Tag: recipes

April 2024

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Yes, I’m smiling it’s April and finally, it’s officially springtime (plus it’s the month of my birthday!). If like me you’re feeling full of the joys of spring, you’re probably out and about making the most of the brighter weather. Consequently, that means less time at home in your kitchens; so I figured that this month we would need some quick recipes with some bright flavours to match the weather and our mood… I happen to have a couple up my sleeve!

Menu One is ‘Sausage & Charred Citrus Traybake’, I must admit that I would never have thought that the combination of these flavours would work as well as they do – but believe me they absolutely do! The charred citrus juices blend beautifully with the cooking juices to create a tasty, aromatic sweet and sour sauce while the chickpeas stirred in at the end of cooking make it a substantial one-dish bake. Menu Two,’ Bandari Monkfish Tails with Shiraz Salad’, is an Iranian recipe which uses a tasty spice mix to permeate the fish with wonderful aromatics and colour. Served with the Shiraz salad it delivers a flavourful dish! Finally, Menu Three is ‘Spaghetti with Pancetta, Parsley and Parmesan’. The sweetness of this buttery, red onion sauce is cut beautifully by the salty pancetta and a sprinkling of parmesan. Once the onions and pancetta are chopped, it’s an easy sauce to throw together – a week-night pleaser!

I hope that these recipes for April have made you smile and let’s hope the weather can match their bright flavours!..

See you next week for my Tuesday Treat!

(Need some music for you kitchen?.. Lend an ear to my latest playlist, ‘Music to Cook to…MenuMusic Twenty-Seven’… With its upbeat soul tracks it’s made for the brighter weather!)

Menu One

Sausage & Charred Citrus Traybake (Serves 4)


I must admit that I would never have thought that the combination of these flavours would work as well as they do – but believe me they do! We have Ixta Belfrage’s incredibly inventive cookbook, Mexcla, to thank for this recipe. The charred citrus juices blend beautifully with the cooking juices to create a tasty, aromatic sweet and sour sauce while the chickpeas stirred in at the end of cooking make it a substantial one-dish bake. It’s very important to use good quality Italian style sausages for this recipe as their fatty juices will run into the veg and sauce and not dry out.

300g carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks

1 red onion, cut into sixths

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 large mild red chillies, halved lengthways

3 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon chipotle flakes

½ teaspoon Aleppo chilli or pul biber

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon fine salt

8 good quality, fatty sausages, preferably Italian style (gluten-free if required)

90g water

1 lime, halved

1 tangerine, halved

200g tinned chickpeas, drained

For the Cucumber Salsa:

½ cucumber, peeled, halved, seeds removed

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

5g fresh coriander, finally chopped

5g fresh chives, finally chopped

  1. Place the first 12 ingredients (everything from the carrots to the sausages) in a large roasting tin. Mix well, then spread the sausages out. Pour the water into the tin, around the sausages making sure that you don’t get them wet!
  2. Roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 35-40 minutes, turning the vegetables (but not the sausages) a couple of times, until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are golden brown.
  3. While the sausages are in the oven, place a large frying pan on a high heat. Once very hot place the citrus halves, cut side down in the pan and char for 3-4 minutes or until the cut sides are nicely charred.
  4. For the salsa, chop the cucumber into 1cm cubes and mix together with the lime juice, oil, and salt. Then, just before serving stir in the chopped herbs.
  5. Transfer the contents of the roasting tin to a platter and squeeze over the charred citrus then stir in the chickpeas. Top with some of the cucumber salsa, serving the rest on the side.

Menu Two

Bandari Monkfish Tails with Shiraz Salad (Serves 4)

This Iranian recipe from Sabrina Ghayour’s cookbook Persiana uses a tasty spice mix to permeate the fish with wonderful aromatics and colour. Served with the Shiraz salad (recipe below) it delivers a flavourful dish!

