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.

Its very easy to get into the habit of saying to yourself, ‘its just for me!’, when you cooking just for yourself. However I believe that eating a home cooked meal should be a pleasure even if alone and something to look forward to at the end of a busy day, and well let me tell you my days are definitely busy!

I do however have some tips: try to plan a menu to make sure you get a balanced diet to include fresh fruit and vegetables goes without saying really. Buy your food little and often to ensure freshness and avoid bargain offers of family sized packs unless of cause you can freeze it. You can however cook a recipe for 4 and then plate this and freeze for you to use when your tied or need something in a hurry.

Now check out my previous blogs on microwave as cooking for one its cheaper and more convenient, more energy efficient and less time consuming so make sure you consider this means of cooking. Look at my blog Microwave magic,  microwave combo this is a fantastic peice of kitchen equipment.

One of my favourite recipe for cooking just for me is Red mullet wrapped in parma ham, I love red mullet.

You will need: 225g approx of red mullet, 1 slice of onion, 1 slice of lemon, 1 bay leaf, few sprigs of thyme, sea salt and ground black pepper for seasoning, 2 tablsp olive oil, 25g thinly sliced parma ham and 1 tblsp dry white wine. (Sorry I love my Italian, don’t you great wine, food and lots more, delicious!)

Clean the mullet and rinse under a cold tap, scrapping with a knive to remove the scales, before triming the tail and fins then pat dry with kitchen towel. Of course your fish monger can do this and prepare it for you if you ask nicely. Fill the cavity with the slices of onion and lemon and a few sprigs of the thyme and seaon lightly. Then brush the fish with the oil and wrap in the ham. Place onto a microwaveable plate and pour over the wine and add some more thyme to flavour to your taste. Now cover and microwave for 6-7 minutes until the fish is cooked and serve with fresh seasonal vegetables or a crisp salad. One more thing make sure you set the table and sit and eat as you would with guests, relax put on that light music and grab yourself a great glass of wine to enjoy your beautifully cooked meal with. Enjoy!

Check out my mango and orange oaty crunch for a great quick dessert to go with this in my next blog.

It was lovely to hear from Heather whose been collecting my recipes and making a booklet with her favourite recipes, having found her passion for home cooking again, well done Heather enjoy your cooking & eating your creations too of course! 

Sometimes its the simple things in life that give so much pleasure!

How many times have we heard this. I hear it alot and on many occassions this can be applied to many things in life including cooking. Sometimes its not that A La Carte meal, fancy restaurant, or expensive gastro pub which satisfies. Recently while visiting my son on the coast we were looking for something tasty, and simple after having a disasterous meal in a gastro establishment and we found it. A superb public house offering nothing but local catch of the day cooked to perfection and we ere not disappointed. The fish was cooked perfectly and it was served simply with fresh seasonal buttered vegetables, washed down with superb white wine and we had a perfect memorable meal we both thoroughly enjoyed.

With this in mind I have just set about making a simple meal with flavour, colour and of course health benefits too enjoying griddled local chicken with tomato salsa a great summer meal.

For this recipe you are going to need: 4 boneless local chicken breast fillets (about 175g each), 30ml fresh lemon juice, 30ml olive oil, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp black pepper coarse and for the salso you will need, 1 green chilli, 450g plum tomatoes chopped, 3 spring onions chopped, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 2 tbsp fresh coriander, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 3 tbsp olive oil.

Firstly with a meat mallet pound the chicken between 2 sheets of clear wrap until thin, in a shallow dish combine the lemon juice, oil, cumin, oregano, pepper and add the chicken coating both sides then cover and leave to marinade. (Leave this for at least 2 hours or best left overnight in a refridgerator. For the salsa char the chilli skin over a gas flame or under the grill and leave to cool for about 5 minutes then carefully rub off the charred skin. (Make sure you wash your hands carefully and fully afterwards) Also for a less intense heat you can discard the seeds.

Did you know that the hottest part of the chilli is the white membrane that connects the seeds to the pod and by charring the chilli this releases the natural sweetness and the heat is moderated?

Chop the chilli up finely and place in a bowl, then add the chopped tomatoes (I added my own tomatoes fresh from the garden). Also add the chopped spring onions, chopped fresh parsley and chopped fresh coriander, lemon juice, olive oil and then mix well and set aside ready for serving.

Remove your chicken from the bag after marinading and heat up a ridged griddle pan or plate. Add the chicken fillets and cook on one side until browned for about 3 minutes then turn over and cook the other side for a further 4 minutes. Serve with your fresh tomato chilli salsa.

For other griddle recipes and griddle information check out my previous blog perfect lamb pittas or if you like chicken check out my sesame chicken noodles recipe my sons favourite in my previous blog Bring back time to eat together.

