Grilled figs with mascarpone

Ingredients:
4 fresh figs
4 tsp dark rum
2 tsp brown sugar, or maybe honey
Juice from half a lemon
mascarpone

How to make it:
Quarter the figs and drizzle the mix of rum, sugar (honey) and lemon over them. Leave for 30 mins or longer. Grill the figs until they bubble and start to scorch. Serve with some mascarpone and the pan juices.

Blumenkohlarama Curry

Ingredients:
Chicken
Cauliflower (lots)
Carrots
Green beans
Mange tout
Shallots
Potatoes
Yoghurt
Coconut milk
Assorted other spices, and bits and pieces (see below)

How to make it:
Cut the chicken into pieces and leave to marinate in a very spicy, saucy marinade (lots of yoghurt, plus coconut milk, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, coriander, cardamom pods, salt, pepper, oil).
Leave it to stand for as long as possible (preferably in the fridge so that the little bb doesn't worry about it becoming furry). After that, it's easy-peasy. Fry off the carrot and shallots, scooping out and adding the chicken - try not to add too much of the marinade at this stage. At the same time, sling the potatoes into the pot of water which you cleverly put on to boil earlier. Oh - it's the same pot in which you have already parboiled the green beans. Add those beans to the frying pan. When the tatties are softening (NOT soft) chuck the cauliflower and mange tout into the frying pan as well. Drain the potatoes and transfer the stuff from the frying-pan into the saucepan.
Now fry the potatoes in the pan, until they are slightly crisp and golden-brown. At the end, tip some spicy stuff over the potatoes (I used some chilli sauce, mixed with tabasco, honey and honey mustard).

How it tastes:
Excellent! (Although those with a less-refined palate may want to add salt when the meal is already on her plate).

Shepherds Pie

Ingredients:
Ragu:
Some olive oil
500 g minced meat (preferably beef or lamb)
2 tsp tomato puree
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 chopped garlic cloves
Half an aubergine, without skin, cut into tiny, tiny pieces
2 carrots, small cubes
Quarter celeriac, small cubes
½ cup red wine, not necessarily the best but also not the cheapest, and never sweet
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Maybe some hot water
bayleaves (2-3)
allspice (4-5 corns)
beef or chicken broth
fresh parsley
salt & pepper
cumin
Worcester Sauce
Maybe 1 tsp tomato ketchup to bind it
Paprika
chilli powder or cayenne pepper
maybe cinnamon

Mash:
900g potatoes/sweet potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Butter
maybe cream
maybe nutmeg

2 cups of peas, cooked with some salt, pepper, butter, lemon and drained.

Mix of grated cheese and sliced leek, enough to cover the pie

How to make the Ragu:
Heat up some olive oil and fry the mince until brown all over. Add tomato purree half way through and fry with the meat. Take out the meat and set aside. Heat up some more oil (not too hot or the remaining tomato purree in the pan will burn) and fry the shallots, garlic and aubergine for about 5 mins, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add the carrots and celeriac, fry for a further 5 mins or until nicely browned, then add the mince back in and stir. Add the wine and let it bubble until completely gone. Then add the tinned tomatoes, bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and leave for about 30 mins with a closed lid. Longer is fine, too. If it seems to dry, add a bit of water or wine - too liquid, leave the lid off for a while.

While simmering, season with bayleaves (2-3), Allspice (4-5 corns), beef or chicken broth, fresh parsley, salt & pepper, cumin, Worcester Sauce, tomato ketchup, paprika, chilli powder or cayenne pepper, cinnamon etc.

How to make the mash:
Boil the potatoes and sweet potatoes in salted water until soft. Mash with butter, maybe cream, salt, pepper, maybe nutmeg.

How to assemble:
Preheat the oven to 180C Umluft (everything should be hot or at least quite warm otherwise it would take ages and burn on top!).
Put the Ragu in an ovenproof dish, cover with the peas, then the mash. Finish off with a mix of grated cheese and leeks. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 mins, until the cheese bubbles all over and is nicely browned.

Variations:
You could also add some celery green or parsley stalks for flavouring, some peppers and/or tinned sweetcorn. Use different kinds of mash - all potato, potato & celeriac, potato & chickpeas... Or leave out the leek in the topping. All of it will be delicious!

Grilled goats cheese with roast vegetables

Ingredients:
Random selection of vegetables like potatoes, carrots, peppers, courgette, fennel, red onions, etc.
Goats cheese
Baguette
Honey
Rosemary sprigs
Thyme sprigs
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

How to make it:
Put all veggies except quick-cooking ones like courgette in a baking dish with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast at 200 C for 15-20 mins. Toss once or twice and possibly add more oil to prevent drying out. Add courgette and roast a further 20 mins or so.
Grill or toast the bread, put on a slice of goats cheese with a rosemary sprig, a dollop of honey and some pepper. Grill until it starts to brown and melt.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
4 tsp olive oil
1 Hokkaido pumpkin or Butternut Squash, cubed (size isn't too important here for once since the whole thing is purreed later)
2 carrots, cubed
Half/third of a celeriac, cubed
1 leek
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1-1.5 lt water
2 dried chillies
curry powder
turmeric
salt
pepper
sugar
lemon
maybe cream

How to make it:
Heat up the olive oil, fry the shallots, garlic cloves and leek for 3 mins, then add the pumpkin, carrots, celeriac for another 3 mins or until browned. In the meantime, boil the water and add to the soup, covering all the ingredients and a little more. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour or until vegetables are soft. Don't worry if you've left them for a bit too long - the get mushed up anyway. While everything simmers, season with e.g. chillies, cumin, salt, pepper, broth-powder, curry powder, lemon, turmeric, sugar.
Once done, use a food processor or purree stick to liquidise. Taste again, season if necessary and done!

Variations:
Maybe add a potato or some peppers to the mix. Add some pumpkin seed oil to serve, or some cinnamon-salt-pepper flavoured croutons, or roasted pumpkin seeds.