Starters

Wensleydale with Apple Pate

A simple but delicious starter combining the classic flavours of cheese and apple.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
50g unsalted butter
1 eating apple, peeled, cored and neatly diced
125g Wensleydale cheese, grated or crumbed finely
65g pack full fat cream cheese
40g walnuts, crushed
To serve:
salad leaves
walnut oil dressing
Method:
1. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the apple and cook very gently until soft, about 10 minutes
2. Beat the two cheeses together and carefully fold through the cooked apples and butter
3. Chill the mixture for about 1 hour, until firm enough to handle
4. Form into two barrels, each about 11 x 2.5cm. Roll in the crushed nuts and chill again for several hours
5. Slice the rolls fairly thinly
6. Serve on a small plate with a salad of decorative leaves, tossed in walnut oil dressing

Orecchiette with Sprouting Broccoli, Pine Nuts and Sultanas

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
12 oz (350 g) dried orecchiette
1 lb (450 g) sprouting broccoli
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons sultanas
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 tinned anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
salt and freshly milled black pepper
freshly grated Pecorino Romano
Method: First of all, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Then put the sultanas in a small bowl, cover with cold water and leave them to soak for 5 minutes so they plump up. Meanwhile, trim the tough, fibrous ends off the sprouting broccoli and then slice the stems into short, ½ inch (1 cm) lengths, dividing up some of the larger heads of broccoli as you want them to be the same size as the pasta. Transfer the sprouting broccoli to a steamer, sprinkle with salt and cover and steam for 7 minutes. Then remove the steamer from the pan and leave aside, covered. Now quickly add the water from the steamer pan to the pasta pan and bring it back to boiling point to cook the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the sliced onion for 3 or 4 minutes. Then throw in the pine nuts and sultanas (drain them first) and continue to cook gently until the onion is softened and the pine nuts lightly browned. Now add the chopped anchovy fillets, and as soon as they have melted into the mix, the sauce is ready. Add the steamed broccoli and briefly toss everything together. Then drain the pasta, return it to the hot, dry pan you cooked it in and toss it with the broccoli mixture. Season to taste and serve immediately with plenty of freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

Stuffed Yellow Peppers with Pilau Rice, Currants and Toasted Pine Nuts

These peppers can be made well in advance, then warmed through and filled with the pilau rice just before serving.
Ingredients For the roasted peppers:(Serves 12)
6 large yellow peppers
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 tablespoons olive oil, including a little for greasing salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the pilau rice:
1 pint (570 ml) basmati rice (use a measuring jug)
4 oz (110 g) currants
4 oz (110 g) pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 cinnamon sticks, halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pints (1.2 l) of hot stock made with Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder
12 sprigs fresh mint, to garnish salt
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). You will also need a baking tray measuring 11 x 16 inches (28 x 40 cm), greased, and a large, lidded frying pan. All you do is cut the peppers in half lengthways through the stalk, then scrape out the seeds and place the halves on the baking tray. Now sprinkle a little of the garlic into each one and follow that with a teaspoon of oil. Brush a little more oil around the edges of the peppers, add a seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper, then bake them on a high shelf in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until they are well browned at the edges. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Heat the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and pine nuts and fry for 10 minutes, or until everything is golden. Then add the currants, cinnamon and garlic. When you are ready to cook the rice, stir it into the pan and turn the grains over until they are thoroughly coated in the oil. Then pour in the hot stock and season with salt. Stir once only, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the rice cook for exactly 15 minutes. After that, take the pan off the heat, remove the lid and cover the pan with a clean tea cloth until the rice is needed. When the peppers are cooked, transfer them to a warmed dish and fill each one with the rice, adding the mint at the last moment. Serve the remaining rice in a warmed bowl to accompany the peppers

Almond Soup

Ingredients: (Serves 1)
For the almond soup
25g/1oz butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
150ml/¼ pint vegetable stock
50ml/2fl oz double cream
75g/3oz whole almonds, toasted and finely chopped
For the croutons:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method:
1. For the soup, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until softened.
2. Add the vegetable stock, double cream and almonds and simmer for five minutes.
3. Blend with a hand blender and pour into a bowl.
4. For the croutons, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the bread cubes stirring to coat the bread cubes in oil. Fry gently until golden on all sides.
5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
6. To serve, sprinkle the croutons onto the soup.

