French Toast

Zest the lemon trying to avoid the bitter white pith. Boil the milk with the sugar and zest. Beat the eggs until the whites are completely blended. Dip the bread slices into the milk mixture and then in the egg. Fry them in a heavy-based pan until golden on both sides and drain them on kitchen paper. Dust with sugar and cinnamon.

Basic Meatballs (Polpette)

Cut the bread into pieces and soak it with a little milk for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk. In a bowl, mix the beef, mortadella, eggs, parmesan, parsley, soaked bread, pignoli (optional), finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste. With your hands, make 7-8cm (diameter) meatballs. Then, gently squeeze them into a light cylinder shape. Optionally, you can coat them with some breadcrumbs or flour. Fry them in medium-hot oil so they cook all the way through (about 10 minutes). You can make smaller balls if you want them to cook quicker. Drain them on kitchen paper and serve.

Fried Noodles with Mushrooms and Barbecued Pork

Cook the egg noodles in a pan of rapidly boiling water for 2-3min until just tender. Drain and set aside. If using dried mushrooms, soak them in hot water for 20min and drain. Cut them in quarters. In a hot wok or large frying pan, heat the oil, add the chopped garlic, grated ginger and chopped chillies. Stir for 1 min. Add the thinly sliced pork and cook for 3 min. Add the egg noodles and the mushrooms, tossing with 2 wooden spoons. Season with fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Cover and steam for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with basil, the crisp fried garlic and onions.

Fried Squid with Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)

For the aioli, grate or smash the garlic to a purée. Add a good pinch of salt. In a food processor (or in a bowl with an egg beater), beat it with the egg yolks and lemon juice. Then, start adding the olive oil, a drop at a time, until half of it is gone and it thickens lightly. Then, you can beat in the rest a bit more quickly, until very thick. Cut the bodies of the squid into rings and the tentacles into bitesize pieces. Place in a bowl, pour 2 tbsp of olive oil, the paprika and season with pepper. Toss the squid in the flour, get rid of the excess and deep fry it in batches in very hot oil (180C), until just golden. Drain on kitchen paper and season with salt.

Prawn Croquettes

Let the butter soften outside the fridge. Mix it with the flour and cool again. In a medium saucepan boil the milk with the prawns. Strain and reheat. Add the cold butter/flour mixture, stirring until it melts completely. When it boils, stir in the tomato paste and simmer for about 10min, stirring until it thickens. The end result should be quite thick, but still creamy. Chop and add the prawns back to the mixture, spread it onto a baking tray and cool. Take a scant tablespoon of the mixture and form into croquetas, 3×5cm (1 1/2×2 inch) cylinders. Roll each one in the breadcrumbs, then coat in the beaten egg, and roll in the breadcrumbs again. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan until the temperature reaches 180C/350F or a cube of bread turns golden brown in 20-30 seconds. Fry in batches of no more than 3 or 4 for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slatted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.

Prawn and Vegetable Tempura

In a chilled bowl, mix the flour, egg and ice cold water to make a lumpy, but thin batter. Leave in the fridge. For the dipping sauce, mix the dashi, water, mirin, soy sauce and bring to the boil. Let it cool to room temperature. Cut the courgette and onions into 1cm slices. Cut the carrots into 1cm sticks and the sweet potatoes in 0,5cm slices. Make a thin cut through the back of the shrimps and remove the veins. Heat the oil to 180C/350F, until a cube of bread browns in a minute. Dip the shrimps and vegetables in the cold batter and deep fry 2 or 3 pieces at a time for 2-4 minutes until cooked through and crisp (not brown). During this process, it’s important to drip more batter over them, so that you create a thicker, uneven and consequently crispier crust. Drain over kitchen paper and serve with the sauce.

Vegetable and Curry Samosas

Grate the carrots and slice the onions finely. In a pan, stir fry the onions for 2 minutes, until soft, and add the carrots. After 2 min, add the frozen peas and cook until just defrosted. Season with the curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Leave to cool. Line the won ton wrappers on the work surface and brush the edges with a little water. Fill them with a tablespoon of the filling and close them in a triangular shape. Try to squeeze most of the air out when you do it.

Deep fry the dumplings in hot oil (170C) or bake them in a 220C oven until golden.

Vegetable Rice Noodles

Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 min. Drain and slice. Seed the bell pepper and cut it into thick strips. Halve the carrot crosswise. Cut into thin slices and then strips. Cut the green beans in half and the fried tofu in dices. Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and soak for up to 4min, until soft. Drain. In a hot wok, add the oil, chopped garlic, grated ginger and tofu. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the remaining vegetables, except the sprouts, and cook for 2 minutes. Season with the sugar, fish and soy sauces. Add the vermicelli, bean sprouts and cabbage, tossing with 2 wooden spoons. Cover and steam for 30 seconds. Serve.

Fried Fish in Beer Batter

Sift the flour into a bowl, add 2 tbsp of oil and whisk in the beer. The batter should have the consistency of thick paint. If it’s too thick, add a bit more beer. Rest in the fridge for 30min. In the last 15min, transfer it to the freezer.;Heat the oil in a large pan, until 160C (or a bread cube turns golden in 2min). Spread some flour on a plate, season it with salt and pepper, and coat the fish. Beat it to get rid of the excess. Dip it into the cold batter, let the excess batter drop back in and lower the fish into the hot oil. Drip a little more batter with a spoon over the frying fish, so that you have a more irregular coating. Fry for 4-5min, until the batter is golden. Fry them in 2 batches, so as not to cool the oil. Serve with chips and tartar sauce.

Onion Rings

Mix the flour and beer until smooth and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Slice the onion in rings around 8mm thick. Heat the oil to 190C. Dip each onion ring in the batter, let the excess drip and dip them in the oil. Fry until brown, turning them once. Sprinkle some salt immediately after frying and drain over kitchen paper. Fry just a few at a time to ensure the oil remains hot.