Baked Provolone

This is a recipe I learned when I was in Argentina.
I add my own little twist to it and serve it as a light supper dish , with crusty bread and a nice crisp, fruity white wine.
I also serve this as an apetiser at summer barbecues.

Ingredients for a starter for 3-4:

• 200 gr slice of Provolone cheese
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
• chili flakes and oregano, to taste
• crusty french bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Place the cheese in a small ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with a little chili flakes and oregano.

Fry the spring onion for 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the chopped tomato; cook for 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Pour the tomato sauce over the cheese.
Bake the cheese for 6-10 minutes, until bubbling.

Serve hot, with salad and crusty bread.
Each person gets a spoonful of lovely melting cheese, with a slice of french bread.

Chocolate Mousse

This is a rich chocolate dessert, only a small portion the size of an espresso cup is needed per person.

Ingredients for 5-6 portions:

• 150gr black chocolate
• 3 whole eggs
• 3tbsp Orange Liqueur or juice
• 25 gr butter

Gently melt the chocolate with the liqueur and butter in a heavy based pan. Turn off the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Crack one egg, separate the white and place it in a bowl; fold the yolk into the chocolate. Repeat this with the other two yolks.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Take one spoonful of the whisked egg white and mix it into the chocolate to loosen it. Now fold the rest of the egg white into the chocolate.
Pour the chocolate mousse into 6 individual coffee cups or one large bowl.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set.
Serve with a little whipped cream.

Yorkshire Puddings

Yorkshire Puddings

• 2 eggs
• 150 ml milk
• 100 ml water
• 120 gr plain flour
• pinch of salt
• tbsp melted butter
• Extra butter, to cook

Whisk all of the ingredients in a measuring jug, to make it easier to pour into the tin.

Take one large tin or 8 individual molds. put a little butter in the bottom of the tin. Heat the tins with the butter in a hot oven at 180ºC.
When the butter is smoking, take the tins out and pour a little batter into each tin, up to 3/4 of the height as they will rise.
Bake for 30 minutes, until risen and golden.

Serve with roast meat, or with sausages and onion gravy.

King Prawns with Chili Mayonaise

This is a lovely dish to have any time of the year, I like to serve it for a light supper and my children fight over who has the most prawns.
Whole cooked prawns can be bought frozen, they are delicious, and I always use up the heads and shells to make a spicy prawn soup for the next day.

Ingredients for 4:

• 500 gr whole king prawns
• 1.5 litre fish or chicken stock cube
• 2tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• dash of chili or Tabasco

Put a large pan of water to boil, add the stock cube and a pinch of salt.
When the water comes up to the boil, pour in the prawns. As soon as the water comes up to the boil again, turn off the heat and drain the prawns, saving the stock to make a great fish soup for the next day. Place the drained prawns in a serving dish.

Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic, ketchup and chili or Tabasco, taste to check that the flavour is good and strong.

Serve the prawns cold, with the mayonnaise, as a starter or snack.
Because the prawns can be eaten with your fingers, give each person a small bowl of water with lemon juice, so they can clean their finger when finished.

Bread Sticks, Grisini

These are the bread stick served in Italian restaurants, they are fun and easy to make.
Ingredients:

• 100 ml warm water
• 40 ml oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp fast acting bakers yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 200-300 gr plain flour
• Optional favouring: grated cheese, chopped herbs etc

Mix all of the wet ingredients and the salt in a bowl; add enough flour to make a dough. Knead briefly.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Cut into even sized strips.
Place the grisini on a non stick baking tray, giving them room to rise.

Pour a little extra oil over the biscuits and let them rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.
Bake them at 170ºC for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy.

Serve them before a meal, with a creamy dip such as hummus or sour cream and chives.

Braised Artichokes

Globe artichokes are delicious and easy to find.
They also have an array of properties which are described below.

• 4 medium sized globe artichokes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp white wine
• salt and pepper

Peel the outer leaves of artichokes, cut the stem to 1cm remove the outer leaves until you get to the pale and tenders inner leaves. Cut each artichoke in 8 pieces.

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the whole garlic clove. Tip all of the artichokes into the pan, stir them to mix with the oil and juices. Cover and gently cook for about 10 minutes, until the y are tender.
Serve them hot or just warm, as a side dish.

As a Vegetarian main: Serve simply with cooked rice and a little butter


Nutritional facts of Globe or French artichokes:
This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Iron and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Other names:
Alcachofa, Alcaucil, ALE, Artichaut, Artichaut Commun, Artichoke Extract, Artichoke Fruit, Artichoke Leaf, Artichoke Leaf Extract, Artischocke, Cardo, Cardo de Comer, Cardon d'Espagne

Medical uses
Artichoke is used to stimulate the flow of bile from the liver. This is thought to help reduce symptoms of heartburn and alcohol "hangover." Artichoke is also used for high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), kidney problems, anemia, fluid retention (edema), arthritis, bladder infections, and liver problems, including hepatitis C.

Some people use artichoke for treating snakebites, preventing gallstones, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, to increase urine flow, and as a tonic or stimulant.

Pasta Omelet

This is a classic Italian dish that uses up any leftover pasta, with or without sauce.

• leftover pasta, 1-2 servings
• 3-4 eggs
• 50ml full milk
• salt and pepper
• 50 gr grated cheese

Mix the pasta with the eggs and the milk.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and pour the pasta mix over it. Cook this gently on one side for 5 minutes.
Turn the omelet and cook the other side for 5 or 6 minutes.
Alternatively, put the pan under the grill to cook the top side, for 6 minutes.

Let the omelet rest for 2or 3 minutes, until the egg sets
Serve warm or cold, with braised vegetables or salad.

Polenta

Modern polenta is a thick porridge made with cornmeal. I used to find it bland and tasteless until I discovered that cooking it with milk instead of water, makes all the difference.

It is easy to make large quantities of polensa;  remember that when you cook 1 measure of polenta corn meal; you get 4 times the volume of the finished polenta.

Basic polenta serves 4:

• 100 gr fast cooking corn meal or polenta
• 250 ml milk
• 250ml water
• Salt, pepper
• 30 gr butter
• 50gr grated Parmesan cheese
  

Heat the water and milk together in a pan until it comes to a boil, pour in 100 gr approximately of polenta and stir vigorously to avoid lumps, the mass will start thickening very quickly. Mix the butter and Parmesan into the polenta; taste and add more milk, butter or salt to your requirements.

