Prawn Cocktail

Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon English Mustard
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
250ml Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
A Splash of Tabasco Sauce
50g Ready to Eat Prawns
1 Few Lettuce Leaves
2 Avocados

Equipment
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Balloon Whisk
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Metal Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Drop your egg yolks, mustard and mustard powder into your bowl and begin to whisk, slowly drizzle the oil in and whisk at the same time, you should get to a consistency similar to that of shop bought mayo then add in the tomato and tabasco sauce. (do not add all the oil in one go, it will spoil the mayonnaise)
2. Line 4 glasses with your lettuce leaves, then drop in the avocado, add on top a dollop of your seafood sauce and then arrange a few prawns on top and serve.

Serves 4

Prawn Cocktail (my fave version)

Ingredients
2 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon English Mustard
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
250ml Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
A Splash of Tabasco Sauce
50g Ready to Eat Prawns (chopped to same size as peas/sweetcorn just reserve a few whole for decoration)
1-2 Tablespoons Sweetcorn
1-2 Tablespoons Peas
1-2 Tablespoons Carrots (chopped to same size as peas/sweetcorn)
1-2 Tablespoons Red Pepper (chopped to same size as peas/sweetcorn)

Equipment
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Balloon Whisk
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Metal Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Drop your egg yolks, mustard and mustard powder into your bowl and begin to whisk, slowly drizzle the oil in and whisk at the same time, you should get to a consistency similar to that of shop bought mayo then add in the tomato and tabasco sauce. (do not add all the oil in one go, it will spoil the mayonnaise)
2. Now stir in the prawns, peas, sweetcorn, carrot and pepper then spoon into glasses and decorate with the reserved whole prawns and serve (or have as a side in a salad)

Serves 4

Caesar Salad

Ingredients
3 Slices Of Fresh Bread (cubed) (or a good farmhouse white)
1 Lettuce (roughly torn)
Parmesan (grated)
Vegetable Oil
1 Glove Garlic (crushed)
4 Anchovy Fillets (chopped)
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Mustard Powder
1 Egg (yolk only)
200ml Olive Oil
Pepper

Equipment
1 Blender
1 Frying Pan
1 Garlic Press
1 Serving Bowl
Kitchen Paper

The Good Bit

1. Start by bunging the garlic, anchovies, lemon juice egg yolk and mustard powder in your blender, mix well then slowly add the olive oil until you have a thick creamy dressing, if it is too thick for you just a a splash of water, season with freshly ground black pepper.
   
2. Now heat a splash of vegetable oil in the frying pan until it is very hot, then rapidly fry off your cubes of bread until they are golden on all sides then drain on a piece of kitchen paper.
3. Now chuck your lettuce in a bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan along with the dressing, when it's mixed well and ready to serve, sprinkle over the croutons and another tablespoon of parmesan.

Serves 4

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
500g Steak (cut into strips)
1 Tablespoon Margarine
3 Shallots (chopped)
250g Mushrooms (sliced)
250ml Beef Stock
1 Tablespoon Tomato Purée
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
150g Low Fat Natural Yoghurt
A Splash of Oil
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Large Mixing Bowl
1 Fork

The Good Bit

1. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and cook the strips of steak until they are evenly browned all over, remove and set aside. Now melt the butter in the frying pan and add the shallots and cook until they start to soften (2 minutes or so) then add the mushrooms and cook until all the juice from the mushrooms has gone (a good 8 minutes)
2. In the mixing bowl, mix together what's left apart from the yoghurt, pour into the frying pan and add in the steak strips, bring to a simmer and leave for 12 minutes, turn down the heat to a very low setting then add in the yoghurt, stirring all the time (you may want to leave this step for a couple of minutes until the pan is cooler so you don't risk curdling the yoghurt) once the meal is warm throughout season and serve.
   

Serves 4

Portuguese Pork

Ingredients
900g Pork (cubed)
2 Large Onions (chopped thinly)
4 Fresh Red Chillies
4 Tablespoons Vindaloo Curry Paste (or milder curry paste if you don't want it to hot)
6 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
6 Tablespoons Tomato Purée
1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds (crushed)
1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons sugar
Salt
250ml Water
A Splash of Oil
250g Rice

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mortar and Pestle
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Large Frying Pan
2 Large Pans (1 of which is 2/3rds full of salted boiling water for the rice)

The Good Bit

1. Fry the onion off in a little oil until it goes clear and soft, put this along with all the other ingredients except the water in your mixing bowl, mix very well and leave to marinate for 2 hours.
2. Once marinated pour the mixture either back into the large frying pan or just a large pan and add the water, bring to a low simmer and cook for another 2 hours, 20 minutes before the end cook your rice.
   

Serves 4

Cabbage Au Gratin

Ingredients
750g White Cabbage (shredded)
25g Butter
25g Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
300ml Milk
4 Tablespoons Double Cream
50g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
25g Fresh Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper for Seasoning

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl (for the cheese and breadcrumbs)
2 Large Pans
1 Oven Proof Dish
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. In the large pan, 2/3rds fill with water add salt and bring to the boil, cook the cabbage in this for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.
   
2. In the other pan, melt the butter, stir in the flour and mustard powder for 2-3 minutes, (do not let this burn) Then gradually add the milk stirring al the time until it begins to boil and go thicker then mix in the cabbage and cream and season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour this mixture into your baking dish and top with a good mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese, cook for 30 minutes then serve straight away.
   

Serves 4

Mayonnaise

Ingredients
1 Egg (the fresher the better, although not straight from the hen otherwise the Mayo will not set)
1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar (you can use herb or fruit flavoured if it will go with the dish the Mayo is for)
300ml Olive Oil (corn or vegetable oil give a light Mayo that is also very good)
Salt

Equipment
1 Blender

The Good Bit

1. Whack the egg, mustard and and a pinch of salt into the blender and blend for 30 seconds, then add the wine and blend again.
2. Add the oil now, do this by drizzling it into the mixture with the blender on, have a steady stream going, the sauce will thicken when you have half the oil in but just keep going.
3. Use straight away or cover and refrigerate.

Makes 450ml