MENU'S / RECIPES

If you are opting for a light meal instead of snacks, we have a few great ideas below to tickle your tastebuds.

These ideas are sinfully tasty but also quite affordable. Most of these delicious snacks can be found on the Jaimie Oliver Website. We have a variety of starters, main meals and deserts.Feel free to pass these on to your caterer!

Starters

Grilled Marinated Mozzarella

Ingredients:

1 loaf of ciabatta bread
8 rashers of thinly sliced dry-cured smoky bacon, or pancetta
zest of 2 lemons
4 large buffalo mozzarella cheeses
8 sticks of fresh rosemary
1 clove of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
3 handfuls of mixed fresh
herbs (chives, chervil, mint, basil, parsley)
for the dressing
1 good handful of nice black olives, stones removed
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
5 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Remove the crusts from the ciabatta and tear up into rough 2.5cm/
1 inch pieces. Throw into a bowl with the bacon and lemon zest. Divide each mozzarella into 8 similar-sized pieces and add to the bowl.Keeping the leaf tips on the rosemary sticks, remove the lower leaves and then smash these up in a pestle and mortar with the garlic.Stir in 8 tablespoons of olive oil, then pour this mixture over the bread, cheese and bacon. Marinate for anything from 15 minutes to an hour.Thread your mozzarella and bread on to your rosemary sticks, weaving the bacon in and around.Line up the kebabs on a wire rack and place under the grill on a very high heat until the bread and bacon are golden and crisp and the mozzarella is nice and gooey. While this is grilling make sure you keep an eye on it, as it can turn into a charred kebab very quickly.To make the dressing, chop up the olives and mix with the chilli, 5 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the same of olive oil. Season to taste.To serve the kebabs, dress the herbs with half of the olive dressing right at the last minute so the leaves stay nice and fresh,then use the other half of the dressing drizzled over the kebabs.

Try this: Do exactly the same as above but swap the mozzarella for cubes of fresh white fish such as haddock, cod or monkfish.

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Chinese Chicken Parcels

Ingredients:

1 Savoy or Chinese cabbage
sea salt
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed
1 handful of fresh coriander
1-2 fresh red chillies
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 trimmed boneless chicken thighs, skin removed, roughly chopped
1 handful of water chestnuts
zest and juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
extra virgin olive oil
sweet chilli jam, jelly or sauce
soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted
sesame seeds

Preparation:

Remove and discard the core and outer leaves from the cabbage, undo the remaining cabbage leaves and place themin a pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes to soften. Cool them in a bowl of cold water, drain and put to one side.In a food processor, whizz up your garlic, ginger, spring onions, coriander, chilli and fish sauce with a good pinch of salt.

Then add the chicken, water chestnuts, lime zest and juice and sesame oil and pulse until you have a minced meat consistency.

Place a heaped dessertspoonful of the flavoured mince on to one end of each cabbage leaf. Fold it up and tuck in the sides, then roll up.Rub a bamboo steamer, colander or normal steamer with a little olive oil and place in the cabbage parcels.They may try to unfold themselves, but once you start putting them next to each other they will hold in place.When they're all in, sit the steamer over a pan of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the parcels and that it's just the steam that's cooking them. Put a lid on top and steam for about 6 minutes until cooked.

If you're worried about the cooking time, take one of the parcels out and cut it in half to make sure that the heathas penetrated and that they're cooked.
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Smoked Trout, Horseradish And New Potato Salad

Ingredients:

700g/1 and-a-half lb new potatoes, scrubbed
4 heaped tablespoons creme fraiche or soured cream
zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1
4 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 heaped teaspoons horseradish, preferably fresh
a handful of fresh parsley
a small handful of fresh chives
a small bunch of spring onions, washed and finely sliced
400g/14oz hot-smoked trout or eel

Preparation:

First of all cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until they are tender, then drain them. While they are still warm, and when they are cool enough to handle, either cut them in half or squash them into a large salad bowl. Add your creme fraiche, the zest and juice of 1 lemon and your olive oil. Toss around, then season to taste.

Add or grate in your horseradish, tasting as you go, then chop up the parsley and chives and throw these into the bowl. Add the spring onions, tear in your smoked trout or eel, and mix everything together. Now it is very important to balance your salad with more seasoning and maybe an extra squeeze of lemon.

