I’m hoping that that sun will be out in Suffolk this week as we are holidaying there!…We have booked an Airb&b cottage near to Framlingham, I have since discovered that this is Ed Sheeran’s home town – his song ‘Castle on the Hill’ was referring to Framlinghams’s very own castle! Anyway, apart from star spotting(!), I am looking forward to discovering yet another corner of the UK  that I have never really visited. I have researched a few nearby gastro pubs (watch out for my reviews), but I will probably cook a couple of lunches and dinners so that we can relax and enjoy our rented cottage and its garden. Cooking in an ‘unknown’ kitchen, without ones trusted utensils, can be a challenge, plus I don’t want to spend too much time at the stove, so I have been thinking about a few menus which will require little effort. I thought that this week I would share these, as no doubt they will be useful for you to have, not only for cooking at home but also away!…

Menu One is ‘One Pot Summer Chicken’, all you have to do is brown the chicken pieces and cook them in a pot with some stock and lovely fresh vegetables – baby gem lettuces, asparagus and peas. It really doesn’t need much to accompany it, just a good glass of wine and hopefully some warm weather to enjoy it al fresco; although, some steamed new potatoes wouldn’t be a bad thing. Menu Two is ‘Mullet with a Mustard Crust’, this is simply a case of mixing the mustards and spreading them over fish, then baking them in the oven for about 20 minutes. Once again a good salad and steamed potatoes are a good accompaniment. Finally, not one but two recipes for this month’s ‘Blast from the Past’ recipe. I posted these last July, both recipes use Sauce Vierge, which is a no cook tomato and herb sauce. The sauce can be served with fish – in this case simply pan fried plaice or for an even simpler alternative and a vegetarian option, it is delicious served with spaghetti – ‘Spaghetti alla Sauce Vierge’!

Enjoy…See you next Tuesday for my ‘Tuesday Treat’!

(Don’t forget to check out my ‘Eating Out’ page for new restaurant reviews – just recently I enjoyed ‘Bocca di Lupo’ in Soho and ‘Claude Bosi’ in South Kensington!)

One Pot Summer Chicken with Asparagus, Peas & Lettuce (Serves 4)

This is such an easy dinner dish, all you have to do is brown the chicken pieces and cook them in a pot with some stock and lovely fresh vegetables – baby gem lettuces, asparagus and peas. I particularly love the baby gem lettuces in this dish, they are one of my favourite summer vegetables; if you haven’t cooked them on their own before, you really should try them – see my recipe here! It really doesn’t need much to accompany it, just a good glass of wine although, some steamed new potatoes wouldn’t be a bad thing!

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 small chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 baby gem lettuces, halved lengthways

400ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 thyme sprigs

250g asparagus

160g fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First of all prepare your asparagus, snap off and discard the woody ends and if the tips are particularly large cut them in half lengthways. Keep to one side.
2. Place a wide, large casserole dish with the oil over a high heat, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook on a high heat until the skin has browned. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, stir, then add the lettuce halves, cut side down, for 30 seconds. Then flip them over and add the stock and thyme and bring everything to the boil.
4. Lower the heat to just below boiling and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add the asparagus and peas and cook for a further 6-8 minutes until al dente.
6. Check the chicken thighs are cooked through and lift out onto a plate.
7. Stir in the crème fraiche and chopped parsley, season to taste.
8. Return the chicken to the pan to serve at the table.

Mullet with a Mustard Crust (Serves 4)

Such a lovely way to cook this fish and so tasty! It is simply a case of mixing the mustards and spreading them over, then baking the fish in the oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with a good salad (use a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – recipe below) and steamed potatoes.

4 Red Mullet, gutted and scaled

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

200g grainy mustard (such as Meaux)

Olive oil

1. Make 3 incisions across the fish on each side.
2. Mix the Dijon and grainy mustard together and spread quite thickly over the fish – you may not use all of the mustard mix.
3. Lightly oil a large baking tray, place the fish on it and bake in the oven, 200’c fan, for 20 minutes.
4. Serve at once with steamed potatoes and a good salad – I like to dress it with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, recipe below.

Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Make up a salad as desired and dress with this honey-mustard vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

4 tablespoons olive oil

Finely grated zest and juice of half an unwaxed lemon

1 teaspoon of honey

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Whisk all the ingredients together.

