Here are some recipes for delicious meals that call for you to cook with alcohol.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

You will need:

Enough pasta to feed your family (any kind)

3 shots of vodka

Onion

Garlic

Parsley

Olive oil

Chilli flakes

1-2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Cream

First mix the vodka and chilli and allow it to sit for a while. Simmer the onion and garlic in the olive oil for two minutes, add in the parsley and the vodka, and simmer for ten minutes. Mix in the chopped tomatoes, cook for two more minutes and stir in just enough cream to make the sauce the right consistency. Serve over pasta.

Red Wine Ratatouille

Onion

Garlic

Zucchini

Aubergine

Red pepper

Yellow pepper

3 tomatoes

Tin of chopped tomatoes

A few glugs of red wine

Basil

Parsley

Olive oil

Chop and saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes. Meanwhile cube all the vegetables and add them to the pan, along with the red wine. Let these simmer for 5-10 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and the herbs. Mix well, simmer for another 10 minutes and serve.

Bourbon Sauce

Cup of water

Half cup brown sugar

Nutmeg

3 shots of bourbon whiskey

Pinch of cornstarch

2 knobs of butter

Mix water, sugar and a pinch of nutmeg in a pan and bring to the boil, then mix in the whiskey and corn starch. Once it’s thickened, melt in the butter. Serve over mashed potatoes, pudding, sweet potato, or anything else you like!

Volauvents, The Classy Finger Food

These delicious little pastry snacks are perfect finger food. To make the casing, all you need is pre-made puff pastry. Cut this into small squares, as big as you want them, and with a sharp knife, score a square border in each one each. Bake these for about 10 minutes at 160C, until they have risen, then pry the square centre out, leaving a hollow case.

For a filling you can use anything, but make a cream sauce as a base to cook your filling in. Melt a few knobs of butter in a pan, add two teaspoons of flour and some milk or cream, then your filling (mushrooms, sweetcorn or cheese work great). Once this is softened, season, fill the cases and bake for 5 more minutes, then let them cool and serve to your hungry guests.

Roast Pepper Crostinis For Spicing Up Festivities

This spicy snack will heat up a cold winter evening. The base of this is French bread, so get a long enough stick, cut it into small slices and bake these for about 15 minutes and 150C, until they’re nice and crispy. Next, roast and peel 2 big red peppers, dice them and pop them in a blender with a few spoons of grated parmesan, a glug of olive oil, some chopped garlic, chopped almonds, salt and a generous amount cayenne pepper.

When this is blended to make a thick paste (you can add more parmesan to thicken or more olive oil to make it runnier), spread it on the French bread, toast again for five minutes and serve!

Cloves originally come from Indonesia, and are the dried flower buds of plants native to that region. Nowadays they are grown all over Asia and are used in many different types of cuisine, and have even become popular in British food. You may have seen whole cloves embedded in various fruits, vegetables and meats, you may even have cooked with them before, and you have definitely eaten powdered cloves.

Powdered Cloves in Spicy Dishes

Powdered cloves are traditionally used as spices in many south Asian dishes, particularly in India, Indonesia and Vietnam. The famous Indian flavour garam masala is a combination of different spices, among them powdered cloves. The British have also gotten in on the act, as one a main ingredient of Worcester sauce is cloves, giving it that nice warm aromatic taste, and lots of fusion food relies on spices such as cloves. You can easily powder cloves at home too, by buying them whole and either putting them through a grinder or smashing them with a hammer.

Whole Cloves for that Seasonal Aroma

This time of year, you are most likely to see whole cloves studded in an orange used as a decoration. This releases the aromas of both the fruit and the cloves, and fills the room with a spicy, fruity seasonal aroma. In cooking, you can also use whole cloves to stud onions and flavour a homemade sauce, or stick them in meat like ham for the Christmas dinner. Just remember to take them out afterward!

Really, who needs a holiday as an excuse to get friends and family around and pig out? The traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece is usually a giant roast turkey, but recently folks have been mixing this up a little and getting creative, taking a whole new spin on the traditional Thanksgiving feast. Here is what happens.

