500g lamb fillets
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Cajun spice mix
250g green beans
6 ripe tomatoes
handful of local black olives
freshly chopped herbs (basil, tarragon, Italian parsley, etc) to taste

Trim the silver skin then toss the lamb fillets in half the olive oil with a sprinkle of the Cajun spice mix. Top and tail the beans then simmer in salted water until crisp tender. Cut the tomatoes into wedges.

Heat a pan with the remaining olive oil until very hot then quickly cook the lamb fillets for about three minutes each side. Leave to rest for four to five minutes.

Slice each lamb fillet diagonally into three or four pieces then toss with the beans and tomatoes.

Serve on an attractive platter scattered with the olives and herbs with crusty French bread as an accompaniment.

Serves four.

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2 cups water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
4 whole cloves
8 whole black peppercorns

Place chicken in casserole with above ingredients. Heat through, approximately 30 minutes.

Sauce:
1 cup milk
1 tbsp mustard (dry)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp corn flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg yolk beaten

Add milk to dry ingredients blending to a smooth consistency in heavy based saucepan or double boiler. Simmer 5 minutes stirring. Slowly stir in beaten egg yolk and cook gently for a further 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

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Eaten in the garden under the fig tree, flavored with wood smoke and herbs – and accompanied by a glass of red wine – this is the summer cooking I look forward to all winter.

Lamb chops
lemon juice
marjoram
salt & pepper

Season lamb chops with salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh wild majoram. Make a fire with grape vine prunings and grill them.

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No 6 chicken cooked and chopped
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 tangelos segmented
4 spring onions chopped
¼ cup chopped crystal Ginger
Small can drained unsweetened pineapple pieces
½ can of water chestnuts, drained and halved
¼ cup each of toasted and chopped almonds, pinenuts, hazelnuts

Dressing:
¾ cup mayonnaise
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp salt

Mix dressing. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. When well mixed, serve in a lettuce lined salad bowl.

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Wonderful cooked on the barbeque and a tasty change from barbeque sausages.

500g lamb mince
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
½ tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
½ cup sour cream
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Mix all burger ingredients together and form patties (makes about 12). Chill until ready to cook. Cook 2 to 3 minutes each side over a high heat.

Mix sauce ingredients together. Chill and server over patties.

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4 chicken breasts
1 tbsp yoghurt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp dried chilli peppers
1/8 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp ground cardamom or finely crushed cardamom seeds
lemon quarters sprinkled with paprika
small onions cut in thick slices
parsley

Skin and bone chicken, flatten with hands and cut into 5 cm pieces. Mix remaining ingredients, except onions, lemons and parsley, to a thick paste. Add chicken pieces and stir to coat well. Let stand for one hour at room temperature.

Thread on skewers, alternating several pieces with a slice of onion. Repeat until four skewers are filled. Set across a shallow pan and boil for 15 minutes or until done, turning once during cooking. Serve at once, garnished with lemon quarters and parsley.

Serves four.

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Serve the chicken on a bed of rice topped with the sauce.

Chicken fillets (one bag)
1 can apricot nectar
3 cm piece of green ginger
3 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp water
1 spring onion
butter and oil

Fry chicken in a mixture of butter and oil until golden while making the sauce. To make the sauce, combine the apricot nectar, thinly sliced ginger and soy sauce in a pot and bring to the boil. Blend cornflour and water and stir in, mixing until the sauce thickens. Add the sliced spring onion.

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4 chicken thigh fillets
½ large avocado
4 medium sized mushrooms
2 tsps melted butter or oil
2 tsps grainy mustard
4 sheets filo pastry sesame seeds

Trim away any fat and skin from chicken meat and spread with mustard. Top each fillet with a slide of avocado and a sliced mushroom.

For each fillet take a slice of filo pastry and place chicken in one corner. Fold side edges of pastry over chicken and then roll up pastry into a pastry into a parcel around chicken. Seal edges with a small amount of melted butter or oil.

Place each parcel onto a greased baking tray, brush tops with remaining butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in a moderate oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

Serves four.

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6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (size 8 chicken)
160g proscuttio/palma ham sliced wafer thin
blanched spinach – large leaves
500g puff pastry

Hollandaise
4 egg yolks
100ml wine vinegar reduction
500ml clarified butter
roasted cloves of garlic
chopped parsley

Wrap the proscuttio around each chicken breast. Wrap the spinach around the chicken and proscuttio. Roll out the puff pastry as thin as possible and wrap around the above. Coat with eff wash and bake at 200°C for 15mins. Slice and serve on individual plates alongside a roasted garlic hollandaise.

Hollandise:
Whisk together yolks and vinegar over boiling water. Slowly whisk in butter and add warm water if hollandaise gets too thick. Finally stir in pureed garlic and chopped parsley.

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Serve with baked potatoes, a tossed salad and a bloody good bottle of red wine. Home hint – Red wine stains? Drink white.

two 200 gm scotch fillets 5 cm thick
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 dessertspoon fennel seeds

Mix seasonings and coat the steaks. Heat skillet or pan until REALLY hot (this is important). No oil. Cook steak, burning mixture. There will be lots of smoke – extractor fan needed. Cook as you like – rare, medium rare. If well done, you’ve killed them

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