Weever and cockles with green curry

Bring 1 l water to the boil with 60g salt, then cool for at least 2 hrs.

Then add 2 filets of weever (NL:Pieterman, FR:vive. Or use sea bass) to pickle for 10 mins. 

Take out and dab dry.

Remove the outer leave from a leek, then finely hack the rest, add a minced clove of garlic, season with thyme, salt and pepper and softly fry in olive oil

Warm in another pan some olive oil, with reserved leek leave, a minced clove of garlic and some thyme. Add a glass of white wine and 500g cockles. Boil till the shells are open. Drain en keep the cooking liquid

Take the cockles from the shells

Bring the cooking liquid to the boil and reduce by 50%, add 1 tsp green curry paste and 20cl double cream. Once the sauce is warm again add the juice from 1/8 lime, salt and pepper

Put 3 tbsp flour in a plastic bag, put a 160g filet of weever in the bag and shake well. Repeat with a second filet.

Pan fry the fish, skin side down, in olive oil with a tbsp butter and 1/2 tbsp thyme. Once the skin is nice and golden turn the filets and fry for another minute.

Remove the fish and warm 100g samphire in the same oil, after a minute add the cockles to warm them

Foam the sauce with a stick blender (which I forgot)

Start plating with the fondue of leek, followed by the samphire and cockles

Put the fish on top and finish with the foamy sauce

(Here Miryam Minne's original recipe in Flemish) 

Tuna tataki, crispy veggies

Whisk 6g olive oil with 2g sesame oil, 10g soy sauce, 10g hoisin sauce, 3g mirin and 1/4 tbsp apple syrup

Add 1/2 minced clove of garlic, 1/4 tbsp grated ginger, 1/8 hacked red chili and the zest of 1/4 lime

Brush a 200g piece of sashimi tuna with 1/3 of this marinade

Briefly toast 10g white and 10g black sesame seeds in a dry pan, then cool on a plate

Add a tbsp olive oil to the hot pan,  flash fry all sides of the tuna, roll the tuna trough the sesame seeds and cut in 6 even slices

Slice 6 snow peas lengthwise, do the same with 2 green asparagus, then cut them diagonally in 3 parts

Snip the brown tops and bottoms from 30g beansprouts 

Bring water to the boil, add the peas, the asparagus and the taugé, take them out after 45 sec and cool in ice water, add salt to the water and keep it warm

Peel a small carrot and use the mandoline to slice into thin strips

Clean a spring onion and cut diagonally in 3 pieces  

Bring the warm water to the boil again to blanche the spring onion and 1/2 of the carrot for 30 sec, cool in ice water

Use a gas burner to burn 1/4 sweet pointed pepper, remove the burned skin under a running tap and slice into thin strips

Mix all veggies in a bowl, then season with olive oil, sesame oil, sushi vinegar, chardonnay vinegar, pepper and salt

Blend 10g coriander, 5g parsley and 10g grape seed oil, then mix with 2 tbsp mayo and transfer to a piping bag

Add 2 tbsp sushi vinegar and some lime juice to the marinade to make a sauce

Start plating with the vegetables, then the tuna. Season the tuna with sea salt. 

Finish with dots of the coriander mayo, some sauce and cress (which I forgot)

(Here Miryam Minne's original recipe in Flemish)

Pumpkin stuffed pani puri

Mince 1/4 onion and 1/2 clove of garlic and hack 90g pumpkin. Bring some water to the boil, add the vegetables, with a pinch of cumin seeds, a pinch of curcuma, 1/2 finely sliced red chili and some salt.

Once boiled blend into a purée, taste and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cool and transfer into a piping bag.

Toast 1/2 tsp caraway seeds first and then 25g hacked almonds in a dry pan

Make a chutney from 1 tbsp hacked coriander, 1 tsp hacked mint, the juice of 1/4 lemon, some olive oil, salt and pepper

Deep fry 2 pani puri in 170°C arachide oil, for about 20 sec, turn all the time.