‘Blast from the Past Recipes‘

I first posted the following two recipes last July, they are perfect summer dishes…if you haven’t already tried them, I urge you to now!!…

Fillet of Sole with Sauce Vierge (Serves 4)

Sauce Vierge is a French sauce generally made with tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice and herbs, there are many variations but my favourite version is one I found in a cookbook by Nina Parker, ‘Nina’s St Tropez’. It balances the flavours of the vinegar and lemon juice perfectly with the herbs, and is an ideal accompaniment to a delicate fish like sole. It is also a great sauce for pasta – so keep any leftovers for lunch the next day (recipe below)! This fish dish should be kept simple so that the delicate flavour of the sole is not overpowered – so  serve simply with fine green beans and steamed new potatoes.

2 large knobs of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

4 sole fillets

Juice of 1 lemon, plus one lemon quartered to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

For the Sauce Vierge:

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 shallots, finely chopped

Bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

300g tomatoes, about 4 medium

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons caster sugar

Juice ½ lemon

60ml olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, deseed, discarding any liquid – pat them dry on kitchen roll, slice into strips, then finely dice, add to a bowl along with the other sauce ingredients, mix well and season to taste.
2. To cook the sole, melt a knob of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat, add half the garlic. Reduce the heat to medium, add two of the fillets, skin side down, cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Just before turning the fish add half of the lemon juice. Carefully turn the fish over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
4. Remove to a warmed plate whilst you cook the other 2 fillets in the same way.
5. Serve immediately with the Sauce Vierge and the lemon wedges, fine green beans and steamed new potatoes.

Spaghetti with Sauce Vierge (Serves 4)

This is a perfect summer pasta dish, a delicious ‘no cook’ sauce for spaghetti with the added bonus of being vegetarian!

400g Spaghetti

Sauce Vierge – recipe above

1. Make up the sauce vierge – see recipe above.
2. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until al dente.
3. Drain the spaghetti and mix with the sauce vierge.

Chocolate and Cherry Pavlova

I only discovered this recipe last week, it is incredibly delicious so I had to share it straightaway!!..It is inspired by the retro dessert, black forest gateau, but made with chocolate meringue instead of sponge – it’s fantastic. The recipe is from Rosie Birkett’s cookbook ‘The Joyful Home Cook’, and with recipes like this, it truly is a joyous book! Cherries are in season at the moment, but this recipe would work well year-round, even when they are out of season, as they are macerated in Marsala wine which sweetens them. Although it is made with meringue, once made up, this dessert does keep quite well in the fridge as unlike traditional meringues it is mixed with hazelnuts and chocolate which give it a coarser texture that doesn’t dissolve with the addition of cream. Having said that, I do think it tastes better fresh, and there won’t be much leftover once you get started on it!…

100g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate), roughly broken up

4 egg whites

220g caster sugar

½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

100g blanched, skinless hazelnuts, roughly chopped

500g cherries, pitted

175ml Marsala wine or cherry liqueur

350ml double cream

10g dark chocolate for grating

1. First, macerate the cherries. Put them in a bowl and cover with the Marsala wine, tossing them so that they are thoroughly coated. Set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (a bain-marie).
3. Whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually, in batches, add the caster sugar, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy. Whisk in the vinegar. Pour the melted chocolate down the sides of the bowl, turning the bowl to distribute it evenly, then add the nuts and fold them through lightly so that the meringue is marbled with the chocolate.
4. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment, draw a 20cm circle on each and spread the meringue mixture evenly onto each circle – creating two meringue discs.
5. Bake in a preheated oven, 110’c fan, for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, lift the meringues and parchment onto wire racks to cool.
6. Whip up the cream until it just forms soft peaks – being careful not to over-whip it.
7. Drain the Marsala from the macerating cherries and fold it into the cream – it will seem runny at first but will thicken as you incorporate it. Now fold in half of the cherries.
8. Peel the baking parchment from the cooled meringues. Place one of the meringues on a serving plate, spread with just over half the cream mixture and top with the other meringue disc. Top with the remaining cream mixture and then the remaining cherries. Grate over the dark chocolate and serve.

