Firstly, let’s dispel any myth that it has anything to do with or relation to the shellfish scallops. There is a word in Old English – collops- which is thought to derive from the Old French word – escalope. Escalope has long been recognized as a flattened, boneless piece of meat and given that this involves slicing a piece of meat thinly, it is reasonable that the word scallop was coined for thin-nish slices of potatoes. Whatever your scalloped potato recipe calls for, it will always involve cutting thin slices of the principal ingredient.

The exact origin of the first scalloped potatoes recipe is unknown. There’s an old Yorkshire recipe for Collops which refers to frying thin slices of potatoes, so it’s probable that scalloped potatoes recipes began in England but it could have logically been America or Ireland.

Here are 2 variations of scalloped potatoes

Scalloped potatoes with sour cream and crunchy topping:

8 medium potatoes

 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cans, cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

1 onion

¼ cup melted margarine

1 cup Cornflakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Wash the potatoes. With skins on, slice them thinly (if you have a mandolin or food processor it will be quicker and easier)
• Peel and chop the onion
• Lightly sauté the onion in a little butter until soft and golden but not brown
• In a large bowl combine the potatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, the cans of soup, sour cream and the onion
• Put the mix in a casserole dish
• Bake, uncovered, in the oven for 45 minutes
• Combine the remaining cheese, margarine and cornflakes
• Remove the casserole from the oven and top the potatoes with the cheese mix
• Return the casserole dish to the over to bake for a further 30 minutes

Scalloped potatoes and ham

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups of milk

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

12 ounces ¼ inch sliced baked ham

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Butter a shallow casserole or lasagne dish.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan
• Add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the milk.
• Return saucepan to the heat and whilst stirring bring to a simmer
• When the sauce has thickened, remove pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper
• Set sauce aside
• In a skillet, melt some butter and sauté the onions until golden brown.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish
• Add a layer of potatoes
• Spread out half of the onions, ham, cheese on the potato layer
• Top with another ⅓ of the sauce.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Continue layering ingredients
• Make the final layer of sprinkled cheese
• Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

As with many dishes, there are is a mass of potato pancake recipes and not only do they vary by country, region and town but they differ from family to family and between ethnic groups.

Generally, potato pancakes are roundish discs of grated potato, normally shallow fried. They are extremely popular in Germanic and Slav countries but you’ll find potato pancake recipes in Indian and Korean cooking. They have a special place in Jewish cuisine where they are known as latkes (Yiddish).  The cuisine of Poland bears a huge Jewish legacy and there’s a large portfolio of dishes that include Polish potato pancakes.

Potato pancakes are the national dish of Belarus but they are also extremely popular in Germany where they might be known as Reibekuchen or kartoffelpuffer. German potato pancakes have salty and sweet versions, the latter often being served with apple sauce and cinnamon. They are a popular street food in winter.

Variations include mashed potato pancakes such as the Boxty of Ireland and the dry potato Rosti of Switzerland which uses grated potato but ignores the binding ingredients common in other potato pancake recipes. With the growing variety of vegetables cooks now have to choose from, diversions from the basic potato are common, such as sweet potato pancakes.

Here’s 2 fabulous potato pancake recipes:

Mashed potato pancakes

4 cups of mashed potatoes
¼ cup of all purpose flour
1 egg
½ cup of chopped onions

Oil for frying

• Put all the ingredients in a large bowl
• Mix until well combined
• Portion and shape into 8 pancakes
• Heat the oil in a pan
• Cook on one side for between 5 and 6 minutes
• Flip and repeat.

