Butter Bean, Choritzo and Tomato Salad.

In a mortar and pestle crush a clove of garlic with some good salt until it becomes a paste. Add a good dash of sherry vinegar and olive oil and mix in to an emulsion.
Warm butter beans through in slightly salted water drain and leave to cool slightly.
Chop cherry or other small tomatoes into small pieces and combine with a finely sliced red onion and chopped parsley.
Combine the slightly cooled beans with the tomatoes, onion and parsley and dress. Leave for five mins or so for all the flavours to mingle.
In a frying pan fry sliced cooking choritzo on both sides then add to the rest of the salad and serve.

Choritzo with Spring Vegetables.

you can use any seasonal veg for this dish as I cooked it in spring I used peas, broad beans, sprouting broccoli, baby leeks, french beans and spring onions,
In a saucepan melt a knob of butter in centimeter or two of water (enough to just cover all your veg).
Add the veg in batches ie the ones that take longest to cook first and boil at a fairly high heat.
While the veg is cooking heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the slices of choritzo on both sides.
Drain the veg and add the choritzo and oil to the pan with a dash of sherry vinegar.
Dress and serve.

Fried Egg, Choritzo and Asparagus.

Heat a pan with about 1cm of water, butter and seasoning - when boiling add asparagus tips and reduce heat to a simmer.
While the asparagus is cooking heat a frying pan with a little olive oil in it.
Crack an egg into the frying pan (duck egg would be good if you can get one) and place choritzo slices into the oil.
When all the ingredients are cooked plate and drizzle with a little of the choritzo cooking oil.

Garlic Soup.

In a pan very gently fry a couple of hands full of garlic cloves in the skin on a low heat. Turn often and by the time they are golden on the outside the inside should be soft and sweetened.
Drain on a piece of kitchen paper and leave to cool.
Squeeze the pulp out of their skins and puree - you can do this in a mortar and pestle or in a blender or by pushing through a fine sieve.
Chop cooking choritzo into small pieces and fry in the olive oil - when starting to crisp add finely chopped thyme and fry for a minute or so before adding the garlic pulp and a teaspoon or two of sweet smoked paprika.
Stir together before adding chicken stock and simmer to combine the flavours.
Serve with good rustic bread or you could also poach an egg in the soup before serving.

Mozzarella and Basil Sandwiches with Tomato Sauce.

To make the sauce chop the tomatoes and place in a pan with some good olive oil, a finely chopped shallot, dried oregano, chopped garlic, a small dash of good quality vinegar and a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

Cook through then simmer until you have a sauce.

Add shredded basil before serving.

For the sandwiches cut circles out of slices of bread and dip one side into milk.

Sandwich a slice or two of mozzarella and a couple of basil leaves in between two discs of bread milk side in and press together.

Repeat until you have the desired amount.

Heat a frying pan of veg oil to 170c and fry the sandwiches until golden brown on both sides then drain onto kitchen paper.

Season with sea salt.

Spoon the sauce onto a plate, top with the sandwiches and grate over some Parmesan and add a few torn basil leaves and serve.

Chicken Parmentier.

A great way to use up left over roast chicken.
Peel, slice and boil potatoes in salted water.
Place a few tomatoes that have been cut at the base in a cross shape in boiling water for a minute then drain. When cool enough to handle peel and chop.
While the potatoes are cooking fry sliced shallots, diced carrot, celery and chopped garlic in butter until softened, then add a dash of white wine and cook for a minute before adding tomato puree,  chopped tomatoes and chicken stock. Cook down for ten minutes or so before adding black olives, halved, the left over chicken and a hand full of chopped parsley, season to taste then decant into pie dishes.
When the potatoes are cooked mash with butter and/or oil and milk and/or cream - season with salt and pepper and spread on top of the pie dishes.
Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese and bake in the oven.

Marinaded Lamb Chops with Onion Sauce.

The lamb marinade for this was based on a recipe for a "three day lamb souvlaki" but simplified.
Marinade the lamb in olive oil, salt, pepper, broken up bay leaves, dried oregano, tomato puree, lemon juice, a little quality vinegar and ground cumin, best left to marinade over a few days.
For the onion sauce chop a large onion and place in a pan with a sprig or two of thyme and a few bay leaves, add enough water to nearly cover, season and bring to the boil and simmer for ten mins or so until the onions are cooked.
Drain the onions but reserve the cooking liquid, discard the thyme and bay and place in a blender add some of the cooking liquor and blitz to a fine sauce. Return to a clean pan, taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to and keep warm.
Griddle or pan fry the lamb chops and serve on top of the onion sauce.

