Main Course Recipes

Grilled Salmon in Chinese Glaze. Serves 4.(From Feasting on Fish by Louise Pickford)
Ingredients: 2 tbs hoisin sauce, 2 tbs dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4tsp five spice powder, 2 tsp clear honey, 1 clove of garlic, crushed, 1 tsp grated root ginger. 4 salmon steaks.
Mix all the ingredients except the salmon. Preheat a grill. Brush the salmon with glaze and grill 3-4 minutes each side, basting with glaze until cooked through. (Linda's comment. I like to serve this with noodles and salad. )

Grilled Trout in Cashew and Garlic Butter. Serves 4. (Recipe by the Good Food Magazine team)
Ingredients: 4 whole trout. 2oz butter, 2oz cashew nuts, 2 chopped garlic cloves, handful chopped parsely, juice 1 lemon, salt and pepper
Slash the trout skins three times on each side, brush with oil, season, and grill or barbecue 4 minutes each side or till done. Meanwhile melt the butter in a pan, add the cashews, fry till lightly browned, add garlic and parsley and fry till parsley darkened. Don't let the garlic get too brown or it tastes bitter. Add the lemon juice and seasoning, and spoon the sauce over the grilled fish. (Linda's comments. Delicious with new potatoes or noodles)

Marlin in Tequila Sauce. Serves 2. (I found a recipe on the internet and adapted it to my own taste)
Ingredients: Two marlin steaks (or other firm fish), 1 clove garlic, sliced, 1 small onion, sliced, about one third each of a red green and yellow pepper, 1 orange, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 small glass tequila, 1 tablespoon tomato puree,salt pepper paprika. Olive oil.
First make the sauce. Heat a little oil gently in a pan and fry the onion and garlic till soft, then add coriander, peppers orange juice tomato puree and honey, and simmer till peppers are almost tender. Dust the marlin steaks with salt pepper and paprika. In another pan heat some olive oil and shallow fry 4 minutes on each side then add tequila and flambé. Pour on the sauce and simmer till heated through. Check the seasoning. You may find you want a little more juice or honey depending on taste. (Linda's comments: Serve with jasmine rice and crunchy stirfried vegetables.)

Chicken

Chicken Breasts in Parma Ham with Creamy Tomato Sauce. Serves 6 (Recipe by Bridget Sargeson in Good Food Magazine)
Ingredients: 6 boneless chicken breasts. 250g mozzarella, thinly sliced, 3tbs shredded fresh basil, 12 slices Parma ham, olive oil, 3tbs sun-dried tomato paste, ½ pint single cream.

Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Loosen skin on the chicken breasts (or if skinless, cut a slit). Stuff the chicken with mozzarella and basil, season then wrap two slices ham round each breast. Place in a shallow lightly oiled oven proof dish. Cover with a sheet of lightly oiled greaseproof paper, oiled side down. Bake 30-40 minutes till tender. While this is baking, make the sauce by combining the cream and tomato paste in a small sucepan and heating, stirring till combined. Season to taste. When the chicken is done, take off the paper, and pour the sauce around. (Linda's comments: Easy, delicious, impressive - what more can one want? Serve with pasta or new potatoes and a salad)

Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes. Serves 6. (Recipe by Josceline Dimbleby)
Ingredients: 5-6 boned skinned chicken breasts, juice of 2 small lemons, 2 tsp paprika, 1 large clove garlic, crushed, 1 tbs chopped fresh tarragon, 2oz unsalted butter, 12-14 sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained, 1/2 pint double cream, salt, pinch cayenne.

Slice the chicken crossways into strips, and place in a bowl. Mix the lemon juice, paprika, garlic and tarragon, pour over the chicken, mix to coat it and let it marinate for an hour. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the chicken with its marinade, and cook gently for 8-10 minutes, giving it the occasional stir, till browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving the juices in the pan. Boil rapidly for 2 minutes to reduce, add cream and boil another 2 minutes, stirring. Add the salt and cayenne. Slice the sundried tomatoes into 3-4 pieces each. Add most of them to the pan with the chicken, and simmer 2 more minutes. Place in a shallow serving dish, garnish with the remaining sundried tomatoes, and serve. (Linda's comments: This can be prepared and dished up in advance without the garnish, and will keep covered in a warm oven for an hour)

Chicken with Sherry and Orange. Serves 6 (Recipe by Mary Cadogan)
Ingredients: 6 part-boned chicken breasts, 1 tbs plain flour, 2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp chilli powder. 2 tbs oil, 1 chopped onion, 2 sticks celery, chopped, 1" root ginger, peeled and chopped, 1/4 pint stock, 1/4 pint dry sherry, 2 oranges, 2 bay leaves, 2tbs tomato puree. Parsley to serve.

