Cheddar Paste (16)
- this is an all-purpose paste which is good for sandwiches (spread thickly), seasoning French toasts ready to receive juicy meats or fish (spread thinly), or served warm as a dip.  I've even used it as an emergency white sauce for a rather unusual lasagne.  The comedian Eddie Izzard once made a joke about "The English!  Who else could invent a mustard that gives you a nosebleed!", but the extraordinary sharpness of the mustard is good with the gently aromatic Cheddar and the hint of alcohol.  A very English preparation.

500 g Cheddar cheese, mild or mature
200 ml Bitter beer
small knob butter
1/2 to 1 tsp prepared English mustard
1 tsp cornflour
200 ml sour cream

          Cut cheese into slices and put in a pan with all other ingredients except cornflour, cream, and a little of the beer.  Heat until the cheese melts.  Remove from heat and add the cornflour as a paste in the remaining beer.  Stir and heat gently until smooth and thick.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until very smooth.  Immediately turn into a lidded pot or plastic container.  Leave open until cool, then seal and refrigerate.
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Easy Pierogi (6) - makes about 30 pierogi which are firm and will need enlivening by a topping such as the grated smoked ewe's-cheese, oscypek, and pepper fresh from the mill.  Also, don't be afraid to drizzle some melted bacon fat over the whole thing at the end - the tastes really go together.  If you can't find oscypek and bryndza, any smoked cheese will do for the former, and any soft salty white cheese will do instead of bryndza.  I often use Welsh goat's cheese, in which case I like to serve the pierogi with a dab of sour cream.  Lastly, I've provided pictures as a guide, but these are of the recipe below - if it's your first time at pierogi, don't try and over-pack them - this dough isn't as stretchy as that given below, and pierogi honestly taste as good with some of the filling on top.

1 small potato, boiled and mashed
400 g plain wheat flour
3 eggs
3-4 shot glasses warm (not hot) water
300 g streaky bacon
400 g soft crumbly cheese such as bryndza
50 g hard aromatic cheese such as oscypek, grated
a very little butter for frying
salt
pepper

          Cut bacon into lardons and fry, turning very occasionally, over a low heat until very dry and crisp.  Don't scrape the pan as the   Combine mash, flour and eggs in a bowl, and mix with a spatula in a folding and cutting motion.  Slowly add water until a very elastic, somewhat sticky dough is obtained.  Knead briefly on a well-floured board and roll out to a 2-4 mm thickness.  Cut into 8-10 cm rounds with a cutter or cup.  Stuff less floury side of each pierog sparsely with soft cheese and a lardon or two of bacon, dampen the edges,  and stick over into semicircles.  Seal well - you could try to crimp the edges of the pierogi  to seal better, but it isn't strictly necessary.  Meanwhile boil a large pan of salted water and poach the pierogi for 10-15 minutes at a gentle boil.  Drain well and serve with the hard cheese and possibly the rest of the filling heaped or poured over.

Intermediate Pierogi (6) - gorgeous creations - more experienced pierogi makers can get the dough almost transparent and really pack that filling in.  These pierogi are perfectly good served on their own with salt and pepper and just a little melted butter, but I like to go the whole uh... hog, and serve them with slow fried crispy bacon and a little sour cream on the side.  I could get tearful just thinking about them.  If you're thinking of serving them plain, season the filling well.