4 monkfish tails or loins, about 175-200g each, skinned and cleaned

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 fat cloves, crushed

5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

A handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped plus extra to serve

A handful of fresh dill leaves, finely chopped

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Olive oil

1 teaspoon salt flakes

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1. Mix all the dry spices together in a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, fresh herbs, lime zest and juice, yogurt and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the spice paste to rest.
  2. Place the monkfish tails in a shallow dish. Give the spice mix a good stir and pour over the fish. Use your hands to work the paste into the fish, ensuring all sides get an even coating. Once again cover with clingfilm and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and bring the fish to room temperature.
  3. Preheat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, drizzle with a little olive oil. Gently lay the monkfish in the pan and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side, or until opaque and firm. Transfer to a serving plate and leave to rest for 1-2 minutes then serve, sprinkling with a little extra coriander and the Shiraz salad (recipe below) on the side.

Shiraz Salad (Serves 4-6)

Taking its name from the city of Shiraz in Iran, this is a popular Iranian salad. It’s the perfect accompaniment for spiced meat and fish dishes.

1 cucumber, finely diced

6 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored, deseeded and finely diced

1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly into ‘half moons’

Olive oil

3 good pinches of sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 heaped teaspoons of sumac

200g pomegranate seeds

  1. Place the cucumber, tomato and red onion in a bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and pour over the lemon juice then give everything a good mix. Finally, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and sumac and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, as it’s best served chilled. 

Menu Three

Spaghetti with Pancetta, Parsley and Parmesan (Serves 4)

The sweetness of this buttery, red onion sauce is cut beautifully by the salty pancetta and a sprinkling of parmesan. Once the onions and pancetta are chopped, it’s an easy sauce to throw together – a week-night pleaser!

8 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped (I use my food processor to save time!)

200g pancetta, finely sliced, then cut into 5mm pieces, plus 6 thin slices

400g spaghetti

150g butter

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

120g Parmesan, freshly grated

  1. Gently heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion and cook steadily for 15-20 minutes, then add the chopped pancetta and garlic. Turn the heat down, stir and continue to cook to blend the flavours for a further 10 minutes. Season generously with salt, pepper and dried chilli. The mixture should become quite dark. Add parsley and stir.
  2. Heat a small frying pan, brush with oil and fry the extra slices of pancetta until crisp.
  3. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, keeping back 2-3 tablespoons of cooking water. Mix the spaghetti into the warm parsley mixture and toss together, adding a little pasta water to help the sauce coat the spaghetti. Serve with plenty of grated Parmesan and a slice pancetta on each portion.

Tuesday Treat

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Zabaglione (Serves 4)

If you’ve never made Zabaglione or even tried it I urge you to do so with this recipe! It’s a light and creamy dessert with the most wonderful, subtle flavour of sweet Marsala wine. I have been making this particular recipe for more years than I can remember, I found it in Delia Smith’s ‘Complete Illustrated Cookery Course’ cookbook (yes, her really old one!). It’s super simple to make but it does need time whisking at the stove over simmering water (bain-marie), however, using an electric handheld whisk hurries things along. I recently discovered that Delia Smith had updated her recipe with the addition of cornflour so that it was possible to whisk it over direct heat without splitting and it thickened quicker. However, when I tried this recipe I found the result disappointing, it was nothing like the original recipe – you could taste the cornflour and the dessert was heavier. It’s definitely worth staying at the stove for an extra 5 minutes for this fantastic recipe!..

*Apart from this wonderful recipe, one of the best Zabaglione’s that I’ve tried was at Caffè Al Bicerin when I visited Turin a few years ago. Caffè Al Bicerin is a beautiful little cafe with just 6 or so tables, the interior is wonderfully antiquated and dimly lit by candles on white marble tabletops. It’s a ‘must-see’ place if you visit Turin (I would recommend a long weekend in this historic Italian city!). The cafe is renowned for having invented the Bicerin, but it’s also famous for its Zabaglione. What a dream a café where you can pop in just for a Zabaglione!.. (you can find my recipe for Bicerin here!)

