Food and Drink

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Meanwhile, sauté the onions, butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, until softened but not brown.

Peel and mince the garlic and add to the onions.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the ricotta cheese, thyme and the soy sauce. Make breadcrumbs and add to the pan.

Add seasoning and mix well, then allow to cool.

Unroll the pastry sheets and cut 16 holes with each cutter.

Put the smaller pastry discs onto slightly oiled baking sheets.

Divide the mushroom mix between them, leaving a little edge of pastry without filling.

Put a little whisked egg on this pastry edge.

Top them with the larger pastry discs and gently press the pastry around the filling make a slash on the top of each pie with a sharp knife.

Brush the tops with some of the egg and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until they rise and look golden.

Instructions

Put the mushrooms into a food processor with some seasoning and pulse to a rough paste. Scrape the paste into a pan and cook over a high heat for about 10 mins, tossing frequently, to cook out the moisture from the mushrooms.

Spread out on a plate to cool.

Heat in a frying pan and add a little olive oil and season the beef and sear in the hot pan for 30 secs only on each side. (You don't want to cook it at this stage, just colour it).

Remove the beef from the pan and leave to cool, then brush all over with the mustard.

Lay a sheet of cling film on a work surface and arrange the Parma ham slices on it, in slightly overlapping rows.

With a palette knife, spread the mushroom paste over the ham, then place the seared beef fillet in the middle.

Keeping a tight hold of the cling film from the edge, neatly roll the Parma ham and mushrooms around the beef to form a tight barrel shape. Twist the ends of the cling film to secure. Chill for 15-20 mins to allow the beef to set and keep its shape. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to a large rectangle, the thickness of a £1 coin.

Remove the cling film from the beef, then lay in the centre. Brush the surrounding pastry with egg yolk. Fold the ends over, the wrap the pastry around the beef, cutting off any excess.

Turn over, so the seam is underneath, and place on a baking sheet.

Brush over all the pastry with egg and chill for about 15 mins to let the pastry rest. Heat the oven to 200C, 400F, gas 6. Lightly score the pastry at 1cm intervals and glaze again with beaten egg yolk.

Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 180C, 350F, gas 4 and cook for another 15 mins.

Allow to rest for 10-15 mins before slicing and serving with the side dishes of your choice.

The beef should still be pink in the centre when you serve it.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 25cm x 20cm tin.
Melt the butter, sugar, syrup and orange zest in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
The aim is to dissolve all the ingredients so that they are smooth, but to not lose any volume through boiling so be careful not to overheat.
Add the oats and stir well until evenly coated.
Stir through the leftover Christmas pudding and tip into the prepared tin.
Use a spoon to flatten the top and bake for 40 minutes until the edges start to brown.
Whilst still warm in the tin, score into 12 squares.
Allow to cool completely before cutting along the scores.
Keeps for 5 days in an air tight tin or freeze for up to 1 month.

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season both sides of each chicken breast with seasoned salt and a pinch of pepper.

Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Season the boiling water with a few generous pinches of kosher salt.

Add the pasta and give it a stir.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board; allow it to rest.

Turn the heat down to medium and dd the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil to the same pan you used to cook the chicken.

Add the veggies (minus the garlic) and red pepper flakes to the pan and stir to coat with the oil and butter (refrain from seasoning with salt until the veggies are finished browning).

Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the pan and cook for 1 minute.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Continue to cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the milk, heavy cream, and reserved pasta water.

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and allow to simmer and reduce for 2-3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.