The Marrow one of those vegetables people love or hate, or is it just the fact its not been prepared or the right recipe for you. Thats my theory anyway as I love marrows and courgettes too. Every year you will see a glut of them appearing in the markets and shops and they are certainly growing well in my garden this year (must be the freaky weather we are having?).

I love to try different stuffing with marrow and very often serve it up knowing that my dining guests have said they hate marrow and guess what by the time we have discussed everything and nothing over dinner they have eaten it and then ask me what it was they have just had as it was delicious! Good one to try, I’ve also done this with vegetarian meals and they have never know interesting hey. Must be why my kids have never been fussy eaters and eaten whats been put infront of them, or is that the fact they are not getting anything else?

Anyway back to the marrow here a stuffed marrow recipe with a difference that we love in our house.

You will need: 1 medium to large marrow (and yes Robert you are not borrowing one from my back garden I take a count each night!), 1 large onion, lettuce, 100g mushrooms, 25g butter, 6 tblsp chopped fresh parsley, 50g mature cheddar cheese grated, 225g cottage cheese sieved, mixed dried herbs and sea salt and black pepper to season.

Start by cutting a lengthways slice off your marrow and scoop out the seeds to hollow out the inside. Now sprinkle the flesh with sea salt and set aside to drain upside down on kitchen towelling.

Now chop your onion and shred about 8 good size lettuce leaves. Chop your mushrooms and cook in the butter for 3 minutes before mixing in all the ingredients together. Season with lots of black pepper and a spinkling of mixed dried herbs ( if you don’t like mixed herbs you could try adding some chilli flakes instead and using a smoked cheese to change the flavour profile, but thats what true cooking is all about!).

Wipe the inside of your marrow dry and fill it with the stuffing. Replace the top slice as a lid and wrap in foil before baking for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on your marrow size, are you laughing as much as I am writing this one!!), in your oven at gas 4/ 350 F/ 180 C.  You can serve with cous cous or rice of your choice.

If you enjoy stuffing things take a look at my previous blog fathers day roast, for not only a great roast but some delicious stuffed apples to accompany the pork. Check out this previous blog walking recipes for a great stuffed mushroom recipe. If your into your nibble and setting the scene then check out this previous blog for some great canapes.

This is my grandmothers Chicken in Merlot Red Wine or more commonly known as Coq Au Vin to you and I. This is a great dinner party dish as chicken is a meat most people do tend to eat even when dieting. But also if you cooking for yourself I always feel that this dish tastes better the next day.

For this delicious Coq Au Vin you will need: 6 large boneless free range chicken breasts (up to you if you leave the skin on or off I think it adds flavour but somepeople do not like it), 3 tblsp olive oil, 300g peeled shallots (you can boil these for 2 minutes and allow to cool for their thin skins to simply slip off), 2-3 tblsp plain flour, 130g pancetta diced, 2 garlic cloves peeled and sliced thinly, 50ml brandy, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme from the garden (or if you only have dried 1/2 tsp), 1 bay leaf, 1 bottle of chilean merlot (I like this wine as its fruity, but you could use another if you wish), 250g chestnut mushrooms, 1 tblsp butter, 4 tblsp chopped parsley and sea salt and black pepper to season.

So first put 2 tblsp flour in a bowl and season before dipping the chicken breasts in to the flour to coat on both sides and heating a large frying pan or casserole add your 2 tblsp olive oil and fry the chicken breasts on boths sides for 3 minutes to seal until lightly brown. You may have to do this a couple of the chicken breasts at a time placing the browned chicken on a plate on one side after. Add the remaining tblsp of oil, chopped pancetta and cook for around 1 minute, now add your shallots to the pan and saute until lightly brown then add your garlic, stir then add the chicken back to the pan. Warm your brandy and pour it over the chicken. Add the thyme and bay leaf and then add your red wine until it covers the chicken. Bring this to simmering point turn the heat to low cover the pan with alid and simmer gently for 45 minutes.  Now add the mushrooms cook for 10 to 15 minutes then remove the chicken and set aside to rest the meat. Scoop as much of the onion, pancetta and mushrroms out into a bowl as you can then turn the heat up on your pan. Reduce the sauce to half and check for seasoning tasting yourself (which you should do with everything you cook). If it needs thickening add a tblsp butter and the remaining tblsp flour (mixed to a smooth paste adding a little at a time). Keep whisking your sauce until it is smooth and glossy. Then add the onions, mishrooms and pancetta to the pan. I slice my chicken breasts into 4 slices and place on a plate for serving and spoon over the sauce finishing with a bit of parsley. You can serve this with a delicious creamy mash and seasonal vegetables.

