Hector's Orange & Mango Brownies

These deliciously rich chocolate brownies are a real treat as a desert.

Serves 15

Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

250g Good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

150g Plain flour, sieved
250g Unsalted Butter
350g Caster sugar
4 Free range eggs, beaten
50g Chopped Nuts
90g Dried Mango peices (or dried sour cherries if you prefer)
Zest of 1 large orange

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees (fan) or gas mark 4.

In a large mixing bowl over a pan of gently boiling water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. At this point, mix in the chopped nuts, the orange zest and your dried mango pieces.

In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the caster sugar and the flour. Now add this to your chocolate, folding and mixing it in. We now add the beaten eggs and mix it all together until silky.

Now line a baking tin (Approx 30cm x 15cm, and 2-3cm deep) with grease proof paper and add the brownie mix.

Bake your brownie for exactly 35 mins. Take out and leave to cool before cutting up into small portions.

Courgette, Chilli and Fragrant Lemon Tagliatelle

Serves 4

Ingredients;

8 Rashers streaky bacon (best quality you can afford), chopped

1 Red Chilli, finely chopped (De-seeded for less heat, leave them in for more)

4 Courgettes, grated

Zest of 1 Lemon

50g Parmesan shavings

2 Free Range Egg yolks

4 Tbsp of Double Cream

500g Wholemeal Tagliatelle Pasta

Method

Place your grated courgettes into a sieve, over a bowl and push and squeeze as much liquid out of them as you possibly can.

Get your pasta cooking in a large stock pan as per the instructions on the pack. Meanwhile in a non-stick frying pan, dry fry the bacon pieces on a medium heat until crisp. Now turn up the heat to high and add the chilli and the courgettes and cook for approx 2-3 mins more.

Mix the cheese, lemon zest, double cream and egg yolks well together in a bowl.

When the pasta is cooked to your liking (We like al dente) drain it, but reserve a little bit of the cooking water. Tip it pack into the pan and then add your couregtte/bacon mix and your cheese sauce and toss it all together.

Divide the pasta up into bowls and serve with extra Parmesan shavings.

Mediterranean Pan Fried Cod

A nice little fish dish here. You should always have to be careful when accompanying fish like cod so as not to over power it and drown out the delicate flavour of the fish.

Approx 30 - 40 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x good quality cod fillets (Lindsay Bro's Mongers, Grainger market if you are in NCL) @broslindsay

1 x Red pepper, sliced

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 x Garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp dried oregano

1 x large red skin potato, peeled and  chopped into 2.5cm cubes

Baby leaf spinach

Plain flour for dusting cod fillets

Salt & Pepper

1 Squeeze of lemon juice

Olive Oil

1 tsp sugar

Method

First, get your potatoes on in a pan of salted water. Bring up to the boil and cook for 20 - 25 mins or until soft and tender.

Heat the oil up in a sauce pan on a medium heat and then add the garlic and red pepper, cook for 2-3 mins or until the peppers are starting to soften.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and the the dried oregano, turn the heat to low and let this sauce simmer gently and reduce for approx 20 mins. Stiring occasionaly.

Now for the fish, dust the fillets in plain flour. Shake off the excess.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil on a medium/high heat in a large frying pan and then add the fillets making sure they are skin side down. Fry for 3-4 minutes and then turn with tongs, then fry for another 2-3 minutes or until the fish flesh is opaque and the skin is crispy and golden. Season with salt and pepper.

By now your sauce should be nicely reduced, when using cans of tomatoes I more than often add 1 tsp of sugar just before the end of cooking to take the sharpness off the sauce. You may or may not want to do this, its down to preference but since we are cooking with cod I use the sugar.

Drain your potatoes off and serve with wilted spinach (pan with a dash of cold water, and wilted for 1-2 mins on a med/high heat with a lid on) your sauce and the cod fillet placed on top with a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice.