Yellow Pepper Salad

Ingredients
4 Rashers of Bacon/A Handful of Lardons (cooked and chopped into chunks)
2 Yellow peppers (de seeded and sliced)
8 Radishes (trimmed and cut into wedges)
1 Stick Celery (thinly chopped)
3 Plum Tomatoes (cut into wedges)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Thyme (1/3 tablespoon if using dried)
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Serving Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Leaving the bacon to one side, place all your ingredients into your serving bowl and mix well, then season with salt and pepper before finally sprinkling on the bacon/lardons.
   
2. Serve

Serves 4

Walnut, Celery, Chicory and Apple Salad (a new take on the classic waldorf salad)

Ingredients
2 Heads of Chicory (cut off the bases)
4 Celery Stalks
2 Apples (cored and sliced)
1 Lemon (juiced)
Handful of Toasted Walnut Halves (chopped, you may have to toast these yourself, to do that just fry them in a pan without oil for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until they start to colour)
3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Natural Yogurt
1/2 Teaspoon Celery Salt
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
2 Mixing Bowls (medium size will do or 1 large and 1 small)
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, salt and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in your smaller bowl and season with salt and pepper and set aside, now scatter the chicory leaves over your 4 serving plates.
2. Chop the celery up along with its leaves and place in the larger bowl, throw in the apple slices, the remaining lemon juice and half of the chopped nuts, mix very well (you need to coat the apple in the lemon juice to stop it from turning brown)
3. Divide this mixture out on top of your leaves and sprinkle over the remaining nuts, serve the sauce at the side in a separate dipping bowl or drizzle over the top.

Serves 4

Waldorf Salad (don't worry if you're all out of waldorfs!!)

Ingredients
50g Walnuts (coarsely chopped)
4 Cooking Apples (cored and diced, don't peel them)
1 Bunch Celery (finely diced, save a few leaves for garnishing)
1 Small Bunch Grapes (seedless if you can, halved)
450ml Mayonnaise

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Serving Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Mix all the ingredients in your bowl, keeping back a sprinkling of the nuts, transfer to the serving bowl.
2. Garnish with the celery leaves around the edges and sprinkle over the remaining nuts. Serve.

Serves 4

Welsh Rabbit

Ingredients
60g Butter
1 Level Teaspoon English Mustard Powder
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
30g White Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs (yolks only)
225g Mature Cheddar Cheese (grated)
5 Tablespoons Light Ale
4 Thick Slices of Bread
Sliced Gherkin, Tomato and Celery Leaves to Garnish
Freshly Milled Black Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Small Sauce Pan

The Good Bit

1. Melt the butter in the sauce pan first then stir in the worcestershire sauce, mustard, breadcrumbs, egg yolks, cheese and a good sprinkle of pepper, heat this whilst stirring continously and don't let it bubble, once the cheese has melted pour in the ale, stir then let it cool for 15 minutes.
2. Make yourself 4 slices of toast then spread the cheesy mixture on one side of each piece then stick back under your grill for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
3. Serve with a couple of slices of tomato on top, your celery leaves and gherkin at the side. Enjoy!
   

Bertrands 'World Peace' Soup

Ingredients
A Good Knob of Butter
3-4 Carrots (sliced)
2-3 Sticks of Celery (sliced)
2 Onions (roughly chopped)
1 Chilli (de seeded and sliced)
3-4 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
7 Tomatoes (quartered)
1x400g Can Chopped Plum Tomatoes
A Handful of Basil Leaves (torn)
2 Pints Vegetable Stock
300ml Single Cream

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Blender

The Good Bit

1. Melt the butter in the pan and gently soften the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes before adding the carrots and celery, cook for another 5 minutes then add in the tomatoes (canned and chopped) along with the chilli and basil.
   
2. Cook this lot until the tomatoes are soft, then add 2 Pints of vegetable stock and transfer the mixture to a blender. blend until smooth then add in the cream, re heat and serve topped with sprigs of parsley and a nice warm baguette.
   

