Recipes

1. Cut the bagels in half. Heat the grill and toast the bagels lightly, cut the sides up, until the edges are golden brown.
2. Layer the bases with the filling of your choice, then put the lids on the bagels and eat them while they are still warm.

2. Croissant Feast

Ingredients:

1 or 2 Croissants per person

Suggested Fillings:

Crème fraiche
Strawberry jam
Dark chocolate
Sliced ham
Grated cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Warm the croissants in the oven or under the grill, then cut them in half and spread with the filling of your choice.

3. Crunchy Crostini

Ingredients:

1 Baguette/french bread stick
1 Clove of garlic
Olive oil

Suggested Toppings:

Tomato passata or sauce
Sliced mozzarella
Sliced tomatoes
Hummus
Sliced pitted black olives
Parsley to garnish
Green pesto
Sliced cherry tomato
Tinned tuna fish
Chopped celery
Chives
Sliced mozzarella cheese
Sliced ham
Soft cream or curd cheese
Sliced salami

Methods:

1. Heat the grill. Carefully cut the baguette into slices, then toast the pieces of bread on both sides until golden brown.
2. Rub one side of each piece of toast with half a clove of garlic, brush it with olive oil, and add the topping of your choice.

Speedy meals

1. Perfect Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Onion
1 Clove garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
400g (14oz) Tinned tomato puree
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar
340g (12oz) Rigatoni or penne
450g (1lb) Favourite sausages
30g (1oz) Bread
30g (1oz) Cheddar cheese

Methods:

1. Set the oven. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel the garlic and crush it or chop it finely. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
2. Cook the onion and garlic over a low heat until soft, then add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well.
3. Let the pasta sauce simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Then season it with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
4. Boil some salted water in a saucepan. Add the pasta, cook it for about 12 minutes until just soft, then drain it in a colander.
5. Meanwhile, turn on the grill. Prick the sausage with a fork, then grill them on all sides for about 10 -12 minutes until brown.
6. Remove the sausages from the grill, leave them until they are cool enough to handle, then cut them into chunky slices.
7. Grate the cheese for the topping. Grate the bread into breadcrumbs or else make the breadcrumbs in a food processor.
8. Stir the cooked pasta and the sliced sausages into the tomato sauce, then spoon the mixture into a baking dish.
9. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and grated cheese over the pasta. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the topping is crisp.

2. Turkish Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 Small onion
1 Clove garlic
450g (1lb) Minced lamb
A few fresh mint leaves
1 Teaspoon ground all spice
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for grilling

Methods:

1. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel and crush the garlic. Put the onion, garlic, and minced lamb in a mixing bowl.
2. Chop the mint finely. Sprinkle the mint, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the lamb and mix it into a paste.
3. Split the mixture into 8 portions and mould them into sausage shapes around the skewers. Brush them with oil.
4. Heat the grill and cook the meatballs for 10 to12 minutes, turning them regularly until they are brown all over.

3. Falafel

Ingredients:

1 Medium onion
15g (1/2oz) Flat-leaved parsley
2 Cloves garlic
800g (28oz) Tinned chick peas
2 Tablespoons plain flour
1 Teaspoon ground coriander
1 Teaspoon ground cumin
Vegetable oil for frying

Methods:

1. Chop the onion finely. Wash, dry, and chop the parsley. Peel and crush the garlic and rinse and drain the chick peas.
2. Mash the chick peas with a fork or in a food processor. Mix in the onion, garlic, flour, parsley, coriander and cumin.
3. With floured hands, roll the mixture into balls about the size of golf balls, then flatten them to make small patties.
4. Heat the oil and fry the falafel for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Drian them on kitchen paper.

4. Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

175g (60z) Bulgur wheat
1/2 Cucumber
4 Spring onions
55g (2oz) Parsley
30g (1oz) Fresh mint leaves
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Methods:

1. Put the bulgur wheat in a bowl, cover it with boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes until the grains soften.
2. Finely chop the cucumber. Trim the spring onions and slice them finely. Rinse, dry, and finely chop the parsley and mint.
3. Drain the bulgur wheat in a sieve over a bowl. Use your hands to squeeze out as much extra water as you can.
4. Put all the ingredients for the tabbouleh into a salad bowl. Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper.

Perfect Puddings

1. Fruit Crumble

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Butter for greasing pie dish
675g (11/2 lb) Cooking apples
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons apple juice
225g (8oz) Blackberries

For the crumble:

115g (4oz) Butter
175g (6oz) Plain flour or wholewheat flour
55g (2oz) Porridge oats
85g (3oz) Soft brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Methods:

1. Set the oven to gas mark 5. Grease the pie dish. Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and cut out the cores, them slice them.
2. Cook the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and apple juice gently in a saucepan until the apples are soft, but not pulpy.
3. Meanwhile rub the butter and flour together in a mixing bowl, then mix in the oats, sugar and salt.
4. Put the apples into the dish and mix in the blackberries. Spread the crumble on top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

2. Hot Chocolate Puds

Ingredients:

115g (4oz) Fine dark chocolate
Butter for greasing ramekins
55g (2oz) Caster sugar
5 Eggs
Pinch of salt
Icing sugar

Methods:

1. Set the oven to gas mark 6. Break the chocolate into a bowl. Melt it over the saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.
2. Remove the chocolate from the heat. Grease the four ramekins lightly and sprinkle with a little of the caster sugar.
3. Separate the eggs into two bowls. Stir the rest of the caster sugar and four of the eggs yolks into the melted chocolate.
4. Whisk all five egg whites with a pinch of slat until they form stiff peaks. Then fold them gently into the chocolate.
5. Fill the ramekins until they are nearly full. Bake for 15 minutes until the puds rise and puff up. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Treats and Sweets

1. Chocolate Dips

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) Softened butter
55g (2oz) Icing sugar
175g (6oz) Plain flour
55g (2oz) Cornflour
Few drops vanilla essence
Grated zest of 1 orange
175g (6oz) Plain chocolate

Methods:

1. Set the oven to gas mark 4 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the flour, cornflour, vanilla essence, and orange zest to the butter mixture and beat well with a wooden spoon.
3. Put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe it on to the baking sheet in short lines. If you have not got a piping bag, place widely spaced teaspoons of the biscuit mixture on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until pale golden.
4. Cool the biscuits on a wire rack. Break the chocolate into a small bowl and melt it over a pan of simmering water.
5. Dip one end of each biscuit into the melted chocolate and lay it on the wire rack until the chocolate has set.

2. Pecan Puffs

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing baking sheets
115g (4oz) Softened butter
2 Tablespoons caster sugar
140g (5oz) Pecan nuts or walnuts
140g (5oz) Plain flour
A few drops vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting

Methods:

1. Set the oven to gas mark 2 and grease the baking sheets. Beat the butter in abowl until soft, then beat in the sugar until creamy.
2. Chop the nuts very finely or grind them in a coffee grinder or food processor until they are like fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir the nuts into the butter and sugar, sift in the flour, then add the vanilla extract. Mix everything into a soft dough.
4. Roll the dough into balls about the size of walnuts and put them on the baking sheets. Bake them for about 35 minutes.
5. Sift the icing sugar over the puffs and put them back in the oven for 2 minutes. Then put them on a wire rack to cool.

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