This is a lovely snack or light lunch combining the wonderful flavours of figs and gorgonzola cheese.

🍴 4     ⌚ 30 Mins    🍳 1   £1.00pp  10 ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, plus extra to serve
• 2 figs, cut into eight
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 slices ciabatta (or baguette)
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 2 small handfuls watercress
• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
• 50g Gorgonzola piccante
• Cracked black pepper

Step by step:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Combine the sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss the figs in this mixture to coat them, leave for 15 minutes then transfer to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until soft and caramelised.
3. Meanwhile, brush olive oil over the ciabatta slices and toast for 1-2 minutes a side on a hot griddle or under the grill. Rub lightly with garlic.
4. Top the ciabattas with watercress, mint, figs, a little black pepper and crumbled Gorgonzola.
5. Drizzle with a little olive oil and Balsamic vinegar before serving.

Tip: Add a few chopped walnuts or pistachios for extra crunch.

Recipe courtesy of Gorgonzola. Chef Gianluca Corradino kindly agreed to share his recipes with us. For information about all things Gorgonzola, go to https://en.gorgonzola.com/

Did you know? Gorgonzola is named after the northern Italian town where it was originally made. There are two main flavours Dolce and Piccante. Dolce is matured for 2 months and Piccante for 3 months. Gorgonzola has PDO (protected designation of origin) status. Gorgonzola is recognised by the blue or green foil wrapper with a big g embossed on the foil.

Every Italian knows just how delicious courgette flowers are. Stuffed with ricotta and gorgonzola and fried, they are perfection

Ingredients

• Courgette flowers (2 per person at least)
• 250 grams Ricotta cheese
• 4 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1 Lemon
• Plain flour add a portion into a bowl
• Cold sparkling water
• Sunflower oil for frying

Preparation

• Prepare the stuffed courgette flowers, remove the pistil from the middle and place the flowers in a bowl of sparkling water.
• While the flowers are soaking, make the creamy sauce. Add the ricotta, approx 4 tablespoons of gorgonzola, and fresh lemon zest to a large bowl. Mix the ingredients with a fork, pressing down on the ricotta so it combines with all the other ingredients.
• Add a splash of sparkling water into the bowl and mix through. Continue adding slowly until you get a creamy sauce.
• Spoon the mixture into a Ziploc bag, close the bag and then push the mixture to one corner before cutting a small hole.
• Add one egg and sparkling water to a separate bowl with flour. The consistency should be creamy, thick, and not too watery. Continue adding water little by little and whisk until you get a creamy consistency batter.
• Pour sunflower oil into your pan and put it on the stove at a medium heat. Leaving it to warm up to a temperature of (180°C/356°F).
• Now fill the flowers. Remove them from the bowl of water, and shake each one to get the excess water off, then stuff the flowers halfway with cream, using the Ziploc bag as a piping bag!

Rocket salad and Gorgonzola

Crumble the gorgonzola over a simple rocket salad and dress with a few chopped nuts

Brazil’s national cocktail, Caipirinha (which means little country girl in Portuguese) is made with just three ingredients, shaken and served over ice.

Ingredients:

• 1 lime cut into rough cubes and a couple of slices
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 65 ml cachaça
• A good handful of cracked ice

Step by step:

1. Put the lime cubes in a cocktail shaker (or sturdy glass tumbler) and crush them with a muddler or end of a small rolling pin. Extract as much lime juice as you can, then add and dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the cachaça and a little ice. Give it a stir and serve over ice with a slice of lime and a swizzle stick to stir.

Many years ago the old remedy for treating a fever was to hold a cloth moistened with alcohol to your forehead whilst sucking a lime. One day, a man who found the taste too bitter added a spoonful of sugar and hey presto the caipirinha was born. It also goes to prove the saying – a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

Cachaça (pronounced ka-sha-sa) is the national alcoholic drink of Brazil. Like rum, it is a sugar cane spirit. However cachaça is distilled from fermented sugar cane juice rather than from the molasses. Originally a poor man’s drink and given the slang name pinga from the Portuguese pingar, meaning to drip referring to the distillation process.

