Immunity boosting Spinach, Avocado & Watercress Soup

Ingredients

• 150g spinach
• 150g watercress
• 3 spring onions
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 100ml chicken stock
• ½ an avocado
• 50g cooked wholegrain rice
• juice ½ lemon
• 1 tsp Avocado oil
• 2 tbsp toasted mixed seeds to serve

Method

Saute spring onion and 2 garlic in avo oil then add the spinach and watercress to wilt. Then add stock and cooked rice,and bring to a simmer. Once heated through, off the heat add avocado, lemon juice and last raw garlic with seasoning. Blitzz until smooth with a stick blender. Heat until piping hot. Scatter over the toasted.

 

Sausage & fennel meatballs with lentils

 Ingredients

450g pack low-fat sausage

1 tsp fennel seed , crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion , finely chopped

2 medium carrots , finely chopped

1 fennel bulb , trimmed and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves , crushed

100ml full-bodied red wine

200g puy lentils

1 tbsp tomato purée

850ml hot chicken or beef stock

juice ½ lemon

handful parsley , chopped, to serve

Method

STEP 1

Squeeze the meat from the sausages into a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds and mix well with your hands. Shape the meat into 16 walnut-sized balls.

STEP 2

Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins, turning regularly, until golden but not completely cooked through. Remove to a plate.

STEP 3

Add the rest of the oil to the pan, tip in the onion, carrots and fennel, cover and let the veg sweat over a gentle heat for 10 mins until softened. Stir now and then.

STEP 4

Uncover the vegetables, turn up the heat and let them start to colour here and there. Stir in the garlic, sizzle for 1 min, then splash in the wine and let it reduce by half. Stir in the lentils, tomato purée and stock. Cover and simmer for 25 mins or until the lentils are almost tender. Add the sausageballs, plus a splash of water if the pan is looking a little dry. Cover and simmer for a further 10 mins until the meat is cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season to taste and scatter with parsley to serve.

Nutrition: per serving (for 4)

Highlight	Nutrient	Unit
low in	kcal	459
	fat	16g
	saturates	5g
	carbs	39g
	sugars	9g
	fibre	13g
	protein	35g
	salt	3.1g

Charred hispi cabbage with hazelnut romesco

 

Ingredients

Serves 2

• olive oil
• sweetheart (hispi) cabbage 1/2
• piquillo peppers in oil 4 from a jar
• garlic 1 clove
• hazelnuts 25g, plus 1 tbsp chopped to serve, toasted
• stale sourdough 1 slice, torn into pieces
• smoked paprika 1 tsp
• extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
• sherry vinegar 1 tbsp

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tbsp oil. Season the cabbage well and put in the pan, cut-side down. Put a plate on top to weigh it down and ensure the whole cut surface is in contact with the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and charred. Remove from the pan and carefully cut in half lengthways. Put the two halves back into the pan on the non-charred side and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden.

• STEP 2

  Put on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes until a sharp knife pierces the core easily.

• STEP 3

  Meanwhile, to make the romesco sauce, whizz the peppers, garlic, hazelnuts, sourdough, smoked paprika and a good splash of the oil from the pepper jar in a small food processor until smooth. Season.

• STEP 4

  To make the dressing, lightly whisk the extra-virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar.

• STEP 5

  Spoon some of the romesco sauce onto the plate, put the cabbage wedge on top, and finish with a drizzle of dressing and a sprinkle of hazelnuts.

Nutritional Information

• Kcals353
 
• Fat25.4g
 
• Saturates3.1g
 
• Carbs17.6g
 
• Sugars9.1g
 
• Fibre9.8g
 
• Protein8.7g
 
• Salt0.2g

Fried Oyster Po'boy with Jalapeño Mayonnaise, Crispy Bacon & Avocado

 Ingredients

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup Louisiana red hot sauce

1/4 cup Cajun seasoning

4 dozen oysters, shucked and drained

1 1/2 cups masa harina (corn flour)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 cups sunflower oil, for frying

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Four 8-inch length Baguette

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Jalapeno Mayo

Shredded lettuce, for serving

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

8 to 12 strips bacon, cooked until crisp

Zhoug Marinated Hake Skewers with Chickpea Salad

 Ingredients

• Hake fillets skinned cut into big chunks or any meaty white fish
• 1–3 whole jalapenos, sliced - zhoug
• 2 fat garlic cloves - zhoug
• 1 bunch cilantro - zhoug
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom - zhoug
• 1 teaspoon cumin - zhoug
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes - zhoug
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt - zhoug
• 1/3 cup olive oil - zhoug
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice - zhoug
• lemon 1, juiced - chickpea salad
• chickpeas 400g tin, rinsed and drained - chickpea salad
• red onion 1/2, finely chopped - chickpea salad
• tomatoes 2, diced - chickpea salad
• cucumbers 2, diced - chickpea salad
• parsley a small bunch, chopped - chickpea salad

For the zhoug

Place all ingredients (except oil) in a food processor and pulse until it’s uniformly chopped. Add oil and lemon juice process into a coarse paste. For a looser version, add a bit more oil. Taste for salt and heat, adding more if necessary. Add chili flakes if you like. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week.