8 Egg yolks

100g caster sugar

80ml Marsala wine

  1. Firstly choose a medium sized mixing bowl which will sit comfortably over a saucepan of barely simmering water (without touching it).
  2. Start with the bowl on the worktop. Place the egg yolks and sugar into it and whisk them with an electric handheld whisk until the mixture is pale and creamy (about 4 minutes). Then gradually whisk in the Marsala bit by bit.
  3. Now transfer the bowl to saucepan, keep the heat very low, and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens (about 8-10 minutes).
  4. To serve, pour into glasses and serve straightaway!..

Menu Mistress will be away for a couple of weeks…

I will we back with new recipes on Wednesday 27th March!..

February 2024

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Just when you think the darkest days of winter are behind you along comes February and more darkness! Fortunately Valentine’s Day offers a little light in the tunnel. Forget it’s significance, in my mind the 14th is my marker that the long winter season is almost at an end – spring officially starts in just over a month! Plus, let’s face it, it can’t be a bad thing to have a day that reminds us to tell each other that we love each other, especially when it often feels like the world is crumbling around us. We’re not necessarily talking romantic love here, but just the love for all of those that we often take for granted. You don’t have to send them a card, instead how about cooking them your favourite dish or one of this month’s Menu Mistress recipes!..

Menu One is ‘Chicken with Beaujolais, Prunes, Shallots & Thyme’. What can make you feel more loved than being cooked this dish?! The fruity wine creates a wonderful sauce around the chicken whilst the addition of prunes, garlic and Dijon elevate the dish to memorable realms. It’s just what the doctor ordered on a cold February evening! Menu Two is ‘Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Shoulder’, this is a sweet and subtly spicy dish which everyone will love… and will love you for cooking it. Although the pork is cooked for over 5 hours it’s a very hassle-free dish – apart from basting the meat for the last hour of cooking you simply ignore it in the oven. It makes a delicious dinner served with sticky rice and a crunchy radish and cucumber salad. And finally, Menu Three is ‘Seared Beef with Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing’. Steak is one of those cuts of meats which we associate with special occasions, so serving this dish to your loved ones will definitely make them feel special. It’s incredibly simple to prepare; the juicy slivers of steak are drizzled with a sumptuous sharp yet sweet sauce whilst the sprinkling of brightly coloured pomegranate seeds create a spectacular looking dish!

‘Happy February’! Here’s to feeling loved and the beginning of spring!..

Menu One

Chicken with Beaujolais, Prunes, Shallots & Thyme (Serves 4)

This is such a great recipe, the fruity wine creates a wonderful sauce around the chicken whilst the addition of prunes, garlic and Dijon elevate the dish to memorable realms.

1 chicken jointed into 6/8 pieces or 8 chicken thighs

50g butter

4 large or 12 small shallots, peeled (leave root on to help them hold together)

1 tablespoon tomato purée

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 thyme sprigs, plus ½ teaspoon picked thyme leaves

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped, stalks reserved

2 bay leaves

200ml Beaujolais or another young, fruity red wine

16 pitted prunes

200ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, plus more to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt the butter in a casserole pan over a moderate heat. Add the chicken and fry for around 5 minutes until golden brown all over. Add the shallots and continue to cook for 5 minutes until they too have taken on a bit of colour.
  3. Turn down the heat and add the tomato purée, garlic, thyme sprigs, parsley stalks and bay leaves, stir gently.
  4. Then add the wine, stirring well to dislodge any bits of caramelised chicken stuck to the pan. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the prunes and chicken stock. Cook over a low-moderate heat for around 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pan and leave it to rest on a plate, keeping it warm, while you reduce the liquid in the pan over a high heat for a couple of minutes to thicken it slightly. Add the Dijon and whisk to combine.
  6. Add the chicken back to pan. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
  7. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the chopped parsley and picked thyme leaves. Serve with more mustard on the side.

