June or should I say ‘Jubilee Month’, as of course, in the UK, we are starting the month with an extended weekend to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Queen will officially be the first British monarch to serve for seventy years – quite a feat. And of course, it gives us all the chance to have a few extra days off! This is particularly good for my family as it also happens to be my Dad’s Ninetieth birthday, which will be another feat that I shall be celebrating!

To celebrate the Jubilee, the street on which I live will be having a Street Party, it will be a relaxed affair with neighbours bringing along their own dishes to eat as a picnic at long tables along the road. Naturally, I have been thinking of a dish that I can bring along which is hands-off; one which will sit in a warm oven happily, whilst we enjoy a few aperitifs with neighbours before we all sit down. I have been thinking of serving ‘Lemon Chilli Chicken’, a recipe that I first shared back in 2020 and then again last month as a ‘Blast from the Past’ recipe, it’s as good straight from the oven as it is at room temperature and only needs a crisp green salad on the side (I really don’t want you to forget this recipe!). The other dish I’ve been contemplating is a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi for ‘Roast Chicken with Saffron, Hazelnuts and Honey’ ; Felix particularly likes this dish so that may end up swinging the vote! Consequently, this Ottolenghi recipe is this month’s Menu One. It’s not only easy to make but looks stunning and has a delicate and exotic combination of flavours (rosewater, saffron and cinnamon), I like to serve it with rice and a simple salad. Menu Two, ‘Prawn and Mango Curry’, is another recipe that Felix favours, it’s a very mild curry made with coconut milk, I’ve found that it’s popular with adults and children alike. Menu Three, ‘Rigatoni with Artichoke and Pancetta’, is a lovely light pasta dish which is made with preserved artichokes so is both quick to prepare and cook. Finally, a vegetarian recipe, an old classic from Delia Smith and one which you can’t beat! ‘Vegetarian Moussaka’ is a lovely dish for the warmer summer evenings, which I’m hoping we’ll be enjoying in June…

Thinking about those warmer summer evenings, I’ve been feeling rather relaxed and have been listening to some smooth, chilled tracks in my kitchen… you can listen to ‘Music to Cook to…MenuMusic Nineteen’ here!

Menu One

Roast Chicken with Saffron, Hazelnuts and Honey (Serves 4)

This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi’s first book, ‘Ottolenghi: the Cookbook’. As he says himself, ‘it is so easy to make, yet looks stunning and has the most delicate and exotic combination of flavours (rosewater, saffron and cinnamon)’. It really is a winning dish and is one of my family favourites! You can either make it with a whole chicken or, as I prefer, with chicken thighs. Serve with rice or couscous.

1 large chicken divided into quarters or 8 chicken thighs

2 onions, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

A generous pinch of saffron strands

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons cold water

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

1 teaspoon black pepper

100g unskinned hazelnuts

70g honey

2 tablespoons rosewater

2 spring onions, roughly chopped

1. In a large bowl mix the chicken pieces with the onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.
2. Spread the hazelnuts out on an oven tray and roast in a preheated oven, 190’c, for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Chop roughly and set aside.
3. Transfer the chicken and marinade to a roasting tray. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up and put in the oven for 35 minutes.
4. While the chicken is roasting mix the honey, rosewater and nuts together to make a rough paste.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon a generous amount of the nut paste onto each piece and spread it to cover. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the nuts are golden brown.
6. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped spring onions.

Menu Two

Prawn & Mango Curry (Serves 4)

This is a very mild curry made with coconut milk, I’ve found that it’s popular with adults and children alike.  It’s an extremely easy recipe from Angela Hartnett’s cookbook ‘A Taste of Home’. It is certainly home cooking at its best – it will be on the table in less than 30 minutes!

2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk

800g raw prawns, shelled and deveined (defrosted if frozen)

1 mango, flesh diced

1 tablespoon chopped coriander

2 tablespoons chopped Thai basil

For the curry paste:

2 red chillies, seeded, roughly chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 lemon grass stems, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1. Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and boil until it is reduced by half.
2. Put the curry paste ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
3. Add the paste and prawns to the pan of reduced coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the prawns are cooked then add the mango, followed by the chopped coriander and Thai basil. Serve with rice.

