Pasta alla Norma

Slice 1 big aubergine in 2 cm cubes, sprinkle with salt and rest voor 10 mins.

Rinse and dry, then panfry in 3 tbsp olive oil for about 10 mins, till soft and nicely browned.

Take out and reserve

Add another tbsp oil to panfry 1/2 minced onion, 1 tsp caraway seeds and 1 tsp fennel seeds.

After 5 mins add 1 minced cove of garlic and fry another minute before adding 35g tomato paste

After 1 min add 400g tomato cubes from a tin, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and the reserved aubergine

Softly boil for 15 mins to thicken the sauce

In the meantime boil 150g orecchiette pasta, 

Mix the pasta into the sauce, with some of the cooking liquid.

After plating sprinkle 40g grated goat's cheese over the pasta and some rucola

Feeds 2

(Here Julie Teekens original recipe in Dutch)

Asparagus, black tiger gamba's, light red curry sauce

Peel 2 thick asparagus, boil them 5 mins in salted water, shut off the heat and leave them, under a lid, another 6 mins

Mix 1/2 tbsp Thai red curry with 75mk creamed coconut and the juice of 1/4 lime and warm

Pan fry 6 black tiger gamba's in olive oil

Start plating with 3 tbsp curry, put the asparagus on it and then fold the gamba's over the asparagus

Finish with lime zest (Feeds 2)

(Here Onno Kleyn's original recipe in Dutch)

Gratin of red fruit

Defrost 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and mix with 1 tbsp whipped double cream, 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp Amaretto

Divide over 4 plates and add 16 halved strawberries and 16 raspberries

Then put the plates under a hot grill till the ice is firmed up and nicely browned. Feeds 4

(Recipe by Bart Desmidt)

Burrata, artichoke and tomatoes

For starters fill a pan with 5 cm cold water and add the juice of 1/2 lemon, then trim down 2 big fresh artichokes down to their meaty hearts

(Click here to see how Molly Watson does it)

She writes: cut off and discard the stem end of the artichoke, cut close to the base so the artichoke can stand up on its own.

Pull off and discard the artichoke leaves, starting with the outer ring and working your way around and in the entire thistle. Most of the leaves will snap off, leaving the meaty bit at their ends still attached to the heart. Don't worry if you end up pulling the whole leaf off.

Keep going. Pull off and discard the artichoke's leaves—as you get to the inner leaves, they are more tender, flexible, and yellow. Grab the tops of the center leaves and pull up to remove them. This will reveal the fuzzy, choke underneath. These leaves are often a bit stiff at the ends and depending on the specific variety, may have lovely purple tips.

Use a spoon to dig in and scrape off the fuzzy (and inedible) choke.

Use a paring knife to cut off and discard any tough, fibrous, dark green parts clinging to the outside of the artichoke heart. Be aggressive. You only want the tender, light flesh of the heart when you're finished.

Now you have a fully trimmed and cleaned artichoke heart. It is ready to cook and eat. To keep the hearts from oxidizing and turning brown rub them first with the other 1/2 lemon, then add them in the pan with lemon water. 

Add salt, bring to the boil and cook for 15 mins

Quarter them and marinate for several hours in 70ml olive oil, 1 grated clove of garlic, 3 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary

Halve 10 cherry tomatoes and mix with the artichokes

Halve a burrata (room temperature) and sprinkle with olive oil, balsamico vinegar, salt and pepper

Start plating with the burrata, then add the artichokes and tomatoes. Finish with Cornish sea salt with garlic and pea shoots

(Recipe by Luca Piscopo in Delicious Magazine)

Fish soup with whiting, fennel and courgette

The original recipe was for haddock but that was not available so I asked my  fishmonger to cut two 6cm fillets from 1/2 whiting and took the off-cuts as well

Use a mini parisienne spoon to create 10 small balls from 1/2 courgette. Panfry them in butter with a clove of garlic and a sprig of thyme

Cut two 5mm slices from a small fennel bulb, boil them in salted water during 6 mins.

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and keep on the side, cut the rest of the fish in pieces and braise them in some butter. Deglaze with 50ml white wine and 1 tbsp Marsala.

Braise 200g tomatoes from a tin (without the liquid) in some olive oil. 

Then roughly hack 1/2 celery stick,  1/2 fennel bulb, the rest of the courgette and add to the tomatoes with 1/2 minced shallot and 1 minced clove of garlic

Sweat a couple of mins then add the braised offcuts. Season with a pinch of cumin, curry, fennel seed, a star anise and Piment d'Espelette. 

Blend into a smooth soup.

Braise the reserved fennel slices in a glug of olive oil with 2 tbsp water.