Main Courses

Spiced Pilau Rice with Nuts

This dish is also an excellent accompaniment to any spiced or curried dish, such as Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Whole Spices Ingredients: (Serves 4)
10 fl oz (275 ml) white basmati rice
1 oz (25 g) unsalted cashew nuts 1 oz (25 g) unsalted shelled pistachio nuts
1 oz (25 g) pine nuts
2 cardamom pods
¾ level teaspoon cumin seeds
½ level teaspoon coriander seeds 1½ tablespoons groundnut or other flavourless oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 inch (2.5 cm) piece cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 rounded teaspoon salt
You will also need a lidded frying pan with a 10 inch (25.5 cm) base.
Method:
First of all, in the pestle and mortar, crush the cardamom pods and the cumin and coriander seeds. Then, warm the frying pan over a medium heat, add the crushed spices (the pods as well as the seeds of the cardamom), turn the heat up high and toss them around in the heat to dry-roast them and draw out the flavour – this will take about 1 minute. After that, turn the heat back to medium and add the oil, onion and nuts and fry until everything is lightly tinged brown. Next, stir in the rice and turn the grains over in the pan until they are nicely coated and glistening with oil, then pour in 1 pint (570 ml) boiling water. Add the cinnamon, bay leaf and salt, stir once only, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and let the rice cook for exactly 15 minutes. After this time, take the pan off the heat, remove the lid and cover with a clean tea cloth for 5 minutes. Then empty the rice into a warm serving dish and fluff up lightly with a fork before it goes to the table.

Thai Green Rice

The list of ingredients seems rather long, but it is made in moments and has a lovely fragrant flavour.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
12 fl oz (340 ml) basmati rice
50 g creamed coconut
4 cloves garlic
2 large or 3 medium-sized fresh green chillies
4 cm cube root ginger
20 g fresh coriander
1½ tablespoons groundnut or other flavourless oil
3 x 2 inch (5 cm) pieces cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
15 black peppercorns
1½ oz (40 g) unsalted cashew nuts, halved
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
4 oz (110 g) fresh peas, or frozen and defrosted
1½ level teaspoons salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons lime juice
You will also need a 9 inch (23 cm) frying pan with a close-fitting lid.
Method:
Begin by dissolving the creamed coconut in 8 fl oz (225 ml) boiling water, then place it in a food processor with the garlic, chillies, ginger and coriander stalks, whizzing until everything is finely chopped. Leave this aside while you heat the oil over a gentle heat in the frying pan, then add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns and cashew nuts to the pan and sauté everything gently for about 1 minute. Next, add the onions and continue to cook over a medium heat until they become softened and pale gold in colour, which will take 8-10 minutes. Next add the rice, then stir once and cook for another 2-3 minutes. After that, add the coconut mixture, give everything a stir, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Now add the peas, salt and 15 fl oz (425 ml) hot water, bring it all up to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid. Turn the heat to low and let everything cook very gently for 8 minutes; use a timer here, and don't lift the lid. Then remove the pan from the heat, take the lid off and cover the pan with a cloth for 10 minutes before serving. Finally, remove the pieces of cinnamon, sprinkle in the lime juice and the finely chopped coriander leaves, then fork the rice gently to separate the grains. Garnish with the reserved whole coriander leaves and serve with Thai Creamed Coconut Chicken.

