1 bunch fresh spinach, white parts removed, chopped and blanched.
1 carton cottage cheese (200 grams?)
3 eggs, beaten
3 Tablespoon flour
250 grams grated cheddar cheese
125 grams melted butter
Seasoning

Mix all the ingredients together, with a spoon.  Place in a greased casserole.  Bake at 180°C for half an hour.  It should be light and fluffy and not dried out.

300ml plain yoghurt
1 thumb's length of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely sliced
125ml (1/2 cup) chopped dhania leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tsp ground jeera (cumin)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 heaped Tbs masala (curry mix of your choice)
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 kg mutton, cut into pieces
15ml (1 Tbs) ghee or butter
1 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
6 cardamom pods, cut open and their seeds removed (use the seeds, Daisy)
2 bay leaves
2 sticks cinnamon or cassia
3 large onions, finely chopped
2 fat cloves garlic, finely chopped
60ml (4 Tbs) boiling hot water
2 tsp salt, or more (to taste)
1 large onion, halved and then sliced thinly, and some butter or ghee to fry

2 cups (500ml) cooked basmati rice
250 ml (1 cup) rice water
A pinch of saffron for the rice


First pour the yoghurt into a large bowl and add the ginger, chilli, chopped
dhania (coriander) leaves, ground cumin, chilli powder, masala and ground
turmeric. Add a little salt to taste and mix well, then put in the mutton
pieces and coat the meat well. Leave aside for an hour or more to marinate.
There's nothing to stop you having done this hours earlier for longer
marination.

Make the rice and keep aside, adding a pinch of saffron or turmeric to the
water (if you have not already done so). Retain a cup (250ml) of the rice
water.

Melt the ghee and add the whole jeera, cardamom and mustard seeds, bay
leaves and cinnamon sticks. When the seeds start to crackle, add the chopped
onions and garlic, and saute until the onions are soft. Add the meat,
including the yoghurt marinade, and braise for a few minutes. Add about 60ml
(4 Tbs) boiling water. Season to taste with salt. Cook this on a low heat
for about 30 minutes, then remove from the heat and add a layer of parboiled
potatoes (if using), then top that with a layer of rice. Fry the remaining
sliced onion in ghee or butter until golden brown, and sprinkle over the
rice. Pour the rice water over the top, carefully, cover and simmer for as
long as it takes for the mutton to become tender, which could take up to two
hours. It must be on a low heat so that it does not catch at the bottom. If
it appears to be drying out, add a little more boiled water, but not too
much.

Serves 6

Ingredients
For the caramel

160g/6oz sugar
unsalted butter, for greasing the ramekins

For the custard

4 free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
25g/1oz caster sugar
600ml/1 pint full-fat milk
pouring cream, to serve

Method

Pre-heat oven 150C/300F/Gas 2. Warm the ramekins in the oven, so they
are warm when the caramel is poured in.

First make the caramel. Pour the sugar and six tablespoons of water into
a clean stainless steel pan.

Dissolve the sugar slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon over a low heat.

When there are no sugar granules left, stop stirring and boil until the
sugar turns a dark copper colour.

Remove immediately from the heat to ensure the caramel does not burn.
Quickly pour the caramel into the warmed ramekins.

Set aside to cool and become hard. (Do not put in the fridge because the
sugar will absorb moisture and go soft and tacky).

Once hard, butter the sides of the ramekins above the level of the
caramel.

For the custard, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and caster sugar
together in a bowl until well mixed.

Pour the milk into a saucepan, gently heat over a low heat until you can
still just dip your finger in for a moment, then strain the milk through a
fine sieve onto the egg mixture in the bowl.

Whisk together until smooth, then pour the mixture into the prepared
ramekins.

Stand the ramekins in a roasting tin and fill the tin half-way with
boiling water from a kettle.

Cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the custard has set.
Do not overcook the custard – check around the edges of the dishes, to make
sure no bubbles are appearing.

Take the crème caramels out of the oven, remove the ramekins from the
tray and set on a cooling rack. When cool, transfer to the fridge overnight
so that the caramel is absorbed into the custard.

To serve, loosen the sides of the custard by tipping the ramekin and
loosen with a small palette knife round the edges. Place a serving dish on
top of the ramekin and turn upside down. Serve with pouring cream.

Recipe Tips

Make these the day before – if you turn the caramel custard out too soon,
the caramel stays in the bottom of the ramekins. But do turn them out just
before serving or the caramel will lose its colour.

If you prefer, the recipe can be made in a 1.2 litre (2 pint) dish and
cooked for 40-50 minutes.

Do not use a non-stick pan to make the caramel, it will not work, it will
crystallize. For a richer crème caramel add an extra two yolks to the eggs.

The base

Ingredients

500 grams bread flour
375ml bottle of Castle Lager
10g sachet of dried yeast
A pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 240 Centigrade.

Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the beer, except for the last few drops, which the maker should drink.  Use a dough hook to mix until well combined.

