200g grated cheese of your choice
1 tablespoon cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 eggs, separated
4 thick slices of ham

4 slices of bread

Pre-head the grill to hot. Meanwhile, mix together in a bowl the grated cheese, cream, mustard and egg yolks.
Beat the egg whites then fold into the cheese mixture. Place a slice of ham on top of each slice of bread and pour over the cheese mixture.
Grill until the topping has risen and is bubbling.

CHIVE EGGS ON TOMATO BREAD

6 eggs
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh chives
8 thick slices of crusty bread
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

4 large tomatoes, halved
25g butter
4 slices of parma ham (or jamon serrano)
Salt & pepper

Beat eggs in a bowl with water and seasoning. Add chives and reserve. Toast bread slices on both sides. Place on plates and rub with garlic cloves and squeeze pulp and seeds from half a tomato over each slice. Reserve, keeping warm. Melt butter in a pan and add eggs. Stir over gentle heat bringing mixture in from sides of pan to the centre until it is just soft but still slightly runny. Spoon over toast and drape ham on top.
Don't worry if you don't have time to do the egg part, it's still delicious without it.

500g pasta
150g grated cheese
200ml cream
Butter, salt & pepper.

TOMATO & AUBERGINE SAUCE

if you don't like aubergines, you can substitute with red and/or green peppers

2 ripe tomatoes, skinned and diced
1 tin (400 gms) tomatoes
1 or 2 aubergines, diced (don't remove skin)
1 onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic,
2 tablespoons of oregano, 1 tbs. parsley
2 tbs. of olive oil, salt & pepper

Fry onions and garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Add the aubergine and cook for about 10 mins (if oil has evapourated, add a few teaspoons of water). Add the tinned tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Then add the oregano and tomatoes (tip: in order to remove skin easily, boil first and skin when cool).

Meanwhile cook the pasta. Sprinkle the sauce with the parsley and serve with a variety of grated cheese.

RISOTTO

400g of rice (best to use the quick cook stuff)
200g tomato purée
2 stock cubes dissolved in 1 litre of water
100g grated parmesan cheese
1 finely chopped onion
¹/₂ glass of white wine
50g butter
Salt & pepper

"ENSALADA CAROLINA"

...my own creation!

Baby lettuce (about one per person) finely chopped
Cherry tomatoes halved
Croutons (just toast the bread in the toaster, allow to cool and cut into dice)

Dressing:
5 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley (it's ok to use the dried stuff)
1 very finely chopped baby onion
Salt + pepper to taste

Pour on the dressing just before serving. Add a pinch of oregan and mix.

don't know what it's called but tasted it in a very nice Italian restaurant in Calle Ventura de la Vega so called it after the restaurant. Incidentally this place does FABULOUS pizzas - recommend the one with bacon and cream

Variety of mixed lettuce
black olives
fetta cheese or mozarella
capers
olive oil & balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Just toss everything in together.

GUACAMOLE

2 very ripe avocados (chopped and mushed up)
1 ripe tomato (chopped very finely)
half an onion chopped very finely
1 clove crushed garlic (if you're not mad about raw garlic, use a pinch of the dried stuff)
Salt and pepper to taste
A few drops of lemon juice (or vinegar)

Put everything together and mix like mad 'till it's a paste. You can of course use a blender if you don't mind the extra washing up. 

Some Crab (the synthetic stuff they sell ready-shred. NOTE: you can substitute crab for a tin of tuna fish)
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup
the juice of half a lemon (or vinegar)

Throw everything into a bowl and mix well until creamy

LENTIL SOUP Spanish Style

half kg of lentils
3 carrots (sliced)
3 potatoes (sliced but not too thinly)
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 large tomatoes (boil them, allow to cool and remove the skin)
Olive oil
1 or 2 stock cubes dissolved in a litre of water
a good pinch of Paprika
a few bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Sauté the garlic and sliced onions in the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add the paprika and stir.  Add the stock, lentils, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves and pepper and salt. Boil at a low heat (it takes at least 1 hr to cook!).

LENTIL SOUP Greek Style

half kg of lentils
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tin (450 gm) shredded tomatoes (or you can use fresh tomatoes prepared as above)
Olive oil
2 red chilli peppers
1 litre of water

a few bay leaves

pepper (ideally freshly ground)

Sauté the garlic and sliced onions in the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add the lentils, tomatoes, chilli peppers, water, bay leaves and pepper. Boil at a low heat (it takes at least 1 hr to cook!). Once ready, remove the bay leaves and red chilli peppers.

CARROT PUREE

1 kg carrots (chopped)
2 medium-sized potatoes (finely sliced)
1 large finely chopped onion 
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 litre of water

This one is idiot-proof and takes about 5 min to make. No cooking required!

half pack of finger biscuits
(I do not know the exact name but no doubt your grandmother used to eat them. They are a great hit with the old folks, probably coz they're soft and do not get stuck in the false teeth) 

Port or sherry
(it would probably be nice with brandy too but I haven't tried it)

Fruit (either the tinned variety or freshly sliced)

Whipped cream

Soak the biscuits in the sherry/port/brandy (if you don't like alcohol, mix it with the fruit syrup) and line them up, ideally, in a long plate. Put the cream on top and top with the fruit, add another layer of biscuits, cream and fruit and so on until it gets dangerously high and at risk of topping over on the way to the dining room. Chill in the fridge if time permits.

THE RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

yes, that's what it's called. Took this one from a magazine. It's absolutely delicious!

75 gm butter
225 gm of crushed digestive biscuits
218 gm condensed milk
half pint of double cream
juice of 3 lemons

Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuits. Place in a 20cm loose-bottomed tin and place in fridge. Meanwhile, whisk everything else in a blender until thick. Place on top of base and chill. I usually put some grated chocolate on top.

p.s. original recipe uses lime and gingerbread biscuits.