Boil a pot of water.
Blanch the asparagus, stalks first then adding the tops.
Blanch the red onion briefly.
Blanch the peas, if using.
Strain and immediately plunge each vegetable in cold water, retaining the hot water at each stage. Simmer the pasta in the retained water.

Meanwhile mash the Roquefort with the cream, and add the egg yolk.
Drain the pasta, and while it drains, add olive oil to the cooking pan and fry the chicken (if using) and the avocado chunks (if they are unripe). Add the sauce, and blanched vegetables, warm gently then return the pasta to the pan.
Stir well, add the herbs, tomatoes, red chillies.
Crumble some of the Roquefort on top - you need plenty.
Serve.

Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
Halve and deseed the butternut squash. Oil one cut half of the squash, and place cut side down on a baking tray in the oven.
Cut the carrots in half crossways, then quarter those lengthways and slice thinly into juliennes. Place in a pan with the crushed garlic cloves and a slug of olive oil. Heat gently then add the glass of ricard, cover and sweat gently until soft. Start the pasta cooking.
When the carrots are soft, uncover and throw in the black olives. Take out a squash half, slice lengthways, peel, then cut into strips at a diagonal and add to the carrots. These should be dried out when the pasta is ready.

Drain the pasta, top with the vegetables and decorate with crumbled blue cheese.
Serve.

Prepare The Squiddies
 from the cleaned, more wholesome squid and prawn parts...
Pull the squid innards and cuttle bones from their body, squeeze out and reserve the ink, discard the squid guts.
The black vein-like ink sac is located in the intestines, and there is also squid ink behind the eyes.
Peel the skin and wings from the body tubes.
Peel the prawns to be used in the risotto.
Wash and dry the squid tubes. and set aside.

Make The Fish Stock:
Thoroughly wash the leftover squid bits (skin, head, tentacles, fins) to remove any trace of squid ink, and place in the stock pan. Add the prawn bits. Add a chopped onion, garlic, carrots, peppercorns, fennels seeds, juniper berries thyme, tarragon, bit of sage, few basil leaves, glass of white wine and I suppose any other handy bits of old vegetables you might have hanging around. Bring to a simmer, skim. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Strain the stock through muslin or paper towel. Keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

Make The Risotto

Cook The Squid
Season the inside of the squid bodies, Stuff the squid bodies loosely, lest they burst with risotto, close the ends with a cocktail stick to stop the risotto escaping and place in a baking dish. Surround with ½ cup of baking liquid consisting of the other lemon half and the rest of fish stock.
Season. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly, then slice in rounds 2 cm thick. dip your sharp knife in hot water first

Make The Sauces:
Heat a tablespoon or two of butter until foaming, then gently fry the chopped shitaki mushrooms until they start to shrivel. Add sliced garlic and shallots and a few thyme leaves. Fry gently until they just start to colour, add a glass of white wine or two and reduce. Add the remaining stock, bring to a gentle simmer. Skim. Strain through a sieve. Reduce until on the point of thickening.
Divide.
To one half add the squid ink, return to simmer. Reduce further if necessary then gradually add a small amount of cream (don't thin the colour too much - a dark grey colour will be OK). Keep warm or reheat gently. To the other half, add a (generous) pinch of saffron. Simmer, reducing slightly if necessary. Add cream until you have enough sauce and it's not too thin. Keep warm or reheat gently.

Cook the Pak Choy:
Enthusiastically heat a large frying pan. Add a coating of olive oil. Add sliced garlic, and sear until just beginning to colour, then add sliced shitaki mushrooms. Fry vigorously until the mushrooms are beginning to reduce, then throw in the pak choy, shake on the heat until they begin to wilt, then cover and turn off the heat. You can throw in any leftover lemon juice or peel at this stage. Serve with a drizzle of soy sauce (if you can be bothered).

To Serve:
The sauces should be thick enough to coat, but runny enough to pour into a plate. Cover the base of a small plate with the two sauces so they cover a half each and divide down the middle.
Pile a small heap of the Pak Choy at one end of this joining line, top with a few of the mushrooms.
Lay a line of the squid rounds down the sauce join, so they lie on each other at an attractive angle.
Present to guests.