For another special occassion recipe for this time of year check out my previous blog walking recipes encore, for a delicious game or duck in blackberry sauce which is one of my all time favourites.  If you like chicken take a look at my previous blog simple meal recipe for great flavour, for a superb griddled chicken with a super salsa.

For making such great dishes you need a great saute frying pan with a lid this Grunwerg Commichef Frying/Saut Pan with Lid and Helper Handle Size: 28 cm is just the right pan for the job.

Remember when buying pans choose wisely some of my pans and 20 year old and still as good as new, they are iron or stainless steel with differing handles so I can put the dish I am cooking from the hob straight into the oven and straight to the table. They have differing bases to aid cooking and brought wisely will last you a life time literally! Why not tell us about your favourite pan and why its your favourite?

If your catering for children then this old favourite always goes down a treat literally. Its something everyone can have fun with, certainly with a little imagionation and some great cookie shape cutters you can use this recipe throughout the year and produce christmas, easter biscuits as well as animal farm biscuits for example to go with a animal farm theme birthday party.

So lets get cooking whether its with the children or not. For your gingerbreadmen you are going to need:50g butter, 3 tblsp golden syrup, 75g castor sugar, 250g self raising flour, pinch of salt, 3 tsp ground ginger, glasce cherries and currants for decoration and milk for glazing.

First place the butter syrup and sugar in a small saucepan and heat slowly until sugar has dissolved. sift together the dry ingredients then make a well in the middle and pour in the warm melted mixture and beat until smooth. Roll out the mixture on a lightly floured surface while still warm and cut into figures using a cutter or homemade template. Make buttons eyes and a mouth from currants and glace cherries. Other decorations can be used depending on who they are for. Then brush with a little milk and bake on a greased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes or until the biscuits are firm and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Cooks Note - Uncooked dough can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months and these biscuits will keep in a air tight tin if they last the day out once made!

See my previous blog Piping bags to use with your cooking as you could pipe faces, clothes etc on to each gingerbreadman too. See the cutters and christmass biscuit ideas in my previous blog christmas hanging biscuits also. Plus other great biscuit recipes in my blog taking the biscuit.

Sometimes when you preparing a meal and simple dessert made with fresh fruit goes down a treat. One such dessert which is easy to make yet delicious is a traditional Fruit Crumble.

Use seasonal fruits from your garden or local market and don’t be afraid to mix more than one fruit together and experiment with the crumble topping by adding nuts, spices or even oats to add flavour and crunch. Other things to add are dried fruits like raisins and sultanas, oats, museli, branflakes, coconuts and variety of nuts.

Remember to use your cookery notebook so you can remember what you change so you have it for future reference when you guests tell you how much they enjoyed this version to a previous one.

For your fruit crumble you are going to need:100g flour (I like to mix 50g wholemeal and 50g of plain together), 50g brown sugar, 50g margarine or butter, 500g fruit of your choice.

Prepare your fruit, peel, chop and place in small amount of water 2 to 3 tablespoons in a saucepan with 25g sugar and bring to the boil before simering for 5 minutes. Place your fruit in a oven proof dish. Mix your crumble by rubbing in the fat (margarine or butter, I prefer butter), into the flour mix until mixture resembles breadcrumbs and add the other 25g sugar and stir. Now spoon this crumble mix over your fruit then bake in the oven at 190 c or gas 5 for 20 minutes until the crumble top is golden.