500 g plain wheat flour, plus extra for rolling
1 egg yolk
boiling water
warm water
450 g lean pork
3 shallots
1 very small clove garlic
knob butter
200 ml white wine
3 tbsp breadcrumbs

          Chop the shallots and garlic and fry gently in the butter for 5 minutes.  Then add wine and pork, together with any bone, into the pan and poach steadily until the pork is tender but not over-done.  While warm, take out any bone, put the whole lot into a food processor or mincer, and mince as smooth as you like.  Stir or beat in enough of the breadcrumbs to return the whole to the consistency of a firm paste.  Prepare the warm water so as to be too hot to the touch, then get the egg ready, then weigh the flour onto a large worktop or board, and then boil some more water.  Make a well in the heap of flour, and pour about 200 ml of boiling water into the well - slap it back with a spatula if it runs out.  Start to knead the whole with the spatula, adding in the salt and the yolk when the whole thing has cooled down a little.  When the whole thing is cool enough to knead by hand, knead in the warm water, which should be cool enough to touch by now.  You'll know you've finished when the whole has a very soft, stretchy consistency.  If you don't have a lot of room, divide the dough in half and wrap one half in a slightly damp cloth while you work on the other.  Roll out to about 2-4 mm thickness on a fresh, floured surface and cut into 8-10 cm rounds with a cutter or cup.  Stuff the less floury side of each pierog with at least a teaspoon of filling  and pat down with some flour (on your thumb - I'm right-handed, so I use my right thumb .  The flour helps the filling slide over the dough when you seal it).  Keep your thumb dry, and use your little finger for dipping into water to dampen the edges of the dough ( if, as here, you are a hairy three-fingered Disney troll, improvise, or scare somebody else into lending you their pinkie).  Stick the edges firmly together, stretching the dough gently over the filling  - don't worry if the shape isn't perfecctly semicircular .  You might like to crimp the edges to help seal them.  I start on the left and use my thumb and first two fingers, pinching between thumb and second finger, then immediately tucking the freshly-pinched part down with the index finger  and pinching part of the fold into the next one.  This gets a good seal, irons out the flaws in shape, is nice to look at , and is great to eat.  Lay the pierogi out, separately, on a floured surface (or freeze them like that.  Once they are frozen rock-hard, they can be put into a plastic bag - they won't stick.  Cook straight from frozen, adding three minutes to the poaching time).  To cook, boil a large pan of salted water and poach the pierogi for 10-15 minutes at a gentle boil, gently pushing them into the water from time to time.  Drain well and serve with salt and pepper and a little melted butter, or however you like.
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6 large or 12 medium tomatoes
4-6 eggs
basil, preferably fresh
cream
salt
black pepper

          With a paring knife, slice tops off tomatoes and hollow them out with a teaspoon.  Put a basil leaf or pinch of dry herb into each.  Crack the eggs, and fill each tomato with egg, however takes your fancy - white, yolk, or both.  Place intto a hot oven (220 C) until the eggs have set (about 10 minutes).  Allow to cool to lukewarm, then top with a dab of cream and plenty of salt and pepper.
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340 g shortcrust pastry
400 g onions, free of any hard outer layers
100 ml double cream
2 large eggs
several slices prosciutto or Parma ham (optional)
75 g Gruyere cheese, grated
50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
tsp salt
tsp butter
tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper

          Thinly slice onions and cook slowly, covered, in butter and oil until very soft and just beginning to stick.  If they stick before they are soft, add water a teaspoon at a time to keep manageable.  Let cool.  Meanwhile roll out pastry to fill a 20 cm flan dish, which grease well with butter or chicken fat.  Set oven at 190 C and line dish with pastry.  Trim, allowing at least 1 cm around the edges for shrinkage.  Prick well with a fork and place in fridge for 10 minutes and bake blind for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately line the hot pastry with the prosciutto, if used.  Let stand.  Add the Gruyere, cream, salt and pepper and mix, then add eggs and mix well again; make sure the eggs don't cook yet.  Pour into the flan dish, top with Parmesan and, if liked, a lid made from excess pastry.  Brush with milk, cream or egg, and place in oven, reducing temperature to 150 C immediately.  Ready in about 30-40 minutes.  Best eaten warm, not hot.
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200 g cooked, soft chickpeas
80 ml olive or vegetable oil (50 ml if to be stored)
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
sesame seeds, to garnish