Serves 4

Lamb with Celery and Onion

Ingredients
1kg Lamb (cut into chunks)
375g Baby Onions
2 Sticks Celery
450ml Chicken Stock
2 Bay Leaves
2-3 Sprigs Rosemary (chopped into pieces)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan with Lid/Casserole Dish

The Good Bit

1. Heat a splash of oil in the pan/casserole dish and fry the onion and celery over a low heat for 5 minutes until soft, now add the meat, rosemary and half the rosemary, season with salt and pepper and fry until the meat is browned all over.
2. Add the stock, and if needed a little water just to make sure all the meat is covered, cover and simmer for 1 hour, when ready, remove the herbs and then garnish with the remaining rosemary.
   

Serves 4

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 Clove Garlic (finely chopped)
2 Sticks Celery (sliced)
1 Large Carrot (diced)
40g Flour (preferably Wholemeal)
750ml Fish or Chicken Stock
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
Handful Fresh Parsley (roughly chopped)
2 Tablespoons Parmesan (grated)
1x120g Can Sweetcorn (drained)
250ml Milk
250g Prawns (shelled)
250g White Fish such as Haddock (chopped into bite size chunks)
250g Baby New Potatoes (or large potatoes cut to bite size chunks)
4 Bay Leaves
A Good Splash of Oil
Salt and Pepper to Season
Crème Fraiche (optional)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan

The Good Bit

1. Heat the oil in the pan and cook the onion and garlic together until soft (3 minutes) add in the celery and carrot and cook for a further 2 minutes, then whilst stirring, drop in the flour for another minute, finally add in the stock, potatoes, oregano and bay leaves, bring to the boil and cover, lower the heat so you have a slow simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Once the 15 minutes is up add in the fish and cook until it goes opaque (3 minutes or so) stir in the milk and sweetcorn and bring back to the boil before adding the parmesan and parsley (at this stage you can add 5 Tablespoons of Crème Fraiche to make a really creamy chowder)
   

Serves 6-8

Beef Stew With a Healthy Twist

Ingredients
500g Beef (cut into chunks)
750ml Chicken Stock
120ml White Wine
1 Carrot (halved lengthways then sliced)
1 Clove Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Stick Celery (finely sliced)
300g Baby Onions (peeled, if using shallots 1/4 them)
180g Button Mushrooms (quartered)
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Cornflour
125g Natural Yoghurt
Knob of Butter
Splash of Oil
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
2 Small Frying Pans
1 Large Bowl
1 Slotted Spoon
1 Spatula

The Good Bit

1. In the pan, heat a little oil then cook the meat until it is evenly browned on all sides, add 500ml of stock, the wine, carrot, celery, thyme, garlic and bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In the frying pan, pour in the rest of the stock and drop in the onions, cooking until all the stock has gone, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In the other frying pan, heat another splash of oil and drop in the knob of butter, went it is bubbling add in the mushrooms and cook until they are soft then stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat then set that aside too.
4. With the slotted spoon, remove the meat and vegetables from the broth and place in the large bowl, remove the bay leaf and throw away, blend a the cornflour in a cup with a little of the broth then tip it back into the pan, simmer away until the broth has thickened, reduce the heat again now and stir in the yoghurt, finally add all the other ingredients and the teaspoon of parsley, heat through then serve.
   

Serves 4

My Wife's Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
2 Large Carrots (chopped into chunks)
1 Large Onion (thinly chopped)
1/4 Cabbage (any cabbage will do but spring cabbage is best)
4 Sticks Celery (chopped into chunks)
1 Pepper (de seeded and chopped into chunks)
1x130g Can Sweet Corn (drained and washed)
1 Handful Frozen Peas
1x400g Chopped tomatoes
1 Beef Stock Cube
2 vegetable Stock Cubes
1 Chicken Stock Cube
3/4 of a Pint of Water
Salt and pepper to Season

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan

The Good Bit

1. Add all the vegetables to the pan, pour in the water, then add the canned and frozen produce, finally stir in all the stock cubes.
2. Bring to the boil slowly, cover and cook for 15 minutes, you can cook for longer if your vegetables are very chunky as they need to be soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper then serve with a freshly baked baguette.