Like, no doubt,  a lot of people I associate months with anniversaries and special events. For instance, April is ‘my month’ as it’s my birthday, whilst September is not only the month for fresh starts with the end of summer and the beginning of the school year, but it’s also my son, Felix’s birthday. Then, of course, there is the one that we all associate with Christmas, December…and so it goes on. One thing my associations all have in common is food or rather, they facilitate the excuse to have a special meal! This month, July, is ‘Nick’s month’ as it is his birthday which of course means a celebratory dinner. Not only do I cook him a ‘birthday meal’ at home, but we also book a particularly special restaurant to dine in – this year I’m looking forward to dinner at Claude Bosi at Bibendum (watch out for the review in the next few weeks!). So, over the last week I’ve been thinking about Nick’s favourite meals and bearing this in mind, this week’s Menu Mistress features a couple of his favourites.

Menu one is a meal which Nick himself like’s to cook, ‘Chicken with Lemon & Capers’. In fact, the recipe shown in the photo’s was cooked by him – yes, he can cook very well, when I allow him in the kitchen(!), and I must admit he cooks this dish better than me! It’s a very tasty recipe from Antonio Carluccio’s cookbook ‘A Invitation to Italian Cooking’. Here I have served it with ‘Italian Style Sauté Potatoes’ and ‘Fried carrots’, which, if I am completely honest, do require a bit of attention at the stove but are definitely worth it. If you want a potato dish that is more hands-free, I would serve it with ‘Baby Roast Potatoes’ (recipe here). Menu Two is a relatively new recipe that I have discovered, and which Nick really enjoyed, so I am planning to cook this on his birthday; Prawn Moilee is a beautifully spiced mild curry with warm flavours. It is from the cookbook Dishoom, which features the recipes from the Dishoom restaurant’s much-loved menu of ‘Bombay comfort food’. This particular recipe is probably one of the simplest in the book, yet it does not forfeit flavour, it’s great for a midweek meal yet equally special enough for a celebratory meal. Finally, for a vegetarian option, Menu Three is ‘Asparagus, Corn & Goats Cheese Frittata’. If I’m honest, Nick is not completely sold on vegetarian food, however since I’ve been on a mission to share more vegetarian meals on Menu Mistress, he has had to eat more vegetarian recipes than before! This is one of his new favourites – it really makes the perfect summer supper with a big, crunchy salad and it would also be perfect for a picnic! Finally, I couldn’t have a birthday in the family without a cocktail, could I?!…So, I’m sharing one of Nick’s new favourite tipples, an Elderflower Gimlet. This cocktail uses the same St Germain liquor which the champagne cocktail I shared last month required, so you absolutely need to invest in a bottle of this for the summer!…

I am also sharing a new Menu Music playlist. Nick likes a bit of reggae now and again, so this is one I’ve put together with him in mind. It has some easy reggae tracks which are perfect for a summers day…check out ‘Easy Reggae to Cook to…Menu Music Thirteen’.

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

Menu One

Chicken Breasts with Lemon & Capers (Serves 4)

In this recipe, chicken is complemented with the flavour of capers combined with the wonderful acidity of lemon – it really is a match made in heaven! I found it many moons ago in Antonio Carluccio’s cookbook ‘An Invitation to Italian Cooking’, which has lots of wonderful, classic Italian recipes…the page with this recipe is particularly well thumbed! I like to serve these chicken breasts with ‘Italian Style Sauté Potatoes with Garlic & Rosemary’ and ‘Fried Carrots’ (recipes below).

*If your chicken breasts are particularly large, you may find it easier to ‘butterfly’ them (you can ask your butcher to do this). You could also cut them into escalopes (see my video here). This will make them quicker to cook through, so you may want to reduce the cooking time that I have suggested.

4 chicken breasts (see note above)

Plain flour for dusting (gluten free if required)

45g butter

1 tablespoon capers

1 large lemon, juiced and zested

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Season the flour with salt and pepper and roll the chicken breasts in them, shaking off any excess flour.
2. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, when it is hot add the chicken breasts. Fry gently on each side until they are cooked through and golden brown – about 15 minutes (see note above). Remove the chicken to a warm plate.
3. Add the capers, grated lemon zest and lemon juice to the pan. Stir well to deglaze the pan, season with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken breasts.

