Author: David Hall

Beef goulash ingredients
450g/1lb stewing beef, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
175ml/6fl oz beer
175ml/6fl oz water
50ml/2fl oz tomato purée
1 tablespoon paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon caraway seeds
450g/1lb potatoes
225g/8oz canned sauerkraut
2 tablespoons snipped fresh
flat-leaf parsley

How to make Beef goulash
• In a frying pan, cook the beef and onion in the oil until the beef is
brown. Add the beer, water, tomato purée, paprika, salt and caraway
seeds. Cover and simmer for 1 1⁄4 – 1 1⁄2 hours.
• Add the potatoes, undrained sauerkraut and parsley to the pan. Cook,
covered, for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove
the lid from the pan and cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes or
until the mixture is thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Serve hot with rice.

Chicken in spicy yogurt ingredients
3 dried red chillies
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1⁄2 large onion, chopped
2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root
ginger, grated
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed
lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
125ml/4fl oz low-fat Greek-style
yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken pieces, about 2kg/4 1/2 lb in total

How to make Chicken in spicy yogurt
• Grind together the chillies, coriander seeds, turmeric, garam masala,
garlic, onion, ginger, lime juice and salt using a mortar and pestle.
• Gently heat a frying pan and add the spice mixture. Stir for 2 minutes,
then turn into a shallow dish. Add the yogurt and oil to the spice paste,
and mix well to combine.

• Remove the skin from the chicken pieces, and make three slashes in the flesh of each piece. Add the chicken to the dish containing the yogurt and spice mixture, and coat the pieces completely in the marinade. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 4 hours. Remove the dish from the refrigerator, take off the cling film and leave, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
• Heat a barbecue or grill until very hot. Wrap the chicken pieces in foil, sealing well so that the juices cannot escape. Cook the chicken pieces over the barbecue or under the grill for about 15 minutes, turning once.
• Remove the foil and brown the chicken for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Mustard chicken ingredients
50g/2oz butter
1 onion, finely chopped
450g/1lb skinless chicken breast
fillets, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 garlic clove, crushed
150ml/5fl oz chicken stock
1 teaspoon chilli paste
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Mustard chicken
• Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and sweat for about
5 minutes until soft but not coloured.
• Mix together the chicken pieces and cornflour, and add to the pan with
the garlic. Cook quickly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
• Stir in the stock, chilli paste, coriander and mustard. Season with salt
and pepper. Bring just to the boil, stirring, and simmer gently for about
10 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in the sesame seeds, and serve hot with pasta
or potatoes.

Beef and lentil soup ingredients
300g/11oz dried red lentils, picked and rinsed
225g/8oz stewing beef, cubed
1 leek, finely chopped
3 large carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons plain flour
50ml/2fl oz dry white wine

How to make Beef and lentil soup
• Bring 1.8 litres/3pt water to the boil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the
lentils, beef, leek, carrots and celery. Return to the boil, then reduce the
heat, cover the pan and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Remove the beef, drain on kitchen paper and brown in the oil in a frying
pan over a high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the onions and sauté
for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir
with a wooden spoon until the flour browns.
• Pour 225ml/8fl oz of the lentil mixture over the onions and stir vigorously.
Add the white wine; cook for a further 1 minute. Tip the contents of the
frying pan into the lentil mixture. Simmer for 30 minutes before serving.

French bean soup ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
550g/1lb 4oz canned cooked
cannellini beans, drained
400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock
125ml/4fl oz white wine
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1⁄4 teaspoon ground white pepper
100g/4oz mozzarella cheese,
grated

How to make French bean soup
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan
over a medium-high heat. Add the
onion, celery and garlic, and
sweat for 5 minutes until soft,
stirring frequently.
• Add the remaining ingredients
except the cheese, and bring the
mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat
and cover the pan, then simmer for
10–15 minutes.
• To serve, remove and discard the
rosemary sprigs. Ladle the soup
into warm bowls, and top each
serving with a little of the cheese.

Chicken with beansprouts ingredients
100g/4oz chicken breast fillet.
skinned and cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon cornflour mixed
with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons water to form a paste
300ml/10fl oz vegetable oil
1 small onion, thinly shredded
1 small green pepper, seeded and thinly shredded
2 small carrot, thinly shredded
100g/4oz fresh beansprouts
1⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine
1⁄4 teaspoon sesame oil

How to make Chicken with beansprouts
• Put the chicken in a bowl. Add a pinch of the salt, the egg white and the
cornflour paste, and mix well.
• Heat a work or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the vegetable oil
and, when the oil is hot enough, add the chicken and stir-fry for about
1 minute, separating the chicken strips. Remove with a slotted spoon and
drain on kitchen paper.
• Pour off the oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the wok. Add the onion,
green pepper and carrot, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the
beansprouts and stir-fry for a few seconds.
• Return the chicken to the wok or pan with the remaining salt and the
sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Blend well and add 3 tablespoons
water. Sprinkle with the sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Chicken korma with green beans ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
350g/12oz skinless chicken breast
fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, sliced
2 1⁄2 teaspoons korma curry powder
150ml/5fl oz chicken stock
1 teaspoon tomato purée
2 teaspoons caster sugar
75g/3oz tomatoes, roughly chopped
150ml/5fl oz single cream
a little salt
100g/4oz green beans, topped and
tailed, cut into 2.5cm/1in lengths
25g/1oz ground almonds

How to make Chicken korma with green beans
• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chicken and onion, and sauté over
a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until the onion is soft
and the chicken is lightly coloured. Stir in the curry powder and cook for
a further 2 minutes.
• Add the stock, tomato purée, sugar, tomatoes, cream and a little salt. Stir
to combine the ingredients, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover
the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir the beans into the curry and cook, covered, for a further
15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked and the
beans are tender. Stir the ground almonds into the curry, and simmer for
1 minute to thicken the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if
necessary. Serve with rice.

White pork with pak choi ingredients
100g/4oz boneless pork shoulder
1 tablespoon cornflour
450g/1lb pak choi
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
1⁄2 teaspoon minced garlic
1⁄2 teaspoon minced fresh root ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
50ml/2fl oz chicken stock
1⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dry sherry

How to make White pork with pak choi
• Slice the pork against the grain into thin strips about 5cm/2in x
1cm/ 1⁄2in. Combine the cornflour with 1 1⁄2 tablespoons water to make a paste.
• Separate the outer fleshy stalks from the centre stalk of the pak choi and discard the centre stalk. Wash the outer stalks and diagonally slice into 8cm/3in pieces.
• Swirl the oil around in a very hot wok. When the oil begins to smoke,
add the pork and stir-fry for about 1 minute until the meat is seared. Add the pak choi, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until the green leaves are bright and shrivelled, stirring constantly.

• Add the salt, stock, sugar and sherry. When the liquid begins to boil,
cover the wok and steam for 30 seconds or less on high heat, until the
stalks are tender but still crisp.
• Remove the meat and vegetables using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Stir the cornflour paste into the remaining cooking liquid to make a light sauce. Serve immediately.

Potato soup ingredients
8 rashers back bacon
200g/7oz onion, chopped
450g/1lb potatoes, cubed
275g/10oz canned condensed
chicken soup
600ml/1pt milk
1 teaspoon dried dill
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

How to make Potato soup
• In a large saucepan, sauté the
bacon until crisp. Remove and
drain on kitchen paper. Sauté the
onions in the bacon fat over a
medium heat until soft and golden.
• Add the potatoes and enough
water to cover. Cover the pan, and
cook for 15–20 minutes until the
potatoes are tender.
• Stir together the condensed soup
and milk until smooth, and add to
potato mixture. Heat but do not
allow to boil. Season with salt and
pepper to taste, and stir in the dill.
• Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on
top to garnish. Serve hot.

Catalan soup Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
900g/2lb beef mince
2 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 tomatoes, chopped
25g/1oz plain flour
1.2 litres/2pt hot vegetable stock

How to make Catalan soup
• Heat the oil in a flameproof
casserole dish over a medium heat.
Sauté the beef until it is just
cooked, then remove and keep to
one side. Sauté the carrots, onions
and tomatoes in the same pan for
a few minutes, stirring continuously
to prevent sticking.
• Blend in the flour using a wooden
spoon, and cook for a few more
minutes. Return the cooked mince
to the casserole.
• Cover the mixture with the hot
stock, and simmer the soup gently
for about 45 minutes. Serve hot.