American Style Pancakes and Fresh Plum Compote

Recipe Ingredients:

• About 2 mugs of self raising flour
• about a mug of milk (full fat better, if not semi will do)
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 2 large soup spoons of sugar
• 2 large soup spoons of veg oil
  
• 2 tea spoons of baking powder
• 2 large plums (not to ripen, as you want tartness)
• two soup spoons of maple syrup (for the smokiness)
• 1 large soup spoon of brown sugar (not muscovado)
• 1/2 of a lemon juice.
• 250mls fresh cream
• lemon zest
• vanilla essence

It sounds like a lot of ingredients and complex but is not, I done this as I needed some comfort as the whole family is suffering from a colds, so was a treat for them too.
Place the flour in a bowl and the sugar as well as the baking powder, whisk them together. Once well mixed add the veg oil and the egg to the centre and star mixing gently in a folding motion as is starts to get to thick add the lemon zest the vanilla essence and a little milk keep folding and adding more milk, keep adding milk and folding until a soft mousse consistence is achieved (that's why I said about a mug of milk as depending on size it might take more or less milk) once done cover bowl and let it rest for about 10 minutes this will allow the dough to get light and bubbly as the folded air reacts with the baking powder. while waiting de-seed the two plums and slice them very thinly and place them on a wok or frying pan, add the brown sugar the maple syrup some vanilla essence and a little cinnamon, if you want you may also add some good (one soup spoon) cognac or vintage port, or even sherry. Take this to the heat and to the boil once boiling reduce heat to minimum and let it simmer if it thickens too much add a drop or two of water every time is too thick.
Now back to the pancakes, the dough should be fluffy enough now, fold it a few times and heat a non-stick frying pan place a couple of spoons (full) of dough at the centre and with the back of the spoon spread it to a round shape (spread it thick) it will start bubbling and when is nearly cooked through (but not quite) turn it over leave it for another 2-3 minutes and it's done, repeat process until all dough is gone (you should get about 8 pancakes).
On a separate bowl pour the cream and whisk it once nearly thick add a couple of drops of lemon juice and a tea spoon of sugar, whisk it more and when thick add another tea spoon of sugar and just whisk it for 30 secs more.
Now you lay it one pancake cover it in cream and drizzle some plum compote you made, another pancake and repeat the process. And it's all done serve it with a nice cup of coffee and you are in Heaven, at least me and my family were, I just didn't like washing the pots after lol.
Now you can do this with various fruits I would prefer tart ones to compliment the sweetness of the sugar and the maple syrup, but it is really your choice.

Smoky Fish & Courgette Grattin (feeds 4)

Recipe Ingredients:

• About 12 large Charlotte onions
• enough (red organic) potatoes for 4
• 1 garlic clove
• 250grs white fish
• 150grs smoked fish
• 150grs frozen prawns
• 2 courgettes
• 2 large glasses of milk
• 200grs of grated cheddar
  
• 100grs of cheddar (or mixed cheddar and mozzarella) cheese
• one soup spoon of turmeric
  
• one tea spoon of smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bay leafs
  

On two separate pans, one put the milk in add bay leafs the pepper and salt to taste and place all the fish in, on the other you put some water and add the potatoes (with or without skin) cut into slices about 1 to 1 .1/2 cm thick and the onions pealed and cut into quarters, cook both the fish until fully cooked the potatoes and onions until nearly cooked. while waiting you slice the courgettes diagonally wafer thin (as thin as possible) also defrost the prawns these cane be cooked and pealed frozen or uncooked and pealed frozen. Once the fish is cooked remove it from the milk and flake it into a bowl add to this the defrosted prawns, also drain the potatoes and onions on a pirex dish (or any other you have) you drizle the whole bottom with olive oil, and place the sliced potato to cover the whole bottom it should be about half of the potatoes, then cover these with the sliced courgettes, then put the whole fish and prawns again covering it all. The milk that you had left add the crushed garlic the tunmeric and the paprika bring it to the boil (add more milk if necessary as need to cover the whole of the layers you put in the dish and the top once you finished)once boiling add in a glass about 3 spoons of plain flour to some water or more until fully dissolved, little by little add it to the milk until this is very thick like very thick gravy at that stage add the 200grs cheddar cheese (always stirring) once done pour about half into the tray should cover the whole veg at the bottom then add the remaining potatoes and onions to cover the whole top, again add the cheese sauce all over the top till all covered, sprinkle allover the remaining greated cheese 100grs and also sprinkle the oregano to cover the top, oven bake gas mark 200 for about 30 minutes. is simply delish.

Stuffed Peppers and Vegie Roast

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 Kg basmati rice
• 200 grs fish (I used Cod de-boned and skinless / other fish can be used)
  
• 200 grs Prawns
• 1 courgette
• 1 large onion
• 1 sweet bell pepper (red)
• 4 Large peppers (any colour)
  
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large carrot
• 1 soup spoon of tomato concentrate (paste)
• 2 soup spoons of fish sauce
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper (powder)
  

Boil the rice in some water a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes (until the rice is cooked but not overcooked) while that is doing dice all the vegetables finely and stir-fry them in come olive oil when cooked add the tomato paste and half a glass of water let it simmer for about 3 minutes then add the fish sauce the pinch of cayenne and the fish, simmer until the fish is cooked, break the fish into flakes and lastly add the prawns (I used frozen prawns peeled and cooked) heating until the prawns are fully defrosted and hot. Once you achieved that stuff the four peppers (you may have some left over rice you can serve it with the dinner) that you previously cut the tops and cleared the seeds, wrap them in foil fully with the lids and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Prior to that if you like as an accompaniment you can cut about 10 large Charlotte onions 2 large sweet potatoes 4 large parsnips and one large fennel into chunks put them in a roasting tray drizzling them with olive oil and some fragrant honey also add salt and pepper to taste these will take about 40 minutes to cook gas mark 200, so manage your time and make them both come together. It makes a rather nice Café/restaurant serving portion ( one pepper, a spoons of rice mixture and the roast Veg, as it can be reheated in the Microwave).

Short and Smoking Cod

This is my latest invention, and I guarantee it was delicious:

Recipe Ingredients:

• 400grs of smoked cod
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic
• 1 large head of broccoli
  
• 1 hand full of cheese
• 1 Glass full of grated cheese
  
• 2 glasses of milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Poach the fish in the milk until cooked then strain fish remove any skin and bones an flake it into a bowl (do not throw the milk away), dice the onion and the garlic finely and stir-fry it until caramelized, add it to the fish, boil the broccoli until cooked then dice it and add it to the fish, finally in a glass mix some flour (about two spoons full) and water until runny cream consistency, take me milk to the heat when starting to boil pour the flour mixture into the milk slowly and always stirring until quite thick like very thick gravy, then add the cheese which will make it thicker still, add this to fish too. (Alternatively you can use instead of milk one cup of mash potato mixed in with the cheese and into the fish mixture)
For the pastry mix 1 cup of flour with about 50grs of butter.mix with your hand until it resembles crumbs then add a little water and kneed it until it forms a soft dough,cut it in half and roll one half to cover bottom of pirex dish and the other half for the lid, brush the top with milk and an egg yolk and bake in in the oven for about 25 minutes.
For the accompaniment I sliced four potatoes 4 carrots and 2 sweet potatoes drizled them with olive oil paprika, salt and pepper. and baked that too in the oven for the same 25 minutes. "Bon apetit"