Harissa-marinated lamb with chickpea puree-Cook Simple by Diana Henry

Well this was an easy choice for me, Diana Henry is probably my favourite cookery writer and I have never had a Diana disaster! This book is her third book and concentrates on simple dishes that can be achieved with little effort. The cooking times are not necessarily quick, but with most dishes the food is baking/marinating or roasting away in the oven whilst you put your feet up. Lamb is my favourite meat, I could happily eat it most days but Marc is not too keen. I really hoped to change his thoughts with this dish, so I get my lamb fix more often! This recipe was adapted to serve 2.

2 tbsp harissa
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
handful of torn mint leaves
4 chunky lamb chops
salt and pepper

Mix the harissa with the garlic, oil, lemon and mint and put the chops into it, making sure they are well coated on both sides. Cover and leave in the fridge from 1 1/2 hours to overnight, turning every so often.
Heat the griddle pan for the chops, until the griddle is smoking. Salt the chops and the last minute and cook them on a high heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown on the outside, but still pink in the middle.

I served ours with some garlic and pine nut rice and some flatbreads. Marc was very impressed and now Lamb is back on the menu!

Homemade flatbread-How to feed your friends with relish by Joanna Weinburg

Saturday early evening calls for tasty snacks whilst lazing in front of the TV for us! These flatbreads are so easy to make, and you can allow the creative genius within you to run wild, by using a variety of toppings. I choose to use sesame seeds, smoked paprika and parlsey, which are some of my favourite ingredients and therefore, always in the house. I cannot emphasis how great these are, I served them with a smoky aubergine and garlic dip, but they would be great with hummus, or tzatziki.
The amounts below will make you four pitta sized breads.

200g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
1/3 tsp fast-cation dried yeast
1/2 tsp fine salt
170 mls of tepid water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper
small handful of chopped parsley leaves

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the water and oil bit by bit, massaging it between your fingers.
Knead the dough firmly for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic. Set aside in a covered bowl (a tea towel will do) and leave for at least 45 minutes.
Shortly before you want to eat, preheat the oven to 230oC.
Knock the air out of the dough by giving it a quick knead. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls and roll out into circles on a floured surface. Grease a baking sheet with some olive oil and place the rolled out breads onto it. Sprinkle the paprika, sesame seeds and salt and pepper.
Bake for 6-7 minutes, the bread with bubble up and begin to color when ready.

Slow simmered chilli pork-Flavours by Donna Hay

I purchased this book about 9 years ago, in fact I have many Donna Hay books from my early cookery years-her style is very simplistic and the pictures are very inspiring, especially when one is cooking in a run down nurses home as I was! This recipe serves a very hungry 4, and makes a great alternative to a take-away, with a warm, oriental flavour.

1 tbs of olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic sliced
2 tbs of grated ginger
1-2 large red chillies, chopped
750g diced pork shoulder
8 fluid ounces of Chinese cooking wine
4 fluid ounces of Soy sauce
8 fluid ounces of beef stock
2 tbs of brown sugar
handful of coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic and allow to cook for 5 minutes until soften. Add the diced pork and cook briefly until sealed.
Add the chillies and ginger and also the liquid ingredients, and add the sugar and stir in.
Allow to simmer for approx 50 minutes, until the pork is tender and the sauce is thickened. Do add further sugar if you feel it needs it.
A tip from my friend Brenda over at Violets Pantry-if the dish is too spicy, add the juice of half a lemon, leave for a few moments and re-taste.
Sprinkle the coriander leaves ad serve with lots of fluffy, white rice.

Lancashire Hotpot-5 of the best by Valli Little

This recipe is adapted from "5 of the best" by Valli Little, which is a very simple book that I refer to often. Great for midweek suppers, most recipes have only a handful of ingredients, which are mostly store cupboard essentials This is a real winter warmer, and although it takes a while in the oven, it really is very easy to make and yields very little washing up which is always a bonus! Also the book calls for individual hotpots ( a bit like Betty from the Rover's return)! but I make just one big one. Tonight, we had this with just some warm bread with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Recipe (serves 2)

approx. 300-400g of diced lamb
40mls olive oil
1 onion thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled, and diced
1 celery stalk finely chopped
1 tbsp of flour
60mls of vermouth
100mls of vegetable stock
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 medium sized potatoes, thinly sliced
25g butter, melted.

Preheat the oven to 170oc

Heat half of the oil in a frying pan and add the lamb and fry untiled sealed and slightly brown on the edges. Place the lamb in a oven proof dish.

Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan, and scrap any bits of lamb from the bottom of the pan, as this will add flavour. Add the onion and cook gently for 5-10 minutes until slightly softened. Add the celery, and carrot and cook for a further few minutes. Add the flour to the pan and stir in well, before adding the vermouth and stock and nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper.
Add this to the dish with the lamb.

Arrange the potatoes on top brush with melted butter and place on a roasting tin. Transfer this into the hot oven and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.