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Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 200g Butter
• 200g Muscovado Sugar
• 200g Plain Flour
• 4 Beaten Eggs
• 50g Ground Almonds
• 100ml Sherry
• 85g Candied Peel
• 85g Glace Cherry
• 250g Raisins
• 250g Currants
• 100g Pecan Nuts
• Grated zest of 1 Lemon
• 1 ½ tbsp Mixed Spice
• 1 ½ tbsp Rose water
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Instructions:

Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins until very creamy and pale in colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through. Stir in a spoonful of the flour, then stir in the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well each time with a wooden spoon. Stir in the almonds.

Mix in the sherry (the mix will look curdled), then add the peel, cherries, raisins, cherries, nuts, lemon zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla. Beat together to mix, then stir in the baking powder.

Spoon mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 mins, then lower temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake a further 2-2¼ hrs, until a skewer insterted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then take out of the tin and peel off the lining paper. When completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil to store until ready to decorate. The cake will keep for several months.

Category: Chicken

Area: Japanese

Ingredients:

• 4 pounded to 1cm thickness chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 beaten egg
• 100g fine breadcrumbs
• 230ml frying vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 2 sliced onions
• 5 chopped cloves garlic
• 2 sliced carrot
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 600ml chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions:

Prep:15min › Cook:30min › Ready in:45min

For the curry sauce: Heat oil in medium non-stick saucepan, add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Stir in carrots and cook over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
Add flour and curry powder; cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in stock until combined; add honey, soy sauce and bay leaf. Slowly bring to the boil.
Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens but is still of pouring consistency. Stir in garam masala. Pour the curry sauce through a sieve; return to saucepan and keep on low heat until ready to serve.
For the chicken: Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate bowls and arrange in a row. Coat the chicken breasts in flour, then dip them into the egg, then coat in breadcrumbs, making sure you cover both sides.
Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken into hot oil and cook until golden brown, about 3 or 4 minutes each side. Once cooked, place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
Pour curry sauce over chicken, serve with white rice and enjoy!

Category: Side

Area: Turkish

Ingredients:

• 2 large Potatoes
• 2 tbs Butter
• 150g Cheese
• 1 large Onion
• 1 large Red Pepper
• Pinch Red Chilli Flakes

Instructions:

If you order kumpir in Turkey, the standard filling is first, lots of butter mashed into the potato, followed by cheese. There’s then a row of other toppings that you can just point at to your heart’s content – sweetcorn, olives, salami, coleslaw, Russian salad, allsorts – and you walk away with an over-stuffed potato because you got ever-excited by the choices on offer.

Grate (roughly – you can use as much as you like) 150g of cheese.
Finely chop one onion and one sweet red pepper.
Put these ingredients into a large bowl with a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, chilli flakes (optional).

Category: Beef

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 900g Beef
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 3 Shallots
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 125g Bacon
• 1 tbs chopped Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaf
• 330ml Stout
• 400ml Beef Stock
• 2 tbs Corn Flour
• 8 Oysters
• 400g Plain Flour
• pinch Salt
• 250g Butter
• To Glaze Eggs

Instructions:

Season the beef cubes with salt and black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and fry the meat over a high heat. Do this in three batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan, transferring the meat to a large flameproof casserole dish once it is browned all over. Add extra oil if the pan seems dry.
In the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil and cook the shallots for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add the bacon and fry until slightly browned. Transfer the onion and bacon mixture to the casserole dish and add the herbs.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Pour the stout into the frying pan and bring to the boil, stirring to lift any stuck-on browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the stout over the beef in the casserole dish and add the stock. Cover the casserole and place it in the oven for 1½-2 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce is reduced.
Skim off any surface fat, taste and add salt and pepper if necessary, then stir in the cornflour paste. Put the casserole dish on the hob – don’t forget that it will be hot – and simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Leave to cool.
Increase the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. To make the pastry, put the flour and salt in a very large bowl. Grate the butter and stir it into the flour in three batches. Gradually add 325ml/11fl oz cold water – you may not need it all – and stir with a round-bladed knife until the mixture just comes together. Knead the pastry lightly into a ball on a lightly floured surface and set aside 250g/9oz for the pie lid.
Roll the rest of the pastry out until about 2cm/¾in larger than the dish you’re using. Line the dish with the pastry then pile in the filling, tucking the oysters in as well. Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg.
Roll the remaining pastry until slightly larger than your dish and gently lift over the filling, pressing the edges firmly to seal, then trim with a sharp knife. Brush with beaten egg to glaze. Put the dish on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and the filling is bubbling.