Italian Style Sauté Potatoes with Garlic & Rosemary (Serves 4)

This is a wonderful recipe for potatoes, it does need a little attention at the stove, but it is well worth it!…

500g potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled

8 large cloves garlic, unpeeled

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Cut the potatoes into 1.5cm cubes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and when hot add the potato cubes. Spread them out well over the pan, but do not stir fry – allow them to form a golden crust before turning them over.
3. When you turn them over add the garlic cloves. Fry together to brown on all sides.
4. Just before the end of cooking add the rosemary, salt and pepper.

Fried Carrots (Serves 4)

Such a simple idea – but soooo delicious!

600g carrots, peeled

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Slice the carrots lengthways.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add some salt and the carrots. Cook, gently bubbling for 7-8 minutes until they are just cooked – still al dente.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the carrots with the unpeeled garlic cloves, until browned.

Menu Two

Prawn Moilee (Serves 4)

This curry is beautifully spiced with mild, warm flavours. It is from the cookbook Dishoom, which shares the recipes from the Dishoom restaurant’s much-loved menu of ‘Bombay comfort food’. This particular recipe is probably one of the simplest in the book, yet it does not forfeit flavour, it’s great for a midweek meal yet equally special enough for a celebratory meal!

You will find fresh curry leaves at most Asian food shops, it’s worth buying more than you need as they freeze well!

6 green chillies

40ml vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

20 fresh curry leaves

300g onions, sliced

15g garlic paste

15g ginger paste

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1¼ teaspoons ground turmeric

25g fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (see tip above)

400ml coconut milk

250ml coconut cream

24 large peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

300g medium tomatoes, cut into bite size wedges

Lemon wedges, to serve

1. Remove and discard the stalks and seeds of the chillies, then slice each one into 3 or 4 long strips. Set to one side.
2. Place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil and let it warm for a few seconds, then add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. Let them crackle for a few minutes.
3. Add the onions and sauté lightly for 12-14 minutes until soft but not coloured.
4. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, salt, black pepper and turmeric and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the sliced chillies and ginger matchsticks and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and cream. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Now add the prawns and tomatoes to the sauce and simmer for a further 5-6 minutes until the prawns are just cooked.
7. Serve with plain steamed rice and the lemon wedges on the side.

Menu Three

Asparagus, Corn & Goats Cheese Frittata (Serves 4)

This is a summer favourite, it makes a great, fast supper with a big, crunchy salad (see my salad dressings here!) or it’s great for a picinic!

400g asparagus

2 corn-on-the-cob

50g butter

4 spring onions, chopped

Bunch of fresh dill, chopped

8 eggs, beaten

200g firm goats cheese, broken into pieces

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Snap off and discard the woody ends of the asparagus and cut the spears into 2-3 cm lengths (if the spears are particularly thick, split them in half lengthways).
2. Remove the corn from the corn-on-the- cob, by running a sharp knife down along the cob.
3. Heat half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the asparagus, corn and spring onions, fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Transfer to a bowl, add the chopped dill (reserving a little for a garnish), and gently mix in the beaten eggs, seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Wipe the pan clean, then add the remaining butter over a high heat. When it has melted and starts to sizzle add the frittata mixture and reduce the heat to medium. Arrange the pieces of goats cheese over the top of the frittata, pushing them down into the mixture.
5. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the sides of the frittata start to puff up.
6. When it is just about set but still has a little wobble, place the pan with the frittata under a very hot grill to set the top.
7. Let it cool a little, before sprinkling with the reserved dill and cutting into thick wedges to serve.

A Little Treat!…

An Elderflower Gimlet (Serves 1)

Apparently a gimlet cocktail has its roots in British naval history. Sailors were encouraged to drink lime juice with their liquor to prevent scurvy. Naturally the recipe is more refined these days, but I suppose you could still say that it has health benefits?!..