Classic potato pancake recipe

This will be recognised as the traditional latkes recipe

1 medium onion, peeled

3-3 ½  large potatoes, peeled

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons oil

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

(Applesauce and/or sour cream, for serving)

• Preheat oven to 200°F and put in 2 non-stick heavyweight baking sheets
• Grate the onion and potatoes coarsely and place in a colander in sink to drain (food processor with grating disc can be used)
• Lightly beat eggs in a large mixing bowl
• Add flour and whisk together
• Empty the potatoes and onions onto a clean dish towel and press gently to remove remaining liquid
• Add vegetables to egg/flour mix
• Season to taste
• Mix gently until well combined
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy bottomed skillet
• Drop enough mixture into the pan to make a pancake of about 3 inches across when flattened
• Repeat until there are 4 pancakes frying
• Fry until golden brown on first side then flip and fry on the other (usually 4-5 minutes each side)
• Transfer to paper towel and sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper
• Move to the baking sheets in the oven to keep warm until you finish making all the pancakes
• Between each batch of 4, wipe the pan with paper towels and reheat with 1 tablespoon each of oil and buyer
• When all pancakes made, remove from the oven and serve the pancakes hot

Lasagne (the plural of Lasagna) in Italy are flat strips of noodles, while in the United States they are ruffled looking at the edges to enable the sauces that are layered on them to spread more easily. The best noodles are those made from Durum Wheat, as they maintain a hardy resilience, without disintegrating while cooking. In addition, a variety that is not precooked often in use when baking Lasagna.

Lasagna is a dish frequently used at entertainment, as it is universally popular. Any lasagna recipe is ideal for feeding crowds of people, being so easy to prepare in large quantities. 

A classic meat Lasagna recipe is,

Ingredients required for 6 – 8 servings:

•  Lasagna noodles that are cooked according to the instructions that are on the box, then drained and separated
• 4 cups of meat sauce
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 2 pounds of ricotta cheese
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces of Mozzarella cheese thinly sliced

Grease a casserole dish, and then add several spoonfuls of the meat sauce covering the bottom, followed by a crisscross layer of noodles, then ricotta, mozzarella, meat sauce and parmesan. Repeat layering ending up with sauce topped with Mozzarella

Bake at 350 deg. for fifty minutes.

For a meat-free version here’s a classic spinach lasagna recipe.

Ingredients:

• One large jar of tomato pasta sauce
• ½ pound of ricotta
• 12 ounces of cottage cheese
• ½ pound of mozzarella 
• One cup of parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
• 8 ounces of spinach Lasagna noodles

Cook the Lasagna for about 8 – 10 minutes. You do not want it to be too soft.

Grease a baking dish and add in layers:

• Pasta sauce
• Spinach noodles
• Ricotta
• Cottage cheese
• Mozzarella

End with a layer of sauce, and sprinkle parmesan liberally on top. Bake for about fifty minutes at 350 deg.

Although many chefs have tried experimenting with pasta it has never made a successful transition to the dessert course. You might find recipes for puddings made from sheet pasta but fruit lasagne will never be classed as a classic lasagna recipe.

The sheer variety of potato dishes globally is immeasurable but one that makes a frequent occurrence in many countries is potato salad. A potato salad recipe makes a great presence at a barbecue or buffet and it wouldn’t be surprising that plenty of families have a potato salad recipe handed down through generations.

At it’s very basic, potato salad is potatoes in a creamy dressing but there are many variations of the recipe. Here‘s a selection of potato salad recipes to tickle your taste buds:

Traditional potato salad recipe

3lb waxy potatoes
1 medium onion
1-2 teaspoon onion salt, to taste
½ teaspoon celery salt
1 cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup cider vinegar

• Peel, dice and cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water
• Peel and chop the onion
• Drain the potatoes and allow to cool slightly
• In a large bowl combine the potatoes and onion
• Mix together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, celery salt and onion salt
• Add to the potato mix
• Mix gently to combine all the ingredients
• Add pepper if required
• Cover and refrigerate
• Serve chilled

Red potato salad recipe:

6 large red skinned potatoes
½ cup plain yoghurt
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Scrub the potatoes
• Leaving the skin on, cut into large chunks
• Boil potatoes until tender in lightly salted water
• Strain and dry on kitchen towel
• When slightly cool, cut into ½ inch chunks
• In a large bowl put together the potatoes, yoghurt, sour cream and chives
• Mix together gently
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Cover and refrigerate
• Serve chilled