Cooking ideas:
Dry Polenta
Make a very thick polenta and spread it over a greased plate, leave it to cool completely, cut into segments and treat as you would gnocchi (see gnocchi) or shallow-fry to serve with steak.

Wet Polenta
Make a loose polenta with the consistency of mash by adding more milk or cream, and use it to serve with sausages or a meat sauce (see Meat ragú)

Pizza Polenta
For a different take on Pizza.
Cook 100gr Polenta to a fairly thick consistency, spread over a greased pizza sheet. Spoon 3 tbsp tomato sauce over the base; arrange mozzarella cheese and a few bacon rashers cut into strips on top of the tomato, add dried or fresh oregano; and bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

Christmas Apple Pie

For best results use a metal pie plate.

• 100 gr butter
• 200 gr flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  
• 3 tbsp mincemeat
• 2 apples
• 2 tbsp sugar
  
• zest of lemon
• cinnamon

For the pie base:
place the butter and flour in a bowl. Break down the butter with the tips of your fingers until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Add a pinch of salt and the sugar. Bring the pastry together making a ball, cover in cling film and reserve for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Roll half of the pastry out on a floured surface, to a circle large enough to cover a 20 cm greased pie plate.
Peel and core the apples, chop them roughly and mix in a bowl with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and mincemeat. Pour the apple mix over the pastry base.

Roll the second half of the pastry and use to cover the fruit. Cut any surplus pastry and close the pie by crimping the sides.

Bake for 40 minutes until golden and some of the juices start to come out of the pie.

Serve warm or cold with cream or brandy butter.

Noodles with Ginger and Garlic

Quick Saturday lunch idea

ingredients for 2:

• 160 gr spaghetti
• 1 x 1cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  
• salt, pepper, chili flakes
• soy sauce, to taste
  

Boil the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
For the sauce:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, add the garlic and ginger, season with salt, pepper, chili and soy sauce; cook for 15 seconds, then pour the cooked pasta over and toss until combined.
Check the seasoning and serve hot.

Variations: add any leftover meat or cooked prawns to the spaghetti.

Truffled Foie Gras

When Christmas approaches I indulge in this luxurious dish because it is so delicious. One large foie lobe lasts weeks. I serve it with small toasted bread or brioche slices;toghether with a nice sweet wine such as the Spanish Moscatel.

Ingredients for a 500 gr foie:

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of sugar
• 100ml ruby port, Madeira or brandy
• 1 small truffle, chopped finely
• 500ml water
• 1 lobe Foie gras

To prepare the foie gras, let it warm to room temperature. Using your fingers and a sharp knife, unfold the liver and try to carefully pull out as many of the stringy veins and bits of connective tissue as you can. Also remove any excess fat. The liver will be very fragile, and will tear and squish as you do this.
Put the liver into a plastic bag with the truffle a cup of decent cognac, Madeira, or port; a good teaspoon of salt, and let it marinate for two hours or overnight. Don't skimp on the salt! Foie gras without enough salt doesn't taste like much of anything.

Remove it from the marinade (don't throw the marinade out yet!) and drain it.

Wrap up the foie gras with the truffle carefully and tightly into a cylindrical shape using a cling film (the "torchon"), and wrap the cling film in Aluminium foil. The smooth exterior surface of the foil should be on the outside. Take the reserved marinade, add a few cups of chicken stock, and bring it to a simmer on the stove. (Don't let it boil!)

Simmer the torchon in the liquid for about 15 minutes, until it is just heated through. Let it cool in its cooking liquid; remove the foie from the liquid and put it in the refrigerator until it is cold and firm.

Take the stock and marinade and reduce it for 15 minutes, let it cook down until it sent into a jelly.

Serve slices of Foie on toasted brioche, with a little of the jelly.

Molded Salmon Appetizer

I found this recipe in an old recipe note book my sister was writing when we were students.
It is a classic mold, suitable for Christmas or a cold buffet.

Ingredients:

• 200 gr canned salmon or tuna in brine
• 200 gr cream cheese
• 300ml can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet of gelatin sheets
• 60 ml water
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 200 ml mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

Combine the cream cheese and the can of soup. Heat and stir this mixture until smooth.
Dissolve the gelatin in water according to the packet instructions. Then add to the soup mixture.
Fold in the remaining ingredients and stir until mixed through.
Pour into one mold of 6 individual molds. Refrigerate for 5 hours until set.
Turn out when ready to serve.
Serve with a green salad and crackers.

Aloo Matar. Indian Potato Cakes.

This indian snack is addictive and best served with a chutney and a mint and yogurt sauce.

• 3 large boiled aloo (potatoes)
• 1 tsp salt or as per taste
• 1/4th tsp ground black pepper
• 1 handful chopped coriander leafs

For Stuffing:

• 2/3rd cup matar (green peas) cooked or frozen peas defrosted
• 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/4th tsp garam masala
• 1/4th tsp salt or to taste
• Red chili powder to taste (optional)
• Oil for pan-frying

How to make aloo tiki :

* Take the defrosted peas and mash them using a fork. Add all the stuffing ingredients except oil and mash briefly. Divide the mixture into 10 equal portions and keep aside.
* Peel the potatoes and mash them very finely into smooth mashed potatoes. Add coriander, salt and pepper and mash until well mixed. Divide it into 10 equal portions.
* Now wash your hands and rub them with little oil.
* Take each portion of potato mixture and make a ball.
* Taking one at a time, gently flatten each ball into a round patty of about 1/2-inch thick and place a portion of stuffing in the center and fold the edges together very finely so that mixture does not come out.
* Gently flatten it into a 2-inch patty. Repeat the procedure for all pieces.
* Heat 1 tsp. oil in a non-stick pan over a low heat. Slip in the patties, not too many at a time, and pan-fry for 3 minutes on each side until crisp golden brown, adding more oil if needed, on a low heat.
* Serve aloo tikki hot with chutney and yogurt and mint sauce.

Note : Boil or microwave the potatoes until fork-tender. For best results, the potatoes can be boiled in advance and refrigerated a day before.

Christmas Turkey

Roast Christmas Turkey with herb Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey weighing 5-6 kg
• 4 bay leaves
• 50 gr butter
• 4 lemon slices
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp pepper
• ½ tbsp paprika

For Sausage meat the stuffing:

• 200 gr. stale bread, chopped roughly
• 400 gr minced pork meat
  
• a handful of chopped sage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 apple, peeped and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Clean the turkey and remove any feathers still attached to it.
Carefully lift the breast skin by easing your fingers underneath. You do not want to remove the skin, only lift it to add flavourings.

Slide two bay leaves, two lemon slices, 20 gr. butter, salt and pepper under each breast. This will ensure the breast turns out juicy and tasty.
Massage some salt and pepper over the bird; put some salt and pepper inside the body cavity also.

For the stuffing: Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Moisten with 2 tbsp of milk.

Stuff the turkey to a neat shape. Put any leftover stuffing in a pie dish and cook in the bottom of the oven for 90 minutes.
Do not bother tying up the bird, it will cook better if it is not .
Put the turkey breast side down on a large baking tray. This will make the finished meat very tender and juicy.

Roast the turkey at 180º for 60 minutes per kilo. The weight must include the stuffing.

Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile make some gravy with the pan juices.
Serve with roast potatoes, etc.

Majorcan Chickpea Soup

For best results, make this the day before. It will keep refrigerated for up to 48 hours.
This dish can be made in the same way with lentils or any kind of bean.

• 400gr. can of cooked chickpeas
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, whole
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 black puddings
• 2 red chorizo type sausage
• 100 gr. unsmoked bacon
• 1 bay leaf,
• 300 ml. stock
• 300gr. Shredded cabbage

In a large pan gently stir fry the onion, carrot, potatoes and pepper for 10 minutes, add the meats cut into chunks, garlic cloves, bay leaf, cumin and chopped tomatoes, let it cook 5-6 minutes before adding the beans and the stock. Let it simmer gently for 45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. 15 minutes before serving, add the shredded cabbage and cook for a further 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and serve as a one course meal.

If you prefer a lighter dish, just add more stock to the pan.
You can add or remove some of the vegetables, depending on what is in your refrigerator.

Chicken and Mushroom Soup

This is a real wintry day soup, designed to warm and cheer you up. Most of the ingredients are store cupboard ingredients, and if you don't have one, change it for another. As any home made soup, it will taste better than any shop bought soup, and it takes as long to make as going to the local take away.
For a variation you can add a small can of corn kernels or cooked chicken when adding the rice.

Ingredients for 4:

• 1 large onion, sliced finely
• 150 gr sliced mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp tomato concentrate
  
• 1 1/2 litre chicken stock
• 200 gr cooked chicken, roughly chopped
• 50 gr rice or vermicelli pasta
  
• 100 ml cream
  

Start by stir frying the onion and mushrooms in a little oil, for 6-7 minutes until brown. Add the garlic, cayenne and tomato concentrate. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Add the rice and the cream; let it cook for a further 20 minutes.
Just before serving, add the chicken pieces if using them, and serve hot with crusty bread.

Smooth Lentil Curry

Smooth Lentil curry
In this forgiving stew you can use curry powder or even a few tablespoons Indian pickle if you have any in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for 4:

• 400gr jar of cooked lentils
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x 2cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp curry powder or Indian pickle
• 200 ml coconut cream (or yogurt)
• Salt, pepper

Stir fry the onion in a little olive oil for 10 minutes; add the cumin, garlic, ginger and curry spices. Cook for 1 minute and add the rest of ingredients. Cook over gentle heat for 30 minutes. Serve as part of an Indian meal or as accompaniment to meat.
It is also delicious as a vegetarian Jacket potato filling.

Meatballs and Spaghetti

For the meatballs:

• 500 gr minced beef meat
• 1 slice white stale bread, mashed with a bit of milk
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• salt and pepper
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg

For the Sauce:

• 200 ml crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• salt, pepper
• 200 ml white wine

Mix the meatball ingredients in a bowl; if the mixture is too wet, mix in some breadcrumbs.

Make a regular tomato sauce in a large saucepan:
Fry the onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add a dash of vinegar and let it reduce for 1 minute. Add the rest of ingredients and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.

What I do is simply shape the meatballs and drop them into the sauce one by one as I make them. This saves a lot of time and they come out perfect.
One all of the meatballs are in the sauce, simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Serve with freshly cooked spaghetti.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie

For leftover roast chicken. It works just as well with turkey or indeed, any other leftover meat.

Ingredients for 3-4 people:

• 400 g roast chicken meat
• 100 g mushrooms
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp flour
• 200 ml stock
• 200 ml milk
• 1tbsp Dijon mustard

For the pastry top:

• 200 gr bought puff pastry
• or 200 gr shortcrust pastry

Preheat the oven to 180ºCentigrade.

Fry the onion in a little butter for 5-6 minutes until it starts to brown. Add the mushrooms. Fry them for one or two minutes before adding the flour.

Cook the flour for 30 seconds and start adding the stock; stirring all the time to get a smooth sauce with no lumps.

Add the milk and season well. Add the mustard and the chicken. Bring the stew to the boil and turn off the heat.

Pour the stew into an ovenproof dish. Cover with the pastry and bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.

** To make the pastry: Rub 80 gr. butter into 150 gr flour and a pinch of salt. Bring the pastry together or add a little milk if necessary.

Bagels

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons of yeast.
• 2 tablespoons of sugar.
• 1 tablespoon of salt.
• 400 of bread flour, more if required
  
• 200 ml of warm water
  

Preparation:

Place the dough ingredients in a large bowl and knead for 10 minutes.
Alternatively, make your favourite bread dough. Let it rise once in the bowl.

When the dough is risen, punch it down and remove it to a well floured surface; cut into 8 equal pieces and shape to form donut shapes.

Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes or until they have risen again.

Bring 2 litres of water to boil with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Poach all the bagels, 2 or 3 at a time, for 5 minutes, turning them once.
Take them out of the water, put them on a towel to dry slightly.

Preheat your oven to 175°Centigrade.
Place simmered bagels on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 175º centigrade for about 25 minutes or until brown.

Serve cold, with salmon and cream cheese, or ham and pickle, etc.

Lamb Biryani

This special dish takes around 1 hour to cook. Once the Biryani is assembled you can reserve it for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator before baking in the oven. The ingredients are for 6-7 people.

