4 medium size fresh squid
175g / 6 oz Thai fragrant rice
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
10g / ½ oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt / pepper
½ tbsp sesame oil
½ glass of white wine
Pour boiling water over the porcini mushrooms to reconstitute them. Chop the onion, garlic and pepper very fine. Fry these in the oil until lightly coloured. Add the chopped squid and cook until it turns opaque then put in the rice. Continue cooking to get the rice hot then put in the fish stock with 50 ml of the mushroom stock. Chop the mushrooms, add these and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and place a lid on the saucepan. Leave for 5 - 10 minutes then fluff up with a fork and stir in the chopped parsley.
Fill the squid ‘sleeves’ with the pilaff compacting it gently. Secure the end with a cocktail stick and lay them in a deep tray or casserole. Pour in the white wine and season with salt. Cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven at 180 C (gas mark 4) for 20 - 30 minutes until the flesh of the squid has turned opaque. Allow the squid to rest while you make the sauce.

Squid ink and red wine sauce

1 tbsp squid ink
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 ripe tomato
50g / 2 oz butter
A few drops of red wine vinegar

The Original Banoffi Pie Recipe

I have come across some pretty ghastly versions of Banoffi in my career. My pet hates are biscuit crumb bases and that horrible cream in aerosols.

As you can imagine I get a bit pedantic about the correct version - so here it is:

BANOFFI PIE
You will need a 10 x 1½ inch (deep) loose bottomed flan tin
Oven temp: 180 C / gas mark 4

For the pastry:
250g / 9 oz plain flour
25g / 1 oz icing sugar
125g / 4½ oz butter
1 egg and 1 egg yolk

Place the flour and sugar in a bowl, cut the butter into cubes and then rub it in to the flour / sugar until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Work in the egg to form a paste.
Chill for half an hour then roll out to the thickness of a pound coin and line the flan tin.
Prick the base, line with parchment paper and weigh down with dry beans.
Cook for fifteen minutes then remove the beans and paper.
Put the pastry case back into the oven and cook until it is evenly golden.
Remove from the oven and cool.

To assemble:
1 ½ tins of banoffi toffee (see note below on boiling the tins or click here)
5-6 ripe bananas
425 ml / ¾ pint of double cream
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
1 dessertspoon of caster sugar
A pinch of ground coffee
Carefully spread the toffee over the pastry base.
Peel and split the bananas lengthways and arrange them on top of the toffee,
(see how they fit the curve of the pastry - that’s why God made bananas curved).
Whip the cream with the instant coffee (if they are granules they will dissolve as you whip the cream) and the sugar until it just holds its shape - take care not to over whip it.
Spread the cream over the bananas right up to the pastry edge then sprinkle sparingly with the ground coffee.
If you are not serving it immediately cover first with some baking parchment or greaseproof paper directly onto the cream and trim the edges then wrap in cling film.
It does not lend itself to being frozen.

Only one variation is acceptable as far as I am concerned and this is ‘Apploffi’.
Replace the bananas with a layer of cooked apple puree made using a mixture of Bramley’s and Cox’s apples cooked in a little orange juice with some Muscovado sugar, then cooled. This version cuts the richness of the toffee and cream nicely.

ABOUT BOILING THE CANS OF CONDENSED MILK

Over the years I have become increasingly concerned about the danger of boiling cans of condensed milk. There is no danger of them exploding unless the water in the saucepan boils dry. If this does happen the result is terrifying and can scald anyone close to it. It has happened to me once and that was enough. Because I now teach and demonstrate a lot I like to make sure my instructions are safe so I have devised this method.

Find a deep saucepan or casserole that will go in the oven.
Put into it as many tins as will fit. (THE TINS MUST BE UNOPENED). It worth doing several at a time to save on power.
Cover the tins with water and bring to the boil.
Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven set to gas mark 1 / 140 C (less for fan assisted).
Cook for 3 ½ hours.
This way there is no danger of the water boiling dry and being in a more controlled temperature you get a more consistent result.
Lift the cans from the water, cool and store.
An unusual bonus comes from storing these tins over a period. After some months sugar crystals begin to form in the toffee and you get crunchy banoffi - mmmmm.

Skate with caper berries and peppers
Serves 2

2 x 175g / 6 oz wings of skate
Plain flour for coating
20 caper berries
1 Ramano pepper
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
50g / 2 oz butter
Juice of one lemon
Chopped parsley

Use a frying pan or pans large enough to take the skate and heat with a little olive oil. Dust the fish with the flour, pat off the excess and place in the pan. Wait until the first side is cooked to a light gold colour then turn. (Skate being rather fragile it is a good idea not to handle it too much so try to turn it only once). The pan can be placed under the grill to help cook it from both sides. The time the skate takes to cook will depend on the thickness of the pieces. Season the skate on one side just before turning and the other side when turned.
While the fish is cooking heat a separate pan for cooking the garnish. De-seed and cut the pepper into rings, and cut the caper berries in half. Fry the peppers gently in olive oil until almost soft then put in the butter. When the butter is sizzling put in the caper berries and the lemon juice. Place the cooked skate onto warmed plates, add the chopped parsley to the garnish and spoon it over the fish.

