The Hackney Butchers Association

I've only just come across this book. It looks fantastic. Here are some excerpts thanks to Google. CLICK HERE There is a garlic soup in there that looks amazing. I'm going to try it out very soon... But tomorrow I've got plans for some pork with an apple, vodka & tarragon sauce.

There's a rumour on the street that this year batch of H-Bomb Chilli Chutney is due for release. Watch this space...

For the cider and apple sauce (makes enough for 4 servings, or 1 really greedy one) 20ml groundnut oil 500g pork bones (ask your butcher), chopped small 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped 1 celery stick, chopped 2 garlic gloves, peeled and crushed 1 bay leaf 1 thyme sprigs 2 sprigs tarragon 1 granny smith apple, chopped 300ml dry cider 400ml chicken stock Method: To prepare the cider sauce. Place a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and heat up, and then add the oil. When it is almost smoking, add the pork bones and cook, stirring frequently, until they are deep golden in colour. Add the vegetables, garlic and herbs, lower the heat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until softened and golden. Add the chopped apple and cider. Bring to the boil and simmer to reduce by half, and then add the stock. Bring back to the boil, skim and simmer again for 20-25 minutes. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and simmer to reduce by...

I made this with a little help from my daughter. She's 5 and thought a nice smiley face would make a change. I think she's got a point. It makes me laugh anyway. The seeds were delicious. I simmered them for 10mins in salted water to cook the shells and then toasted them in a hot dry pan with ground cumin, chilli, cinammon. I added a splash of olive oil at the end to help it stick. I may have over-done the chilli though... Don't touch your eyes after eating them! (You get the gunk off the seeds by putting them in sink full of water. The gunk sinks, the seeds float.)

Parsnips are in season from November through to January. A couple of different ideas to go with a roast, or some grilled oily-fish. Mash up some cooked parsnips with a bit of butter or cream & add some ground cumin, chilli seeds & cinammon to taste. Or Peel some parsnips, cut off the thin ends & roast or fry with some spicy paprika/chorizo. Meanwhile, simmer the fatter bits in some water until soft & then puree in a blender with a splash of cream, or milk & butter. Serve the crispy bit on the puree.  It looks and tastes amazing, thanks to the intense colour and flavour of the chorizo. Or Roast up with cumin and smoked paprika.  Not radically different from above I guess...

Once scrubbed or peeled, pop them in water acidulated with some lemon juice to stop them going black. Roast whole, in duck fat for 30-40mins with whole garlic cloves, bay leaves & pancetta. Or, pan-fry thick rounds of jerusalem artichokes for 10mins in olive oil & a little butter until browned. Remove once cooked & add some herbs to the pan (sage, or bay , rosemary, thyme etc.) for a minute. Then add lemon juice to de-glaze the pan and pour over the cooked pieces. Or, steam fat slices for 5mins, drizzle in walnut oil & use in salads

This is a slight variation on an Eagle Pub recipe. I switched some of the stock for red wine and swapped flageolet beans for broad beans as they are out of season. 1 large rabbit 150ml Olive Oil 1 onion 8 garlic cloves 1 red, 1 green pepper, sliced 4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped 2 carrots, finely sliced 1 small handful thyme leaves 3 chorizo sausages 500g arborio rice 1 bay leaf 150g flageolet beans beans 100g peas 500ml rabbit/chicken/vegetable stock 500ml red wine wine 1 tbsp hot paprika 2 lemons, juiced handful parsley, chopped Prep time: 20mins Cooking time: 50mins This makes enough to feed 8 people.(Tonight I'm by myself, so there's a slim chance that I have cooked too much...) Brown the rabbit in the olive oil on a high heat. Cook the vegetables & herbs in the oil for 10mins. Add the chorizo & once they melt a bit, add the rice. Stir around for 2mins to absorb the oil. Add the stock & wine & bring to boil, then simmer fo...

159 Farringdon Road Clerkenwell , London EC1R 3AL Tel: 020 7837 1353 Brilliant food. Bloody hard to get a table. Worth the effort.

I picked up a great looking rabbit last night on the way back from work. I was worried that the rabbit might leak blood all over the clothes in my bike bag, but I got away with it. Phew. Theobalds Butchers (McKanna Meats) 21 Theobald's Road, Holborn London, WC1X 8SL It was a big one, roughly £10. I got it jointed & kept the liver. You can freeze it all within 2 days and it will last for a couple of months. I'm going to eat mine as soon as I can. It should feed 6, though I'm cooking for it one as my wife & kids won't eat rabbit. Apparently they are cute. This is one battle I'm happy to lose as it means I get to eat all the leftovers. Nice. The problem I have is that the first rabbit recipe I ever tried was Jamie Oliver's "Tender-as-you-like rabbit stew" with tarragon dumplings. It's so incredibly tasty that I'm struggling to try any new ways of cooking rabbit. Ok, so not a major life-challenge I know, but those dumpl...

