Salmon fillets with asparagus and tomatoes.

This is a really simple meal that is very quick to make (around 20 minutes) and is a healthy option. All of the amounts are totally up to personal taste but the photos below show the quantities that I use for two people.

The ingredients are very simple:

Salmon fillets (fresh is best but frozen works in a pinch)
Asparagus tips
Cherry tomatoes (you can use vine tomatoes but I find small cherry tomatoes juicier)
Olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.
Put a little oil in a frying pan and place in the salmon, skin side down. We only want to sear the skin so no longer than 5 minutes. Meanwhile, coat the asparagus tips and the tomatoes in olive oil and place them in a baking tray. When seared, place the salmon skin side down on the asparagus and put in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

When cooked, the salmon will appear pale pink in colour. Serve the salmon on top of the asparagus with the tomatoes to the side. As a personal preference, I pour parsley sauce over the fish and serve with a glass of white wine.

This is one of my favourite meals. I hope it becomes one of yours.

Braised beef in red wine.

A little red meat for those that aren't too keen on pork or ham. This one takes a little time to cook so it is best to plan ahead. The list of ingredients given below should be enough to feed six people, although you can modify the amounts to either increase or decrease the numbers.

25g / 1oz plain white flour, Salt & pepper

900g / 2lb stewing beef or venison, cubed

4 tbsp olive oil

350g / 12oz button onions

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

350g / 12oz carrots, sliced

300ml / 1/2 pint red dry red wine

150ml / 1/4 pint beef or chicken stock

400g / 14oz canned chopped tomatoes with herbs in juice

Pared rind of 1 lemon

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Freshly cooked rice to serve

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4. Put the pepper and the flour in a polythene bag (without holes) add the meat and shake well untill all of the meat is coated in the mixture. In a large flameproof casserole dish, heat the oil and fry the coated meat for 5 - 10 minutes until it is browned on all sides, remember to stir constantly. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside. (We use a slotted spoon as we want the juices and oil to remain in the dish). The photo below shows the meat being browned.

Add the button onions (I couldn't find button onions so I sliced an ordinary onion instead) add the garlic and carrots to the casserole dish and fry for around 5 minutes until they begin to soften, then return the meat to the dish.

Pour the wine into the dish, stirring in any glazed pieces from the bottom of the dish, then add the stock, the tomatoes and juice, lemon rind, bay leaf, parsley, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to the boil then cover the casserole. The meat with the added red wine and stock can be seen here.

Place the casserole in the pre-heated oven and cook for about 2 hours until the meat is tender, then serve hot with rice, shown below.

The wine I used to cook with is Hardys Crest Cabernet Shiraz and there was enough left for a glass each with the meal. However, if you prepare for 6, you will need to open at least another bottle.

Pork and Ginger Noodles.

Sorry for the delay in getting this on, things have been a little busy of late. This recipe is really simple to make and can be ready in about 15 minutes. The amounts quoted below are enough to serve 4 (but not in my house).

First off, let me introduce you to the ingredients:

450g pork fillet, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2.5cm root ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 savoy cabbage, shredded

300ml vegetable stock

1tbsp soy sauce

100g frozen peas

2 x 150g packets of straight to wok noodles

2 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)

For the noodles, I used Amoy straight-to-wok. I should have used the thin ones, the thicker ones were a little too much for the pork.

Stir fry the pork in the oil until just cooked (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and continue to stir fry until the pork and cabbage are well combined. The photos below show the cabbage added to the pork, and the peas and noodles added to the stir fry.

Pour the soy suace and the vegetable stock over the pork stir fry then add the peas and noodles. Stir well and then simmer for 5 minutes until the cabbage is cooked but crunchy. Scatter with the coriander if desired. This can then be eaten as is or served with a green salad or cooked green veg.

The final photo is the finished meal.