
Use pickled vine leaves here, preserved in brine. Small delicate leaves are better than the large bristly ones but, if only large leaves are to hand, then trim them to roughly 12 by 12 cms so that you don't get too many layers of leaves around the filling. And remove any stalks. Drain the preserved leaves, immerse them in boiling water for 10 minutes and then leave to dry on a tea towel before use. Basmati rice with butter and pine nuts is an ideal accompaniment. Couscous is great, too. Serves four. First make the filling. Put all the ingredients, apart from the tomatoes, in a bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half, coarsely grate into the bowl and discard the skins. Add half a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper, and stir. Leave on the side, or in the fridge, for up to a day. Before using, gently squeeze with your hands and drain away any juices that come out. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium pan. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for a minute or two, taking care not to burn them, then add the tomato, lemon juice and sugar. Season, and simmer for 20 minutes. While the sauce is bubbling away, prepare the vine leaves. Use any torn or broken leaves to line the base of a wide, heavy saucepan. Trim any leaves from the fennel, cut it vertically into 0.5cm-thick slices and spread over the base of the pan to cover completely. Lay a prepared vine leaf (see intro) on a work surface, veiny side up. Put two teaspoons of filling at the base of the leaf in a 2cm-long by 1cm-wide strip. Fold the sides of the leaf over the filling, then roll it tightly from bottom to top, in a cigar shape. Place in the pan, seam down, and repeat with the remaining leaves, placing them tightly next to each other in lines or circles (in two layers if necessary). Pour the sauce over the leaves (and, if needed, add water just to cover). Place a plate on top, to weigh the leaves down, then cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook on a bare simmer for 70 minutes. Most of th

step 1 Dry-fry the pine nuts or almonds in a large pan until lightly toasted, then tip onto a plate. Add the oil to the pan, then fry the onion and cinnamon together until starting to turn golden. Turn up the heat, stir in the lamb, fry until the meat changes colour, then tip in the rice and cook for 1 min, stirring all the time. step 2 Pour in 500ml boiling water, crumble in the stock cube, add the apricots, then season to taste. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 12 mins until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Toss in the pine nuts and mint and serve.

First make the Hollandaise sauce. Put the lemon juice and vinegar in a small bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk with a balloon whisk until light and frothy. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until mixture thickens. Gradually add the butter, whisking constantly until thick – if it looks like it might be splitting, then whisk off the heat for a few mins. Season and keep warm. To poach the eggs, bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the vinegar. Lower the heat so that the water is simmering gently. Stir the water so you have a slight whirlpool, then slide in the eggs one by one. Cook each for about 4 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. Lightly toast and butter the muffins, then put a couple of slices of salmon on each half. Top each with an egg, spoon over some Hollandaise and garnish with chopped chives.

Heat the flat grill plate over a low heat, on top of 2 rings/flames if it fits, and brush sparingly with light olive oil. Cook the sausages first. Add the sausages to the hot grill plate/the coolest part if there is one and allow to cook slowly for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden. After the first 10 minutes, increase the heat to medium before beginning to cook the other ingredients. If you are struggling for space, completely cook the sausages and keep hot on a plate in the oven. Snip a few small cuts into the fatty edge of the bacon. Place the bacon straight on to the grill plate and fry for 2-4 minutes each side or until your preferred crispiness is reached. Like the sausages, the cooked bacon can be kept hot on a plate in the oven. For the mushrooms, brush away any dirt using a pastry brush and trim the stalk level with the mushroom top. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over a little olive oil. Place stalk-side up on the grill plate and cook for 1-2 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 3-4 minutes. Avoid moving the mushrooms too much while cooking, as this releases the natural juices, making them soggy. For the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes across the centre/or in half lengthways if using plum tomatoes , and with a small, sharp knife remove the green 'eye'. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place cut-side down on the grill plate and cook without moving for 2 minutes. Gently turn over and season again. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. For the black pudding, cut the black pudding into 3-4 slices and remove the skin. Place on the grill plate and cook for 1½-2 minutes each side until slightly crispy. For 'proper' fried bread it's best to cook it in a separate pan. Ideally, use bread that is a couple of days old. Heat a frying pan to a medium heat and cover the base with oil. Add the bread and cook for 2-3 minutes each side until crispy and golden. If

