Four Star Salad

Ingredients:

• 225 grams French garlic sausage, in one piece
• 1 medium lettuce
• 110 grams small pink-gilled mushrooms
• 2 ripe avocados
• For the dressing:
• 150 milliliters soured cream
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 level teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 bunch spring onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Begin by combining the soured cream with the garlic, mayonnaise and mustard powder. Then mix together the oil, vinegar and lemon juice and gradually add these to the soured cream mixture, tasting and seasoning with some salt and pepper.

2. Now slice the garlic sausage into 1/2 in (1 cm) slices and then cut these slices into 1/2 in (1 cm) strips. Next break up the lettuce leaves and arrange them in a salad bowl: wipe and thinly slice the mushrooms (don't take the skins off) and add these to the lettuce pieces. Finally prepare the avocados by removing the stones and peeling them, then cutting them into 1/2 in (1 cm) cubes. Add these to the lettuce and mushrooms with the strips of garlic sausage.

3. Mix it all together gently, then add the dressing and toss again very gently. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions all over the surface and serve straight away. This is nice served with home-made wholemeal bread.

(Serves 4)

This salad is a meal in itself. The stars in question here are avocado, French garlic sausage, mushroom and lettuce, with a lovely, garlicky, soured cream dressing.

Boeuf Bourguignon with Baguette Dumplings

Each region in France uses their own local red wine for this dish, so you don’t need to use a bottle of Burgundy. Dumplings made from leftover baguettes make a great alternative to potatoes, as well as soaking up the juices from the stew.

Ingredients:

• 900 grams beef shin or stewing beef, cut into 6 large chunks
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 150 grams lardons or cubes of smoked bacon
• 10 button onions or shallots, peeled
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed flat
• 1 bay leaf
• bunch parsley, stalks only
• sprig of thyme
• sprig of rosemary
• 3 cloves
• 10 peppercorns, crushed
• 500 milliliters red wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 chestnut mushrooms
• parsley leaves, chopped, to garnish
• For the dumplings
• 200 grams stale baguette or other bread (crust included)
• handful chopped parsley
• 250 milliliters milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 free-range egg
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• butter, for frying

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Dust each piece of meat with flour. Heat the oil in a large casserole over a high heat and fry the meat in batches until browned. Remove each batch, keeping the oil, then fry the lardons, onions and garlic in the same pan until golden brown. Add in the herbs and spices and return the meat to the pan. Add 300ml/10fl oz water, the wine, tomato paste, sugar and salt. Scrape up the caramelized bits as they will add flavour. Cover, place in the oven and cook for three hours or until the meat is tender and almost falling apart. Cut the baguette into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add the parsley. Bring the milk to a boil and pour over. Stir so that the milk is absorbed evenly, then cover and leave for 15 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir in the egg, and mix in one tablespoon flour. If the mix is too wet (it should be moist and only slightly sticky), add a second spoon of flour. Wet your hands a little to help stop the dough sticking to them, then make 12-14 dumplings (smaller than a golf ball). About 20 minutes before the stew is ready, add the mushrooms into the stew and season with salt to taste. Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan and fry the dumplings on a medium heat for five minutes or until golden-brown and crisp, then drain. Garnish the stew with parsley and serve with the dumplings.

(Serves 4)

Spinach, Feta and Filo Pie

Who can resist the temptation to break into a crisp pie crust and reveal what's underneath? This tasty pie has a creamy spinach and Feta filling

Ingredients:

• 250 grams filo pastry
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 500 grams frozen spinach
• 250 grams tub ricotta cheese
• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 200 grams Feta cheese, diced
• 30 grams pine nuts
• 20c m (8in) flan ring
• Baking sheet lined with baking parchment

Directions:

Set the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Arrange a sheet of filo pastry in the flan ring on the lined baking sheet. Brush with oil and repeat with 4 more sheets of filo, to cover the base and sides of the ring, trimming off any excess. Bake for 10 mins until pale golden. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry gently for 3 mins, and then add the garlic. Put the frozen spinach in a bowl and microwave on High for 5 mins. Drain through a sieve, pressing out excess liquid, and then return it to the bowl. Add the onion and garlic to the spinach and mix in the ricotta cheese, beaten egg, nutmeg, seasoning and Feta cheese. Spoon the mixture into the baked filo pastry case. Brush oil on the remaining 4 sheets of filo and crumple them on top of the spinach filling, pressing edges into the sides. Scatter pine nuts over the top. Bake for 30-40 mins, until the pastry is golden. Cover the top loosely with foil if it’s browning too much.

