Mexican Quesadillas

Cheesy chilli tortillas

Mexican Quesadillas
serves 4

8 flour tortillas
225g gouda cheese, grated
50g pickled chillies, drained and finely chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
tomato salsa to serve

Heat a heavy-based pan and brush with a little olive oil. Place a tortilla into the hot pan. Scatter evenly with some cheese and a little of the pickled chillies and spring onions. Cover with another flour tortilla, pressing down firmly.

Cook the filled tortilla over a medium heat for 2-3 mins on both sides. Cut into quarters and serve with the salsa.

Mozzarella, sprout and potato cakes

These little patties are a great way to use up christmas leftovers.

Mozzarella, sprout and potato cakes
serves 4

900g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
335g brussel sprouts, trimmed
25g butter
6 spring onions, chopped
1 large egg, beaten
pinch of nutmeg
100g mozzarella, cut into 8 cubes
50g polenta
2 tbsp oil
175ml cranberry sauce
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, drain. Cut a cross in the base of each sprout and boil in another pan for 8 minutes, drain. Mash the potatoes and sprouts. Mix with butter, spring onions, egg, nutmeg and seasoning.

Shape into 8 cakes. Press a cheese cube in the middle of each to enclose. Coat in polenta. Heat the oil and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Heat cranberry sauce and vinegar in a pan. Serve with cakes.

Giant Nut Truffles

Giant Nut Truffles
makes about 6 largish truffles

150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split lenghtways
450g milk chocolate
25g unsalted butter
50g mixed nuts, roughly chopped

for the coating
150g dark chocolate
chocolate sprinkles

Place the cream in a heavy-bottomed pan with the vanilla pod and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the milk chocolate and butter and place in a mixing bowl with the nuts. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream, return the pan to a high heat and bring to the boil. Pour the cream straight onto the chocolate, and stir until you have a thick, creamy ganache.

Leave the mixture to cool then use a big spoon to scoop out enough to make a ball about the size of the palm of your hand. Roll roughly into a ball and leave on a sheet of baking parchment.

Melt the dark chocolate. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate then roll them straight away in the sprinkles. Leave to set in the fridge.

Or try these delicious Malt Whisky Truffles

Condensed milk cake

Condensed milk Cake

380g can condensed milk
grated zest of 1 lemon
50g raisins or sultanas
200g plain flour
2 small eggs, separated

Preheat the oven to 180c/fan160c/gas4. Combine all the ingredients apart from the egg whites. Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold them into the mixture.

Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined deep 20cm cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Bramble jam

Serve with hot buttered toast, or scones hot from the oven and a dollop of thick clotted cream!

Bramble Jam
makes about 3.6kg

2.75g granulated white sugar
2.75g blackberries
juice of 2 lemons
150ml water

Warm the sugar. Place the blackberries in a pan with the lemon juice and water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the sugar, bring to the boil and boil rapidly. You will know when setting point is reached as a spoonful of jam put on a plate and allowed to cool slightly will wrinkle when pressed. Spoon into warm sterilized jam jars and seal immediately.

Try hot Bramble pudding

Smoked haddock with spinach and poached egg

Have this meal at anytime of the day.

Smoked haddock with spinach and poached egg
serves 4

4 undyed smoked haddock fillets
milk
75ml double cream
25g butter
250g spinach, tough stalks removed
white wine vinegar
4 eggs

Poach the haddock fillets in just enough milk to come halfway up the fish, shaking th epan gently to keep the fish moist, for about 5 mins. Remove the fish and keep warm.

Increase the heat and let the milk reduce by about half. Add the cream and boil. Season.

Heat a frying pan and add the butter, add the spinach and toss for a few minutes. Set aside. Poach the eggs , adding a few drops of vinegar to the water. Serve the haddock fillets topped with some spinach and then a poached egg on the top.

Salmon with herb butter

Simply served salmon.

Salmon with Herb Butter
serves 4

50g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
4 salmon steaks
2 lemon slices, halved
4 sprigs of fresh dill

Place the butter, lemon rind, juice and chopped dill into a bowl and mix with a fork. Season. Spoon the butter on to a piece of baking parchment and roll up into a sausage shape, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 20 mins.

Place each fillet on a square of foil. Slice the chilled butter into 8 and place 2 slices on each fillet along with a lemon slice and a sprig of dill. Parcel up each in the foil and put on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes at 190c/gas5.

More salmon recipes:
Russian salmon
Paella-style salmon and leek

Walnut and Honey Tart

Serve this tart with plenty of whipped cream.

Walnut and Honey Tart
serves 4

for pastry:
150g butter
50g caster sugar
225g plain flour
1 egg

for topping:
6 sugar cubes
200g walnuts
75ml honey
3 tbsp double cream

Cream together the butter and sugar in a food processor, add the flour and egg and mix until just combined. Leave in a cool place for 1 hour.

Roll out the pastry into a disc of 25cm and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 200c/gas6.

Put the sugar and 4 tbsp water into a pan and heat until it caramelizes, stirring continouosly. Add the walnuts and coat. Allow to cool slightly. Add the honey and cream, mix until completely cool. Spread over the pastry disc and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Dundee Beef Stew

This stew is excellent serves with warming creamy mashed potatoes.

Dundee Beef Stew
serves 4

900g stewing beef, cut into cubes
50g plain flour
1/2tsp paprika
2 tbsp vegetable oil
225g onions, peeled and chopped
50g butter
100g mushrooms, quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp bitter marmalade
300ml red wine
150ml beef stock
salt and pepper

Season the flour with salt and pepper and add the paprika. Spread on a plate and coat the meat. Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the meat. Transfer to a casserole dish.

Brown the onions and add to the casserole. Add the butter to the pan and cook the mushrooms until starting to brown, add to the casserole. Add the remaining ingredients to the casserole dish and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 3 hours at 180c/gas4 until the meat is tender. Serve with mashed potatoes.

For an alternative beef stew, try Beef and onion braised in Guinness

Raspberry jam

My all time favourite jam has to be raspberry!

Raspberry Jam
makes approx 3.1kg

1.8kg firm raspberries
juice of 1 large lemon
1.8kg sugar, warmed

Put 175g raspberries into a preserving pan and crush them. Add the rest of the raspberries and lemon juice. Heat and simmer until soft and pulpy.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then bring back to the boil and boil hard until setting point is reached, testing after 3-4 minutes.

Pour into warm sterilized jars. When cold, cover and seal and store in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.

Whisky Marmalade

Real home-made marmalade tastes delicious, but flavoured with whisky makes it extra special.

Whisky Marmalade
makes approx 3.6-4.5kg

1.3kg seville oranges
juice of 2 large lemons
2.75kg sugar, warmed
300ml whisky

Pick off the discs found at the stalk end of the oranges. Cut the oranges in half widthways and squeeze out the juice into a jug. Quarter the peel, cut away and reserve any thick white pith, and shred the peel to whatever thickness you prefer.

Roughly chop up the reserved pith and tie it up in a square of muslin using a long piece of string. Hang the bag from the handle of the preserving pan.

To the pan add the peel, juices and 3.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until peel is very tender. Squeeze the bag of pith into the pan then discard. Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until dissolved.

Bring to the boil and boil hard for 15-20 minutes until setting point is reached. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes then stir.

Divide the whisky between 8 warm, sterlized jars and then pour in the warm maramalade. Cover and seal while still hot. Store in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.