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC), and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until fully combined. Lightly flour the surface and roll out puff pastry on top to flatten. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 equal squares. On the top right and bottom left of the pastry, cut an L shape approximately ½ inch (1 cm) from the edge. NOTE: This L shape should reach all the way down and across the square, however both L shapes should not meet at the ends. Your pastry should look like a picture frame with two corners still intact. Take the upper right corner and fold down towards the inner bottom corner. You will now have a diamond shape. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling in the middle, then place berries on top. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and place them onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and puffed. Enjoy!

step 1 Heat grill to high. Season the lamb, then grill for 2 mins on each side until browned, but still very rare. Meanwhile, mix the seasoning, oregano and half of the mint into one of the tubs of yogurt, smother this over the lamb, then return to the grill for another 2-3 mins or until the yogurt is blistered and the meat is cooked to your liking. step 2 Leave the meat to rest on a board for a few mins while you toast the pittas, shred the lettuce and thinly slice the red onion. Stir the rest of the mint into the second tub of yogurt. Thickly slice the meat and stuff into the pitta bread with the salad and minted yogurt. Squeeze over lemon juice before tucking in, if you like.

Pound the garlic with sea salt in a pestle and mortar (or use a small food processor), until the garlic forms a paste. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, zest, dill and garlic. Mix in the lamb and combine well. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hrs or overnight in the fridge. If you’re going to use bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water. If you’ve prepared the lamb the previous day, take it out of the fridge 30 mins before cooking. Thread the meat onto the soaked or metal skewers. Heat the grill to high or have a hot griddle pan or barbecue ready. Cook the skewers for 2-3 mins on each side, basting with the remaining marinade. Heat the pitta or flatbreads briefly, then stuff with the souvlaki. Add Greek salad (see 'Goes well with', right) and Tzatziki (below), if you like.

Cut the meat into strips. Heat oil in a pan and fry the strips for 6 minutes until it's ready. Bake the fries until golden brown in a deep fryrer. When ready transfer to a backing dish. Make sure the fries are spread over the whole dish. Cover the fries with a new layer of meat and spread evenly. Add a layer of cheese over the meat. You can also use grated cheese. When done put in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Chop the lettuce, tomato and cucumber in small pieces and mix together. for a basic salad. As extra you can add olives jalapenos and a red union. Dived the salad over the dish and Serve with garlicsauce and hot sauce

step 1 Finely chop the peppers in a food processor, then tip them in a sieve and press into the sieve so that the peppers release all of their juices. Tip into a bowl along with the mince, red pepper paste, pul biber, 1½ tsp flaky sea salt, and 2 tbsp of the oil. Mix together, kneading well for at least 2-3 mins. If you need to, wet your hands with cold water to prevent the mixture from sticking. The mixture should be sticky when ready. Cover and chill for at least 2 hrs, or up to 12 hrs. step 2 When ready to cook, heat the grill to high or an oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 6. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions, around 85g each. If you’d like to skewer them, divide into 8 equal portions and roll into balls. Using wet hands, thread the balls onto the end of the skewers, massaging the mixture down the skewers in between the palms of your hands, until evenly distributed. Ensure that the mixture is fully wrapped tightly around the skewers without any exposed metal. Alternatively, lay them on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper if cooking in the oven, or foil if cooking under the grill. Shape into 20cm-long köfte. Wet your fingers with a little cold water and make indents all along the köfte for the traditional shape. step 3 Gently brush each köfte with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and cook under the grill, on the top shelf for 10-12 mins, turning regularly, or cook in the oven for 16-18 mins, until crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle

Before you do anything, freeze your bacon slices that way when you're ready to prep, it'll be so much easier to chop! Wash the potatoes and cut medium dice into square pieces. To prevent any browning, place the already cut potatoes in a bowl filled with water. In the meantime, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt the skillet so the oil spreads evenly. Once the oil is hot, drain the potatoes and add to the skillet. Season with salt, pepper, and Old Bay as needed. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring the potatoes often, until brown. If needed, add a tablespoon more of oil. Chop up the bacon and add to the potatoes. The bacon will start to render and the fat will begin to further cook the potatoes. Toss it up a bit! The bacon will take 5-6 minutes to crisp. Once the bacon is cooked, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the minced garlic and toss. Season once more. Add dried or fresh parsley. Control heat as needed. Let the garlic cook until fragrant, about one minute. Just before serving, drizzle over the maple syrup and toss. Let that cook another minute, giving the potatoes a caramelized effect. Serve in a warm bowl with a sunny side up egg!

