Italian Stuffed Aubergines

1½ hrs

serves 4

2 large solid baking sheets, 16in. x 12in.
baking dish 16in. x 12in. or larger
2 medium to large aubergines (eggplant)
6 large ripe tomatoes
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
10 large basil leaves, torn up
4 tbsp. sun-dried tomato paste
2 rounded tbsp. drained capers

12 drained anchovy fillets, chopped
(or 2 extra tbsp. drained capers)
300g./10oz. soft fresh Mozzarella, drained
3 level tablespoons fine fresh bread-crumbs
4 level tbsp. Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), freshly grated
4 tbsp. olive oil
16 large fresh basil leaves, lightly oiled
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4. Wipe the aubergines, trim off stalk ends. Using very sharp knife cut each lengthways into about 8 thin slices about ¼in./5mm. thick. When you get to the bulbous sides these slices should be chopped into small pieces and kept for the filling. Arrange the slices of aubergine flat on the baking sheet, brush each lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven on a high shelf for 15 minutes by which time they will have softened up enough to roll up easily.

Cut the tomatoes in half and gently squeeze or scoop out the seeds and central juicy bits. Chop the tomatoes into ¼in./5mm. dice. Heat 1tbs. olive oil in a large solid frypan and fry the onions, chopped aubergine (eggplant) and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, torn basil leaves and sun-dried tomato paste and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Give everything a good seasoning and add the chopped anchovies and/or capers. Then remove the pan from the heat and let mixture cool

Chop the Mozzarella into ¼in / 5mm dice. As soon as the aubergine slices are cool enough to handle, sprinkle each with the chopped Mozzarella, placing it all along the centre of each slice. On top put an equal amount of stuffing mixture, leaving a border for expansion. Roll up the slices and put them in the oiled baking dish making sure the rolled up ends are tucked underneath. Brush each with oil, combine the bread-crumbs and Parmesan, sprinkle the mixture over them, topping with an oiled basil leaf. Bake in the oven (same temperature) for about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Good with wild rice or brown rice.

Oriental Salmon

2 hours

serves 4

2 tbsp. (30 ml.) hoi-sin sauce
2 tbsp. (30 ml.) dark soy sauce
1 tsp. (5 ml.) toasted sesame oil
large pinch Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp. (15 ml.) clear honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. (5 ml.) fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
4 salmon steaks or fillets, each about 150g. (5 oz.)

Combine all ingredients, add the salmon and marinate for 1-2 hours. Remove from the marinade and grill or B-B-Q, basting with the sauce. Serve with a Chinese stir-fry of thinly sliced carrot and courgette (zucchini), beansprouts, mange-tout, baby sweetcorn and broccoli florets, or lightly steamed courgette ribbons sprinkled with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and toasted sesame seeds

Pan-Fried Lamb Steaks w/ Sage and Balsamic

¼ hour

serves 2

1 lb./454g. lamb steaks (2-4)
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ oz/15g butter
70g pancetta, chopped
8 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp./15ml. balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp./60ml fresh chicken stock
1 tbsp./15ml crème fraîche

Season the lamb with lots of freshly ground black pepper. Heat a frying pan, add the butter and seal the lamb. Pan-fry over a moderate heat for 10 minutes (medium), turning halfway through cooking. Remove and keep warm.

Add the pancetta and shallot to the pan and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add the sage and boil for a further minute. Skim off any excess fat.

Add the vinegar and stock and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the crème fraîche. Return the lamb to the pan and heat gently.

Serve with Wilted Spinach Salad and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Caesar Salad

15 min.

serves 4

2 romaine lettuces
garlic croutons

Dressing:
extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice
lots of crushed garlic
freshly ground black pepper
Worcestershire sauce
grated parmesan cheese
whole grain mustard (optional)
1 raw egg, beaten (optional)
anchovies (optional)

Wash and tear up the romaine lettuce into a large salad bowl.

