Wash the limes and using a peeler or zester, cut strips of lime peel and then mince the peel. Wash and slice the fennel julienne, mix with the lime juice from half a lime and let it marinate for 30 minutes. In a medium skillet, dry roast the lime peel, but do not let it turn color, then mix it with the olive oil.

     Wash the tomatoes, cut into quarters, remove the seeds and chop the tomatoes until they are quite fine. Mince the Spanish onion and mix with the tomatoes, and marinated fennel. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the two limes and mix the lime juice with the onion and tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

     Steam* the cod fillets for about 10 minutes or until they turn opaque. Place the filets in a dish and cover them with the tomato and Spanish onion mixture. Let the fish marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

     Serve by placing the marinated vegetables on a small plate and top with a nice piece of cod. If the cod filets are large, cut them into equal pieces before serving them.

     Serve with a chilled white wine such as a Chardonnay, Lindeman’s Bin 65.  This is an Australian wine.

     *You may also poach the cod filets in a medium-sized pot by placing them in a little water, a fish bouillon, and carrot, half an onion, a bay leaf. Poach the fish covered and simmer gently until the fish is cooked (it will turn opaque).

     Julienne the zucchini, carrots and the celery root. Blanch the vegetables separately until just tender and shock them immediately in cold water. Drain and squeeze gently to remove excess water. Arrange vegetables in piles evenly across 8 plates and top each pile with an equal amount of crabmeat. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and salt to taste in a small bowl. 

     Spoon over the crabmeat mixture and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

     Meantime, cut the apples in half, remove the seeds and cut into fairly thin slices. In a small skillet, sauté the apples until soft. Add the honey.

     Serve the grilled bread and cheese served with a generous topping of sautéd apples and a little thyme.

     Thoroughly blend the cream cheese and mayonnaise. Add the ground cooked ham, grated hard-boiled eggs, pickle relish and a dash of ground cloves. Season
with a little salt and pepper if you wish.

     Using a cookie cutter, cut out the toast into heart shapes and top with the ham spread. Serve two pieces per person on a leaf of lettuce and a couple of wedges of red tomatoes. Sprinkle a little freshly chopped parsley over the starters and serve with a chilled white wine.

Mexican Crockpot Dip

     Wash, clean and slice the fresh mushrooms. Finely shred the fresh bay leaves and finely mince the garlic. In a heavy skillet, pour a little olive oil (ca. 1-2 Tbsp) and sauté the mushrooms, garlic and shredded bay leaves until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are a light golden brown. Remove and set aside. Stir the cream cheese and freshly chopped herbs and mix with the mushrooms. Serve with toast rounds or plain crackers.

     Beat the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the light sour cream and mayonnaise and beat again until smooth. (This can be done in a blender.) 

     Drain and chop the salmon and add to the above mixture. Add grated lemon rind, lemon juice, mustard, chopped shallots, parsley and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

     Refrigerate an hour or so to let the flavors blend and serve with toasted bread rounds or crackers.

     Baking time: Approx. 6 mins. at 225°C 425°F Gas 7 Drain the mussels thoroughly through a sieve. Divide them equally between 6 individual ovenproof dishes. Mix the butter with the other ingredients, and spread over the mussels. Bake the mussels in the middle of the oven until golden and serve them hot.

     Accompaniment: Toast and lemon wedges.

     Beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the mayonnaise and sour cream and beat until smooth. 

     Finely chop the bacon; peel and finely chop the onion. In a heated frying pan (skillet) gently fry the bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Drain the pan, add a little butter and gently sauté the onions until tender and trans- parent. Remove the onions and set aside to cool.

     To the cream cheese mixture, add the curry powder, mustard, paprika and cooled onion and bacon. Shell and chop the boiled eggs. Add the eggs and chopped parsley to the cheese mixture and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate about an hour to let the flavors blend.