The Recipe Room

Have a go at this rich shepherd’s pie with red wine stock, using the best of the season’s lamb. (For a a more vegetarian-friendly aubergine bake, try this baked aubergine parmesan with tofu pesto.

What you need:

• 450g minced lamb
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
• 90ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, cut into small cubes
• 2 aubergines, cut into small cubes
• A generous splash of Worcester sauce
• 2.5 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml red wine
• 90ml lamb, beef or chicken stock
• Pinch of sugar
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 3-4 floury potatoes, King Edward or Maris Piper, peeled and cut
• 2 tbsp butter
• Splash of milk
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to season

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for around 15-20 minutes, checking to see if they are tender with a sharp knife.
3. Whilst the potatoes are cooking, make the pie filling:  Dry fry the lamb mince in a hot, wide and high-sided pan, until browned all over.  This will take around 5 minutes.  Transfer the lamb to a sieve over a bowl to drain.
4. Meanwhile, add some of the olive oil to the frying pan, and sauté the onions and garlic together for 4-5 minutes until soft.
5. Combine in the carrots, aubergines and the remaining olive oil (see how much oil the aubergines absorb when they cook!) and cook on for another 5 minutes or so.
6. Add the drained lamb back to the pan, splash over with the Worcester sauce, pour in the tomato purée, add the pinch of sugar, and continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes, stirring the ingredients well.
7. Now pour in the hot stock and the wine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir, and bring the liquid up to the boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 6-8 minutes.  Add in the chopped tomatoes, the fresh parsley and thyme.
8. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, pat them lightly with kitchen paper and mash them.  Add in the milk and butter, combining the ingredients together.
9. Transfer the pie filling into a large oven proof dish and cover over with the mashed potato.  Use a fork to create plough lines, and bake the pie in the oven for around 20-30 minutes, until the lamb filling is bubbling and the potato turns golden brown.

Less than 30 minutes to prepare, 40 – 60 minutes to cook

Makes 4 servings

An aromatic infusion of lamb that will melt in your mouth…

I first tasted slow cooked spring lamb shanks in Cognac in Northern Spain, just a stones throw from the farm where the animals were raised.  We ate it in the spring, when lamb is in peak season.  The meat becomes so soft that it falls off the bone, and it melts its aromatic Cognac infusion onto your palate.  If you don’t have a slow cooker, replace step 3 by cooking the lamb in a covered casserole dish in the oven.  Cook at 170ºC for about 3 hours, checking that the lamb is thoroughly cooked before serving.

What you need:

• 2 lamb shanks on the bone
• 350ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200ml Cognac
• ½ chicken stock cube
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 tomato, halved
• 5 garlic cloves, whole and unpeeled
• 2 whole laurel leaves
• 1 tsp Demerara sugar
• A generous pinch of dried oregano
• A generous pinch of dried parsley
• Salt and pepper to season

What to do:

1. In the morning of the day that you will be eating the dish, heat 100ml of the oil in a frying pan, season with a generous pinch of salt, and fry the lamb shanks for 5-10 minutes until golden brown all over.
2. Transfer the shanks to the slow cooker and switch the cooker on to the low setting.  Sieve the oil from the frying pan over the lamb and add the remaining oil.  Crumble in the stock cube; add the cognac, onion, tomato, garlic cloves, laurel and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with oregano and parsley.
3. Stir to coat the shanks, put the lid on the pot and slow cook on low for 8 hours.  Turn the lamb over half-way through the cooking time.
4. Remove the lamb shanks from the pot and pour the sauce into a heavy-based frying pan.  Put the shanks back into the slow cooker and put the lid on to keep them warm.  On a medium to high heat, reduce the sauce on the hob by half to intensify the flavour.
5. Place the lamb shanks into wide and shallow bowls, pour over with the sauce, and serve with creamy mashed potato and Spanish-style green beans.

15 minutes to prepare, 8 hours 10 minutes to cook

Makes 2 servings

Note: I just love lamb, so one of my favourite Italian dishes is Lamb and Linguine Bolognese.

I find myself eating quite a lot of pasta in the spring and summer. All of the different shapes, flavours and textures seem to complement simply cooked green vegetables really well. Artichoke Heart Linguine is a well-established favourite of mine. It’s such a quick and simple vegetarian meal to throw together, so it’s great for nights when you want to be a bit creative, but don’t have much time!  Here’s another great pasta dish to try sometime too…sprout, chestnut and thyme tagliatelle.