For the zhoug marinated hake skewers with chickpea salad

Toss the fish chunks with the zhoug and leave while you make the salad. Mix the rest of the ingredients with a splash of olive oil and season. Skewer the fish then grill on high for 5-6 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with the salad.

Sesame Soba Noodles with Sticky Miso Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
250g brown rice soba noodles
knob of coconut oil
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped
300g Tenderstem broccoli, roughly cut on a diagonal (or mangetout, green beans)
1–2 handfuls of spinach leaves
3 tbsp sesame seeds (toasted or untoasted)

For the mushrooms

1 heaped tbsp. melted coconut oil or rapeseed oil
2 tbsp brown rice miso paste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
500g chestnut mushrooms, cut in half, or quarters if large

For the dressing

2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp tamari
4 tbsp almond or peanut butter (smooth if possible)
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)

To garnish

Toasted sesame seeds
Toasted cashews
Chopped coriander
Diced red chillies

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and line a small baking dish with baking parchment.

First prepare the mushrooms. Combine the melted coconut oil, miso paste, vinegar, sesame oil and honey in a medium bowl, then add the mushrooms and coat them in the miso mix using your hands. Tip into the baking dish and roast for about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

While the mushrooms are in the oven, quickly cook the soba noodles following the packet instructions – usually 5–6 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

In a large frying pan, melt a knob of coconut oil and cook the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cook for about 3 minutes, tossing it in the ginger and garlic. Add the spinach, allowing it to wilt slightly before stirring in the soba noodles.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then pour into the pan along with the sesame seeds and stir through.

Divide the noodles evenly among individual plates and top with the sticky miso mushrooms and whatever garnish you are using; coriander, freshly chopped chilli and toasted sesame seeds is always a delicious combination.

Roast Venison loin with chestnut and juniper puree, cep, fig and cime di rapa (turnip tops)

Ingredients

• 1 x Aged Saddle of Venison – Fallow deer/Sika deer
• 12x ceps
• 8 x fresh ripe figs
• 1kg cime di rapa (turnip tops) or other bitter greens
• 1kg whole chestnuts or 250g vac pac
• Juniper berries
• Sherry vinegar
• Beef dripping
• Garlic cloves (skin on)
• Thyme
• 3 tsps golden caster sugar
• squeeze of lemon juice
• a few drops truffle oil

Method

Get your pan hot on the stove and add a tablespoon of beef dripping. Season the venison loin well with salt and pepper. Once the pan is smoking add the venison and carefully colour the loin all around moving the meat regularly. Once evenly coloured add a tablespoon of butter, some crushed garlic cloves, truffle oil and thyme. Let the butter foam and baste the venison with this. Remove the meat from the pan and cook on a trivet in the oven at 140C for around 12-15 mins (medium rare). Take out the oven and leave to rest for 10 mins .

Sauce:

In an oven roast the venison bones until they are evenly caramelised at 160C. Meanwhile in a sauce pan colour the Venison trim in oil and finish with lots of foaming butter. Strain the butter off and and deglaze the pan with some red wine and water. Add the bones and cover with water. Gently cook the stock for 8 hours. Strain and refrigerate. Scrape off any set fat and reserve. Reduce the stock down to sauce consistency and mount with butter.

Chestnut and juniper puree:

In a wide bottom sauce pan add 3 spoons of sugar and a tablespoon of water. Cook on a high heat and make a light caramel. Once you have the desired colour add chestnuts and 8 crushed juniper berries. Pour 2 tablespoons of Sherry Vinegar to the pan and keep cooking for a minute. This will deglaze and loosen the sugared chestnuts and burn off a little of the acidity from the vinegar. Cover with water and cook the chestnuts for about 30 minutes on a medium heat. Once they are soft, strain and reserve the liquid. Add the chestnuts to a blender pouring back in some of the liquid and adding a tablespoon of butter. Check seasoning and pass the puree through a sieve or chinois to make it silky smooth.

Cime di rapa bring a lovely mild bitterness to the dish. Simply pick the leaves down and remove any hard stalk. Wash them well and sauté quickly in butter at the last minute.