Cover with a piece of oiled plastic and a tea towel.  Leave to rest in a warm place for a couple of hours during which time the dough should have doubled in size.

Turn out on to a well floured surface and form into a ball.  Weigh and divide into 4 equal parts.  (A little more than 200 grams each.)  Cover the remaining three potions while you prepare the first base.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle which will fit your pizza pan.  Prepare the pan with “spray & cook”. (Stick and spray.)  Use your finger tips to fit the dough circle to the edges of the pan, trying to achieve a uniform thickness.  Again using your fingers spread a small amount of olive oil (a few drops) to cover the pizza base.  Add two shakes of salt, evenly distributed.

Place the pizza base (and pan) on the bottom shelf of the oven and wait until the base begins to form bubbles.  About 5 minutes.

The Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

400g tin of chopped tomatoes.  In season, use fresh very ripe tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped and mashed with salt
freshly ground black pepper
half a handful of dried mixed herbs
optional, if available, in season: fresh basil leaves

Have this ready when the pizza base comes out of the oven.  Heat all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir and reduce to a spreadable sauce.  About ten minutes.  Spread a thin layer of the sauce evenly over the pizza base.

The Cheese

300 grams mozzarella cheese

Place the cheese in a deep freeze for a couple of hours.  This will make it much easier to grate.   Using one quarter of the cheese, spread an even layer after you have placed the topping of your choice on the tomato sauce covered base.  Return to the oven until the cheese melts and bubbles and you have what obviously looks like a delicious pizza.

Work together with a partner.  While one prepares the bases, the other will assemble the toppings.  In little more than half an hour, you will have four fantastic pizzas.

The Topping

Here are some of our favorites.  Remember, less is more!

ham, gherkins and chilli jam

olives, capers and anchovies

blue cheese, rocket and onion marmalade

salami and fried onions

split pea dahl, 100 g, soaked overnight in cold water
red lentils, 100g soaked in water overnight
ground turmeric,, a pinch
vegetable oil, 25 ml
onion, 150g, peeled and finely chopped
fresh ginger, 3 T peeled and finely chopped
fresh red chilli, 2 t finely sliced
garam masala, 2 t
asafoetida, 1 t
deried fenugreek leaves, 1 T
plum tomatoes, 150 g, cored, quartered and roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
crispy onion sprinkle

for the Tarka
vegetable oil, 2 T
cumin seeds, 1 t
garlic, 3 T, peeled and finely sliced
dried chilli, 1 split in half
Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 t
coriander, a small bunch, leaves picked and shredded

1.  Drain and rinse the soaked lentils.  Place them together with the tumeric in a saucepan, cover with and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1½ – 2 hours, or until the lentils are soft and tender.  Skim off any scum that floats to the surface, adding more water if necessary during the cooking process.  Remove from the heat, cover and set aside to cool while preparing the rest of the dish.

2.  Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat.  Add the onion, ginger and red chilli and cook without colouring until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the garam masala, asafoetida and fenugreek and cook for 2 minutes, stirring the spices to prevent them from sticking to the pan, becoming bitter or burning.  Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook until they break down into a pulp.

3.  Drain the lentils  (reserve the cooking liquid to thin out the dahl, if necessary), add to the sauce and cook for a further 15 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper.

4.  To temper the tarka, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat.  Add the cumin, garlic, dried chilli and chilli powder and cook until the garlic i golden brown.  Stir the garlic and the spices continually to prevent them from sticking to the pan, becoming bitter or burning.  Pour the tarka into the dahl and stir until fully incororated.  Add the shredded coriander leaves and stir through.  Serve the dahl in a warm dish and garnish with the crispy onion sprinkle.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
150ml dry white wine
400 grams tinned chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
sea salt
24 mussels, washed and de-bearded
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
freshly ground pepper

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and fry gently for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add the white wine and let it sizzle, then add the tomatoes bay leaf, chilli, sea salt and pepper.   Let it bubble, then turn down the heat and gently simmer for about ten minutes.

3.  Turn the heat back up, add the mussels and cover with a lid. Leave to boil for about 5 minutes or until the shells open.  Discard any unopened shells.

4.  Serve in big warmed bowls and sprinkle with parsley to garnish.

Ingredients
About 2 ½ Kg russet or all-purpose white potatoes, as needed
¾  cup clarified butter, melted
Fine sea salt, as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
2 to 4  garlic cloves, sliced paper-thin on a mandoline (optional)

Preparation
Step 1
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rack in the middle and set a rimmed baking sheet on top of it.

Step 2
Trim potatoes into cylinders, peeling any skin left after trimming. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice into 1/8-inch slices and blot dry with paper towels. You should have about 8 1/2 cups.

Step 3
In a heavy 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons clarified butter over medium heat. When hot, carefully place 1 potato slice in the middle, then quickly place more slices around it, overlapping them clockwise to make a ring. Place a second ring to surround the first, going counterclockwise. Continue to the edge of the pan, alternating the direction in which the potato rings overlap. Sprinkle with a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with another 2 tablespoons butter.

