Fr Alex's Recipes

Savoury

Sausage and red pepper hotpot

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp sunflower oil
8 spicy pork sausages
4 rashers smoked bacon, finely chopped
1 onio n, sliced
1 red pepper, seeds removed and cut into large chunks
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
300ml/½ pint chicken stock
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée
2 fresh thyme sprigs
250g/9oz baby new potatoes, skin on, sliced into thick discs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly cooked green vegetables, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan or casserole dish over a high heat. Add the sausages and fry until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the bacon to the pan and fry for a few minutes until crisp; remove and set aside with the sausages.
Add the onion, red pepper, carrot and garlic and fry for 5 minutes over a high heat.
Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato purée and thyme and bring to the boil.
Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Return the bacon and sausages to the pan, cover and simmer over a gentle heat for about 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced a little and the vegetables are tender.
Serve with freshly cooked green vegetables.

Sweet

Chocolate and Orange Délice

Ingredients

1 ready-made sponge flan base (30cm/12in in diameter)
4 tbsp orange liqueur
140ml/4¾fl oz full-fat milk
325ml/11½fl oz double cream
2 free-range eggs
340g/12oz good-quality dark chocolat e, minimum 60 per cent cocoa solids, roughly chopped or grated

For the orange curd (optional)

6 oranges, juice only (to yield approximately 400ml/14fl oz juice)
2 oranges, zest only
1 lemon, juice and zest
160g/5½oz caster sugar
5 free-range eggs plus 6 free-range egg yolks, beaten together
200g/7oz chilled butter, cut into small cubes
50g/2oz cocoa powder to serve

METHOD

For the chocolate délice, place a 25cm/10in flan ring (6cm/2½in deep) onto the sponge base and press down to cut out a circle, leaving the sponge at the bottom of the flan ring.
Drizzle orange liqueur over the sponge base.
Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until it just comes to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl. When the milk and cream mixture is just boiling, pour it over the beaten eggs, whisking the mixture constantly until it forms a smooth, thick custard.
Add the chopped chocolate and whisk again until it has melted and the custard is smooth.
Pour the chocolate custard into the flan ring on top of the sponge base. Gently tap the sides of the flan ring to release any trapped air bubbles, then smooth the surface of the custard using a palette knife. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight, until completely set.
Meanwhile, if making the orange curd, whisk together the orange juice and zest, the lemon juice and zest, the sugar and the eggs and egg yolks in a saucepan, then heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 8-10 minutes).
Reduce the heat to a low heat and continue to cook the mixture for a further 1-2 minutes, still stirring constantly.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. If the orange curd is not perfectly smooth, strain it through a fine sieve. Transfer the curd to sterilised jars, then seal and set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge until needed. (The orange curd will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.)
To serve, dust the délice with the cocoa powder, then carefully remove the flan ring (you can warm the sides of the flan ring with a chefs’ blow torch to make this process easier, if you have one). Serve the délice in slices with a dollop of the orange curd alongside.