Salmon mousse stuffed with mussels
Serves 6

equipment: 6 plastic ¼ pint pudding basins

For the mousse:

225g / 8 oz fresh salmon fillet
Salt / pepper / nutmeg
2 egg whites
300 ml / ½ pint double cream

For the filling

1 kilo / 2 lb 2 oz live mussels
100 ml / 4 fl oz white wine
1 small onion
25g / 1 oz butter
1 tsp plain flour
1 tbsp double cream
Black pepper

To make the mousse, place the salmon fillet in the food processor and process until it becomes a paste. Add the seasoning and the egg whites and process again to a smooth puree. Finally add the double cream and process until mixed and firm (do not over process at this stage as the cream may separate). Remove from the food processor and refrigerate to become more firm.

Wash the mussels discarding any damaged or open ones. Place them in a large saucepan and put in the white wine. Cover with a lid, place the pan over a high heat and allow the mussels to steam open, shaking the pan from time to time. When they are all fully open tip the mussels into a colander with a bowl underneath. Once the liquid has drained into the bowl, allow it to settle then pour it carefully into another receptacle taking care to leave behind any debris at the bottom. Now remove the mussels from the shells and steep them in this liquor. Also remove any beards that are still attached.


Chop the onion very finely and fry it gently in the butter until it is soft. Sprinkle in the flour and let it sizzle in the butter before adding enough of the mussel stock to make a light sauce. Add the cream and then add a little black pepper (it should not need any salt). Drain the mussels and add them to the sauce.

Put the salmon mousse into a piping bag with a plain ¼ inch nozzle. Line the pudding basins with the mousse piping in a coil fashion right up to the rim. Fill the centres with the mussel mixture and then seal the top with more mousse. Cover and gently steam the mousses for 15 - 20 minutes until the top is firm. To serve gently unmould the mousses onto plates, (you may have to run a knife very carefully around the outside). Drizzle with a little beurre blanc from the previous recipe. You can cut these open to show the filling or leave it as a pleasant surprise for your guests.

Brill or turbot with cous cous and beurre blanc

When buying whole fish such as brill or turbot allow 450g per person allowing for wastage of head, bones and skin. So to serve four we need a four pound whole fish. Fillet and skin the fish. Make fish stock from the bones.

For the sauce:

200 ml / 7 fl oz fish stock
100 ml / 3 fl oz dry white wine
1 tsp Dijon mustard
110g / 4 oz unsalted butter
1 tbsp double cream
Salt pepper



For the cous cous

175g / 6 oz cous cous
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
175 ml / 6 fl oz boiling water

To make the cous cous, pour the boiling water onto the cous cous, then add the other ingredients. As the cous cous absorbs the water just keep fluffing it occasionally with a fork to separate the grains.

Place the fillets of fish in a shallow dish, season them and pour over half the white wine. Cover with a lid or tin foil and cook in the oven (gas mark 5 / 190 C) for about 10 - 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. While the fish is cooking you can make the sauce. Put the rest of the wine in a pan with the fish stock and reduce to half its volume. Whisk in the mustard and the cream. When the mixture is boiling again add the butter a bit at a time, shaking and stirring the pan as it melts and thickens the sauce. To serve spoon the cous cous onto warmed plates (or for more elegant presentation place into suitable moulds and turn out onto the plates). Pour the cooking liquor from the fish into the sauce and return it to the heat. Spoon the sauce onto the plates next to the cous cous and then lay the fillets of fish on the sauce. Garnish with a spray of parsley, some fronds of dill or finely chopped chive.

Mackerel with pea and sweetcorn fritters and rhubarb salsa

Serves 4

8 mackerel fillets
110g / 4 oz tinned sweetcorn
50g / 2 oz cooked peas
1 small onion
1 egg
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (parsley / tarragon / basil)
50g / 2 oz plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
Salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

For the rhubarb salsa:

750g / 12 oz young rhubarb
25g / 1 oz caster sugar
½ inch cube of root ginger
½ star anise - crushed
2 strips of orange zest cut into julienne

Cut the rhubarb into 2 inch lengths and place in a deep casserole. Peel and cut the root ginger into fine dice. Scatter over the rhubarb with the star anise and orange zest and then sprinkle over the sugar. Cook in the oven (gas mark 5 / 190 C) for 15 minutes until the rhubarb is tender.

To make the fritters, drain the sweetcorn, chop the onion and place it in the food processor with three quarters of the sweetcorn, the peas, egg, flour, baking powder and seasoning. Process to a batter, transfer to a bowl and add the rest of the sweetcorn. Heat a non stick frying pan with a little oil in it and spoon in one tablespoon of mixture per fritter. (Use rings for a neater fritter). Allow the mixture to become firm before turning them over. When they are cooked both sides, remove from the pan and keep warm.

To complete the dish, season the mackerel fillets and dust with flour, patting off the excess. Heat a pan large enough to take all the fish and fry flesh side down turning the fish when this surface is golden. Carry on cooking until the other side is cooked (they should only take 3-4 minutes each side). Place a fritter on each plate and arrange two fillets per person on top of the fritter. Spoon the salsa onto one side of the plate and decorate the other side with some wilted rocket or greens.