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Category: Seafood

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 6 large Prawns
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 150ml Dry White Wine
• 200ml Fish Stock
• 1 small finely diced Fennel
• 1 small finely diced Onion
• 3 cloves Chopped Garlic
• 1 large Potatoes
• 1 Orange
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp Harissa Spice
• 2 tbs Tomato Puree
• 400g Chopped Tomatoes
• Handful Mussels
• 200g White Fish
• 2 Thyme
• to serve Bread

Instructions:

Twist the heads from the prawns, then peel away the legs and shells, but leave the tails intact. Devein each prawn. Fry the shells in 1 tbsp oil for 5 mins, until dark pink and golden in patches. Add the wine, boil down by two thirds, then pour in the stock. Strain into a jug, discarding the shells.
Heat the rest of the oil in a deep frying pan or casserole. Add the fennel, onion and garlic, season, then cover and gently cook for 10 mins until softened. Meanwhile, peel the potato and cut into 2cm-ish chunks. Put into a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins until almost tender. Drain in a colander.
Peel a strip of zest from the orange. Put the zest, star anise, bay and ½ tsp harissa into the pan. Fry gently, uncovered, for 5-10 mins, until the vegetables are soft, sweet and golden.
Stir in the tomato purée, cook for 2 mins, then add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer for 10 mins until the sauce thickens slightly. Season to taste. The sauce can be made ahead, then reheated later in the day. Meantime, scrub the mussels or clams and pull away any stringy beards. Any that are open should be tapped sharply on the worktop – if they don’t close after a few seconds, discard them.
Reheat the sauce if necessary, then stir the potato, chunks of fish and prawns very gently into the stew. Bring back to the boil, then cover and gently simmer for 3 mins. Scatter the mussels or clams over the stew, then cover and cook for 2 mins more or until the shells have opened wide. Discard any that remain closed. The chunks of fish should flake easily and the prawns should be pink through. Scatter with the thyme leaves.
To make the quick rouille, stir the rest of the harissa through the mayonnaise. Serve the stew in bowls, topped with spoonfuls of rouille, which will melt into the sauce and enrich it. Have some good bread ready, as you’ll definitely want to mop up the juices.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Indian

Ingredients:

• 1 tbls Vegetable Oil
• 1 finely chopped Onion
• 2 cloves chopped Garlic
• 1 part Ginger
• 1 Packet Coriander
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• 400g Chopped Tomatoes
• 400g Kidney Beans
• to serve Basmati Rice

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to colour. Add the garlic, ginger and coriander stalks and cook for a further 2 mins, until fragrant.

Add the spices to the pan and cook for another 1 min, by which point everything should smell aromatic. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans in their water, then bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 mins until the curry is nice and thick. Season to taste, then serve with the basmati rice and the coriander leaves.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 75g Butter
• 1kg Leek
• ½ tsp Salt
• 300ml Creme Fraiche
• 1 Egg
• 3 Egg Yolks
• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
• 225g Plain Flour
• ½ tsp Salt
• 60g Butter
• 60g Lard
• 50g Cheddar Cheese
• 2 tbs Water

Instructions:

For the pastry, sift the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor, add the butter and lard, then whizz together briefly until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Tip the mixture into a bowl, then stir in the cheese and enough of the water for the mixture to come together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Roll out thinly and line a 23cm x 4cm loose-?bottomed fluted flan tin. Prick the base with a fork. Chill for 20 minutes.
02.Melt the 75g butter in a saucepan over a low heat, then add the leeks and the salt. Cover and cook for ?10 minutes until soft. Uncover the pan, increase the heat and cook ?for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated. Spoon onto a plate and leave to cool.
03.Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans or rice and blind bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are biscuit-coloured. Remove the paper and beans/rice and return the case to the oven for 7-10 minutes until the base is crisp and lightly golden. Remove and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5.
04.Put the crème fraîche into a bowl with the whole egg, egg yolks and nutmeg. Lightly beat together, then season. Stir in the leeks. Spoon ?the mixture into the tart case and bake for 35-40 minutes until set ?and lightly golden. Remove from ?the oven and leave for 10 minutes. Take out of the tin and serve.