Ceps served two ways, roasted in lots of salted butter and then thinly sliced raw. Finished with a little lemon juice and truffle oil.

For the figs, wash and cut into 6 pieces, serving three slices per portion. These provide a lovely sweetness and slight acidity to the dish.

 

Heritage beetroot salad with goat's cheese & walnut granola

 

Ingredients

• 400g yellow and ruby red heritage beetroot
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 100g baby leaf salad
• handful beetroot leaves (if you can, buy your beetroot with the leaves on. If not, substitute for more baby leaf salad)
• 200g soft, mild goat’s cheese, hand-torn

For the mimosa dressing

• 3tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp sunflower oil
• 1tbsp chardonnay vinegar
• squeeze lemon juice
• 1⁄4 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 sprig tarragon, leaves chopped

For the walnut granola

• 80g walnut halves, roughly chopped
• 50g rolled oats
• 20g mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin and flaxseed)
• pinch salt
• 1tbsp clear honey
• 1tsp walnut oil

To garnish

• handful mint leaves and edible flowers

Method

To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a jar, cover with a tight-fitting lid and shake everything together. Ideally do this a few hours before serving, to allow the flavours to infuse.

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. To make the walnut granola, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Heat the honey in a small saucepan until warm and loose, adding a drop of water to let it down, if needed.

Pour over the dry ingredients with the walnut oil and mix well to ensure everything is well covered. If the mix looks dry, add a little more water. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, checking regularly, until golden and crisp. Leave to cool completely before use.

Increase the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Tip the beetroot on to a foil-lined baking sheet, add the thyme and bay leaf, drizzle with a little olive oil and a splash of water, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cover with foil then cook in the oven for 1-2 hours, until just tender when tested with a sharp knife. Remove and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, rub off the skins and cut into bite-size pieces. Marinate the beetroot in half the dressing for at least an hour.

To serve, scatter some baby leaf salad leaves and beetroot leaves over each plate and arrange the beetroot around the centre, where you find gaps in the leaves. Add a few more leaves, trying to build some height, then add the chunks of the goat’s cheese.

Scatter over the walnut granola and finish with torn mint leaves and a drizzle of the dressing.

Dukkah-spiced lamb with smoked aubergine and quinoa tabbouleh

Serves 4 people 

INGREDIENTS 

FOR THE LAMB

• 600g lamb rump, cut into 2 even portions 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp sumac, plus extra to serve 
• 1 tsp rosewater 
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 
• 1 sprig of rosemary 
• Dukkah, for sprinkling 

FOR THE SMOKED AUBERGINE 

• 2 aubergines 
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped 
• 2 tbsp light tahini 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

FOR THE QUINOA TABBOULEH 

• 100g Quinoa
• 2 tbsp Sultanas
• 1 tbsp Sunflowers seeds
• 1 tbsp Chia seeds

 1. Marinate the lamb overnight in the olive oil, sumac, rosewater, chopped garlic and rosemary. 

 2. Place the aubergines under a hot grill or directly over a gas flame and cook, turning occasionally, until very soft and the skin has blackened. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and stalk and place the aubergine pulp in a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Blitz until smooth, check the seasoning and leave to cool. 

3. For the quinoa tabbouleh, cook the quinoa in a pan of boiling salted water until tender (15-20 minutes) and drain thoroughly. Mix with the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Set aside. 

4. When you are ready to finish cooking, heat the oven to 200C (non-fan 220C). Heat an ovenproof heavy-based frying pan or skillet until smoking hot, season the lamb with salt and pepper and place fat side down into the hot, dry pan. Sear the lamb really well for 2 minutes, then turn over and brown the other side. Turn the lamb fat side down and cook in the hot oven for 12-13 minutes for medium-rare, as we serve it, or longer if you prefer it well done. 

5. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Crustless Goat's Cheese & Leek Quiche

• 200g hard goat's cheese cubed
• 20g butter
• 1 tsp sot brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 450g leeks trimmed halved lengthwise
• 100g spring greens shredded
• 8 eggs
• 200ml Double Cream
• 25cm round tin
• Fresh grated Nutmeg

Oven 175°C Line tin with 50cm circle buttered baking paper.

Melt butter add sugar in frying pan add sugar, leeks and garlic.

Cook, covered until softened slightly - 5+ minutes, then arrange in base of tin.

Steamfry Spring Greens also covered in same pan with a little water.

Whisk together Eggs, Double Cream, Nutmeg and plenty fresh ground pepper plus sea salt.

Stir greens into egg mix and pour over leeks. 

Scatter over Cheese and bake for 20 minutes, checking after 15.