Curried Mushroom Soup

ingredients

• 300 mixed mushrooms 
• 1 small onion
• 1 x 1cm piece of ginger
• 1 clove of salt garlic
• 1 tbs curry powder
• 1 small red pepper
• 500 ml milk
• 1lt chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon flour

directions

1. Stir fry the onion with the mushrooms and curry powder  in a little butter or oil for 5 to 6 minutes.

2. add the flour and stir for a few seconds.

3. add the milk slowly to avoid lumps in the sauce. Alternatively, use a can of coconut cream.

4. Place the red pepper, garlic and ginger with enough water to barely cover in  a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the soup and add the stock.

5. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning.

6. serve hot with flatbreads.

Cheese Puffs (Aigrettes)

• 80 gm. plain flour
• 55 gm butter
• pinch of salt
• 125 ml water and milk, mixed
• 2 beaten eggs
• 90gm grated cheese (cheddar, or mixed)
• Chili flakes, to taste

Sift the flour and the salt into a bowl.
Heat the liquid with the salt and butter, until the butter melts. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Throw all of the flour and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon. Beat lightly until the pastry comes away from the sides of the pan.
Beat the eggs in little by little until the pastry is soft and shiny.
Mix the cheese and cayenne into the pastry.

Drop teaspoonfuls of pastry into hot oil and fry until golden.
Serve hot, as a snack or part of a tapas dinner.
Makes about 30-35 puffs.

Caramelized Onion and Potato cakes

For a light family super, I am serving them with a simple green salad.

Ingredients for 3-4 people

1. 1 large onion, chopped
2. 2 large potatoes
3. Salt, pepper, nutmeg
4. 1 crushed chili

Fry the onion, stirring it from time to time, in a little olive oil, for 15-20 minutes until brown and starting to caramelize, take off the heat and place in a bowl. Reserve them.

Meantime, cook the potatoes until tender. Mash them and mix with the onion, salt, nutmeg, chili, and pepper to taste.

Shape 4-6 patties with your hands.

When ready to serve, gently fry the patties for 3 minutes on each side, careful not to break them.

Serve them with chutney and a green salad.

Falafel

1. 100 gr. dry chick peas, soaked overnight
2. 1 onion, grated
3. 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4. 1 clove garlic
5. 1 chilli
6. salt and pepper to taste
7. handful coriander

Drain the chick peas and place in a blender with the other ingredients. Blitz until you get fine crumbs, resembling sand.

Make the falafel with a special falafel mold or using two spoons.

Fry them in oil for a few minutes on each side.

Serve hot, with a dip such a hummus or yogurt.

I like them with ketchup mixed with a little tabasco sauce

Sweet Potato croquettes

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon double cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 bowl of breadcrumbs

bake the potato in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes until cooked through.

Cut the potato in half and spoon the flesh out and into a bowl. Mix in the cream, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Make small patties with your hands, roll them in the breadcrumbs, then coat in the egg, then cost in more breadcrumbs again. Do this until the potato is finished.

Shallow fry the patties for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.

Hummus

To serve with raw vegetables or pitta bread, as a side dish or snack.

• 200 gr jar of cooked chickpeas
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 clove or garlic
• a little water to dilute
• 3 tbsp god olive oil
• Salt and pepper

If you don't have tahini you can use peanut butter, but the result will not be the same.

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Check the seasoning and correct it to your taste, add a little lemon or water if the paste is too thick. 

Boat Harissa

I created this recipe during an unforgettable cruise around Ibiza.

You can make it in advance and store in an airtight jar for weeks.

The quantities of each ingredient vary according to your taste.

It can be served as a dressing for boiled rice, Potatoes or even pasta.

Salsa Harissa:

• 1 cup of strong olive oil
  
• 5-8 stoned black olives, chopped up finely.
  
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• tsp ground cumin seeds
  
• tsp hot chili flakes
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
  

Pound all of the ingredients in a mortar until smooth.

Serving suggestion:

Rice Salad with Harissa.

