birthday. I find it very difficult to believe that 20 years ago, Felix was born and I became a mum. Where does the time go, it honestly seems like only yesterday that I was struggling with breast feeding and then later, cooking ‘Annabel Karmel’ weaning recipes! Now he is off at university – or rather should be if Covid doesn’t intervene again (who would have dreamt 20 years ago that this pandemic would be affecting all of our lives?!). Anyway for this reason I have been reminiscing, I have been going through old photos and even a few videos, musing over how young we all look! One thing that hit me when looking at these photos is how many are taken around food, and how I can still remember the flavours of some of those meals; food is something that feeds not only our tummies but also our senses, triggering memories.

It is human nature to celebrate special occasions with food, they go hand in hand, so naturally I have been thinking this week of recipes to cook to spoil our birthday boy! This of course means that I will be sharing them with you…

Felix, like a lot of teenagers, loves sweet and salty flavours, he is also a huge meat eater, so the first dish accommodates both these preferences – Thai Steak Salad with Ginger, which despite being a salad is a very substantial and fulfilling midweek meal. The second recipe is Spaghetti with Monkfish and Tomato Sauce, although Felix is not particularly keen on fish, he loves this pasta dish with meaty monkfish. When I first made it for him, he gave me one of the best compliments by comparing it to the food of our favourite fish restaurant in Italy; ‘This could be on the menu at Ottone!’, he exclaimed, so I instantly knew it was a winner!

Finally, a showpiece dessert, but an extremely easy one to make – a Pavlova. I make my Pavlova in the shape of a wreath, having followed a Mary Berry Christmas recipe years ago, and I must admit it really does have a ‘wow’ factor whatever the season – and that’s before anyone has even tasted it!

You don’t need to be celebrating to enjoy these recipes – both the Thai Steak Salad and the Monkfish Pasta are great midweek dinners, whilst the Pavlova is a welcome weekend treat, and I think we all need one of those…!

Enjoy!

Menu One

Thai Steak Salad with Ginger (Serves 4)

This salad has a lot of ingredients but is very simple to make and ready in 10 minutes! It is a recipe I found in the cookbook ‘Tom Aikens Cooking’, a book which I bought many years ago when he had his Michelin starred restaurant, ‘Tom Aikens’. Nick and I were lucky to eat there a few times and I must admit that the food was outstanding. The cookbook, as you can imagine from a chef of this calibre, has quite a few complicated recipes however amongst them it is possible to find a couple which are easy to cook on a midweek evening,  such as this steak salad. The flavours of this salad are great; fresh and light, with a sweet ginger taste rather than a hot firery one! If you are gluten free use gluten free soy sauce and oyster sauce.

3 – 4 sirloin steaks (depending on how hungry you are)

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1 red onion, thinly sliced

150g mixed salad leaves

For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons of bottled stem ginger in syrup, chopped

6g piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped

2  fresh red chilles, finely chopped (or less according to your taste)

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 small bunch fresh mint, leaves picked

1 small bunch fresh Thai basil or regular basil, leaves picked

2 tablespoons soy sauce(gluten free if required)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (gluten free if required)

2½ tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon caster sugar

50ml sesame oil

1. For the sauce, grind together the gingers, the chilli, the garlic and half of the mint and basil leaves. Mix in the remaining sauce ingredients including the remaining whole herb leaves.
2. Brush the steaks with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan (or frying pan) until very hot and cook each steak for 1½-2 minutes on each side.
3. Remove the steaks from the pan and whilst they are resting put the red onion in the pan to cook for a few minutes until caramelised.
4. Slice the steaks into to thin slices, trimming them of any excess fat.
5. Finally toss the meat, onions, salad leaves and sauce together in a large bowl and serve straightaway.

Menu Two

Spaghetti with Monkfish and Cherry Tomato Sauce (Serves 4)

Often nicknamed ‘poor man’s lobster’, monkfish is a lovely meaty fish making this dish totally satisfying. It is best to have all the ingredients prepared before cooking as the sauce cooks quickly. It is a very special yet quick and simple pasta dish…

400g monkfish fillet, sliced into 1cm slices

400g spaghetti

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 red chilli, chopped (or less according to your taste)

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

350g ripe cherry on the vine tomatoes, halved

4 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons of capers

1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Season the monkfish and place in the pan, allow to colour, stirring. Then add the dried and fresh chilli, and the garlic, cook for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and wine to the pan followed by the capers, cook over a high heat for a couple of minutes.
3. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until al dente.
4. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the pan with the sauce along with the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice (to taste). Toss everything together and serve. Easy!

Menu Three

A Wreath Pavlova with Summer Berries

I make this pavlova in the shape of wreath, having seen the recipe by Mary Berry for a Christmas pavlova in this wreath shape some years back. I find that this shape is not only stunning to look at but also easier to slice. I use a mixture of summer berries, but most fruits work well, so you can use whatever you have to hand. You will need to draw out the shape of the wreath on baking parchment – I find that at large plate and a saucer are about the right size – see photo above.