Here’s an updated version of the traditional potato salad recipe for special occasions:

Best ever potato salad recipe:

450g (1lb) Jersey Royals
4 spring onions
50ml (2fl oz) light hot chicken stock
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp crème fraîche
2 tbsp chopped parsley

• Boil potatoes until tender
• Finely chop the spring onions
• Drain the potatoes and cut them to your preferred size and shape
• Whilst still warm put them into a bowl with the chicken stock
• Lightly stir
• Leave to cool for just a short time and allow the potatoes to absorb some of the stock
• Whilst the potatoes are still slightly warm, drain off the excess stock
• Add the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, spring onions and parsely
• Season to taste
• Gently mix until it’s well combined
• Serve at room temperature

Easy Italian Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ lbs lean ground beef or chuck.
• 2 peppers, green or red, finely chopped.
• 1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes.
• 1 sweet onion, diced.
• 4 slices of bacon.
• 1 ½ cups Italian breadcrumb.
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated.
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic.
• ½ teaspoon basil.
• 1/3 teaspoon oregano.
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped (do not substitute).
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or beef bouillon powder.
• 2 large eggs.
• 1/3 teaspoon ground black powder.
• 1/3 cup ketchup (or more as needed).
• Onion and garlic powder to taste.

Preheat oven to 375˚ F.

In large bowl, combine meat, eggs, seasonings and remaining ingredients except ketchup and bacon. This is best done by washing your hands thoroughly and mixing the ingredients with your hands. Have the breadcrumbs ready and pour into the mixture. Continue to mix with your hands. This is the way you get a feel if the mixture is to dry or wet. If dry add a tablespoon of olive oil; if wet add more breadcrumbs. The mixture is correct when it will hold a ball shape. Shape into a loaf and place in a nonstick loaf pan making sure the top is domed shape. Put ketchup, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder on the top. Cover meatloaf with bacon. Bake uncovered 1 ½ hours.

There is nothing better than something that you can quickly put together and serve hot.

Oatmeal Meatloaf is one of those dishes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tomato juice.
• ¾ cup Quaker oats.
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup diced onion.
• ½ teaspoon salt.
• ¼ teaspoon pepper.
• 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef.

Preheat oven to 350 ˚

In large bowl mix all the ingredients except the beef. Again use freshly washed hands to mix the beef in to the wet mixture. Thoroughly mix until it forms a ball in the bowl. If too dry add some ketchup; if too wet add a little more oats. Press into an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Bake 1 hour. Drain any grease off and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

To add extra taste to it, substitute the onion for a red onion to give it a milder sweeter taste.

Any meatloaf recipe is great as a main course but the real treat of it comes the next day. For leftover meatloaf, make sandwiches. A thin sliced piece of meatloaf with a spread of ketchup makes a fulfilling and nutritious snack the next day.

Cucumber is also used widely in the cosmetics industry not only as extracts in body and skincare products but in home remedies. What woman hasn’t used cucumber circles to reduce eye redness at least once in their lives? Of course, a glass of Pimms wouldn’t be the same without a slice of cucumber to decorate the glass.

Every host should have at least one cucumber salad in their repertoire. They go with just about anything and are perfect for summer or winter.

Here’s a simple cucumber salad:

1-2 large cucumbers
6-8 fresh basil leaves
2-3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

• Peel the cucumbers, then cut in chunks
• “chiffonade” the basil (stack the leaves, roll them up like a cigar and slice really thinly with a sharp knife)
• Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently
• Can be served immediately or chill for later

Barbecued food is always even more tasty when it’s served with a great choice of salads and sometimes simplicity wins over a mass of ingredients with competing flavours. Here’s a zingy cucumber salad recipe to add just the right complement to grilled food.

