Ingredients:
500g minced beef
150g tomato puree
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained
400g tin baked beans
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp. chilli powder
1 tbsp. dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp. oil

Directions:
Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic clove.

Heat the oil in a pan until hot. Add the beef and brown until almost browned, then add the onion and garlic and cook for another five minutes or so.

Drain off any excess fat and then add the tomato puree. Fry for two minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, baked beans, chilli powder and mixed herbs.

Mix well and then simmer for one hour or until the beef is very tender. Serve hot.

If you like it hotter, try adding a freshly chopped chilli or more chilli powder. This recipe serves four people.

Source: Beef Recipe.

Ingredients List:
500g croissants, ripped into pieces
200g caster sugar
100g desiccated coconut
4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
2 tins of coconut milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a medium baking dish.

2) Place the croissant pieces into the baking dish.

3) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the coconut milk, cinnamon and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread and allow it soak in a little bit.

4) Stir the desiccated coconut through the bread and make sure it’s evenly distributed.

5) Place the baking dish into the oven and cook for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve slightly cooled with gently whipped cream.

Source: Bread Pudding Recipes.

Ingredients:
400ml coconut milk
450ml whole milk
4 tbsp. caster sugar
100g white rice
50g sultanas
2 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tsp. rosewater
30g almonds
30g pistachios

Directions:
1) Lightly toast the nuts in a large non-stick saucepan. Once slightly browned, remove them from the pan. Once slightly cooled, roughly chop them.

2) Pour the coconut milk and the milk into a large saucepan and heat them gently. Pour in the sugar and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and then pour in the rice.

3) Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the rice for around half an hour or until tender.

4) At this stage, stir in the sultanas, cardamom, rosewater, almonds and pistachios and cook for a few more minutes – just until the sultanas are warmed through.

You could also serve the rice pudding with the nuts sprinkled over the top.

Source: Rice Pudding Recipes.

Ingredients List:
250g peas, shelled
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g pine nuts, lightly toasted
50g parmesan, chopped
1 handful fresh mint
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g of spaghetti

Directions:
1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the peas for 2-3 mins until tender.  Drain immediately and run under cold water to halt the cooking process.

2. Put the peas, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, mint, oil, salt and pepper into a food processor.  Pulse until the mixture is chopped and blended, but still retains a degree of texture.

3. Cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions then drain, leaving around 2 tbsp of the starchy cooking water.  Return to the heat and mix in the pesto.  Toss well.

4. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and crusty French bread.

Source: National Spaghetti Day.

Ingredients:
250ml milk
125g plain flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
Vegetable oil
100g goat’s cheese
Bunch of spring onions
1 tbsp. chopped chives
1 tbsp. soured cream
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Simply sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and then make a well in the centre. In a large jug, whisk the eggs with the milk and gradually pour the mixture into the flour. Whisk well until you have a smooth batter. Leave to rest for ten minutes.

2) Heat an oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Pour the oil into a mini muffin tin and put the tin into the oven until the oil is smoking hot. Once the oil is hot, pour the batter into the tin. Return the tin to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the puddings have risen.

3) Finely chop the spring onion and then simply mix the goat’s cheese with the soured cream, chives and chopped onions until well combined. Season well with salt and pepper to taste and spoon the mixture into the cooled puddings.

Source: Yorkshire Pudding Recipe.

Method of Preparation:
1. Peel and halve the potatoes. Put them in cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for about twenty minutes or until very nearly cooked.

2. Grate the onion and finely chop the parsley.

3. Add the fish to the pot with the potatoes and let them both cook until soft, about ten minutes.

4. Drain them both and then put them into a large bowl.

5. Add the butter, onion, parsley and egg into the bowl and beat the ingredients together until fully combined. Season the mixture well.

6. Heat the oil gently in a frying pan and begin to shape the fish mixture into patties.

7. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Source: Cod Recipes.

Ingredients:
2 duck breast fillets, skin on
2 passion fruit, pulp only
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 oranges, juiced
1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Score the skin of the duck in a diamond pattern and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the duck breasts skin down. Cook for 5-6 mins until the skin is golden brown, then turn and cook for another 7-8 mins until tender. Remove and place in the oven on a very low heat to keep warm.

3. Pour out almost all the fat from the pan, leaving around 1tbsp. Add the garlic and fry until lightly golden.

4. Add the passion fruit pulp, orange juice, sugar and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce by two thirds. This will take around 7-10 minutes.

5. Season the sauce then pass through a sieve, though pick out a few of the passion fruit seeds if you want to add a little crunch and decoration. Serve spooned over the duck breast.

Source: Romantic Recipes.

Ingredients List:
450g of Chanterelle mushrooms
350g of pork mince
125ml of double cream
10 slices of thin smoked ham
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. of butter
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
4 tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of salt and pepper

Method of Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 150C/gas mark 2. Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper and butter it well.

2. Finely chop the shallots, mushrooms and garlic.

3. Heat 1 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan until melted. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for around 5 or 6 minutes or until the shallot has softened. Put the onions into a large mixing bowl and leave to one side.

4. Melt the other tbsp. of butter into the same frying pan you just used. Add the mushrooms and cook for around five minutes – they should be browned and slightly crispy. Stir in the parsley and heat through for a further minute. Add the mushrooms to the onion and garlic mixture.

5. Add the minced pork, egg whites, double cream and salt and pepper to the mushrooms and shallots. Using your hands mix everything together, squeezing the mixture between your fingers.

6. Line the loaf tin with the thin ham, overlapping the pieces so that there are no gaps. Make sure you line the top and bottom of the tin, too.

7. Pack the pork mixture into the tin, pressing everything down. Wrap any excess ham over the top of the pork.

8. Put into the oven. Cook for around an hour or until a clean knife inserted into the centre of the pâté comes out clean.

Source: Pâté Recipe.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant, peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup minced fresh mint

Directions:
1) Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add eggplant and cook until lightly browned on all sides, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet; set aside.

2) Add lamb to skillet; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring.

3) Add reserved eggplant, tomatoes, and tomato paste to skillet; stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat; lower to a simmer and cook, covered, until thickened, about 15 minutes.

4) Top with cheese and mint; serve warm.

Source: Moussaka Recipe.

Ingredients List:
350g cooked crab meat
225g sliced mushrooms
125ml white wine
115g seedless red grapes, chopped in half
115g Stilton cheese
50g butter
3 or 4 sliced spring onions

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5.

2) Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms in. Pour in the white wine and cook until the mushrooms are softer and the wine is reduced by about half.

3) Lay the crab in the bottom of a small baking dish and layer with the mushrooms, grapes, onions. Pour the butter and wine mixture over the top and then crumble the Stilton over the top.

Source: Crab Recipes.