1. Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and peel
2. Put almonds in processor and just cover with olive oil, then add garlic, saffron (with its soaking water), vinegar and salt and reduce to a smooth puree
3. Keep the motor running and slowly add 500ml cold water
4. Add a little more water if the soup seems to thick
5. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill well
6. Serve with grapes floating on the top

• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 large loose headed lettuces (eg oak leaf), washed and drained
• 1 ltr milk (or half milk half cream if you want to be wicked!)
• 0.25 freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground salt and black pepper

1. Fry the onions until translucent in a large saucepan
2. Add the lettuce and stir until wilted
3. Add the milk, nutmeg and seasoning
4. Process until smooth
5. Reheat and serve with chunks of wholemeal bread

• 580ml jar of large judion butter beans
• 350g piece of chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into 2cm slices and then cut each slice into quarters
• 15 saffron strands
• 0.5 tbsp olive oil
• 400gm whole red pimientos drained and cut into 5cm chunks
• 1 medium onion peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
• 0.5 heaped tsp paprika
• 0.5 heaped tsp ground cumin
• 200g tin chopped tomatoes in rich tomato sauce
• 0.5 level tbsp roughly chopped fresh rosemary plus 1 sprig to garnish
• 100g black olives
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put saffron in a small bowl and add one tablespoon of boiling water – leave   to soak
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium frying pan over a fairly high heat
3. Add the chorizo and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until slightly coloured and charred at the edges
4. Lift out the chorizo with a slotted spoon onto a plate
5. Add the onion sot the pan over a low heat until softened but not coloured
6. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes
7. Increase the heat to moderate and add the paprika and cumin and fry for a further 1 minute
8. Add tomatoes, saffron (with its soaking water), and chopped rosemary
9. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat
10. Add the butter beans and chorizo, bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes
11. Add the pimientos and olives and cook for a further 10 minutes
12. Garnish with rosemary sprig and serve with green salad

• Cloves of garlic x 2 – finely chopped
• Ground ginger x 1 tsp
• Ground cumin x 0.5 tsp
• Ground paprika x 0.5 tsp
• Saffron filaments x 2 pinches - crushed
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• Chicken pieces x 3kg
• Medium sized onions x 4 – thinly sliced
• Parsley x 1 bunch – stalks discarded and finely chopped
• Coriander x 1 bunch - stalks discarded and finely chopped
• Cinnamon sticks x 2
• Olive oil x 2 tbs
• Butter x 2 oz
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Preserved lemons x 2 large – peel only, cut into lengthways strips
• Green olives x 300gms

1. Put garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, saffron, a little salt and pepper in a large flame proof casserole. 
2. Mix together. 
3. Add chicken and rub it well inside and out with the spice mixture
4. Add onions and herbs
5. Half cover with water and drop in the cinnamon stick.
6. Bring to the boil over a medium heat.
7. Add oil and butter. 
8. Cover and let it boil gently for a further 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
9. Transfer the chicken to a plate to keep warm.  Discard the cinnamon stick
10. Boil broth uncovered for a further 10 minutes stirring regularly until concentrated.
11. Add lemon juice, preserved peel and olives and simmer a few more minutes
12. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, turning them carefully in the sauce.
13. Adjust seasoning according to taste
14. Transfer to serving dish and serve very hot
    

This is a great dish because the flavours blend so well – and it can be served hot as a casserole or jellied as a cold dish with salad.

• 1.25kg chicken pieces on the bone
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 24 green olives (preserved)
• 175ml Fino sherry or Montilla
• 2 bay leaves

1. Fry the onion in the oil in a casserole until soft
2. Add the garlic
3. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and pack them neatly into the pan.
4. Put olives in the spaces between the chicken pieces
5. Add the Fino and bay leaves and in enough cold water to almost cover
6. Simmer covered, for 30-35 minutes. 
7. Serve

1. Spoon the chicken from the casserole and allow to cool a few minutes
2. Remove the bones and skin
3. Put bones and skin back in the pan with juices
4. Boil for a further 10 minutes to reduce the liquid and strengthen the flavour
5. Check seasoning
6. Split the chicken flesh into bite-size pieces and arrange them on a shallow dish and distribute the olives
7. Strain the juices into a bowl and skim off any fat
8. Pour over the chicken and chill until the jelly has set

• 1.5-2kg boned and rolled pork shoulder or neck end joint
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 1 dried chilli
• 2 red onions – quartered
• 2 quince – quartered
• 3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
• Chopped parsley and mashed potato to serve

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas
2. Brown the joint all over in a non-stick frying pan (you should not need any oil)
3. Put the joint skin side up in a casserole and 500ml water, the spices and onion.
4. Cover and cook for 1 hour
5. Check the water level (add a little more if you need to)
6. Add the quince pieces and sugar and cook for a further 1-1.5 hours until the pork is very tender
7. Lift the pork and quince pieces out of the casserole and reduce the liquids by half
8. Skim off any fat
9. Serve the pork in thick slices with the quince, the juices spooned over, some chopped parsley and mashed potato