Meat mallets are a cooks tool for tenderising meat and flattening meats. Usually made from wood or metal with one side flat and other has bumps. Have a look at the selection here meat mallets, I have a stainless steel one and you can’t beat the price on this great stainless steel meat mallet with a 25 year guarantee.

Have you a great marinade recipe you could share with us all?

I love fish and can’t resist trying new varieties too. Having recently been given trout from my friend who fishes regularly there is no better dish than fresh fish. I recently tried a new fish called river cobbler which is a alternative to cod, why not ask your fish monker and try a sustainable alternative fish. Tell him what type of texture and fish you usually like and I bet he will come up with some superb alternatives for you to try.

This evening supper is one of my personal favourites. Its so simple to cook but bursting not only with nutritional must haves for all of us, but full to the seams with flavour.

Why not try my Pan Fried Cod with cabbage and remember you can use a alternative fish.

You are going to need: 4 x 150g cod fillets, 1 small savoy cabbage, 4 slices of local streaky bacon cut into small pieces, a punnet of local oyster mushrooms (i’m lucky enough to have a local mushroom farm but check out the seasonal mushrooms depending when your cooking this dish, same with the cabbage), 80g butter, 1 tsp thyme, 50 ml olive oil and cracked black pepper and sea salt to season to taste.

Firstly quater, core and finely slice your cabbage and cook in boiling water until tender around 15 minutes ( you could also steam, see one of my previous blogs why people are going organic regarding steaming foods), then drain and cool under a running tap. Heat a non-stick frying pan and when hot add your olive oil and cook the cod fillets for 3 minutes on each side then remove and set aside. Wipe your pan clean and add 50g butter, when brown put in the chopped bacon and cook for around 2 minutes. Then add the cabbage and thyme and saute for a further 1 to 2 minutes to reheat. Add salt & pepper to you taste and set aside in a serving dish. Wipe your pan again and add the remaining butter and quickly cook your mushrooms which have been cut into strips and season.  For serving spoon a quarter of your cabbage into the centre of a warm plate, placing a cod fillet on top and mushrooms on top of the fish and serve with Wine of your choice. Simple, full of flavour and delicious!!!

Check out some of my previous blogs for fish advice and recipes like, savour the flavour of home cooked food on friday nights or finest fish supper or eat traditionally on good friday for a great fish pie recipe.

Have you tried Cod alternatives?, which fishes have you been recommended and enjoyed?

I am sure many of us stop to think what can we do to make someone specials birthday that extra special. Well one very special person in my life like many of this is my Mum, like me Grandma she too believes in wholesome local and seasonal food as we were both taught to cook by her.

Wanting to make her birthday extra special we were looking to serve her a great birthday breakfast as a real treat.

Other breakfast recipes can be found in my previous blog ‘yogurt recipe depends on milk used’. You could also look at my previous blog ‘perfect omelettes’ too.

I knew exactly the breakfast Mum loves and headed for Red Hill Farm for fresh farm eggs straight from the field from their free range hens. Heading back Ed had already started to put together a tray fit for a queen together with a vase of flowers from the garden.

What were we preparing for this very special lady well one of her favourites scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. While Ed set about preparing his grandmother a cup of the best earl grey I got together the ingredients.

You will need: 4 Large free range eggs, pinch of cayenne pepper, 2 tsp butter, 2 small bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine, 2 thick slices of homebaked bread, 50g fresh smoked scottish salmon cut into strips and fresh dill.

Start by preheating your grill and line your grill pan with foil. Place your beaten eggs, cayenne pepper and butter in a nonstick pan and cook on a low heat. Make sure you stir gently and constantly with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes until the egg is softly set. While cooking your eggs, grill your vine cherry tomatoes for about 5 minutes until softened and they are starting to split. Toast your bread, butter and cut in half (like triangles).  Placing 2 triangles of toast on a plate, then top with scrambled egg, pile on the smoked scottish salmon strips and snip some fresh dill over the top using scissors. Serve with you extra toast triangles and grilled tomatoes.

Putting together our tray complete with tea, toast, flowers & birthday breakfast, not forgetting the birthday cards we headed for the bedroom with a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’. To say she was delighted and enjoyed her breakfast was a understatement she loved it.

What would you serve that special someone for breakfast in bed, why not send in your recipes for a tasty special breakfast!

If your planning a birthday party check out my previous blog ‘The Big Dipper’.

