1 loaf Focaccia
1 medium Roma tomato, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces canned chunk tuna, drained
6 ounces canned flaked tuna, drained
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers
2 scallions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1. Combine tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, scallions, celery and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Divide loaf into 4 equal sections and slice into halves. Brush bread with olive oil.
3. Spoon 1/4 of the tuna salad on to one half of the bread and layer 1/4 of the tomato slices on the other. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Makes 4 servings

8 ounces (1 package) fresh Udon noodles
2 cups Chinese ginger soy broth (see Dinner Entry)
8 baby corn
1 stalk and leaves of celery, sliced
4 ounces pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
8 prawns, shelled and deveined
3 scallions, chopped

1. Bring broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Add baby corn and celery and boil for 1 minute.
2. Stir in pork and prawns and cook until pork is no longer pink, and prawns have turned pink.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the noodles, breaking up with a fork. Allow to cook for several minutes in hot broth.
4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped scallions to serve.

Makes 4 servings

1 whole chicken
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 tablespoons butter
32 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
14 ounce package frozen okra, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1-1/2 cups long grain rice
6 cups chicken broth (water from chicken)
1 bay leaf
salt and cayenne pepper

1. Place chicken in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover until chicken is cooked and can easily be removed from the bones.
2. Remove the chicken and refrigerate the broth. Debone the chicken and shred the meat. Skim off fat from the broth.
3. In a large soup pot, add the butter and sauté the onions and celery until tender.
4. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, parsley and bay leaf. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
5. Cook the rice in the soup pot until tender, about 20 minutes, then add the cooked chicken and okra.
6. Stir until the broth thickens, remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning as necessary. Spoon into bowls to serve.

Makes 8 servings

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt

1 medium granny smith apple, cored and cubed
1 medium gala apple, cored and cubed
1 medium red delicious apple, cored and cubed
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
6 Romaine lettuce leaves

1. Combine mayonnaise, vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.
2. Mix together apples and celery, then coat with mayonnaise dressing. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
3. Lay lettuce leaves on a plate, cover with apple mixture and drizzle with maple syrup to serve.

Makes 4 servings

1 large red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup beef broth
2 cups Newcastle brown ale or other
4 medium carrots, chopped
4 medium potatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
4 sprigs thyme, stems removed
salt and pepper
water

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cover and allow to caramelize until fully browned, about half an hour.
2. Heat oil in a large pot and add celery and rosemary. Dust with flour.
3. Combine carrots and potatoes with celery and rosemary and add beef broth and ale to cover.
4. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover while making dumplings.
5. Combine flour, butter, salt, pepper and thyme in a bowl until you have a crumblike consistency.
6. Gradually add cold water, tablespoon by tablespoon, until you have a dough.
7. Form the dough into golf ball sized rounds and add this to the pot.
8. Continue to stew for about 2 hours until dumplings are completely cooked.
9. Season stew with dried parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 servings

1 small cucumber
2 large carrots
1 medium apple
2 stalks celery
1/4 small red onion
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice
salt and pepper

1. Grate cucumber, carrot, apple, celery and onion and combine in a bowl.
2. Combine honey, lime juice, salt and pepper and coat grated vegetables. Refrigerate before serving.

Makes 6 servings

28 ounces canned plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 sage leaves, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat and add the garlic, celery, carrot, onion and chili flakes, cooking until softened.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and continue cooking until liquid has been reduced by half.
3. Process sauce in a food processor or with a hand blender, then stir in parsley and sage and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 servings

19 ounces canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces canned sweet corn, drained
1 small red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon mustard
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes

1. Combine beans, corn, onion, celery, bacon and cheese in a bowl.
2. Whisk together sour cream, milk, mustard, relish and chili flakes in a bowl.
3. Mix dressing with the bean mixture and serve.

Makes 8 servings

2 chicken breasts, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
salt and pepper

1. Cook the celery in the milk in a sauce pan over medium heat until soft, about half an hour.
2. Remove the celery from the milk with a slotted spoon.
3. Melt the butter in a separate sauce pan over medium heat and add the flour, stirring until completely incorporated and cooking for about a minute.
4. Gradually stir the milk into the flour and butter, then add the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook the sauce until reduced to a thick paste.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and crushed dill and celery seed.
8. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the chicken on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side.
9. Remove the bay leaf and add the cheese to the celery sauce.
10. Place chicken in a casserole dish and top with sauce, then bread crumbs, and bake until crumbs have browned, about 25-30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

1 whole chicken
4 large carrots, halved
4 large onions, halved
4 large celery stalks
1-1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven broiler and adjust oven rack so that the chicken will be about 8" from the broiler.
2. Butterfly the chicken by cutting through the back bone with kitchen shears.
3. Grind peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or food processor, then add the garlic, lemon, rosemary and parsley. Combine with enough olive oil to make a paste.
4. Gently pry the skin from the flesh of the chicken and work the paste under the skin of the chicken wherever possible.
5. Rub the chicken with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. Place carrots, onions and celery in the bottom of a roasting pan and put the chicken on top.
7. Put the chicken in the oven and roast under the broiler, turning every 15 minutes or so, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees.
8. Allow meat to rest before carving. Easily separates into quarters because the backbone is removed.

Makes 4 servings