• 4 egg whites
• 235 gms caster sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 0.5ltr whipped cream
• 400gms chestnuts, peeled and liquidised
• 300gms whipping cream
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• Few drops of vanilla essence
• 100gm bar of good quality dark chocolate for grating

1. Preheat oven temperature to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
2. Whisk egg whites until stiff, beat in half the sugar and continue beating with remaining sugar and vinegar. Meringue should be glossy and stiff
3. Take a flat baking sheet and cover with baking parchment. Spread meringue in a circle (approximately 25cm/10in diameter) with a slight dip in the middle. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until baking paper peels away easily from the base of the meringue.
4. Leave to cool in the oven, remove paper and put meringue on serving dish
5. Spoon the whipped cream onto the meringue
6. Make the chestnut purée by carefully mixing the cream and caster sugar into the liquidised chestnuts and flavouring with vanilla essence.  The consistency should be stiff.  Spoon on top of the meringue and cream
7. Grate chocolate all over the pavlova

• 350gm Puff pastry
• 1tbsp Whipping cream
• 1 egg Yolk
• 125 gm Blanched almonds
• 75gm Caster sugar
• 50gm Unsalted butter
• Egg
• Unwaxed lemon zested
• Pinch of salt
• 6-8 figs cleaned and cut lengthways into quarters

1. Grease a rectangular baking tray 36cm x 18cm approx
2. Roll out pastry and line tray
3. Brush the edges with egg yolk and cream beaten together and chill the pastry for 30 minutes
4. Heat the oven to 180ºC
5. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes or until browned
6. Process the almonds until ground finely
7. Add sugar, butter, egg, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and process until smooth
8. Spread the almond mixture over the base of the pastry and chill for a further 10 minutes
9. Arrange the figs, cut side up, over the almond mixture
10. Put into oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until golden
11. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream, or mascarpone

• 3 egg yolks
• 3-6 garlic cloves – to taste
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 150ml olive oil
• 150ml sunflower oil

1. Crush the garlic and salt together in a pestle and mortar to make a paste
2. Add the lemon juice and continue to mix well
3. Transfer to a large bowl
4. Add egg yolks and mix together
5. With a hand whisk stir the mixture continuously while very slowly adding the oil to create a thick creamy emulsion and use up oil the oil
6. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice

• 12 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 dsp finely chopped herbs (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put all ingredients in a screw top jar and seal tightly
2. Shake vigorously and serve

• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• Half a small red onion
• Vinaigrette – without herbs (see recipe)
• Seasoning

1. Chop peppers and onions very, very finely by hand and do not be tempted to put into a food processor
2. Add a few spoonfuls of vinaigrette and seasoning to taste and mix well

• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 medium onion – finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
• 1 long red chilli deseeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp parsley – coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander – coarsely chopped
• 120ml olive oil
• 2tbsp red wine vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and put cut side up in an over proof dish and grill until brown round the edges
2. Put tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilli and herbs into food processor and blend until everything is finely chopped and well mixed
3. With the motor still running, steadily add the oil in a fine stream and blend again. 
4. Add the vinegar and season to taste

• 12 tomatoes
• 10 red chillis
• 4 garlic cloves
• 300gm caster sugar
• 6 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Seasoning

1. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and cool in iced water
2. Peel and deseed the tomatoes
3. Simmer the tomatoes with garlic, chilli, sugar, vinegar in a large pan until reduced by one third.
4. Put in a food processor and blend until smooth and season to taste
5. Heat clean jam jars in a low oven
6. Fill the warm jam jars with hot chillli jam and seal tightly

• 115gm plain flour
• Pinch each of salt and cayenne pepper
• 60gm butter - diced
• 50gm mature Cheddar or Manchengo cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 2-3 teaspoons cold water

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC
2. Grease tart or tartlet moulds
3. Put all dry ingredients and butter into a large bowl and mix, rubbing the fat into the flour with your fingertips
4. Blend in the cheese
5. Stir in the egg yolk
6. Add sufficient water to make a pliable dough
7. Flour a board and roll out to a thickness of about 3mm
8. Using a cutter cut circles of the pastry to fit the tart or tartlet moulds
9. Brush the pastry case/s with milk or beaten egg
10. Bake at 200ºC until golden and crisp (approx 15minutes)
11. Cool on a wire rack

• 200gm parmesan – freshly and finely grated

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC
2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or a silcone sheet
3. Using a very small round pastry cutter make 12 small, well spaced piles of parmesan on the prepared baking sheet
4. Place in the oven and cook for 5-+ minutes until golden – taking care not to burn them.
   WARNING once light golden the crackers will burn very quickly