Try skirt steak with watercress and chilies

Preheat a grill to high (preferably, build a charcoal fire and let the coals turn pale gray) or heat a cast-iron griddle over high heat. Let the grates or griddle get good and hot. Whisk together the lime zest, juice, extra virgin olive oil, mustard, garlic, and sea salt in a small bowl. Set the dressing aside for the moment.

Rub both sides of the steak with a generous drizzle of oil, then generously season all over with the kosher salt. Scatter one side with half the chilies and give them a good old pat so they stick, then flip the steak and do the same on the other side. Grill the steak, turning it over once, until it's charred and lovely looking, 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. Some of the chilies will fall onto the hot surface. Pluck them off with tongs as they get charred and put them in a large bowl. When the steak is ready, add it to the bowl, folding it if need be.

Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the dressing over the steak and chilies and give it a toss. Combine the shallots and tomatoes in a large bowl, pour in the rest of the dressing, and give it a toss. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then add the watercress and toss gently but well.

Slice the steak across the grain into long, thin slices, about 5 inches long and a little less than ¼ inch thick. Layer the salad and steak, lightly and elegantly, on a platter, ending with a small handful of vegetables. Spoon on the lovely liquid remaining in the steak bowl and scatter any remaining chilies here and there.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pound the garlic along with a healthy pinch of salt in a mortar until you have a wet, fairly smooth paste. (You can also do this on a cutting board, chopping and mashing and chopping and mashing until you're satisfied). Put the paste in a large mixing bowl. Add the cumin, coriander, chilies, and ¼ cup of olive oil and stir well, then add the carrots and toss well so they're coated with the oil and spices. Sprinkle on 3 healthy pinches of salt, crushing the grains with your fingers as you add them, and toss again.

Put the carrots in a large shallow baking dish in one layer. Scrape out the extra garlic, sprices, and oil from the bowl and spread it evenly on top of the carrots. Pour a ¼ cup of water into an empty spot in the casserole (you don't want to wash off the tasty oily stuff) and tilt the dish so the water spreads across the bottom.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and put the dish in the oven. Cook the carrots for 25 minutes. Take off the foil and keep cooking until the carrots are lightly brown, and about as tender and creamy as avocado flesh, but not so soft that they threaten to fall apart, about 35 minutes more.

While the carrots are roasting, segment the orange as you would a lemon. Squeeze the leftover membrane over a small bowl to release the juice. Set it aside.

When the carrots are done, take the dish out of the oven and let it sit until the carrots have cooled a bit but are still warm.

Meanwhile, take the avocadoes from the fridge. Halve them lengthwise, remove the pits, and peel the halves. Cut the flesh lengthwise into slices about the same size as the carrots — the slices should be sturdy enough that they don't break up when you toss them.

Put the avocado slices in a large mixing bowl and add the reserved orange juice, the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a healthy pinch or two of salt. Toss gently. Push the avocado to one side of the bowl. Add a handful of the carrots at a time, scraping and tossing them in the beautiful green liquid in the bowl before adding another handful. Make sure to scrape out and add all the garlicky spices left in the baking dish. Toss it all together gently, being careful not to break the avocado slices.

Stack the carrots, avocado, and orange segments on a platter so they're facing this way and that. Top with the cilantro and serve right away.

Make the broth: Combine the hocks, the vegetables, bay leaf, peppercorns, and 8 cups of water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low, put the lid on, and cook at a nice steady simmer until the meat on the hocks is so tender it's almost falling off the bone, 4 to 5 hours. Carefully remove the hocks and put them in a big bowl. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into the bowl with the hocks, and discard the vegetables and aromatics. Let the hocks cool in the liquid.

When the hocks are cool enough to handle, pull off the meat into bite-sized chunks. Discard any bones and any hard bits, and some of the fat, but don't throw away the skin — I add the skin to the soup in thin slices along with the chunks of ham. You don't have to, but I like the way it goes sticky in the soup. You can keep the stock and meat (moistened with a splash of stock) in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to two days. Gently warm the meat and skin before proceeding with the recipe. This recipe requires only 4 cups of stock — you may freeze the leftover stock for up to a month for your next batch of soup.

Make the soup: Put the butter in a large pot that has a lid and set it over medium heat. Once the butter starts to froth, add the onions, carrots, and salt and stir. Cover the pot and cook, stirring every now and again, until the onions are soft and creamy (but not colored) and the carrots are tender but firm, about 15 minutes.

Add the wine and bring it to a boil (turn the heat up, if you need to). Let the wine boil until it's all but gone, about five minutes. Add the mint and 4 cups of the ham broth and bring the liquid to a boil, then add the peas. (At this point, the carrots will have bobbed to the top. I like to pick out most of the carrot chunks before pureeing the soup, then add them back after. That way, you can nibble on them in the soup, getting that bit of texture.) Cook at a simmer until the peas are warmed though and tender, about 5 minutes.

Blend the pot's contents, in batches, until smooth. Return all the bright-green pea puree to the large pot, add the ham pieces and carrots, and cook at a very gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, just to let the flavors mingle and heat the ham. Have a taste, and season with salt. How much you need to add will depend on how salty the ham hocks are. 

Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, several twists of black pepper, and the torn mint leaves. Then add the crème fraiche in little blobs here and there, so everyone will get a bit. Serve the soup in the pot, with little bowls alongside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and position a rack in the middle. Grease the springform pan very well with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with the parchment paper circle and put the pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, clove, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl and stir well. In a small pot, stir together the boiling water, molasses, and baking soda until the molasses has completely dissolved.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (You can use an electric handheld mixer instead, if you fancy.) Mix on high speed until the mixture is light, and fluffy, about 3 minutes. You'll occasionally need to scrape down any butter and sugar that clings to the sides.Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, add the egg, and mix until it's incorporated. Then add the grated ginger and mix some more.

Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until well combined. Do the same with about one-third of the molasses mixture, and repeat the process until you've used up both mixtures. Stop the mixer from time to time to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The batter will be very wet.

Pour the batter into the springform pan and place the baking sheet (pan and all) in the oven. Bake just until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out almost clean and no longer wet, about 1 hour. Before you remove the ring of the springform, let it cool a bit, though not too much-it's wonderful when it's warm.