Make and enjoy

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, and stirring constantly with a whisk, slowly add the cornmeal to the boiling water. The ugali will begin to thicken quite quickly. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring constantly with a sturdy wooden spoon, until the ugali begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, hold together, and takes on the aroma of roasted corn. Turn it out immediately onto a serving plate. If you would like, using a spoon or spatula, quickly shape it into a thick disk or round. The ugali will continue to firm as it cools and will be thick enough to cut with a knife (similar to firm polenta).

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Season with saffron, salt and pepper to taste; stir in all but 4 tablespoons of the onion, and pour in the water. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover the pan, stir in the butter and allow the sauce reduce 5 to 10 minutes to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour into a serving dish. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped onions and parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

Add the lamb to a casserole and cook over high heat. When browned, remove from the heat and set aside. Keep a tablespoon of fat in the casserole and discard the rest. Reduce to medium heat then add the garlic, onion and spinach and cook until the onion is translucent and the spinach wilted or about 5 minutes. Return the lamb to the casserole with the onion-spinach mixture, add the tomato puree, cumin, harissa, chicken, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt and pepper in the pan. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

Place freekeh in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside. Combine lamb, onion, black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, and salt in a pot. Stir in oil, 1/2 the cilantro, 1/2 the mint, and celery stalk until combined. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in chickpeas; pour in just enough water to cover, and return to a simmer. Stir in zucchini, carrot, and tomato paste. Set a steamer over the pot; add tomatoes. Cover and steam tomatoes until soft, about 5 minutes. Crush tomatoes using a wooden spoon, so pulp drips into soup. Remove the steamer and discard leftover tomato peels. Add potato to soup and just enough water to cover. Simmer until potato is soft, about 10 minutes. Drain freekeh and add to soup. Simmer until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove celery stalk and discard. Sprinkle soup with remaining 1/2 cilantro and remaining 1/2 mint before serving.

Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Heat some dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish, brown the lamb in batches, lift to a plate, then repeat with the kidneys. Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden. Sprinkle over the flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over the Worcestershire sauce, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Stir in the meat and bay leaves, then turn off the heat. Arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping. Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked. Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.

Melt 50g butter in a large saucepan (about 20cm across), add 1 finely chopped medium onion and cook gently over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Stir in 3 split cardamom pods, ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 small cinnamon stick and 2 bay leaves, then cook for 1 minute. Tip in 450g basmati rice and stir until it is all well coated in the spicy butter. Pour in 1 litre chicken or fish stock, add ½ teaspoon salt and bring to the boil, stir once to release any rice from the bottom of the pan. Cover with a close-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and leave to cook very gently for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, bring some water to the boil in a large shallow pan. Add 750g un-dyed smoked haddock fillet and simmer for 4 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Lift it out onto a plate and leave until cool enough to handle. Hard-boil 3 eggs for 8 minutes. Flake the fish, discarding any skin and bones. Drain the eggs, cool slightly, then peel and chop. Uncover the rice and remove the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods if you wish to. Gently fork in the fish and the chopped eggs, cover again and return to the heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the fish has heated through. Gently stir in almost all the 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, and season with a little salt and black pepper to taste. Serve scattered with the remaining parsley and garnished with 1 lemon, cut into wedges.

step 1 Heat a griddle pan. Rub the lamb steaks with the oil, cumin and some seasoning. Griddle for about 3-4 mins on each side or until cooked to your liking. Place to one side on a plate to rest. step 2 In a large bowl, stir the sugar into the vinegar until dissolved. Add the carrots, spring onions, cabbage and some seasoning, and toss together. step 3 Blitz the whole peppers and the mayo in a food processor. Add a heap of the salad to each flatbread. Slice the lamb, trimming off any excess fat and lay on top of the salad, drizzling with the resting juices. Spoon over the mayo and scatter with a few of the sliced peppers. Roll up and eat. If using pitta, split and stuff. Serve any extra salad on the side.

