What to serve with …

… the canapé, the lunch or the supper? Easy – beetroot – salmon and beetroot is a marriage made in heaven.

Earlier this year I made a relish to go with burgers – it's perfect with the spiced salmon. For ease, here's the recipe again.

Bazzin' beetroot relish

300g vac pack of organic cooked beetroot

drained and cut into small cubes

1 sharp eating apple, peeled, cored and cut

into small cubes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

75g soft dark brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper

Don't forget to use gloves when prepping your beetroot!

Mix well and place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan – 16cms in diameter. Simmer on a low heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool. Box up and fridge until ready to use.

This relish is “your flexible culinary friend”, to coin a phrase – a topping for a canapé, as a cold side for a lunch or warmed to serve with a supper.

Here's what I mean by resourceful and creative

... a canapé that can turn into a lunch or a supper.

Spiced Salmon Frittata

For the spiced salmon marinade :

Marinade

2 x 4oz Salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp powdered star anise or one star anise

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Mix together the marinade, pour over the salmon fillets, turning to coat thoroughly, cover and leave in fridge for an hour or so – preferably in a foil tray – much easier to transfer straight to the oven later.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6. If you've used a foil tray to marinade the salmon then wrap it in foil and bake it for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. When the salmon has cooled flake it into small pieces, ready to add to the frittata.

For the frittata :

5 spring onions, finely chopped

tiny drop of rapeseed oil

100g/4oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

4 large eggs

salt and black pepper

Whisk four eggs in a large mixing bowl, add the cheese and whisk again. Add a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper.

Using a non-stick frying pan – as a guide 28cms/11” in diameter. Heat a tiny drop of rapeseed oil and add the spring onions. Sauté until softened, sprinkle in your salmon pieces including any residual marinade, then pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Cook on your hob for 2/3 minutes to set the bottom. Transfer the pan to the grill - cook for 2/3 minutes REMOVE USING OVEN GLOVES – SEE WARNING!

Words of Warning!

Pre-heat your grill – BEFORE YOU TURN IT ON ENSURE THAT THE FRYING PAN YOU'RE USING WILL SLIDE EASILY INTO THE SPACE LEAVING AT LEAST TWO INCHES GAP BETWEEN THE PAN AND THE GRILL ITSELF, OTHERWISE YOU'LL BURN THE TOP AND THE MIDDLE WON'T BE COOKED.

Using a fish slice gently flatten down the frittata so that you break the top – you may find that the

mixture is still not quite cooked. Place back under the grill for another 2/3

minutes and check – it should be golden brown but if your preference is for a darker colour

carry on to your desired taste.

For a canapé I used a straight sided cutter measuring 6cms/2½” in diameter and you should get 12-14 canapés depending on how careful you are cutting out.

Minimum effort – maximum taste. Can definitely be made ahead as a canapé. A frittata is excellent served cold in whatever guise!

Don't forget to salmon fillets to your freezer shopping list. There are good deals out there – usually individually packaged – in bags of six. You can pull out whatever you need. The bonus is that they don't take up too much space in the freezer.

What to serve with … hmm

Where does the time go?

I can't put it off any longer - if I'm to make life easier for you I have to start writing about Christmas.

It only seems five minutes since last Christmas yet here we are again. The familiar merry-go-round of shopping, cooking and feeding family and friends. Cancel “merry-go-round” since I associate it with being happy and carefree – substitute with hamster wheel!

We are bombarded again with posh catalogues from the supermarkets encouraging us to spend a mortgage on food that in all probability won't get eaten. However, the one good thing about them is that it allows you to peruse in the comfort of your own chair – complete with a glass of something festive and fizzy – anything from Prosecco to lime juice and soda!

I'd venture to suggest that you'll discover that some are considerably cheaper and more reasonable than others – to prove my point, here are three prices ...

… if you want to roast a goose this year

£8.99 per kg (2.2lbs)

£12.00 per kg

£15.00 per kg

taken from three different catalogues – yikes!

What they omit to mention, despite the fact you've done as asked and ordered and paid for your food ahead – to save time – yeah right – is the queue to get into the car park and another to collect your goodies on the day – result – meltdown!

Okey dokey enough grumbling, lets get started. My antidote – be resourceful and creative.

Sort out your freezer so that you've space to refill it.

Family dynamics vary as do the number of friends you'll have passing through. You may not be at home for the holidays but you'll still need to eat when you return home! Liberate yourself – make lists – in fact make several, they'll change your life and save your legs too, not to mention the risk of panic buying – do you really need four boxes of 12 canapés just because it's an offer you can't refuse?! You'll be a much happier person and less likely to bankrupt yourself.

Back to resourceful and creative – my contribution to relieving the pressure is to suggest you have the elements ready to produce different dishes - a starter that can morph into a lunch or a supper – whatever is most appealing.

Hold those thoughts …

P.s. Don't panic I've not forgotten the desserts.

The Italian – stuff you need to know

There's a Two Course Special at £12.95, check it out :

There's a Children's Menu too.

If you're thinking of having a private party The Italian has private dining/function room facilities - it would be the perfect venue.

I think that just about covers it!

Oh, just remembered, an added bonus – we ordered a pizza to take home for Nathan – so everyone was happy. Nothing is too much trouble.

If you want good food in a happy atmosphere go see Julia – you'll be glad you did.

Spoilt for choice

There's all the favourites on the menu, plus a few new dishes too. Old habits die hard as they say – here are our choices :

Tagliatelli

Pasta ribbons cooked in cream, tomato, ham and mushroom sauce – without the ham for me, perfect for the vegetarian!

Pollo Pepe

Chicken breast cooked in a creamy peppercorn sauce.

One word – delicious!

Coming up, stuff you need to know.

Fancy a weekend away?

If you like the Autumn colours and enjoy a walk, or even a hike if you're really fit, then there's nowhere better than the Peak District. I admit to bias – it's my home turf. The Peak District National Park begins in South Derbyshire in Ashbourne, Matlock to the East, Buxton and then Glossop further North West. The Park spans 555 miles, mostly in Derbyshire but does extend into Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire. If you should venture near Glossop then I've got the perfect solution for your evening dining.

I should explain that our favourite restaurant has been sold – a sad day. However, I'm thrilled to say that Julia Ballone has opened a new establishment The Italian in High Street West, Glossop. When I visit my Sis we always treat ourselves to supper out. We decided to go say hello – it would be rude not to!

Apart from trying to enter through the wrong door – never could get my bearings – we were greeted by Julia and welcomed into a contemporary yet at the same time cosy setting – not easy to achieve.

Here's what you see :

Food choices on their way!

A message to my friend in America ...

… it occurs to me that it's coming up to Thanksgiving.

Before I begin can I just say that “I'm not trying to teach my Grandmother to suck eggs” a strange English saying which means “a person giving advice to someone else about a subject of which they are already familiar – probably more so than the first person”.

I know that Thanksgiving has its strong traditions and that two of the most popular desserts served are Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie.

This year Thanksgiving falls on Thursday 22^nd November – I wonder whether you're expecting family and friends for more than one day? If the answer is yes you might be interested in what follows.

What about a dessert “up your sleeve” that benefits from being made ahead. This dessert does come with provenance.

My very good friend and student in the USA was sceptical when we were planning a dinner party many moons ago. I convinced him that an orange tiramisu would be a great choice despite his misgivings because of his dislike of chocolate - it has just a sprinkling. He watched me make it.

He loved it and thereafter it became his signature pud.

Up to date … “Neil made your orange tiramisu for me last weekend … he's making it again when friends visit … it was wonderful”.

I'm sending you my tweaks and secret weapon so that you can “zhuzh” to your hearts content! This recipe stands the test of time and some might say, myself included, that if it ain't broke don't fix it. I'm also fond of saying that rules are made to be broken. Judge for yourself – have a look at the original recipe - The dessert … for the birthday dinner, The Tiramisu Tweaks and Your secret weapon.

I can tell you that I served the Tiramisu to six guests on two separate evenings and it was a huge success on both occasions.

A definite crowd pleaser – more converts – my work here is done!

Thinks … not just for Thanksgiving but for Christmas too – hmm.