Boil 2 cups of rice until tender. Drain and pour into a bowl, let it cool down.

Mix in some chopped tomatoes, a drained can of tuna and 3-4 tablespoons of harissa sauce. Serve as a side dish.

Pork Pie

450g pork mince

55g pork fat, finely minced

55g Bacon, minced

 

For the pastry

450g Flour

225g lard

90 ml water,

beaten egg yolks, or milk to glaze

For the jelly

300 ml water,

1/2 envelope powdered gelatine, (about 6g)

Method

1. To make the pastry: put the flour in a mixing bowl and crumble in the lard. Work until beginning to come together. Add a pinch of salt and start adding the water gradually, working until the dough forms. Let it rest for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 5.

3. Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 5mm thick. Reserve enough pastry to make a lid. Use the larger piece of dough to line the base and sides of a 20cm plain flan ring or springform tin.

4. To make the filling: mix the pork mince, pork fat and bacon and season with salt and pepper and herbs such as sage or parsley. Place this mixture in the pie case.

5. Brush the edges of the dough with water and place the lid on top. Make sure this is sealed well by pressing with a fork.

6. Brush the top with egg yolk or milk. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour 30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and unmold immediately. Leave the pie to cool overnight.

7. The following day, make up the gelatine with the water according to the packet instructions. Make a hole in the top of the pie and pour the gelatine in until the pie is completely filled (the meat will have shrunk so there will be plenty of space). Let the pie set in the fridge overnight (or for at least 12 hours for the best results).

Serves: Makes 1 pie. Cook: 1 hr 30 min

Cream of Mushroom Soup

This soup is amazing. I am using Frozen wild mushrooms, they are available all yea round and do not cost much.

Ingredients

• 300 gr mixed mushrooms (frozen is fine)
• 1 tablespoon  olive oil
• 25 gr butter
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme 
• salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 chopped leeks, white and light green parts
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup full fat milk
• 1 cup double cream
• handful of minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Prepare 1 litre of vegetable stock. A Stock cube is fine.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the milk, cream and parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper: Heat through but do not let it boil. Serve hot, with croutons or fresh crusty bread.

Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Many years ago I made a lemon curd ice cream that my family still remembers and talks about.

Here is my modern version that does not require an ice cream maker.

yields: 900 ml approximately

• 1 large lemon, juice and rind
  
• 1 tbsp. cornmeal 
• 100 gram sugar
  
• 25 gram butter
  
• 200 ml whipping cream
  
• 2 eggs
  
• pinch of salt

Place the lemon juice and rind, butter and cornmeal in a pan, put it to heat slowly, stirring constantly. Stir all the time until it thickens. Take off the heat.

Break he eggs and fold the yolks into the lemon curd. 

Put the whites in a large clean bowl an whisk them until stiff.

Whisk the cream until it doubles in volume.

Fold the cream, egg whites and the curd with a metal spoon with large circular movements. When you are nearly finished, give it a last stir with the whisk, to make sure there are no clumps of egg white or cream. 

Pour into a plastic container and freeze. It will take 6-8 hours to set. It is better to make the day before.

Majorcan Sponge Cake

Coca de Leche

from Elizabeth

yield: 6-8

ingredients

1 yogurt, natural or lemon flavour

3 yogurt pots of flour

1 yogurt pot of sunflower oil

3 eggs

1 sachet baking powder

1 yogurt pot of whole milk

a pinch of salt

directions

1. Pour all of the ingredients into a bowl or food processor. 

Process or beat the batter ingredients with a wooden spoon until smooth.

2. Pour into a greased cake mould. 

3. Bake at 150ºC for around 50 minutes.

4. Take out of the oven and let it cool down before turning on a plate.

Polenta Lasagna

Italian Ragú Bolognese
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 quantity of Basic polenta 
  
• 400 ml white sauce
• 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
  

Make the Polenta first. pour it in a bowl and let it cool down until it hardens.

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.

