Kudos to Michael for his great meal of shrimp and Chicken

Hats off to Michael on this meal.The grilled lemons really made it sing too. Michael, add your recipe in the comments

Grilled Pizza on Scraggy Neck

Refer to my first set of Pizza recipes that we made in Tuscany. This time we cooked for over 15 people. Michael King and Natasha were the sous chefs and we churned out over 9 pizzas in about 20 min.

incredibly easy clams and pasta

Cook Pasta as you would normally cook it - al dente.

Take clams, chopped garlic, a little pepper flakes, 1/2 bottle white wine, 1/4 stick of butter, salt and pepper and add it all to a large pot.

Cook on high heat covered until all the clams are open. Remove the clams from the pot and let the sauce reduce.

to gild the lily more, right before serving , swirl some more butter in the sauce to make it silky

Cumin and coriander rubbed grilled shrimp over Israeli cous cous

Peel a pound of large shrimp and add equal parts ground cumin and coriander, a little salt and pepper and olive oil and put in a ziplock bag . shake it around to cover all the shrimp and let marinate for at least an hour

Take 1 cup of Israeli Cous cous and sautee in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until a lot of the cous cous is brown .

Add 1 small chopped onion and cook until the onion is translucent.

Add 2 cups chicken broth , bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer and cook till the cous cous is tender - 20 min.

Grill the shrimp over charcoal and add fresh chopped herbs to serve.

Scraggy neck meals for 15 or more

Take a look at my earlier recipe for Bologonese sauce. This time, I made it with all beef since my daughter Natasha won't eat pork since pigs are cute. DON'T GET ME STARTED.

We served this twice during our week on the Cape

Kofta and middle eastern dinner

Lebanese Kofta

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs finely ground lamb
1 bunch of parsley, washed and coarsely chopped
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Bamboo Skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes prior to using

Procedure

1. Pulse onion and parsley and onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add the ground lamb, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.

2. Form lamb mixture into 1 1/2" meat balls. Thread one meatball on a skewer, then form meat into a log shape around the skewer. Repeat until all lamb is used.

3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Clean and oil your grilling grate.

4. Grill skewers over high heat until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and serve.

• 1 lb spaghetti or bucatini
• 1/3 lb grams guanciale or pancetta — diced or cut into strips
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 medium eggs scrambled
• 2 cups mixed Parmesan and pecorino Romano (or all pecorino) – grated
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Cook the guanciale in a pan along with the whole peeled garlic clove and a little oil, until the guanciale is well coloured. Discard the garlic.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a little of the cheese and a pinch of salt.
3. Cook the pasta until al dente, drain and add to the pan with the guanciale.
4. Lower the heat to a minimum and add the egg mixture. Mix well. Be careful not to let the eggs set.
5. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the cheese. Mix again and serve immediately.