I Love Food Recipes

The recipe  Halve, stone and peel 2 ripe avocados, put them in a mixing bowl then crush them roughly with a fork. Thinly slice a couple of spring onions and add them to the bowl. Finely shred 6 large mint leaves, and finely chop 1 small, hot red chilli then fold them into the avocado. Tear up a handful of coriander leaves, add to the avocado, squeeze over the juice of a lime and season with black pepper. Toast 2 small tortillas on a hot griddle or frying pan, letting them brown in patches. Lay each warm tortilla on a plate, then divide the mashed avocado between them. Place folds of smoked salmon over the top, a little more coriander and mint, then a trickle of olive oil. Serve immediately. Makes 2. The trick  Soft corn tortillas need only a few seconds warming in a hot pan. If you leave them on the pan too long they will toughen. Get a nonstick pan hot first, so they can brown in about 20 seconds – if you heat them slowly your tortillas will dry out. Turn and warm...

This is on our Pick Me Ups And Knock ’Em Downs drinks menu. It’s very refreshing, but it packs a real punch. Serves one. 1 lemon wedge 1 pineapple wedge 1 slice apple 1 raspberry 25ml gin 25ml morello cherry liqueur 25ml lemon juice 25ml apple juice 10ml basic 1:1 sugar syrup 1 mint sprig, to garnish (optional) 330ml dry cider Put all the fruit in a tall glass and add ice. Pour in the gin, liqueur, fruit juices and syrup, stir and garnish with mint. Top with cider – and keep topping up as the drink goes down.

The recipe Toast 50g of flaked almonds in a dry frying pan until golden. Drain a 350g jar of red peppers then put them in a blender, add the almonds, 1 tbsp of sherry vinegar and 5 tbsp of olive oil. Process until you have a thick, rough and orange-red paste. Check the seasoning (salt, vinegar, pepper) then set aside. Warm a griddle pan. Season, oil then lightly brown 450g of pork belly slices (approximately 15cm in length and 4cm thick) on both sides. While the pork is cooking, toss 200g of slim spring onions in olive oil then put them on the grill turning them regularly. They should blacken here and there. Spoon some of the pepper sauce on to plates, add the grilled onions and the pork steaks. Enough for 2. The trick Brown the pork thoroughly on both sides, then lower the heat under the griddle and continue cooking until the meat is cooked right through, turning from time to time. Depending on the thickness of the pork and the heat of the griddle, it should take about 6 m...

A pile (or pint) of pink prawns is as British as cricket, but for the purposes of this dish, I think king prawns have more of a wow factor. Serves two. 80ml groundnut oil 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 12 sustainably sourced raw king prawns, shelled but with their tails left intact (or 36 raw British prawns) 1 tsp ground turmeric Salt 170g soba noodles 2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and gently crushed 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 7 passion fruit, pulp strained through a sieve to make 60ml juice  2 limes, juiced, to make 4 tsp  2 tsp fish sauce 1 tsp soft dark brown sugar 15g coriander leaves 10g mint leaves, roughly torn 1 tsp black sesame seeds (or white), toasted Heat 60ml oil in a medium saute pan on a high flame. Add the garlic, prawns, turmeric and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Fry for a minute or two, until the prawns turn pink, then tip into a large bowl and leave to cool. They’ll finish off cooking in the residual heat...

I make a point of asking for the chicken wings to be left complete. (Butchers seem to have slipped into the habit of removing the tips from chicken wings and I do wish they wouldn’t.) I love the way the pointed tips caramelise chewily in the roasting tin. This recipe is very much a fork and fingers job. One of those dishes for which you will need a fork or spoon for the tomato sauce, but only fingers and some enthusiastic nibbling will get at the most delectable nuggets of flesh lurking on the crisp, roasted wing bones. Serves 2-3 chicken wings 500g olive oil 3 tbsp thyme 10 small sprigs garlic 5 cloves tomatoes 450g, small  red chillies 2 small, hot harissa paste 1 heaped tsp boiling water 150ml Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Put the chicken wings in a roasting tin, pour over the olive oil, season with salt, black pepper. Pull the leaves from the thyme and scatter over the chicken, then tuck the whole garlic cloves among them. Turn the wings over with your hands...