Panfry the fish fillets in butter

Start plating with the soup, add the fish fillets. Put a slice of fennel on top and finish with the courgette balls and some fennel green. I had some leftover vongole and added them too 

(A Bart Desmidt recipe from his book 'Simpel maar goed')     

Langoustine tail, spinach and girolles

Hack 1/2 green chili and finely slice 1/2 shallot. Softly boil them in 125 ml langoustine stock, then add 75g cold butter and use the stick blender to make beurre monté, mounted butter.

Cool to 60°C, add 2 pre-boiled langoustine tails and warm them during 10 mins

Clean 50g girolles and pan fry them in some oil with a sprig of thyme and a clove of garlic

Stir fry 50g spinach in olive oil, with 1/2 tsp grated ginger and a pinch of salt

Start plating with the spinach, put a langoustine on top and surround with the mushrooms and the beurre monté

(Recipe by Bart Desmidt)

Scallops, pistachio salsa

Hack 1/2 tbsp pistachios, 1/2 green chili and 1 tbsp coriander leaves finely, Mix well and ad the zest and juice from 1/2 lime. Season with salt and pepper.

Season 2 scallops with salt and pepper and flash fry in a bit of olive oil

Serve in their shells, cover with the salsa and a few drops of the frying oil

(Recipe by Bart Desmidt)

Thinly sliced fillet of lamb, Sicilian capers pesto

Season a 250g fillet of lamb with salt and pepper and panfry in about 4 mins in butter. Then roll in alufoil and rest for 15 mins

For the pesto put 4 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp capers, 8g parsley (stems hacked, leaves plucked), the zest of 1/2 lemon and 1 tbsp juice in the blender and whisk into a smooth pesto

Add 1 tbsp soaked and hacked raisins and2 tbsp toasted and hacked  pistachios. Tast and season with salt and pepper. Add some water if too thick

Finely hack 3 anchovies and mix with 3 tbsp mayonaise and 2 tbsp milk. Season with chili flakes and transfer into a piping bag.

Slice the lamb as thin as possible and put on 2 plates.Top with the pesto

Finish with stripes of mayo, some parsley leaves and hacked toasted pistachios.

Serve with toasted crostini. Feeds 2

(Recipe by Hester de Goede in Delicious Magazine)

Crispy King crab bites, salsa from avocado, spring onion and tomato

Use scissors to open the leg of a pre-boiled King crab lengthwise, take out the meat and cut into 2 cm pieces

Cover them first with flour, the egg yolk and finally Panko

Cut 1/2 avocado, 1/2 spring onion and 1/2 (peeled) tomato into 5mm cubes.

Make a dressing from 1,5 tbsp sunflower oil, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and the juice of 1/4 lime. Taste and season with sea salt and a knife point of sambal oelek.

Mix with the veggies and add some hacked coriander leaves.

Deep fry the crab briefly in sunflower oil

Serve the salsa in glasses, topped with crab bites and some cress

(Here Myriam Minne's original recipe in Flemish)

Asparagus, King crab, mayonaise blanc and sea banana

Take 2 pre-boiled legs of King crab and use scissors to cut them open to remove the meat. Cut in 2 cm pieces and dry them on a plate between kitchen paper.

Whisk a mayonaise from 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp Dyon mustard, 1 tsp warm water, 1 tsp sushi vinegar and about 75 ml grapeseed oil

Whisk the remaining egg white in a second bowl till you can turn the bowl over while the beaten egg white stays firmly in place

Then, bit by bit, carefully spoon your mayonaise into the beaten egg white. This way you can double the amount of mayonaise without having to use more oil, which is much healthier.  Taste and season with pepper and salt. 

Remove the kitchen paper, and lightly brush the crab with molten butter. Put in a 70°C oven for a bit

Peel 6 asparagus. Boil them in salted water for 5 mins, then turn of the heat and leave them under a lid for 10 mins. 

Use a serving ring to spoon a circle of fluffy mayonaise blanc on 2 plates. Then position the asparagus as shown. Put the crab on top, with some more mayo.

Finish with sea bananas and some black pepper.

(Recipe by Janneke Muileboom)

Chicken and egg rice bowl (oyakodon)

Cut 400g chicken thighs into 1 cm strips, place in a medium bowl with 4 tbsp sake and toss to coat. Stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 100g sushi rice according to packet instructions. Set aside and keep warm

Meanwhile, mix an 8g sachet dashi stock in a jug with 125ml water until dissolved. Add 2 tbsp mirin and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and stir to combine.

Crack 4 eggs into a medium bowl and beat with a fork until almost smooth.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Drain chicken, discarding marinade, and pat dry with paper towel. 

Arrange half the chicken in the pan in a single layer, and cook on one side only, untouched, for 3-4 minutes until well browned underneath. 

Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Discard excess oil from pan.

Thinly slice 1 halved onion and place in same pan in a single layer. 

Pour over dashi mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 3 minutes until onion has softened and stock has reduced. 

Return chicken to pan, arranging browned-side up in a single layer. 

Sprinkle over a thinly sliced spring onion  and simmer for 2 minutes to finish cooking chicken. 

Pour over the egg in a circular motion and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 4-5 minutes until egg is almost set. 

Remove from the heat and stand, covered, for 2 minutes.

Divide rice between 2 large serving bowls. 

Top with the chicken mixture and bimi's. 

Sprinkle with extra spring onion and shichimi togarashi to serve. Feeds 2

(Here Lucy Nunes original recipe in Delicious magazine)

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Octopus piperade, tarragon butter

Mince 1/2 onion and 1 clove of garlic, cut 1/2 Romano pepper (long paprika) into strips.

Sweat the onion and garlic 2 mins in 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the paprika and softly fry for another 8 mins.

Peel 2 truss tomatoes, quarter them and remove the seeds. Cut into 3 mm cubes

Add the tomatoes to the paprika-mix, add 2 tbsp white wine and braise in 10 mins nice and smooth

Hack the leaves from a sprig of tarragon, melt 25g butter with the tarragon and braise a couple of minutes

Brown pre cooked octopus tentacles in 2 tbsp olive oil for a couple of mins

Serve as shown, pour the tarragon butter over it

(A Janneke Philippi recipe from het book Canapé)

Lebanese chicken livers, hummus and flatbread

Pre heat the oven to 180° C

Boil a clove of garlic till soft. Open a 200g can of chickpeas, rinse and put in the blender with 1/2 tbsp tahin, 50ml olive oil, a pinch of both cumin and smoked paprika and the juice of 1/4 lemon.

Add the boiled garlic and 1,5 tbsp sour cream and mix into a smooth hummus

Clean 300g chicken livers, dry them with kitchen paper and put on a plate. Then grate another clove of garlic and 10g ginger over the meat. Mix well.

Take the leaves from 1 sprig of parsley, 1 sprig of mint and 1 sprig of coriander and hack them

Lightly moisten 2 Lebanese flatbreads and toast them in the hot oven for 2 mins

Quickly fry the livers in butter and olive oil.  Season with ground cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Once nicely browned pour over 1 tbsp pomegranate syrup and the juice of 1/4 orange

Spoon the hummus on plates, making a ring. Put the chicken livers in the middle.

Finish with the green herbs and a tbsp pomegranate pips.

Serve with the flatbread. Feeds 2

(Here Jeroen Meus' original recipe in Flemish)

Stracciatella, ovendried cherry tomatoes, Parmesan crumble

Pre-heat the oven to 125°C

Cut the top 1/3 from 6 (or more) cherry tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice.

Put in an oven dish, add 2 tbsp olive oil and thinly slice a clove of garlic, put the slivers between the tomatoes and and dry in de hot oven for 2 hrs.

Take them out to cool and put the oven on 180°C

Use your fingers to mix 15g flour, 15g unsalted butter and 10g grated Parmesan and crumble this dough onto a paper covered oven dish

Bake for about 8 mins till golden brown (check from time to time  to avoid burning) and cool.

Serve as shown, starting with the stracciatella, then the cheese crumble and finally the tomatoes.

Finish with some garlic oil from the tomatoes and a pea shoot.

(PS next time I'll use a wider glass and 5 tomatoes pp)

Feeds 2

(Recipe by Janneke Philippi in her book Canapé)

Tomato tartare, cornichon tapenade

Quarter 400g peeled Roma tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes. Mix with 1/2 finely sliced shallot, 25g hacked sweet&sour cornichons, 1/2 tbsp rinsed capers, 1/2 tbsp Dyon mustard, 2 tsp mayonaise, 1/2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp Worcester sauce, 1 tsp Tabasco, 3g hacked parsley.

Toast 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds in a dry pan. 

Put 1 tbsp Taggiasche olives in the cutter of your blender with 20g sweet&sour cornichons, 3g parsley and 1 tbsp olive oil. Grind into a nice tapenade and add the toasted mustard seeds

Deep fry 2 sheets of rice paper for 10 sec in 180°C arachide oil

Serve as shown with mustard cress,  pea shoots and the crunchy rice paper 

(Recipe by Julie Teeken for Delicious Magazine)

Lamb chapli, labneh and fried rice

Mix 25g cornflour with 2 tbs water in a large bowl until smooth. 