For the lamb curry
400gr lamb meat, cubed
1 aubergine, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbs. curry powder
3 cloves of garlic
1 piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

For the rice
2 cups of basmati rice
2 tbsp of peeled sunflower seeds
2 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp melted butter.
Salt and pepper
A handful of chopped Coriander or parsley to garnish
You will also need a 30cm long ovenproof dish.

Put the rice in a pan with 3 cups of water or stock. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until it is just cooked. Turn off the heat and mix the rice with the rest of the rice ingredients. Set aside.

Put the peeled ginger, garlic and red pepper in a blender; add a few tablespoons of water and blend until smooth.

Place a large saucepan on the heat; pour 3 tablespoons of oil, add the curry powder, onion and aubergine. Gently fry for 10 minutes until the onion is soft and pale. Add the meat cubes and the ginger garlic blend. Season with salt and pepper; cover the pan and simmer for 60 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces. Turn off the heat and reserve.

Assemble the dish. Place half of the rice over the bottom of an ovenproof dish, cover with the lamb curry; and then use the rest of the rice to cover the meat, shaping the rice like a mound.
Cover the raita with foil.
Cook the biryani in the oven at 180º for 35 minutes. Serve with yoghurt and cucumber raita.

Raita: peel and chop a cucumber, mix it with one plain yoghurt and some finely chopped mint.

Jacket Potato

I often cook jackets in a hurry when I don't have time. The potatoes can cook in the microwave for 4-5 minutes at full power. The result is quite acceptable. Then I fill the jackets and finish cooking them for 10 minutes under the grill.

Turn the oven on to 180ºCentigrade.
Take a large potato per person, wash them thoroughly under running water. Drain and pat them dry.

Prick each potato once or twice over the skin. Rub them with oil and a little salt. Put them in an ovenproof dish and bake for 60-80 minutes, depending on the weight of the potato.
To test that they are ready you can try to insert a fork into the potato. It it goes in easily, it is ready.

Fillings:
1/ Fry some mushrooms and bacon in a little butter. Add cream, salt and pepper to taste.
2/ 1 can of tuna per person, mixed with 1tbsp Cream cheese. Salt and pepper.
3/ Any leftover, warmed up stew, curry, chili con carne, pasta sauce....
4/ Plain butter and cheese: 1tbsp Butter and a little grated cheese
5/ Cooked prawns and mayonnaise
6/ Smoked Salmon and Sour cream
7/ Baked beans in tomato sauce
8/ Sweet corn salad: sweet corn, diced ham, chopped red pepper, mayonnaise.
9/ Coleslaw: grated carrot, finely sliced cabbage, mayonnaise, a dash of vinegar
10/ Leftover chicken or turkey and cream or bechamel, or cold with mayonnaise

Herb Stuffing for Roasts

This dish uses up any leftover bread that you have, and it complements a roast chicken or turkey.
I started with the classic sage and onion stuffing and have made some alterations to suit my taste.
You can change the quantities of the ingredients and the herbs used, these are the herbs I grow in my garden.

Ingredients:

• 250 gr day old bread, made into crumbs or diced finely
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato
• handful of fresh or dry herbs (parsley, basil, coriander etc)
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  
• 4-5 walnuts
• 1/2 tsp salt and same of pepper,
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg and cayenne
  
• 3 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp oil

Grease a mold unless you are using this stuffing to put inside a chicken or turkey. Chop the herbs, onion, tomato and walnuts. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and add a little milk to moisten.

Stuff the chicken and roast for 2 hours.
Alternatively, fill the greased mold and cover tightly with foil. Bake with the ckicken.

Marmalade Steam Pudding

A classic pudding that should be brought back.

• 125 gm. butter
• 125 gm. sugar
• 1 orange, rind and juice
  
• 175 gm. flour,
  
• 1tbsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp orange marmalade

Grease a 1 Lt. pudding basin. Spread 2 tbsp of marmalade on the bottom of the basin.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the orange rind and juice. Now add the flour and eggs alternatively and beat until you have a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the pudding dish; secure tightly with aluminium foil, making a pleat in the foil to make room to expand. Tie with a string across the top to make it easier to lift when cooked.

Steam for 90 minutes in a large pan or steamer, with water up to half up the bowl.

Remove from the steamer and turn onto a serving plate.
Serve with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.

Tart Tatin

This is a classic French dish. I have kept the number of ingredients to the minimum, just like the original recipe. Use puff pastry if you don't like making shortcrust.


Ingredients:
3 apples, peeled, cored and quartered
100 g. sugar
150 g. flour
90 g. butter
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Generously butter a 20cm glass pie dish and arrange the apples in the dish, cut side up.
Put the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over gentle heat until it turns a warm amber colour, it will only take a few minutes so keep an eye on it. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the apples.
Make the shortcrust pastry. Rub the butter and flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs. It should now come together into a ball. Cover with cling film and let it stand for about 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry very thinly, about 2mm between two sheets of cling film. Lift the top sheet of cling film and easy the pastry on top of the apples. Tuck the pastry around the apples and make a few holes with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Take the tart out of the oven and let it stand for 20 minutes before you turn it onto a serving plate.
Serve warm or cold, with vanilla ice cream or custard.

Easy Potato Patties

This is an ideal solution for when you have a few leftover boiled potatoes or any pie that has a mash topping. You can make it with leftover cottage pie or even fish pie.

Ingredients:

• 3 boiled potatoes or any quantity of leftover pie made with mash.
• herbs or curry spices, optional
  
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• oil, for frying
  

Mash all of the potato with a fork and add some spices or herbs according to taste.
Shape the mix into even sized patties. You can make them burger size for a main course or croquette size for a snack.
Cover the patties with Breadcrumbs, then some egg, then more breadcrumbs. Put the patties on a plate and let them rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Shallow fry for 3 minutes on each side.
Serve hot with salad or as part of a tapas meal.

Vegetable Fritters

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion
• 1 cup cooked spinach or peas
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tbsp flour

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
Fry spoonfuls of the mix in olive oil for a few minutes on each side until browned.
serve as a snack or side dish.