Greek Lamb on the Bone with Aubergines and Rice Pilau

Bone-in leg slices of lamb, cooked Greek style, slowly in the oven with vegetables, provide one of the simplest and easiest supper dishes for entertaining, and for an equally easy Greek accompaniment, serve them with pilau rice.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
4 bone-in British lamb leg slices, at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick
2 medium aubergines, about 8 oz (225 g) each
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 level tablespoon fresh oregano
1 lb 2 oz (500g) plum tomatoes
2 large onions
1 level tablespoon tomato purée
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the rice pilau:
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 level tablespoons pine nuts
2 level tablespoons currants
white basmati rice, measured to the 10 fl oz (275 ml) level in a measuring jug
1 inch (2.5 cm) cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons salt
a little chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C). You will need a shallow roasting tin or baking dish, 10 x 8 inches (25.5 x 20 cm). You need to begin this recipe half an hour before you want to start the cooking, because the aubergines need to be salted and drained as they sometimes contain bitter juices. All you do is cut the aubergines lengthways into four and then into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks and place them in a colander, sprinkling them with salt as you pack them in, then place a plate on top of the aubergines and weight it down with something heavy (scale weights or tins of food). Now take a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over a high heat, then as soon as it's smoking hot, brown the lamb slices two at a time for about 1 minute on each side. As they brown, transfer them to the roasting tin. Then chop the garlic and oregano quite small. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and scatter the garlic and oregano all over them, pressing it well into the crevices of the meat. Then pop the roasting tin on to the middle shelf of the oven and give them 45 minutes' initial cooking. Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them from the kettle, leave them for 1 minute exactly, then drain off the water and slip the skins off. Then slice the tomatoes into ½ inch (1 cm) chunks. Now peel, halve and thinly slice the onions, then heat another tablespoon of oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and, when it's hot, lightly brown the onions, moving them around the pan and giving them about 5 minutes or so. After that, add the tomatoes and the tomato purée, stir well, giving them about 1 minute before turning the heat off. Now dry the aubergines, either in a clean tea cloth, or in batches using kitchen paper. After that, remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a plate. Tilt the roasting tin, spoon off any excess fat, then put in half the aubergines, onion and tomatoes, mix them well with the juices in the tin and season. Then replace the meat and scatter the rest of the aubergines and tomato mixture on top. Add a little more seasoning of salt and pepper and return the roasting tin to the oven, without covering, for about 1½ hours or until the lamb is completely tender. Have a peep halfway through the cooking time and if the vegetables on top look a little dry, baste them with some of the juices. To make the rice pilau, in a shallow saucepan or frying pan with a lid, sweat the onion in the oil over a medium heat, then add the pine nuts, currants and white basmati rice and stir everything well. Add the cinnamon stick, then pour in 1 pint (570 ml) boiling water and add the salt, stir once, put a lid on, then let it cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a little chopped flat-leaf parsley before serving.

Chunky Nut & Vegetable Roast

This is an easy recipe and suitable for vegetarians. Ingredients:
1 carrot, scraped
1 onion, peeled
1 stick celery
200g mixed nuts (e.g. almonds, peanuts, brazil nuts)
2tsp Marmite
2 free range eggs
1 or 2 tsp mixed herbs
salt & pepper
Dried breadcrumbs (for coating tin)
Method:
Set oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until vegetables and nuts are chopped into chunky pieces. Put into a bowl and mix with remaining ingredients. Line a 450g/1lb loaf tin with a strip of non-stick paper, grease well and sprinkle with dry breadcrumbs. Spoon mixture into tin and level the top. Bake uncovered for 45 mins until set.

Sweets

Fruit and Nut Pancakes

Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time less than 10 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
55g/2oz caster sugar
55g/2oz plain flour
1 egg
splash of milk
1 tsp baking powder
2 egg whites, whipped until they form stiff peaks
2 tbsp dried apricots, chopped
2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
drizzle of oil
Method:
1. Whisk the sugar, flour, egg, milk and baking powder in a bowl.
2. Fold in the egg whites and then stir in the apricots and pistachios.
3. Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Spoon the mixture into the pan in batches and cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.
4. Transfer to a plate, and serve.

Bread and Butter Pudding with Caramelised Pecans

Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
For the caramelised pecans
100g/3½oz pecan nuts, chopped
50g/1¾oz caster sugar
For the custard
300ml/10½fl oz milk
2 free-range egg yolks
2 drops vanilla essence
2 tbsp caster sugar
For the pudding:
butter for greasing
4 slices of ready-made brioche
50g/1¾oz sultanas
icing sugar, for dusting
Method:
1. To make the caramelised pecans, place the sugar in a small frying pan over a high heat.
2. Add the pecan nuts and stir to keep the nuts moving in the pan.
3. Continue to cook until the caramel becomes a rich amber colour, then pour the mixture over a cold non-stick surface. Leave for two minutes for the caramel to set hard, then smash into pieces.
4. To make the custard, bring the milk to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla essence.
5. Place the egg yolks and the sugar in a bowl and whisk together.
6. Pour the milk into the bowl of the yolks, whisking steadily. Once mixed together well, return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
7. To cook the pudding, grease a medium gratin dish and layer alternately with custard, sultanas and brioche.
8. Cover the dish with cling film and place in the microwave and cook on full power for one minute.
9. To serve, remove the cling film, dust with icing sugar and sprinkle with caramelised pecans.