Make a hole in the pani puri and stuff halfway with the pumpkin, then some caraway and almonds and finally a teaspoon of the chutney

(Here a video with Ramon making this recipe in Dutch)

Chilled melon and olive oil soup with 'nduja toast and oregano

Begin by making the oregano oil, ideally the day before. Set a few of the oregano leaves aside for garnishing the soup and toasts, then blitz 150 ml olive oil, the leaves of 20g oregano and the zest of 1/2 lemon together in a blender. 

Allow the mixture to infuse overnight, or leave it to infuse for as long as you can on the day. Strain the oil through a muslin cloth set over a bowl to get a clear oregano oil. This will make more than you need for this recipe but it will keep in the fridge for several weeks 

To make the soup, remove any seeds or peel from 500g cantaloupe or honeymoon melon, then place in a blender with the 1/4 chopped red chili, 20ml chardonnay vinegar, 20 ml olive oil, 50g ice cubes and a pinch of salt. Blitz until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve and chill in the fridge until ready to serve

Use a melon baller to scoop out 10 small balls from another melon

For the toasts, place a griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle  slices of sourdough bread with olive oil and toast the bread on both sides until crisp and lightly charred. Whilst the bread is still, hot, spread ‘nduja over them and garnish with a few oregano leaves

To serve, divide the soup between 2 bowls and finish with a drizzle of the oregano oil and a few oregano leaves. Serve alongside the ‘nduja toasts

Serves 2

(Here Steven Groves' original recipe)

Seabass, oven dried cherry tomatoes, pancetta vinaigrette

Pre-heat the oven at 125°C

Put 6 halved cherry tomatoes in an oven dish, sprinkle with lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper and dry in the hot oven during 2 hours

Cut 15g pancetta in 5x5 mm cubes and finely slice a shallot, softly fry them in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 min, then cool

Cut 2 cherry tomatoes in small cubes, mix with 2 tbsp Chardonnay vinegar and add to the pancetta/shallot vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper

Remove the skin from a sea bass fillet and make thin slices

Serve as shown with the fish slightly overlapping the dried tomatoes, cut a taggiasche olive and put pieces on top of the fish

Put the vinaigrette in the middle and finish with some hacked parsley

(Here Mr Kitchen's original recipe in Dutch)

Feeds 2

Courgette carpaccio

Use the mandoline to make lengthwise thin slices of a young courgette

Whisk 35 ml extra virgine olive oil with 1 tsp lemon zest plus 2 tsp juice and season with salt and black pepper

Start plating with the courgette slices, simple or more creative, cover them with rucola leaves and grated Parmesan and finish with the dressing and more black pepper

(Here Valli Little's recipe in Dutch)

Cauliflower puree with chorizo and a poached egg

Cut 35g chorizo in small cubes, bring 100 ml double cream to the boil, add the chorizo, boil for a minute. Let the sausage infuse the cream for 30 min, under a lid

Cut the florets from 1/4 cauliflower and boil in salted water for 15 mins.

Drain the cauliflower, drain the cream and put in the blender to make the puree.

Roughly hack 1 heaped tablespoon of hazelnuts, do the same with pistachios and roast them briefly in a dry pan

Diagonally slice a spring onion

Cut another 50g chorizo into small cubes, softly fry them in a dry pan to get out the fat

Poach 2 eggs

Start plating with the cauliflower puree, put the poached eggs on top. 

Sprinkle the nuts and onion over it, season with pepper and salt and finish with the red chorizo-oil

(here Myriam Minne's original recipe in Flemish)

Aubergine with herb cream on sourdough

Cut a large aubergine (about 250g) into 2cm cubes, tip into a colander placed over a bowl and scatter with a little salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. This will help the aubergine flesh to relax and take up less oil.