Menu Three

Rigatoni with Artichokes and Pancetta (Serves 4)

This is a lovely light pasta dish. I use preserved artichokes, but you could of course use fresh globe artichokes, just prepare them and cook for 20 minutes in boiling water before using in the sauce.

400g rigatoni (gluten-free if required)

6 tablespoons olive oil

100g diced pancetta

½ onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

300g artichokes in olive oil, drained and sliced into quarters (or fresh artichokes – see note above)

1 lemon grated and juiced

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Parmesan cheese

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and some salt and fry for 2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and chilli flakes. Reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the artichokes and lemon zest and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
4. Add the drained pasta to the sauce, then toss through the lemon juice to taste – you may only need ½ of the lemon. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley, some Parmesan cheese, and a good grind of black pepper. Serve.

Menu Four

Vegetarian Moussaka with Ricotta Topping (Serves 4-6)

This is such a good vegetarian recipe! It’s from Delia Smith’s ‘Winter Collection’ cookbook. Yes, I know it’s June, but I think that this recipe is good whatever the season – I know from experience that it is perfect on a summers day with a crunchy green salad!… In the original recipe the aubergines are purged (salted) before cooking, I don’t do this as having read that these days due to the varieties of aubergines being less bitter there is no need, I am inclined to agree and of course, it saves time.

2 aubergines, chopped into 1 cm dice

275ml vegetable stock

50g Puy lentils

50g green lentils

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 large red pepper, chopped into small dice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

400g tin chopped tomatoes, drained

200ml red wine

2 tablespoons tomato purée

1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Sea salt and black pepper

For the topping:

275ml whole milk

25g plain flour (gluten-free if required)

25g butter

¼ whole nutmeg, grated

250g Ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

25g Parmesan cheese

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Pour the stock into a saucepan together with the Puy lentils, bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes before adding the green lentils. Cover again and cook for a further 15 minutes by which time most of the liquid should be absorbed and the lentils will be soft.
2. Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions until they are soft and tinged brown, about 5 minutes. Then add the red pepper, cook until softened for 4 minutes or so. Next add the garlic, cook for a further minute then transfer to a plate.
3. Now fry the aubergines in a further 2 tablespoons of olive oil (you may need a little more), turn up the heat and toss so that the aubergines get evenly cooked. When they are softened and browned add the drained tomatoes and the onion and pepper mixture.
4. In a bowl mix the wine, tomato purée and cinnamon together, then pour it over the vegetables. Then add the lentils, chopped parsley. Season well and let everything simmer gently whilst you make the topping.
5. For the topping, simply put the milk, flour, butter and nutmeg in a saucepan and whisk until it comes to simmering point and thickens into a smooth sauce. Remove for the heat and season with salt and pepper, let it cool a little before adding the Ricotta cheese, followed by the beaten egg.
6. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a baking dish and spoon over the cheese sauce, using the back of a spoon to take it right up to the edges of the dish. Sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated oven, 180’c, for a hour.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

French 75 Cocktail (Serves 1)

With warmer evenings on the horizon I thought I would share this quintessential summer cocktail. A French 75 is the perfect combination of Champagne (or Prosecco), gin and lemon juice. Light and refreshing it was made for the summer!…

Tip: Put your champagne flute in the freezer before using it as it really does keep the champagne nicely chilled!

3 tablespoons gin

1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar syrup

Champagne (or Prosecco) to top up (about half a glass)

A handful of ice-cubes

A lemon twist to garnish (optional)

1. Place the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Shake for 15 seconds until cold. Strain the liquid into a champagne flute.
2. Simply top off the glass with champagne, garnish with a twist of lemon and serve!

