Salad with Walnut Mayonnaise

Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, diced
2 apples, diced
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented
60 ml mayonnaise
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cream cheese
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
Lettuce leaves to serve

1. Combine tomatoes, apples, oranges, and grape fruit in bowl.
2. Blend or process mayonnaise, sugar, cream cheese and walnuts together. Pour over the salad ingredients. Toss well. Cover and chill thoroughly before serving.
Serve on a bed of lettuce. Mayonnaise may be served separately

Smoke Beef with Papaya

Ingredients:
1 medium-size papaya
15 slices smoke beef
Lime wedges and watercress sprigs, to garnish

Cranberry Mayonnaise:
125 ml mayonnaise
60 ml cranberry sauce

1. Peel, halve and remove seeds from papaya. Cut each half lengthwise into thirds.
2. Arrange 3 smoke beef on each portion of papaya. Serve on individual plates, garnished with lime wedges, watercress sprigs and Cranberry Mayonnaise.

To prepare Cranberry Mayonnaise:
Blend ingredients together well.

Spiced Fruit Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
425 gr tin pineapple chunks
425 gr tin papaya chunks
425 gr tin mango slices, cut into chunks
425 gr tin guava half, cut into chunks
2 cinnamon sticks, each 7,5 cm long
2 black cardamoms
5 whole cloves
7 black peppercorns

1. Drain all the fruits and reserve the syrup. Mix all the syrup together, reserve 570 ml and drain off remainder.
2. Put the syrup into a saucepan and add the spices, bring to the boil, cover the pan and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Uncover and reduce the syrup to half its original volume by boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool.
4. Keep the pan covered until the syrup cools. ( if open some of the flavour will be lost ).
5. Reserve a few pieces of papaya and guava and all the mangoes. Arrange the remaining fruits in a serving bowl.
6. Arrange the mangoes on top, then put in the reserved papaya and guava.
7. Strain the spiced syrup and pour over the fruits. Cover with cling film and chill.

Roast Baron of Lamb

Serves 12-14

Ingredients:
4 kg baron of lamb, without loins
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped mint
6 spring onions, trimmed to bulbs
4 small carrots, sliced
2 small lemons, peeled and sliced
60 gr butter, melted
375 ml dry white wine
20 ml lemon juice

Garnish :
Sauteed Potatoes
1 large lemon
40 gr butter
3 tsps sugar
25 spring onions, trimmed

1. Order the baron of lamb, without loins, from your butcher and have him remove rump knuckle and leg bone from each leg, leaving the tail and shanks intact.
2. Lay the double legs, skin side down on a board, open out and sprinkle with salt, pepper and mint. Place half the spring onions, sliced carrots and lemon slices in each cavity, close firmly and secure with skewers.
3. Brush the meat with melted butter, place in a large baking pan and cook in a very hot oven for 15 minutes to seal and brown.
4. Reduce heat to moderate and cook for 1¾ hours, pour off all but 3 tbsps of fat from the pan, then drizzle wine and lemon juice over the meat and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes for rare, 45 minutes for well done, basting 2-3 times.
5. Lift out the meat to a serving dish and allow to rest for 10 minutes to set the meat, but keep warm. Stir and scrape the pan to deglaze, then put pan juices through a fine sieve into a sauce boat and keep warm.
6. Meanwhile, for the garnish, prepare and cook potatoes, place in a heated dish and keep warm. Peel the rind, without pith from the lemon and cut into thin strips, melt half the butter in a pan, add sugar and cook, stirring for ±4 minutes for a syrup. Add lemon rind and sauté for ±4 minutes until golden, lift out and drain on kitchen paper.
7. Add remaining butter to the pan with spring onions, stir, cover and cook over low heat for ±10 minutes, then lift out, place around the lamb and strew lemon rind on top. Discard any pith from the peeled lemon and cut into very thin slices, arrange slices over the meat and take meat and potatoes to the table.