Add 250g lamb mince, a coarsely gated small carrot, a halved coarsely grated potato, 1/2 red paprika (finely  chopped), 1/2 green paprika (finely chopped), 1/4 red chili (finely chopped), 15g fresh coriander (finely chopped, incl stems), 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 small egg (beaten), 1/2 tsp dried mint and 1 tsp ground chili

Season and, using hands, mix well to combine (mixture will be a little sticky). Divide into 6 portions. With oiled hands, roll portions into balls and place on a tray lined with baking paper.. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up slightly.

Heat a large frypan with 2cm arachide oil over medium heat to 160°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 3 minutes when the oil is hot enough). Flatten chapli slightly in the palm of your hand, then shallow-fry, in batches if necessary, turning occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until crispy, golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel and season to taste. Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Spoon 6 tbs labneh (or thick goat's yoghurt)  on 2 plates and top with chapli. 

Serve with fried rice, scatter with extra coriander, drizzle with olive oil and serve with lime wedges alongside. Feeds 2

(Here Roya Moeen's original recipe in Delicious magazine)

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle  

Lamb and beetroot curry

Yes, I've seen better looking food, but believe me the taste is fabulous, so try it. Heat 1 tbsp vegetal oil in a large cast-iron or heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook 20 curry leaves for 1-2 minutes until crisp. Set aside on paper towel.

Season 350g lambs neck, cut into 3-4 cm pieces and cook, in batches, for 10 minutes until well browned all over. Set aside. Discard all but 1 tbs fat from pan.

Add a thinly sliced red onion and reduce heat to medium. Stir well, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally at first, but more often as the onion caramelises. 

Add 5 crushed garlic cloves, 25g grated ginger, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground turmeric and 3 smashed cardamom pods and stir for 1 minute.

Add 200 ml coconut milk and 150ml water and stir until combined, scraping bottom of pan with a spoon.

Return the lamb to pan with any resting juices and season. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Add 500g peeled smallish beetroots, cut into wedges and 200g rinsed and drained chickpeas and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for a further 1 hour 30 minutes or until lamb and beetroot are tender when tested with a sharp knife. 

Stir through 2 tsp garam masala, then check seasoning.

Sprinkle with crispy curry leaves, top with a dollop of Greek yoghurt (which I forgot on the photo) and serve with warm naan bread to soak up the sauce. Feeds 2.

(Here Lucy Nunes original recipe in Delicious Magazine)

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle

Salmon, red curry, Thai basil

Slice 1/2 red onion in half rings and softly fry in 1 tbsp olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add 1 heaped tbsp red curry paste, stir well and fry another minute.

Add 200ml coconut milk, 2 lime leaves, 40 ml water and 125g green beans, cover and softly boil 5 mins.

Boil jasmine rice

Add 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp palm sugar. Stir, cover and softly boil another 5 mins.

In the meantime panfry 2 salmon filets, 200g each, skin side down for 4 mins, till crisp and golden brown.

Add, skin side UP to the curry sauce, cover and boil another 2 mins.. The inside should still be pink

Remove the lime leaves and stir in 2 tbsp thai basil leaves and 2 tbsp coriander leaves.

Start plating with the rice, then the curry and the fish. Serve with extra leaves on top and some sea cucumber, and lime wedges on the side. Feeds 2.

(Here Lucy Nunes original recipe in Delicious Magazine)

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle

Marinated grilled Romano peppers

Halve 500g Romano peppers (long paprikas) and remove the seeds, Preheat a grill to a high heat and grill the Romano peppers, skin side up for about 10 mins, until the skins are blistered and blackened all over

Cool and remove the blackened skins,  tear the peppers into large strips

Mix 25ml of sherry vinegar, 25ml of balsamic vinegar, 150ml of extra virgin olive oil, 50g of garlic cloves, whole cloves lightly crushed in the skins, 25g of fresh thyme, 25g of fresh rosemary, whole sprigs

Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and add marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 45 minutes

Strain the marinade through a sieve and discard the garlic and herbs. Dress the pepper strips in the strained marinade liquid and set aside until required. Feeds 2.

F.i. to accompany grilled lamb

(Here Luke Holdens original recipe)

Crunchy chicken in chipotle ketchup

Mix a marinade with 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp ketchup, 1 tsp chipotle sauce, 1 tsp tomato paste, a big pinch of onion powder, a big pinch of garlic powder and 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil

Cut 4 chicken thighs in chunks and marinate them for an hour

Panfry the marinated chicken in a bit of olive oil for about 10 mins, then sprinkle 3 tbsp Panko over the meat and mix well, lower the heat and fry for a couple more minutes till the Panko is nicely browned

Serve as shown with spring onions, coriander leaves, potato croquettes and a nice salad with yoghurt dressing. Feeds 2.

(Here Sake Slootweg's original recipe in Dutch)

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle