Paella



Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Season the chicken pieces and dust with flour. Heat a little olive oil in a large deep pan and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Place the pieces on a baking tray and into the oven for 30 minutes.

Put the pan back on the heat. Add the sliced chorizo and pancetta or bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Then add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Meanwhile infuse half the hot chicken stock with the saffron. Add the smoked paprika, rice and infused stock and leave to cook on a medium heat, stirring from time to time.

After 20 minutes the rice should be nearly cooked. At this point, pour in the rest of the stock along with the peas, prawns, and the mussels and squid if you are using them. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes more.

Finally, add the cooked chicken and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Yellow bean, vodka and smoked haddock risotto




The thing about risottos is that you can never have enough combinations, and just when you think you’ve done them all you come up with a new one that hits the spot. The use of vodka instead of wine leaves you with a fragrant freshness when the risotto is cooked, which marries fantastically well with smoky flakes of haddock and the al dente crunch of fine yellow beans. As there is fish in this risotto you don’t want to include any Parmesan, so bear this in mind. If you’re a risotto fan you’ve got to give this a try.

Start your basic risotto, adding the vodka at Stage 2 instead of the wine. Then lightly poach your haddock in the milk and stock from the basic recipe with a couple of bay leaves, covered with a lid. Simmer for around 5 minutes and remove from the heat. At Stage 3 of the basic recipe, I like to add the poaching liquor to the rice and then I carry on as normal through the recipe. At the end of Stage 3 flake in your smoked haddock, add the beans and carry on as normal through to the end of the recipe. Don’t serve with any Parmesan sprinkled over – serve sprinkled with the celery leaves. Add a dash of vodka and a squeeze of lemon to lift the flavours. Lovely.

Aubergine and mint bruschette





Heat a griddle pan until nice and hot. Lay your aubergine slices on it side by side and when they are nicely charred on both sides, put them into a bowl. You will probably need to do this in several batches.

While the aubergines are grilling, put 8 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, with the parsley, mint and garlic, into another bowl and season with salt and pepper.

When the aubergines are all done, add them to the dressing and mix around, then check the seasoning again and divide on to the bruschette. Press the topping into the toast so all the lovely flavour gets sucked in!

Chicken in milk




• 1 x 1.5k/ 3½lb organic chicken
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 115g/4oz or ½ a pack of butter
• olive oil
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1 good handful of fresh sage, leaves picked
• zest of 2 lemons
• 10 cloves of garlic, skin left on
• 565ml/1 pint milk


Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in the butter and a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil and butter left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramelly flavour later on.

Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.

Antipasti of mozzarella, chilli, and lemon crostini




• 8 slices ciabatta bread
• 1 clove garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 balls of buffalo mozzarella
• Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• a small handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 lemon for zesting


Heat a griddle pan until it’s really smoking hot, then griddle each slice of ciabatta for a couple of minutes on each side until they are nicely charred.

Cut the garlic clove in half, rub each ciabatta slice with garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil. Tear the mozzarella evenly over the 8 crostini. Season well with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the sliced chilli and basil leaves and grate over the lemon zest. Finish with another drizzle of olive oil.