For the Pavlova:

6 large egg whites

350g caster sugar

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cornflour

For the Filling:

600ml double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

50g icing sugar, sifted

300g strawberries, hulled and quartered

300g raspberries

200g blueberries

A few mint leaves to decorate (optional)

Icing sugar to dust

1. Preheat the oven to 140’c fan.
2. First place a large piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet and draw 30cm circle (you could use a large dinner plate) and inside this circle an inner circle of 15cm (you could use a saucer) – thus creating a wreath shape.
3. Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and with an electric whisk, whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar a little at a time until the whites are stiff and glossy. Mix the cornflour and vinegar together in a small cup and then whisk into the whites.
4. Spoon the meringue mixture onto the ring drawn on the parchment. Using a spoon to make a shallow trench in the meringue for the cream to sit in – see photo above.
5. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 120’c. Bake for 1 hour- 1 hour 15 minutes until the outside is hard but still white. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside for at least an hour or overnight to cool and dry (don’t forget it’s in the oven!)
6. To assemble, whip the cream, vanilla paste and icing sugar together until stiff peaks form. Spoon the cream in the trench of the pavlova and top with the berries and decorate with the mint leaves (if using). Finally sprinkle with icing sugar. Delicious!!

This week is the end of August which means a long bank holiday weekend. Thinking of this, I realised that normally it would be Notting Hill Carnival, the renowned Caribbean carnival and the largest street party in Europe, which of course won’t be going ahead due to Covid-19. My dad is from the West Indies, Guyana, so the flavours of the Caribbean, although very much watered down through my English mum, were sporadically present during my childhood. Later, when I moved up to London, I lived in Notting Hill for a number of years, the flat that I shared overlooked one of the streets on the carnival route, so for a few years I had the perfect seat to spectate! I must admit since those days, over twenty years ago, I haven’t visited the carnival – I think I was spoilt from having had the private view from my flat(!), however I do like to watch the highlights on television as it brings back not only the memories of my younger years but also the culinary flavours which my dad would bring to our table every so often when I was a child. It is these flavours that instilled in me the love of cooking; during those ‘tasteless’ years of the seventies it showed me that there were interesting and exotic flavours to be found! So, this week I thought I would have a little celebration of the Caribbean on Menu Mistress, this is more of a theme, as apart from my dad’s curry recipe, they are not necessarily authentic recipes but they do have the subtle, spiced flavours of the West Indies. They are all recipes which I have enjoyed over the years so I hope that you will also enjoy them, and that they will bring a ‘carnival of flavours’ to your dinner table!…

Menu One

Spiced Chicken breast with Sweet Potato Mash (Serves 4)

I must admit that before tasting this recipe I had never truly liked sweet potato, but the lime and coriander in this dish cut the sweetness of the potato, it really is delicious. So if you aren’t a lover of sweet potato please try this recipe – you will be converted! This subtly spiced chicken dish is very easy to make, making it a perfect midweek dinner.

4 boneless, skin on chicken breasts

1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 level teaspoon coriander seeds

1 level teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

2 level teaspoons ground paprika

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons groundnut oil

75g unsalted butter

1 bunch of coriander, chopped – keep a few sprigs back for decoration

Lime wedges, to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Place the sweet potato in a steamer, sprinkle with salt and steam for about 20 minutes until cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, place the coriander, cumin and fenugreek seeds in a small frying pan and ‘dry-roast’ for about  1 minute until they smell aromatic. Finely grind in a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and the oil, mix to a paste.
3. Make 2-3 cuts about 5mm deep in each chicken breast. Rub each breast all over with the paste.
4. Place the chicken breasts on a baking tray in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 25 minutes until cooked through.
5. When the sweet potatoes are cooked through, place in a bowl and mash, adding the butter, remaining lime juice and plenty of black pepper. Stir through the chopped coriander.
6. Pile the mash in the centre of 4 plates, top with the a chicken breast and garnish with the coriander sprigs and serve with lime wedges.

Menu Two

Carnival Chicken Rice with Plantain (Serves 4 – 6)

Another subtly spiced dish, if you want a little more heat, you could serve it with a chilli sauce – I recommend the Encona Original Pepper Sauce which is readily available in supermarkets. The plantain is an important addition to this dish so don’t omit it, as it lifts the whole dish, the plantain must be ripe; it should have a dull yellow colour with patches of black, if you can’t find it in your local supermarket you should be able to buy it from a Indian/African grocery store. This is a recipe that I have ‘tweaked’ from Diana Henry’s ‘A Bird in the Hand’.