You may even want to give it more of a kick by adding some more horseradish.
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Crispy Salmon

Ingredients:

1 x aioli recipe
850ml/11/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock, lightly seasoned
8 baby bulbs of fennel, stalks removed and herby tops reserved
4 x 170-225g/ 6-8oz salmon steaks, scored
1 small handful of fresh
mint, ripped
1 small handful of basil,
leaves picked
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
around 100g/31/2oz green beans, tops removed
around 100g/31/2oz podded broad beans
around 100g/31/2oz
podded peas

Preparation:

First, make the aioli. When you've done that, bring your stock to the boil in a large pan then add your fennel and allow this to boil for 4 minutes while you heat up a non-stick frying pan. Take your salmon steaks and, if you fancy it, you could finely slice a little of your mint and basil and push this into the score marks.

Pat the salmon steaks with a little olive oil, season and place skin-side down in the frying pan. Leave them for 2 minutes to get really crispy then check how they're doing. They'll want around 4 minutes on the skin side and 1 minute on the other.

You'll get an idea of how they're cooking as you'll see the salmon change colour. When the fennel has had 4 minutes, add the green beans and the broad beans. Give them a further 2 minutes. By this time you will probably want to turn over the salmon steaks for their last minute.

Add the peas to the other veg and cook for a final 2 minutes. Don't be tempted to overcook the salmon - remove it from the heat.

Divide the vegetables between 4 bowls, rip over the mint and basil, ladle over some of your hot cooking stock and place the salmon on top. Serve with a dollop of aioli

(aioli recipe) -Ingredients:

1/2 small clove of garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
approx. 285ml/1/2 pint extra virgin olive oil
approx. 285ml/1/2 pint olive oil
lemon juice, to taste

Preparation:

Smash up the garlic with 1 teaspoon of salt in a pestle and mortar (if you don't have a pestle and mortar you can very finely chop the garlic).

Place the egg yolk and mustard in a bowl and whisk. Then start to add your olive oil bit by bit. Once you've blended in a quarter of the oliveoil you can start to add the rest in larger amounts. When you've added it all, you can add the garlic and lemon (to taste) and any extraflavours such as basil, fennel tops, dill, chopped roast nuts. To finish just season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice.
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MAIN MEALS

Tray-baked Pork Chops with Herby Potatoes, Pears, Parsnips (Serve with an assortment of buffet style salads and veg)

Ingredients:(to serve 4)

8 pork chops, or 4 double pork chops
1 x rosemary, garlic and lemon marinade
3 parsnips
3 smooth-skinned pears
680g/11/2lb potatoes, scrubbed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x minted bread sauce recipe

Preparation:

Rub and massage the pork chops with the rosemary marinade and, ideally, leave for 1-6 hours for maximum flavour.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.Wash the parsnips and pears and slice into quarters lengthwise, removing the cores from the pears, then cut the potatoes into 0.5cm/1/4 inch thick pieces. Dry them with kitchen paper, then put them into an appropriately sized roasting tray with the parsnips, pears, pork chops and the marinade.Toss over to lightly coat everything then season and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the chops.While the chops and veg are cooking, make the minted bread sauce. It's great smeared all over the pork.

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Stir-fried Duck With Sugar Snap Peas And Asparagus (Serve with Rice or Noodles)

Ingredients: (to serve 4)

4 x 200g/7oz duck breasts
2 teaspoons five-spice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sunflower or groundnut oil
2 large handfuls of thin asparagus, trimmed
2 large handfuls of sugar
snap peas or mangetouts
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1-3 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
4 oranges, zested and segmented
1 tablespoon honey
a handful of fresh mint, leaves picked
4 tablespoons soy sauce

Preparation:

First of all, score the skin of the duck with a sharp knife. Then dust the breasts all over with the five-spice and a good pinch of salt.

Put the duck breasts skin side down in a cold wok, then bring it slowly up to a medium low temperature so the white fat turns into wonderful thin, crispy, golden crackling. Cook for around 12 minutes, then turn the breasts over and cook for a further 5 minutes.By which time they will be cooked medium, so remove them to a plate and pour away the duck fat.Get all your veggies and flavourings ready to go and wipe your wok. Now you want to get it really hot.If you want to open the window (and cover the fire alarm... joke!), then do. You may need to cook it all in smallish batches depending on the size of your wok.

Add a couple of tablespoons of sunflower or groundnut oil to your hot wok. Carefully swill the oil around so that it covers the whole pan.Add your asparagus and sugar snap peas or mangetouts and toss around, then add the garlic, chilli and ginger.Continue stir-frying on the highest heat for a couple of minutes, until the asparagus has softened a little but still has a nice crunch.By all means have a taste. Remove the veg to a plate.Slice up your duck breasts into little slivers and put these back into the wok with any resting juices and maybe an extra pinch of five-spice.Cook until nice and crispy.