Serves 4

Thai Fish Stock

Ingredients
500g Heads and Bones of Raw White Fish and Heads and Shells of Prawns (if available)
3 Shallots
1 Celery Stick (including leaves, chopped)
1 Lime Leaf (or zest of 1 lime if you cant get the leaf)
1/2 Lemon Grass Stalk
2 Cloves Garlic
25g Fresh Coriander (with stalks)
2.4l Water

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Sieve
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Add the water and fish bits to the pan and bring to the boil, skim off any scum, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 50mins.
2. Strain the stock and freeze what you don't use immediately

Makes 2l

Thai Chicken Stock

Ingredients
1.5kg Chicken (uncooked)
500g Chicken Giblets
1 Onion (peeled and halved)
1 Carrot (chopped)
2 Sticks Celery
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Stalk Lemon Grass (chopped)
1 Lime Leaf (or the zest of a lime)
3 Large Red Chillies
1.8l Water.

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Sieve

The Good Bit

1. Put the chicken, giblets, onion, carrot and celery in the pan, top with the water and bring to a really slow boil, if it takes 45mins thats great! remove any scum that floats from time to time and make sure it's just bubbles coming to the surface.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover then cook for 2 hours.
3. Take out the chicken (use this in another meal if you wish) Strain the stock taking care not to press any of the vegetables as this will make the stock cloudy, use what you want straight away and freeze the rest.

Makes 1.5l

Thai Vegetable Stock

Ingredients
2 Onions (quartered)
4 Red Chillies
250g Carrots (halved)
1/2 White Cabbage (Halved)
1 Bunch Celery (Chopped, including leaves)
50g Fresh Coriander (with stalks)
25g Basil (with stalks)
25 Black Peppercorns
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Muscovado Sugar
2l Water
If you can get hold of the next 2 ingredients your stock will be great but they can be left out
1/2 Head of Chinese Leaves
1/2 Mooli Radish (peeled)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan (or Casserole Dish)
1 Sieve

The Good Bit

1. Whack all the ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1hr.
2. Take the lid off then boil hard for 10mins to reduce the stock, cool then strain, freeze any stock that you will not be using straight away.
   

Makes 1.8l

Fish Stock

Ingredients
1.5Kg Fish Trimmings (Skin and Bones but not from oily fish, ask your local fish monger for these or just use cheap fish)
1 Onion
1 Leek (white part only)
1 Celery Stick
1 Bay Leaf
6 Parsley Stalks
10 Black Peppercorns
475ml Dry White Wine
1.8l Water

Equipment
1 Large Pan
1 SHARP Knife
1 Meat Cleaver (use the sharp knife if you have no cleaver but be extra careful)
1 Chopping Board
1 Sieve
Muslin
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. whack all the ingredients into the pan and slowly bring to the point just below the boil and simmer for 20mins
   
2. Remove any scum from from the surface and then strain through the muslin lined sieve, allow to cool before refrigerating.
   
3. This will last 2-3 days in the fridge before you need to reboil it, if freezing it, then boil rapidly and condense the liquid to half, then when you want to use the stock, defrost half the amount the recipe says and make the rest up with water.

Makes 1.8l

Chicken Stock

Ingredients
1 Cooked Chicken Carcass (chopped into 4 bits)
Giblets and Anything Leftovers (from the chicken)
1 Onion
2 Carrots
1 Celery Stick
1 Bay Leaf
a Few Parsley Stalks (crushed with the side of you blade)
1 Thyme Sprig
1.8l Water

Equipment
1 Large Pan
1 SHARP Knife
1 Meat Cleaver (use the sharp knife if you have no cleaver but be extra careful)
1 Chopping Board
1 Sieve
Muslin
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. whack all the ingredients into the pan and slowly bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 1/2hrs.
2. Remove any scum from from the surface and then strain through the muslin lined sieve, allow to cool before refrigerating, when chilled skim off the fat that has risen to the top to give a clear stock.
3. This will last 2-3 days in the fridge before you need to reboil it, if freezing it, then boil rapidly (after you've chilled and removed the fat) and condense the liquid to half, then when you want to use the stock, defrost half the amount the recipe says and make the rest up with water.

Makes 1l

Beef Stock

Ingredients
750g Beef (not mince, just some cheap bits chopped into cubes will do)
2 Onions (chopped)
2-3 Carrots
2 Celery Sticks
1 Bay Leaf
1 Bouquet Garni
6 Peppercorns
1.8l Water

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Sieve
Muslin/Cloth

The Good Bit

1. Bring all the ingredients in the pan slowly to the boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 4hrs.
2. Remove any scum from the surface then strain through a cloth lined sieve, leave to cool before refrigerating. This will keep for a few days in the fridge before you have to reboil it, or once strained, boil rapidly to reduce by half then freeze, when you come to need stock, defrost half of what you need and then make up the rest with water.