Assemble the dish:

Cut the cold polenta into 1cm slices. Line the bottom of a greased ovenproof dish with the polenta slices. Cover the polenta qith a layer of ragú. Repeat the layers untl ou have finished the sauce, finish with a layer of sauce.

Cover this with cheese sauce.

Bake in a hot oven for 40 minutes until it is bubbling and brown.

Chicken in Cream

To use up any leftover chicken. 

You can also use fresh chicken breast meat.

Serve on a bed of plain rice, as a light meal.

for 3-4 people:

• 300 grm cooked chicken or 2 small chicken breasts
  
• 200 ml double cream
• 100 ml white wine
• 100 gr mushrooms, sliced.
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut the chicken meat into regular chunks.

Fry the chicken with the mushrooms in a little butter for 4-5 minutes; season and add the wine; let it cook down.

Pour the cream into the pan and bring to the boil.

Serve hot, over a bed of rice.

Chocolate Ice cream

This Ice Cream does not require an ice cream maker, and it uses whole eggs, so you won't end up with egg whites you don't know what to do with.
I use a little rum when melting the chocolate, but you can use orange juice, more milk, or a little coffee.

Ingredients for 2 litres
4 large eggs
300 ml whipping cream
300 gr dark chocolate
50 gr sugar
2 tablespoons for rum (or orange juice)
2 tablespoons of milk


Melt the chocolate with the rum in a large saucepan. As soon as the milk is bubbling turn the heat off. Mix the chocolate into the milk and rum until smooth. Leave it to cool slightly.

Separate the eggs and place the whites in a large clean bowl.

Add the yolks to the melted chocolate a mix them in. They will start to cook and make a custard.
Add a pinch of salt to the whites and whisk them until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and whisk for a few seconds until just mixed.

Whisk the cream in a separate bowl until it nearly doubles in size. 

Mix the whipped cream into the melted chocolate. The mix should now be nearly cold.

Pour the chocolate mix into the whisked egg white and fold gently until it is even in colour.

Pour the whole mix into a plastic container and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Indonesian peanut chips. (Rempeyek Kacang)

I was In Bali recently attending the wedding of a dear friend.
I was the trip of a lifetime, we had such a great time, and I hope to take my children there sometime in the future.
One of the foods I really want to have a go at are these peanut wafers.
I tried them at the hotel bar and immediately asked the waiters for the recipe.
Delicious with drinks.....

Ingredients:

• 150 gram flour
  
• 1 beaten egg
• 475 cc thin coconut milk or single cream
  
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
• 1 Tbs. dry roasted coriander seeds
  
• 1level tsp. salt
  
• 2 lime leaves
  
• 300 gram peanuts, chooped lightly
  
• 600 cc sunflower oil for frying

Instructions:

• Grind garlic, coriander, salt and lime leaves together.
• Mix flour, coconut milk, egg and ground ingredients. Stir well.
• Prepare a small pan, add a soup ladle half full of oil and heat it over a medium flame.
• Take one soup ladle full of dough and one tbsp of peanuts and put it into the pan.
• Press to make a flat round form.
• Fry until brownish.
• Remove and drain.
• Repeat until all dough is used.

Stuffed Turkey drum Sticks

I thought this recipe up while walking down the aisles of the supermarket.
The Turkey Drum sticks are stuffed with a sausage meat farce that is really easy to make at home.
You can make it with  chicken also.

Ingredients for 4:

• 2 turkey or 4 chicken drumsticks
• 200 gr minced pork
• 100 gr stale bread
• handful of herbs (parsley, sage or oregano)
• salt and pepper
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic

Remove the turkey bones and tendons with a sharp knife. Turkey legs have very hard tendons that will not cook, it is important to remove them. If using chicken you will not find any.

Place the meat, skin side down, over the kitchen worktop and cover with cling film.
Using a rolling pin, bash and flatten the meat until it is even and about 2cm thick.
Place all of the drumsticks one next to another on top of a sheet of aluminium foil, forming a square shape. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Make the stuffing:
Whizz the onion, with the bread, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Add a little nutmeg if you like it.
Mix this with the mince meat.
Spread the stuffing over centre of the meat and roll up with the help of the aluminium foil. Shape it into a tight cylinder.
Now you can refrigerate the meat cylinder for up to 24 hours.