(Serves 8)

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled Pork

This pulled pork recipe is great for feeding a crowd and cooking it in a slow cooker couldn’t be easier.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kilograms pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce
• For the fresh tomato salsa
• 6 tomatoes, chopped
• 0.5 red onion
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ lime)
• small handful chopped fresh coriander
• 0.5 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• For the guacamole
• 2 avocados, peeled, chopped
• 0.5 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ lime), plus more to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 flour tortillas, to serve

Directions:

Season the pork shoulder with salt. Place the pork shoulder into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Meanwhile, for the fresh tomato salsa, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and season, to taste, with salt, freshly ground black pepper and more lime juice. For the guacamole, mash the avocado pieces and garlic together until smooth, then stir in the lime juice and season, to taste, with salt, freshly ground black pepper and more lime juice. To serve, remove the skin and fat from the pork shoulder and shred the meat with two forks. Place the meat into a bowl. Mix the chipotle sauce with two tablespoons of the cooking liquid and pour the mixture over the pork. Mix until the pork is coated in the sauce. To serve, arrange the pork on a serving plate and spoon the salsa and guacamole into separate bowls. Warm the tortillas according to packet instructions and serve alongside.

(Serves 4-6)

Mary Berry's Pork with Chilli and Coconut

Mary's takeaway-style dinner of Thai-spiced pork is balanced in a rich and creamy coconut and tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• For the pork with chilli and coconut:
• 750 grams pork fillet (tenderloin), trimmed and cut into 5mm (1⁄4in) strips
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 8 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
• 1 large red pepper, halved, seeded, and cut into thin strips
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 60 grams creamed coconut, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper
• Coriander sprigs to garnish
• Chinese noodles to serve
• For the spice mix:
• 2.5 centimeter fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 fresh red chillies, halved, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder

Directions:

For the spice mix: In a bowl, combine the ginger, chillies, garlic, and curry powder, and season with salt and pepper. For the pork with chilli and coconut: Turn the pork in the spice mix, cover, and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hrs. Heat a wok or large frying pan, add the oil, and heat until hot. Add the strips of pork in batches, and stir-fry over a high heat for 5 mins or until browned all over. Add the spring onions and stir-fry for 1 min. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 min, then add the tomatoes, coconut, and measured water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer very gently for 15 mins or until the pork is tender. Add the chopped coriander, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with coriander sprigs and serve on a bed of chinese noodles.

(Serves 6)

Save time by marinating the pork the night before and keep it in the fridge until you need it.

Nigel Slater's Midweek Dinner: Chorizo Burgers

"Choose a softish chorizo. It should only be a little firmer than a butcher’s sausage"

Ingredients:

• 350 grams soft chorizo
• 250 grams minced pork
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 ciabbatta rolls
• 1 handful salad leaves

Directions:

1. Remove the skins from 350g of soft chorizo and discard. Put the meat in a mixing bowl, add 250g of minced pork and mix well. Check the seasoning. It will need little, but much depends on your chorizo, some being more highly flavoured than others.

2. Split the mixture into four and roll into four balls. Pat each ball into a thick patty, about the diameter of a digestive biscuit.

3. Heat a nonstick frying pan, add a thin film of oil then place the burgers in the pan. Let them cook until lightly browned on the underside then flip and cook the other side, adjusting the heat accordingly so that they cook through to the middle.

4. Split four panini or ciabatta buns open, partially fill with salad leaves then add the chorizo burger.

(Serves 4)

Swap the chorizo for morcilla or a soft black pudding. Add a few herbs such as oregano, thyme or ground bay and spices such as juniper, allspice or fennel seed. Fill the buns with a fennel salad or a tomato and cucumber salsa. Use ground chicken instead of the pork.