Thanksgiving Tofurkey for Meat-Haters

When all the family is gathered around, a huge turkey is the usual way to satisfy everyone. However, nowadays more and more people are living with alternative diets, for reasons such as personal taste, fashion or an environmental conscience. For those that eschew the eating of meat, a new centerpiece has become popular: the tofurkey. Essentially a big casserole of tofu or seitan stuffed with grains, this is one option for those expecting many vegetarians at their Thanksgiving party. However, if you are the only vegetarian among meat eaters, err on the side of caution: your guests will not appreciate the taste of tofurkey as a replacement for real turkey, especially on this day. Maybe just stick to a nice salad instead of taking away the turkey.

Turducken: Scary Bird Bonanza

Going in the completely opposite direction, you have a dish which slaughters as many animals as possible: the turducken. This is a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, all boned and roasted. This debaucherous meal is becoming more and more popular, partly because of the humorous/ridiculous concept and partly because people love meat. To really wow your guests try to take it further, and stuff as many birds as you can into one another, like a 19th century gastronomist Grimod de La Reynière, whose roti sans pareil combined 17 different birds inside each other.

With that in mind, enjoy your meal!

Making ravioli is so easy, but before you start, you need to decide what kind of filling you would like in these little dough packets. Here are the ingredients for two suggestions, but feel free to try your own ideas too. These are both vegetarian suggestions, but are sure to win over even the most ardent carnivore.

For the ravioli:

• 250g flour
• 2 eggs
• A splash of olive oil
• Salt
• Some warm water

But first, let’s start with the fillings.

Filling for Ravioli

Here is what you need for either a truffle or pumpkin filling.

Truffle filling:

• 3-4 black truffles
• 200g porcini mushrooms
• Cooking oil
• White truffle oil

Begin by chopping the mushrooms small and fry on a medium heat in a small glug of cooking oil for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down low and grate the truffles over the mushrooms and mix with a few glugs of white truffle oil. Stir until mixed well, then add a small amount of warm water and mash with a fork until you have a puree.

Pumpkin filling:

• 250g pumpkin (boiled until soft)
• 100g ricotta cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

Cube the softened pumpkin and mix well with the cheese, season well and mash until you have a puree.

How To Make The Ravioli

Ready with your ingredients? Good, then lets get started.

Sift the flower into a large mixing bowl, add salt and beaten eggs, and mix well. Add a decent glug of olive oil and a small amount of water as necessary, then beat and knead until you have a nice smooth dough. Roll this out flat and use a glass to cut circles. Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of each circle, but not too much, then fold each circle over and use a fork to press the edges together.

Boil up a pot full of water and add your ravioli to this. Ten minutes should be enough, then drain the water and serve with your favourite sauce, and some chives or pine nuts as a garnish. This is guaranteed to impress every dinner guest.

But even some ostensibly simple and unhealthy dishes can be the most appealing. Macaroni and cheese is one of the simplest and most underestimated dishes that is favoured by students and those just in need of comfort food. While it may be a quintessential American dish, the origins may surprise you.

Macaroni and Cheese in Britain

Being a pasta dish, it can be taken for granted that macaroni and cheese originated in Italy. Basic dishes based on macaroni pasta baked with cheese and butter have appeared in old Italian cookbooks, but the dish similar to its modern appearance has also been very popular in Britain around the 14th century.

This food was a luxury, and could only be consumed by upper classes. Naturally, the dish made its way to the USA, and is believed to have become popular thanks to Thomas Jefferson, who served it at a White House dinner in 1802.

Mac and Cheese Variations and Health Issues

While the basic mac and cheese dish is merely pasta with cheese and butter sauce, many ingredients can be added to create something new. Popular variations include ground beef, chilli peppers, bacon, tuna and other vegetables such as peas, in order to include other food groups and nutrients in the dish.

This is a good idea, as mac and cheese itself is quite an unhealthy dish, containing a lot of fat. Store bought brands are popular, but can be even worse for you, though many brands now offer low fat, vitamin enriched versions. While macaroni and cheese is a tasty treat, even the healthier versions should be enjoyed in moderation.

But there are many ways you can make a salad interesting and ensure that you aren’t just eating it out of obligation, but actually because it tickles your taste buds in all the right ways, leaving you satisfied and healthy.

Get Creative With Your Salads

There are many theories on what makes a good salad. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver even designed a chart so you can mix and match elements in order to create a comprehensive and delicious salad. This involves picking different types of lettuce, raw vegetables, cheeses and toppings such as croutons or seeds. Of course, you don’t have to have one from each category, but a general rule of four ingredients will ensure a nice salad that’s not too cluttered.

Adding cheese such as parmesan or goat’s cheese can give it a nice kick, and even adding some toasted pine nuts, olives, kidney beans or maybe even fruit (withing reason!) will give you a new taste experience, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Try Some Classic Salads

There are a number of classic salads that you will find on the menu at every nice restaurant, and these are classics for a reason: they combine ingredients in a way that works very well. Perhaps most famous is the Caesar salad, which comprises romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan, lemon juice, egg and Worcestershire sauce, but there are many others, such as the Cobb salad (chopped leaves, tomato, bacon, chicken breast, egg, avocado, Roquefort cheese and red wine vinaigrette) and Waldorf salad (chopped apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise). These can all be easily made at home, so give them a try and see how interesting salads can be.

The bad news is, there is no known cure for the common cold. The good news is, the illness normally lasts a rather short time, as it is a self-limiting illness. Essentially, all you can do is eat as healthy as possible to boost your body’s defenses in the hope you won’t catch it. If you do get struck down with the cold however, there are certain things you can do to alleviate the symptoms and make the experience less awful.

Healthy Immune Systems and the Common Cold

A strong immune system is the key to avoiding and fighting the cold. Strong white blood cells are necessary for this, and in order to keep them working you need to eat properly. This means no crash dieting, and getting your 5 a day of fruits and vegetables, raw and fresh when possible. Drinking fruit juice, especially ones high in vitamin C, is a great way to boost your immune system and can also help fight a cold if you already have it.

Common Cold Symptoms and a Healthy Diet

If you find yourself with cold symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing, cough, or a headache, the best thing you can do is get plenty of rest and eat right to alleviate these symptoms. Lozenges and anything with zinc have been shown to have a great effect, as well as exotic fruits like papaya. It may sound like a cliche, but spicy foods also help, as they can stop nasal congestion. One of the most important things though is to get plenty of fluids, especially juice and water, but lay off the alcohol. Follow these and you will see yourself through the winter with no problem.

Cooking this for yourself is so easy, all you will need is a nice big butternut squash, a pot of vegetable stock, an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, a few tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. If you want to get creative, feel free to add some carrots and celery, or some brown mushrooms chopped into cubes.

Starting Your Butternut Squash Soup

Start by boiling up your vegetable stock in a pot and begin preparing your butternut squash. You’ll want to remove the hard parts at the top and bottom, peel the squash, halve it and deseed it. Cook the butter and chopped onion and garlic in a large pan for about 8 minutes, then combine the stock, squash and cooked onion and garlic over a high heat. At this point, add your celery and carrots if you have chosen to use these.

A Delicious Winter Treat!

Once all the contents of the pot are tender (should take around 15-20 minutes) either use a hand blender on the pot or pour the mixture into a blitzer until it’s a smooth puree, then mix in salt, pepper and nutmeg. If you want to add mushrooms instead of vegetables, fry them very lightly in butter and scatter over the soup once it’s been served into each bowl. Now eat it while warm, with some bread for dipping, and enjoy this yummy winter meal!

This form of cuisine has developed in relative silence throughout the nineties and seeks to use molecular and physical science to examine how food is cooked, and by applying the knowledge create new and exciting dishes that would otherwise have been impossible. From its rather obscure roots in workshops in France and Italy that brought scientists and cooks together, molecular gastronomy has become quite well known, even infamous, particularly in the UK.

Heston Blumenthal and the Fat Duck

British chef Heston Blumenthal has probably done more to bring molecular gastronomy into the public consciousness than any other chef, having written many cookbooks and filmed many television shows on the subject. As part of Britain’s celebrity chef elite, he has captured the imaginations of many aspiring cooks, sometimes to disastrous effect. Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, the Fat Duck, located in the small English village of Bray, has been voted the best restaurant in the world, with people traveling to the village just to sample his food.

The Future Of Molecular Gastronomy

Since molecular gastronomy has become more and more popular in the last few years, owing in no small part to Heston Blumenthal’s celebrity status, along with the elite status that comes with mastering such a complex art, it should come as no surprise to find new generations of young cooks taking up the challenge and trying these recipes themselves. With new blood in the industry, I think we can expect unseen levels of complexity and creativity gracing our plates in years to come.