All recipes serve 4
LAMB COUSCOUS
800g neck of lamb
2 onions
generous pinch saffron stamens
1 stick cinnamon
1 bunch coriander, picked
2 tbsp butter
8 baby carrots
2 courgettes, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
1 400g tin chickpeas, well rinsed and drained
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes, strained
500g couscous
Cut the lamb into six-centimetre pieces and rinse well. Combine in a saucepan with one of the onions, halved, half the saffron, the cinnamon, the coriander stalks (tied together) and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Cover with water, bring slowly to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for one hour, skimming as necessary. Remove the onion and coriander stalks and discard.
Melt half the butter in a saucepan and add the carrots, along with three tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the carrots just start to soften. Add the courgettes, chickpeas and the remaining saffron, cover and simmer for five minutes and combine with the lamb along with the tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Combine the couscous with an equal quantity of boiling water in a bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave for five minutes, then fluff it up, stir in the remaining butter and season with salt. Pile the couscous onto a serving plate, spoon the lamb and broth onto it and scatter the coriander leaves on top.
BRAISED ARTICHOKES WITH MINT AND LEMON
8 artichokes
2 lemons
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
olive oil
2 glasses white wine
large bunch mint
Cut the top third from each artichoke, trim the stem and remove the outside bottom three layers of leaves, or until the leaves inside become soft and pliable. Rub with the cut side of one of the lemons as you go to stop discoloration.
Gently soften the shallot, carrot and celery in four tablespoons of olive oil for 10 minutes without it colouring. Add the wine and the artichokes, season with salt and cover with tin foil or a lid. Braise over a gentle heat for 30-40 minutes or until the artichokes are cooked. Boil off most of the liquid for the final 10 minutes by removing the lid. Allow to cool, toss with the mint, check seasoning and serve.
ROAST JOHN DORY, BRAISED LENTILS AND CORIANDER VINAIGRETTE
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cardamom pods, remove seeds and discard the pods
half tsp black mustard seeds
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
olive oil
100g Puy lentils
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
400ml chicken stock
4 fillets John Dory, each weighing about 180g
bunch coriander
1½ lemons
Heat a dry frying pan and when it is hot add the spices. Toss them in the hot pan for a minute, or until they lose their raw aroma. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and grind them. Gently sauté the onion in three tablespoons of olive oil for 10 minutes without it colouring. Add the lentils, garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom and mustard seeds. Stir so everything is well coated in the oil and add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked. You may need more, or less, stock depending on your lentils. If you need less, strain through a sieve, reserve the lentils and reduce the sauce, then recombine.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/gas six. Toss the John Dory fillets in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for eight minutes, or until just cooked. You need to ensure the oven is thoroughly pre-heated. If the fish stews at all, it drys out.
Roughly chop the coriander and stir in four tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the fish on top of the lentils. Spoon over the vinaigrette and add a lemon quarter on the side.
RUM AND RAISIN ICE-CREAM
100g raisins
100ml dark rum
1 litre double cream
1 stick cinnamon
2 vanilla pods, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
8 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
Soak the raisins in the rum and set aside. Combine the cream, cinnamon stick and vanilla pods with the seeds in a saucepan. Bring almost to the boil and remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until pale - about eight minutes - and then pour over the cream mixture, stirring all the time. Extract the vanilla shells (these can be washed and dried and put in your sugar jar).
Pour the egg and cream mixture into a saucepan and return to a moderate heat. Cook gently, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens. Take care toward the end or you will end up with scrambled eggs. As soon as the mixture is custard thickness, pour through a sieve into a bowl. Add the raisins and rum. Place in an ice cream machine, or if freezing by hand, break up with a fork every 30 minutes. It will take about two hours in total.