Tomato Consommé

· 1k tomatoes

· 1 clove of garlic

· 1 tablespn white wine vinegar

· 1 bunch of basil

· 2 shots of vodka

· ½ inch of horse radish

· Salt & pepper

· 2 slices of cooked beetroot

Apart from the beetroot, blitz everything in a blender, put into a jelly bag and allow to drip overnight. Don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag. The liquid will be clear and pale. Simply to give a bit of colour, add 1 or 2 slices of beetroot to the liquid and keep in the fridge. Remove beetroot and serve.

Moules en Crustade
Serves 4

· 4 large, round crusty rolls
· 150g butter
· 900g mussels
· 75ml dry white wine
· 2 leeks, chopped
· 2 tablespns double cream
· 1 tablespn flour
· 1 tablespn chopped chives
· Salt and pepper

This is a favourite supper dish of ours and guests always enjoy it. Cut the top off the rolls and scoop out the bread, to make 5mm crust “bowls”. Melt 75g of the butter and brush the top and the inside of each roll. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 7 minutes until they are golden and crisp. Keep in a warm place.

Put the mussels and wine into a covered dish and cook for 3 minutes until the mussels open. Take the mussels from their shells, discarding any that are closed. Remove and reserve the mussels. Reduce the liquid by half. In another pan heat remaining butter and cook the leeks until they are translucent, add the flour and make a light roux using the mussel liquor but don’t use the last gritty dregs. If the roux isn’t light enough, add a little more wine.

Finally return the mussels to the sauce and fill rolls with the mixture. Sprinkle on the chopped chives and return the bread tops at a rakish angle. Serve.

Mushroom risotto

· 1lb risotto rice
· 2 tablespns of olive oil
· 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
· 10oz mushroom stock* or chicken/vegetable stock
· 50g butter
· 1 onion peeled and chopped
· 200g risotto rice
· 100g parmesan, grated
· flat leaf parsley, salt & pepper.

There are several types of Italian risotto rice available here in the U.K., perhaps the best are either Arborio or Carnaroli.
Prepare the stock and heat it. In a large saucepan heat the olive oil until smoking and fry the mushrooms in small batches. Remove and reserve. Sweat the onion, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the rice, making sure each grain is coated with oil. Add the stock by the ladleful allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding more. If you like an al dente risotto this will take about 20 minutes. Finally add the mushrooms, butter, parmesan and chopped parsley
* Good Italian delis will have porcini stock cubes.

Raisin and Marsala ice-cream sauce

· 1 litre kilner jar
· 480g dried raisins
· bottle of Marsala

Here is a brilliant ice-cream sauce. It is easy to make, it doesn’t contain preservatives and it has no use-by date. You will need a kilner jar sterilize in the dish-washer. Put in the raisins and cover with Marsala. It is as simple as that. Provided you keep the raisins covered with Marsala, it will last almost indefinitely and will always be on hand in an emergency.
Suggested serving: a tablespoon per person.

Taramasalata

Serves 4-6,
Originally, in the Mediterranean, this dish was made with the salted roe of the grey mullet but smoked cod’s roe
is an excellent substitute.
· 8oz smoked cod’s roe
· 1 onion
· 1-2 cloves garlic
· 3 slices of white bread
· 5 tablespns milk
· 6-8 tablespns olive oil
· juice of a large lemon
· pepper

Remove the crust from the bread and soak in the milk. Scoop the roe into bowl of the blender, add grated onion and garlic. Squeeze the bread dry and add to the other ingredient in the bowl. Set the motor going and slowly add the oil and lemon juice as if making mayonnaise. Cover and chill. Serve with crisp toast.

Sweetbreads with Sage and Marsala
Serves 4
· 500g lambs sweetbreads
· 50g of bacon lardons
· fresh sage leaves
· 150ml marsala or sweet sherry
· 50g butter
· croutons

The new season lamb has arrived and that means sweetbreads they make a marvellous supper dish. Blanch the sweetbreads in boiling water, remove the membrane and divide them into bite-size nuggets. Press them under a board until you are ready to cook them. Fry them in butter until brown which will take about 3 minutes. Be careful not to let the butter burn. Add the lardons and sage, pour in the marsala and boil down to a syrupy succulent glaze. You will need to turn the heat up to evaporate the wine. This will take about 10 minutes. Serve with croutons and any sauce left can be poured over the top.

This is an Italian dish I discovered a long time ago in Jane Grigson’s Good Things. If sweetbreads don’t appeal to you, use any other delicate meat such as chicken or turkey breasts or poultry livers. It is a delicious dish and well worth trying.

Anchovy Ice-cream

• 1 tin of anchovies in oil
• 4oz tub of single cream


This makes a delightful nibble to have with drinks outside on a warm June evening. Discard the oil from the tin of anchovies and blitz them in the Magimix with a small tub of single cream. Put in a plastic box in the freezer. You don’t need an ice-cream maker or to stir while this is freezing. Serve in the little bite-size cups called crustades. Take out of the freezer 30 minutes before using. Garnish with a little salmon or lump-fish caviar.
As I write this I want to open a bottle of cold Mersault.

Asparagus with pasta
Serves 4
· 200g Penne
· A bunch of fresh asparagus
· 6oz Hollandaise sauce

This is a marvellous supper dish in the asparagus season. Cook the pasta according to the time on the packet. Prepare the asparagus: the “woody” bit at the bottom of the stem should just snap off at the right place, discard these. Now cut the spears, which should be tightly knitted if the asparagus is fresh, so they are about an inch long. Cook the remaining stems in boiling water for about 3 minutes and blitz in the Magimix. Cook the spears for 2 minutes. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put it into a large bowl. Add the blitzed stems, the spears and the hollandaise sauce to the pasta. Gently fold together and serve.

Cullen Skink
Serve 4

· 1lb Finnan haddock
· A large sliced onion
· 4 tablespoons butter
· potatoes for 4
· 1 tin evaporated milk
· fresh thyme leaves
· salt and pepper

Skink is an old English word for soup and is used of the haddock chowder they make in the little fishing village of Cullen, on the Moray Firth. Sweat a large onion in a pan, don’t let it colour. Add enough potatoes for four, cover with water. Cut the haddock into manageable pieces and lay on top. By the time the potatoes are cooked the fish is also cooked and the dish is all but finished. Take the haddock out, remove the skin, bones, flake and set aside. Gently break up the potatoes with a masher, add the evaporated milk and thyme leaves. Return the still warm haddock and at the last minute reheat, season and serve. Enjoy with some crusty bread.