For a great toaster with great functions for full use in your kitchen try this Morphy Richards accents polished stainless steel pause and check toaster. With its great function to Pause and Check your toast without interrupting the toasting cycle for perfect toast and removable crumb tray to keep your toaster clean and tidy, the crumb tray can be removed to clean. This toaster also has a hi lift facility to remove smaller items from your toaster such as crumpets etc. you can use this lift on the lever to safety remove these; along with a variable browning control allows you to set the browning of your toast so you can have your toast just the way you like it. One of the best functions is the deep vari-width toasting chamber - thick doorsteps or thin wafers, whatever your choice of bread the variable bread width function can cater for your needs, so you can toast homemade bread too, which some toasters just cannot accomodate.
 

 Asparagus will soon be disappearing from our shelves (well the British Variety will anyway!) The asparagus season goes from April to mid June, but you can still enjoy this marvellous vegetable, if your quick.

When choosing your asparagus make sure you go for the firm asparagus with good colour, not wilted tops etc. You can simply cut off the woody ends and scrap this end with a knive, before you simply saute in a little butter and black pepper, delicious or why not try my Asparagus & Mushroom Fusilli, again simple to make and one of my sons favourites, so it has to be easy to prepare and cook!

You will need 300g Fusilli Pasta ( or use your homemade pasta as shown in my blog homemade pasta ), 25g Butter, 2 cm piece root ginger - grated, 125g mushrooms -sliced, 2 100g bunches of asparagus, 250ml tub half fat creme fraiche, 1 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley & salt and pepper to season.

First you will need to cook your pasta in a large pan of boiling slated water for about 10 minutes, (less time if fresh), while this is cooking melt your butter in a large pan and fry the ginger. mushrooms and asparagus (which you have prepared and cut on the diagonal into pieces) for about 5 minutes until cooked. Now add the creme fraiche, parsley and then seasoning to your taste. Drain your now cooked pasta

I found this great gadget for making draining pasta easy after I watched my mother in despair try to drain pasta using a saucpan lid only to feed the sink with some of this delicious homemade pasta as it slipped her clutches so to avoid this try using this great pasta spaghetti vegetable boiler colander drainer basket it  is made of  wireware, this stainless steel spaghetti, pasta vegetable basket is ideal for boiling and easily draining pasta or vegetables, for either domestic or commercial use.

Now mix into your sauce before serving immediately with either a salad or crusty homemade bread and a glass of cool white wine.

Also check out my other blog Tantalising spanish sunshine for another great alfresco asparagus recipe for you to enjoy in the sunshine with friends and family.

I developed this great finale to any dinner party over the years. If your in our house no meal is complete without some form of dessert, even if we are heading for the cheese & fruit platter. Sweet Toothes hey! we all know one and my house is no exception.

So I developed a twist on a great british traditional pudding to give not only fabulous flavours, enough sweetness to melt the heart of even the sweetest of toothes amoungst us; but also packed with a good source of vitamins A, B C E, iron, calcium, selenium & zinc, too good to be true I know, and there is more.

This fantastic pudding can be made in advance and kept in a fridge, so no last minute panic.

What am I talking about well its Luxurious, warming & colourful Fruity Bread & Butter pudding!

Your going to need: 350ml full cream milk, 300g fresh or frozen mixed fruit of your choice, 50g butter, 8 slices of wholemeal bread, 3 tablespoons of light muscovado sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract, nutmeg for grating & icing sugar to decorate. Oh and either fresh cream, greek yogurt or custard to serve with your finished pudding.

Preheat your oven to 220 c/425 f/ gas 7, heat the milk gently in a pan, do not let it boil. Grease 4 overproof ramekins. Remove the crusts from the bread and butter the slices cutting into 4 triangles. Arrange a few pieces in bottom of each dish (pointing slightly upwards) then add a spoonful of your fruit mix and a sprinkling of sugar then repeat this process until all the bread and fruit it used up ending with a layer of bread in each dish. Break your eggs in a bowl and whisk lightly, stir in the warm milk and vanilla. Whisk again and carefully pour over the custard mix evenly into each pudding dish. Grate a little nutmeg over each of the puddings and place them on a baking tray before baking for 15 minutes or until set and golden brown. To serve sift icing sugar over the tops and serve with cream, yogurt or custard of your choice.

 I think this funky Le Creuset Stoneware Heart Shaped Ramekin Gift sets are great they look superb and make a pudding special, so surprise your guest by serving your desserts in something extra special like them ! ahhhhh!

 They are stylish tableware for both entertaining and everyday use, coming in their fabulous     Espresso Exterior finish, they offer the perfect presentation for individual desserts. Suitable for use in the Freezer, Dishwasher, Oven,Grill and Microwave and each ramekin holds 0.3l and is 11cm in diameter.

Whats your dinner party finale! (& keep it clean please!)