Makes 1.5l

Cream of Chicken Soup

Ingredients
400g Chicken
1 Onion
1 Garlic Clove (take out if not wanted)
2 Carrots (thinly sliced)
1 Celery Stick (thinly sliced)
1 Leek (thinly sliced)
500ml Chicken Stock
500ml Water
125ml Single Cream
Salt and Pepper to Season

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Blender/Food Processor
1 Slotted Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Place the chicken, onion, garlic and other vegetables in the pan with the water and season, skim off anything that looks undesirable floating on top, then bring to a slow simmer, cover and heat for 30 minutes.
2. Add the stock and bring back to the boil, re-cover and simmer for another 30mins, adjust the seasoning if needed. Using the slotted spoon, take out the chicken and blend until smooth.
3. Return the chicken back to the pan, add in the cream and and heat through, but now the cream is in do not let it boil (if it is a little thick at this stage add a little more water), give a good stir and serve.

Serves 4

Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients
500g Pasta
500g Minced Beef
1 Onion (finely chopped)
4 Rashers Bacon (rind taken off and chopped)
1 Carrot (diced)
1 Stick Celery (diced)
1 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
150ml Red Wine (a decent quality wine is better)
125ml Milk
1 Teaspoon Chopped Oregano (1/2 if using dried)
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Splash of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Optional
2 Beef Stock Cubes
A Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
Parmesan for Serving

Equipment
1 Sharp Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Large Pan

The Good Bit

1. Add a very good splash of oil to the frying pan and heat the onion, bacon, carrot and celery until the onion begins to brown (5 minutes) stirring continuously. then add the beef and cook until well browned, at this point you can add the stock cubes and a splash of sauce if you are using, stir well and cook for another minute.
2. Add the red wine and bring to a good boil, cooking until the wine has reduced by about 2/3rds.
3. Add the milk and nutmeg and cook until most of the liquid has been soaked up by the meat, then add the tomatoes, sugar and oregano and leave to simmer over a low heat for 2-3 hours. Season
   
4. Cook the pasta when required, usually about 10-15 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water, (don't be afraid to get a spoon in there and try a piece, if it's still crunchy give it a few minutes more, if it's soft, get it out straight away)
5. Serve a 1/4 of the pasta each and a good helping of the bolognese on top, sprinkle Parmesan on top for the authentic taste!

Serves 4

Chicken Fricassee

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
1 Large Onion
2 Carrots
2 Sticks Celery
100g Frozen Peas
4 Egg Yolks
Handful Chopped Parsley
Splash of Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Flour
250g Long Grain Rice
600ml Water
2 Chicken Stock Cubes
1 Lemon

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Zester/Juicer
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying pan
1 Large pan

The Good Bit

1. Heat a splash of oil in your frying pan and fry the chicken breasts until they are golden on both sides (You can cut your chicken into chunks before you start if you like) take out of the pan and leave to cool.
2. Bring to the boil 2/3rds of a pan of salted water for your rice, whilst waiting for this to happen chop the onion, celery and carrot into small (pea size) cubes, heat all this in the frying pan until the onion begins to go golden, add the rice to the water
   
3. Once golden add the 2 spoonfuls of flour and fry quickly for a minute keeping stirring, now add the 600ml of water and the 2 crumbled stock cubes and the zest from the lemon, keep stirring until it simmers, leave for 4-5mins.
4. Add the frozen peas and plenty of seasoning and cook for another 2 minutes, whilst this is cooking beat the egg yolks then stir in the lemon juice.
5. Turn your heat right down on the frying pan now and add the egg mixture and stir for a few more minutes until lovely and thick, then add the chopped parsley and stir again.
6. Serve the lemon fricassee onto a bed of rice then top with your chicken breast (alternatively if you cut your breast into chunks, add this at the end to the lemon mixture and warm through for a few minutes then serve all together, I think the chicken comes out better this way)

Serves 4