Bake in the aluminium foil for 70 minutes at 180ºCelsius.

Ideas: bake over some bakers potatoes. Or serve with rice or mash.

Crepes Suzette

For the Batter; whisk with a balloon whisk the following:

• 1 large egg
• 100 gr plain flour
• 400 ml milk
• pinch of salt
• 1tbsp oil

You need to have a thin batter, the consistency of single cream, add a little water if too thick, or flout if too thin.

Make 8 pancakes in a clean pan (I have one pan just for pancakes). Pour enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan, cook until sent on one side, turn with a spatula; cook for a few seconds and turn into a pan. Continue with the rest of the batter until it is all used up, you need to end up with at least 8 thin pancakes.

For the filling:

• juice of one orange
• juice of half a lemon
• 20 gr sugar
• 2 tbsp orange liquor or rum
  

Melt the butter in a pan and add the rest of the ingredients, heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Place one pancake on the liquid, and fold twice to get a triangle shape. Place the folded pancake in a warm serving dish, or leave it in the pan while you do the rest.
Continue with the other pancakes, coating them with the syrup and folding.
Serve the pancakes warm with a little of the syrup.

Chicken with Baker's Potatoes

A great 'one pot roast' with everything in one large baking tray.
The full meal takes care of itself and once it is in the oven you can forget about it for 2 hours.

Ingredients for 4-5 people

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 large potatoes
• 1 onion, sliced
  
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• salt, pepper, paprika
• 1 lemon
• 4 tomatoes, cut in half
  

Cut the lemon in half, put one half inside the chicken cavity and juice the other half. Put half a teaspoon of salt inside the cavity, and a clove of garlic if you have one.
Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika liberally over the chicken skin, rubbing it in with your hands.
Put the chicken aside while you prepare the vegetables.

Peel and slice the potatoes into 5mm slices. Slice the onion and the pepper.
Place the vegetables in a large baking tray. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper.
Mix the vegetables with two spoons or your hands, until the marinade is mixed through.

Arrange the vegetables in a layer, place the chicken on top.
Put the cut tomatoes around the chicken, and sprinkle each half with a little salt and pepper.

Bake for 2 hours at 170ºC.
Serve from the baking tray.

Beef Curry

This is another easy stew to make. You can assemble the stew and leave it to cook for 2-3 hours.
As all stews, it is best made one day earlier.

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

• 1.5 kg. stewing beef, cut into large chunks
• 1 large onion, sliced
  
• 1 carrot, sliced
  
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp curry powder, hot or mild.
  
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 x 2cm piece of fresh ginger
  
• 1 red pepper, chopped
  
• 400 ml. tin of coconut cream
• salt and pepper, to taste
  

Fry the onion with 1 full teaspoon of salt and 2tbsp oil, for 5 or 10 minutes. The colour of the curry will depend on how long you fry the onion. If you want a rich dark colour, fry it for longer until it begins to caramelize. If you want a light colour, fry it for 2-3 minutes until it softens.

Meanwhile, take the garlic, ginger and pepper, place them in a blender with half a glass of water.
liquidise this until you have a smooth, bright red liquid. Put this mix to one side.

Add the curry powder, carrot and celery to the onion. Stir for a minute and incorporate all of the meat, the liquidised pepper mix, and the coconut cream.
Stir the meat, cover the pan and bring the stew to the boil.
Turn the heat down to the minimum and simmer gently for 2 hours.
Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Serve hot, with Indian bread and a pilau, or just plain boiled Basmati rice.

