Nettle Soup

This really is a delicious soup. It is obviously very inexpensive and was always prepared as a spring tonic. Nettles are high in vitamin C and iron.

Method

• Use gloves to gather young nettles.
• Wash the nettles and blanch with boiling water.
• Wash the spinach and add to the nettles.
• Pour the hot stock over the nettles and spinach in a saucepan.
• Season and simmer for three quarters of an hour, adding more stock if needed.
• Leave soup to cool and blend in blender.
• Mix the flour to a smooth paste with some cold milk.
• Add this to the soup and bring back to the boil, stirring all the time.
• Chop the sausages into small rounds and add to the soup.
• Swirl in the sour cream just before serving.

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.

Beef and Aubergine Curry

Slice the beef into strips. In a hot wok with oil, add the curry paste. Cook for 1 min, add the meat in batches and stir-fry until lightly browned. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the coconut milk, water and lime leaves. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 12 min. Add the diced aubergine and cook for 5-10 min. Return the beef and simmer for 3min. Season with the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with jasmine rice.

Green Chicken Curry

Cut the chicken into big cubes and the green beans into 3cm pieces. In a hot wok with oil, add the chopped onion and curry paste. Cook for 1 min, add the coconut milk and water. Let it boil. Add the chicken, beans and lime leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Season with fish sauce, lime juice, zest, and sugar. Sprinkle with fresh coriander. Serve with jasmine rice.

Prawn Green Curry

Peel the prawns, slit each one down the back and remove the veins. Cut the green beans into 3cm pieces. In a hot wok with oil, add the chopped onion and curry paste. Cook for 1 min, add the coconut milk and water. Let it boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the prawns and cook for 5 min, until pink. Season with fish sauce, lime juice, zest, and sugar. Sprinkle with fresh coriander. Serve it with steamed jasmine rice.

Naan bread

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt into a bowl. Add the beaten egg, ghee, yoghurt and mix in the milk gradually, until a soft dough is formed. Cover and leave it in a warm place for 2h. On a well-floured surface, knead the dough for 3min until smooth. Divide it into 8 portions and roll them into oval shapes, 15cm long. Brush with water and place wet side down on a greased baking tray. Brush top with ghee and bake in a preheated 250C oven until golden brown. If you have a pizza stone, it will work well.

Smoked Haddock and Mussel Chowder

In a large saucepan, put the mussels, wine and water and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, let it rest for a few minutes and strain, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard any mussels that didn`t open. Remove the remaining ones from their shells and set aside. Melt the butter in the same pan. Stir-fry the chopped onion, diced celery and sliced leek for 10min, until softened. Stir in the diced potatoes with the vegetables. Pour over the milk and top up with the stock and mussel liquid. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat and ladle half of the mixture into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Return to the pan over a gentle heat. Add the fish and sweetcorn and bring to the boil. Adjust seasoning. Add the mussels back to the pan and serve in soup bowls, sprinkled with parsley.

Curried Beef and Vegetable Pies

Cut the meat into small dices. In a hot wok, or large pan, add the oil and then the curry paste, for 2min. Stir-fry the beef, coating it with the paste until browned. Add the fish sauce and coconut milk and simmer, covered, for 15 min. Peel, seed and cut the pumpkin and aubergine into small cubes. Seed and slice the chillies. Add them with the vegetables into the pan and cook for a further 15 min. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Cut circles from the pastry, large enough to cover the tops of 4 ramekins. Chop and add the basil to the beef. Adjust the level of salt with more fish sauce and spoon the mixture into the ramekins. Brush some beaten egg around the borders and place the pastry rounds on top. Brush the tops with egg for colour and bake for 25min, or until golden brown.

Red Vegetable Curry

Chop the onion, peel and dice the potatoes, cut the green beans into short lengths, seed and cut the red pepper into strips, cut the baby sweetcorn in half lengthways. In a hot wok with oil, add the curry paste. Cook for 1 min. Add the coconut milk and water. Boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 min. Add the potatoes, cauliflower and lime leaves, and simmer for 7min. Add the green beans, red pepper, sweetcorn, and red pepper. Cook for a further 5 min. Season with fish sauce, lime juice, zest and sugar. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with jasmine rice.

Sweet Pork Red Curry with Baby Sweetcorn and Pineapple

Dice the pork meat. In a hot wok with oil, add the curry paste. Cook for 1 min, add the pork in batches and stir-fry until lightly brown. Add the coconut milk and water. Boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 min. Add the sweetcorn, pineapple and cook for 5 min. Season with fish sauce, lime zest and sugar. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve with jasmine rice.