Recipes starting with R

A simple supper dish which can be cooked in one pot.  Stir in creme fraiche or cream at the end of the cooking time for a special occasion.

Drinking Vinegars, or Shrubs as they are also known are not new, but becoming popular again. Created since the 17th Century as a method to preserve fruit in vinegar, then sweetened with sugar to make a syrup to mix with soda, hot or cold water, or as a base for a cocktail. Try adding some crushed sweet cicely seeds to the strained liquid and sugar for a hint of aniseed.

A savoury rice dish that can be eaten hot or cold. It makes a sustaining and filling vegan/vegetarian main course.

Sweet and sticky onion marmalade that is delicious with a plate of cheese or with a smooth chicken liver pate.

Red Poll is a native breed of Suffolk producing excellent beef. Your local butcher will be able to provide a whole oxtail and cut it into sections for you. Use well sourced meat that has been hung for at least 28 days. The stew must be slow cooked until the meat falls from the bones. Try and use shin if possible as although it takes longer to cook it makes a gorgeous more gelatinous, sticky and lip smacking gravy. It's a cheaper cut too.
This recipe is great for slow cooking on a camp fire fire and I always make it in my South African Potjie over smouldering logs. It works just as well made in a casserole or saucepan and cooked in the oven.

Redcurrant jelly is traditionally served with roast lamb. I like it spread on toast for breakfast and also use it to glaze fruit tarts and flans, or dolloped onto some natural yoghurt for breakfast. To make a firmer and stronger flavoured jelly do not use the water but you must watch the redcurrants carefully and stir to prevent them from catching on the bottom of the pan.

This is a traditonal rice pudding recipe, nothing fancy but is a lot lower in fat than our other full cream recipe. You bake it in the oven - it takes minutes to prepare and two hours to cook. Well worth the wait! Try adding a bay leaf or some lemon zest for an exciting and interesting flavour.

This recipe makes a 6 cm deep 30cm/12inch square cake (or 32.5cm/13inch round cake). I've given the measurements for a deeper 8cm cake too. For the very best results line the tin with at least two layers of greasproof paper. Also line the outside of the tin with an old newspaper tied with some string. This prevents the edges of the cake from burning or becoming overcooked. Do not try and remove the cake from the tin until it is completely cold and leave the greaseproof paper on it.  To store the cake, wrap in foil and store in a cool place. Making a rich fruit cake at least 3 months in advance will allow the flavours to develop and the cake become moist.

Moreish and quick to make, these delicious little ricotta doughnuts are perfect with a morning coffee or served as a dessert, with a dipping sauce of fresh fruit puree or chocolate. (Cooked and sieved sweetened blackcurrants are my favourite.) There is no need to use a deep fat fryer to cook the doughnuts if you don't have one. Shallow oil, about 2/3cm in the bottom of a heavy based frying pan works very well. You will just need to turn them more often.

The perfect way to use up the flesh of pumpkins or squashes. Substitute carrots for other root veg if you fancy. This recipe also makes a good sauce for gnocchi and goes well with a grating of Parmesan cheese.

You can't beat the flavour and colour of the new seasons' forced rhubarb. Look out for it in January when it brings a welcome lift to the seasonal fruit offering. Eat this compote on yoghurt for breakfast, or with rice pudding, or on top of a cheesecake or just enjoy it as it is.

The sweet flesh of squash and pumpkin works so well with blue cheese of any type. Perhaps not strictly a pizza but delicious. Use crusty bread for bases if you don't have time to make a dough. Try different cheese to replace the goats cheese. Experiment!

Spice blends, commonly called dry rubs are rubbed into meat before cooking. Some say that salt should not be included in a rub as meat should be dry brined by rubbing in salt a day in advance, in order for the salt to penetrate the meat. The spices in a rub do not tend to penetrate the meat but will help form the delicious spicy crust (or bark, as they call it down South). However as we are all so short of time in our busy lives, I make an all in one rub, mixing the salt into the rub and leaving it on the meat overnight in the fridge. Sugar is a matter of taste and needed to help caramelise the crust. I use just a little on beef. Experiment with your own spice blends and store in an airtight jar. Use a whole piece of rib eye or sirloin, or if you prefer individual steaks.