Cabbage and Pork Dumplings

Cabbage leaves are perfect to prepare with a delicious stuffing. This recipe is inspired in a eastern European recipe.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 8-12 cabbage leaves
• 500 gm. minced pork
• 100 gm. rice, uncooked
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
  
• salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, to taste

• 1 small onion
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
• small glass of white wine

Wash and drain the cabbage leaves. Blanch them in a little water for 4 minutes until just tender. Remove the central stem with a knife. Put the leaves aside.

Mix the mince with the onion, salt, pepper, paprika and nutmeg to taste. Add the uncooked rice and mix it in well. The rice will cook with the meat and will absorb all of the flavour.
Take a ball of meat about the size of a golf ball of a little larger. Wrap the dumpling in a cabbage leave. Continue the same process until you finish the meat and cabbage. Put aside.

Fry the onion in a little oil for 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and the wine. When it comes up to the boil pack the cabbage parcels over the sauce. Cover the pan and cook for 35-40 minutes.

Serve hot, with mashed potatoes.

Home Made Bread

Making home made bread is not difficult, it requires only a little time and patience.
The results are very satisfying and you can play around with ingredients to make your own personalised loaf.

You do not need to measure any of the ingredients, just make sure you have the following.
Ingredients for a basic white loaf of 700 gr. approximately.

• packet of good strong flour, with a protein content of 11% or more
• sachet of granulated yeast, or fresh bakers yeast
• water
• salt
• sugar
  

Put a walnut size piece of yeast, or a sachet of granulated yeast, a tablespoon of sugar, and a 200 ml glass of tepid water in a large bowl. Add 3-4 tbsp flour and mix it in with a fork. Leave this mix to stand for at least 15 minutes.
Add another glass of tepid water and a heaped teaspoon of salt. Sugar is important to help the bread rise, salt is important for the flavour.
Incorporate enough flour to make quite a wet dough.

Now knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. It will 'tell' you it is ready when it becomes slightly springy in consistency.
Put is back in the bowl and leave it to rise for 2-3 hours in a warm place, until it doubles in size. If you leave it in a cold place it will rise, but it will take longer.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it again, this time only for one minute or so. Shape the dough and place it in a non stick bread mold or on a non stick oven tray.
If you are making a round loaf, pull the dough and tuck it in under itself 4-5 times, shaping it into a ball. This will ensure it rises upward.

To get a good crust, I put the bread in a cold oven and spray some water over it. I then leave it to rise for a second time, until it doubles in size. Spray more water over the crust if you want to get a good thick crust.

Once the bread has risen, turn the oven on to 180ºC and bake for 45 minutes.
The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when you tap it.

Variations:

• use wholemeal flour instead of white, or half and half
• add some cereals and or nuts to the flour, about one cup will suffice
• instead of water you can use milk (sour milk makes very good bread) or beer.
  

Sour dough:
Sour dough bread is heavier in consistency and has a great, slightly sour flavour. It is made by leaving the yeast mixture to stand for a few days. After a few days you can add a small piece of yeast to the yeast and flour mix, and continue as above.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Chili

A tasty meal that can be made with ingredients from the store cupboard
Ingredients for 4 people:

• 250 gr spaghetti
• 1-2 chilies, depending on how hot you like it!
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  
• 4tbsp olive oil
• A handful of spinach
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes until just tender. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the garlic, chili, salt, pepper and the chopped spinach. Stir for 5-10 seconds. Add the cooked spaghetti along with one or two tablespoons of the cooking water. Stir until heated through.
Serve hot, with extra olive oil and chili.

Salmon Spread

To serve with fresh, or toasted slices of bread.
This can be served as a light appetizer or as an elegant dip.
Ingredients:

• 200gr packet of cream cheese
• 100 gr smoked salmon
• 1-2tbsp cream or plain yogurt
• pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp horseradish (optional)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and soften it with a fork, mix in a little cream or yogurt to loosen it.
Take the salmon out of the package and place in on a chopping board. Chop it finely with a large knife for a rough texture; or use a food processor for a finer texture.
Mix the salmon with the cream cheese and season with pepper, horseradish and lemon juice to taste.
Place the spread in a clean serving bowl, cover it with cling film and refrigerate until needed.
This will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Lemony chicken

Ingredients for 2-3 people:

• 6-8 pieces of chicken, thighs, wings and/or drumsticks
• Juice of half a lemon
• salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste

Place the clean pieces of chicken in an ovenproof tray. Pour the lemon juice over them and rub it into the meat with your hands. Sprinkle the pieces with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 180ºC.
Serve hot with potatoes and salad.