Put the eggs into a pan of almost simmering water, then boil for five minutes. Plunge the eggs into cold water, take them out when they're cool enough to handle and put to one side.

Place a large, heavy-based pan on a low heat. Melt 60g of the butter and add the onion. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, and add the coriander, cumin and turmeric, or curry power, after 8-10 minutes. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes in total, so the onion is completely soft and, although coloured by the spices, not browned in the conventional sense.

Meanwhile, put the haddock in a separate saucepan, cover with warm water and simmer gently for about 8 minutes. At the same time, cook the rice according to the packet instructions (usually in a large pan of boiling water for 10-12 minutes).

Peel the eggs while the fish and rice are cooking. Coarsely chop two of the eggs. Cut each of the others into six wedges or thick slices and put to one side.

When the haddock is ready, drain it and, when cool enough to handle, pull off the skin and break up the flesh, removing any bones. Keep the onion pan on a low heat and gently fold in the drained rice, then the fish and the two chopped eggs. Season well with pepper and more cautiously with salt (remember, the fish may be salty). Stir in the cream, then the remaining butter and the parsley. Scatter on the egg wedges or slices and serve with mango chutney on the side.

Start clarifying the butter for your Béarnaise sauce.

Scrub and slice the potatoes evenly into 1cm rounds then into chips I thought mine were just a little fat and set aside in cold water (unless you are one of these fabulous cookbook-kitchens with an endless supply of fresh ice?).

Finely chop the shallots and tarragon, separate your egg yolks and crack your peppercorns for the Béarnaise sauce.

Trim your steaks as necessary, then oil and season them.
Boil water in a pot for the sauce, and fill a serving jug with boiling water to warm it. Turn the oven or grill on low to keep the steaks warm, and set the pan of groundnut oil on the hob.

You need to "blanche" the chips (as Anthony calls it) - which means frying them 2 or 3 times, in increasingly hot oil. So you can do the first round of cooking early and leave the chips to cool in between - rinse and dry them as far as possible, then cook the first round in moderately hot oil (280°F/140°C) for 6-8 minutes until their colour has paled from opaque white to a semitranslucent white. Don't let them start to brown. Set aside, spread out on an oven tray if you can.

Heat a nice heavy frying pan until very hot. Slap on the steaks to sear them, turning them over only when nicely charred. Set them aside to relax under the warm grill or oven.

Make the Béarnaise sauce - then set aside in the warmed serving jug.

Cook the chips for their second round in hotter oil (375°F/190°C) for 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
If necessary, remove the chips, reheat the oil and repeat should they take too long to cook or the oil cools down too much.
Drain the chips and throw them in a basket and season with salt.
Serve it all up.

First debone and peel off the papery layer coating the skin (even if you're going to shred the mackerel - it's hard to find the bones afterwards). You can slice the mackerel fillets into 1cm cubes and soak in lime juice for an hour or so. Alternatively shred the fish off its skin with a fork and cover in lime juice. When you are ready to eat you can squeeze this mixture by working it in a fine sieve with a spoon until it's dry. Still, the fried mackerel and salad worked pretty well.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, shallow pan. Add the spring onions, garlic and lemon zest, then cook for 2 mins until the onions are tender but still very green. Add the chickpeas, then stir until well coated in the onion mixture. Lightly crush with a potato masher, then add the stock and tomatoes. Simmer for 3-4 mins or until the liquid is absorbed, stir in the fennel and red pepper, then set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, dry-fry some ground pepper, then heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the mackerel fillets for 3 mins each side, starting on the skin side. You'll probably need to cook these in two batches.

Add the basil, rocket actually a softer leaf would have been better - a frisée perhaps and a squeeze of lemon juice to the chickpeas, then season to taste. To serve, spoon the warm chickpeas spoon onto serving plates, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and top with the mackerel fillets.

