Spinach with chilli & lemon crumbs

• 25g butter
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs
• zest 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 500g spinach
•   Prep: 5 mins Cook: 5 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4 
   

  Method

  1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, then when it starts to foam, tip in the breadcrumbs, zest, garlic and chilli. Cook until golden and crunchy. Remove from the pan, season and set aside.
  2. Add the spinach to the pan and wilt, stirring. Season and serve with the crunchy crumbs sprinkled over the top.

Carbonara cabbage

 

Ingredients

• 1kg Savoy cabbage, finely shredded
• 12 rashers streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 250ml single cream
• 50g parmesan, grated
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins
  Easy
  Serves 8 
  
  

  Method

  1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Tip in the cabbage and boil for 10 mins. Drain and keep warm.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and cook the bacon for 7-8 mins until golden and crisp, adding the garlic for the final 3 mins.
  3. In a bowl, mix together the cream and Parmesan with some freshly ground black pepper. Add the cream mixture and the cabbage to the bacon pan. Toss everything together until well coated. Return to the heat to warm through for a few mins before serving.

Creamy salmon with chunky ratatouille

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 aubergines, cubed
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• family pack mixed peppers (5 total), deseeded and cut into large chunks
• 3 large courgettes, cut into chunky batons
• 680g bottle passata
• 300ml vegetable stock
• small handful basil leaves, most chopped, a few leaves left whole to serve

For the salmon

• 125g tub garlic cream cheese (we used Boursin Light)
• 100g low-fat cream cheese
• 40g fresh breadcrumbs
• 40g pine nuts, roughly chopped
• 8 skinless salmon fillets
• crusty bread, to serve (optional)
•   Prep: 15 mins Cook: 1 hr, 20 mins
  Easy
  Serves 8 
  
  

  Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok or pan, add the aubergines and cook for 5 mins, stirring, until starting to soften and brown. Add the garlic and stir for a few secs. Tip in the peppers, courgettes, passata, stock and half the chopped basil. Season, cover and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the veg is just tender. Cool, stir in the remaining basil and spoon into 8 x 250ml shallow ovenproof dishes or foil containers.
  2. For the salmon, beat together the cheeses. Mix the breadcrumbs and pine nuts on a plate. Spread the top of the fish fillets with the cheese mix, then dip in the nutty crumbs to coat the cheese. Put a fillet on top of each ratatouille-filled dish.
  3. Put the dishes inside freezer bags and seal. Use within 6 weeks. To serve, unwrap the dishes, put on a baking tray in a cold oven, then set to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Bake for 55 mins until bubbling and the fish is cooked. Check after 30 mins – if the crumbs are getting too brown, cover the fish with foil. Serve scattered with basil, with bread, if you like.

Chocolate, pistachio & nougat semi-freddo

 

 

Ingredients

• butter, for the tin
• 75g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 250g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 450ml double cream
• 140g hard nougat or torrone, chopped into ½ cm chunks
• 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
•   Prep: 25 mins Cook: 5 mins Plus freezing
  Easy
  Serves 10 
  
  

  Method

  1. Butter and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with cling film. Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer. Put the sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, then place over the simmering water and whisk until pale, thick and doubled in volume. Remove from the heat, plunge the bottom of the bowl into cold water and continue whisking until the mixture is cool.
  2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on Low, stir, then fold into the egg mixture. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the chocolate egg mixture with the nougat and pistachios.
  3. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, smooth the surface with a spoon, then cover and freeze until firm. This can be done up to 2 weeks ahead. To serve, turn out onto a serving dish, remove the cling film and leave in the fridge for 15 mins to soften slightly before slicing.

Pea & broad bean houmous with goat’s cheese & sourdough

 

Ingredients

• 300g fresh or frozen peas
• 300g fresh broad beans, podded (no need to remove their pale green jackets) or use frozen (defrosted)
• 4 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• zest 2 lemons, juice of 1
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

To serve

• 8 slices sourdough bread, halved
• 125g/4½ oz log soft, spreadable goat's cheese
• 50g bag peas shoots (or use watercress)
•   Prep: 5 mins Cook: 6 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4 
  
  

