Strawberry Water Ice [#113]

Deliciously simple recipe. Pureed strawberries, light sugar syrup, lemon juice. Mix. Freeze, stirring occasionally. Eat. No online recipe but it is hardly necessary.

Broad Bean and Dill Hummus [#112]

Scrummy and easy spread, which uses the unskinned beans, saving the faff of having to peel them. Served with bruschetta made from Gail's wonderful Potato and Rosemary sourdough (available via Ocado). Plenty of leftovers of both to take into work tomorrow.

Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger and Cucumber [#111]

So, we sold the family silver and re-mortgaged the flat, then took ourselves off to Hayman's Fishmongers for a whole, wild sea bass - £14. Gulp! But worth every penny. I couldn't understand why Nigel left out chilli and garlic from this Asian broth whose other ingredients included ginger, lemongrass, soy sauce and nam pla, so I added a little of each. And as I didn't have a steamer large enough to accommodate the substantial fish (even after it was beheaded), it steam-baked in its aromatic broth in a tightly-covered dish in the oven for 20 minutes, until done to perfection. Served with plain rice and steamed fine asparagus (just about the last of the season) it was a wonderful, light, virtually fat-free meal for a sultry June evening. In honour of its great expense, we washed it down with a very good wine - our favourite Hochheimer Spatlese from the Rheingau (via Laithwaite's!). Nom nom nom!

Miso-glazed fish - off-challenge but lovely recipe

Just had to blog about a lovely treatment for white fish, adapted from Aussie chef Bill Granger (who was, in turn, no doubt inspired by Nobu's Black Cod with Miso). We had some thickish fillets of Scottish haddock in the freezer, so thawed them and spread this glaze over the top: two teaspoons of white miso (soybean, barley, wheat, whatever you have), mixed with a teaspoon of sugar, two teaspoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of sunflower oil. Grill the fish under a high heat until the fillets are just cooked through and the miso has glazed and darkened a little in places - about 6-7 mins depending on thickness of fish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if liked. I served this with plain rice and steamed asparagus and courgettes, for a healthy, virtually fat-free quick supper. Lovely! Sorry it isn't Nigel!

Gooseberries with Mascarpone Cream [#110]

Like rhubarb, a taste for gooseberries has only come to me as I have got older. I now appreciate their sharp, tart edge after a roast dinner, especially when tempered with a modest spoonful of Nigel's eggy Mascarpone cream. Perfect after the roast lamb of the previous recipe, and a starter of mini salmon and dill fishcakes stashed in the freezer (see recipe #74). The gooseberries, of course, came from the local PYO at Medley Manor Farm in Binsey, on the West edge of Oxford - a most marvellous place.

Roast Lamb with Oregano and Garlic [#109]

The original title includes the word 'rolls', as Nigel envisages the meat sliced thinly and served in soft white rolls. We wanted a rather more trad Sunday meal, so served it carved with the pan juices, and with veg, including wonderful spinach from our local PYO. The rub for this recipe is marvellous - crushed garlic, chopped anchovies, fresh oregano and olive oil. I slashed the lamb almost to the bone (an idea pinched from Jill Dupleix), and crammed the oily rub deep into the flesh. After roasting, the anchovies melted and infused the tender lamb with a deep herbal, savoury, garlic aroma. Just lovely.

Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes [#108]

A little treat for breakfast this morning, using the remains of the ricotta from Friday's pasta. Lovely, fluffy pancakes with orange zest and raspberries in them, served with a little lemon curd and crushed raspberry sauce. These are from the November section of the Diaries, which seems a little late in the season! We used British Tulameen rasps from M&S, just coming into season now.

Broad Beans in Their Pods with Dill and Yoghurt [#107]

Well, this recipe is a perfect example of The Challenge making me cook dishes I would just have passed over. The idea of hairy-lined, tough, broad bean pods, stewed for 15 minutes and then eaten with yoghurt wasn't at all inspiring. Well, what a revelation! They were so good, we have decided they have to be an annual treat! You absolutely HAVE to have small broad bean pods - no bigger than your index finger, as Nigel says. Fortunately, we were able to pick them from Binsey's Medley Manor PYO to our specifications. They were uber-beany, the dill lifted the flavour at the end, and a spoonful of sharp Greek yoghurt (Total....of course!) complemented them perfectly. Do try this if you can get the right beans - you won't regret it!

Orecchiette with Broad Beans, Ricotta and Mint [#106]

Delicious, creamy recipe, that showcased the tiny little broad beans picked at our local PYO farm in Binsey. However, I halved the quantity of ricotta - Nigel suggests 250g, or a whole tub, which was just way too much and way too rich for two and 200g of pasta. It was plenty creamy enough! I have half a tub left to make his Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes for an indulgent breakfast on Sunday as a result. The mint in this, by the way, is totally essential and elevates it into something unusual and delicious. We drank a lovely Friulli Grave Pinot Grigio by Arrigo Bidoli (M&S) with this, and could almost imagine ourselves in the Tuscan hills............

A Soup of Roasted Summer Vegetables [#105]

It turned a bit blustery and chilly today, so I decided on Nigel's soup of roasted vegetables, with a lovely mix including carrots, fennel, courgettes, onions and tomatoes. I diced them quite small and roasted them until they started to singe a bit at the corners. Then they simmered in some Marigold veg stock with a shot of tomato puree, and I also added some tinned cannellini and borlotti beans and orzo pasta. Some shredded spinach went in at the end, and it was served with a big dollop of pureed basil olive oil and toasted pine nuts. Lovely soup, and well worth the initial roasting for a marvellous depth of flavour.

