Hot smoked salmon

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets, skinless or skin on, doesn't matter
50g sea salt
50g sugar
Olive oil

Mix the salt and sugar and cover the fish in it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes

Wash the cure off and pat dry with kitchen roll. Leave the fish uncovered in the fridge for an hour until completely dry.

Rub the fish with oil.

Soak the wood chips for ten minutes before draining and adding to the smoker.

Place the fillets on a wire rack, skin side down if not skinless.

Smoke for 10-12 minutes over a medium heat.

Chilli con carne

 Everyone has a chilli recipe, right? Here's mine.

Serves 4

For the chilli

500g pork mince
1 red pepper, diced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
300g of San Marzano/fresh plum tomatoes
200g of passata
½ - 1 teaspoon of smoked habanero chilli flakes
1½ teaspoons of cumin
1½ teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
A fresh bay leaf
1 stick of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of mushroom powder
1 teaspoon of Marmite
2 squares of unsweetened dark chocolate
A small glass of red wine
½ litre of beef stock
Rapeseed and olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the grains

1 teacup of 50:50 bulgur wheat and quinoa
½ litre of chicken stock
1 clove of garlic, smashed and peeled
1 teaspoon of tomato purée

For the guacamole

1 large ripe avocado, finely chopped or mashed
4 small plum or cherry tomatoes, chopped
½ small onion or shallot, grated or minced
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded to taste and thinly sliced
A large pinch of paprika
A teaspoon of sour cream
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh coriander
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Fry the onions in a generous amount of rapeseed oil till golden, then add the pepper, celery and garlic and sweat for around five minutes. Remove from the pan then add the olive oil; when sizzling, add the mince and cook on a high heat for 5 - 10 minutes, breaking up and turning till well browned. Return the vegetables to the pan and pour in the red wine, bubbling till reduced. Mix in the herbs, spices and chopped tomatoes, then cover for around ten minutes, till the tomatoes begin to break down. Stir in the passata and add stock to just cover; simmer uncovered till the stock has reduced by about half, then add more stock and repeat.

While the chilli is reducing, put the grains, puree and garlic in a small saucepan and stir in 1.5 times the volume of chicken stock. Bring to the boil, cover the pan tightly and cook on a very low heat for ten minutes. Remove from the heat and stand for twenty minutes. Prepare all the ingredients for the guacamole and mix together, seasoning as needed.

Now stir the Marmite and chocolate into the chilli and cook for another ten minutes, adding more stock or water as needed. Season to taste then serve with the grains and the guacamole.