Step 4
Create second layer of potatoes, just as you did the first. Dot a third of the garlic slices, if using, on top of this layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper; drizzle with butter.

Step 5
Continue layering potatoes, garlic, butter and salt until everything is used, making a dome of potatoes in the middle (they will sink as they cook). Occasionally shake skillet gently to ensure potatoes aren’t sticking. When finished, there should be enough butter that it can be seen bubbling up the sides of the skillet.

Step 6
Butter the bottom of a 9-inch pan and one side of a piece of foil. Push the pan down firmly on top of the potatoes to press them. Remove pan, then cover potatoes with the foil, buttered side down. Cover the foil with a lid. Set skillet on the baking sheet in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 7
Remove skillet from oven, uncover and remove foil, and again press potatoes down firmly with the 9-inch pan. (Rebutter bottom of pan, if necessary, before you press down.) Return to oven and bake uncovered, until potatoes are tender and the sides are dark brown when lifted away from skillet, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 8
Once more, remove skillet from oven and press potatoes down firmly with pan. Tip the skillet away from you to drain off the excess butter into a bowl (this can be reused for cooking), using the lid to keep the potatoes in place. Run a thin spatula around edge and bottom of skillet to loosen any slices stuck to the pan. Carefully turn out the potatoes onto a serving platter.

Ingredients
1  cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

Preparation
Step 1
In a small pot, melt butter over low heat until bubbling and foaming subsides. Remove from heat, let cool slightly (don’t let butter resolidify), then skim any foam off the top.

Step 2
Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a clean dish towel and place over a heat-safe bowl or container. Leaving the white milk solids at the bottom of the pot, carefully pour or spoon yellow butter fat through the sieve and into the container. Let cool completely before refrigerating for up to 1 month.

Ingredients

3 cups  all-purpose or bread flour (400 grams), plus more for the work surface
1/4 teaspoon  instant yeast (1 gram)
1 1/4 teaspoons  salt (8 grams)
1 5/8  cups water (384 milliliters)
Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed

Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until you have a shaggy, sticky dough. This should take roughly 30 seconds. You want it to be really sticky. (Many people who bake this bread find the dough to be unusually wet. Even though it’s not what you’re accustomed to handling, it’s perfectly fine. Most of the water is meant to be released as steam during baking. Besides, you’ll be handling the dough very little, so you don’t have to worry about your hands looking like some creepy monster that just crawled out of a lagoon.)

2. Cover the dough and bowl with a plate, towel, or plastic wrap and set aside to rest at warm room temperature (but not in direct sunlight) for at least 12 hours and preferably about 18 hours. (Ideally, you want the room to be about 72°F. In the dead of winter, when the dough will tend to rise more slowly, as long as 24 hours may be necessary.) You’ll know the dough is properly fermented and ready because its surface will be dotted with bubbles and take on a darkened appearance. This long, slow fermentation is what yields the bread’s rich flavor.

3. Generously flour your work surface. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to turn the dough onto the surface in one blob. The dough will cling to the bowl in long, thread-like strands and it will be quite loose and sticky. This is exactly what you want. Do not add more flour. Instead use lightly floured hands to gently and quickly lift the edges of the dough in toward the center, effectively folding the dough over onto itself. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round. That’s it. Don’t knead the dough.

4. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal. Place the dough, seam side down, on the towel and dust the surface with a little more flour, bran, or cornmeal. Cover the dough with another cotton towel and let it rise for about 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will be more than double in size and will hold the impression of your fingertip when you poke it lightly, making an indentation. If the dough readily springs back when you poke it, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

5. A half hour before the dough is done with its second rise, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and place a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot and its lid (whether cast iron or enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats.

6. When the dough is done with its second rise, carefully remove the pot from the oven and uncover it. Also uncover the dough. Lift up the dough and quickly but gently turn it over into the pot, seam side up, being very careful not to touch the pot. The blob of dough may look like a mess, but trust us, everything is O.K. Cover the pot with its lid and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Remove the lid and bake until the loaf is beautifully browned to a deep chestnut color, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a wire rack. Don’t slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

Ingredients
5  cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼  teaspoon saffron threads, pulverized
½  teaspoon ground ginger
1  teaspoon sweet paprika
½  teaspoon ground cumin
½  teaspoon turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1  chicken, cut in 8 to 10 pieces
2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3  medium onions, sliced thin
1  cinnamon stick
8  calamata olives, pitted and halved
8  cracked green olives, pitted and halved
1  large or 3 small preserved lemons (sold in specialty food shops)
1  cup chicken stock
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1  tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
Step 1
Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric togetherand add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.

Step 2
Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onions to skillet, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to tagine, if you are using one, or leave in skillet. Add cinnamon stick.

Step 3
Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons, remove pulp and cut skin in strips. Scatter over chicken. Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.

Step 4
Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.