Chicken and Rice Salad [#104]

I must admit that I approached this recipe with a little trepidation - cold rice and chicken, anyone? Let me tell you, it was delicious! It needs a vibrant dressing, of course, to bring it to life, and Nigel's use of Asian flavours was just right - chilli, lime, nam pla. I added chopped coriander as well as the mint. Lovely, served with a watercress and tomato salad. Healthy, quick and cheap and leftovers for hubby for lunch too. As for the the sprouting beans, I picked up a little tub of sprouting bean and pea salad from Marks and Sparks which was perfect. Sadly, no online recipe - buy the book!!!

Nigel's Delicious Trifle [#103]

Dead simple, and no custard to faff about with: a layer of madeira cake, topped with a warm compote of blackcurrants (and some blueberries in my case) spiked with some Creme de Cassis. Then a fluffy cloud of mascarpone, mixed with an egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, whipped cream and whipped egg white. This was a nice ending to a Sunday supper of toasted pain de mie and roast tomatoes, then a splendid organic chicken roasted with loads of lemon, thyme and garlic, new potatoes, asparagus and creamy nutmeggy spinach from our local pick-your-own - spinach with balls rather than the wiffly stuff in pillow packs from the supermarket. Lovely. Tasting note: this was even better the next day, with the fruit and sponge melding into a delicious mass under the sumptuous layer of mascarpone cream

Strawberries with Fromage Blanc [#102]

I know this just looks like strawberries and cream, but I promise you, this little recipe is so much better. Essentially, it is double cream, softly whipped and mixed with equal quantities of Greek or thick natural yoghurt, some sugar to sweeten lightly, and then a whisked egg white folded through. Leave this to chill for an hour and you'll then have billowing clouds of light creaminess to serve with your strawberries - preferably good ones from a pick-your-own or allotment, not the supermarket. Lovely and light finish to a meal of chicken and chorizo kebabs and roasted vegetable couscous.

A Deli Sandwich [#101]

This is a moveable feast, rather than a recipe as such. Nigel's idea is to construct a sandwich out of Deli ingredients: crusty Italian bread, cured meats, antipasti vegetables and cheese. We follow this theme with a sandwich just made for our lunches at work tomorrow. Crusty Olive and Chilli Pave loaf from Marks and Sparks is the base, split and spread with a little home-made oily tapenade rather than anything dairy. Topped with thinly sliced Italian prosciutto cotto lovely and herbal with notes of bay and rosemary. Then, a layer of wood-roasted peppers in oil and rosemary, and finally, thin slices of mozzarella, marinated in pesto. Topped with the rest of the bread and cut into chunky squares, the flavoured oils should seep into the bread overnight. Can't wait for lunch tomorrow!

Rosewater and Yoghurt Panna Cotta [#100]

Lovely, delicate version of panna cotta - as Nigel says, it isn't a recipe for purists, but I thought the yoghurt (Greek, of course!) added a lovely tang to the whole thing, as well as a beautifully silky texture. I blended some local strawberries with a spot more rosewater, and mixed some chopped strawberries in, to make a delicious compote that accompanied the creams nicely. Excellent dinner - before the lamb, we had home-made tapenade on toasted ciabatta, with a sharp and refreshing Bacardi and lime Daiquiri. We know how to live!

Radish, Mint and Feta Salad [#99]

As feta was supposed to be served with the lamb cutlets (see previous recipe) I decided to combine the cheese with this salad, which was a lovely crunchy accompaniment to the tender meat. I also used pea shoots, just because we had a bag that needed using, but it also added a very nice, complementary taste to the whole proceedings.

photo courtesy of www.rhs.org.uk/images/gyo/recipes/radish

Lamb with Thyme and Feta [#98]

I left the feta out, because it appears in a salad to accompany (see next recipe). I also roasted a lovely little rack of Welsh lamb rather than cook individual cutlets. The whole trimmed rack was marinaded with fresh thyme, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, and roasted in a high oven for 20 minutes. The result was a pile of gorgeous, succulent, tender little lamb cutlets, accompanied by salad and Jersey Royals with chives. Here is the recipe should you want to try the original Nigel version!

Zucchini Cakes with Dill and Feta [#97]

I love courgette cakes, and these were a yummy variation on the now classic recipe. I reduced the amount of grated courgette, and added a bit of chopped mint too. Served with a little salsa of chopped beetroot mixed with balsamic and olive oil. Eaten with the Baked Tomatoes with Saint Marcellin (see previous recipe) and some chargrilled local asparagus from the lovely Medley Manor Farm pick-your-own in Binsey, Oxford, this was a delicious, healthy veggie dinner. No online recipe sadly - go get the book!

Baked Tomatoes with Saint Marcellin [#96] - HALF WAY!

This recipe marks the half-way point in the challenge - yay! Nice simple recipe, served with several other dishes in a 'help-yourself-and-bung-it-all-on-the-plate' way. Served with toasted ciabatta. This was a new cheese to us, and came in a lovely little terracotta dish - like a cross between Brie and Camembert - very nice.

Vietnamese Beef Salad [#95]

Now, I have to confess I took some liberties with this! We wanted carbs, so instead of serving this cold as a salad, I quickly stir-fried the ingredients with some rice noodles and added the sauce, then topped it with sliced strips of lovely Aberdeen Angus fillet steak - well, we were paid a couple of days ago! The flavours were delicious - all hot, sour and sweet with bags of chilli, lime, nam pla, kaffir lime, mint and coriander. I'm sure Nigel would let me off and say it was within the spirit of the recipe :o)