Category: Pork

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs Butter
• 4 Bacon
• 1 finely sliced Onion
• 1 chopped Garlic Clove
• 20 Brussels Sprouts
• 400g Potatoes

Instructions:

Melt the fat in a non-stick pan, allow it to get nice and hot, then add the bacon. As it begins to brown, add the onion and garlic. Next, add the sliced sprouts or cabbage and let it colour slightly. All this will take 5-6 mins.
Next, add the potato. Work everything together in the pan and push it down so that the mixture covers the base of the pan – allow the mixture to catch slightly on the base of the pan before turning it over and doing the same again. It’s the bits of potato that catch in the pan that define the term ‘bubble and squeak’, so be brave and let the mixture colour. Cut into wedges and serve.

Category: Chicken

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 300g Mushrooms
• 4 Chicken Legs
• 500g Passata
• 1 Chicken Stock Cube
• 100g Black Olives
• Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and stir-fry the mushrooms until they start to soften. Add the chicken legs and cook briefly on each side to colour them a little.
Pour in the passata, crumble in the stock cube and stir in the olives. Season with black pepper – you shouldn’t need salt. Cover and simmer for 40 mins until the chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with pasta and a salad, or mash and green veg, if you like.

Category: Pasta

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Fettuccine
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 2 tbsp Parsley
• Black Pepper

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of boiling water and salt. Add heavy cream and butter to a large skillet over medium heat until the cream bubbles and the butter melts. Whisk in parmesan and add seasoning (salt and black pepper). Let the sauce thicken slightly and then add the pasta and toss until coated in sauce. Garnish with parsley, and it's ready.

Category: Pork

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp Goose Fat
• 350g Pork
• 1 large Onion
• 10 Garlic
• 1 thinly sliced Carrots
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 2 tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 600ml Vegetable Stock
• 1 tblsp Tomato Puree
• 2 sticks Rosemary
• Handful Parsley
• 400g Haricot Beans
• 2 tblsp Breadcrumbs
• drizzle Oil
• to serve Bread
• to serve Broccoli

Instructions:

Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Put a large ovenproof pan (with a tight-fitting lid) on a high heat. Add your fat and diced meat, cook for a few mins to seal the edges, giving it a quick stir to cook evenly. Reduce the heat to low, add the sliced onion, whole garlic cloves, carrot and fennel seeds, and cook gently to soften the veg for a few mins.
Pour over the red wine vinegar, scraping any meaty bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, tomato purée, and half the rosemary and parsley. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 mins, then season, cover with a lid and put into the oven for 2 hrs, removing the lid for the final hour of cooking. Stir occasionally and add the beans with 30 mins to go.
Remove the pan from the oven and heat the grill. Scatter the top with the remaining herbs and breadcrumbs, drizzle a little oil over the top, and return to the oven for 5-10 mins, until the breadcrumbs are golden. Serve with crusty bread and green veg.

Category: Beef

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 1 tbls Olive Oil
• 1 Onions
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 250g Mushrooms
• 500g Beef Fillet
• 1tbsp Plain Flour
• 150g Creme Fraiche
• 1 tbsp English Mustard
• 100ml Beef Stock
• Topping Parsley

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan then add the sliced onion and cook on a medium heat until completely softened, so around 15 mins, adding a little splash of water if they start to stick at all. Crush in the garlic and cook for a 2-3 mins further, then add the butter. Once the butter is foaming a little, add the mushrooms and cook for around 5 mins until completely softened. Season everything well, then tip onto a plate.
Tip the flour into a bowl with a big pinch of salt and pepper, then toss the steak in the seasoned flour. Add the steak pieces to the pan, splashing in a little oil if the pan looks particularly dry, and fry for 3-4 mins, until well coloured. Tip the onions and mushrooms back into the pan. Whisk the crème fraîche, mustard and beef stock together, then pour into the pan. Cook over a medium heat for around 5 mins. Scatter with parsley, then serve with pappardelle or rice.

Category: Dessert

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 500g Ricotta
• 4 large Eggs
• 3 tbs Flour
• 250g Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Grated Zest of 2 Lemons
• 5 tbs Dark Rum
• sprinking Icing Sugar

Instructions:

Mash the ricotta and beat well with the egg yolks, stir in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, grated lemon rind and the rum and mix well. You can do this in a food processor. Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold in and pour into a buttered and floured 25cm cake tin. Bake in the oven at 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4 for about 40 minutes, or until it is firm.

Serve hot or cold dusted with icing sugar.