Menu Two

Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Shoulder (with Radish & Cucumber Salad) (Serves 4-6)

This is another wonderful recipe from Diana Henry, it’s a sweet and subtly spicy dish which everyone will love. Although the pork is cooked for over 5 hours it’s a very hassle free dish – apart from basting the meat for the last hour of cooking you simply ignore it in the oven. It makes a delicious dinner served with sticky rice and a crunchy radish and cucumber salad (recipe below). *The skin is removed from the pork but rather than discarding it why not make some pork crackling?! – recipe below…

1.9kg shoulder of pork, boned, skin removed/ fat left on (*see note above)

125ml soy sauce (gluten free if required)

125ml runny honey

125ml hoisin sauce (gluten free if required)

125ml dry sherry

2 teaspoons five-spice powder

3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated to a purée

  1. Mix together the ingredients to make a marinade and put this in a large Ziploc bag with the pork. Marinate in the fridge for anything from 24-48 hours.
  2. Bring the pork back to room temperature for an hour before you are going to cook it.
  3. Place the pork in a roasting tin in which it will fit snugly (if there is too much room around it the juices and marinade will run off and burn) and pour the marinade into a bowl.
  4. Cook the pork in a preheated oven, 120’c fan, fro 4½-5 hours or until the meat is soft and melting.
  5. Ladle some of the marinade over the pork and return to the oven. Keep adding more marinade and basting the pork every 10 minutes for another hour, turning the meat over each time you do this. The pork should end up dark and glossy. If the joint starts to get too dark on the outside cover it with foil.
  6. Serve with Radish and Cucumber salad (recipe below) and sticky rice.

Radish and Cucumber Salad (Serves 4)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 teaspoons caster sugar

2cm piece of root ginger, peeled and grated

1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped

1 cold cucumber, peeled in stripes and cut in half along its length

300g radishes (a mixture of colours if possible), cut into quarters or eighths

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (or a mixture of white and black sesame seeds)

  1. Make the dressing by mixing the vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic together with a pinch of salt.
  2. Scoop out the seeds from the cucumber and cut it into 4cm-thick pieces. Bash these with a rolling pin.
  3. Put the cucumber in a bowl with the dressing and chill for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the radishes and sesame oil, and toss the salad. Scatter the sesame seeds on top.

Best Pork Crackling

Oh yum, pork crackling, who can resist?..

Pork skin, scored

Malt vinegar (or if gluten free use cider vinegar)

Sea salt


1. Set the pork skin on a rack and pour over boiling water. The water will drain away.

2. Dry the skin, rub with vinegar and salt and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. Place the skin in a roasting tin and roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for an hour, until crisp.

Menu Three

Seared Beef with Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing (Serves 4)

This recipe is incredibly simple to prepare; the juicy slivers of steak are drizzled with a sumptuous, sharp yet sweet sauce whilst the sprinkling of brightly coloured pomegranate seeds create a spectacular looking dish! The recipe is from Sabrina Ghayhour’s wonderful cookbook ‘Persiana’ (I’ve halved the dressing as I felt that the original recipe made too much sauce but feel free to double it up).

4 sirloin steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1 bag of rocket

100g pomegranate seeds

For the Pomegranate & Balsamic Dressing:

100ml pomegranate molasses

40ml syrupy balsamic vinegar

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard

  1. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a jug, then set aside.
  2. Lightly brush the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and a little black pepper.
  3. 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. I also like to turn the steaks on their ‘fat’ edge, for 30 seconds to crisp it up.
  4. Remove the steaks to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Then thinly slice the steak into slivers and arrange them on a platter. Take a generous handful of rocket leaves and place in the centre of the platter, then drizzle the sauce all over the beef (reserving some for the table). Finally, sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Cocktail of the Month

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Boozy Hot Chocolate (Serves 2)

What better way to warm yourself up on a cold, gloomy day than with this ‘cocktail’?! Yes, this isn’t strictly speaking a cocktail but it definitely isn’t your average hot chocolate!..