Mix together the parsley and feta. Stuff a little of the mixture into the centre of each of the olives. Press the odd sliver of raisin or sun-dried tomato too.
Place the flour in a shallow bowl, the beaten egg in a small bowl and the breadcrumbs in another bowl. ln a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Toss the olives, a few at a time, in the flour, then dip into the egg and finally roll in the parmesan and breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the olives for l minute, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining olives.

Scrape the lemon sole from its skin with a fork (the original recipe calls for skinning the fillets then cutting into 5mm strips) and place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle with the diced chillies and pour over the lime juice. Toss to coat, then cover and leave in a cool place to marinate for 15 minutes. (The acid from the lime will cure the fish and turn it opaque.) If you prefer your fish 'cooked' a little more, leave it a bit longer.

Drain the fish of the lime juice and toss with the chicory, onion, tomatoes and green pepper. Halve, stone, peel and dice the avocado. Add to the fish mixture with the chopped coriander, pour over th olive oil and toss well. Leave to stand in a cool place for 10 minutes.

Season the ceviche well with salt and spoon into the centre of coool serving plates. Drizzle any remaining dressing around the plates. Serve immediately, as a starter.

Make the vinaigrette - blend the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, garlic and a few tarragon leaves, pour in the olive oil slowly whilst blending.
Store in a jar with a few extra tarragon sprigs.

Dress the salad and serve.

First prepare the mayonnaise (you can do this the day before to allow the mayo to take on more of the mint flavour if you like). Mix the chopped mint into the mayonnaise and add salt, cayenne pepper and a little lemon juice to taste. Clean the squid, rinse well under cold running water,separate the tentacles. Cut the pouches into 1cm thick rings, pat dry on kitchen paper and set aside with the tentacles.

For the batter, combine the flour, cornflour and baking powder in a bowl and add a pinch each of salt and cayenne pepper. Slowly add the sparkling water, mixing the batter with a spoon or chopstick. Don't worry if there are a few lumps - this is normal for tempura batter. Finally add the ice cubes and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

When you are ready to eat the squid, dress some rocket leaves with a tarragon vinaigrette.

In a suitable pan for deep-frying, heat the oil to about 180°C. Dust a handful of squid with seasoned flour, dip into the batter to coat, then immerse in the hot oil. Fry until the pieces rise to the surface and float, indicating that they are ready - this only takes a minute or two. Don't overcook the squid otherwise it will be tough and rubbery. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the squid is cooked.

Make up the hollandaise. Season the squid with salt and pepper, and drizzle over the hollandaise (or serve with minted mayonnaise alongside). Garnish with the rocket salad.

Dress the salad with olive oil, a splash of sesame oil, and a drizzle of lime juice.

Quarter the tomatoes, slice the onions, dice the Feta into generous cubes and mix with basil leaves.
Wash the salad leaves and serve piled with the tomato salad.
Serve.

Marinade
Place the onion, garlic, soy sauce, lime rind, spices and sugar in a blender or food processor. Add two pieces of pineapple and process until the mixture is almost smooth. Add a little lime juice if necessary.

Kebabs
Marinate the pork and chicken pieces.
Wrap the scallops in the bacon I used smoked but I think it was a little overpowering - try unsmoked
Thread the skewers with pork, pineapple and onion, with chicken and banana, and with wrapped scallops, prawns and coconut.
The chicken and banana was pleasant enough, but they didn't quite work together.
You could try chicken and mushrooms (been there, done that), kiwis (interesting but rather tart), plums (nice contrast)
The coconut scorches nicely though it does have a tendency to burst into flames
Satay Sauce
To make the sauce, pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan and stir in the peanut butter. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and heat gently over the barbecue, stirring until smooth and hot.
Cover and keep warm on the edge of the barbecue

Lime Butter
Place the egg yolk the finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime in a small bowl and whisk until pale and smooth.
Gradually whisk in the melted butter and continue whisking until thick and smooth. Finely chop the reserved feathery fennel leaves and stir them in. Season to taste.

