Margarita

For ➊ drink
9-12 cl fresh squeezed lime juice
3 cl Cointreau, triple sec or another orange liqueur
4.5 cl oz Blanco tequila
kosher salt (optional)
lime wheel
Glass: Cocktail or rocks

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
For a slightly sweeter drink, add a dash of agave syrup (one part water, two parts agave nectar) before shaking. Or replace the Cointreau with it.

*Do another version, try 6 cl tequila, 3 cl lime juice, 3 cl agave syrup (1 part water/ 1 part agave nectar)
**Or have a related Paloma.

Seasoned rice vinegar

For ➋➎ cl
25 cl rice vinegar
3 tbs sugar
2 ts salt

In a small saucepan bring rice vinegar, sugar and salt to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring, until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.
Use in sushi rice.

Grilled fennel with lemon oil

For ➍
500 g (baby) fennel
extra virgin olive oil
lemon olive oil (or lemon juice & zest)
sea salt
fresh Italian parsley, chopped

When using baby fennel, cut off the green stems and the very bottom of the root (but not so much that the layers have nothing to attach to). Cut the fennel in half lengthwise, and then again into 4-6 bite-sized wedges.
When using a large fennel bulb simply trim off the stems, slice off the bottom and cut the bulb in half lengthwise. Cut each half into even-sized wedges, about 1.5 cm thick.
For an outdoor grill, simply brush your fennel wedges with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and grill until soft and tender, turning occasionally.
For a grill pan, heat the pan on medium high heat for 3-5 m. Lightly coat fennel in olive oil and sea salt (use a bowl and stir)*. When the pan is hot, add 1-2 tbs olive oil and gently swirl it in the pan to coat the surface. Place fennel in a single layer on the hot grill, lower the heat to medium and cook until translucent, tender and slightly browned, turning occasionally, about 10 m.
The fennel should have grill marks and be caramelized in places. Remove the fastest cooking fennel pieces from the grill when they are done and place them in a bowl.
When all the fennel is finished cooking, drizzle it lightly with lemon oil (or juice and zest) and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Adjust salt and zest if necessary.
Serve it as a salad or with grilled chicken or salmon.

*Or make a marinade of 1½ ts olive oil, 1 tbs balsamic vinegar (or ½ lemon juiced), 1 tbs Dijon mustard (coarse if you have it) and 1 tbs minced garlic. Brush the fennel slices with the marinade before grilling.

Grilled potatoes

For ➍
1 kg new potatoes, washed & quartered
½ tbs finely chopped garlic
½ ts salt
½ tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 ts finely chopped fresh thyme
½ ts freshly ground black pepper

Place the cut potatoes in a medium bowl. Drizzle 2 tbs of oil over the top and add about half of the seasoning mixture. Stir the potatoes to evenly coat them. Grill the potatoes over direct medium heat on BBQ, with the lid closed as much as possible, until tender, 10 to 15 m, turning occasionally. (Keep the potatoes warm while you grill the lamb).

tip: salting fresh cod

A good way to drain excessive water from white fish, cod fillets especially, is to rub the fish with salt. Let it rest on a sheet of kitchen paper for 2 h. Remove from the fridge 30 m before cooking.
You might rinse the salt away with a little water and pat the fish dry immediately.
Don't salt cod when cooking in a microwave.