4 tablespoons gin

3 tablespoons St Germain

1 tablespoon lime juice

(Lime wedge to garnish)

1. Add the gin, St Germain and lime juice to a cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice cubes and shake until cold.
2. Strain into a glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Salted Honey Ice-Cream

This is my new favourite no-churn ice-cream – it uses condensed milk so does not require an ice-cream maker. It is seriously good! I have taken the recipe from Skye McAlpine’s cookbook, ‘A Table for Friends’, she has completely nailed the balance of flavours – the sweetness of the honey is toned down with the bitterness of dark chocolate and a little sea salt. It really is divine, you must try it!…

(Go to my Desserts Page for Coffee & Cardamom Ice-Cream and Strawberry Ice-Cream – both of these are also easy, no-churn recipes!)

600g double cream

1 x 397g tin of condensed milk

80g runny honey

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

100g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate), chopped,  plus more to serve

1. Whisk the cream until stiff peaks begin to form (take care not to over whip as you want the texture to be smooth).
2. Gently fold the condensed milk into the cream, then drizzle in the honey, sprinkle with salt and fold all the ingredients evenly together.
3. Toss in the chopped chocolate and gently stir through so that it is peppered throughout the mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container and to stop ice crystals forming, cover the mixture with a sheet of greaseproof paper before putting the lid on.
5.  Freeze for 6-8 hours or overnight. The ice-cream will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
6. Scoop to serve and sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

Happy 1^st Birthday to Menu Mistress!!…yes, unbelievably, it’s a year since I posted my first blog and recipes! When I first started Menu Mistress, it was a decision I made almost overnight, on a whim, and out of lockdown boredom. I was, like all of us, cooking far more than ever at home due to the Covid situation, so I decided I would make my daily cooking routine more interesting by making use of my extensive ‘library’ of cookbooks. I have always loved whiling away hours skimming through cookbooks and Covid gave me a really good reason to try all the recipes I had earmarked over the years. Talking with friends in those first few weeks of lockdown, I soon realised that not everyone shared my enthusiasm for studying cookbooks, searching out new recipes and cooking different dishes. On the contrary, many of them were fed up with the thought of deciding what to prepare for yet another dinner at home. Often the easy option was to cook what they cooked last week, but by keeping it simple they were in a rut. So, I decided that it would be fun to share, online, the simple recipes, that I had tried and tested from my large collection of cookbooks. I surprised even myself by becoming a ‘blogger’!… On a personal level, the best thing about Menu Mistress is that it is something that I do for myself, I enjoy it more than I ever expected to. I actually didn’t think I would still be ‘blogging’ a year later, but it has been strangely addictive. It has also been great for my cooking skills because, in my search for new recipes to share, it has encouraged me to try those which perhaps I would never have cooked before!

Anyway, enough of Menu Mistress nostalgia and on to this week’s recipes!…As I have been sharing recipes for a year now, I thought it might be an idea to introduce ‘Blast from the Past’. I am sure that you have forgotten some of the earlier recipes I shared, so for this reason I have decided to repost one old recipe every month – one which I really don’t think you should overlook! So, for my first ‘Blast from the Past’, I’m sharing ‘Crab Chowder with Oat Bread’ which featured on my very first blog. It is a substantial soup, incredibly tasty and perfect for midweek as it is very quick to prepare. The bread is a personal favourite of mine. I am gluten free so I always make sure I have a loaf of this sliced up in the freezer ready to toast, but I must admit that it is particularly delicious fresh from the oven (with a slice of butter!). Even if you’re not gluten free, do try it with this chowder, it’s so easy to make; literally, it’s a question of mixing the ingredients, putting them in a loaf tin and baking for just under 1 hour… you will want to make it again and again!

Moving onto new recipes, this week’s Menu One is ‘Salmon Teriyaki with Cucumber Pickle’, to be honest, I can’t believe I haven’t shared this before now, as it is one of our family favourites. It is a recipe from the food editor of House & Garden magazine, Blanche Vaughan. There are many recipes for Salmon Teriyaki, but this is the best that I have come across, it’s not overly sweet, it has just the right balance of flavours, I like to think that it is quite authentic. The ‘Cucumber Pickle’ and the ‘Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing’ complete this meal; together with some Japanese rice, they make a healthy, comforting dish. Menu Two is ‘Fillet Steak with Tarragon,’ as you may know, I do love meat, so can never say no to a piece of steak. I also adore tarragon, so the combination of the two is, in my opinion, heaven – what a great recipe to share on Menu Mistress’s 1^st birthday! Menu Three, is a lovely, fresh ‘Vegetarian Summer Paella’. The flavours of this dish are perfect right now, rain or shine! Finally, as I’m celebrating my 1^st birthday (!), it gives me the perfect excuse to share a cocktail. What better way to celebrate than with my new favourite champagne cocktail, which uses St Germain liquor, an elderflower liquor available at most supermarkets (or online). I would recommend you invest in a bottle as I am planning to share some other cocktails that use it!