          Blend together very, very smoothly, chill, and garnish heavily with sesame seeds.
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tbsp butter
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
300 g pig's liver
500 g sliced streaky bacon
tsp herbes de provence
1/2 tsp ground bay leaf, or 1 whole leaf
1/2 tsp nutmeg
6 tbsp cream
5 tbsp lemon juice
lemon, tomato, bay leaves, etc. to taste
salt
pepper

          Chop the onion and saucepan fry in the butter with whole garlic cloves until soft.  Remove from fat and set aside.  Add oil to pan and then liver, sliced.  Cover and heat gently until well cooked.  If necessary, remove large pieces, chop them further and fry again.  Meanwhile griddle or grill bacon, catching all juices.  Chop bacon roughly, into lardons.  Blend all ingredients while warm, except lemon juice.  Quickly deglaze pans or griddles with this, and beat into pate.  Season, and turn into a buttered dish lined with thinly sliced lemon, tomato, and/or bay leaves.  Cover with stiff kitchen paper and chill overnight.
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500 g floury potatoes
1/2 medium onion
25 g wheat flour
1 tbsp potato flour
2 eggs
tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch ground nutmeg
oil for frying

          Peel the potatoes and onion.  Either grate finely, or use a food processor to grate and then blend both vegetables.  Beat in seasoning and eggs and then, slowly, both flours.  Heat oil in a 15-20 cm pan, pour in a ladleful of mixture, spread out, and fry on both sides to a golden brown.

Goulash Topping (4)
- whaaaat?  He's given goulash a Polish flag?  True, a lot of 'Polish' dishes have Hungarian origins, but this is Polish-style goulash for Polish-style potato pancakes.  Typically Polish - OK?  Is bagels with salmon and sour cream American food?  Probably.  Anyway, the only thickening agent here is paprika - lots of it.  Don't smother the ppancakes with this sauce - put a modest dollop onto each pancake with, possibly, a little dab of sour cream and a dusting of paprika & pepper over the plate.  Once you get good at making pliable pancakes, you'll be able to fold each one into four, with filling inside, and dab the cream onto the top of the folded whole.  Grate black pepper over the cream.  Delicious.

350 g lean beef steak
4 shallots or 1 small mild onion
a very small garlic clove
1 1/2 tbsp butter or good margarine
tsp salt
10 ml vinegar
about 200 ml water
2 tbsp ground sweet paprika
5 tbsp sour cream, plus a little more for decoration
1/2 tsp sugar
pinch hot chile powder, or 5-10 drops of Tabasco sauce

          Trim beef of fat and chop into 2 cm cubes (or smaller).  Chop the garlic and shallots as finely as practicable.  Heat the butter quite strongly in a lidded pan big enough for everything to go into, throw in the chopped vegetables and cook on a high heat for a minute or so.  Add the beef, salt, and a splash of the water, turn the heat right down, add vinegar, and cook gently for about an hour, or until the beef is very tender - occasionally stir the whole and add more water if it looks dry.  Add the sugar, tomato puree, paprika, cream, chile/Tabasco and most of the remaining water.  Adjust consistency with water, season with more of anything, and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

300 ml sour cream
1 rasher bacon
2 shallots
1/4 bulb fennel
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
tsp cornflour
1 tomato
50 g cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

          Thinly slice onions and fennel.  Griddle or grill with bacon, reserving juices.  Meanwhile chop tomatoes and grate cheese.  Put cream in a bowl and beat in cornflour, then stir in breadcrumbs, tomatoes, cheese, salt, warm ingredients, juices and, finally, eggs.  Pour into well-buttered ramekins and bake at 150 C for 25 minutes.  Best eaten lukewarm.
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300 g strawberries
a few basil leaves
about 10 preserved black olives
60 ml good olive oil
dash balsamic vinegar
ground black pepper

          Thinly slice strawberries and olives.  Cut basil into thin strips.  Gently toss ingredients together, grate pepper over, and serve promptly.
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