• Heat a pan over high heat, add a little olive oil, the mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, stir again, and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
• Deglaze with the wine, and once the alcohol evaporates, add the mustard and cream, allowing the sauce to thicken.
• Serve the creamy mushrooms over toasted bread slices, sprinkling with extra freshly ground pepper if desired.

• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.
• Add the peppers, onion, salt, and pepper. Drizzle a little more olive oil if needed. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften and caramelize slightly. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
• Add the garlic and sausage, mix well and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Pour in the oxymel and use a wooden spoon to scrape the flavorful bits stuck to the pan, ensuring all the rich tastes are incorporated into the dish.
• Add the water and the crushed tomatoes, and lower the heat to medium.
• Add a few leaves of fresh oregano, mix, and cook for 7-8 minutes until the sausages are cooked (cooking time depends on the type of sausage).
• Serve sprinkled with feta cheese, a few leaves of fresh oregano, and a little olive oil.

• Place a deep pan over high heat and allow to get very hot. Add the portobello and white mushrooms in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes, until golden on all sides.
• When ready, transfer to a bowl and then add another batch. Repeat this process until all of the mushrooms are ready. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside until needed.
• In the same pan, add some olive oil and the pearl onions. Lower the heat to medium and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, until nicely caramelized.
• Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the sautéed mushrooms and tomato paste. Sauté for 1-2 minutes before adding the wine. Cook until the alcohol evaporates.
• Add the cinnamon, all-spice, bay leaves, canned tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the mushrooms soften and the sauce thickens. Ten minutes before it is ready, add the orzo, mix, and cook for the remaining cooking time or until soft.
• When ready, remove from the heat and season to taste. Add the fresh mint and thyme and serve.

• Cut chicken thighs into cubes and marinate with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Cut the bell pepper and the onion into cubed and then place them alternately with the chicken on skewers and cook them on the grill.
  
• Cook on a heated grill until well done.
  
• Separately, heat a little oil in a wok, then add the curry paste, heat it a little and then add the soy sauce, paprika, coconut milk and the juice of one lime.
  
• 
• When the sauce is bubbling, add the chicken and grilled veggies from the skewers and cook them for 2-3 minutes so that the meat and veggies can absorb the flavors of the sauce.
  
• Serve with fried tortillas, lots of cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.
  

• Mix ‘Grilled Chicken’ ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread on a cookie sheet and set aside.
• Pre-heat oven at 425 °F/ 218 ℃.
• Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces after 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a 3-qt Dutch oven over medium heat, add all the ‘Tikka Masala Sauce’ ingredients.
• Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• Puree the sauce in a blender and bring it back to the Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add chicken pieces to the sauce and stir. Cook COVERED on low heat for 20 minutes. Adjust salt, if required.
• Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the curry is too thick.
• Serve with good quality garlic naan.

• Sauté the onion, garlic, paprika, and chili pepper in oil in a medium-sized saucepan until translucent. Add a liberal splash of white wine.
• Reduce the wine until it has almost disappeared and add the tomatoes, piercing them. Rinse the tomato tins with 2 cups (500 ml) of water and add to the pot.
• Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for approx 1 hour.
• Add the stock and simmer for a further 1 hour. This is plenty of time to prepare the seafood.

Seafood:

• Clean and de-beard the mussels, put in the fridge. (For tips on cleaning mussels see “Cleaning Mussels” in Techniques).
• Cut the squid tubes along one edge so they are no longer a tube but lie flat .
• Gently, with a very sharp knife, score criss-cross cuts on what was the inside of the tube (approx 1 cm/about ½ an inch scores). Cut each scored squid tube into about 6 pieces, then put them in the fridge.
• I recommend you leave the heads on the prawns, but if you’d rather not, feel free to remove them at this stage.
• Remove the shell from the body of the prawns; leave the tail and head attached.
• Gently pull the prawns head forward and you will find the intestinal tract and cord running from the head to the body. Slide a skewer or the back of a small knife under this and gently pull up. By doing so the cord and tract will slide right out of the body.
• If the tract/cord breaks with some of it still in the body you will need to make a small slice along the back of the prawn and remove it from there.
• Rinse them and place in the fridge.
• Cut the perch into the same number of pieces as you have guests, rinse and refrigerate.
• Rinse the scallops and place in the fridge.

The rest:

• Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown. Immediately remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
• Place the parsley (leave a little aside for garnish) in a food processor with the nuts and process on high, add 2 tbsps olive oil and process on high until smooth.
• Stir this into the tomato sauce together with the fish stock, bring it all to the boil and reduce to simmer.
• Add some salt and pepper to some flour and lightly coat the squid pieces. Fry them on high in a large deep pan in a liberal amount of oil for a couple of minutes.
• Repeat the same process for the perch.
• Clean the pan, return to the heat with some more oil, and fry the prawns on high for a minute or two.
• Add the mussels, squid, clams, and a little of the clam brine and pour in the simmering sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and add the scallops and perch.
• Once the mussels have all opened, all the other seafood should be perfectly cooked. Season to taste.
• Depending on the occasion, you may want to just place the pan on the table with a chopping board of bread, or you may want to plate it up. If so, arrange your 4 plates and divide the seafood evenly among them using a set of tongs, and then ladle the sauce over. Sprinkle over some parsley and serve with a red or white wine.