Artichokes come into season in June and stay with us throughout the summer. They are a wonderful vegetable but can be a challenge to cook well. Because of this, my recipe uses artichokes that have already been marinated and softened for you, in herbs and oil. You’ll find these in most supermarkets in little glass jars; and they really are wonderful. If you prefer to cook, marinate and store your own artichokes, there are plenty of references on how to do that on the internet. I use fresh herbs and lime juice in this recipe to really bring out the flavours of the dish. Serve with a glass of chilled Chianti.

While looking for ideas for traditional British food to prepare for our little Jubilee street party at the beginning of the month, I saw some Scotch eggs in the supermarket and thought “typically British!” and realized that I had never tried home-made ones because they can be found all year round in any supermarket. As I’d never made them before, I decided to do a test run yesterday and discovered how delicious they can really be, rolled in sausage meat and breadcrumbs and then deep-fried. Not very healthy, I know!

They can be oven baked, but for tradition’s sake I’m definitely going to use this recipe again for this weekend’s Jubilee celebration; it’s well worth the effort! (If you like eggs, you can also try this typical Spanish dish called a Spanish Potato Omelette. It’s really just eggs and potatoes, but it’s quite a treat!)

This succulent scallops and spicy chorizo recipe is one of the fastest, easiest and tastiest dishes I’ve prepared. You’ve really got to try it. Rich in omega 3, and low in calories, scallops are in season now. Their soft succulence, combined with the rich spice of the Spanish chorizo is a heavenly combination. With the zest of lemon and the freshness of parsley your taste-buds will be zinging! This is a perfect starter for a special occasion. Add your splash of sophistication by serving in scallop shells. But hey, they taste just as good eaten from a beautiful bowl.

You will find fresh scallops in fish markets in January, or for those pressed for time, grab a bag of frozen ones from the supermarket, they taste great too.

You can find chorizo in most supermarkets. If you find one labelled spicy, go for that. You don’t need to add any oil to your pan, the chorizo has plenty. As you cook it, the paprika and oil release to create a wonderful rich colour in the pan. If you have any leftover, try chorizo braised in red wine.

What you need:

• 100g chorizo sausage
• 400g halved scallops
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

What to do:
1. Cut the chorizo into thin slices.
2. Put a frying pan on the heat and when hot, fry the chorizo dry for a couple of minutes only, until beginning to crisp on each side. You will see the oil released in the pan.
3. Put the chorizo in a bowl, then fry the scallops in the wonderful orange chorizo oil for around a minute each side.
4. Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, squeeze in the lemon juice and sizzle for a few seconds.
5. Serve in the thoroughly washed scallop shells or in small bowls sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley.

Note, if you are buying scallops in their shells, be sure to find out how to prepare them before cooking first.

10 mins to prepare and cook
Makes 8 starters or 4 main courses

A little more about scallops…
Do you remember Botticelli’s painting The Birth of Venus? It depicts the Greek goddess Aphrodite rising from a scallop shell! Could eating scallops be an aphrodisiac?
The logo of the petrol company Shell is based on the scallop shell.
Most species live in tropical waters, but several live in polar waters. It is the muscle part that we eat.

Leeks are in season in January. They are rich in vitamin C, iron and fibre. Leek, cod and potato stew is inspired by a Spanish dish called Porrusalda, and is part of the tradition of Basque/French cooking which includes a lot of fish, and very often cod. You can ask the fishmonger to prepare the fish for you, or do it yourself – or if pressed for time, grab a bag of cod pieces from the freezer section in the supermarket. I make this recipe and then freeze half for an easy meal on a night when there’s no time or energy to cook. It’s a simple, heartwarming recipe for the winter months.

What you need:

• 4 leeks, washed and cut into medium sized slices
• 1kg of sliced potatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 300g cod – fresh, frozen or dried and cut into small-sized chunks
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• Stock cube to taste (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley or coriander to garnish

What to do:
1. Prepare the cod and cut into small chunks.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based deep pan and add the garlic. Fry for 1 minute then add the leaks. Fry for a few minutes then stir.
3. Add the potatoes and fry for five minutes until just beginning to soften.
4. Cover the ingredients with water and bring to the boil. Add the stock cube at this point (if you are using one).
5. Add the cod pieces, reduce the heat, cover the pan with the lid and simmer for 45 minutes.
6. At the end of the cooking time, taste for flavour and add salt/pepper if desired.

1 hour to prepare, 45 minutes to cook
Makes 4 main courses

A little more about leeks…
The leek is the national emblem of Wales.
They belong to the same family as onions and garlic but are more subtle in flavour, delicate and sweet to the taste.
It is said that the Emperor Nero thought that leeks would improve his singing voice, so he ate loads of them!
There are records of cultivation going as far back as ancient Egyptian times.