In a large, preferably nonstick sauté pan, warm 100ml of olive oil, then add the aubergine. Peel 2 cloves of garlic, then slice them thinly and add them to pan. Let the aubergine cook with the oil and garlic for about 10 minutes, partially covered by a lid, turning the pieces over from time to time so they colour evenly. Roughly chop 10 basil leaves and about 15 of parsley. Add them to the aubergine and set aside.

Make the herb paste: mix together 2 tbsp of mayonnaise with 75ml of sour cream. Stir in 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of capers, 10 parsley leaves, a dash of white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar and a little salt and black pepper. Taste and sharpen the flavour with more vinegar if you wish. Butter 2 slices of a sourdough loaf, panfry them and then spread with the herb cream. Pile the aubergine on top and serve. 

Feeds 2.

(Here Nigel Slater's original recipe)

Baked feta and dill frittata

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Break 4 eggs into a medium bowl, add a half-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, whisk well and set aside.

Use a ruler to measure the thickness of a 100g block of feta – if it’s thicker than 1½cm, carefully trim it down to this thickness and crumble any offcuts into the egg mixture. Keep the rest of the feta block whole.

Place a small (roughly 17cm-wide), nonstick, ovenproof saute pan on a medium-high heat and add 30 ml oil. Once it’s hot, add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, cook for a minute until fragrant, then add 90g finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes, until the onion is translucent. Stir in 120g baby spinach and 20g finely chopped dill, and cook for two minutes, until the spinach has wilted and the dill is fragrant.

Pour the beaten egg into the pan and stir to combine with the onion, spinach and herbs. 

Nestle the feta in the centre of the egg mixture, so it’s three-quarters submerged, then drizzle a teaspoon of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds over the top. 

Transfer the pan to the oven, bake for 15 minutes, then remove and turn the oven grill to its highest setting. 

Once the grill is hot, pop the pan on the top shelf of the oven closest to the grill and cook for two minutes until the frittata is golden brown and the top of the feta slightly coloured.

Using a spatula, release the frittata from the bottom of the pan, then carefully slide it on to a serving plate. 

Sprinkle over a tbsp chopped dill and a pinch of aleppo chilli, and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side. 

Serves 3-4

(Here Ottolenghi's original recipe)

Crispy stuffed courgette flowers

Remove the stalks inside courgette flowers because they are bitter, at the same time look for insects

Grate 40g Parmesan and mix with 125g ricotta. Add the zest of a lemon.

Hack 4 anchovies and stir into the cheese.

Taste and season with pepper.

Spoon into a piping bag.

Fill the flowers, but make sure there is enough room on top to twist them shut

Mix 125g flour (preferably Japanese tempura flour) with about 130 ml ice-cold sparkling water and some salt.

Pour 1 cm arachide oil in a frying pan, bring to to 180°C, dip the flowers in the batter and then fry on one side till nicely coloured and crispy, then the other side.

For 6-8 flowers

Crispy gamba's, Asian salade and a sesame vinaigrette

Start with the dressing: mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp sushi vinegar and some grated ginger and garlic

Beat a lemon grass with the back of a knife, then cut into small pieces and add to the vinaigrette, with 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tbsp chili sauce, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, the juice of 1/4 lime and 1 tbsp sunflower oil

Toast 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds in a dry pan

Clean 4 gamba's, remove the intestinal tract and pickle them in 50gr sea salt for 4 mins

Rinse, dry and leave in the fridge for 2 hrs to become glassy

Then dust with curry powder and pepper

Remove the seeds of 1/2 red chili and cut into a brunoise, briefly boil the red pepper in boiling water

Slice 1/2 shallot into a brunoise

Warm 1 tbsp agave syrup, then add the red chili and the shallot to become glassy

Add a dash of sake, 1/2 tbsp sushi vinegar, 1/2 tbsp Mirin and 1/2 tbsp vinegar, boil for a couple of seconds and cool in the fridge

Peel 50g cucumber, remove the seeds and slice into matchsticks

Do the same with 50g carrot, the wine of a paksoy leaf and 50g leek

Remove both ends of 50g beansprouts

Mix all veggies with with 1 tbsp sushi vinegar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil and a few drops of lime juice

Bring a pan with sunflower oil to 190°C

Beat an egg, crush 50 g Panko

Pass the gamba's trough the beaten egg, then through the Panko. Repeat this.