Have a great week and don’t forget to pop by next week for my Tuesday Treat!…

Menu One

Salmon Teriyaki, Cucumber Pickle and Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from the food editor of House & Garden magazine, Blanche Vaughan. There are many recipes  for Salmon Teriyaki, but this is definitely the best that I have come across, it’s not overly sweet, it has just the right balance of flavours, I like to think that it is quite authentic. The ‘Cucumber Pickle’ and the ‘Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing’, complete this meal – together with some Japanese rice they make a healthy, comforting meal. All the ingredients for the sauce can be kept for ages in your cupboard, so it makes a great last minute supper (I use the small bottles of cooking sake).

Salmon Teriyaki

4 salmon fillets

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

10g caster sugar

100ml sake

50ml mirin

50ml soy sauce (gluten free if required)

Sea salt

1. Put the caster sugar, mirin, sake and soy sauce in a small frying pan and bring to the boil. Let the sauce bubble gently and reduce by almost half, until it becomes syrupy. You can do this ahead of time and it will keep, covered, in the fridge for a week or so.
2. To cook the salmon, heat the oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and fry for a minute on each side to brown the skin and flesh, then add the teriyaki sauce and continue to cook until the salmon fillets are no longer translucent, basting them with the sauce.
3. Remove the salmon to a plate and pour over the sauce. Serve with Japanese rice, Cucumber Pickle and Rocket & Radish Salad (recipes below).

Cucumber Pickle

1 cucumber, peeled, halved and seeds scraped out

2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free if required)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 teaspoons sugar

3cm knob ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

Sea salt

1. Slice the cucumber into half-moon slices, toss together with a large pinch of salt.
2. Mix the other ingredients together and add the cucumber. Leave to marinate for half an hour before serving.

Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing

100g rocket

150g radishes, halved

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten free if required)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1. Place the rocket and radishes in a serving bowl.
2. Whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil together and, just before serving, pour over the salad and toss to combine.

Menu Two

Fillet Steak with Tarragon (Serves 4)

I do love meat, so can never say no to a piece of steak, I also adore tarragon, so the combination of the two in this recipe is, in my opinion, heaven!…This recipe is delicious served with steamed asparagus and homemade oven chips (recipe below.

25g butter

4 large open flat mushrooms

Olive oil

3 shallots, diced

120ml white wine

60ml double cream

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

A bunch of tarragon, leaves chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

4 fillet steaks (about 150g each)

1. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the mushrooms on both sides until golden. Keep warm until needed.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat and fry the shallots until soft and golden. Add the wine and simmer for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat and add the cream, mustard, garlic, tarragon and seasoning – do not allow to boil. Remove to one side and keep warm whilst you cook the steaks.
3. Lightly brush the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and a little black pepper. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes of each side for rare or a little longer depending on your taste.
4. Serve the steaks on the cooked mushrooms topped with the sauce. They are delicious served with steamed asparagus and some homemade oven chips (recipe below).

‘Staple Side Dish’ Homemade Oven Chips (Serves 4)

I always serve these when we have steak; they are easy to prepare, proving that there is no need for a stinking chip pan in order to have good chips! It is important to use baking potatoes for this recipe as they crisp up better.

3-4 baking potatoes, depending on the size and how hungry you are

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven 200’c fan.
2. Cut the potatoes into thick chips, there is no need to peel them.
3. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the chips, boil for 4 minutes then drain well.
4. Coat the chips with the olive oil and lay them out in single layer on a baking tray.
5. Place in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, turning a few times during cooking.
6. Serve immediately.

Menu Three

Summer Vegetable Paella (Serves 4)

This is a wonderful vegetarian take on the classic Spanish dish paella, it is from Ross Dobson’s cookbook ‘Market Vegetarian’.