Curried Cottage Pie

This is a variation on the traditional cottage pie.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 500 gr minced pork or lamb
• 300 gr spinach, chopped
• 1 can coconut cream
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 cm grated ginger
• 4 potatoes, boiled and mashed

Fry the onion in a little olive oil for 5-6 minutes until transparent. Add the minced meat and brown it for 6-7 minutes, breaking the meat with a fork or spoon. Now add the curry powder, salt and pepper, garlic and ginger. Stir it into the meat and add the rest of ingredients.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Check the seasoning.
Spread the meat sauce over the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Spoon the mashed potato over the meat.
Bake in a moderate oven (180ºC) for 20-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is browned.

Apple Charlotte

Here is another way to use up leftover bread in a very tasty hot apple pie.

• 4-6 slices day old bread
• 150 melted butter
• 2-3 apples
• sugar, to taste
• a metal pie mold, about 20cm diameter

Coat the bread slices in the butter. If you don't want to melt it, just spread the slices in butter. Use the bread to cover the bottom and sides of the mold.

Peel and core the apples. Place them in a pan and cook them down with some sugar to taste. You can make this as sweet or as tart as you wish. Once they are cooked, pour the apples into the pie mold, and cover them with more buttered bread slices until they are totally covered.

Press a plate on the pie mold down to compact the apples and bread.
bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden.

Basic Tomato Sauce

This sauce is the base of so many dishes it deserves its own post; so it can be used as reference.
My version of the classic sauce has a dash of vinegar to give this lovely sauce a slight piquancy.

Ingredients:

• 400 gr crushed tomatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• salt and pepper

Gently fry the onion for 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the vinegar and let it reduce for one minute. Pour the tomato and season to taste. Let the sauce cook for 20 minutes.
Serve with pasta, on its own or sprinkled with Parmesan shavings.
Or use as a base for other dishes.

Coconut Crunchy Bites

Make together with Christmas Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 60 gr grated coconut
• 60 gr sugar
• pinch of salt

Mix all of the ingredients with a fork until lightly combined. Shape the bites into small balls or sticks. Place on a baking tray and bake in a moderate oven 160ºC for 35-40 minutes until golden.
They will be soft as they come out of the oven and as they get cold they will become crunchy.

Christmas Biscuits

A favourite recipe for all the family to enjoy.
Because there is a egg white left over, I always make them with my Coconut Crunchy Bites.

• 110 gr butter
• 190 gr plain flour
• 60gr walnuts
• 90 gr sugar
• pinch of salt
• 3 cloves
• 1 egg yolk

Pound the walnuts with the sugar and the cloves until they are finely ground. I do this in an electric grinder.
Mix all of the ingredients breaking the butter between your fingertips until the mix resembles fine crumbs. The biscuit mix should come together now, if it doesn't add a few tablespoons of milk.
Shape the biscuits into small walnut size balls, flatten slightly and place them on a baking tray.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 160ºC, a medium oven. The biscuits should be cooked but still pale in colour.

Chinese Potatoes

Ingredients for 5-6 servings:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic
7 to 8 potatoes peeled and diced
salt to taste
red chilli powder, to taste
Soy Sauce and grated ginger

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic; when it is slightly brown, add the potatoes, salt, cook on medium high fire till potatoes are done. Once done add the red chillies and grated ginger to taste.
Serve hot with fresh bread and cooked meat. Or as part of a chinese style meal.

Salmon Kedgeree

I like to serve this dish as a light dinner

Ingredients for 4-5 people
2 cups of basmati rice
3 cups of chicken stock
2 tablespoons garam masala
3 tablespoons of powdered ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into 8 pieces
1 fillet of salmon

Put the salmon in a pan with two tablespoons of milk, a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn the heat on, cover the pan and simmer the fish for 5 minutes, until barely cooked. Turn the heat off. When the fish is cold enough to handle, flake it and remove all the bones. Reserve the salmon on a plate.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the spices; stir for 5 seconds, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until pale. Add the rice, stir it into the spices, pour 3 cups of chicken stock over the rice and cover the pan. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Turn the heat off, sprinkle the salmon flakes over the rice and decorate the dish with the boiled eggs. Let the salmon stand for a minute or so until heated through. Serve immediately.

Majorcan Beef Stew

This is how my grandmother used to make beef stew.

Ingredients for 6 people

• 1kg. Stewing beef, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 200ml. stock or red wine
• 5 potatoes, peeled and diced

In a large pan, gently stir fry the onion with the carrot and tomato for 15 minutes. Add the Garlic cloves and bay leaf.
Brown the meat cubes on all sides in a separate frying pan. Add the meat and the wine or stock to the saucepan, season and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 hours.
At the end of the cooking time, fry the potatoes in a separate pan until cooked through, and tip over the stew just before serving.

Tumbet. Majorcan Vegetable Casserole

This casserole is a very much loved summer dish. It is not a classic casserole with lots of sauce, but a juicy vegetable dish usually to accompany lamb chops or grilled fish.
Ingredients you will need for 6 people

* 2 Eggplants
* 1 large red pepper
* 1 small zucchini
* 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 cm. rounds
* 2 cups good tomato sauce
* Salt and pepper, oregano
* 1 tablespoon of bread-crumbs
* Olive oil for frying

Method

First prepare the tomato sauce:
Finely chop one onion an gently fry in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Add a splash of vinegar and reduce for 5 minutes, this will give a tangy flavour to the sauce.
Now add a 400 gr. can of pureed tomato, bring to the boil and turn the heat down.
Simmer for 30 minutes, season to taste with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and oregano. Remove from the heat and reserve.

Now cook all of the vegetables separately

Shallow fry the potatoes in a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of water. Cover the pan and reduce the heat. Gently cook the potatoes around 10 minutes until cooked through. They should be soft, but not coloured. Remove the potatoes from the pan and layer them in an oven-proof dish, season with salt and pepper.

Cook the rest of the vegetables the same way as the potatoes and layer them in the ovenproof dish. Season each vegetable as you build up on top of the potatoes.

Finish the vegetables:
Pour the tomato sauce over the vegetables, sprinkle with the bread-crumbs.
Turn the oven on to 180ºC and bake the tumbet for 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbling.

Serve hot or cold, with cooked meat or fish.

Vegetable Crumble

This is a Vegetarian dish that uses store cupboard ingredients. However, you can add cooked ham, sausages or bacon if you wish. For a Halloween theme, make it with pumpkin.
My sister and I used to make this when we were students in Palma and shared an apartment, it is really good and easy to make. It lends itself to many variations so give it a try.

