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Category: Vegan

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 1 cups green red lentils
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 small zucchini
• sprinking coriander
• 150g spinach
• 10 lasagne sheets
• 35g vegan butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 300ml soya milk
• 1.5 teaspoons mustard
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2) Boil vegetables for 5-7 minutes, until soft. Add lentils and bring to a gentle simmer, adding a stock cube if desired. Continue cooking and stirring until the lentils are soft, which should take about 20 minutes.
3) Blanch spinach leaves for a few minutes in a pan, before removing and setting aside.
4) Top up the pan with water and cook the lasagne sheets. When cooked, drain and set aside.
5) To make the sauce, melt the butter and add the flour, then gradually add the soya milk along with the mustard and the vinegar. Cook and stir until smooth and then assemble the lasagne as desired in a baking dish.
6) Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.

Category: Vegan

Area: Spanish

Ingredients:

• 6 small Baby Aubergine
• 4 small Fennel
• 1 thinly sliced Red Pepper
• 1 medium Courgettes
• 1 finely chopped Onion
• 300g Paella Rice
• 1 tsp Paprika
• pinch Saffron
• 200ml White Wine
• 700ml Vegetable Stock
• 100g Frozen Peas
• 1 chopped Lemon
• Handful Parsley
• pinch Salt
• pinch Black Pepper

Instructions:

1 Put the fennel, aubergine, pepper and courgette in a roasting tray. Add a glug of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss around to coat the veggies in the oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, turning a couple of times until the veg are pretty much cooked through and turning golden.

2 Meanwhile, heat a paella pan or large frying pan over a low– medium heat and add a glug of olive oil. Sauté the onion for 8–10 minutes until softened. Increase the heat to medium and stir in the rice, paprika and saffron. Cook for around 1 minute to start toasting the rice, then add the white wine. Reduce by about half before stirring in two-thirds of the stock. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes without a lid, stirring a couple of times.

3 Stir in the peas, add some seasoning, then gently mix in the roasted veg. Pour over the remaining stock, arrange the lemon wedges on top and cover with a lid or some aluminium foil. Cook for a further 10 minutes.

4 To ensure you get the classic layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, increase the heat to high until you hear a slight crackle. Remove from the heat and sit for 5 minutes before sprinkling over the parsley and serving.

Category: Dessert

Area: Malaysian

Ingredients:

• 200ml Milk
• 60ml Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1600g Flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 25g Unsalted Butter
• 45g Sugar
• 3 tbs Peanut Butter

Instructions:

Mix milk, oil and egg together. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture. Stir well until all ingredients are combined evenly.

Spread some batter onto the pan. Spread a thin layer of batter to the side of the pan. Cover the pan for 30-60 seconds until small air bubbles appear.

Add butter, cream corn, crushed peanuts and sugar onto the pancake. Fold the pancake into half once the bottom surface is browned.

Cut into wedges and best eaten when it is warm.

Category: Chicken

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 300g Mushrooms
• 4 Chicken Legs
• 500g Passata
• 1 Chicken Stock Cube
• 100g Black Olives
• Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and stir-fry the mushrooms until they start to soften. Add the chicken legs and cook briefly on each side to colour them a little.
Pour in the passata, crumble in the stock cube and stir in the olives. Season with black pepper – you shouldn’t need salt. Cover and simmer for 40 mins until the chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with pasta and a salad, or mash and green veg, if you like.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Egyptian

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Broad Beans
• 6 Spring Onions
• 4 Garlic Clove
• 1/4 cup Parsley
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Spinkling Flour
• As required Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

oak the beans in water to cover overnight.Drain. If skinless beans are unavailable, rub to loosen the skins, then discard the skins. Pat the beans dry with a towel.
Grind the beans in a food mill or meat grinder.If neither appliance is available, process them in a food processor but only until the beans form a paste. (If blended too smoothly, the batter tends to fall apart during cooking.) Add the scallions, garlic, cilantro, cumin, baking powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, and coriander, if using. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Shape the bean mixture into 1-inch balls.Flatten slightly and coat with flour.
Heat at least 1½-inches of oil over medium heat to 365 degrees.
Fry the patties in batches, turning once, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.Remove with a wire mesh skimmer or slotted spoon. Serve as part of a meze or in pita bread with tomato-cucumber salad and tahina sauce.