Put the flour paprika and chilli powder in a plastic bag, add the chicken breasts and shake to coat them. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken pieces all over then remove them to a plate. Add onion celery and ginger to the pan, with a little more oil if needed, and fry gently for 5 minutes till the onions have softened. Put the chicken back in the pan, add the stock and sherry, bring to the boil. Add the grated rind and juice of one orange, the tomato puree the bay leaves, and some salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the other orange, making sure to discard the white pith. Slice in rounds, add to the pan and cook 15 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves, and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. (Linda's comments. The chilli powder in this recipe is not pure cayenne but the mixture which includes cumin and other spices, too. Serve this dish with rice and a vegetable. If you want to freeze it, make it up to the point where it has had 30 minutes simmering, then cool and freeze. Use within three months. To use, defrost, add the fresh orange and simmer 15 minutes.)

Fruity Chicken Rice. Serves 4 (Originally from Good Food magazine)
Ingredients: 2 tbs vegetable oil, 1 onion, small piece root ginger, peeled, 4 boneless skinless chicken breast portions, cut in small cubes, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half, 280g basmati rice, washed and drained, 1 litre chicken stock, 85g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped, 50g sultanas, 100g frozen peas, salt pepper.

Roughly chop onion and ginger then put in a food processor and whizz till finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole, and saute the onion ginger and chicken for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. When the onion is beginning to brown, add the spices and stir then cook for one minute. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with oil. Add the stock, seasoning, apricots and sultanas, bring to the boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed. The pan should be covered for the last 5 minutes of the cooking. 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the peas. (Linda's comments. This is a good party dish for people to help themselves to. See my vegetarian version, too.)

Pork

Loin of Pork Braised in Red Wine. Serves 4. (Sainsbury's Magazine recipe)
Ingredients: A 3lb boned rolled and tied loin of pork. 6 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered. 4 tbs. olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 2 sprigs rosemary, broken up. 12 small peeled shallots, 8 medium flat mushrooms, 130gm pack cubed pancetta. Half to 3/4 bottle fruity red wine, such as pinot noir. 1 tbs. redcurrant jelly. 2 cloves. Salt and pepper.
You will need : a deep flameproof casserole. Oven temperature Gas 1, or 275F, 140C.

Make incisions in the meat and push in the slivers of garlic. Put the pork in the casserole and pour over 3tbs olive oil, the lemon juice, and scatter on the rosemary. Turn the meat in the mixture, cover and leave to marinate at room temperature at least 4 hours. Remove the pork from the casserole leaving the marinade behind. (Don't throw this away!) Heat 1tbs oil in a frying pan and brown the meat all over, then put it back in the casserole. Don't wash the frying pan, but add the shallots mushrooms and pancetta. Stir and fry till sizzling and brown, then tip them over the pork and season it lightly. Pour the wine into the pan and bring to the boil, add redcurrant jelly. Stir, scraping up the crusty bits, reduce in volume by one third then pour over meat. Put the casserole on the stove, and bring the liquids to the boil, then cover and put in the oven. Braise for one and a half to two hours, turning over once during that time. Let rest in the casserole 10 minutes before slicing. (Linda's comment. This is so easy yet will grace any dinner party table. I couldn't get flat mushrooms that day but used chestnut mushrooms and they worked really well. To serve, take the pork out of the casserole, and put in a warm serving dish. Boil the juices to reduce a little, pour over the pork, cover with foil then return to a low oven to keep warm while you serve the starter. Serve with mashed potatoes or colcannon to soak up the gorgeous juices.)

Pork in Cider. Serves 4 (Linda's adaptation of a recipe in Good Food Magazine)
Ingredients: 4 pork steaks or chops. 2 tbs oil, 2 onions, sliced, 2 firm apples, cored and sliced, 1/4 pt stock, 1/4 pint dry cider, 1 tbs fresh sage or 1 tsp dried.