Lemon and Chilli Chicken (Serves 4)

In a few weeks, the road on which I live will be having a ‘Jubilee Street Party’. Each household will be bringing along their own food; I have been contemplating what I should cook, I want a dish which is pretty much hands free – this recipe has made my shortlist…

 I first posted it in July 2020, it is a recipe that I came across years ago in a magazine. Despite having chilli in it, it is not a spicy dish, as there is also honey in the marinade; I use orange blossom honey as it has a delicate floral flavour, great for a summer dish, but you could use any runny honey. The key to this dish is remembering to marinate it 24hours beforehand as it really makes a difference, other than that this dish sorts itself out  – just pop it in the oven and serve with a large salad (and if you are really hungry some potatoes or rice).

8 chicken thighs

4 lemons

12 unskinned garlic cloves

2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons of orange blossom honey (see note above)

4 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Halve the lemons and squeeze out the juice, reserving the squeezed lemon halves.
2. Skin and crush two of the garlic cloves, mix them with the lemon juice, chillies, the honey and seasoning. Stir well and pour over the chicken, pack the lemon halves around the chicken. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight (see note above), turning once or twice.
3. When you are ready to cook the chicken, turn the chicken pieces skin side up and scatter over the remaining garlic cloves(unskinned), keep the lemons packed around the chicken pieces.
4. Place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for about 45mins until cooked through and well browned.
5. Scatter over the parsley; serve with the lovely pan juices and the garlic cloves which will now be beautifully soft, ready to be popped out of their skins! (you can use the lemon halves for decoration).

Rhubarb Crème Brûlée (Serves 6)

Who can resist the combination of rhubarb and custard?!… In this recipe the French classic, crème brûlée, is given an English twist with the addition of rhubarb and I must say, it’s better for it! The slightly tart rhubarb cuts the creamy richness of the brûlée beautifully.

I suggest you use a kitchen blowtorch to create the caramelised topping as it’s much easier than trying to get your grill hot enough to do it. Dare I mention the ‘Amazon’ word?…kitchen blow torches can be found there for around £12-14; they are a great addition to any kitchen and seriously you will appreciate the wonderful crunch they will give to your Brûlée!

400g rhubarb cut into 1cm slices

4 tablespoons caster sugar

330ml double cream

160ml whole milk

50g caster sugar, plus more for caramelising

Pinch of sea salt

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

You will need 6 ramekins with 125ml capacity

1. First of all place the rhubarb in a roasting dish and sprinkle over 4 tablespoons of caster sugar. Roast in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 20-30 minutes until soft. Divide into the ramekins and chill.
2. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, warm the cream, milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar has melted.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Gradually add the warm cream mixture, stirring rather than whisking, as you don’t want to create too much froth.
4. Mix in the vanilla paste then use a sieve to strain the cream mixture into large jug.
5. Gently pour the mixture between 6 ramekins, over the chilled rhubarb.
6. Place a tea towel over the base of a roasting tin (this will stop the ramekins from slipping), then place the ramekins in the tin. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting tin so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil.
7. Place the roasting tin in a preheated oven, 150’c fan, cook for about 40-45 minutes until they are just about set but still a little ‘jiggly’.
8. Remove the ramekins to cool on a rack. When cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.
9. To serve, sprinkle with a thin, even layer of sugar (about 1½ teaspoons), then use a kitchen blow torch to caramelise the sugar – you may need to lift the ramekin to swirl the caramel evenly across the top. Serve immediately.

I’m smiling – yes it’s May, the month with not one but two bank holidays! I’m particularly looking forward to this first bank holiday weekend as we have a foodie get-away planned. We booked this stay over a year ago when we were in the depths of a lockdown; we figured that things must surely be better a year on and that the sun should be shining – perhaps we were being a little too optimistic?!… Anyway, having read many positive reviews about ‘The Newt’ in Somerset, we decided that a stay there was the treat we deserved. I’m hoping it will live up to my expectations as, as you may have noticed, I can be quite fussy, but hopefully I will return with a positive review for Menu Mistress!…In addition, at the end of May, we have our second bank holiday. And this year we have an extra day of holiday for the Queen’s Jubilee, together they have been added to the first weekend of June so that we will have a four day weekend!…. I guess that we’re all smiling now?!…

