Toasted pumpkin seeds with smoked paprika

Chunky fish and potato stew

Circa 1987, having a food-based forename lent itself to some pretty

creative verbal roughhousing at school.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you make a stew, cook it in an oven, then

eat it in your den? With some art".

Or words to such effect. Even at the time it was amusing in it's absence of bite;

I just thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't Michael Pratt come morning break.

This week it's all about fish stew; complete with art (primitive chalk spoon),

briefly cooked in an oven and consumed in an impromptu residence under

the stairs. I lied about the stairs bit.

Serves 4

400g Skinless sustainable white fish (I used Coley)

400g Red skinned pototoes, cut into rough chunks

120g Chorizo, chopped into small pieces

1 Large red onion, sliced

1 Red chilli, chopped

1 Green chilli, chopped

2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 Tomatoes, chopped

2tsp Smoked paprika

300ml Fish stock

1 Bay leaf

A few thyme sprigs, stalks removed

A small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Briefly soften the garlic and chilli in a

pan on the hob before stirring in the chorizo; then add the onion, thyme and bay.

Sauté everything for 5-10 minutes on a medium heat. Tip in the potatoes,

sprinkle with paprika, then add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer for about

10 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly, and the potatoes are nearly done.

Pour everything into an oven-proof dish, then carefully stir in the fish. Put the lid on

and pop into the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley

and crusty bread.

Venison goulash pie with cucumber salad

Venison goulash pie

450g diced venison shoulder

1 Onion, thinly sliced

6 Juniper berries, crushed

1tsp Caraway seeds

1 Bay leaf

200g Button mushrooms

600ml Game or beef stock

2tbsp Smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

Shortcrust pastry

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss venison with a liberal sprinkle of plain flour.

Brown the meat in a hot pan, spoon onto a plate and set aside. Add a little olive oil to

the pan, then gently soften the onions with the juniper berries,

caraway seeds and bay leaf. Add the venison back to the pan, spoon in

the paprika and stir through for a few minutes before adding the

stock. Season, then simmer on a low heat for just under 2 hours; after which

the stock will have reduced, thickened and the meat will be tender. Pour goulash into a pie dish.

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to about 5mm thick. Using a rolling pin, carefully drape the

pastry lid on top of the pie dish. Trim off any excess, gently press a fork around the edge and brush

with beaten egg (it's also a good idea to make a small hole in the middle to release any steam too).

Bake pie for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Cucumber salad

1 Cucumber

2tbsp Olive oil

2tbsp White wine vinegar

1/2tsp Sugar

Dill fronds, roughly torn

Salt and pepper

Peel the cucumber, then finely slice with a mandolin slicer (use a potato

peeler as a slicer if you haven't got a mandolin; it's a bit fiddly,

but still works). Stir in the oil, vinegar and sugar. Season, then mix

in the dill fronds.