DRY CURRIED CHICKEN

The easy (and quite satisfactory) way to make this dish is with boneless chicken breasts (cut in strips) and curry paste, with the addition of celery (or celeriac or fennel), sun-dried tomatoes, spring onions and oil. Saute the paste in the oil (medium heat) until aromatic, add chicken and, when hot, add sliced celery, sliced tomatoes (plumped if too dry), spring onion, and cover. After several minutes, add fresh lime juice, and serve.

   CHICKEN WITH ZUCCHINI AND ITS FLOWERS

You’ve seen some ways of preparing boneless chicken breasts in earlier photos. Here’s another variant – Chicken with zucchini and its flowers. For this dish, marinate the cut-up chicken in olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, coarse salt, and seasonal herbs (in this case, herbs from the garden – thyme and bay leaves). Stretch out the pieces and microwave, under plastic. (One of the reasons I like cooking chicken this way is that you can easily judge when it’s cooked, since it cooks from the inside out, but you can just as well cook it in a skillet; and that’s the better choice when you are working with a large quantity.) Zucchini makes a fine accompaniment, especially when you can take advantage of the spring flowers. (For this dish, female flowers only, please; the male ones aren’t worth stuffing, though you can fry them!) Put some garlic and spring onion or white of young leek in olive oil with a grinding of pepper; cook about 1 minute. Add sliced zucchini (on the diagonal, to give more flavor), cook 2 X 2 minutes. Add the flowers. Two more minutes. Serve.

   SPICED CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES

For my taste this is a good use for boned skinned chicken breasts (free range, if not organic, for taste and health). Cut them in similar size pieces and marinate in yoghurt mixed with your preferred dry spices (typically, coriander, star anis, cumin, mustard seeds) and salt. Cook in the microwave (covered) and serve with colourful vegetables – here, red carrots (also cooked in the microwave, with just oil and salt, uncovered) and fresh broccoli (ditto).

   BARBECUED SPARERIBS

Tasty barbecue sauce/marinade(especially good on spareribs):Mix brown miso paste (Chinese brown bean paste is an alternative), organic tomato ketchup, crushed garlic and ginger, worchestershire sauce, tobasco, honey, white balsamic vinegar, plain mustard, fresh herbs (mild oregano and thyme, e.g.), and liquid smoke (if you like the taste and are not cooking over wood). Heat to boiling point. Cool. Use as marinade, basting sauce, and/or table sauce. (Note: this recourse to prepared foods as ingredients is suggested in order to avoid the long, hot, cooking that is otherwise necessary to reduce fresh produce to the intensity needed for a barbecue sauce; but a delicious sauce can be made starting with fresh tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, etc.)

   LAMB, AUBERGINE

If you have very tender young lamb, this dish is quick and easy. You just need to cut up a small gigot; sauté the cubes in a bit of oil and garlic, add basil leaves (Thai, if available) and tamari soy sauce (ok also with nuoc man). Here it is garnished with eggplant, first cooked whole in the microwave and then also cut in cubes and mixed with basil, scallions and soy or fish sauce.

    HERB-INCRUSTED BEEF WITH VEGETABLES

Coat a cleaned NY strip steak with freshly ground mixed pepper and aromatic dried herbs (a good mix of herbes de Provence will do nicely). Leave it for at least ˝ hour before cooking (up to a day or more if salt is included in the mix and it is then coated in olive oil and wrapped in foil). Cook to taste in a skillet, let rest at least 10 minutes, slice and serve. Here it is garnished with asparagus and carrots: Slice the asparagus and the carrots on the diagonal in large pieces; sauté them in a bit of oil; add tamari or oyster sauce and Chinese wine or lemon, and serve.