Serve the pork and chicken kebabs with the satay, the seafood with the lime butter and salad and lime wedges on the side.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic, Asian shallots and lemon grass for a minute.
Add the Thai curry powder and stir until fragrant.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring slowly to the boil.
Add enough boiling water to make a spoonable sauce and simmer for 2 munutes.
Season with salt to taste.

Slice the onion and saute with the crushed garlic in 1 tablespoon oil until transparent.
Add the chilli, water, peanut butter and sugar.
Stir well and bring to the boil, then stir in the soy sauce and lemon juice.

Put the coriander (stalks and all) into the food processor with the chilli (seeds and stalk removed), peeled garlic, 3 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter and a lug ooh a lug - mockney tosser of soy sauce. Peel and roughly chop the ginger and add. Finely grate in the zest of both limes, then squeeze in the juice from 1 of them. Add a couple of splashes of water and whiz to a spoonable paste. Season to taste. Spoon into a nice bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. But don't do that - that would be horribly inappropriate.

grill courgette slices.
grill quartered fennel bulbs brushed with the dressing or olive oil

Using a sharp kitchen knife, remove any skin from the monkfish tails. Cut carefully down one side of the backbone, sliding the knife between the bone and flesh, to remove the fillet on one side.

Turn the fish and repeat on the other side, to remove the second fillet. Repeat on the second tail. (If you prefer, you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you.) Lay the four fillets out flat on a chopping board.

Cut two slices from each of the citrus fruits and arrange them over two of the fillets. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme and sprinkle with plenty of salt anf freshly gound black pepper. Finely grate the rind from the remaining fruit and sprinkle it over the fish.

Lay the other two fillets on top and tie them firmly at intervals

Squeeze the juice from the citrus fruits and mix it with the olive oil and more salt and pepper. Spoon over the fish. Cover with clear film and leave to marinate in the fridge for about 1 hour, turning occasionally and spooning the marinade over the fish.

Drain the monkfish, reserving the marinade, and sprinkle with the crushed peppercorns. Cook on a medium-hot barbecue for 15-20 minutes, basting with the marinade and turning occasionally, until the fish is evenly cooked.

Meanwhile, thickly slice the courgettes diagonally and quarter the fennel bulbs. Grill these with the fish, basting also with the marinade or with olive oil.
Serve with a blue cheese salad

Weigh out all the ingredients, grate the cheeses, separate the eggs, mix the mascarpone and egg yolks to a smooth paste, chop the onion, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry up the pancetta until cooked through, add the butter and onions and let them soften uncovered without browning for 5 minutes, add the garlic purée.
Add the flour to the pan, stirring in to make a smooth paste, then gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring vigoroulsy with a wooden spoon. Then switch to a balloon whisk and keep whisking until you have a smooth sauce you may need extra milk. Season and add the nutmeg and leave the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes.
After that turn off the heat and whisk in the mascarpone and egg yolks, followed by the Gruyère and half the Parmesan. Preheat the oven to 180-200°C, Gas Mark 6 and put in the baking dish I just used the pasta water to warm the baking dish, but maybe you need it hotter?.
Boil the macaroni 4-6 minutes until al dente (it will cook further in the oven).
Whilst the macaroni is cooking whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Drain the pasta in a colander, shake off excess water then tip it back into the pan and stir in the cheese sauce until evenly coated.
Now lightly fold in the egg whites, using a cutting and folding movement so as to retain as much air as possible. Don't overdo it. Remove the warm dish from the oven, fill with the pasta mix, scatter the reserved parmesan over and return to the oven top for 15 minutes or until the top is puffy and lightly browned.
Serve immediately

Heat the oil in a small deep-sided pan
Shred the leek into matchsticks My strands were quite long - probably around 6 inches which might explain why they were a bit chewy
Test the oil with a leek strand to see if it fizzes up. Fry the leeks in batches until starting to colour then remove and strain. Dust with plain flour through a sieve. I thought this might help make the leeks crunchy, but I don't think it did.
Reheat the oil and when it is hot enough finish off the leeks until golden.
Drain on kitchen roll and serve.