Category: Seafood

Area: Malaysian

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 finely sliced Red Chilli
• 2 ½ tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 100g rice noodles
• 2 juice of 1, the other halved lime
• 150g king prawns
• ½ small pack coriander

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the chilli. Cook for 1 min, then add the curry paste, stir and cook for 1 min more. Dissolve the stock cube in a large jug in 700ml boiling water, then pour into the pan and stir to combine. Tip in the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
Add the fish sauce and a little seasoning. Toss in the noodles and cook for a further 3-4 mins until softening. Squeeze in the lime juice, add the prawns and cook through until warm, about 2-3 mins. Scatter over some of the coriander.
Serve in bowls with the remaining coriander and lime wedges on top for squeezing over.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 225g Medjool dates
• 175ml Boiling water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• 85g butter
• 140g demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 100ml milk
• 1 scoop ice cream
• 175g muscovado sugar
• 50g butter
• 225ml double cream
• 1 tbsp black treacle

Instructions:

Stone and chop the dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour the boiling water over. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in the vanilla extract. Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm.
Meanwhile, put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.
Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn’t smudge (no need to chill).
When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.

Category: Starter

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 250g Flour
• 125g Butter
• 1 Egg
• Pinch Salt
• 300g Cheese
• 100ml milk Milk
• 3 Eggs
• 100g Parmesan Cheese
• 350g Plum tomatoes
• 3tbsp White Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Honey
• Topping Basil

Instructions:

Crust: make a dough from 250g flour (I like mixing different flours like plain and wholegrain spelt flour), 125g butter, 1 egg and a pinch of salt, press it into a tart form and place it in the fridge. Filling: stir 300g cream cheese and 100ml milk until smooth, add in 3 eggs, 100g grated parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Take the crust out of the fridge and prick the bottom with a fork. Pour in the filling and bake at 175 degrees C for about 25 minutes. Cover the tart with some aluminium foil after half the time. In the mean time, slice about 350g mini tomatoes. In a small pan heat 3tbsp olive oil, 3tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp honey, salt and pepper and combine well. Pour over the tomato slices and mix well. With a spoon, place the tomato slices on the tart, avoiding too much liquid on it. Decorate with basil leaves and enjoy

Category: Dessert

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 300g Puff Pastry
• Dusting Plain Flour
• 6 Braeburn Apples
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 85g Butter
• to serve Creme Fraiche

Instructions:

Roll the pastry to a 3mm-thick round on a lightly floured surface and cut a 24cm circle, using a plate as a guide. Lightly prick all over with a fork, wrap in cling film on a baking sheet and freeze while preparing the apples.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel, quarter and core the apples. Put the sugar in a flameproof 20cm ceramic Tatin dish or a 20cm ovenproof heavy-based frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Cook the sugar for 5-7 mins to a dark amber caramel syrup that’s starting to smoke, then turn off the heat and stir in the 60g diced chilled butter.
To assemble the Tarte Tatin, arrange the apple quarters very tightly in a circle around the edge of the dish first, rounded-side down, then fill in the middle in a similar fashion. Gently press with your hands to ensure there are no gaps. Brush the fruit with the melted butter.
Bake in the oven for 30 mins, then remove and place the disc of frozen puff pastry on top – it will quickly defrost. Tuck the edges down the inside of the dish and, with a knife, prick a few holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for a further 40-45 mins until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
Allow to cool to room temperature for 1 hr before running a knife around the edge of the dish and inverting it onto a large serving plate that is deep enough to contain the juices. Serve with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 50g Hazlenuts
• 125g Butter
• 150g Caster Sugar
• Grated Lemon
• 150g Plain Flour
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• 600g Blackberries
• 75g Sugar
• 2 tbs Caster Sugar
• 1 tbs Lemon Juice
• 300ml Double Cream
• 100ml Yogurt
• Garnish with Mint

