Smoked haddock and pea risotto;

Recipe by James Martin:

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
¼ onion, finely diced
100g/3½oz basmati rice
50ml/2fl oz white wine
100g/3½oz smoked haddock (half cut into pieces, the rest left whole)
150ml/¼pint hot chicken stock
50g/2oz frozen peas


Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pan and sauté the onions until softened.

2. Add the basmati rice and stir to coat the grains and cook until the grains turn translucent.

3. Add the white wine and cook for one minute.

4. Add the chopped smoked haddock and a ladleful of chicken stock. Cook until the stock has been absorbed and stir constantly. Keep adding the stock gradually until it has all been absorbed and the rice is cooked but still retains a little bite.

5. Add the frozen peas and cook for another minute.

6. While completing step four, drizzle a little olive oil over the remaining smoked haddock and griddle for 2-3 minutes on both sides.

7. To serve, spoon the risotto into a bowl and top with the griddled haddock.

Notes:

.I didn't have white wine, so I used red (was hanging around from a party). It was quite nice, but would blatantly have been better with white wine.

Borscht;

Recipe by Ainsley Harriot:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 leek, finely chopped
1 stick Celery, finely chopped
275g raw Beetroot
1 potato, diced (about 100g in total)
1 Carrot, finely grated (about 150g in total)
1.2 litres beef stock, or vegetable stock
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Soured cream
black pepper


Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and stir-fry the leek and celery for about 2-3 minutes until softened but not coloured, then add the beetroot, potato and most of the carrot, reserving some for garnish.

2. Pour the stock into the pan, season and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are completely tender and the soup has thickened slightly.

3. Season the soup to taste, and then stir in the vinegar and sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls and garnish with a small dollop of soured cream and the reserved grated carrot. Serve immediately.

Notes:

.I didn't have soured cream or leeks. I went without the cream, and supplanted leeks for half an onion.

Vegetarian Chilli Recipe

I cooked enough for three people. To make vegetarian lentil chilli the Gaffen way you will need:

-Some onions, red preferably. I used about two.
-One clove of garlic. More if you have it to spare
-Beef/lamb/vegetable stock. I used lamb as it was all I had left over and my housemate isn't a strict vegetarian.
-Puy lentils. Important they are puy, as they have more of a bite and won't turn to mush like the red ones.
-Two cans of chopped tomatoes, mine were donated to me by a house mate.
-A can of kidney beans
-A glass of red wine. Especially important if you're not using meat stock. I used the dregs from last night's drinking, so not very much.
-Tabasco sauce,powdered cayenne chilli pepper, cumin, ketchup, salt and pepper to taste.
-Rice

First off get some stock on the boil for the lentils and start them on a high simmer to rolling boil. Whilst they're cooking, chop the onions and crush/chop the garlic, the aim is to get the lentils ready whist you're preparing the vegetables.

Drain the lentils into a pan and save the stock for later. Put some olive oil in a thick bottomed pan and fry the onions and garlic in some cayenne chilli, salt, pepper and cumin until they're translucent. Add the puy lentils whilst frying to get even more flavour into them.

Add the tomatoes, wine and kidney beans and put the pan on a high simmer. Add a dash of ketchup. Why tommy k? well it's basically tomato puree, sugar and water - all ingredients of a good tomato sauce! Also add a good few drops of tabasco and probably about half a teaspoon each of your other spices. I like mine spicy so I add more. Reduce the mixture, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick enough that you can almost see the bottom of the pan when you stir it. Put some rice on the boil too, try and time it to be ready with the chilli.

Serve. Voila - Gaffen's lentil chilli, I hope you enjoy it. It's got Mike Taborda, carnivore extraordinaire's seal of approval so it must be good!