Celebrity Chef alex Mackay shows you how to cook your own gourmet dishes

Pesto
There is no definitive recipe for pesto; it can be made without nuts or cheese. Fresh walnuts can be used instead of pine nuts. The pesto will keep, covered with a layer of olive oil, in a sealed jar or container for a couple of weeks. Makes approximately 150g (10 tablespoons)

2 x 25g packets of basil, leaves picked from their stalks
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for the top
3 rounded tablespoons pine nuts or fresh walnuts (do not make pesto with dry old walnuts, it will be bitter)
3 rounded tablespoons grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Pick the basil leaves from their stalks. Boil the basil leaves and garlic for 30 seconds, transfer to the bowl of cold water using a skimmer or a sieve. As soon as the basil and garlic are cold, drain in a colander and shake away any excess water. Place into the bowl of a small food processor and blend with the oil, nuts and parmesan. It’s completely up to you how long you blend the pesto for, just briefly if you like it chunky or a bit longer if you like it smooth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Store in jars or small Tupperware containers. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top and make sure the lids are airtight.

Provencal Chicken Breasts with Summer Vegetables and Basil Pesto
The vegetables can vary according to whatever is freshest and best.

Serves 4
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 tablespoons of pesto (see earlier recipe)
200ml chicken stock, or water
16 Chanteney carrots, peeled (or 2 large carrots, cut into chunks)
200g mangetout
12 spears of asparagus, cut in half
8 spring onions, trimmed and cut in half
12 sunblush tomatoes
Salt and black pepper

Method Preheat your oven to 190/Fan170/Gas 5 - Middle shelf
Slice each chicken breast through the centre lengthways but not all of the way through. Open them out, as you would open a book to the centre. The breasts will be half as thick and almost heart shaped when you’ve done this.

Heat a large ovenproof frying pan with the vegetable oil. Season the chicken breasts well with salt and pepper and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Place the pan into the oven and roast for 4 minutes more. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto over each breast and leave to rest in a warm place while you finish the vegetables. Drain the fat from the pan and add the chicken stock.

While the chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the carrots and turnips and boil for 4 minutes.
Add the mangetout and the asparagus. Bring back to the boil, add the spring onions and boil for 2 minutes more.

Strain the vegetables and add to the chicken stock in the pan. Bring to the boil, add the sunblush tomatoes, remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of pesto. Season to taste, top with the pesto smothered chicken breasts and serve.

Pan-Fried Salmon with Pesto, Caponata of Aubergines & Red Pepper Dressing
The aubergines with caponata and red pepper dressing could easily be served with any other fish, chicken or lamb.

Do Ahead: The aubergines can be cooked, the caponata made and the red pepper dressing prepared (both up to the point of adding the pesto) at least a day in advance.

Serves 4
4 x 150g boneless filets of salmon, butterflied. (I’ll show you how to do this)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
The Aubergines - 1 small, firm aubergine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
The Caponata - 1 medium sized red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
12 black olives, de-stoned and chopped
20g tiny capers, well rinsed
2 plum tomatoes, de-seeded and finely diced
3 tablespoons of pesto
The Red Pepper Dressing
2 red peppers
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of pesto
Salt and cayenne pepper

Method Preheat oven to 190c / Fan 170c / Gas 5 – Middle Shelf
Top and tail the aubergines and slice in half lengthways. Cut each half into 10 slices and lay flat on tray lined with non-stick paper. Mix the oil and vinegar together and brush over the top of the aubergines. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and bake for 10-12 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the caponata, place the onions and garlic into a pan with the olive oil, salt and a pinch of sugar. Cover and sweat over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.

Add the red wine vinegar, raise the heat and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the chopped olives, capers, diced tomatoes and pesto. Spread about two thirds of this mixture evenly over the top of the aubergine slices; keep the remainder to go underneath the salmon.

To make the red pepper dressing, cut red peppers in half and remove the seeds. Slice each half into thin strips and place into a pan with the olive oil and vinegar. Cover and sweat over a low heat without browning the peppers for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the pesto, season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
Season the salmon with salt and cayenne pepper, pan fry for 2 minutes each side and serve with the aubergines, caponata and red pepper dressing.

Tiger Prawn, Courgette and Artichoke Salad with Tomato Chilli Relish
Serves 4
16 medium whole tiger prawns
100 ml vegetable oil, plus a little extra for frying the prawns
1 tablespoon tomato paste Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 large courgette 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of very fresh thyme, leaves picked from the stalks,
6 cooked baby artichokes, (tinned are fine) cut in half, chokes removed
12 sunblush tomatoes
8 tablespoons tomato chilli relish
2 heads of baby gem lettuce, leaves separated
Salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper

Method
Remove the tiger prawn heads and shells from their tails. Slit the tails down their backs, remove and discard their veins. Set aside. Sauté the tiger prawn shells over a high heat in a little of the vegetable oil for one minute until the shells begin to change colour. Add the tomato paste and roast for a minute or so, go by the aroma: you should get the scent of roasted tomatoes. Pour over the remainder of the vegetable oil and bring it to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for about 30 minutes. At this stage, warm the oil through again and strain through a fine sieve. Add the lemon juice and zest, season with salt and cayenne and set aside.

Slice the courgettes finely and toss them with the olive oil and a little salt and black pepper. Add the thyme and set aside.

Arrange these around the insides of four large plates and surround with the artichokes and sun blush tomatoes. (If you were doing this for a dinner party these plates could be prepared up to this point a couple of hours in advance). Put 2 spoonfuls of the tomato chilli relish in the centre.

Heat a large frying pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, fry for 2 minutes on each side. Turn off the heat and let them rest for a minute or so then toss in the tiger prawn oil dressing. Put the tiger prawns in the centre of the courgettes, the leaves of baby gem around the outside and spoon the dressing oil over the top.

Pork Chops with Tomato Chilli Relish, Pepper and Almond Salad, Ginger and Lemon Couscous
The pork chops can be cooked in a grill pan, or if it gets warm enough, outside on the barbeque.

Serves 4
2 yellow peppers
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 small red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon of finely grated ginger
20 sunblush tomatoes
40g flaked almonds, lightly toasted
The zest and juice of 1 lemon (remove the zest before cutting the lemon)
200g couscous
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 160-170g pork chops
25g unsalted butter
8 tablespoons tomato chilli relish
1 25g bunch of coriander, leaves picked from the stalks and sliced
Salt, cayenne pepper and caster sugar

Method
Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into 2-3cm chunks and put them in a large saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, the chilli, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, a generous pinch of salt and 4 tablespoons of water. Sweat over a medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the peppers are soft and melting. Add the flaked almonds and the sunblush tomatoes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While the peppers are cooking, bring 250ml of water to the boil with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 clove of chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Place the couscous into a medium bowl and pour the boiling liquid over the top. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, then stir and break up the grains with a fork. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and season with salt and a touch of cayenne pepper.

Make 6 small incisions in the fat around the outside of the pork chops. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan, season the pork chops well and add them to the pan. Fry for 4 minutes, turn the pork chops, turn the heat to medium, add the butter to the pan and fry for 3 further minutes. Transfer the pork chops to a plate and smother with the tomato chilli relish.

Add the lemon zest, the juice of half a lemon and the sliced coriander to the pepper mixture. Season with salt, cayenne pepper and a touch of sugar to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes and peppers. Serve the pork chops, surrounded by the pepper salad, with the couscous on the side.