Ingredients for 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish:

• 1 tbsp butter
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 leek, chopped
• 500 gr mixed root vegetables (potatoes, carrots etc), diced.
• 200 gr mushrooms, sliced
• 150 ml milk
• 150ml white wine or stock
• Salt, pepper
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

For the crumble:

• 150 gr flour
• 75 gr butter
• 100 gr grated cheese
• pinch of salt
  

Heat the butter and the oil in a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of flour to make a very loose roux. cook this for 1 minute until it starts to brown. Now slowly add the milk and wine to make a sauce. As soon as this sauce comes together, add all of the vegetables. Season well, stir them for a minute and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Check the seasoning.
When the vegetables are cooked, pour them into an ovenproof dish and leave them to stand while you make the crumble topping.

For the topping, place the butter and flour in a bowl. Break down the butter with the tips of your fingers until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Add the cheese and a pinch of salt. Cover the vegetables with the crumble topping.
Bake for 40 minutes at 180ºC until the crumble topping is browned and crunchy.

Cream of Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients for 4:

• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 litre stock
• 200 ml full fat milk
• salt, pepper & a good pich of grated nutmeg

Put all the vegetables in a large saucepan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Gently fry them for 10 minutes until pale. Add the stock and bay leaf; bring to the boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Add the milk and check the seasoning. Remove the bay leaf and blend in the liquidizer.
Serve hot with fried croutons.

Easy croutons from leftover bread:
Dice the bread and fry very gently in one tablespoon of oil until they are crunchy.

Spinach and Goats cheese Quiche

This pie is really delicious and can be eaten hot or cold.
Spinach grows wild and is in season all of Autumn and most of winter. If you don't have it just use fresh spinach from the supermarket. If using frozen spinach, you need to drain as much water out as posible before you mix it into the egg.

Ingredients for a 20cm base pie:
200 gr plain white flour
100 gr butter
good pinch of salt
a little milk

For the filling
3 eggs
400 ml milk
1 cooked potato, cut into slices
200 gr fresh spinach leafs
100 gr bacon, cut into thin strips
1 onion, sliced finely
150 gr goats cheese
salt and pepper, grated nutmeg
1 tomato to garnish

Make the pastry.
Put the flour in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, cut the butter into small dice and mix into the flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Add some milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the pastry comes together; do not overwork the pastry because you don’t want the gluten to develop and make the pastry rubbery. Wrap in a plastic bag or cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take the pastry out of the fridge, roll it out on a floured surface, and line a well greased pie dish or plate.
I find that a metal pie plate will give best results, the pastry comes out perfectly cooked without the need to bake it blind.

In a pan without adding any water, cook the spinach for 2-3 minutes until just wilted. Drain and chop finely.
Arrange the potato slices on the bottom of the pie dish.
Gently fry the bacon with the onion for 4-5 minutes; sprinkle them over the potatoes.
Arrange the goats cheese over the onion and bacon.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Spoon in the spinach and pour the mixture over the cheese.

Bake in the oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.
A good salad to go with this is coleslaw.

Cheese Souffle

A souffle is a spectacular dish, which is easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. I serve it as a light super dish.

Ingredients for 4

• 4 eggs
• 1 oz/25 gr butter
• 200 ml milk
• 100 gr cheese
• 1 tbsp mustard
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

You will also need a buttered 15 cm wide, 15 cm deep souffle dish.
Butter the souffle dish. cover the butter with breadcrumbs and grated cheese.
Turn on the oven to 180ºC.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the flour and stir to make a roux.
Now add the milk little by little, stirring all the time tom make a smooth sauce.
Season generously with salt, pepper, nutmeg. Add the cheese and mustard.
Now add the egg yolks one by one, reserving the whites in a clean bowl.

Wish the egg whites until stiff; mix into the sauce.
Pour the mix into the souffle dish.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until risen and cooked.

The finished souffle will be well risen and still be creamy on the inside.
Variations: try mixing cooked vegetables or ham inside the roux. Proceed as above.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients for 3-4:

• 400ml tomato pasata
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 200 ml full fat milk
• Salt, pepper and chili to taste

Gently fry the onion and celery in a large pan for 6-7 minutes until they become transparent. Add the tomato and stock; cook for 20 minutes.
Add the milk and season to taste. Bring the soup to the boil again and serve hot with croutons.

Creamy Spaghetti with Bacon and Mushrooms

The cooking time of this dish is 30 minutes or less, and it uses store cupboard ingredients, making it ideal for a mid week supper dish.

Ingredients for 4:

• 350 gr dry tagliatelle or spaghetti
• 150 gr bacon cut into lardons
• 150 gr mushroom, sliced
• 30 gr butter
  
• 100 ml single cream
• 100 ml white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, until cooked but with a bit of bite left in them.
While the pasta is cooking make the sauce.
Cook the mushrooms and the bacon together in a large frying pan, for 5-6 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper; pour in the wine and let it cook out for a few seconds. Add the cream to the Sauce.
Drain the pasta reserving a little of the cooking liquid, pour over the sauce and mix well with two forks.

Serve hot with some grated cheese. Parmesan is best but you can use any other grated hard cheese.

Majorcan Meatballs

This how my grandmother used to make meatballs. She served them with fried potatoes; these were diced into small cubes, fried, and poured into the meatball stew just before serving. Delicious!

Ingredients for the meatballs:

• 500 gr minced beef meat
• 1 slice white stale bread, mashed with a bit of milk
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 tbs dry oregano or marjoram
• salt and pepper to taste
• large pinch of nutmeg

For the Sauce:

• 200 ml crushed tomatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
  
• salt, pepper
• 200 ml chicken stock or white wine

Mix the meatball ingredients in a bowl; if the mixture is too wet, mix in some breadcrumbs. With clean hands, make balls the size of a walnut and place them on a large tray or work surface. Fry the meatballs for a few minutes on all sides. Set them aside on a plate or bowl.

Make the sauce in a heavy based saucepan. Fry the onion and carrot for 10 minutes until soft. Add the rest of ingredients and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer for 45 minutes.
Serve hot, with French fries, spaghetti or mashed potatoes.

Vegetable Terrine

This is a dish inspired in an Italian recipe for a vegetable gratin. It can also be made with carrots, cauliflower or even pumpkin.

