Recipes starting with B

This piquant red cabbage dish is always better if made the day before. It is popular in Denmark on Boxing Day. We like it as a side dish with a slow roast belly of pork.

There are so many recipes for Pesto Sauce and lot's of discussion as to whether it should be hand made in a pestle and mortar or in a mini food processor. Either way. it's quick to make, especially if you don't weigh the ingredients, but use a tea cup or American measuring cup. It's more about proportions rather than an exact science.

Biscotti are very easy to make and keep in an airtight container for weeks. Replace the cranberries in the recipe with more almonds if you prefer not to add the fruit. Or add other types of nuts of dried fruit. Just watch the temperature of the oven when drying out the biscotti so as to make sure the cranberries do not burn.

These small yeast pancakes take a little while to make but are worth the effort. Delicious served with sour cream, smoked salmon, lumpfish roe or caviar and chopped hard boiled eggs. Ooh...we know how to live!

This deliciously creamy ranch dip is the perfect accompaniment to our southern fried chicken or to spoon onto a barbecued beef steak. It's good to serve as a dip with celery sticks, carrot batons and cucumber too. It's quick and easy to make and doesn't require exact measurements if you are in a hurry.  Use any soft and creamy blue cheese for the dip with a more crumbly cheese to fold in. You can thin it with a little milk if you fancy using it to dress a salad.

One of the mainstay, classic recipe's of the early vegetarian movement. This was one of the most popular main courses that I used to make in the 80's when I owned and ran a vegetarian restaurant. It is also a delicious way for vegans to ensure that they add plenty of protein to their diet. You can adapt this recipe for any type of nut that you fancy and also try changing the vegetables and herbs that you use. Grating the vegetables keeps it light and prevents it being the chaffy, dry creation so mocked in the past. If you are not bothered about the recipe being vegan, use butter instead of the oil. Add a beaten egg too, it will be even lighter.

Buckwheat flour is gluten free and has a delicious nutty flavour.  In Brittany, France the buckwheat pancake is a regional speciality. Although delicious with a sweet filling, such as stewed apples, you cannot beat a savoury filled buckwheat pancake... bacon and egg .... smoked salmon and creme fraiche.....ham and melted cheese....

Tasty chicken that can be oven baked or fried. The chicken can be left marinading overnight if you want to save time.

This is a traditional South African recipe which is also quite similar to a Suffolk rusk. Given to me by my husbands cousin; Peta Gale, and handed down through the family. The rusk is an early morning ritual, dipped into a cup of tea. This recipe makes about 50 small rusks that will keep in an airtight container for weeks. Makes about 20 whole rusks (40 halves).