Mango Delight

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 fresh ripe mangoes (2x425 gr tins of sliced mangoes)
2 tbsps custard powder
2 tbsps sugar
150 ml milk
1 tsp ground cardamom or ground mixed spice
150 ml double cream
2 tbsps shelled unsalted pistachio nuts, lightly crushed

1. Drain one tin of the mango slices and puree them in electric liquidizer or food processor. Drain the other can and coarsely chop mango slices. Peel, slice and chop fresh mangoes.
2. Mix custard powder and sugar together, gradually add the milk and blend well. Cook over low heat until the consistency resembles whipped ream.
3. Stir in the ground cardamom or mixed spice and remove from heat.
4. Gradually add the mango pulp to the custard milk, stirring all the time.
5. Whisk the cream until fairly thick, but still pouring consistency. If you buy extra thick double cream, there is no need to whisk it.
6. Stir the cream into the mango mixture and gently mix in the chopped mangoes.
7. Transfer the mango mixture into a serving bowl and top with the crushed pistachio nuts. Serve hot or cold.

Mango Delight

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 fresh ripe mangoes (2x425 gr tins of sliced mangoes)
2 tbsps custard powder
2 tbsps sugar
150 ml milk
1 tsp ground cardamom or ground mixed spice
150 ml double cream
2 tbsps shelled unsalted pistachio nuts, lightly crushed

1. Drain one tin of the mango slices and puree them in electric liquidizer or food processor. Drain the other can and coarsely chop mango slices. Peel, slice and chop fresh mangoes.
2. Mix custard powder and sugar together, gradually add the milk and blend well. Cook over low heat until the consistency resembles whipped ream.
3. Stir in the ground cardamom or mixed spice and remove from heat.
4. Gradually add the mango pulp to the custard milk, stirring all the time.
5. Whisk the cream until fairly thick, but still pouring consistency. If you buy extra thick double cream, there is no need to whisk it.
6. Stir the cream into the mango mixture and gently mix in the chopped mangoes.
7. Transfer the mango mixture into a serving bowl and top with the crushed pistachio nuts. Serve hot or cold.

Saddle of Lamb Chops

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
750 gr saddle of lamb
2 large carrots, diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt, water
100 gr butter / 5 tbsps
Salt and pepper
½ bunch spinach, trimmed and chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
12 spring onions, trimmed to bulbs only
125 gr button mushrooms

1. Have your butcher cut the saddle into 4 slices.
2. Cook carrots and potatoes together in a pan of salted water until soft, drain well, and mash to a puree, add 2 tsps butter, salt and pepper and mix well, cover and keep warm.
3. Wash the spinach in a colander, shake of excess water and place in a pan with 1 tsps salt, cover and cook for ±7 minutes, or until limp, drain well and add 2 tsps butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir, cover and keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsps butter in a large pan, add lamb and cook over moderate heat for ±10 minutes to brown on each side. Reduce heat, cover and cook a further ±20 minutes or until tender, then lift out to a dish and keep warm.
5. Melt remaining butter in a pan, add spring onions and sauté over moderate heat until golden brown, lift out and place with the lamb. To pan juices add mushrooms and sauté ±6 minutes, remove and place beside the meat, then serve with spinach and potato-carrot puree.

Spicy Lamb Chops

Cooking time : 1 ½ hours

Ingredients:
8 best neck lamb chops
Flour
50 ml olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
25 gr butter
75 ml tomato sauce
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
125 ml vegetable stock
125 white wine
Dash of seasoned pepper
Juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper
Finally chopped parsley

Toss chops in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan add onion and sauté until transparent, then remove to a shallow ovenproof casserole. To pan juices, add butter and heat, add chops and lightly brown on each side, then remove to the casserole. Stir tomato and worcestershire sauces, lemon juice and seasoned pepper into the pan and heat, stir in stock and wine, bring to the boil, then pour mixture over the chops.
Cover and cook in a moderately slow oven for ±1 hour until meat is tender.
Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Kofta (Meat Ball) Curry

Serves 4

For the koftas :
500 gr lean minced lamb
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 cm cube of root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
60 ml water
1 fresh green chili, seeded and chopped
2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp salt or to taste