Like all salads, the dressing should be added to the lettuce just before serving. There are two ways to make the dressing—one is to add the dressing ingredients to the lettuce, throw in the croutons and toss; the other more traditional way is to add all the ingredients to a blender or mixing bowl and whip thoroughly to a creamy consistency, pour onto the lettuce, add the croutons and toss. Use this latter method if using the mustard and/or egg and/or anchovies.

As to proportions and amounts, just experiment until you find what suits you

Orange Roughy with Pawpaw Salsa

1 hour

serves 4

1 ripe pawpaw (papaya)
1 green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
4 spring onions
30ml (2 tbs.) fresh coriander leaves, chopped
juice of ½ lime
15ml (1 tbs.) whole peppercorns, coarsely crushed
5ml (1 tsp.) salt
4 fillets orange roughy, each approx. 175g (6 oz)
30ml (2 tbs.) olive oil

Peel the pawpaw, cut in half and remove black seeds. Cut flesh into small 1/8 inch dice and place in a bowl. Add the finely chopped chilli, spring onions, coriander and lime juice. Mix together, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Mix together the peppercorns and salt and sprinkle over both sides of the fish fillets, pressing it in well.

Heat the oil in a frypan. When hot, add the fish and fry for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve with the pawpaw salsa, new potatoes and green beans.

Gravad Lax

48 hours

1 kg fresh salmon (whole or as fillets with skin)
½ dl salt
2-4 tbs. sugar
lots of dill, finely chopped
10 white peppercorns

Cut salmon in half lengthways and take out bones (including the little bones deep in the flesh). Mix salt and sugar and spread on the pink flesh of the salmon. Crush the peppercorns and sprinkle on the salmon along with the dill.

Put two halves of salmon back together, head to tail. Place in a strong plastic bag then on a flat plate. Place it in the fridge for a day well weighted down, then turn it over and leave for another day. Throw away the resulting fluids and spices. Eat within a week.

For the Gravad Sauce (for 4 persons):
2 tbs. sweet mustard
2-3 tbs. strong mustard
1-2 tbs. sugar
1½-2 dl vegetable oil
1 tbs. vinegar
lots of fresh dill, finely chopped
salt and ground white pepper

Mix together the mustard, sugar and egg yolk. Add oil drop by drop while stirring to create a smooth emulsion. Then add the vinegar, salt and pepper and the dill

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

1½ hour

serves 4

6-8 potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
4 tbsp. olive oil
6-8 whole garlic cloves

Parboil the potatoes for about 3 minutes then drain well. Heat the oil in a roasting tin. Remove casing from each clove of garlic, but keep whole. Add these, with the potato chunks, to the hot oil, turning to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast at 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4 for about 40-45 minutes, then increase the heat to 200C / 400F / Gas Mark 6 for a final 20-30 minutes until nicely browned.

The roasted garlic cloves can be squeezed over the meat dish to add even more piquancy.

Pumpkin Pie

2 hours

serves 12

If not using a pre-made pie shell, use this recipe:

For an 11 inch pie (or two 9 inch pies), serving 16 to 20

A buttered pie-pan 11 inches in diameter (or two buttered 9-inch pans).
1½ cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached
½ cup (70 grams) plain bleached cake flour
¼ tsp. salt and 2 tbs. sugar
6 ounces chilled unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup (2 ounces) chilled vegetable shortening
½ cup ice water, plus droplets more, if needed

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED: A food processor with steel blade

Blend flour and butter. Have all the ingredients measured out and ready to use. Put the flour, salt, sugar, and diced butter in the processor and pulse (on-off half second clicks) 5 or 6 times to roughly break up the butter. Add the shortening, turn on the machine, and immediately put in the ½ cup of ice water, then pulse 2 or 3 times. Remove the cover and feel the dough—it should look like a bunch of small lumps, and will just hold together in a mass when you press a handful together (it is important not to over-mix; it should not mass on the blade of the machine.) If too dry, pulse in more droplets of water. From now on work rapidly to keep the dough cold and manageable.

Final Blending. Turn the dough out onto your work surface, press it into a rough mass, For the final blending, with the heel (not the palm) of your hand, rapidly and roughly push egg-size clumps of dough out in front of you in a 6 inch smear.