To serve some traditional puddings in this great generic ethos hells kitchen standard ovenware 5 piece red and white set is ideal with a range of different shapes and sizes for all the different recipes you will cook including lids.

Find another great traditional pudding recipe on my previous blog a mouthful of heaven and milking it.

Serve hot with custard, ice cream or cream. Tell me about your favourite traditional dessert recipe, another of my personal favourites has to be bread & butter pudding, whats yours?

At this time of year we are inundated with fruits as we harvest from the fruit trees and hedgerows. I seem to have a abundance of apples, pears and plums this year (blame it on the weather). So with jams and preserves being made aswell as freezing to preserve for later use I love to cook this Swedish Apple Dessert my grandmother shown me.

In this dessert we use bread which is a important contribution to our daily intake of carbohydrates, B vitamins, iron, calcium and protein along with fibre if wholemeal variety used. This recipe gives you another way in which to use this ingredient to make a scrumptious dessert which is happily served with cream as a dessert or as a afternoon cake with tea, the choice is yours so have a go its delicious!

For my Swedish Apple Dessert you are going to need:1kg cooking apples peeled, cored and sliced, 1 lemon, 100g caster sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 100g butter, 225g breadcrumbs of your choice, 1 tblsp icing sugar and toasted almonds to decorate.

Cook your apples in a covered saucepan in minimum water (around 6 tblsp), once soft add the grated rind of the lemon and 4 tblsps lemon juice, the cinnamon and sugar then beat to a pulp. Melt the butter in another saucepan and add the breadcrumbs stirring well until the butter is fully absorbed. Now grease a 15 to 18 cm cake tin of your choice remember to line with greaseproof paper if not using silicone bakeware or a loose bottom tin. Press one third of the breadcrumbs onto the bottom of your prepared tin, then add a layer of the apple and continue layering breadcrumbs and apples finishing with a layer of breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes then cool before turning out. When cooled sift the icing sugar over the top and decorate with toasted almonds and slices of apple if you wish.

You can use plums for this recipe well which also tastes delicious. This dessert is also great for freezing as I like to have one for christmas ( I know that banned word) but you can freeze this for 6 months.

For great silicone bakeware which you always hear me praising as everyone who trys them never goes back to conventional tins take a look or see my previous blog silicone bakeware makes it oh so easy to clean.

Find a great preserve recipe in my previous blog apples falling early in freak british weather, another great apple recipe can be found on my blog fathers day roast, and for the apple pie recipe everyone loves see my blog meanwhile back in the kitchen to celebrate apple day.  Have you got a seasonal fruit recipe to share with all of us, drop me a line.

Tip - If you have got alot of pear and apples my grandmother taught me to wrap the good fruit in paper and place in a box in a cool area off the floor for keeping and this does work. Keep you box somewhere dry away from damp.

Recently with my son moving away from home I was well arming him with some classic cookery recipes for him to cook for himself. With students out and about all hours and also on a tight budget, alot of his cookery lessons where based on nutritious, fast and easy recipes to cook on a budget.

One recipe which Ed loves and is finding easy to cook, as he put it in the oven and leaves it to cook while he gets himself a shower and returns to a tasty dish of baked courgette and tuna risotto.

You will need: 2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil, 200g arborio rice, chicken stock (homemade or cubes), 400g chopped tomatoes, 1 onion finelt chopped, 1 chopped chilli (to add a kick if you like this or obmit this out), 2 x 185g tinned tuna ( you can use fresh which has been steamed or griddled), 3 finely sliced courgettes and basil leaves and grated parmesan to serve but optional. (Ed has also been know to add peas to this recipe too for another option)

Heat your oven to 200 C/ fan 180 C/ gas 6 and heat a large flameproof casserole dish with a lid over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion and chilli (if you want a kick) with some sea salt and stir for around 5 minutes until the onions are soft, then add your rice and stir again for another minute. Make up 375ml stock and add to your rice with the chopped tomatoes and bring this to shimmering point. Stir in the tuna and courgettes and season with fresh black pepper. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until the rice is cooked. To serve scatter basil leaves and sprinkle parmesan over the finished dish and serve with crusty bread.