Instructions:

For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 200C/180C (fan)/Gas 6 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Scatter the nuts over a baking tray and roast in the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until golden-brown. Watch them carefully so that they don’t have a chance to burn. Remove from the oven, tip onto a board and leave to cool.
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until light and creamy. Roughly chop the cooled nuts and add to the creamed butter and sugar, along with the lemon zest, flour and baking powder. Stir well until the mixture comes together and forms a ball – you may need to use your hands.
Divide the biscuit dough into 24 even pieces and roll into small balls. Place the balls the prepared baking trays, spaced well apart to allow for spreading.
Press the biscuits to flatten to around 1cm/½in thick. Bake the biscuits, one tray at a time, for 12 minutes or until very pale golden-brown. Leave to cool on the trays. They will be very soft when you take them out of the oven, but will crisp as they cool.
Store in an airtight tin and eat within five days.
For the fool, rinse the blackberries in a colander to wash away any dust or dirt. Put the blackberries in a non-stick saucepan and sprinkle over the caster sugar.
Stir in the lemon juice and heat gently for two minutes, or until the blackberries begin to soften and release their juices. Remove and reserve 12 blackberries for decoration and continue cooking the rest.
Simmer the blackberries very gently for 15 minutes, stirring regularly until very soft and squidgy. Remove from the heat and press the berries and juice through a sieve over a bowl, using the bottom of a ladle to help you extract as much of the purée as possible. Leave the purée to cool and discard the seeds. You should end up with around 325ml/11fl oz of purée.
Put the cream and yoghurt in a large bowl and whip with an electric whisk until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl – the acidity of the fruit will thicken the cream further, so don’t take it too far.
When the purée is completely cold, adjust the sweetness to taste by adding more sugar if needed. Pour it into the bowl with the whipped cream and yoghurt and stir just once or twice until very lightly combined.
Spoon the blackberry fool into individual wide, glass dishes – or one large, single bowl. It should look quite marbled, so don’t over-stir it. Scatter a few tiny mint leaves on top and decorate with the reserved blackberries. Sprinkle with a little sugar if you like and serve with the hazelnut biscuits.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Chinese

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Sugar
• pinch Pepper
• 1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
• 1/3 cup Peas
• 1/3 cup Mushrooms
• 1 tbs Cornstarch
• 2 tbs Water
• 1/4 cup Spring Onions

Instructions:

In a wok add chicken broth and wait for it to boil.
Next add salt, sugar, white pepper, sesame seed oil.
When the chicken broth is boiling add the vegetables to the wok.
To thicken the sauce, whisk together 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 Tablespoon of water in a bowl and slowly add to your soup until it's the right thickness.
Next add 1 egg slightly beaten with a knife or fork and add it to the soup slowly and stir for 8 seconds
Serve the soup in a bowl and add the green onions on top.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Spanish

Ingredients:

• 1 sliced Onion
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 25g Butter
• 400g Potatoes
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 8 Eggs
• Handful Parsley
• 1 Baguette
• 4 Vine Tomatoes
• drizzle Olive Oil

Instructions:

Put a large non-stick frying pan on a low heat. Cook the onion slowly in the oil and butter until soft but not brown – this should take about 15 mins. Add the potatoes, cover the pan and cook for a further 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally to make sure they fry evenly.
When the potatoes are soft and the onion is shiny, crush 2 garlic cloves and stir in, followed by the beaten eggs.
Put the lid back on the pan and leave the tortilla to cook gently. After 20 mins, the edges and base should be golden, the top set but the middle still a little wobbly. To turn it over, slide it onto a plate and put another plate on top, turn the whole thing over and slide it back into the pan to finish cooking. Once cooked, transfer to a plate and serve the tortilla warm or cold, scattered with the chopped parsley.
To accompany, take slices of warmed baguette, stab all over with a fork and rub with the remaining garlic, pile on grated tomatoes and season with sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.