Cucumber and onion salad

2 large cucumbers
1 large onion
¾  cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 -8 tablespoons sugar
¼  teaspoon
1 tablespoon sesame seed, you can add it but not necessary

• Slice the cucumbers as thinly as you can (use a food processor or mandolin if available)
• Slice the onions wafer thin and separate
• Put both vegetables in a bowl
• Add all the other ingredients and gently mix with your hands
• Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour

You can add a bit of crunch to this cucumber salad recipe by sprinkling in a tablespoon of sesame seeds before serving.

To finish this small round up of cucumber salad recipes here’s how to combine cucumber with sour cream in a typical Eastern European and North African Mediterranean dish.

Creamy cucumber salad

4 medium cucumbers
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp salad oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp fresh dill

• Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers
• Put into a large bowl
• Mix together all the other ingredients except for the dill
• Pour the mix over the cucumber
• Toss gently
• Chop the dill and sprinkle over the cucumber mix
• Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour

 There you have it: 3 simple cucumber salad recipes to delight anyone.

 Broccoli has an abundance of nutritional values which make it an excellent choice as part of a healthy diet. The potassium found in broccoli helps maintain a healthy nervous system and promotes muscle growth. Broccoli also contains calcium and magnesium which help regulate blood pressure. There is enough vitamin C in a cup of broccoli to fulfill your recommended daily amount, giving you a good dose of an anti-oxidant that is necessary for fighting free radicals. It is also very effective at easing the common cold due to its antihistamine properties. The vitamin C and Vitamin K in broccoli are important for bone health. Broccoli is also a good choice of a diet vegetable as the fibre gives the feeling of being full as well as promoting good digestion.

 Cooking with broccoli is easy and there’s a great variety of broccoli salads that are either terrific for vegetarians or as accompaniments to main meals.

Broccoli salad with sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons white sugar

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Toast the sesame seeds for 3 to 5 minutes in a dry frying pan
• Cut the broccoli into bit size pieces
• Cook broccoli in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes
• Strain and transfer to a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds.
• Pour the mix over broccoli
• Gently toss to coat.

A broccoli salad can be made into a main meal by the simple addition of bacon.

Broccoli salad with bacon

Ingredients:

2 bunches broccoli stalks removed

1 chopped medium red onion

½ cup raisins

10 to 12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:

• Separate the florets cutting larger ones if required
• Make the dressing by combining the mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar and sugar.
• Put the broccoli, onion, raisins and bacon in a bowl
• Add the dressing and mix
• Cover and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours

Lastly in this small collection of broccoli salad recipes here’s a classic broccoli salad made as a stir-fry

Stir-fried broccoli salad

500g broccoli, cut into florets

1 carrot, sliced thinly

1 red onion, sliced

1 teaspoon cornflour

salt to taste

chicken or vegetable stock powder to taste

2 tablespoons peanut oil

• Mix the cornflour with 2 teaspoons water. Blanch the broccoli for 2 minutes in boiling water then remove the broccoli and drain.
• Bring the water in the pot back to the boil and add the carrot. Cook for 1 minute then drain.
• Mix the cornflour with water, salt and stock powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Stir fry the carrot and broccoli over high heat for 2 minutes then add the cornflour mixture and stir until vegetables are coated. 

Add a broccoli salad to your diet and start enjoying the benefits straight away..

One of the simplest ways to enjoy the fruit of the chicken is as egg salad. Everyone should know how to make egg salad at least – it’s simple, quick and healthy.

Firstly, here is a very, very easy egg salad recipe to add to your culinary repertoire:

Ingredients

Hard boiled eggs

Mayonnaise

Scallions (spring onions), chopped green parts

Salt and pepper

Allow 1 egg per person and about 1 heaped tablespoon to 2 eggs

• Mash up the eggs with the mayonnaise and season to taste. Serve in sandwiches or with leaves or even as a dip.

There is no reason that an egg salad needs to be that simple. You can jazz things up.

