Bocadillo with jamon

The humble bocadillo is the ultimate minimalist Spanish sandwich.

Just a baguette filled with some meat, cheese, omelette or tuna. The Spanish do not add lettuce, pickles, onions, mustard or mayonnaise to their bocadillo. Sometimes the bread is moistened by rubbing the cut side of a tomato onto the bread, or drizzling some olive oil – or both. But mostly it’s just bread and one filling. I find good quality jamon is flavoursome and moist enough to enjoy on its own.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Spain you could make this sandwich with a different type of jamon every day. Proscuitto or parma ham would make good substitutes.

If you’re feeling nervous that your sandwich will be too dry, serve with some good extra virgin olive oil on the side. But please try it without the oil first.

Break open baguette. Layer with jamon, close up and enjoy.

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cheese on toast

The choice of cheese is in your court. The mayo makes it a bit moister

so you could easily use hard cheese such as parmesan or manchengo.

For me right now, Irish cheddar is where it’s at.

Also lovely with a slice or two of smoked ham layered under the cheese.

For an even more rich experience replace the mayo with an egg yolk.

2 slices rustic bread

butter

2 handfuls grated cheese

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

1tablespoon whole egg mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 250C (480F).

Generously butter bread and place on a baking tray lined with foil or baking paper. Bake for 3 minutes or until butter is melted.

Combine cheese, mustard and mayo. Completely cover the bread with the cheese mixture.

Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted andbubbling with golden brown patches.

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cheese with celery

This is more of an idea than an exact recipe. It came from wanting to enjoy some cheese without the heaviness of bread or crackers.

There’s something just so good about crunching into a stick of celery and even better when it has a bonus piece of rich soft cheese attached.

This works best with softer cheese but I’ve also tried it successfully with parmesan and manchego.

bunch celery

perfectly ripe cheese

Wash celery and trim the base to break it into individual ribs. Leave the leaves intact on the inner ribs and discard the darker green leaves of the outer ribs.

Place celery on a platter next to the cheese and season with salt & pepper.

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Wite bean & parmesan puree

Feel free to use whichever white beans you prefer. Canellini, butter beans, borlotti or even fava would all work. I’m also thinking that chickpeas would be lovely but haven’t tried them out yet.

This puree is a quick and easy starter to serve with warm pita bread or your favourite dipping vehicle. Another option is to serve it on crostini - thin slices of baguette that have been toasted on one side and rubbed

with a cut clove of garlic while still hot.

1 can canellini beans (400g /14oz), drained

1 - 2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

60g (2oz) parmesan cheese, finely grated

3 - 4 tablespoons lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until very smooth.

Season to taste, adding a little more lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Serve at room temperature with pita or other bread.

Wite bean & parmesan puree

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Crostini with buffalo mozzarella peppers & basil

The success of this starter is all in the cheese. If you can’t find the freshest buffalo mozzarella, don’t be tempted to use stringy, ordinary mozzarella or boccincini. The best substitute would be a fresh goats cheese or even some humble ricotta.

You can roast the peppers yourself, but I find that the jars of pre-prepared roast peppers or capsicum are perfectly fine if you’re short of time.

8 thin slices baguette

1 large ball bufffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks

roasted & peeled red pepper (capsicum), finely sliced

a few fresh basil leaves

Toast baguette slices lightly on one side.

Layer each round with mozzarella chunks, top with a few slices of pepper (capsicum) and a basil leaf or two.

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Pea & Pasta soup with bacon

This is my take on the classic ham and pea soup.

Frozen peas are a life saver when you’re in the mood for something green and the larder is empty. Peas are one of those vegetables that start to loose their natural sweetness and flavour as soon as they are picked so unless you have access to peas straight from the plant, frozen will generally taste better.

I’ve used bacon instead of ham and served it in chunks on top but you could skip the bacon and use vegetable stock if you wanted a vegetarian soup.

4 rashers bacon

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 packet frozen peas (250g or 1/2lb)

200g or 7oz macaroni or other small pasta

1/2 bunch chives, chopped, optional

Cook bacon under a broiler or overhead grill until brown and crispy.

Meanwhile bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add peas and pasta and boil for about 8 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir through chives, if using. Taste and season.

Serve soup topped with bacon pieces.

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zucchini(courgette)soup

The fastest way to grate zucchini is using a food processor. If you don’t have one you could get some exercise and grate with a hand grater. Or just cut the zucchini into small chunks - they’ll take a little longer to cook.

The herbs add a some freshness at the end but the soup will be lovely without it.

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

4 medium zucchini, grated

2 cups tomato passata

1/2 bunch basil or flat leaf parsley, leaves picked

parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan and cook garlic over a high heat for 30 seconds or until just starting to brown. Add zucchini and cook stirring for a couple of minutes. Add passata and 2 cups water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

Taste and season and toss through herbs. Serve with cheese grated on the top.

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chicken & couscous soup

Couscous is brilliant in soup as it cooks quickly and adds a lovely hearty texture to make your soup more of a meal-in-a-bowl.

If you have access to kale or other greens they may be substituted for the baby spinach for a more rustic soup.

6 cups chicken stock or broth

2 chicken breasts, finely sliced into ribbons

1/2 cup couscous

2 bags baby spinach, washed

4-5 tablespoons lemon juice

Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan.

Add chicken and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until just cooked through. Scoop our the chicken and divide between 4 bowls. Keep warm.

Meanwhile return the broth to the boil. Add couscous and return to the boil then stir through the spinach leaves until they are just wilted. Add lemon juice, season and taste. Add a little more lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Divide couscous and spinach broth between the bowls and serve hot.

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veggie laksa

Laksa is a wonderful coconut milk based noodle soup that hails from Malaysia. These days you can get commercial laska or other Thai curry pastes that take all the hard work out of it. I’ve used Singapore noodles in this recipe which are a fine version of fresh hokkien noodles but I have eaten laksa with rice noodles and even a combination of the two so feel free to substitute.

I’ve cheated a little on the 5 ingredient rule by including ‘mixed chopped vegetables’ as a single ingredient. I actually used a carrot, a zucchini and a red pepper, all cut into little batons. Chicken laksa is also really popular. Prawn or shrimps are lovely cooked in the spicy fragrant coconut broth.

350g (3/4lb) fresh Singapore noodles 60g (2oz) Laksa paste or other Thai curry paste 1 large can coconut cream (1 1/2 cups) 2 cups mixed chopped vegetables (see note above) handful fresh basil leaves

Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 1 minute then massage to loosen into individual strands. Drain.

Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of peanut or other vegetable oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add curry paste and stir fry for 30 seconds. Quickly add coconut cream and 2 cups boiling water. Bring to the boil and add vegetables. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

To serve, divide noodles between 3 bowls. Pour over soup and vegetables and top with basil leaves

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Simple soba noodle soup

Soba noodles are made of buckwheat as well as regular wheat and have a subtle ‘healthy’ flavour. Most other noodles could be used here if you prefer. Likewise, the veg can be varied to suit your taste (and what you have in the fridge!) baby spinach would be lovely.

Remember that the noodles are going to keep cooking in the broth after you’ve served up so best to slightly undercook first.

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

handful soba noodles (approx 50g or 2oz)

3 heads baby bok choy, leaves separated

large pinch chilli flakes, optional

1 – 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Bring stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add bok choy and chilli and 1T soy sauce and simmer for another minute or until noodles are only just cooked (see note above).

Remove from the heat. Taste and add extra soy if needed. Serve hot.

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