Saute the pork in a large frying pan till browned on both sides. Add the onions and continue to cook until softened. Take the pork from the pan, add the apple slices and fry till brown. Put the pork back in, add all the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer gently, about 20 minutes to reduce the sauce, adding a little more stock if necessary. (Linda's comments: Trim the pork before cooking if you want to reduce the fat content of this dish. )

Lamb

Rack of Lamb with Proscuitto and Rosemary Vegetables. Serves 4. (Recipe by Mary Cadogan)
Ingredients: 2 trimmed racks of lamb, weight about 1lb 5oz in total, 6 slices Jamon serrano (Spanish ham) or proscuitto, some rosemary sprigs, 1½lb small new potatoes, 6 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 4oz baby carrots, 4oz french beans, trimmed, 1/4pt dry white wine, salt and pepper.
You will need : A large roasting tin that can be used on a hob. Oven temperature, 190C, 375F or Gas mark 5.

Preheat the oven. Season the lamb and wrap two slices of ham around each, tucking 4 sprigs of rosemary between each slice. Cut the remaining ham in large pieces. In the roasting tin, toss the potatoes, 2 tbs chopped rosemary, and the garlic in the oil, season, then roast 20 minutes. Add carrots, beans, and lamb. Place the reserved ham on top of the vegetables and roast 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are brown and cooked through, the ham is crisp and the lamb cooked pink. Take out of the oven and remover the lamb, vegetables and ham to a warmed serving dish. Cover with foil, and leave to rest 10 minutes. Keep warm. Heat the roasting tin on the hob, add the wine, season, and stir, scraping up any sediment. Let it bubble a few minutes to make a sauce. Cut the lamb racks between the bones to make chops, and serve.
(Linda's comments. The recipe doesn't say, but I reckon the garlic cloves are to be added whole. They perfume without overpowering the dish.)

Vegetarian

Sweet Potato and Butterbean Stew. Serves 4 (Linda's variation on a recipe by Orla Broderick in Good Food Magazine)
Ingredients: 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 onions, thinly sliced, 1tbsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp each ground turmeric and ground coriander, 2lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks, 4 sticks celery, sliced, 8oz carrots, peeled and sliced, 1 green pepper, sliced, 1 ¼ pints vegetable stock, 14oz can butterbeans. About 1/8 of a block of creamed coconut.

Heat oil in a large pan, and fry onion till lightly browned. Add mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander and fry 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, celery, green pepper, and carrots, cover and cook gently 5 minutes. Add 1 pint stock, butterbeans, bring to boil, cover and cook 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, adding a little more stock if needed. Dissolve coconut in hot stock (either extra if you feel the dish needs it, or ladle some stock out of the pot if it doesn't) then stir into the stew, and reheat. (Linda's comments. The original recipe did not use green pepper or coconut. It added 4oz torn spinach 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, and garnished the finished dish with toasted chopped hazelnuts. It also used only 1 pint of stock plus the can liquid from the tin of butterbeans. The choice is yours. This can be cooked in advance (give it only 20 minutes of cooking time, then spoon into a baking dish and cool. Reheat in a moderate oven. Serve as part of a meal with rice or naan bread, or as a vegetarian hot buffet dish. Popular with meat-eaters too!)

Mushroom and Chestnut Tagine. (Serves 4-6) (Linda's variation on a recipe from the pack of Merchant Gourmet Camargue red rice)
Ingredients: 3 tbs oil, 1 large onion, peeled and sliced, 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed, 500g chestnut mushrooms, (halve any large ones) 240g can whole peeled chestnuts, 1½tsp. paprika, 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp cayenne (or to taste), ½ tsp allspice, 300ml stock, 2 tsp flour, salt, pepper.
Heat oil in pan, cook onion 5 minutes till softened, add garlic, and spices, cook 2 minutes more, then stir in flour. Add stock gradually, stirring, till it comes to the boil and thickens slightly. Add mushrooms and seasoning, simmer about 15 minutes. Add chestnuts and simmer 15 minutes more. Serve with camargue red rice. (Linda's comments. You can prepare this in advance and reheat when needed. )

Yum-Yum Noodles (Serves 1 as a snack meal)
This is more a method than a recipe. Feel free to adapt quantities and ingredients as you wish.
Start with about 75g quick cooking noodles. Break up the noodle block in a pan and if it comes with a flavouring sachet add this too if you want. Add 1 teaspoon concentrated vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon mushroom ketchup, a few sliced mushrooms and a finely sliced leek. Add sufficent water to make soup, bring to boil and cook till done. Meanwhile, put 1 tablespoon miso in a cup, mix to a creamy consistency with 2 tablespoons hot water. Stir into the noodles when done. Do not reboil. Ladle into your soup plate and sprinkle with Japanese seven spice seasoning.