It is a clear strong spirit with a grassy flavour and recently the production of mature cachaça aged in wooden barrels has become popular. This gives a rounded more mellow flavour with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and dried fruits and makes an ideal alternative after dinner drink such as brandy or whiskey.

Nothing beats a stir fry for a quick, crunchy, colourful and healthy meal. Get the kids involved and they’ll be eating loads of vegetables and learning how to cook in no time.

Whilst you will obviously have to supervise the chopping and cooking of ingredients. There are many opportunities for children to learn about flavours of sauces and herbs and how long different vegetables take to cook.

🥘  2  🍽 Serves 4  🛒 up to 16 ingredients  ⏱ 20 minutes €6 V

Ingredients:

• 200g thin rice noodles
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
• 1/2 bunch of coriander
• 100g broccoli
• 1/2 red or yellow pepper
• 100g sugar snap peas
• 1 lime, sliced into 2 halves
• 1/2 fresh red chilli
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 100g baby spinach
• 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Step by step:

1. Cook the noodles to the packet instructions, then drain them in cold water to stop them overcooking.
2. Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic. Peel the ginger and chop it into matchsticks.
3. Pick the coriander leaves and set them aside, then finely chop the stalks. Carefully cut the broccoli into little florets and thinly slice the stalks. 
4. Scoop the seeds and white pith out of the pepper, then slice into strips.
5. Carefully cut the baby corn and sugar snap peas into 3 cm pieces at an angle.
6. Hold the chilli by the stalk and run a teaspoon down the cut side to remove the seeds and white pith. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after this stage.
7. Place the wok or a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the sesame seeds and toast until golden. Set them aside in a small bowl.
8. Put the pan back on a high heat, add the vegetable oil, red onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks and fry for 2 minutes or until lightly golden. Stir the vegetables regularly 
9. Add the broccoli pepper and mixed vegetables and fry for another 2 minutes.
10. Add the noodles and spinach, squeeze over the juice of half a lime and add a tablespoon of soy sauce.
11. When the spinach has wilted, stir it well into remaining ingredients. Use tongs to to divide the stir fry into serving bowls, then drizzle over the sesame oil, remaining tablespoon of soy sauce and a good squeeze of lime juice.
12. Sprinkle over the sliced chilli, coriander leaves and toasted sesame seeds.

Use this recipe as a guide and use any vegetables you have to hand. If you don’t have sugar snap peas, mangetout is fine. If you don’t have red onions, spring onions are great. The whole idea of stir frying is to use what you have, or like and have fun cooking.

Knobbly fresh ginger can be easily peeled with a teaspoon. Hold the ginger in the palm of your hand and scrape the skin towards you.

Getting kids used to the taste of garlic early is a good idea. The vitamins B6 and C aid a healthy immune system. Stir fry is also a great way to introduce the children to using chopsticks.

Buy the best wok you can afford. Le Creuset is one of the best premium brands but Salter make a very good wok for less than €50.

Quick and easy, packed full of vitamins, chicken soup is an ideal way to get your five a day.

Cold remedy…

Chicken soup is known to help cure the common cold. As the chicken cooks in the soup, an amino acid called cysteine is released. Cysteine thins mucus in the lungs, aiding decongestion and faster healing.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 2 cooked chicken legs or thighs, torn into strips.
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 handfuls of peas
• 1 tbs flour
• 1 chicken stock cube
• a good handful of chopped parsley

Step by step:

1. Place two glugs of olive oil in a saucepan and add all the chopped vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour and cook for another minute.
2. Add the stock cube to 1 litre of hot water to make the stock. Pour it into the vegetables and cook for 30 minutes until nice and tender.
3. Add the peas and chicken and cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Add the chopped parsley and serve

Per serving: 339 kcals, fat 13g, saturates 3g, carbs 18g, sugars 11g, fibre 6g, protein 39g, salt 2g

Yoghurt and garlic dressing (optional)…

Mix Greek yoghurt with garlic and lemon juice and a good grind of black. Stir a small swirl into the soup just before serving.