Deep fry the gamba's till golden brown

Start plating with the mixed veggies, then put the gamba's on top

Cover the gamba's with the shallot compote, then drizzle the dressing over it

Finish with some coriander leaves and the sesame seeds

(Here Myriam Minne's original recipe in Flemish)

Teriyaki salmon, misomayo, asparagus

Pre-heat the oven at 140°C. Slice the skin from 200g salmon, halve, brush with arachide oil and season with pepper and salt. 

Put on greaseproof paper on a baking tray, cover with an other sheet of paper and press down with a second tray.

Bake for 15-20 mins, cut the crispy skin into strips, to be used as decoration on the dish. 

Then set the oven on 150°C.

Slice a green asparagus very thinly with the mandoline.

Soak a tbsp seaweed in cold water for 20 mins, drain and season with pepper.

Mix 1/3 tbsp white miso with 2/3 tbsp water, then mix with 2 tbsp mayo, season with lime juice and -zest.

Brush the salmon with arachide oil, season with salt and pepper and briefly grill in a hot griddle pan

Cover the salmon with teriyaki sauce (from a jar) and transfer to the oven for 2 mins.

In the meantime spoon the miso mayo on 2 plates, then the warm salmon.

Put a tbsp salmon eggs on the salmon, followed by the sliced asparagus

Finish with  the sea weed, the salmon skin and some wasabi furikake

(Here Myriam Minne's original recipe in Flemish)

Hasselback tomato tonnato with anchovy and herb crumbs

This is a fun riff on a modern classic. The tuna sauce is traditionally served with sliced veal, but works very well with the salinity and fragrance of fresh tomatoes. 

The tomatoes are cut ‘hasselback’ and stuffed with a herb and anchovy breadcrumb mixture - you could also chop through some wild garlic if it’s in season. Serve this with some crusty bread, or as part of a larger spread. 

 Preheat oven 200ºC/180ºC fan

Make the crumb by whizzing 40g breadcrumbs, 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped 

1/2 handful each basil, chives and parsley leaves, 1 clove garlic and the zest of 1/2 lemon in a small blender and seasoning with salt and pepper

Make cuts in 2 San Marzano tomatoes at 1/2 cm intervals, but don’t cut all the way through (placing a tomato between 2 flat chopsticks helps)

Place the tomatoes into a roasting dish and stuff them with the crumb. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and the crumb is turning golden

Once the tomatoes are cooked, set aside to cool a little while you make the sauce

Make the tonnato sauce by combining 1/2 tin tuna in oil, drained (60g drained weight), 1 anchovy fillet, 2 egg yolks, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard  and the juice of 1/4 lemon in a small blender. Whizz to a paste, then stream in 75ml light olive oil slowly until you have a smooth sauce. 

Season with salt and black pepper

To serve, spread the tonnato sauce onto a plate and top with the tomatoes. Dot around 1/2 tbsp capers and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve

Serves 2

(Recipe by Great British Chefs Kitchen)

Oven-to-table sausage traybake

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) 

Put 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 garlic cloves (unpeeled) and 4 sausages in a large roasting dish or tin, then roast for 15-20 minutes, until the sausages start to turn golden on all sides.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables, and pop them into a large bowl as you do so. Quarter an onion and remove the outer skin; cut a celery stick into 2½cm lengths; peel a carrot and cut into 5mm slices; cut 6 small new potatoes in half (there’s no need to peel). Peel and quarter an apple then core and cut each quarter in half widthways.