Don’t forget this will serve 4 so if your appetite is big as is Ed’s plate up half and place in the refridgerator for tomorow or freeze for another day.

Whats your favourite quick recipe? Have you taught certain recipes to your children who are now students cooking away from home, then let us know how they are getting on and what recipes they like!

See my previous blog It may be compact but its easy to use and cheap to run for a great gadget for students to cook with away from home, and Starting from scratch essentials for the kitchen blog or search for my easy recipes like this easy recipe for a italian supper.

I know we have all been talking about the British weather as we do and how odd the weather has been again this summer, but a change is in the air and there appears to be a bumper crop of blackberries on the hedgerow which started to change early this year due to the extremes hot & wet days we have been having.

Looking for a quick dessert to finish off our scrummy barbecue by the sea I couldn’t think of a better dessert than my Creamy Blackberry Fool, (you cab use other fruits if you have a favourite you want to substitute the blackberries for).

Stock up on your blackberries when they are at their peak and freeze them for use throughout the year as they will keep in the freezer for 6 months and make a wonderful fruit crumble or sauce to accompany meats etc.

For my Creamy blackberry fool your going to need: 450g blackberries, grated rind and juice of a lime, 284ml pot of double cream, 100g caster sugar and 300ml pot of greek style yogurt (or your homemade see my previous blog yogurt recipes depend on milk used   )

Start by palcing your cleaned blackberries in a bowl reserving a few for decoration. Sprinkle over the lime rind juice and sugar and leave to stand for at least 5 minutes for the sugar to dissolve and turn syrupy. Then using a wooden spoon roughtly crish your blackberries (again if you prefer a smoother consistency blend slightly). Put the cream in a chilled bowl again reserving a little for decoration and whip the cream into soft peaks then using a spatula stir in the greek yogurt and mix well. (Note that greek yogurt has the highest fat content so gives a creamier flavour however you can use creme fraiche or fromage frais as alternatives if you wish).

Now alternate layer the blackberries and the cream and yogurt mix into parfait glasses or tall glasses and top with reserved cream and fruit. You can also for another variation add a layer of crumbled chocolate muffins or cookies, add a little alcohol for a special dessert and top with drizzle caramel.

Whats your quick and easy seasonal dessert?? have you a variation on my fool dessert to share with us, then send it in. Our barbecue went great although a little chilly but the guests never noticed as the food kept on coming along with the wine. Tell me about your summer barbecues and parties.

Sophia Loren once said that ‘Everything you see, I owe to Spaghetti!’. Italians view their food as central to their life full of colour & variety, much like Italys variety of land terraine. The key to their cusine is the importance they put on quality basic ingredients to bring out flavour.

Take tomatoes they bring flavour to a variety of Italian dishes and Italian tomato varieties are exported all over the world aswell as being a important basic ingredient to Italian cookery and the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil used in dressings, for shallow frying or drizzled on pasta or bread is another staple for Italian cookery along with its health claims packed full with antioxidants and monounsaturated fats for reducing cholesterol.

I remember some facts picked up while visiting Italy and while chatting being told about Parma Ham which is cured for a minimum of 13 months and the longer the cure the sweeter and milder the flavour for example. They have a passion for food and life in general.

Why not make some homemade Focaccia to get in the Italian mood?

Your going to need: a 500g white bread mix, 3 tblsp olive oil, 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 4 finely sliced gloves of garlic.

Start by chopping the leaves of 4 of the rosemary  sprigs (saving one sprig for decoration later) and emptying the bread mix into a bowl before stirring in the garlic and chopped rosemary. Then mix according to the bread packet mix directions and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Flatten your dough in to 2 oblongs each of about 1cm thickness and put these onto a lightly oiled baking sheet (oiled with olive oil). Don’t forget the great silicone baking sheets available now, if you haven’t tried them yet then what are you waiting for, they are great, easy to use, store and clean. Cover this loosely with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for the dough to prove for at least 30  minutes when the dough should of doubled in size. Preheat your oven 220 c/ 425 f/ gas 7 and make dimples in your focaccia dough with your fingers before brushing with 2 tblsp olive oil and decorating with the remaining sprig of rosemary leaves and sprinkle with sea salt then bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven abd brush with the remaining olive oil before serving warm.

Note you can freeze this superb bread by double wrapping in greaseproof paper and foil before freezing until needed.

Find other italian ideas (and yes Italian is one of my favourite cuisines), in my previous blog italian-style baked red pepper or try this recipe in my blog traditional soda bread recipe or you could try my peppered beef & mushroom tagliatelle recipe in my previous blog easy recipe for a italian supper.

What a scarey fish! a little voice said and my neice looked on quite astonished I was buying some of this frightening fish. Well it may look scarey but it tastes delicious and it has been described as resembling a lobster meat, so maybe you should give it a go!

The flesh of this fish is really meaty and you’ll find if you cook for guests in general alot of them will really like it. Have a try using my summer recipe for you.

For my Midsummer Monkfish your going to need: 450g monkfish, 1 tblsp soya oil, 1/2 onion chopped, 100g mangetout topped and tailed, 50g broccoli florets, 1/2 red pepper thinly sliced, 100g baby sweetcorn, 2 tblsp dry sherry, 1 tblsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp cornflour.

Right are you ready here we go, skin the monkfish and cut away the flesh from the bone, better still smile nicely at your local fish monger and ask him to do this bit for you. Put the fillets on a plate cover with clingfilm and microwave for 6 minutes. Then cut your fillets into slices about 1cm thick. Put the oil, onion, mangetout, broccoli, pepper and corn in a large bowl. Mix well then microwave this for 4 minutes stirring halve way through. Now stir in the monk fish, sherry and soy sauce and microwave for 1 minute. Mix your cornflour to a smooth paste with a tablespoon of water and stir this into the fish dish and mix well. When blended microwave for 1 minute and serve immediately with some homemade crusty bread and a crisp dry white wine.

Are you still eating cod or have you been trying other sustainable fish? What fish have you tried and enjoyed, why not let us know? See my previous blog like Great simple fish pie recipe, or recommended simple fish supper, and blogs like Perfect omelettes for a great haddock cream omelette. There are many more fish recipes in my blogs do a search on fish to find one just for you and I even do fish dish recipes ideal when cooking for one, so top up on your omega 3.

One dish which always go down well at a get together party or barbecue are spare ribs. I have to say can’t say I adore them but there appears to be something about getting meshy, sticky and nibbles and small tasty meat fragments off the bones which alot of us love including my son Ed. He loves this quick recipe I developed when the boys get together.

For my Barbecued Spare Ribs your going to need: 1 1/2kg pork spare ribs cut up (talk to your butcher nicely as alot will prepare these for you if you ask nicely), 3 tblsp soy sauce, 2 tblsp branston spicy pickle sauce, 1 tblsp worcester sauce, 1 tblsp good tomato ketchup and 1 tblsp coarse cut marmalade.

For full on tasty ribs and you have the time allow your ribs to marinate overnight or for several hours if you can. Put all the marinade into a bowl and microwave for 1 minute then stir well and leave to go cold before adding the ribs to the marinade and mix well. Cover and refridgerate for several hours or overnight if possible stirring around a few times. Then cover your bowl with cling film and microwave for 10 minutes, baste well and turn over and microwave for a further 10 minutes or until the ribs are tender. Then they are ready to serve with jacket potatoes, spicy wedges, cous cous etc the choice is yours. You could if you want to cook them on your barbecue if you are eating alfresco too.

Whats your favourite marinate? tell us all about it and how you came about it. Alot of the times you may be missing a ingredient and replace it with another one when guests arrive uninvited so to speak. Its then when you need to note your variation as some times its better and you can go on to develop a great tasting version which is how I have developed alot of my recipes over the years. So invest in a little black book for the kitchen to fill with your creations and record results and comments.

See my previous blog summer fruity kebabs put the D in dessert, and my British barbecues perfect recipe for a delicious salmon dish if you love salmon. There are many more to look at do a search on barbecue’s to find all my al fresco recipes.