Here’s a fancy egg salad recipe where one of the recognised food marriages of eggs and bacon is given a different treatment.

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 slice of crispy bacon, finely chopped

1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

• Chop the peeled eggs
• Put into a bowl with the parsley, shallots, capers and bacon
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add the mayonnaise
• Mix well
• Cover and chill in the fridge

This tasty egg salad recipe can be served with bread and crackers or it’s great with some crispy hearts of romaine lettuce. It also makes a great buffet dish if you stuff it into lengths of celery stalk.

It’s also an egg salad recipe that can be varied according to taste and imagination. Try with different herbs, change the crispy bacon to pancetta or even try some really tiny cubes of chorizo or spicy sausage.

And finally, here is a classic egg salad sandwich recipe guaranteed to make a tasty lunchbox.

Ingredients

• 6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 2 finely diced celery stalks, include the leaves
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• Salt and pepper
• ¹/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Mix all ingredients, refrigerate until ready for serving. When ready, butter 2 pieces of wholemeal or grained bread and add the egg salad. Lettuce/salad leaves can be used or slices of tomato or cucumber.

 Cabbage has been a staple food for the Slavic countries over the centuries, much like potatoes for the Irish. Hot or cold, all the various forms of cabbage are delicious; unlike the overcooked version of washed out transparent green, that they used to dish up to scholars at boarding school in not so long ago days!

Homemade coleslaw is so much tastier and better shredded than the one bought at a take-away or a food store, which usually contains some badly sliced lumpy pieces of cabbage.

Here is the shopping list suggestion for a tasty but easy coleslaw recipe:

• ½ a white cabbage
• 2 large carrots
• ½ a red onion
• ½ tsp of Dijon mustard
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise – buy a good mayonnaise if you are not making it yourself
• 1tsp of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice salt, pepper and mustard together. Set this aside while you carefully slice the cabbage and onion into very thin strips and grate your carrots on the coarse side of the grater. Add the dressing to the mix of cabbage, onion and carrot, and then put into a serving dish. Leave in the fridge for a few hors before serving.

• If, you are not fond of onion, leave it out; instead slice up some red cabbage or red pepper for colour.
• Adding some seedless raisins to your salad gives it an interesting and sweeter flavour.

Another traditional and healthy coleslaw recipe is to leave out the mayonnaise, and instead make use of fat free Bulgarian yogurt for the dressing.

Another simple and delicious traditional coleslaw recipe that is so easy to make for yourself or when entertaining friends:

• ½ head of green and a ½ head of red cabbage
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of sugar – or sugar substitute
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sprinkling of herbs

Shred your cabbages very fine, as you want to have many thin strings: mix the rest of the ingredients together and add to the cabbage. Put into bowl and toss very well. Leave in the fridge overnight before serving. This enhances the taste of the coleslaw.

The sheer variety of potato dishes globally is immeasurable but one that makes a frequent occurrence in many countries is potato salad. A potato salad recipe makes a great presence at a barbecue or buffet and it wouldn’t be surprising that plenty of families have a potato salad recipe handed down through generations.

At it’s very basic, potato salad is potatoes in a creamy dressing but there are many variations of the recipe. Here‘s a selection of potato salad recipes to tickle your taste buds:

Traditional potato salad recipe

3lb waxy potatoes
1 medium onion
1-2 teaspoon onion salt, to taste
½ teaspoon celery salt
1 cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup cider vinegar

• Peel, dice and cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water
• Peel and chop the onion
• Drain the potatoes and allow to cool slightly
• In a large bowl combine the potatoes and onion
• Mix together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, celery salt and onion salt
• Add to the potato mix
• Mix gently to combine all the ingredients
• Add pepper if required
• Cover and refrigerate
• Serve chilled

Red potato salad recipe:

6 large red skinned potatoes
½ cup plain yoghurt
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Scrub the potatoes
• Leaving the skin on, cut into large chunks
• Boil potatoes until tender in lightly salted water