Avgoleomono Soup

In Greece, many dishes are thickened with avgolemono sauce, which is the juice of a lemon whisked with an egg.
In this dish, the avgolemono combines prefectly with the rice and gives a wonderful flavour and creaminess.
This soup is a delicious winter warmer and it can be made in 20 minutes.

Ingredients for 4:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1.5 litres chicken stock
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• 1 cup frozen prawns
• 150 gr rice
  
• Salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste
• Avgolemono: 1 egg, beaten with the juice of 1/2 lemon
  

Gently fry the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes until it starts to colour. Add the stock, cabbage and seasoning.
Bring the soup to the boil and add the rice. Cook the soup for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked.

Add the prawns and the avgolemono. Stir into the soup and let it cook for 1 minute.

Serve hot, with crusty bread.

Variations: instead of cabbage you can use spinach, or even chopped lettuce leaves.

Potato Skins

For this recipe I am using some potato skins I have already cooked. I emptied the shells to make mash and have the potato hulls ready for stuffing with something delicious.

Ingredients for a snack or light supper for 2

• 4 potato skins, cooked and hulled
• 1 slice of ham
• 100 gr Raclette or Cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
  

Place the skins in a shallow ovenproof dish, pour a little oil, salt and pepper over them.
Roughly chop the ham and divide it into 4 equal amounts, put one portion into each skin.
Place a quarter of the cheese into each hull.
Bake in a hot oven at 200ºC for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serve hot with a green salad.

Cheese Fondue

In Switzerland this dish started as a way to use up dry cheese and bread.
Traditionally you would use a mixture of Gruyere and Emmental, but you can try using up other cheeses. The best cheese is a slightly rubbery cheese that will melt easily.

Here is an idea for an informal dinner party

For 6-8 people:

• 2 glasses of cider or white wine
• 2 tsp flour
• 400 gr grated Gruyere
• 400 gr grated cheddar or Emmental
• Seasoning: pepper, nutmeg, cayenne

You will also need an earthenware pot that will hold 1,5 litres of liquid.
Place the pot over a low heat and pour in the wine or cider. Add the cheese and start to stir. After a few minutes, when the cheese starts to melt, add the flour, season with black pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Continue to stir the cheeses until they are melted and you can dip a piece of bread in it. If it is too thick you can add more wine.

Serve the pot over a burner on the table. A tea light will be sufficient heat to keep the cheese melted. After a while the cheese will start to form a clump at the bottom, but there are always volunteers to eat them up!

I serve this with a large green salad.

Dairy health benefits

Milk and dairy foods are healthy foods and considered nutrient-rich because they serve as good sources of calcium and vitamin D as well as protein and other essential nutrients. They provide phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B12, and riboflavin1.

The calcium in milk, yogurt and cheese is significant yet most people don't get enough calcium or vitamin D each day2. Getting the recommended three servings of dairy per day can help build bone mass, leading to improved bone health throughout the life cycle. 

Espinagada. Majorcan Pie

With this basic pastry dough you can make a variety of pies.
In Majorca there are as many variations as there are cooks.
The name literally means 'full of spinach' and the vegetables can be combined with fish or pork.

For the pastry:

• 100 gr melted lard or butter
• 100 ml olive oil
• 200 ml orange juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• flour, between 300-350 grams
  

Mix all of the ingredients for the pastry with a fork in a bowl, this way you can avoid getting your hands too dirty. Start with a little flour at a time until the pastry comes together. Once it starts to form a dough, finish with your hands. Handle it as little as possible.