To give a Chinese rather than a Japanese flavour, omit the miso and the seven spice seasoning. When adding the water also add 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and either rice wine or dry sherry and a good pinch Chinese five spice powder. (Linda's comments. This is a supremely adaptable recipe, ready in minutes. To eat, you need both a spoon for the soup and either a fork or chopsticks for the noodles. )

Sweet Potato and Tomato Tunnels. Serves 4. (Recipe by Philippa Forrester)
Ingredients: 4 sweet potatoes, about 8oz each. 4 tomatoes. 2oz cashew nuts, chopped. 2 cloves garlic, chopped, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 2oz sunflower seeds, 2 floz olive oil, salt, pepper.

Preheat oven to 200C, (400F or gas mark 6). Prick the potatoes with a fork, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake till tender - this will take about 40-45 minutes. When they are done, leave until cool enough to handle and remove the skins - they should come away easily. Slice the potatoes anout 1/2 " thick and the tomatoes 1/4" thick. Place the potatoes back in the baking dish, re-assembling htem, only with a slice of tomato between each potato slice. Drizzle the oil over the potatoes, then sprinkle on the nuts, seeds garlic and ginger. Bake 30 minutes till browned. (Linda's comments: Can be a main course or a vegetable dish depending on the quantity of nuts and what is served with it. The initial baking can be done in advance if necessary. )

Brie tomato and courgette tart. Serves 4 (Recipe by Mary Cadogan.)
Ingredients: One sheet of ready rolled puff pastry, thawed, 200g brie, 4 ripe tomatoes, 200g courgettes, 1/2 tsp dried oregano. 2tbs nice fruity olive oil.

Preheat the oven 200C/Gas6/fan oven 180C. Unroll the pastry onto a dampened baking sheet or use one lined with non-stick paper. With a knife, mark a groove around the edge of the pastry about 2cm in from the edge. Slice the courgettes tomatoes and brie thinly. There is no need to salt the courgettes for this dish. Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the courgettes for a minute or two. Sprinkle on the oregano, and cook a minute or two more till softened. Allow them to cool till they can be handled. Now arrange the courgettes tomatoes and brie on the pastry in rows, making sure not to go over the cut marks. Drizzle over the pan juices. Bake for 25-30 minutes till the pastry is puffed and brown. (Linda's comments. This is nicest served warm. Good hot dish for a party buffet. It can be prepared well in advance, and stored covered in clingfilm, then just pop it in the oven when you need it. If any of your guests can't eat cheese, you can do an alternative version omitting the brie and adding thinly sliced red onions.)

Fruity Veggie Rice Serves 4
Ingredients. As for the fruity chicken rice above, only omit the chicken, substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock, and add 100g unsalted cashew nuts and a drained can of beans - I used aduki for colour, but kidney beans would also be good.

Method is as for the chicken rice, only saute the cashews with the onions to begin with and add the beans at the same time as the peas.

Linda's Favourite Pasta Sauce Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 large onion, 2 cloves garlic (or to taste), 2 15oz cans chopped tomatoes in juice, 1 large glass red wine, 1 tbs tomato paste, basil marjoram and oregano to taste, ( I like two parts basil to one each of the others. If using dried start with 1 large pinch basil and a small one each of the others, twice that for fresh. Taste and add more if you like), 1 bayleaf, 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper, cut in strips, 1 aubergine (eggplant) cut in long thin slices. salt and pepper. Olive oil.

Salt the aubergine slices if you like, to draw out the excess water, leave 20 minutes under a weight, and drain, removing all the salt. Saute the sliced onion in olive oil till soft, add the chopped garlic and saute a few minutes more. Don't let it brown as that can make it bitter. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, herbs, bayleaf salt and pepper. Let it simmer, and while that is happening, cook the aubergine slices and pepper strips on a hot griddle till brown and soft. If you have the kind of griddle that cooks without additional oil, so much the better. This will concentrate the flavour of the vegetables, and makes a substantial difference to the finished dish. When the sauce has thickened to your liking, and the onions are tender, cut the aubergine slices into squares, and the pepper strips into equivalent sizes, and add. Heat through and it is ready to serve. (Linda's comments. If you use the minimum oil to saute the onions this is a very low fat dish. It has a satifyingly rich flavour, and freezes very well.)