I made a roast pumpkin dish earlier tonight. I bashed up a mix of fennel,coriander, cumin and red chilli seeds, with garlic and a little olive oil. I rubbed it over slices of a small pumpkin and a torn-up red pepper. Then roasted alongside a lemon chicken. It was great. Sweet & really spicy. This is the pumpkin just before roasting for 30mins at 180°C.

I came across this great list of 30 recipes from The Times Online. CLICK HERE... The one shown here is destined for an experiment in couple of days time...

Slice a courgette into finger sized pieces & soak in milk. Season some polenta with salt, pepper and paprika (sweet paprika if for kids). Roll the courgettes in the polenta and fry in olive oil until golden. Great with fish or just by themselves with some aioli. Yum.

Uh oh. Running low... I get these amazing chillis from Broadway Market, East London. I have been totally addicted for about 5 years. They are pretty spicy, but also sweet like grilled peppers. I have them on anything I can get away with, pasta, cold meats, they are great with goats cheese, or even just nice toast. They are from a stockist called Etna Conserve . I've never tried any of their other products, but if these are anything to go by, it's worth checking out.

Mix the best cooked butter beans you can get with : olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley, garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Or add finely chopped red-onion, a splash of good balsamic vinegar, very finely chopped rosemary, olive oil & a good pinch of hot paprika. Or Diced cooked chorizo & parsley. I'm getting hungry... Must eat soon...

250g fresh red chillis, halved & de-seeded 5 cloves garlic 100g coriander 100g flat leaf parsley 1 tsp ground cumin a pinch of ground cardamon 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2tbs olive oil Briefly blitz the chillis with the garlic. add the other ingredients & blitz again until you have a textured paste. This keeps for up to a week in a sealed jar in the fridge. You can use it to dip bread into, or to add a bit of zing to grilled meats etc.

1 tin Chickpeas, drained & rinsed 50ml Tahini paste Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste 1 garlic clove, peeled & crushed sea salt Blitz the chickpeas & tahini in a food processor until smooth. Remove and put in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and garlic & season with sea-salt & pepper. Add a bit of water if it's too thick and already lemony enough. Sprinkle over some sweet paprika & chopped flat-leaf parsley. Delicious!

Salad: 500g raw beetroot, peeled & very thinly sliced 2tsp lemon juice 2tbs olive oil small handful parsley Dressing: 100g shelled pistachio 2tbs finely chopped parsley 1 dsp finely chopped mint 1 dsp lemon juice 1 tsp caster sugar 7 tbs olive oil 1 tsp zemon zest 4tbs water 1 tsp orange blossom water (optional) Serves 4 as part of a mezze. Blitz the dressing ingredients briefly in a food processor, nuts first. Then season to taste. Dress the beetroot & parsley leaves with the lemon juice & olive oil. When ready to eat, spoon over some pistachio dressing. This comes from the mighty Moro's. Everything they make is amazing. I've had a few disasters from their cook books if i'm honest. I probably did something wrong! Their restaurant is still my favorite. I love it!

1 small tenderloin 2 lemongrass stalks (finely sliced) 3 cloves garlic (crushed) 2tbsp Fish Sauce 1 tbsp Sesame oil Sesame seeds to decorate (if you fancy it) Prep: 5mins Marinate: 1 hour Cooking time:2 mins Slice the pork into 1cm thick rings & marinate with all the other ingredients for at least an hour. Drain the pork and fry in a hot non-stick pan for 1 or 2 mins until golden. Spoon over a little sauce as you go. You can use this to add to stir-fried veg & bean sprouts, or add to salad leaves with mint & coriander.

3tbsp Lime Juice 3 tbsp Fish sauce 1 tbsb caster sugar This is good for asian salads, or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls.

Small handful of mint 1/2 lemon (juiced) 1 heaped tbsp Grain mustard 2 egg yolks 4-5 tbsp olive oil Blitz the mint, lemon juice, mustard & egg yolks briefly in a blender. Slowly add the oil until it's just thickened like double-cream. Great with anything barbeued.

1 large Sea Bream or 2 smaller ones( roughly 1.8kg) 1kg waxy potatoes (desiree are good) 1 lemon 1 onion 4 cloves garlic 1 pinch Saffron 7tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 tsp salt 6 tbsp olive oil Prep time: 20mins Cooking time: 1hour & 5 mins Slash the fish a few times on both sides & season with salt/pepper & lemon juice inside & out. Thinly slice the onion & potatoes and put in layers into a greased oven proof dish. Bash up 5tbsp of the parsley, saffron, garlic & salt then slowly mix in 4tbsb olive oil & 4tbsb of water. Sread this over the potato & onions. Bake in the oven at 190°C for 40mins until almost cooked. Put the bream on top with 2tbsp olive oil & bake for 25mins if using 1 big fish, or 15mins if using smaller ones. Once just cooked, sprinkle with the zest of the lemon & the rest of the parsley. This is a classic Spanish dish called "Besugo al horno", traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. You can swa...