One list five meals: Garlic and Onion Chicken

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

2 thumb-size pieces of ginger, grated

A dash of rapeseed oil

2 chicken thighs on the bone

2 chicken breasts on the bone

4 chicken wings

Rice for four

Parsley chopped

Place the onions, shallots, garlic and ginger into an ovenproof dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces. Toss them in some oil and seasoning.

Rub some more oil and seasoning into the chicken and place the pieces snugly on top of the vegetables. Place into an oven heated to 180 degrees until the larger chicken pieces are cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Put the rice on to boil and drain when cooked. Serve the rice with the chicken and any juices poured over the top with a sprinkling of parsley.

Salmon One Pot Noodle Soup

Serves 4

I have just returned from visiting friends in Strandhill in Sligo who run the lovely Shells cafe which over looks the blustery Atlantic. If you are in the area pop in and say hello. Their gift shop and deli next door has a great array of Irish design bits and pieces and really interesting food products. Myles makes this for himself at home after a busy day in the kitchen and he inspired me to include it here.

A dash of sesame oil

1 large onion, finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

A thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

1½ tbsp of light soya sauce

Quick cook noodles for four

2 large darns of salmon, cut into chunks

A bunch of coriander, chopped

A bunch of parsley chopped

In a wok or large, deep saucepan heat the oil to very hot until it is starting to smoke. Tip the onion, carrots, ginger, garlic and chilli into the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds.

Fill the wok two thirds full with water and allow to come to the boil. Add the noodles and the salmon. Serve once the noodles have softened and the salmon has poached. It will only take a few minutes. Taste and see if you need a little more soya sauce.

Sprinkle each bowl with the herbs as you are serving.

Herby Stuffed Aubergines

Serves 4

4 aubergines, cut lengthwise through the stalk

A dash of olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

½ red chilli, chopped

500g of lamb minced

1 tbsp of tomato puree

3 tbsp of stock

A bunch of parsley, chopped

A bunch of mint chopped

A bunch of thyme, removed from the stalk and chopped

A bunch of rosemary, removed from the stalk and chopped

1 tbsp of yoghurt

The zest of two lemons

Drizzle the aubergines with some oil and seasoning and place on a baking tray in an oven heated to 200 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the flesh is soft and tender.

Heat another dash of oil in a large frying pan and sauté the garlic and chilli until the garlic is about to change colour. Stir in the mince and brown all over. Stir in the tomato puree, stock and herbs and allow to cook away for about five minutes until the mince is cooked. Taste and season.

Carefully scoop most of the flesh out of the baked aubergine halves, leaving the skins with a layer of flesh about 1cm thick. Chop the pulp which was removed from the centre of the aubergines and stir it into the lamb.

Fill the aubergine shells generously with the lamb and bake in the oven for ten minutes.

Stir the lemon zest and some seasoning through the yoghurt and spoon it onto the aubergine before you serve.

Cheese-free Pizza

Serves 4

6 banana shallots

A dash of rapeseed oil

2 tsp of honey

1 tsp of mixed cake spice

1 tbsp of cider vinegar

2 pizza bases

8 smoked streaky rashers, sliced

4 slices of good quality salami, sliced

4 eggs

2 handfuls of kale

Gently sauté the shallots in a saucepan until they are translucent. Keep them over a low heat with the lid on so they cook slowly and keep their natural sweetness. Stir in the cider vinegar once they are completely soft and mushy. Continue cooking until the vinegar is completely absorbed. Stir in the cake spice and honey and taste and season.

Steam the kale until soft and set aside. Chop once cool enough to handle.

Heat your oven to as hot as it will go. I turn my oven tray upside down and allow it to heat up in the oven. This ensures that when you place your pizza on the upside down tray the pizza base will start cooking instantly.

Put the first pizza base on a bread board and spread with half of the shallots. Sprinkle with half of the rashers and salami, then crack two eggs into the centre of the pizza.

Open your oven door and gently transfer the pizza from the bread board onto the hot tray inside. Bake until the egg white is set and the base is golden.

To remove the pizza from the oven, I also use the breadboard. I hold it up beside the oven tray and pull the pizza onto bread board directly from the oven. Sprinkle with black pepper and kale and cut up to serve. Repeat with the other pizza.

Cabbage and Grated Carrot Stew

Serves 4

A dash of rapeseed oil

A knob of butter

500g of white cabbage, shredded and core finely chopped

200g of savoy cabbage, shredded

200g of tomatoes chopped

2 tsp of smoked paprika

2 tbsp of stock

2 carrots, julienne

Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan with a lid. Add all of the cabbage, season with salt, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until limp. Add 2-3 tbsp water, cover, cook for another 15 minutes.

Stir in half of the tomatoes, paprika, stock and some seasoning. Heat oven to 180 degrees. Transfer stew to a casserole, top with the rest of the sliced tomato, season and dribble a little more oil on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until cabbage and tomato are charred at the edges. Stir in the thinly julienned carrots and taste and season.