I use emmental type cheese, you can also try it with cheddar or Mozzarella.

• 300 gr spinach, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 25 gr butter
  
• 2 tbsp flour
• 200 ml milk
• 100 gr grated cheese
• salt and pepper
• good pinch of nutmeg
• 1tbsp Dijon mustard

Cook the spinach in a covered pan over gentle heat, for 2-3 minutes until just wilted. Set aside and prepare the sauce.
In a heavy based pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir to make a roux. Pour the milk slowly, stirring all the time to prevent lumps, until you have a thick bechamel sauce. Season with salt, pepper, a good pinch of nutmeg and a spoonful of mustard.
Add the grated cheese and the cooked spinach leaves.
Beat the eggs into the spinach mix. Stir until well combined.
Pour the spinach mixture into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese; and bake in the oven at 180ºC for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and risen.

Pork Patties

Sausage roll

To make these patties or frikadelle you will need a good electric mincer.

Ingredients for 4:

• 350 gr pork mince or pork belly
• 1 slice of stale bread
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• salt, pepper to taste
• Grated nutmeg, to taste

Grind the meat, mixed with the rest of ingredients in an electric grinder, you might need to do this in two or three batches.
Grind the meat until it forms a ball in the grinder. You will need to stop the grinder from time to time and push the meat down.
Once you have a homogeneous ball of pounded meat, your mix is ready to form patties or sausage rolls.
To prepare you can shape the meat into patties or sausages, cook in a pan with a little oil and serve hot, with fries.

Spinach Omelette

I am serving this delicious omelette with Garlic bread as a light vegetarian supper. Any leftover I will use to put in the lunchbox to be eaten cold tomorrow.


Ingredients for 4:
1 Onion, finely chopped
100g/4oz Spinach, washed and finely shredded
3 tbsp Olive Oil
4 large eggs
100g/4oz Feta Cheese
4 tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
Nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives or basil
Salt and Pepper
25g/1oz Butter

Instructions:
1. Fry the finely chopped onion in 3 tbsp of the olive oil, until soft. Add the spinach and sweat for a further 2-3 minutes until soft.
2. Break the eggs into a bowl and stir them gently with a fork to mix the yolks and whites. Mix in the fried onions and spinach, feta cheese, Parmesan, nutmeg, herbs and salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Melt half of the butter and the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. Pour in the egg mixture and cook the omelette, lifting the edges to permit the liquid egg to run underneath and shaking the pan to prevent sticking. Turn the omelette on to a plate, melt the remaining butter in the pan and slide the omelette back into the pan. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute - the centre should remain soft and creamy.
4. Slide the omelette on to a heated serving plate. Serve Hot or cold, cut into slices.

Garlic Bread

This is a classic recipe with my own twist. Serve it with salad, omelette or steak.

Ingredients for 4:
1 day old french baguette, cut into 2cm slices

For the garlic butter mix the following
150 gr soft butter
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:
Turn the oven on to 180ºC
Spread about 1/2 tsp of the prepared butter onto both sides of the bread slices. Reassemble the bread loaf and cover with aluminium foil. At this point you can refrigerate or freeze until needed. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, and 4 weeks in the freezer.

To serve:
Bake the bread in the oven for 20 minutes. After this time open the foil and left the bread brown for a further 10 minutes, until it gets brown and crunchy.

Serve very hot.

Sour Milk Chocolate cake

Grease a heart-shaped cake tin, prepare oven at 180°C.
220ml thick sour milk (or yoghurt)
200 gr sugar
250 gr butter, melted
220 gr self raising flour
50gr cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Whisk the milk with the sugar and butter; sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to the milk. Beat the eggs in one by one. Add the vanilla.

Pour the batter into the greased cake mould. Bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes. Cut in half and sandwich with chocolate buttermilk or cream.

Guacamole

Ingredients:
1 mild chilli, finely chopped
1 handful of coriander, chopped
1 ripe tomato, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 spring onion, finely chopped
juice of ½ lime or lemon
1 ripe avocado
½ pack cream cheese

Method:
With a pestle and mortar, pound the chilli, coriander, tomatoes, salt and onion to a fine paste.
Add a little lime juice to make a looser mixture. Crush the avocados with a fork and mix with the cheese and other ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips or raw vegetables.

Potato and Artichoke Salad

Simple summer potato salad. Can be made in advance.

Ingredients for 4 people
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cans tuna in oil
2 hard boiled eggs
1 can artichoke hearts in brine

For the dressing.
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of paprika, to taste

Mix the dressing ingredients in a large enough bowl.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender; drain and toss them in the dressing while still warm, this ensures the taste penetrates the potatoes. Leave them to cool.
Drain the tuna, and quarter the artichoke hearts. Mix the tuna and the artichokes with the potatoes.
Peel the boiled eggs, cut in half, arrange over the potato salad. Cover the salad with cling film and refrigerate until cold. Serve.


Nutritional facts of Globe or French artichokes:
This vegetable is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Iron and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Other names:
Alcachofa, Alcaucil, ALE, Artichaut, Artichaut Commun, Artichoke Extract, Artichoke Fruit, Artichoke Leaf, Artichoke Leaf Extract, Artischocke, Cardo, Cardo de Comer, Cardon d'Espagne

Medical uses
Artichoke is used to stimulate the flow of bile from the liver. This is thought to help reduce symptoms of heartburn and alcohol "hangover." Artichoke is also used for high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), kidney problems, anemia, fluid retention (edema), arthritis, bladder infections, and liver problems, including hepatitis C.

Some people use artichoke for treating snakebites, preventing gallstones, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, to increase urine flow, and as a tonic or stimulant.

French Onion Soup

This is a perfect and light supper meal for any time of the year. It needs only 4 ingredients that are easily found in any kitchen. It is rich and filling, and at the same time very healthy. It takes about 60 minutes to make, but you don't need to be watching it all the time.

Ingredients for 4:
3 large onions, sliced finely
1500 ml stock
6-7 slices of stale french bread
100 gm grated cheese

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan that can go in the oven; add a large pinch of salt and another pinch of sugar; cover the pan and fry the onions over a low heat for 25-30 minutes. This is the most important part of this recipe. The onions must brown and start to caramelize. Stir the onions 3-4 times while they are cooking.
When the onions are soft and brown, add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn the oven grill on to 180ºC.
Arrange the bread slices over the soup so that they don't overlap. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bread slices.
Place the soup under the grill in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.