Sauteed Potatoes and Choritzo.

First peel the potatoes and slice into thick slices.
Par boil in salted water and leave to cool.
Cut the potatoes into chunks and slice the choritzo.
Put a good glug of good oil in a saute pan and start to fry the potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika, saute, turning occasionally.
When the potatoes are half cooked add the choritzo slices, cook together until the potatoes are golden and the choritzo has been cooked on both sides.
Remove from the heat and add a glug of sherry vinegar, stir in chopped parsley and serve.

La Poule Au Pot.

Place a whole chicken into a sauce pan that is just large enough to hold it with the following veg - 4 peeled banana shallots, 2 leeks - tough outer leaves and most of the green discarded, cut in half length ways and tied back together, 4 carrots peeled and quartered, 6 sticks of celery cut into portions - you want the veg to be of the right size to all cook at the same time.
Cover with water and bring to the boil.
Skim off any scum that rises to the surface and turn down to a simmer.
Add a bouquet garni containing three bay leaves, four spring of parsley, two of thyme, one of rosemary and one of tarragon, 6 whole cloves of garlic peeled, eight black peppercorns and season with salt.
Place a lid on the pot and cook for 50mins - 1 hour - to test if the chicken is cooked push a sharp knife or skewer into the thigh and the juices will run clear.
Portion the chicken and place in bowls with the veg and stock.
Take a small amount of stock and reduce it in a saucepan with a knob of butter until it is a syrup and sprinkle over the top and serve.

Warm Salad of Potatoes, Baby Leeks and Stilton.

Cut your potatoes into wedges and boil in well salted water. when the potatoes are half cooked put the trimmed baby leeks into a steamer and place above.
When both are cooked drain the potatoes add the leeks to the pan and allow to cool a little.
While they are cooling mix up a dressing from olive oil, sherry vinegar and seasoning and dress the veg.
Decant to a serving dish and add crumbled Stilton cheese.

Breast of Lamb with Onions.

Preheat your oven to 120/150 Degrees depending on the size of your joint of lamb (look up cooking times - I found these temps fine for a small and large joint on a 2/3 hour roast.
Season your lamb breast, which should be rolled and tied with string with salt and white pepper.
In a casserole heat a couple of table spoons of oil until hot and colour the lamb breast on all sides until golden.
Remove the casserole from the heat and spoon almost all of the oil and fat released by the lamb out of the dish.
Cover the base of the casserole with finely sliced onions and place the lamb breast on top, tucking a bay leaf under the breast.
Surround the breast with more onions, cover with a piece of wet grease proof paper if you wish, greased side down, put on the lid and place in the oven.
After an hour check and slide any onion sticking to the side down into the base of the casserole, repeat this again after two hours.
The breast is cooked when you can slide a sharp knife or skewer into it with little resistance.
When cooked remove from the casserole and place in a baking dish, cover with foil and return to the oven with the heat turned off to rest.
Strain the liquid from the onions into bowl and reserve.
After discarding the bay leaf return the onions to the casserole then spoon any fat from the surface of the liquid and return the liquid to the casserole.
Add a dash of red wine vinegar and a finely chopped anchovy fillet (or a teaspoon of anchovy essence).
Place on the hob and simmer until the cooking liquor has reduced by half then stir in a handful of finely chopped parsley and any juices from the resting meat.
Chop the lamb into think slices and serve on a bed of onions.

Pea Salad.

A great spring salad or light starter that uses several members of the pea family and includes shoots and flowers if you can get them.
Anyone can grow pea shoots in a tray or pots on a window sill.
If using very fresh from the garden pick the tenderest pods so no cooking is required, if using shop bought and not so fresh just steam the peas, mange tout and sugar snaps for a few mins to tendersise and let cool.

First make the dressing.
Combine a good oil, a mix of white wine and sherry vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and some chopped mint in a container and leave to marinade for at least a few hours.
Slice the sugar snaps in half length ways and place in a bowl with the mange tout and peas.
Discard the mint leaves from the dressing and pour over.
Add the pea shoots and flowers if using and scatter with torn mint leaves.
Toss to dress the shoots etc and serve.