Bigos - Polish hunter's stew

Bacon, cut into shreds

Half a large jar of sauerkraut

Similar quantity of shredded white cabbage

Half a Mattisons reduced fat smoked sausage, cut into semi-circles

A pork loin cut into 6-8 chunks

2 carrots cut into chunks

1-2 handfuls of dried mushroom, soaked in boiling water

1 packet of Przyprawa Mysliwska (“Hunter’s seasoning,” or “Bigos powder”)

1 large or 2 medium potatoes cut in a small dice

1 TBS tomato puree

2-3 sliced prunes

Fry the bacon in plenty of olive oil until crisp. Mix soaking liquid from mushrooms with tomato puree and the seasoning, and add to the pan with sausage, sauerkraut, carrots and prunes. Boil for 20-30 minutes before adding cabbage.  When the vegetables are cooked, drain, reserving the liquor. Cook pork and mushrooms for 20 minutes in the liquor in a pressure cooker. Remove the meat and mushroom and reduce the liquor in the pressure cooker. Chop the mushrooms finely and add these and the meat to the vegetables. Finally pour the reduced liquor into the pot and warm through to serve.

Fresh herb sauces, condiments and marinades

Any of these should keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, so make big batches. Except salsa verde when made with cubed bread, the ingredients are finely chopped and combined and then allowed to infuse (cold oil) or macerate (warm oil), and they work well as marinades as well as condiments/sauces. Chimichurri and Gremolata are more commonly served with meat and the rest with fish, but there’s nothing wrong with mixing and matching. Salsa verde parsley vinegar (optional: soaked into cubed bread) capers garlic anchovies olive oil optional: some, all or none of mustard, basil, mint, onion Chopped by hand or blended (if cubed bread is used, then must be blended). Gremolata grated lemon zest garlic parsley anchovies some, all or none of mint, rosemary and sage 1 tsp olive oil Chimichurri parsley minced garlic olive oil oregano vinegar chili flakes optional: some, all or none of sweet paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, bay leaf, diced tomato with red pepper Sauce vierge olive oil lemon juice chopped tomato chopped basil. Optional: crushed coriander seed, chervil, chives, parsley Chermoula Garlic Diced red onion Cumin Paprika Lemon juice Vinegar Olive oil Fresh coriander Parsley Optional: Saffron

Crabcakes with rémoulade

Rémoulade

• “Enough” low sat fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion or spring onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Some or all of chopped gherkins, anchovies, and green olives
• Olive oil, to improve ‘mouthfeel’

Mix it up the day before (olive oil to taste) and refrigerate.

Crabcakes

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low sat fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 pound of crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• olive oil for frying

1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 8 ingredients. Add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Divide mixture into 8 and form patties approximately 2cm thick. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry crabcakes in batches for approximately 4 minutes per side or until golden.

Hollandaise, Bearnaise, buttery herb sauces for fish

Asda’s “Simmer Sauce Mix – Hollandaise” is fine if you make up following the instructions, using semi-skimmed milk and Flora Cuisine instead of butter, and adding plenty of salt and pepper.

The resultant sauce comes in just under 2g of sat fat per 100g, vs e.g. 7.5g for Maille’s pre-made Hollandaise sauce.

Parsley and/or dill could be added to make a sauce for fish.

Spinach is nice added for, e.g. for fried or poached eggs on toast.

For Béarnaise sauce, add a very small amount of finely diced onion, tarragon and substitute some of the milk for white wine (further reducing the sat fat content e.g. swapping half of the milk for wine will reduce sat fat content to just under 1.5g of sat fat per 100g)

Base for lemon meringue / key lime pie, cheesecake, etc

1½ cups ground almonds
1½ cups plain flour
Optional 1 tsp ground cinnamon/ginger
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup honey (or golden/maple syrup)
½ cup vegetable oil

Separately mix together the wet ingredients and the dry ones. Mix together until forms a slightly crumbly dough that just holds together.

Press dough into the bottom of lightly-oiled springform pan prick with a fork in several places to prevent bubbles from forming.

Bake for about 5 minutes at 190C, or slightly longer (until crust is a light golden brown) if a no-bake topping is to be used (some cheesecakes, for example).

Allow to cool before adding toppings.