Apricot and Pecan Puddings with Toffee Sauce

Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
50g/2oz light muscovado sugar
50g/2oz pecan nuts, chopped
100g/4oz ready-to-eat, dried apricots, chopped
pecan nut halves, to garnish
For the almond base:
75g/3oz butter or vegan margarine
60ml/2floz maple syrup or soft brown sugar
1 free range egg, beaten or 1 tbsp soya flour mixed with 2 tbsp water
75g/3oz ground almonds
25g/1oz soya flour
½ tsp baking powder
few drops vanilla essence
For the toffee sauce:
200g/7oz light muscovado sugar
90ml/3fl oz double cream or soya cream
100g/4oz unsalted butter or vegan margarine
½ tsp vanilla essence
25g/1oz chopped pecan nuts
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. To make the topping, mix the sugar, chopped pecans and dried apricots together. Divide equally between 4 well greased, individual ramekins.
3. Cream the butter or margarine for the base with the maple syrup or sugar. Add the egg or soya flour paste and mix well. Stir in the almonds, soya flour, baking powder and vanilla essence.
4. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, place on a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes.
5. To make the sauce, put the sugar in a saucepan and use a wooden spoon to crush any lumps. Add the cream and butter (or soya cream and vegan margarine) and stir together over a gentle heat until the butter has melted.
6. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes until toffee-coloured. Remove from the heat, then stir in the vanilla essence and chopped pecans.
7. Turn each pudding out on to a serving plate. Decorate with pecan halves. Spoon a little toffee sauce around the puddings and serve immediately.

Steamed Walnut and Honey Pudding

Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time less than 10 mins

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)
85g/3oz self raising flour
85g/3oz caster sugar
85g/3oz butter
1 lemon, zested
55ml/2fl oz milk
4 tbsp honey
85ml/3fl oz double cream, whipped
30g/1oz walnuts, crushed
Method:
1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter, lemon zest and milk in a mixer or food processor.
2. Grease a small, heat resistant glass pudding bowl then drizzle the honey inside the bowl.
3. Pour the pudding mixture into the bowl.
4. Cover the bowl in cling film and microwave the bowl on high for 4-5 minutes, or until the sponge is cooked.
5. Remove sponge from microwave and discard the cling film.
6. Tip the sponge out onto a flat plate.
7. Top sponge with whipped cream and nuts and serve while still hot.

Snacks

Quick Nut Burgers

Grind different nuts eg, brazils, pecans or almonds with wholemeal breadcrumbs. Mix with sauteed onions and mushrooms, stock and a beaten egg to make a sticky consistency. Shape into burgers and fry in olive oil.

Spicy Rice

Flavour cooked brown rice with curry powder, add diced celery, carrot, raisins, dried apricots, freshly chopped coriander and cashew nuts. Serve hot or cold.

Chickpea and Cashew Nut Korma

Ingredients; (serves 4)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Onions, peeled & chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2cm Fresh Ginger, peeled & chopped
2 tsp Garam Masala
400ml tin reduced fat Coconut Milk
150G Cashew Nuts
410g tin Chickpeas, drained
1 Red Pepper, sliced
2 Carrots, peeled & cut into strips
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander, chopped
Method:
1 Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion with the garlic and ginger for 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir in the spices and cook for another 2 mins, stirring continuously.
3. Add the coconut milk and 100ml of water and stir in.
4. Ladle half this mixture into a food processor with half the cashews nuts and chickpeas. Blend well and leave to one side.
5. Add the pepper, carrots, remaining chickpeas and cashews to the mixture still in the pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
6. Stir the blended mixture into the pan with the coriander and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Serve with brown rice