Grind the cashew, poppy seeds and cumin seeds into a smooth paste, using as little water as possible. Set aside. Deep fry the sliced onions when it is hot. Don’t overcrowd the oil. When the onions turn light brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towel. The fried onion will crisp up as it drains. Also fry the cashewnuts till golden brown. Set aside. Wash the rice and soak in water for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, take a big wide pan, add oil in medium heat, add the sliced onions, add the blended paste, to it add the green chillies, ginger garlic paste and garlic and fry for a minute. Then add the tomatoes and sauté them well till they are cooked and not mushy. Then to it add the red chilli powder, biryani powder, mint, coriander leaves and sauté them well. Add the yogurt and mix well. I always move the skillet away from the heat when adding yogurt which prevents it from curdling. Now after returning the skillet back to the stove, add the washed lamb and salt and ½ cup water and mix well. Cook for 1 hour and cook it covered in medium low heat or put it in a pressure cooker for 6 whistles. If the water is not drained totally, heat it by keeping it open. Take another big pan, add thrice the cup of rice you use, and boil it. When it is boiling high, add the rice, salt and jeera and mix well. After 7 minutes exact or when the rice is 80% done. Switch off and drain the rice. Now, the layering starts. To the lamb, pat and level it. Add the drained hot rice on the top of it. Garnish with fried onions, ghee, mint, coriander leaves and saffron dissolved in milk. Cover the dish and bake in a 350f oven for 15 minutes or till the cooked but not mushy. Or cook in the stove medium heat for 12 minutes and lowest heat for 5 minutes. And switch off. Mix and serve hot! Notes 1. If you are cooking in oven, do make sure to cook in a big oven safe pan and cover it tight and then keep in oven for the final step. 2. You can skip biryani masala if you don’t have

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan for which you have a lid. Add the sausage pieces and fry on a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden-brown all over. Transfer the sausages to a plate, then add the onion and fennel to the hot pan and fry for 15 minutes, stirring once in a while, until soft and caramelised; if the pan goes a bit dry, add a teaspoon or so of extra oil. Stir in the paprika, garlic and half the fennel seeds, fry for two minutes more, then pour on the wine and boil for 30 seconds, to reduce by half. Add the tomatoes, sugar, 100ml water, the seared sausage and half a teaspoon of salt, cover and simmer for 30 minutes; remove the lid after 10 minutes, and cook until the sauce is thick and rich. Remove from the heat, stir through the olives and remaining fennel seeds and set aside until you’re ready to serve. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 12-14 minutes (or according to the instructions on the packet), until al dente. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, stir in a tablespoon of oil, then divide between the bowls. Put all the pesto ingredients except the basil in the small bowl of a food processor. Add a tablespoon of water and blitz to a rough paste. Add the basil, then blitz until just combined (the pesto has a much better texture if the basil is not overblended). Spoon over the ragù and top with a spoonful of pesto. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped fennel fronds, if you have any, and serve at once.

step 1 Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and soften the onions for 5 mins. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a few mins more. Spoon half the onion mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool. Add the tomatoes, sugar and seasoning to the remaining onions in the pan and simmer for about 10 mins until reduced. step 2 Meanwhile, add the mint, lamb, apricots and breadcrumbs to the cooled onions, season and mix well with your hands. Shape into little meatballs. step 3 Heat the rest of the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the meatballs until golden (in batches if you need to). Stir in the sauce with a splash of water and gently cook everything for a few mins until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with pitta bread and salad.

step 1 Put the garlic in a bowl with the ginger, lemon juice, oil, spices and seasoning. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, then use to coat the lamb chops on both sides. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. step 2 Heat a barbecue until hot. Barbecue the chops over the coals for 3 mins on each side until cooked but still pink and juicy in the centre.

step 1 Put the lamb into a large food bag with all the juice and marinate overnight. step 2 The next day, take the lamb out of the fridge 1 hr before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Take the lamb out of the marinade (reserve remaining marinade) and pat dry. Rub with half the oil and roast for 15-20 mins until browned. Remove lamb and reduce oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. step 3 Mix the zests, remaining oil, honey, spices and garlic with plenty of seasoning. Lay a large sheet of baking parchment on a large sheet of foil. Sit the lamb leg on top, rub all over with the paste and pull up the sides of the foil. Drizzle marinade into base, and scrunch foil to seal. step 4 Roast for 4 hrs, until very tender. Rest, still wrapped, for 30 mins. Unwrap and serve with juices.

Mix the dry yeast with some of the luke warm milk en stir until dissolved. Place buckwheat and the flour together in a bowl and make a small circle in the middle. Add the yeast mixture into it. Add the milk and stir until you have a smooth batter. Add the eggs, salt and vanille sugar and stir through. Leave to stand and rise for about 45 minutes. Heat the poffertjespan and add a bit of butter into each hole. Fill halfway with batter and first bake one side until you can see the top dry out a little. Turn the poffertjes around with a small fork and bake the other side until cooked and golden brown. Serve the poffertjes with butter and icing sugar