Creamy spaghetti and meatballs

Ingredients
100 minced pork
1 spring onion, chopped
Half an egg, beaten
75g spaghetti
50 soft cheese
Dried oregano

1. Boil the spaghetti

2. Mix the minced pork, half of the chopped onion, egg and oregano in a bowl

3. Shape into small balls

4. Fry with the rest of the onion for 10-15 minutes, turning regularly

5. Add the spaghetti and soft cheese and stir through for 5 minutes

Serves 1

Chicken and spinach cheesy pasta

Ingredients
75 g pasta
1 chicken breast, chopped
40g spinach
1 spring onion, chopped
60g sweetcorn
50g soft cheese
Dried thyme
Dried oregano

1. Boil the pasta and sweetcorn for 10-15 mins

2. Fry the chicken and onions until cooked

3. Add the spinach, thyme and oregano to the chicken and onions and mix

4. Add the pasta and soft cheese and cook for 5 minutes stirring well

Serves 1

Fish cakes with cheese

Ingredients
1 white fish fillet
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped in half
50g soft cheese
Small lump of butter
Dried parsley
2 slices bread, grated to make breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Boil the potatoes until soft

2. Fry the fish and crumble it into small pieces

3. Put the potatoes in a bowl, add the butter and mash together

4. Add the fish and parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well

5. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F / gas 6 and grease a baking tray

6. Divide mixture into 4 equal sized burger shapes and put the cheese on 2 of them

7. Put the other 2 on top of the ones with cheese and press the edges together

8. Stir the breadcrumbs and olive oil together and coat the fish cakes with it

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes

Makes 2

Tomato risotto

Ingredients
300g risotto rice
1tsp olive oil
1 vegetable stock cube
900ml water
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1tbsp tomato puree
120g soft cheese
basil

1. Dissolve stock cube in water and bring to the boil. Keep hot

2. Heat oil in pan, add rice and cook for 2 minutes

3. Pour 1 ladleful of hot stock over the rice. When this has absorbed, stir and add another ladleful of stock. Keep doing this until all stock is absorbed

4. Add tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the soft cheese

6. Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediatley

Serves 4

Chocolate cheesecake

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits (crushed into crumbs)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

150g butter

900g soft cheese

4 eggs

200g milk chocolate

200g sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 150°C / 300°F / gas 2. Grease a loose bottomed tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper

2. Melt butter. In a bowl, mix biscuit crumbs and cocoa powder together then add the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the tin

3. Mix the soft cheese, sugar and vanilla essence then add the eggs and mix, one at a time. 

4. Melt the chocolate then add the cheese mixture slowly and mix

5. Put the cheese/chocolate mixture into the tin on top of the base and bake for 40 minutes or until set (should still be a bit soft in the middle)

6. Leave to cool then refridgerate for 12 hours. Decorate as desired

Vol-au-vents

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F / gas 6

2. Roll out a block of puff pastry to about 1cm thick (or use ready rolled pastry)

3. Cut out circles (about 6 cm diameter), then make a smaller circle inside (but dont cut all the way through) and prick holes in the middle circle with a fork

4. Place on a greased baking tray and brush with beaten egg or milk

5. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the pastry has risen

6. Leave to cool then push the middles down to make a hole. Fill the holes with soft cheese

Bacon wrapped chicken with scrambled eggs and tomatos

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

3 slices of bacon

soft cheese

mixed herbs (I used chives, parsley and sage)

tomatoes

2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F / gas 7

2. Cut a slit in the chicken and fill with cheese and herbs. Wrap the bacon slices around the chicken

3. Wrap in tin foil and bake for 30 minutes

4. While the chicken is cooking, chop the tomatoes into chunks. Fry and stir until mushy then add eggs and stir until set

Serves 1