Put all your vegetables back into the wok, and turn down the heat. Add the oranges, honey, half the mint and the soy sauce, and serve straight away on a large plate, sprinkled with the rest of the mint
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Roasted Sweet Garlic, Thyme and Mascarpone Risotto with Toasted Almonds and Breadcrumbs

Ingredients:

1 x basic risotto recipe
2 large heads of garlic, whole and unpeeled
1 good handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
155g/51/2oz shelled and peeled almonds, lightly crushed, cracked or chopped
2 handfuls of coarse fresh breadcrumbs
olive oil
2 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese

Preparation:

Roast the whole garlic heads on a dish in the oven at 230°C/450°F/gas 8 for about 30 minutes until soft. Separate the cloves and squeeze out the sweet insides. Add with the thyme at the start of Stage 3 of the basic risotto recipe. In a frying pan toast the almonds and breadcrumbs in a little olive oil until crisp and golden. Season with a little salt. Set to one side. Serve the risotto with a dollop of mascarpone on the top and sprinkle over the toasted almonds and breadcrumbs.

(Basic Risotto Recipe)

Ingredients:

Approx. 1 litre/2 pints stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 finely chopped shallots or 2 medium onions
1/2 a head of celery, finely chopped (discard any tough outer sticks)
Maldon sea salt and black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
400g/14oz risotto rice
100ml/3fl oz dry white vermouth (dry Martini or Noilly Prat) or dry white wine
70g/2oz butter
85-100g/3-3 1/2oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Stage 1.
Heat the stock. Then in a separate pan heat the olive oil, add the shallot or onion, celery and a pinch of salt, and sweat the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and after another 2 minutes, when the vegetables have softened, add the rice. Turn up the heat now. At this crucial point you can't leave the pan, and anyway, this is the best bit.

While slowly stirring, continuously, you are beginning to fry the rice. You don't want any colour at any point (so remember, you're in control, and if the temperature seems too high, turn it down a bit). You must keep the rice moving.

After 2 or 3 minutes it will begin to look translucent as it absorbs all the flavours of your base (it may crackle at this point, that's fine).

Add the vermouth or wine, keeping on stirring as it hits the pan - it will smell fantastic! It will sizzle around the rice, evaporating any harsh alcohol flavours and leaving the rice with a tasty essence.I must admit I'm a sucker for dry vermouth. When it cooks into the rice it seems to give it a really full but subtle flavour and leaves a wicked sweet-ness that works perfectly with the rice. White wine is lovely, probably more delicate and fresh. Try both - see what you think.
Stage 2.

Once the vermouth or wine seems to have cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a pinch of salt (add small amounts of salt to taste while you are adding the stock). Turn down the heat to a highish simmer (the reason we don't want to boil the hell out of it is because, if we do, the outside of the rice will be cooked and fluffy and the inside will be raw).Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take about 15 minutes. Taste the rice - is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Check seasoning.
Stage 3.
Remove from the heat and add the butter and the Parmesan, saving a little of the latter to go on top if you like. Stir gently.

Eat it as soon as possible while it retains its moist texture.

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Lemon-roasted Chicken With Sweet Tomato Pasta (to serve 5)

Ingredients:

1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 small pinch mixed dried herbs
35ml olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 whole chicken legs
1 x quantity Sweet Tomato Pasta

Preparation:

Zest the lemon by gently grating the yellow skin with a fine grater; peel the garlic.

For the marinade

1. Prepare the marinade by blitzing the lemon zest and juice, garlic, mixed herbs and olive oil in a blender, making sure it is all mixed well.
2. Once blended, add a small pinch of salt and a grind of pepper, taste a tiny bit to check the seasoning.
3. Pour the marinade over the chicken legs, rubbing it into every nook and cranny. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight so that the fl avours can develop.

You can cook the chicken straight away but the fl avours will be nicer if you can leave it to marinate.

A few hours later ...
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
5. Transfer your chicken legs to a shallow baking tray, spoon the marinade over the chicken legs and

cook in the preheated oven for between 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden, crisp and tender.
Serve the chicken with the juices and sweet tomato pasta (see recipe below).