I figured with all this holiday time we’re getting, that you didn’t necessarily want to be spending hours in your kitchens cooking?!… So, this month’s recipes are nice and easy, in fact, the first recipe is from Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook ‘Ramsay in 10; Delicious Recipes Made in a Flash’, in which he claims all the recipes can be ready in 10 minutes! His ‘Chicken and Butternut Squash Curry’ makes a tasty, quick supper and is great served with flatbreads which are unbelievably easy to make – and work well with gluten-free flour! Menu Two is ‘Hake Stewed with Clams’, this is a wonderfully fresh-tasting dish that has a delicious combination of flavours – the addition of the pancetta gives it a subtle meaty flavour, plus it has a little bite from the chilli and smokiness from the paprika! Menu Three is ‘Pasta with Prawns, Courgette and Chilli’ from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Simple’ – the name of that cookbook is a clue to how easy this recipe is! Finally, Menu Four is ‘Baked Buckwheat Pasta with Cheese, Courgettes and Potato’; made with buckwheat pasta, this vegetarian dish is naturally gluten-free and full of flavour!

Have a great week, see you next week for my ‘Tuesday Treat’.

(Last week I was in Paris – check out my restaurant reviews here!)

Menu One

Chicken and Butternut Squash Curry with Speedy Flatbreads (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook ‘Ramsay in 10; Delicious Recipes Made in a Flash‘, in which he claims all the recipes can be ready in 10 minutes! To be honest, I think that this recipe, due to the preparation of the vegetables, definitely pushes beyond those 10 minutes but it is still a very quick and easy recipe – a great midweek curry. It is best to prepare all the ingredients first so that they can be cooked quickly!

½ Butternut squash, preferably the neck end, peeled

Vegetable oil for frying

2½ tablespoons garam marsala

1 large red onion, peeled

1 red chilli

2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled

400-500g chicken breasts

50g frozen peas

250ml coconut milk

240g tinned chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

30g fresh spinach leaves

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Firstly prepare your vegetables: Coarsely grate the squash, the onion and the ginger – keeping them all separate. Chop the chilli.
2. Dice the chicken breast into small cubes
3. Heat a high-sided frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil then add the grated squash, season with salt then stir in the garam marsala. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the grated onion, stir well and cook for a further 2 minutes.
5. Add the chopped chilli and grated ginger, allow to cook for 2 minutes.
6. Make a well in the middle of the pan and drizzle in a little more oil. Add the diced chicken, season with salt and toss to combine. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the peas and cook for a further minute.
7. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and stock, stir well and bring to the boil then allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
8. Stir in the spinach leaves and cook until they have wilted.
9. Serve with rice and flatbreads (recipe below)

Speedy Flatbreads (with a Gluten-Free option) (Serves 4)

This is a fantastic recipe – a real revelation. These flatbreads are great as a side to a curry, but are equally good as a snack for lunch! They are super easy to make – the dough just needs 15 minutes to rest before cooking, so bear this in mind.

120g plain flour (gluten-free if required – I use Doves)

Pinch of salt

Glug of olive oil

120ml water (approx)

1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl, add a glug of olive oil and then, stirring gradually enough water to form a dough (you probably won’t use all the water).
2. Rest the dough for 15 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, roll into small balls and then gently roll each ball out into thin flatbreads.
4. Heat a frying pan over a high heat, sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Place each flatbread in the hot pan, one at a time, and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until slightly charred.

Menu Two

Hake Stewed with Clams (Serves 4)

This wonderfully fresh-tasting dish has a great combination of flavours – the addition of the pancetta gives it a subtle meaty flavour, plus it has a little bite from the chilli and smokiness from the paprika! Serve in bowls with the tasty broth and with either steamed potatoes or rice. This recipe is taken from Neil Perry’s cookbook, ‘The Food I Love’.

