(Serves 6 to 8)
8 carrots
2 red peppers
Bunch of rocket
6 celery stalks
1 fennel bulb
6 tomatoes
Small piece of ginger
Rinse, trim and roughly chop the vegetables as appropriate, and feed into the juicer gradually. Rather than chill with ice cubes, which dilute the juice, I prefer to keep the vegetables in the refrigerator overnight.
Frozen melon margarita
(Serves 2 or 3)
12 large ice cubes
Juice of three or four limes
Tequila – to taste
1 generous measure Cointreau
About 200g diced melon
Put all the ingredients in the food processor, and pulse for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the blender attachment, then blend until you have a frozen homogeneous mass. Pour into chilled cocktail glasses.
Zinger martini
(Serves 4)
1 cucumber
8 large celery stalks
Bunch of parsley
Bunch of rocket
Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
1 or 2 lemongrass stalks – optional
Rinse and roughly chop the vegetables and feed into the juicer gradually, together with the ginger and lemongrass.
Pour into Martini glasses and serve with a cube of cucumber on a cocktail stick.
Chilled courgette and parsley soup
(Serves 6 to 8)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Bunch of spring onions, trimmed, sliced and rinsed
4 to 6 medium courgettes, washed and sliced
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Young sage or mint leaves
100 ml cream
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and in it gently cook the spring onions until wilted, but not coloured. Add the courgettes and half the parsley, and cook, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and stir in. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes, or until the courgettes are just tender.
Remove from the heat and allow the soup to cool a little before adding the remaining parsley then blending and sieving the soup. Cool and refrigerate. As a garnish, crush the herb leaves with salt, chop finely and fold in to the whipped cream.
Top each serving of soup with a heaped teaspoonful of herb cream. This easy recipe can be adapted to any combination of vegetables and herbs.
Quick chicken liver pâté
(Serves 10 to 15)
1 kg chicken livers
300 ml pint milk
3 shallots, or 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
250 g unsalted butter
2 teaspoons crushed juniper berries
Gozo sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Ground mace or nutmeg
4 tablespoons cognac
4 tablespoons port, Madeira or Amontillado sherry
Trim the chicken livers, and put them in a bowl with the milk for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, gently fry the shallots or onion in a little of the butter until soft. Drain, and dry the chicken livers, and add to the frying pan.
Fry on a relatively high heat for eight minutes or so with the juniper berries. The chicken livers are nice if removed from the heat while still faintly pink inside. Season, and stir in the cognac while the livers are still hot, and then add the fortified wine. The residual heat will evaporate the alcohol.
When the chicken livers are cool, put in a food processor with the remaining butter, and process until smooth. Pack into individual ramekins or a large dish or terrine. Chill until firm. Allow to come to room temperature before serving with hot toast.