Absolutely gorgeous, yet so simple. From Christina

Pui lentil cooked with red wine and stock (15 min)

then add raw garlic and fried haloumi

Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with black pepper.

Mama Irene’s Satay Sauce from Christina

Very special Satay Sauce from Mama Irene

Mama Irene's satay sauce, you can pour over a crunchy and colourful salad and use it for your kebab skewers, for a thai-tasting BBQ.

ingredients for the sauce:

(Mama Irene says: best to shop your ingredients from a pan asian specialities shop esp. for thai basil, tamarind sauce and a good coconut milk

veg oil

1 onion

2 gloves of garlic

2 tbsp. curry paste (best Mama Irene says is: Pataks extra hot tomato cumin flavour)

----------->> chop the onion and garlic add it to the oil in a frying pan, the curry paste as well. let simmer for 10min

bit of lemon grass

a tin of chopped tomotos

2 tbsp. crunchy good peanut sauce

2 tsp.tamarind paste

fresh thai basil

----------->> stir these ingredients into the tasty-smelling pan. simmer for another 10min

coconut milk

lime

chili

>> take the pan off the flame, add the coconut milk, also a taste of lime and some fiery red chopped chilis (depending on how hot you like it).

Now the sauce is ready to cool down.

for kebab skewers: stick anything you like on it and grill it up

ingredients for salad:

chinese leaf salad (sliced across to get small sticks)

cucumber

tomato

mango

sprouts

sliced dried tofu

>>>> Now all ready to serve. You can use parts of the sauce for your salad, pour it over - a crunchy pleasure, enjoy!

And the other part dip and flavour your skewers with. Fantastic!!

If you wanne taste her other home-made dishes and get some cooking tips maybe while she may dine next to you.More info for her her homey restaurant

http://notfortourists.com/ListingDetails.aspx?city=LO&listingID=855265

Marzena's lemonade inspired by Franco Manca

3 big lemons (unwaxed)

half a glass of brown sugar

mint (optional)

peal the lemons with a vegetable bearing in mind not to peal too much of white spongy bit. Place it in a glass container/jug. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add to the container. Add sugar. Pour a liter of boiling water over sugar and what's left from the lovely lemons.

(put mint for a minty twist).

Put aside to cool. Add extra cold water to adjust the strength of the drink.

One of Gem's dinners. Simple but scrumptious

So you need:

new potatoes

mange tout

tin of anchovies in olive oil

eggs

- boil the potatoes, and whilst they are still warm break them up a bit and put in anchives with oil. Nice to do this when the potatoes are warm/hot because they absorb all the yummy, salty oiliness from the fish. I suppose this a bit like a warm salad really... chop up boiled eggs and throw them in. Blanch/boil the mange tout and chuck them in too. Mix it up!

Black pepper, black pepper, black pepper.... and maybe a glug more of olive oil!

A simple, nutritious, rustic, hearty and delicious meal!!!

A delicious apple cake from Christina

'Apfelkuchen-Sehr fein'

125g butter or margarine

125g sugar

2-3 eggs

beat all three ingredients until creamy and soft

200g flour (self-raising)

2tbs baking soda

4-5 tbs milk

beat it thoroughly

butter the baking tray 'Springform ( which is a round form with loose floor and the surrounding which you can open with a clip)

550-800g cooking apples

skin them, quarter them and cut with a knife but not slice them through

bake on 175C 45-55min