4 x 200g pieces of skinless Hake fillet (or Cod, Turbot, Haddock, Snapper etc)

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ tablespoon of fennel seeds, dry roasted in a frying pan

½ teaspoon smoky sweet paprika

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Olive oil

1 red onion, finely sliced

75g diced smoked pancetta

250ml white wine

150g frozen peas

250ml chicken stock

600g clams, rinsed

60g unsalted butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small handful of parsley, chopped

1. Make a spice paste: place the garlic, ginger, fennel seeds and sea salt in a mortar and pestle and pound to form a rough paste. Add the paprika and chilli flakes and pound a little more. Set aside.
2. Season the fish with a little sea salt. Heat a splash of olive oil in a deep frying pan (with a lid) or a casserole, when it is hot add the fish and sear it on both sides. Remove the fillets to a plate.
3. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the onion and pancetta plus a little more salt, cook for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the spice paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the wine, cook out for 2 minutes.
4. Add the peas, chicken stock and clams (ensuring all the clams are closed before cooking), bring to the boil then return the fish to the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 8 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the clams have all opened (discard any which are still closed).
5. Gently mix in the butter until melted. Give a good grind of fresh pepper and stir through the parsley. Check the seasoning.
6. Divide the fish among four bowls, spoon over the juices and clams and serve immediately.

Menu Three

Pasta with Courgettes, Prawns & Chilli (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Simple’, so the title of the book tells you straightaway that this is a quick and easy recipe. It is also big on flavour! Henry uses trofie pasta, which looks and tastes wonderful with this sauce, but if you can’t get it or are gluten-free, any other short pasta shape, such as penne or casarecce works well. Make sure you cook the courgettes until they are lovely and golden to create as much flavour as possible. You can either use dill or basil, I prefer dill for this recipe.

300g trofie or any other short pasta shape such as penne, casarecce (gluten-free if required)

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

500g courgettes cut into little cubes

2 garlic cloves, crushed

300g raw king prawns, shelled and deveined

2 good pinches of chilli flakes

8 tablespoons dry white vermouth (or white wine)

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons dill fronds (or torn basil leaves)

1. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and quickly sauté the courgettes until they’re golden all over and quite soft. Add the garlic, prawns, chilli flakes and seasoning, cook for another minute over a fairly high heat tossing the prawns around. Splash in the vermouth and let it bubble away until almost nothing.
3. Quickly drain the pasta and add to the frying pan along with the lemon juice (to taste) and either the dill or basil. Check the seasoning and add a final glug of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Menu Four

Baked Buckwheat Pasta with Cheese, Courgettes and Potato (Serves 4)

This is a delicious, quite unusual pasta recipe from one of my favourite cookbook writers, Antonio Carluccio. It is apparently based on a classic recipe from the Valtellina valley in Italy, where they traditionally make it with pizzoccheri, a sort of buckwheat tagliatelle. This is difficult to find in the UK so I substitute it for buckwheat penne. The good thing about buckwheat pasta is that it is naturally gluten-free and healthier than regular pasta. It gives the dish a slightly nutty flavour, however, you could substitute it for regular pasta if you prefer. The original recipe calls for Bitto or Fontina cheese, but, again, these can be difficult to find in the UK, so I use Emmental. The end result is a healthy, very tasty pasta dish!

300g buckwheat penne (see note above)

300g courgettes, trimmed and cubed

300g waxy potatoes (such as Charlotte), peeled and cubed

200g Fontina or Emmental cheese, cut into small cubes

60g unsalted butter

80g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Put the pasta, courgettes and potatoes into a large saucepan full of boiling, salted water, and cook until everything is tender (about 12 minutes).
2. Drain well then mix the Fontina (or Emmental) cheese, 40g of the butter and 60g of the Parmesan. Put in a suitable ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a pan with the sliced garlic and heat until foaming. Remove the baked pasta from the oven and spoon over the melted garlic butter and season with salt and pepper. Serve straight away.