For the gravy:
5 tbsps cooking oil
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
3 cm cube off root ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsps ground coriander
1½ tsps ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp chili powder
1 small tin of tomatoes
150 ml warm water
½ tsp salt or to taste
2 black cardamom pods, opened
4 whole cloves
5 cm piece of cinnamon stick, broken up
2 bay leaves crumpled
2 tbsps thick set natural yogurt
2 tbsps grounds almonds
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1. Put half the mince, all the garlic, ginger, onion and the water into a saucepan and place cover medium heat. Stir until the mince is heated through.
2. Cover and simmer until all liquid evaporates (±35 minutes) then cook uncovered if necessary, to dry out excess liquid.
3. Combine the cooked mince with the rest of the ingredients, including the raw mince.
4. Put the mixture into a food processor or liquidizer and blend until smooth. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
5. Dividedthe mixture into approximately 20 balls.
6. Rotate each ball between your plams to make neat round koftas.
7. Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the onions until they are just soft.
8. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 minute.
9. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder and stir quickly.
10. Add one tomato at a time, along with a little juice to the spice mixture, stirring until mixture begins to look dry.
11. Now add the water, salt, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and the bay leaves.
12. Stir once and add the koftas. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
13. Beat the yogurt with a fork until smooth, add the ground almonds and beat again-stir gently into the curry. Cover and simmer until the koftas are firm.
14. Stir the curry gently, cover again, and simmer for ±15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the thickened gravy does not stick to the pan.
15. Stir in the coriander leaves and remove from heat

Koftas are very popular throughout, they are made using fine lean mince which is blended with herbs and spices

Chicken Tikka

Ingredients:
450 gr boneless, skinned chicken breast
1 tsp salt
½ tsp tandoori colour a few drops of red food colouring mixed with 1 tbsp tomato puree
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cm cube of root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tsps ground coriander
½ tsp ground all spice or garam masala
¼ of a whole nutmeg, finely grated
½ tsp ground turmeric
125 gr thick set natural yogurt
4 tbsps corn or vegetables oil
½ tsp chilli powder
Juice of ½ lemon

1. Cut the chicken into 2.5cm in cubes. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt from the specified amount, and the lemon juice-mix thoroughly, cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Put the rest of the ingredients into an electric food processor or liquidizer and blend until smooth.
3. Put this marinade into a sieve and hold the sieve over the chicken pieces. Press the marinade through the sieve with the back of a metal spoon until only a very coarse mixture is let.
4. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the sieved marinade, cover the container and leave to marinate for ±8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Pre heat the oven to 230ºC
6. Line a roasting tin with aluminium foil ( this will help to maintain the high level of temperature required to cook the chicken quickly without drying it out ).
7. Thread the chicken onto skewers, leaving1cm gap between each piece ( this is necessary for the heat to reach all sides of chicken ).
8. Place the skewers in the prepared roasting tin and brush with some of the remaining marinade.
9. cook in the centre of the oven for ±8 minutes.
10. Take the tin out of the oven, turn the skewers over and brush the pieces of chicken with the remaining marinade.
11. Return the tin to the oven and cook for a further ±8 minutes.
12. Shake off any excess liquid from the chicken.
13. Place the skewers on a serving dish. You may take the tikka off he skewers if you wish, but allow the meat to cool slightly before removing from the skewers.

Chicken Tikka is one of the most popular chicken dishes cooked in the Tandoor, the Indian clay oven.

Coriander Chicken

Serves : 6

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken joints, skinned
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
125 gr thick set natural yogurt
1 large onion, finally sliced
5 tbsps cooking oil
2 tbsps ground coriander
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder
150 ml warm water
1 tsp salt or to taste
30 gr ground almonds
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
¼ tsp paprika

1. Cut each chicken joint into two, mix thoroughly with the crushed garlic and the yogurt. Cover the container and leave to marinate in a cool place for±4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the onions until they are golden brown (±8minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
3. In the same oil, fry the coriander, ground pepper, ground mixed spice and turmeric for 15 seconds and add the chicken along with all the marinade in the container.
4. Adjust heat to medium-high and fry the chicken until it changes colour.
5. Add the cayenne or chili powder, water, salt and the fried onion slices. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender (±30 minutes).
6. Stir in the ground almonds and remove from heat. Garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg and a sprinkling of paprika.