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use ‘Green&Blacks’)

500ml whole milk

A pinch of cayenne pepper

A pinch of cinnamon

1½ tablespoons caster sugar

50ml single cream

50g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate)

3-4 tablespoons very peaty scotch whisky (such as Ardbeg)

  1. Put the cocoa in a jug and mix with just enough milk to make a paste. Put the rest of the milk in a small pan and heat until simmering. Add the cayenne pepper and cinnamon.
  2. Whisk the hot milk into the cocoa paste until smooth, then pour back into the pan. Add the sugar, cream and chocolate, then heat gently until hot. Stir in the whisky and serve in mugs. Enjoy!

January 2024

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I consider January as my month for ‘hibernating’, it’s more often than not the coldest, greyest month of the winter so there is nothing better than snuggling down at home. That of course means comfort food… warming plates of stew and creamy potatoes and, dare I admit, the occasional TV dinner. Yes, with comfort there is a touch of laziness! January is undoubtedly a month for the ‘box set’. Dinner on my lap in front of the TV isn’t something that I do often as I feel that the food I’ve laboured over deserves the table to be fully appreciated plus I enjoy the conversation the dinner table encourages. However, now and again an ‘addictive’ series comes along and I find that the long dark evenings of January create the perfect breeding ground for this ‘snuggly addiction’! So naturally this month I’ve chosen a couple of recipes which are perfect for the ‘TV lap’, there’s no need to be fumbling around with a knife and fork with these; mince with colcannon is fork food at its best whilst there’s a soupy stew which just needs a spoon!..

Drum roll please for January’s menus!…

Menu One is the aforementioned ‘Savoury Mince with Creamy Colcannon Potatoes’. This isn’t your average beef mince; the recipe is from chef, Simon Hopkinson who takes this humble dish to higher levels with perfectly balanced flavours  – a touch of mushroom and carrot, a good beef stock, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup, herbs and a little fat from some streaky bacon, they all combine to make a dish that is the most gratifying of all comfort foods (and easy to eat on your lap with just a fork!). You don’t necessarily need to serve it with the Colcannon, plain creamed potatoes would suffice, but I urge you to try this recipe for Colcannon, it’s a classic from Delia Smith, need I say more?.. Menu Two is admittedly a little more difficult to eat on your lap – you’ll need a knife and fork for ‘Chicken with Lentils & Rosemary’ but it only requires 15 minutes of prep before you transfer it to the oven for an hour, and in that hour you can sneak off and watch an episode of your favourite series! It’s a wonderfully easy one-pot supper for a cold night from Hugh Fernley- Whittingstall’s cookbook, ‘Light & Easy’, and yes, as the name of the book suggests, it’s a healthy recipe – perfect for January when you’re trying to lose those Christmas pounds! Finally, Menu Three is a ‘Bean Stew with Chorizo & Bacon’, this is a recipe from Claudia Roden’s ‘Med; A Cookbook’, it’s a soupy stew, perfect for a winter supper and any left-overs will reheat beautifully to make a fantastic lunch!

Enjoy your January, stay warm and enjoy that TV dinner; indulge yourself – I won’t tell if you don’t!..

Need a new playlist to cook along to?… I’ve been listening to ‘Music to Cook to…Menu Music Twenty Six’; it’s a laid-back mix perfect to ease you into the new year!

Menu One

Savoury Mince with Creamy Colcannon Potatoes (Serves 4)

This isn’t your average beef mince; the recipe is from chef, Simon Hopkinson who takes this humble dish to higher levels with perfectly balanced flavours  – a touch of mushroom and carrot, a good beef stock, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup, herbs and a little fat from some streaky bacon, they all combine to make a dish that is the most gratifying of all comfort foods. You don’t necessarily need to serve it with the Colcannon, plain creamed potatoes would suffice, but I urge you to try this recipe for Colcannon, it’s a classic from Delia Smith, need I say more?..

