Recipes serve 4
POACHED LAMB, LETTUCE AND YOGHURT
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
8 neck of lamb chops
1 400g tin tomatoes
600ml light chicken stock
2 Little Gem lettuce, trimmed and quartered lengthways
6 tbsp full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with a little salt
1 tbsp picked thyme
Gently saute the onions over a medium heat for 15 minutes, without allowing them to colour. Add the rosemary and parsley, coat in the oil for two minutes and then add the lamb, tomatoes and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, cover the pot and simmer for 1.5 hours, or until tender. You can also cook this in the oven for the same time at 180 degrees/gas four.
Add the Little Gem, cover and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the lettuce wilts. Combine the yoghurt and garlic. Spoon the lamb on to four plates and serve with a scoop of the yoghurt and a sprinkling of thyme.
POACHED CHICKEN, CAULIFLOWER PUREE AND BRAISED LEEKS
4 chicken breasts, on the bone
bunch parsley
2 bay leaves
half head cauliflower, the florets separated
3 medium-sized floury potatoes, roughly chopped into 2cm chunks
150ml double cream
4 leeks, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths
1 tbsp butter
Cover the chicken breasts with cold water, then add the parsley, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Slowly bring to the boil and poach for 30 minutes, or until cooked (larger chicken breasts may take 40 minutes). If you decide to cook a whole chicken, allow a whole hour. Remove the chicken from the liquid and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
Cook the cauliflower and potatoes in salted boiling water until tender and mash to a smooth paste. Whisk the cream in and check seasoning.
Braise the leeks in the butter, along with two tablespoons of water and a seasoning of salt and pepper, for 10 minutes, or until tender.
Serve the chicken on top of the puree, with the leeks on the side and a little of the cooking liquor from the chicken.
STEAMED PEAR PUDDING
60g butter
1kg pears, peeled, cored and sliced
juice of one lemon
4 tbsp Poire William eau de vie
4 tbsp sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Combine the butter with the pears, lemon juice, eau de vie and sugar in a pan and slowly simmer until the mixture becomes thick and quite dry. Remove from the heat. Butter an oven-proof dish. Stir the beaten eggs into the pear mixture and spoon this into the buttered dish.
Set in a pan of boiling water to come half way up the side of the dish containing the apple mixture, and bake in the oven 180 degrees/gas four for 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Slice and serve with lots of cream.