SOUP

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 knob of butter (you can get something for that)
• 3 punnets large salad tomatoes
• 5 large red peppers
• 2 pts veg stock

Method

1. Blacken the peppers on an open flame until most of the skin is black.
2. In a large pan, pour boiling water over the tomatoes and leave, to loosen the skin.
3. Gently fry the garlic and onion in the butter.  While these are cooking, scrape the black skins from the peppers then chop the pepper flesh into chunks, discarding the seeks and membrane.
4. Add the peppers to the pan with the garlic and onion.
5. Simmer this mixture while you peel the tomatoes.  Remove and throw away the seeds from the tomatoes and chop the flesh roughly.
6. Add the tomatoes to the pan.  Add a good pinch of salt, which will draw the moisture from the tomatoes.  Simmer gently.
7. Transfer to a huge pan and add the 2 pints of veg stock.  Bring to the boil then simmer for around 20 minutes.
8. Blend the whole mixture. A hand-held blender works best, but if you only have a jug blender, allow the soup to cool first to avoid scalding incidents.
9. This soup will easily freeze for rewarming in the microwave.

STICKY CHILLI CHICKEN KEBABS

Marinaded chicken

• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 to 6 chicken breasts

Avocado Sauce

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 large avocado, skinned and de-seeded
• 1 large salad tomato, peeled (cold) and deseeded, then chopped into small chunks
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 125ml soured cream

Method

1. Mix the marinade ingredients well.
2. Slice the chicken breasts into long strips.
3. Add the marinade to the chicken, cover and leave n the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
4. Thread the chicken onto skewers and brush with the marinade.  Cook under a hot grill, turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked, tender and brown on the edges.  Brush with more marinade when you turn the skewers.
5. As the chicken cooks, make the avocado sauce:
6. Mix the olive oil and red wine vinegar in a bowl.  Mash the avocado and add to the bowl, beating until the mixture is smooth.
7. Stir in the tomato and spring onions, followed by the soured cream.
8. Serve the chicken kebabs with a good dollop of the avocado sauce on the side.

SUMMER COUSCOUS

Ingredients

• 250g couscous
• 250ml vegetable stock , boiling
• 400g can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 300g courgettes , sliced on the slant
• 300g small vine-ripened tomatoes , halved

THE DRESSING

Ingredients

• 125ml olive oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 large garlic cloves , finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• ½ tsp sugar

Method

1. Tip the couscous into a bowl, pour the boiling stock over and mix well with a fork.
2. Cover with a plate and leave for 4 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, tip all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
4. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir in the chickpeas and follow with half the dressing.
5. Mix well and pile on to a large serving dish.
6. 2.Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the courgette slices over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until dark golden brown.
7. Lift out on to kitchen paper.
8. Now put the tomatoes cut-side down into the pan, and cook for another couple of minutes until tinged brown on the underside.
9. Top the couscous with the courgettes and the tomatoes, then the remaining dressing.

GINGERBREAD MEN

Ingredients (Makes about 20 biscuits)

• 10oz self raising flour
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 100g baking margarine
• 175g soft light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons golden syrup

Method

1. Put the flour, ginger and salt into a bowl and mix.
2. Add the margarine, sugar and syrup to a small pan and warm, stirring continually until you have a smooth syrup – the sugar doesn’t need to dissolve completely.
3. Add the warm syrup mix to the flour mix and stir into a firm dough.
4. Knead the mixture.
5. Roll out to about 5mm thick and cut out your gingerbread men.
6. Bake at 160 C /Gas 5 on greased baking trays (spaced out, as they will spread) for 10 to 12 mins until golden brown.
7. Leave to firm up for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack to cook.
8. Once cooled, decorate with icing to amuse your colleagues.