When all of the vegetables are in the bowl, add 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp mixed fresh herbs (chopped parsley, sage, thyme), and give everything a good mix (I find it easier to use my hands).

Remove the roasting dish from the oven, squash the garlic cloves with the back of a fork to release the pulp inside, then lift out the skins. Stir the vegetables into the dish, then return it to the oven for 30 minutes, until the veg are tinged brown at the edges and just tender when spiked with a knife.

Meanwhile, spoon 1 heaped tsp cornflour into the base of a measuring jug, then whisk in 125 ml apple juice and 100 ml water a little at a time, so there are no lumps, then stir in 1/2 tbsp apple vinegar.

Remove the tin from the oven, sprinkle over 1/2 cup frozen peas then pour over the apple juice mix and pop it back in the oven for 15 minutes, so the peas heat through and the sauce bubbles up and thickens. 

Remove from the oven, sprinkle over more parsley (if using) and serve on warm plates

(Here Nancy Birtwhistle's original recipe for 4)

Yellowtail tartare, mango, tomato, coriander

Start with the dressing: mix the juice of 1/2 lime, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp caster sugar. Taste and season with salt and pepper

Add 1/2 cm slices from 10 cherry tomatoes and 1cm cubes from 1/2 mango.

Then the leaves from 5 sprigs of coriander.

Thinly slice a filet of yellowtail and mix with the rest.

Put in the fridge for 30 mins -1 hour to marinate.

Plate as shown and finish with deep-fried Asian onions

(Here Myriam Minne's recipe in Flemish)

Roast pork tenderloin with cherry and chipotle salsa

Plump, in-season cherries make a glorious salsa that works wonderfully with spiced pork. If you like, make this an even quicker midweek meal by swapping the loin for some chops.

First, marinate 1 pork tenderloin (trimmed of any excess sinew, then cut in half widthways). In a small bowl, combine 1/2 tsp ground piment, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder with 1/4 tsp caster sugar and half a teaspoon of salt, rub the mix evenly all over both pieces of pork, then leave to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes (or in the fridge overnight). 

Stone 250g cherries (by putting each cherry on top of an empty wine bottle and then pushing the stone out with a chopstick), roughly chop them and mix with 1/4 tsp caster sugar, 1 tsp whole grain mustard, 1/4 tsp chipotle (or chili) flakes, 1 peeled and finely diced banana shallot 1 finely diced red chili, 2 tbsp lime juice and 10g roughly chopped coriander in a small bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and set aside. 

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), and put a large, ovenproof frying pan on a high heat. Once it’s hot, pour in 2 tsp sunflower oil, then sear the pork on all sides for four minutes in total. Add 25g unsalted butter to the pan, then baste the pork with the melted butter until it’s foamy and caramelised.

Transfer the pan to the oven for five minutes, turning over the pieces of pork once halfway, then remove, cover with foil and leave to rest for eight to 10 minutes. (If you prefer your meat medium to well done, leave it in the oven for another minute or two). 

Cut the pork into ½cm-wide slices, arrange these on a lipped platter, then spoon over the butter from the pan and the cherry salsa

(Here Ottolenghi's original recipe and more)

Grilled, spiced lamb with yoghurt and mint

Maybe it does not look pretty, but the taste is great. Sizzling, aromatic lamb with cool, crunchy yoghurt. 

First of all, crack open 8 green cardamom pods and remove the little black-brown seeds. Crush them to a powder with 1 tsp of cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar.

Stir in 1 tsp of ground turmeric. Mash 2 fat cloves of garlic to a paste with a ½ tsp of salt and mix with the powdered spice.

Add the spice paste to 100ml of natural yoghurt, stir, then spread it over both sides of 6 lamb cutlets and set aside for 20 minutes or so – longer will not hurt.

Finely chop 15 mint leaves and 6 radishes, then mix together and stir into a further 100ml of yoghurt and add a little salt. 

Warm a griddle pan.