Make a ball with the pastry, cover in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Filling:

• 200 gr shredded spinach
  
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 2 cans of tuna in oil
• salt, pepper, chili flakes to taste
  

Fry the onion gently in a little oil, for about 5 minutes until starting to colour. Add the shredded spinach, cook for a further 3 minutes. Season and turn off the heat.
Now mix the spinach with the tuna. Let it cool down.

Cut the pastry in two equal pieces. Roll out half of the pastry and use it to line a greased shallow pie plate. Place the stuffing on the pastry.
Roll out another circle of pastry and place on top of the vegetables. Crimp the pie closed.

Bake for 35 minutes at 180ºC.
Serve hot or cold.

Posh Beef Burgers

Serve with chutney or ketchup
Ingredients for 4:

• 400 gr minced beef
• 1 small onion, chopped finely or grated
  
• 2 slices french bread, dipped in a little milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
  
• pinch of pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to begin with and then use your hands.
Shape the mince mix into four burgers.
Fry the burgers in a little oil over a low heat, for 6-7 minutes on each side, until firm to the touch.

Serve the burgers hot, with chips and a selection of mustard, chutney and ketchup.

Creamy Rice Soup

Creamy rice, perfect for a cold winter day
Takes 20 minutes to make

Use any mix of vegetables you might have in the refrigerator.
What gives this soup its creaminess is the evaporated milk.

Ingredients for 4:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 artichokes, peeled and cut into 12
• 1 litre of chicken stock
• 100 gr mushrooms, sliced
• 75 gr rice

Fry the onion and the rest of the vegetables for 5 minutes until starting to brown. Add the stock and the evaporated milk.
Bring to the boil and add the rice. Cook for 12-15 minutes and serve hot.


Nutritional facts of dairy:

Milk and dairy foods are healthy foods and considered nutrient-rich because they serve as good sources of calcium and vitamin D as well as protein and other essential nutrients. They provide phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B12, and riboflavin1.

The calcium in milk, yogurt and cheese is significant yet most people don't get enough calcium or vitamin D each day2. Getting the recommended three servings of dairy per day can help build bone mass, leading to improved bone health throughout the life cycle. 

Majorcan Pudding

This is a variation of a classic Majorcan dessert. You can find this in restaurants under the name 'house pudding'. It is simply a flavoured baked custard that uses up leftover pieces of cake.
Any flavour cake will do.

• 4 eggs
• 75 gr sugar
• 750 ml milk
• juice of 1 orange
• 2-3 slices of day old sponge cake or similar

For the caramel:

• 100 gr sugar

Make a caramel by heating up the sugar in a pan. Do not add any water; after around 5 minutes the sugar will turn into caramel, just shake the pan to ensure that all of the crystals caramelize.
Turn the heat off and pour the caramel on the bottom of a 1.5 litre ovenproof baking tray.

Arrange the cake slices over the caramel.

Beat the eggs and mix with the sugar, orange juice and milk.

Pour the egg mix through a sieve over the cake slices. Cover with aluminium foil.
Place the baking tray inside a larger tray and put both in the oven. Pour water into the larger tray to make a bain Marie.

Bake at 180ºCentigrade for 45 minutes until set.
Take the custard out of the oven and let it get cold before refrigerating.
Turn the custard out on a serving plate just before serving.

Beef in Red Wine Sauce

This is a rich and delicious meat stew to serve with tagliatelle.
Will also go very well with mashed potatoes or polenta.
It is even better when made a day or two ahead.

For 6-8 people:

• 500 gr stewing beef
• 500 ml red wine
• 300 ml tomato pasata
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt, pepper
• oregano, to taste

Fry the onion in a little olive oil for 10 minutes until it begins to caramelize.
Cut the beef into chunks, add to the onion and brown for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
Add the tomato and red wine to the pan, bring to the boil and cover.
Simmer gently for 2 hours or more, until the meat is tender and breaks easily with a fork.
Check the seasoning and turn off the heat.

To serve:
Serve this stew with tagliatelle and grated parmesan.