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The Meal

Starter – Chilli Red Onions and Pita

Ingredients

• 6 pita bread
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• Tomato puree

Method

1. Roughly chop onions, place into a bowel
2. Add tomato puree NOT sauce
3. Add chilli powder to taste, preferably minimum half a ½ tsp, mix and serve

Main – Grilled Chicken and Feta Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 4 large red or green peppers, stalks intact for artistic quality, flesh cut in half, seeds scooped out
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• Peri Peri Spice – Add to taste.
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tsp finely chopped herbs and garlic to taste
• 2 handfuls frozen peas
• 70g/2½oz green beans, chopped
• 2 handfuls of button mushrooms each quartered.
• salt, to taste
• ½ tsp ground Paprika
• 250g/9oz fresh Feta, crumbled
• 5 tbsp Cream Cheese
• Salad, Lettuce, onion, tomatoes
• 200g/7oz basmati rice, cooked according to packet instructions, to serve.
• Chicken breast – cubed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
2. Place the pepper halves onto a baking tray, drizzle with one tablespoon of the oil and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until softened. Once the peppers are cooked, remove them from the oven and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the mushrooms cook until golden brown.
4. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown.
5. Add the tomatoes, herbs, peas, beans, salt and spices and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened and reduced to a pulp.
6. Add the crumbled Feta and the water and stir until well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add Water to mixture if required to stop from drying. Remove mixture from pan after 2-3 minutes.
8. Boil the chicken,
9. Add boiled chicken to pan with butter to brown, add Peri Peri spices to pan mix for 2-3 minutes, add chicken to feta mixture, then add to rice.
10. Preheat the grill to its highest setting. While the grill is heating up, Spread crème cheese to the inside of each pepper and fill each of the baked pepper halves with the feta mixture. When the grill is hot, grill the stuffed peppers until the feta mixture is golden-brown.
11. To serve, place one or two stuffed pepper halves onto each serving plate.

Desert – Caramel Shortcake

Ingredients

For the base

• 4oz butter
• 2oz caster sugar
• 6oz self-raising flour

For the filling

• 1 small tin of condensed milk
• 4oz butter
• 4oz caster sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup

For the top

• 6oz plain chocolate

Method

1. To make the base, cream the Digestive Biscuits, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture.
3. Press the mixture evenly over a greased tin and place in the centre of a preheated oven set at 350F/180°C gas mark 4 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
4. To make the filling, put the condensed milk, butter, caster sugar and syrup into a pot.
5. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves.  Boil for 5-10 minutes stirring continuously.
6. Spread over the cooked base and allow to cool.
7. Once cooled, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Once melted, pour over the caramel filling and spread out.

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The Meal

Teriyaki marinade

Ingredients

• 250ml Soy Sauce
• 125ml Dark brown sugar
• 75ml Rice wine
• 3 Tablespoons ground Ginger
• 3 Tablespoons ground Garlic
• 2 tablespoons Chinese 5-spice
• Approx 3 Tablespoons chopped spring onions

Method

Throw the lot into a saucepan and cook on a low heat until sugar has completely dissolved.

Teriyaki Chicken Noodles

Ingredients

• 50ml Soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Root ginger, loosely chopped into thin strips
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• 100g baby corn, chopped
• 25g mushrooms, chopped
• 250g Fine egg noodles
• Approx 5 spring onions
• 8 chicken thighs, skinned and the meat diced off the bone
• Teriyaki marinade (above)
• Groundnut oil
• Sesame seeds

Method

Marinade the chicken for at least half an hour. Place the Garlic, Ginger and oil in a wok and fry for 2-3 minutes, add the rest of the veg and fry for a further 5 or so minutes until softened. Meanwhile boil the noodles in a separate pan, drain and rinse with cold water to de-starch, then put into the wok with the veg. Add some more oil to keep it all from sticking and the soy sauce. Skewer the chicken and grill for 10-15 minutes until cooked, use leftover teriyaki marinade as a glaze while cooking. Serve noodles and veg in a bowl with chicken on top and sprinkle sesame seeds to garnish.

Starters and dessert were all store-bought.

Ingredients

• 800g Chicken cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 peppers,deseeded and finely sliced
• 3 tbsp curry powder
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 50g creamed coconut, grated
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Long grain rice, boiled, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3. In a nonstick frying pan, fry the chicken- as much as you can fit in a single layer – until brown on both sides, in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest. When all the chicken has been browned, transfer to a large casserole dish.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onions until soft and golden. Add the garlic and peppers, then cook for another 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the curry powder and cook for a minute, then add the tomatoes – breaking them up with a wooden spoon – and creamed coconut. Stir to combine, then add to the chicken. Season, cover and cook in the oven for 2½ hours. Stir in the coriander and serve with boiled long grain rice.