Remove part of the yoghurt. Cook the lamb for 2 minutes or so, until one side is nicely browned then turn and cook the other for 2 minutes. The exact timing will depend on how you like your lamb done. This will produce a cutlet that is rose pink inside. The most delicious results will come from a little charring.

Serve the cutlets with the mint and radish yoghurt and grilled Turkish bread. Enough for 2

(Here Nigel Slater's original recipe)

Lamb, mussels and cockles paella

Soak 1 tsp saffron in 500ml warm chicken stock.

Soak 500g cockles in ice-cold salted water to have them remove all sand.

Season a 300g slice of boneless leg of lamb with salt and pepper and cut in 2x2 cm cubes.

Clean 500g mussels.

Remove the skin from 2 tomatoes and dice them 

Remove the beans from 500g broad beans, then boil them for just 2 mins. Drain and cool in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. 

Then gentle squeeze each be a until the inner section pops out. Discard the outer skins

Finely slice an onion and a clove of garlic and softly fry in a wide sauté pan in olive oil.

After 3 mins add 150g paella rice, stir well and then add the warm chicken stock 

Lower the heat and softly boil for about 25 mins.

After 15 mins brown the meat in 2 tbsp olive oil, then cook for 5 mins.

Bring 100ml white wine to the boil in a big pan, then add the mussels and the cockles. Add the lid and steam for 5 mins. Then drain and discard any shells that did not open.

When the rice has absorbed almost all the chicken stock add the mussels, the cockles, the tomatoes, the broad beans and 60g brown shrimps (that I clearly forgot)

(Recipe from Delicious Magazine and Sneakyveg website) 

Red mullet with aubergine purée and chilli and garlic oil

Start this recipe by working on the aubergine purée. Preheat the oven to 220°C

Prick an aubergine several times with a fork and bake until the flesh is soft and the skins are blackened, about 30 minutes. Allow the aubergine to cool then peel. Put the flesh in a colander, weigh it down with a plate and leave for 1 hour to drain

Take 250g of the aubergine flesh and put it in a food processor with 2 cloves of garlic, the juice of 1/4 lemon, 1/4 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tbsp tahini. Purée the mixture, slowly adding 50 ml extra virgin olive oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning

To make the chilli and garlic oil, finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and put it in a saucepan with 1 anchovy filet, 1/4 tbsp chilli flakes and 1 tbsp sunflower oil. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the anchovy melts, then remove the pan from the heat. Add 37 ml olive oil and set aside to cool

To cook the fish, heat the grill to maximum. Fillet 2 red mullets, then season the fillets with salt and pepper. Place them skin-side up on a lightly oiled baking tray or grill-pan and grill on one side only until the fish is just cooked – about 4-6 minutes

To plate, heat the aubergine purée and place a heaped spoonful on each serving plate. Mix some chopped parsley into the chilli and garlic oil and pour a little around the aubergine purée. Sit the cooked fish on top and serve as shown

(Here Bryan Webb's original recipe)

Summer salad

Pre-heat the grill. Put 6 (unpeelded) shallots under a very hot grill for 20 mins, turn halfway. Then slice open lengthwise and scoop out the soft center. Keep warm.

Halve 8 baby potatoes (unpeeled) and boil for 20 mins in salted water.

Warm 50 cl olive oil, then add 1 tbsp mustard seeds, let them pop like popcorn, for a minute, then take the pan from the heat and whisk in 1 tbsp Dyon mustard, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 20 ml red wine vinegar 

Once the potatoes are done, mix them with half the dressing, then add the shallots, 1/2 tbsp hacked parsley, 1/2 tbsp hacked dill and 1/2 tbsp hacked chives.

Put some nice mesclun leaves on a plate, followed by the potatoes, shallots and herbs.

Then crumble 70g Stilton over the salad and finish with some edible flowers.

Eventually add more dressing

(An Yvette van Boven recipe)