Notes:

We used Filippo Berio olive oil and Maille wholegrain mustard

Notes:

We used Asda own brand chicken stock pots (4 x 24g for £1)

Notes:

We used Kallo organic vegetable stock (£1.79 in most supermarkets) with excellent results.

• We used back bacon, but lardons or diced chorizo both work well. Leave the meat out all together for vegetarians and add in some pasta, rice or extra root vegetables.
• If you don’t have cannelloni beans in the larder, use borlotti or black beans.
• We used herb infused chopped tomatoes which add extra flavour. The Fresheno brand from Lidl is 37p for a 425ml tin.

Delicious and ready in 30 minutes. Make the soup in a saucepan and use a stick blender, or use a Thermomix©

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 400ml cider
• 400g frozen peas
• 400ml chicken stock
• Mint a good handful, chopped (extra leaves for garnish)

For the croutons and bacon

• 2 slices sourdough
• 77g pack diced pancetta

Step by step:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cider and reduce by ½ to evaporate the alcohol, then add the frozen peas and chicken or vegetable stock. Simmer for 2 minutes, then add the mint and use a stick blender to whizz until completely smooth. Add a splash of boiling water if it’s a little thick. Season.
2. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a frying pan. Cut or tear your sourdough into cubes and tip them into the pan. Remove them from the pan when cooked and wipe the pan clean. Put the pancetta into the frying pan and gently heat until starting to crisp.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the crispy breadcrumbs and bacon. Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves

Tips:

Use leeks instead of onion for a milder flavour. Use two cloves of garlic if you prefer a stronger flavour.

We used Kallo organic vegetable stock (£1.79 in most supermarkets) with excellent results.

A quick guide to making the croutons and crispy bacon topping. Make the croutons first so they don’t pick up the salt from the bacon. You won’t need to add any oil to the pan to cook the bacon as it will cook in its own fat. Dab the croutons and chopped bacon on kitchen paper to remove any fat before adding it to your soup.

You will need one large lidded pot

Ingredients:

For the caramelised shallots

• 1 large knob of butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• banana shallots (as many as you want)
• 2 tbsp white wine

For the fish

• 1 large knob of butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned and on large flat plate
• 2 sea bass fillets with the skin on
• panko breadcrumbs
• sesame seeds
• parsley
• 1/2 lemon

Step by step:

Make your caramelised shallots

1. Melt the butter and oil in the pan. Sprinkle over the sugar and add the shallots..
2. Fry gently for about 5 minutes and add 2 tbsp of white wine.
3. Cook until the shallots are soft, glazed and just starting to brown.
4. Set the shallots aside with any other vegetables you are serving with the fish

Now cook the fish (use the same pan just wiped with kitchen paper)

1. Put the butter and oil in the pan over a medium heat
2. Dredge the fish fillets through the flour and put them in the pan. Cook them for 2 minutes each side with the lid on (this retains moisture and stops the fish drying out).
3. Set the fish aside on a warm plate, leaving the remaining oil and butter in the pan. Add the breadcrumbs and sesame seeds to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon and cook until golden
4. Plate up the fish and place the breadcrumbs on top patting them down with a spoon and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with a slice of lemon and chopped parsley
5. Add the caramelised shallots and other vegetables.

Tips:

Panko breadcrumbs have an ideal texture. If you want to make your own, use 2 slices of bread whizzed in a food processor.

You will need one large lidded pot

Ingredients:

• 4 free range eggs
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into batons
• large piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 low salt stock cubes dissolved in 750ml hot water
• 250 egg noodles
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Parsley, a good handful, finely chopped

Step by step:

1. Make your hard boiled eggs. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the eggs for 6 minutes, drain and cover with cold water.
2. Fry off the vegetables in the sesame oil and add the chopped ginger.
3. Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes
4. Add the soy sauce and noodles and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Serve the soup in warmed bowls with sliced boiled eggs and chopped parsley

Tips:

Use this recipe as a guide. Courgettes, beans and other root vegetables all work well.

We used Kallo organic vegetable stock (£1.79 in most supermarkets) with excellent results.

We have used sesame oil for the nutty flavour, olive oil is fine if you prefer.

Use fine, medium or thick noodles. The thick noodles take another minute cooking time and make a more filling meal.