Gnocchi Bolognese

Prepare the basic potato gnocchi and place them on a baking dish.
Make an italian ragu sauce like the one below.
Cover the Gnocchi with the sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven for 35-40 minutes.

Italian Ragú Bolognese
Here is a basic idea of how to make simple tomato based meat sauces to go with pasta or polenta. Make your own version by adapting it to your style.
You can make it with lamb, beef or pork. If you like hot and spicy, you can add chilli flakes. If you don’t want meat in it, make it with mushrooms for example.

1 onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 tbsp tomato concentrate (if you have it)
300 grs minced meat,
200ml white wine
200 ml tomato puree
1 tsp oregano, dry or fresh
salt and pepper to taste

Gently fry in 1 tablespoon of oil the onion, celery and carrot in a saucepan for 10 minutes, add some salt to help draw the water out of the onion. When the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, add the meat and break it up with a fork as you brown it all over. Add the tomato concentrate if you are using it.

Now add the rest of ingredients and let it cook down for 30 to 50 minutes, until reduced.

Vegetable Soup

This is called 'Escudella Fresca' here in Majorca and it can be made any time of year. It is best in summer when the green beans are in season.

Ingredients for 4:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/2 marrow
100 gr piece of Serrano ham or bacon, diced
250 gm green beans, frozen are fine
2 small potatoes, diced
1 ½ litre chicken stock. Stock cube is fine
salt and pepper to taste

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ham or bacon, tomatoes and the potatoes, cover the pan and cook them for 5 minutes. add the rest of ingredients and bring to the boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
This can be served as a once course meal, with crusty bread.
Some People like to chop up some cooked eggs and sprinkle them over the soup
I also like to add one or two sliced black Majorcan pudding, known as 'butifarron'.

Argentine Empanadas (pasties)

These 'empanadas' are very well known by Argentinians, they adore them and so do all of my family and friends.
You can make other fillings for them such as cheese and onion, spinach, ham and cheese.

       Here is the basic recipe for the traditional meat stuffed empanadas. This makes enough for 20 empanadas.
       They are served as appetizers, or also as a light lunch or dinner, with a green salad.

For the Pastry:

• 150 ml melted lard
• 150 ml water or milk
• pinch of salt
• plain flour, about 350-400 gr

Pout the lard into a bowl and mix in the water or milk and the salt.
Now add flour little by little and mix in with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Once the dough comes together you can start using your hands to finish. Do not overwork the pastry.
Cover the pastry dough in cling film and refrigerate until needed.

Meanwhile prepare the filling:

• 150 gr minced meat (preferably beef)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small potato, cooked and chopped
• 1 cooked egg, chopped (optional)
• a few black olives, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt, pepper
• pinch of nutmeg

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the spices and stir for a few seconds. Add the meat and separate it with a fork; add the onion and the peppers; fry for 5 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.
Take the meat out of the pan and put it in a bowl to cool down. You can now add the potato and the egg and olives if you are using them. Let the filling cool down completely.

Assemble the pies:
Roll out the pastry and cut circles that are 10cm across. You should get 16-20 of them.
Hold one pastry circle in one hand and put a teaspoon of the filling inside.
Close the pasty and crimp it to seal.
Make the rest of the pasties in the same way; arrange them on an ovenproof tray; sprinkle them with oil.
Bake in the oven at 180ºC for about 35-40 minutes until golden.
Serve hot.

Roast Chicken

I happen to have an oven with a spit roast facility that I use for chickens, it makes them really juicy. This recipe works a treat with a spit roast, but it also works for conventional roasting on a tray.

Ingredients:
1 chicken, weighing 1.8 kg approximately
1 clove garlic
half a lemon
salt, pepper, paprika

Clean the chicken; remove any feathers that might still be attached to it. Place a garlic clove, half a lemon, 1tsp salt and pepper inside the cavity of the bird.
Now tie it up neatly with kitchen string so the legs don’t move.

If using the spit, slide the oven skewer through the bird and secure it tightly on both ends. Rub more salt, pepper and paprika on the skin of the bird. Place the chicken on the spit in the oven at 180ºC. Put a baking tray under the bird so that the juices fall into it while cooking. You will need them for the gravy.
Roast the chicken for 90 minutes.

Roasted Pepper Salad

This is a typically summer salad in Majorca. It is served cold to accompany meats or fish.
Take 2-3 large red or green peppers, wash them and put them on an ovenproof dish.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 180º Celsius.
Take the peppers out of the oven and let them cool
With clean hands, peel the outer skin off and remove the seeds from inside the peppers.
Using your fingers, cut the peppers into thin strips and arrange on a plate.
Dress them with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Srpinkle some chopped parsley to garnish.

Curried Rice Salad

This Salad is a family favourite, and very much in demand whenever a cold lunch is required. I make it with my own spice mix, here is an easier version using curry paste.

Ingredients for 4:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons curry paste
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1tbs vinegar
2 cups cooked basmati rice
3 tablespoons toasted peanuts or other
Salt & pepper
Bunch of coriander leaves, to garnish

Heat a pan, pour the oil, salt, pepper and the curry paste; stir for a few seconds and add the onion, fry it for 1 minute, add the pepper and the vinegar, turn off the heat without letting the peppers cook through.
Mix the onion and peppers with the rice in a bowl. Stir in the toasted peanuts or any other nut you have, I often use sunflower seeds. Check the seasoning.
Chop the coriander and sprinkle over the top of the salad.
Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Risotto Milanese

This basic recipe can be varied according to what is in season, or in your refrigerator. I made the recipe in the picture with bacon and onion.

Ingredients for 4 people
1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250g/10 oz Arborio or short grain rice
150ml/1⁄4 pint dry white wine
1.2 litres/2 pints hot vegetable stock
15gr - ½ oz butter
150 ml whole milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method
Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy based saucepan; add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened but not coloured.
Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Pour in the wine and simmer, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Add a ladle full of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender.
Stir the butter, milk, salt and pepper into the risotto. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Prawn risotto: add 150 gr. prawns and a handful of peas toward the end of the cooking, when the rice is nearly cooked. Continue as above.
Bacon and mushrooms: Add bacon and mushrooms when frying the onion.