Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

50 g fresh basil leaves
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 level tablespoon pine nuts
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 oz (25 g) Pecorino Romano, 

grated salt

Method:

• If you have a blender, put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil together with some salt in the goblet and blend until you have a smooth purée.
•  Then transfer the purée to a bowl and stir in the grated Pecorino cheese.
• If you don't have a blender, use a large pestle and mortar to pound the basil, garlic and pine nuts to a paste. 
• Slowly add the salt and cheese, 
• then very gradually add the oil until you have obtained a smooth purée.
• Cook 500g pasta until it is soft. 
• Drain & stir through the pesto sauce.

Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread cut in half (or stale rolls or French bread)

2 cloves of garlic crushed

½ teaspoon of mixed herbs (less rather than more)

50g butter

Method:

• Mix the garlic & butter together.
• Butter one piece of bread, put another slices on top & butter that until you have a “scoobysnack style” stack.
• Wrap in tin foil & cook in a hot oven (175° for about 10 minutes)
• (if you use rolls or french bread slice & then butter each slice & rebuild to original shape. 
• Wrap in foil foil & cook in a hot oven (175°) for about 10 minutes.

Or buy it ready made & follow the instructions on the packet.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2Kg potatoes

½ teaspoon of salt

25g butter

Splash of milk

Method:

• Peel & chop potatoes into even pieces.
• Cook by covering potatoes with cold water, add salt & bringing up to the boil.
• Reduce heat & cook for about 20 minutes (until potatoes are soft)
• Drain, add butter, milk, and mash.

Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 large packet Paxo stuffing.

18f/oz water

25g butter (+ a little to grease the dish)

Method:

• Add water & butter to stuffing mix, 
• Stir & allow to stand for 5 minutes (timing not crucial but its best to leave for at least 5 minutes, longer is fine)

Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

250g couscous

500g boiling water

3 large tomatoes, deseeded & chopped finely

4 spring onions, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic crushed (optional, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t - you probably don’t notice)

Juice of 1 lemon

Bunch of mint, finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Method:

• Measure the couscous into a bowl on the scales
• Zero the scales & then add boiling water to 500g.
• Leave to soak in, (about 15 minutes) then fluff up with a fork.
• Add all the other ingredients & mix well.

Ta-rah! All done

Roast Potatoes

Ingredients:

2.5KG potatoes peeled & chopped into small pieces (1 average potato makes 8 mini roast)

Method:

• Put in a pan of cold water & bring up to the boil.
• While they are coming up to the boil, turn on the oven, set to 175° & put in a roasting tin with some olive oil in it.
• When the potatoes have boiled, drain & put into the hot roasting pan
• Cook for about 1 hour until the potatoes are all golden & crispy (You will have to check them after about 20 minutes & turn them to make sure they brown all over)

Boiled Rice

In a steamer. (The only way I would try to cook rice)

• Put 200g RICE in the rice dish. Add 300g water (use the scales) add a good pinch of salt.
• Fill the reservoir with water & assemble the steamer. 
• Set timer for 30 minutes. When the bell pings the rice is cooked.

In a pan that has a close fitting lid. (This is VERY hard, grown men have been reduced to gibbering idiots trying to cook rice this way)

•  Heat 1 desert spoon of olive oil & add 200g in a saucepan. Using a wooden spoon stir the rice & get all the grains covered in oil.
• Add 400g of BOILING water & good pinch of salt.
• Stir & bring up to simmering then put on the lid & turn heat down to the lowest setting.
• After 15 minutes take off the lid & check rice, If the grains are soft & when you tip the pan you can’t see any water then the rice is cooked.
• DON’T WALK AWAY & LEAVE THE PAN - IT WILL BOIL DRY IF YOU DO! (If you do get rice stuck to the bottom of the pan after you have empted it, fill it straight away with cold water & leave to soak for a little while – it will be easier to clean.)