200g onions, peeled and chopped

75g butter

200g carrots, peeled and diced

200g flat dark-gilled mushrooms, diced

1 tablespoon groundnut oil

500g beef mince

200g streaky bacon, coarsely minced (leave the rind on as it will add more flavour)

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

½ tablespoon tomato purée

400g tin chopped tomatoes

200ml beef stock

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free if required)

Sea salt and plenty of white pepper

  1. Melt the butter in a large pan, fry the onion until well coloured. Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue to cook gently for a further 10 minutes or so. Then remove from the pan and leave to one side.
  2. Briefly wipe the pan and pour in the oil. Heat until smoking. Add the minced beef and bacon and briskly fry until golden. Add the mixed herbs and tomato purée and cook for 5 minutes over a fairly high heat until the purée loses its very red colour.
  3. Return the vegetables to the pan, together with the tinned tomatoes, stock, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, season and simmer very gently, uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring from time to time. The final consistency should be thick and rich and not at all too liquid.
  4. Serve with ‘Creamy Colcannon Potatoes’ (recipe below).

Creamy Colcannon Potatoes (Serves 4)

This great recipe for Colcannon is a classic from Delia Smith’s Winter Cookbook…

700g potatoes (such as Desiree or King Edward), peeled and cut into chunks

225g firm green cabbage, very finely sliced

12 spring onions, trimmed and very finely sliced including the green parts

75ml single cream

75g butter

Freshly grated nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper

  1. Steam the potatoes with a little salt until completely cooked through. Drain and cover with a clean tea-cloth whilst you prepare the cabbage.
  2. Melt 25g of the butter in a large frying pan and sauté the cabbage for about 3 minutes, keeping it on the move until it’s tender and slightly golden at the edges. Then add the spring onions and continue to cook for another minute.
  3. Add a grating of fresh nutmeg, the cream and remaining butter to the potatoes and use an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy, seasoning with salt and pepper. Finally, stir in the cabbage and spring onions. Serve with or without extra melted butter.

Menu Two

Chicken with Lentils and Rosemary (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully easy one-pot supper from Hugh Fernley- Whittingstall’s cookbook, ‘Light & Easy’. It just needs 15 minutes prep then an hour in the oven in which you can relax!..

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary

200g red lentils, well rinsed

500ml chicken or veg stock

8 skin-on chicken thighs (or 1 medium chicken, jointed into 6-8 pieces)

Sea salt and black pepper

Flat leaf parsley, chopped to serve

  1. Place a casserole dish over a medium-low heat, add the oil, then fry the onion, stirring regularly until it begins to soften – about 6-8 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, rosemary, and some salt and pepper. Cook gently for a further 5 minutes, then stir in the lentils and stock.
  3. Season the chicken thighs and place, skin side up, in the casserole. You want most of the chicken skin to remain exposed above the liquid so that it browns.
  4. Bring to a simmer on the hob then transfer to a preheated oven, 180’c fan. Bake for 1 hour, then check if the chicken is cooked right through and that the lentils are soft, if not return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes. Skim of any excess fat from the surface.
  5. Add more salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Then serve as it is or with some steamed broccoli or spring greens on the side.

Menu Three

Bean Stew with Chorizo and Bacon (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from Claudia Roden’s ‘Med; A Cookbook’, it’s a soupy stew, perfect for a winter supper and any left-overs will reheat beautifully to make a fantastic lunch!

2 tablespoons olive oil

200g unsmoked bacon lardons or pancetta

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 tomato, peeled and chopped

2 x 400g tins of cannellini or butter beans, drained and rinsed

250g chorizo, cut into slices

500ml chicken stock

4 thyme leaves

Sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil to serve

  1. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the bacon or pancetta and the onion. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is golden and the bacon crisp.
  2. Stir in the cinnamon, allspice, tomato, beans and chorizo. Pour in the stock, add the thyme sprigs and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.
  3. Season with salt if necessary. Serve hot and pass round the extra virgin olive oil for people to drizzle on.