200g white long grain rice

Olive oil

250g tomatoes, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

4 spring onions, chopped

2 red chillies, halved and finely sliced

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 ripe plantain, peeled and sliced (see note about plantain – above)

3 limes

Sea salt and black pepper

Hot pepper sauce – optional (see note above)

1. First cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet.
2. Meanwhile in a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the tomatoes for about five minutes, then add the garlic, spring onions, chillies, oregano and cumin. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
3. Wipe clean the frying pan and heat another 2 tablespoons of oil, season the chicken thighs and fry on both sides until cooked – a total of about 9 minutes. Once cooked cut into strips and keep warm.
4. In the same frying pan heat enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan to shallow fry the plantain. Cook the slices on each side until golden brown – it will take about 5 minutes in total. Remove and drain on kitchen roll. Sprinkle with salt and a little juice from one of the limes.
5. Finally, add the rice, chicken and tomato mixture to a clean frying pan and gently heat through. Stir through the chopped coriander, and about 2 tablespoons of lime juice, season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve the chicken rice with the sliced plantain, the remaining limes, quartered and, if desired, some hot pepper sauce on the side.

Menu Three

‘Daddy’s’ Curry with Fried Plantain (Serves 6)

Ok, this is my comfort food recipe, I am sure that we all have one of those from our childhood – our hug on a plate! My dad is from Guyana in the West Indies, and this is the curry that he grew up on. West Indian curry is totally different to Indian curries, it is not supposed to be particularly spicy, it is more of a stew with potatoes which is served with a ‘pepper sauce’ on the side to spice things up if you desire (try Encona Original Pepper Sauce ). Traditionally it is made with goat meat or mutton. Goat meat is now becoming quite popular in the UK, you should be able to order it from your butcher, otherwise it is available mail order from Coombe Farm Organic , unfortunately they only sell the diced meat off the bone which works, however the bone does give the finished dish more flavour. Often, in the Caribbean, curry is served with rice and peas (kidney beans), but I like to serve it simply with plain, white, long grain rice, and with some fried plantain on the side (recipe below). Plantain is another hug on a plate, and is a must as an accompaniment for this curry, if you can’t find it in your local supermarket you should be able to find it in a grocery store which sells Indian/African produce. I like to buy the ‘Rajah’ or ‘TRS’ brand of spices for this curry as I feel that the quality is more authentic, so if you can, shop for these – I buy them from my local Indian grocery shop.

*It is important to leave this curry 24hours before eating it in order to develop the flavours.

1.5kg shoulder of goat or mutton, 1kg diced meat and 500g of bone diced

1 onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 red chilli, chopped

6 tablespoons olive oil

4 heaped tablespoons of mild madras curry powder – see note above

1 level tablespoon ground cumin (jeera powder) – see note above

1 level tablespoon ground coriander (dhaniya powder) – see note above

2 teaspoons garam marsala

3-4 medium/large potatoes – peeled and halved or quartered

2½ teaspoons of salt

8 tablespoons water, plus 285ml

1. Wash the meat and bones(to rinse it of blood), put to one side.
2. Heat the oil, fry the onion, garlic and chilli over a medium heat until lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile mix the curry powder, cumin, coriander and 1 teaspoon of the garam marsala with the 8 tablespoons of water to create a paste.
4. Add the curry paste to the onion mixture and cook gently for a couple of minutes to thicken.
5. Add the meat and bones, stirring well. Cook for 10 minutes, until water starts to be given off.
6. Add the potatoes and salt, stir and place a lid on the pan, simmer over a gentle heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally .
7. Add 285ml water and cook for a further 30 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat – it is now important to leave it overnight in the fridge so that the flavours develop.
9. 24 hours later, reheat the curry and cook gently, over a low heat for 1 hour – if the sauce looks dry half way through cooking add a little extra water, but it should be fine without.
10. Before serving, remove the bones, sprinkle over the remaining 1 teaspoon of garam marsala and stir.
11. Serve with fried plantain and white, long grain rice, and with hot pepper sauce on the side – if desired (I prefer it without this added heat).

Fried Plantain

*The plantain must be ripe – it should have a dull yellow colour with patches of black.

3 plantain, peeled and sliced

Olive oil

Sea salt

1. Pour enough olive oil in a frying pan to generously cover the bottom of the pan, place over a medium to high heat.
2. Once the oil it hot place the sliced plantain in the oil and fry each side until golden – I use two forks to turn each piece over individually.
3. Drain on kitchen roll and sprinkle with salt.

Menu Four

Caramelised Rum Bananas with Vanilla Ice-Cream (Serves 4)

A super quick and a very delicious dessert!…

*you could make this without the rum for an alcohol free option

60g unsalted butter

6 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 ripe bananas, cut in half and sliced lengthways

3 tablespoons dark rum (optional)

Vanilla ice-cream to serve

1. Place the butter and sugar in a frying pan over a low heat, stir until the sugar dissolves and begins to bubble. Simmer for about 2 minutes then add the bananas, continue to simmer for another minute or so.
2. Add the rum, stir and remove from the heat.
3. Serve with a scoops of vanilla ice-cream.

*You can see the video of this dessert being made by clicking on this link to my Instagram Page