(Sweet Tomato Pasta)

Ingredients:

1 onion,peeled and fi nely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
100ml olive oil
1 level teaspoon dried oregano
1?2 dried chilli, crumbled
800g good quality tinned tomatos
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Crumble the dried chilli; peel and chop the onions; peel and chop the garlic; pick the basil leaves.

1. In a pan, slowly fry the onion and garlic in a good drizzle of olive oil.
2. Add the oregano and chilli and cook for 4 minutes until sweet and softened.
3. Add the tomatoes, simmer gently for about 15 minutes then break the tomatoes up with a spoon.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar and the sugar and stir until you have a nice fine tomato sauce.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 8 to 10 minutes in a large pan of boiling salted water.
6. When cooked, drain in a colander.
7. Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce to mix.
8. Season and sprinkle over the torn basil.

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DESSERTS

Two Nuts Chocolate Torte (this will serve 8)

Ingredients:

150g/51/2oz shelled and peeled almonds
150g/51/2oz shelled walnuts, finely ground
300g/11oz best-quality cooking chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
1 heaped teaspoon best-quality cocoa powder
255g/9oz butter
100g/31/2oz caster sugar
6 large free-range eggs, separated
Salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Line the bottom of a 20 or 25cm/8- or 10-inch tin with a piece of greaseproof

paper before buttering the bottom and sides then dusting with flour.

Place the nuts into a food processor and whizz up until finely ground. Then add the chocolate and cocoa and whizz for 30 seconds to break up the chocolate. Put to one side in a separate bowl. Add the butter and sugar to the food processor and beat until pale and fluffy. At this point add the egg yolks one at a time then mix together with the chocolate and nuts. In another bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate, butter and nut mix. Pour all the mixture into the tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for around an hour. To test if the torte is cooked, insert a cocktail stick

or the tip of a knife for 5 seconds; when removed it should be reasonably clean. Serve with whipped cream, ice-cream or creme fraiche.

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Creme Brulee (This will serve 6)

Ingredients:

300g/11oz fresh rhubarb
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 vanilla pods
300ml/11fl oz double cream
200ml/7fl oz full fat milk
8 egg yolks
80g/23/4oz sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas 1. Roughly slice up the rhubarb and place it in a pan with the caster sugar and 5 tablespoons of water. Simmer until tender, divide between 6 small serving dishes which your brulee will be cooked in, then set aside.Score the vanilla pods lengthwise and run the knife up the pod to remove the vanilla seeds.

Scrape these into the pan with the pods, cream and milk and slowly bring to the boil. Meanwhile beat together the yolks and the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. When the cream and milk are just boiling, remove the vanilla pods and add little by little to the egg mixture, whisking continuously.

I like to remove any bubbles or froth from the mixture before dividing it into the serving dishes, on top of the rhubarb. Stand these in an appropriately sized roasting tray filled with water half-way up the containers, and bake in the preheated oven for around 25 minutes until the custard mixture has set but is still slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool to room temperature then place in the fridge until ready to serve. Sprinkle with sugar and caramelize under a very hot grill or using a kitchen blowtorch.

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Baked Ricotta and Mascarpone Tart with Chocolate & Orange(This will serve 8)

Ingredients:

1 x basic sweet pastry recipe
250g/9oz ricotta cheese
250g/9oz mascarpone
125g/41/2oz icing sugar
zest of 3 oranges
seeds from 2 vanilla pods
2 eggs, separated
100g/31/2oz best-quality cooking chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
1 egg, beaten
icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation:

Make the pastry and line a loose-bottomed 28cm/11 inch flan tin. Bake blind and allow to cool. Roll the extra pastry out to the same thickness in a long rectangular shape, dusting as you go, and divide into 14 strips 2.5 cm/1 inch wide. Set these aside - you will need them to finish off the tart.

Turn the oven down to 170°C/325°F/gas 3. Whip together the ricotta, mascarpone, icing sugar, orange zest, vanilla seeds and egg yolks until smooth and shiny. In a separate bowl whip up your egg whites until stiff -you can test if they're done by holding the bowl upside down over your head. Obviously the mixture
should stick to the bowl and not fall on your head! Gently fold the egg whites into the mixture.
Pour into your cooled tart mould and sprinkle the chocolate over the top.

Lay 7 strips of pastry across the tart, equally spaced, and then place the other 7 the other way on top of them like a lattice. Use your thumbs to trim any excess pastry off the side of the mould - this will stick it to the pastry below.Brush the pastry with a little of the beaten egg and then dust with a little icing sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes.This tart can be served hot or cold with some ice cream