Resting and Chilling. Form the dough into a cake—it should be fairly smooth and pliable. Wrap in plastic, slide it into a plastic bag and refrigerate. Freshly made dough should chill 2 hours at least, allowing the flour particles to absorb the liquid, as well as to firm the butter and relax the gluten.

The Basic Pumpkin Mixture:

3½ cups cooked or canned (solid pack) pumpkin
1 cup/140g light brown sugar
1 cup/140g granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tbs. light molasses
3 tbs. bourbon whiskey or dark Jamaican rum
3 tsp. each cinnamon and ground ginger
¼ tsp. each nutmeg and ground cloves
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup milk, or more if needed
5 egg whites
Optional garnish: whipped cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream

Preliminaries: Preheat the oven to 230C / 450F / Gas Mark 8. Roll out the chilled dough and fit it into the pie pan, making a strong, fluted rim that extends about ½ inch above the top of the pan. (Do not prick the bottom of the pastry.)

The pumpkin mixture: Blend the basic pumpkin ingredients together in a mixing bowl; the mixture should hold its shape softly in a spoon; beat in droplets more of milk if it seems stiff. Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and beat a quarter of them into the pumpkin mixture. Delicately fold in the rest.

Filling the shell: At once, ladle the mixture into the pie shell, filling only to the rim of the pan. Proceed at once to the baking.

Baking — about 1 hour, starting at 230C / 450F / Gas Mark 8: Keep your eye on things here, since if the filling cooks too fast it can turn watery.

Tiramisu

1 hour

serves 6

3 eggs
3 tbs. (not heaping) of sugar
extra large cuilliere biscuits
cocoa powder
coffee
250g mascarpone

Mix the three egg yolks with the sugar and mascarpone. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture. Soak the biscuits briefly in the cold coffee and place in a layer in the buttered pan. Cover with mascarpone mixture. Add another layer of biscuits and cover again with mascarpone. When you have used up the mixture, liberally sprinkle cocoa powder on top. Leave in the fridge for 6 hours and serve.

Tarte Tatin

45 min.

serves 4-6

6-8 (depending on size) Granny Smith or similar tart green apples, peeled, cored and quartered

4oz/100g/1 stick butter

bit of lemon juice (optional)

8oz/200g granulated white sugar

12 inch feuilleté or puff pastry (flaky pastry) — that is, mille feuille pastry, NOT filo pastry

10-inch or 12-inch pan which can be heated on the stove and in the oven.

If you do not have a specialty tarte tatin dish, a 10-inch or 12-inch cast iron frying pan will work wonderfully. Alternatively, an older Pyrex glass dish which allows cooking on both stove-top and oven will allow you to see how it is cooking on the bottom.

Spread the butter over the bottom of the pan and place on a low heat over a large burner. As the butter melts, sprinkle ½ of the sugar evenly over the melting butter. On the butter-sugar mixture, place apple quarters on their sides one beside another in an artful circle around the outside on the pan, then add more in the middle to fill up the space, cutting extra apple pieces so they fit tightly. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the apples as they begin to cook. Move the pan around on the element occasionally to heat evenly, simmering mixture until syrup gets brown and thick. Use the lowest heat level you can, though high enough that the butter mixture is still bubbling. Do not burn the mixture to the bottom, but it will be getting quite brown (not black) in several spots on the bottom before it is ready. This cooking process can take up to 20 minutes or more, depending on your simmer heat.

Preheat the oven to 230°C / 450°F / Gas Mark 8.

Take the cooking apples/sugar/butter mixture off the element and let the bubbling subside somewhat. Lay the pastry circle over the pan and tuck edges around the apples but INSIDE the pan rim, i.e. between the apples and the pan rim. Put in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry crust looks brown and well cooked -- it may be puffed up high but will subside when turned over.

After the tarte comes out of the oven let it cool a few minutes until it is more touchable, then place the serving platter upside down on top of the pan and turn over together so that the tarte drops out onto the platter with pastry on the bottom and apples on the top.

WARNING — do not let cool too long before turning over or it will stick to the pan and be very difficult to remove.

Serve with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

from Eillen Sellam