Seafood salad for the lazy cook...

Seafood pasta salad There is nothing quite like a great seafood salad on a hot day and nowadays, with marinara mix being available at almost any supermarket, you can whip one together in a matter of minutes. This one takes 20 min utes or so from start to finish, perfect weekend food and if you are having guests… well what can I say, don’t spend too much time in the kitchen. (4 people) What you need 375g shell pasta Olive...

Tuna pasta salad with a hint of curry...

Tuna pasta salad This tuna pasta salad has a little curry powder in it to give it a beautiful yellow colour and a taste quite unlike anything I expected. It was very morish, fresh, crisp and a definite winner for the last of the summer days. What you need 250g dry macaroni 300g green beans, cut in half 1 tin tuna in oil (415g) drained and flaked. 1 small onion sliced Handful of chopped fresh parsley ½ cup olive oil ¼...

The tastiest chicken liver pasta sauce ever...

Chicken liver pasta sauce Oh man, this is a great pasta sauce, imagine it, tomatoes, balsamic, red wine, rosemary… If you like chicken livers then you just have to try this one. It’s chunky so use something like curly lasagna that has been split down the center, it needs a substantial pasta and never, ever overcook the chicken livers… (4 people) What you need 500g chicken livers 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/4...

Roast butternut pasta salad...

butternut pasta salad Pasta salads like this one are always best with a generous shaving of parmesan cheese. This is a great tasting healthy recipe that takes no time to put together. The butternut is sweet, rocket peppery and parmesan rich, it’s a real beaut. It takes a total of about 30 minutes including the roasting. I always use a potato peeler to get long thin sheets of parmesan. (4 people) What you need 1...

Aloo Gobi – califlower and potato curry...

Aloo gobi cauliflower and potato Having given up smoking recently I have become a lot more health conscious, not least of which is the weight I am bound to pick up if I keep substituting smokes for food. Well this was really great, vegetarian, spicy, delicious which we had as a side dish but could easily be a main course. The soft potatoes really did it for me and the cauliflower seemed to absorb so much of the flavour,...

Valentines day recipes...

Valentines day You just gotta love Valentines day. For me Valentines day is all about the dessert, something you can share that just rounds of the evening so here are a few ideas. There is a fruit dessert which is really fantastic while the pears are in season, a choclate dessert and an easy cherry dessert that is best served with meringues. There are few who can resist a great dessert, so blow your lover away with a...

Pears with maple syrup...

Pears in maple syrup The pears around right now are really fantastic so this is the ideal dessert. It looks really impressive and is a great Valentines dessert that can be prepared ahead of time and then just stacked up and served. This pear dessert is so simple you will be making it whenever pears are in season. (4 people) What you need 2 pears thinly sliced 2 tablespoons melted butter demerara sugar Thick plain yoghurt Maple...

Chicken pattie snacks...

chicken snackers These little chicken morsels served with a chili yoghurt sauce are amazing, can be prepared ahead of time, added to salads to give the salad some substance, or even added to a pasta sauce to make spaghetti chicken meatballs (done it many times and it’s fantastic). You can pop a few in the kids lunch boxes and they will have a whole lot of new friends I tell you. (makes enough for 4 people) What...

Chicken skewers with spicy cranberry sauce...

Chicken skewers These delectable little chicken skewers are the perfect snack for guests. They are made with chicken mince, much like kofta that is accompanied by a cranberry sauce with a little zing in it. They will be great with sweet chili sauce but the cranberry makes them something your guests will not have had before. (6 people) What you need 750g chicken mice 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 1 medium onion finely chopped 2...

Rosemary seared tuna...

Seared tuna This seared tuna recipe is for those who prefer a more savory fish dish to the salmon with mango salsa. It’s real simple and the roasted plum tomatoes are fantastic and make the plate look really good. Another Valentines winner. What you need 2 Tuna steaks (150 – 200 grams each) Juice and grated rind of 1 small lime 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon garlic 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary 2...

Tuna with a mango salsa...

Seared tuna Salmon is so good for you and one of the easiest and tastiest meals to prepare and the manga salsa really makes a huge difference. For those of you looking for a nice easy Valentines dinner that never fails to impress this is the one for you. There is also a tuna recipe with rosemary. Seared tuna with plum tomatoes. (2 people) What you need 2 tuna steaks (about 150-200g each) Olive oil Soy sauce Pepper Salsa 1...