My Kitchen

Steamed rice, to serve

The chicken in this recipe is coated in cornflour and poached in water, a cooking method known as ‘velveting’. Pork can be done in the same way. It’s great for a stir-fry, in which the meat is cooked quite quickly, because it really does help to give it a softer texture.

Place a large wok or non-stick frying pan and a large saucepan of salted water on the hob, both set over a high heat. While they are heating, slice the chicken breasts thinly.

Coat the chicken pieces in the cornflour, then place in the water, once it has come to the boil, and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and set aside.

Add the corn oil to the wok or frying pan, followed by the chicken, ginger, spring onions and chilli, mixing well together. Cook for 1 minute, then add the remaining ingredients and season with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the wild garlic or spinach leaves wilt down.

Serve in bowls with helpings of steamed rice.

Sautéed chicken livers and mushrooms on toast (#ulink_fd796b70-2926-5744-9fbd-6bbf4a1e66b7)

Serves 4

4 slices from a white bloomer

30g (1¼oz) butter

6 rashers of back bacon, cut into lardons

400g (14oz) chicken livers

200g (7oz) brown cap mushrooms, cut in half

50ml (2fl oz) white wine

110ml (4fl oz) double cream

3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and black pepper

Chicken livers are one of the few remaining inexpensive meats and we should use them in cooking a lot more than we do. Make sure the green parts of the livers are removed and don’t overcook them or they will become bitter-tasting and grainy. Mushrooms and double cream make this dish smooth and rich, a perfect opposite to the crunchy toast.

Toast the bread either in a toaster or under the grill, preheated to medium–high, and set aside.

Melt half the butter in a frying pan set over a high heat, add the bacon and fry until it starts to crisp. Add the livers and mushrooms and saute for 1 minute.

Pour over the wine and cream and stir all the ingredients together for 2–3 minutes, but no more, to ensure the livers stay pink in the middle, then remove the pan from the heat.

Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with slices of toast, plain or buttered with the remaining butter.

Rack of lamb with vegetable broth (#ulink_9869fe4a-4c37-54d8-a94c-28670cdc25d9)

Serves 4

20g (¾oz) shelled hazelnuts

4 large, floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 racks of Frenchtrimmed lamb (ask your butcher to prepare these)

1 tbsp olive oil

12 baby onions, peeled but left whole

800ml (29fl oz) beef stock

200g (7oz) broad beans

250g (9oz) asparagus tips

110g (4oz) French beans, topped and tailed

40g (1½oz) butter

110ml (4fl oz) double cream

2 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley

4 tsp hazelnut oil (optional)

Salt and black pepper

My favourite lamb supplier is Colin Robinson, a family butcher from Skipton, North Yorkshire. If you’re in the area, pay him a visit. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas 6. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray for 15–20 minutes, or until the skins split. Take out of the oven, tip into a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins. Once cooled, chop the nuts in half.

Place the potatoes and a good pinch of salt in a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20–25 minutes.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Put the olive oil in a roasting tin, place over a high heat and add the lamb. Seal on all sides, especially the side with the fat. Add the onions to the tin and put in the oven for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the hazelnuts and return to the oven for 6 minutes more.

Pour the stock into another large saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the broad beans, cook for 3–4 minutes, then remove them (reserving the stock) and refresh in cold water. Peel off the skins. Just before the lamb is ready, add the asparagus tips and French beans to the stock to cook. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest in the tin. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes, return to the pan and mash with butter and cream. Add salt and pepper and keep warm.

Drain the fat from the lamb and add the hazelnuts and onions to the stock. Return the peeled broad beans, add the parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Slice each rack of lamb in half and place with the mash in the centre of bowls. Spoon the broth around and drizzle with hazelnut oil, if you wish.

Lamb, mint and Little Gem salad (#ulink_d655e1f4-dff0-572b-b2a6-7715ae4e5a7c)

Serves 4

2 racks of lamb, bones removed (ask your butcher to do this)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 sprigs of rosemary

50g (2oz) butter, cut into cubes