Foolproof: chickpea puree

You can use precooked and tinned chickpeas for this recipe but the flavour will not be anywhere near as good as if you soak and cook your own chickpeas. Use a really good extra virgin olive oil - something nice and peppery.

For eight as a nibble

20g dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water for 24 hours
2 tbs freshly ground cumin
150g tahini
juice of 2 lemons
salt and freshly ground black pepper
115-150 ml extra virgin olive oil

Boil the chickpeas in plenty of cold water for at least 2 1/2 hours, or until the chickpeas are very tender. It is very important not to salt the water at all or the chickpeas will not become tender no matter how much you cook them. When the chickpeas are cooked, drain them, reserving about 60ml of the cooking liquid. Place the chickpeas in a blender and process with the reserved cooking liquid until smooth, then add the cumin, tahini, most of the lemon juice and some salt and pepper. While the blender is running, slowly pour in 115ml of olive oil, then stop the blender and taste for seasoning and consistency. When you are tasting, keep in mind that the cumin flavour will become slightly stronger as it sits, and that the consistency should be soft. If you think it needs the remainder of the oil and lemon juice, add it now. The dip is ready to serve but if you want a much finer puree, then pass through the smallest plate on a mouli. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, flatbread crackers or crackers of your choice, and wedges of lemon.

Foolproof: bresaola with peas and marjoram

Bresaola is an air-dried beef that is usually made from silverside. The raw meat is cured in a mixture of red wine, herbs (such as rosemary and bay) and spices (such as pepper and cloves). You can buy bresaola from Italian delicatessens; you should always make sure that it is being sliced when you order. This will not only ensure that it is soft and full of flavour, but also that it is being sliced as thinly as possible. Bresaola works really well with the sweetness of the peas and marjoram in this dish, but you can use prosciutto if you prefer.

For eight to share

300g fresh green peas, podded
a few sprigs of marjoram
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125ml extra virgin olive oil
about 16 thin slices of bresaola
a small piece of parmesan cheese, grated

Take the peas and blanch them in salted water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and immerse in iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain again. Place the peas in a large mortar, add marjoram leaves, then with some salt, pepper and about half of the olive oil, roughly crush everything together; you don't want a puree.

Arrange the bresaola on a plate, then drizzle with the remaining olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Place a mound of the peas on the beef, then finish with the freshly grated parmesan.

Fairly easy: spicy nuts

The nuts should be spicy, but not hot, and subtly sweet and salty; most of all, they should be crispy. And if you crumble the cinnamon into pieces, it will cook in with the nuts and will be sweet and crispy, which means that every now and then you get this beautiful cinnamon burst.

Makes enough snacks for a few

500ml water
500g sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
1 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
55g salt
200g walnuts
100g almonds
100g macadamia nuts
100g cashew nuts
100g hazelnuts
100g pistachio nuts
100g peanuts
2 litres oil
chilli powder, for seasoning
salt

You need to have a large, heavy-based saucepan to get the best results. Put the water, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, chilli flakes and salt in the saucepan and bring to the boil. Add all the nuts. Bring to the boil once again, then thoroughly strain the syrup from the nuts and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. (If you have the time you can let the nuts soak in the syrup overnight before straining, which will produce a better flavour.) The nuts must be quite dry before being fried or the oil will splatter dramatically.

Half-fill a large, clean heavy-based saucepan with the oil and heat until it reaches about 170C, or until the handle of the wooden spoon dipped in the oil starts to bubble. Carefully lower the nuts, in batches, into the oil and deep-fry each batch for 5-10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the nuts are a deep golden brown colour. Remove them from the oil and place on a clean, dry tea towel over a tray to drain off the excess oil. As the nuts are cooling, stir to stop them from clumping together. Allow to cool completely, then season with chilli powder and extra salt.

Easy: scallop and avocado salsa

Serves 10 as a dip or 5 for lunch

24 large scallops, cleaned, roe removed and finely diced
2 fresh habanero or bird's eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted
a drizzle of olive oil
salt, to taste
3 ripe avocados, diced to the same size pieces as the scallops

For the best results, make this just before you want to serve it. Prepare all the ingredients and place in a large bowl - except for the avocado; this should be last-minute to prevent discolouring. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to gently combine the mixture, trying not to crush the avocado. Serve as a dip.

Fairly easy: Brined and roasted quails with agresto sauce

To get wonderful flavour and an amazing finish to roasted quail (this will also work with spatchcock and chicken) it is best to brine them. Brining is a term used for when you submerge food in liquid, commonly salted water, and allow the food to cure slightly. You can of course use this brining stage to introduce other flavours but the most important ingredient is the salt. Make sure that your brine is chilled before adding your meat; if the brine is too hot it may start to cook your meat and you also run the risk of promoting bacterial growth as the meat and brine cool down together. Always keep the brining meat in the fridge. Take care when adding more salt to the meat during cooking as it should be seasoned well enough from the brine.

You can add whatever flavours you want to the brine - just remember that you get the best results when balancing out the saltiness with sweetness. It's very important to never use acidic ingredients as the acids will start to cook and discolour the meat.

A whole chicken can sit in the brine for 8-12 hours, a spatchcock 4-5 hours and quail about 3-4 hours. Don't leave the meat in the brine for longer than this, or it may become too salty. Always rinse off the birds in plenty of cold water, then pat dry before cooking. Your brine can be made well in advance.

Serves 6 to share

For the brined quail:

3.5 litres water
1 bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
a good grinding of black pepper
280g salt
250g sugar
12 whole quails
approximately 200g butter, at room temperature

For the agresto sauce:

125g almonds
125g walnuts
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 bunch of basil, finely chopped
80ml extra virgin olive oil
80ml verjuice (available from Carr Taylor Wines Ltd, tel: 01424 752 501, pounds 3.95 a bottle) or, as a last resort, substitute lemon juice
1 tsp salt
pepper

To make the brine, pour the water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the herbs and pepper, then stir in the salt and sugar. As soon as the sugar and salt have dissolved, turn off the heat and allow to cool in the fridge.

Take the quails and clean any offal out of the cavities. When the brine is cold, add the quails to the brine and use a plate or cooling rack to totally submerge them, then refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 230C/gas 8. When you are ready to cook the birds, remove them from the brine and rinse in plenty of cold water, then pat dry. Take some of the butter in your hands and rub it all over the quails, then place them into a roasting tin. Put them in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are nicely browned.

Remove the quails from the oven and allow to rest upside down in the roasting tin for about another 10 minutes, which will give you enough time to prepare the sauce.

To make the agresto sauce, place the nuts and the garlic in a food processor and blend finely, then transfer to a bowl and add the chopped herbs, olive oil and verjuice, or lemon juice, and mix to a pesto-type consistency. Now add the seasoning.

The best way to eat a quail is with your fingers; leave the quails whole or cut them up. Toss the quails around in the sauce to ensure that they are really well coated, then transfer to a platter.

Easy: Welsh rarebit

Remember: the better the cheddar, the better the result.

Serves 4 as a nibble

a knob of butter
250g aged cheddar cheese
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tsp hot English mustard
80ml good English ale
as many thick slices of warm buttered toast as you want

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Rub a little butter on the bottom of an ovenproof dish that is about 15cm round and 5cm high. Place down a layer of thinly sliced cheddar. Combine the two mustards and spread a thin layer over the cheese and then splash in some ale. Repeat this process until everything has been used up. Place the dish in the oven and cook until the cheese has melted and bubbles slightly round the edges. Serve straight away as a dip with plenty of toast and a glass of ale.

Easy: roast leg of lamb

For eight to share

1 leg of lamb, about 2.5-3kg
plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1kg baby (pickling) onions, cut in half
2 white onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Season the meat really well. Heat a roasting tin on top of the stove until it is hot, then add a good amount of olive oil and seal and brown the meat. Remove the meat from the tin. Add both types of onion and the garlic to the tin and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. The baby onions have a good sweet flavour and keep a nice shape, while the thinly sliced onions are a lot juicier and tend to almost dissolve - this will help your finished sauce to have a good consistency.

When the onions have softened, return the meat to the tin and nestle it among the onions. Cook in preheated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. During the cooking process, turn the meat a couple times and, as the onions on top brown, stir them back underneath the onions on the bottom.

If you feel that the lamb and the onions are colouring too quickly, splash a little water into the tin and cover with foil until the end of the cooking time. Remove the leg of lamb from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Fairly easy: buffalo mozzarella with broad beans and chopped lemon sauce

For four to share

For the lemon sauce:

4 lemons
a pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic, crushed through a garlic press
a pinch of chilli flakes
6 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
300ml extra virgin olive oil (a rich peppery one)

For the beans:

about 350g podded or 1kg of fresh broad beans
salt
To serve:
4 large balls mozzarella cheese
1/2 bunch of basil
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the lemons into quarters and remove the seeds. Place on a chopping board, skin side down. Remove the flesh and put to one side, but leave the skin and the pith intact. Slice the quarters of lemon skin into a saucepan and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then drain. Tip the lemon strips onto a tea towel to absorb any excess water - this will remove some of the bitterness.

Return the lemon strips to the saucepan with the crushed garlic, chilli flakes, anchovies and extra virgin olive oil. Place the pan on a very gentle heat and slowly bring to a simmer; remove from heat.

Chop the lemon flesh coarsely. Add to the saucepan and bring back to a very gentle simmer, then turn off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.

Drop the beans into a pan of salted water for no more than a moment, remove and plunge into iced water to stop them cooking.

Take the mozzarella and tear into chunks and arrange it on a plate, then scatter over some of the beans and torn basil leaves. Now drizzle over some of the lemon sauce, and then some olive oil. Season with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.

This is a very simple frozen dessert that is fun to experiment with other flavours. How about adding a little gin? Perhaps some limoncello?

Easy: lemon and mint granita

Serves eight

1 litre water
320g sugar
1 bunch of mint
200ml lemon juice
shredded mint, to garnish

Put the water and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once it has boiled, add the mint and lemon juice and allow to cool completely. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve, then taste the syrup: you want it to be slightly too sweet and too lemony to allow for the freezing process. Pour into a container and place in the freezer for at least 24 hours. When you remove the granita it will be a solid block of ice, so use a fork to 'fluff up' the surface. Serve in chilled glasses, garnished with a little extra mint.

The aromatic burnt citrus oil coats the surface of the cocktail imparting a wonderful aroma and delicious flavour to the drink.

Fairly easy: white Cosmopolitan with burnt orange

Makes one cocktail

30ml vodka
15ml Cointreau
15ml white cranberry juice
splash of lime juice
ice
a piece of orange peel with no pith

Combine all the liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice, stir well and pour into a chilled martini glass. Light a flame, hold it under orange peel and squeeze the peel so the orange oil shoots through the flame onto the surface of the drink.

· Taken from Sharing Plates by Jared Ingersoll (Murdoch, pounds 14.99). To order a copy for pounds 13.99 with free UK p&p go to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0870 836 0885