A large pinch of saffron threads

6 tablespoons olive oil

200g cherry tomatoes

100g green beans, trimmed and halved

4 baby courgettes, halved diagonally

80g peas (fresh or frozen)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

320g Arborio rice

800ml vegetable stock (I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon)

30g flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan

1. Put the saffron in a bowl with 65ml of hot water and set aside to infuse.
2. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan set over a high heat and add the tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking the pan so that the tomatoes start to soften and split. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the beans, courgettes and peas to the pan and stir fry over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Set aside with the tomatoes until needed.
4. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan with the garlic and rosemary, and cook gently for 1 minute to flavour the oil.
5. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring continuously, for about 2 minutes until the rice is shiny and opaque. Add the stock and the saffron with its water to the pan, increase the heat and bring to the boil, stirring to combine.
6. When the stock is boiling rapidly, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until almost all the stock has been absorbed.
7. Scatter the tomatoes, beans, courgettes and peas over the rice, cover lightly with a lid or some foil and cook over a low heat for a further 5 minutes so that the vegetables are just heated through.
8. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve.

And A Little Treat…

St Germain Champagne Cocktail

As I’m celebrating Menu Mistress’s 1^st birthday, I have the perfect excuse to share a cocktail! What better way to celebrate than with my new favourite champagne cocktail, which uses St Germain, an elderflower liquor available at most supermarkets (or online). I would recommend you invest in a bottle as I am planning to share some other cocktails that use it!…

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

2 tablespoons St. Germain Liquor

2 tablespoons gin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar syrup 

Champagne to top up (about 1/2 glass)

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

‘Blast From The Past’ Recipe

Crab Chowder served with Oatmeal Bread (Serves 4)

This is a recipe that featured on my very first blog. It is a substantial soup, incredibly tasty and perfect for midweek as it is very quick. The gluten free Oatmeal Bread is a personal favourite of mine, I always make sure I have a loaf of this sliced up in the freezer ready to toast, but I must admit that it is particularly delicious fresh from the oven (with a slice of butter!). Even if you’re not gluten free, do try it with this chowder, it is so easy to make – literally, it’s a question of mixing the ingredients together and putting them in a loaf tin and baking for just under 1 hour… you will want to make it again and again!…

Both recipes are Rachel Allen’s cookbook ‘Recipes from My Mother’ – as the name suggests, this is a book with lots of comforting recipes.

I used to buy the fresh crabmeat from my fishmonger but I have since discovered a fresh brand available in supermarkets called ‘Seafood & Eat it’ (great name!), which is very good, they sell it in 100g packs, one is pure white crab meat and the other is ‘fifty-fifty’ – half white, half brown, I find mixing these two packs gives the soup a fuller flavour. I actually use tinned, unsweetened corn for this recipe as opposed to frozen corn kernels, as I find that they have a softer texture and are sweeter, which I think works well with this particular recipe.

30g butter

200g onions, diced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

300g potatoes, diced

600ml chicken stock (see note above)

200ml milk

200g sweetcorn kernels (see note above)

200g fresh crabmeat (I usually use 150g white/ 50g brown – see note above)

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

2 teaspoons of chopped tarragon

50ml of double cream

sea salt and black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, add the onions and garlic with the salt and pepper. Cover and allow to sweat until soft but not coloured.
2. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally so that they don’t brown.
3. Add the stock, sweetcorn and milk, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and are just beginning to thicken the soup.
4. Finally, add the crabmeat, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, chopped herbs and cream. Check the seasoning and bring back to a gentle simmer, to heat through.
5. Serve with lots of bread or the oatmeal bread (recipe below)

Oatmeal Bread (Gluten Free!)

425g rolled oats

A scant teaspoon of sea salt

2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons of mixed seeds

1 egg

500g natural yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 200’c fan. Line a 900g/1Ib loaf tin with baking parchment.
2. Mix together the oats, salt, bicarbonate of soda and mixed seeds.
3. Whisk the egg into the yogurt. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Scoop the dough into the tin and bake for 50 minutes.
5. Turn out of the tin and bake the loaf for a further 10 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.