• Preheat oven to 200° C degrees (400° Fahrenheit).
• In a roasting tray (large enough to eventually accommodate all the shanks in one layer) place the shallots, carrot, and celery and toss with a little oil and place in oven.
• After 10 minutes, toss the garlic and rosemary with a little oil and add them to the tray, roast for a further 10 minutes or until everything is caramelized and soft.
• Meanwhile cut the tomatoes in half and lay them face down in a lightly oiled roasting tray.
• Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes.
• Once the vegetables in the first tray are nicely caramelized, transfer them to a food processor.
• In a large bowl or dish add some salt and pepper to a couple cups of flour.
• Flour all the shank pieces in this bowl and shake off the excess.
• Place a non stick pan over high heat and add a couple tbsps of butter and a couple tbsps of oil.
• Brown the floured shanks in this pan and transfer them to the empty tray you used for the vegetables.
• Once the tomatoes have finished cooking and have blistered nicely, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
• Reduce the oven to 160° degrees (320° fahrenheit).
• Carefully pinch the skins off the tomatoes and discard.
• Process the vegetables in the processor until smooth and remove.
• Process the tomatoes in the same processor.
• Place a medium to large heavy based pot on high heat and sauté off the processed vegetables until they start to stick.
• Add the wine, stir well and reduce slightly.
• Add the tomato paste, the processed tomatoes and the veal or beef stock. Mix well.
• Pour the sauce from the pot over the shanks, add the bay leaves and cover the shank tray with foil, bake in the oven for 1 hr.
• Turn the shanks and bake another 1 hr, (should be very tender by now, if not keep cooking and check every 15-20 minutes until the meat almost falls off the bone).
• Remove the bay leaves when serving.

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (360 °F).
• Place a pan over medium heat, without any oil, add the bacon, sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until it becomes crispy and put it in an oven dish.
• Add a little olive oil to the same pan and sauté the meat for 3 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove the shanks and put them in the oven dish as well.
• Pour the wine into the same pan, let it evaporate for a minute and pour it over the meat. Clean the pan with a paper towel, add a little olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots and mushrooms for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, stir, add the cognac and put them in the oven pan. Add the broth, salt, pepper and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Serve with mashed potatoes if desired.

For the octopus:

• At the bottom of a wide pot, spread the onion, carrot and fennel. Add the balsamic vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and set aside.
• Pierce the circumference of the octopus tooth with a straight knife and remove it.
• Cut the head of the octopus and cut it in four pieces. Divide the tentacles and place them over the vegetables.
• Sprinkle with a little olive oil, cover the pot with aluminum foil and simmer the octopus over low heat for 1 1/2 hour, until it softens. When ready, remove from heat and set aside.

For the peas:

• While the octopus is being cooked, we can start cooking the peas as well. Place a large pot over medium to high heat and let it heat well. Then add a little olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and sauté until caramelized.
• Once the vegetables are caramelized, add the tomato paste, sauté for 2-3 minutes and add wine. Let the alcohol evaporate, add the peas, tomato, water, salt and pepper and mix.
• Cover the pot with the lid and let the food boil for 20-25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes, transfer to a baking dish, add the octopus and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C (360 °F) for 10 to 15 minutes.
• When ready, serve the peas with octopus, sprinkling with some dill.

• Brown the mince beef in a large fry pan.
• In a large pot soften the onion, bird’s eye chillies and garlic in a little olive oil over medium high heat.
• Add the cumin, coriander, thyme and dried chilli, sauté a further 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and cook a further 5 minutes.
• Add the browned beef, pan juices, tomato soup, kidney beans and canned tomatoes.
• Stir well, bring to the boil and reduce to simmer.
• Simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Add the capsicum and continue to simmer for half an hour.
• Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste.
• Serve with steamed rice, corn chips, or bread. Great topped with a little creamy guacamole and shredded cheddar cheese.

• Slice the carrot, parsnip, and onion, place in a wok and cook with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the curry paste, coconut milk, chopped lemongrass, lentils, and 800 ml (roughly 3.5 cups) of water.
• Season to taste. Simmer until the lentils are fully cooked.
• Add the coriander leaves and lime juice when serving.

• For the curry sauce: peel the onions and apples and cut into large pieces. Cook covered, on a low heat in 50ml (1.7 fl oz) of water until soft and the water has evaporated.
• Add the curry paste, fish sauce, chopped lemongrass, soy sauce, brown sugar, and coconut milk and process in a vertical blender until creamy.
• Cut the chicken breast into thin strips and slice the zucchini, pepper, and mushrooms. Add everything to the pot with the sauce along with the bamboo shoots and baby corn. Let everything cook for 3-4 minutes once it has begun to boil.
• In another pot, boil 600ml (20 fl. oz) of salted water, then add the rinsed rice and cook on low heat until the water is gone.