Category: Dessert

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 300g Plain Flour
• 75g Butter
• 100g Cream Cheese
• 1 tbls Icing Sugar
• 150g Butter
• 200ml Maple Syrup
• 250g Light Brown Soft Sugar
• 100g Dark Brown Soft Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 400g Pecan Nuts
• 200g Dark Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

First, make the pastry. Tip the ingredients into a food processor with 1 /4 tsp salt. Blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drizzle 2-3 tsp cold water into the funnel while the blade is running – the mixture should start to clump together. Tip onto a work surface and bring together, kneading briefly into a ball. Pat into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for at least 20 mins. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and leave at room temperature for 5 mins to soften. Flour the work surface, then unwrap the pastry and roll to a circle the thickness of a £1 coin. Use the pastry to line a deep, 23cm round fluted tin – mine was about 3cm deep. Press the pastry into the corners and up the sides, making sure there are no gaps. Leave 1cm pastry overhanging (save some of the pastry scraps for later). Line with baking parchment (scrunch it up first to make it more pliable) and fill with baking beans. Blind-bake for 15-20 mins until the sides are set, then remove the parchment and beans and return to the oven for 5 mins until golden brown. Trim the pastry so it’s flush with the top of the tin – a small serrated knife is best for this. If there are any cracks, patch them up with the pastry scraps.

Meanwhile, weigh the butter, syrup and sugars into a pan, and add 1 /4 tsp salt. Heat until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 mins. Reduce oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the syrup mixture, vanilla and pecans, and mix until well combined. Pour half the mixture into the tart case, scatter over half the chocolate chips, then cover with the remaining filling and chocolate chips. Bake on the middle shelf for 50-55 mins until set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hrs before serving.

Category: Starter

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 2 tblsp Rapeseed Oil
• 1 finely chopped Onion
• 1 Celery
• 1 sliced Leek
• 1 medium Potatoes
• 1 knob Butter
• 1 litre hot Vegetable Stock
• 1 Head chopped Broccoli
• 140g Stilton Cheese

Instructions:

Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan and then add the onions. Cook on a medium heat until soft. Add a splash of water if the onions start to catch.

Add the celery, leek, potato and a knob of butter. Stir until melted, then cover with a lid. Allow to sweat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid.

Pour in the stock and add any chunky bits of broccoli stalk. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.

Add the rest of the broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes. Carefully transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Stir in the stilton, allowing a few lumps to remain. Season with black pepper and serve.

Category: Miscellaneous

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Carrot
• 2 1/4 cups French Lentils
• 1 teaspoon Thyme
• 3 Bay Leaf
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 2 sticks Celery

Instructions:

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add oil. When hot, add chopped vegetables and sauté until softened, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add 6 cups water, lentils, thyme, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a fast simmer.
Simmer lentils until they are tender and have absorbed most of the water, 20 to 25 minutes. If necessary, drain any excess water after lentils have cooked. Serve immediately, or allow them to cool and reheat later.
For a fuller taste, use some chicken stock and reduce the water by the same amount.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs Unsalted Butter
• 1 large Onion
• 1 medium Cabbage
• 1 Carrots
• 1 Celery
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 8 cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 large Potatoes
• 2 large Tomatoes
• Garnish Sour Cream
• Garnish Dill

Instructions:

Add the butter to a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté until translucent.
Add the cabbage, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Add the bay leaf and vegetable stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the potatoes and bring it back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes (or undrained canned tomatoes) and bring the soup back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
emove and discard the bay leaf from the pot.
Serve topped with fresh sour cream and fresh dill.

Category: Seafood

Area: Mexican

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp cajun
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 fillets white fish
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 8 flour tortilla
• 1 sliced avocado
• 2 shredded little gem lettuce
• 4 shredded spring onion
• 1 x 300ml salsa
• 1 pot sour cream
• 1 lemon
• 1 clove finely chopped garlic

Instructions:

Cooking in a cajun spice and cayenne pepper marinade makes this fish super succulent and flavoursome. Top with a zesty dressing and serve in a tortilla for a quick, fuss-free main that's delightfully summery.

On a large plate, mix the cajun spice and cayenne pepper with a little seasoning and use to coat the fish all over.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan, add in the fish and cook over a medium heat until golden. Reduce the heat and continue frying until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Cook in batches if you don’t have enough room in the pan.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients with a little seasoning.
Soften the tortillas by heating in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Pile high with the avocado, lettuce and spring onion, add a spoonful of salsa, top with large flakes of fish and drizzle over the dressing.