January

Smoked bacon and mince meatballs in tomato sauce
Serves 4

For the meatballs:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
225g/8oz rindless smoked bacon
750g/1 1/2lb lean minced beef
Finely grated zest 1/2 lemon
75g/3oz fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 medium egg, beaten

For the tomato sauce:
Olive oil, if necessary
A small knob of butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
1 red pepper, stalk and seeds removed and finely chopped
200g/7oz can chopped tomatoes
350g/12oz tomato passata
The leaves from 1 small pot of basil, finely shredded
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small frying pan, add the onion, garlic and oregano and cook over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until soft. Leave to cool slightly.
Put the bacon into a food processor and finely chop using the pulse button. Transfer to a large bowl and add the minced beef, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, parsley and cooked onion mixture and mix together well with your hands. Add the egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls using slightly wet hands.
Heat another 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of oil in large frying pan. Add the meatballs, a few at a time, and brown all over, then transfer to a flameproof casserole.
Add a little more olive oil if necessary to the frying pan and when hot, add the butter, onions, garlic and red pepper and fry gently until softened. Add chopped tomatoes, passata, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper.
Pour the sauce over meatballs, partly cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring gently now and then so as not to break up the meatballs. Stir in the basil and serve with some egg tagliatelle or mashed potatoes.

February

Sausages and garlic mash with onion, red wine and rosemary gravy
Serves 4

450g/1lb Sway Farmhouse Sausages
A little oil for cooking

For the garlic mash:
900g/2lb peeled floury potatoes, such as Maris Pipers
50g/2oz butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
A little milk

For the onion, red wine and rosemary gravy:
40g/1 1/2oz butter
450g/1lb onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
300ml/10fl oz gutsy red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
1 tablespoon plain flour
600ml/1 pint beef stock
The leaves from 1 large stalk of rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the gravy, melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onions and the sugar and cook them over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring them every now and then, until they are soft and nicely browned. Add the red wine, increase the heat a little and simmer quite rapidly until the wine has almost disappeared. Stir in the flour and cook for a few seconds, then add the beef stock, rosemary and some salt and pepper and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the garlic mash, cook the potatoes in a pan of salted water for 20 minutes until tender. After 10 minutes, heat a little oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and cook then over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, turning now and then as they brown.
Melt the butter for the mash in a small pan, add the garlic and cook very gently for 2-3 minutes without browning. Keep hot. Drain the potatoes, return to the pan and mash until smooth. Stir in the garlic butter, parsley, salt and pepper and enough milk to make a smooth mash.
Spoon the garlic mash into the centre of 4 warmed plates and rest the sausages alongside. Spoon over some of the gravy and serve.

March

Braised chicken with parsnips, sage and cream
This is wonderful served with anything from the cabbage family, but I particularly like Swiss chard.
Serves 4

2 small leeks (about 250g/9oz), cleaned
450g/1lb parsnips, peeled
4 carrots (about 300g), peeled
1 x 1.5kg/3lb free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
225g/8oz shallots or baby onions, peeled
The leaves from a small bunch of fresh sage, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
The leaves from 3 large sprigs of thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
450ml/15fl oz chicken stock
4 tablespoons double cream
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the leeks across in 5cm/2 inch lengths. Cut the parsnips across into 2, then the narrow end in half lengthways and the fatter end into four. Halve the carrots lengthways, then cut each piece across into two.
Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Season the chicken pieces, add them a few pieces at a time and fry over a medium-high heat until nicely browned all over. Season and lift onto a plate, add the shallots or small onions and fry until lightly browned. Return the chicken pieces to the casserole, scatter over the sage leaves, thyme and bay leaves, then the leeks, parsnips and carrots. Pour over the stock, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Now uncover the casserole, increase the heat very slightly and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a little and the chicken and vegetables are tender.
Lift the chicken and vegetables out of the liquid onto a plate with a slotted spoon. Mix the butter and flour together into a smooth paste. Bring the cooking liquor to a simmer, stir in the butter and flour paste (beurre maniÈ) and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the cream and chopped sage and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Return the chicken and vegetables to the casserole and reheat if necessary. Serve with the Swiss chard, and some buttery mashed potatoes.

April

Spring lamb and vegetable stew with mint gremolata

Serves 6

1.25-1.5kg diced boned shoulder of lamb, cut if possible into 50g sized pieces
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
50g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
20g flour
600ml lamb or chicken stock
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pared strip of lemon zest
200g small new potatoes, scraped or peeled
50g French green beans, topped, tailed and halved
200g button onions or small shallots, peeled
150g small or baby carrots, tops trimmed and then scraped or peeled
200g small turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
200g fresh or frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mint gremolata:
1 fat garlic clove
1 strip lemon zest, removed using a potato peeler
8-10 mint leaves
A small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

Trim away any excess fat from the lamb and season it lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil and a small knob of the butter in a large flameproof casserole, add half of the lamb pieces, and fry briskly over a medium-high heat until nicely browned. Lift onto a plate and repeat with the remaining lamb. Pour away the fat left in the pan, add the rest of the butter and when it has melted, add the chopped onion, garlic, carrot and sugar and fry until the onions are golden brown.
Add the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Return the lamb to the casserole and add the thyme, bay leaves, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer gently for 40 minutes.
Now uncover the casserole and add the potatoes. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes, then add the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes, by which time they should both be tender.
Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan. Add the button onions or shallots, cover and cook over a medium-heat, shaking the pan now and then until lightly golden brown. Uncover, add the carrots and turnips, 2 tablespoons of water and some salt and pepper. Re-cover and continue to cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until they are tender.
Remove the piece of lemon zest, the thyme twigs and bay leaves from the stew. Stir in all the vegetables with the peas and simmer for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop together the garlic, lemon, mint leaves and parsley to make the gremolata. Stir the gremolata into the stew with a little more seasoning if necessary and serve with lots of mashed potatoes.

May

Beef and butternut squash tagine with charmoula and buttered couscous
Moroccan stews, or tagines as they are better known, are not meant to be thick and rich like our British stews, but rather a little more light and soupy. So don’t allow the liquid to reduce back too far during cooking.
Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 kg diced braising steak
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
6 plum tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
1 x 7.5cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons clear honey
1 small preserved lemon, finely chopped OR 2 pared strips lemon zest
750ml beef stock
450g prepared butternut squash (i.e. halved, deseeded and peeled), cut into small chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the charmoula:
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons harissa paste or 1 teaspoon minced red chilli from a jar (sambal oelek)
A good pinch of saffron strands
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small handful of coriander leaves
1 small handful of mint leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil

For the buttered couscous:
450g couscous
450ml boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
25g butter

First make the charmoula by putting all the ingredients into a food processor with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and blending to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, flameproof casserole. Fry the steak in 2 batches until lightly browned all over, then lift onto a plate. Add the remaining oil and onions to the pan and fry over a medium heat until soft and nicely browned.
Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, ginger, honey and 2 tablespoons of the charmoula and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Return the beef to the casserole and add the preserved lemon or strips of lemon zest, the stock, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Part-cover and leave to simmer gently for 11/2 hours.
Now gently stir in the prepared butternut squash and simmer, uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender and the sauce has reduced a little more.
Meanwhile, put the couscous and salt into a large bowl and stir in the boiling water. Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Then uncover and fluff up into separate grains with a fork. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the couscous and stir over a low heat for a couple of minutes until heated through.
When both the beef and butternut squash are tender, stir in the remaining charmoula and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve with the buttered couscous.