  1. Tip the peas and beans into a large pan of salted boiling water, then cook for 3 mins. Drain, cool under cold water, then drain again thoroughly.
  2. Put the 4 tbsp oil in a pan, heat gently, then add the garlic. Cook for 3 mins, very very gently, until the oil is infused and the garlic has softened but is not coloured. Tip the oil and garlic into a jug and cool.
  3. Whizz the peas, beans and almost all the zest in a food processor, then trickle in the garlicky oil. Add the garlic cloves, almost all the lemon juice and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. The houmous should be swirling around the bowl nicely by this point, but not be too fine in texture. Scrape the sides down if you need to. Season well – you’ll need about 1 tsp sea salt and lots of black pepper. Add the rest of the lemon juice to taste. Spoon into a dish, swirl the top, then drizzle over the remaining extra virgin olive oil.
  4. To serve, toast the bread, then spread with the goat’s cheese. Dollop a good spoonful of houmous onto each piece, drizzle with a little more olive oil, scatter with the remaining zest, then grind over a little black pepper. Top with a few pea shoots and serve

Chorizo bean burgers

Ingredients

• 100g mini cooking chorizo, skins removed
• 3 pork sausages, squeezed from their skins
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp lime juice, plus wedges to serve
• small bunch coriander, chopped
• ½ x 400g can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium egg, lightly whisked
• 1½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 2 ciabatta rolls, split and toasted
• soured cream, avocado, small handful rocket and chips, to serve (optional)
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 16 mins Plus chilling
  Easy
  Serves 2 
  
  

  1. In a food processor, pulse the chorizo, sausagemeat, paprika, lime juice and coriander until well combined. Add the beans and some seasoning, and quickly pulse again to mix. Tip into a bowl and mix in just enough egg (about half) to bind. Shape into 2 fat burgers, cover and chill for 15 mins. Meanwhile, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the burgers for 3 mins on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for a further 10 mins until cooked through.
  3. Serve the burgers in rolls with soured cream, avocado and rocket, with chips and lime wedges on the side, if you like.
    Chorizo bean burgers

Smashed avocado with crispy chicken, pickled onions & tortillas

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 large, very ripe avocados
• juice 1 lemon
• 8 seeded soft tortillas, or your favourite flatbreads, warmed
• small bunch coriander, to serve

For the onions

• 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
• 100ml red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp caster sugar

For the chicken

• 4 skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3-4 chunky strips
• 284ml pot buttermilk
• 85g polenta or cornmeal
• 85g plain flour
• 1 tbsp sesame seed
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 pinches ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp garlic salt (or normal salt)
• sunflower oil, for shallow-frying
•   Prep: 50 mins Cook: 25 mins Plus marinating
  Easy
  Serves 4 
  
  

  Method

  1. Mix the chicken strips with the buttermilk and chill for about half a day.
  2. Mix all the onion ingredients, season with salt and set aside to marinate for at least 30 mins or up to half a day.
  3. Mix together the polenta or cornmeal, flour, sesame seeds, paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and garlic salt on a plate. Heat 2cm sunflower oil in a deep frying pan (or slightly more in a big wok) until a cube of bread browns in 1 min. Lift the chicken from the buttermilk and drop into the flour mix, tossing to coat well. Add about 3 chicken strips at a time to the oil and fry, turning, until golden on all sides and just cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper while you fry the rest
  4. .Halve and stone each avocado, scrape out the flesh into a bowl with the lemon juice and some seasoning, and very roughly smash together with the back of a spoon. Spread over the warm tortillas or flatbreads, top with the crispy chicken, pickled onions and some coriander, and roll up to tuck in.

Smoked haddock with lemon & dill lentils

 

Ingredients

• 100g/ 4oz Puy lentils
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 300ml/ ½ pint vegetable stock
• 1 rounded tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• zest ½ lemon
• 2 x 100g/4oz smoked haddock fillets
• 50g/ 2oz baby spinach leaves
•  
  Prep: 10 mins Cook: 25 mins
  Easy
  Serves 2 

  Method

  1. Tip the lentils into a pan with the onion, carrot and celery. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Give it a stir, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 mins, until the lentils are tender.
  2. Mix together the crème fraîche, half the dill and the lemon zest, adding a little seasoning. Put the fish in a shallow dish with a splash of water and cover with cling film. Microwave on Medium for 4-6 mins until the fish flakes easily.
  3. When the lentils are cooked, stir in the spinach until the leaves are barely wilted, then stir in the crème fraîche mixture. Divide between 2 warmed plates and top with the haddock. Scatter over the remaining dill and serve.

  Smoked haddock with lemon & dill lentils 

Beef bourguignon

 

 

Ingredients

• 1.6kg braising steaks, cut into large chunks
• 3 bay leaves
• small bunch thyme
• 2 bottles cheap red wine
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 large or 6 normal carrots, cut into large chunks
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée

To serve

• small knob butter
• 300g bacon lardons
• 500g pearl onions or small shallots, peeled
• 400g mushrooms, halved
• chopped parsley
• Prep: 45 mins Cook: 3 hrs, 30 mins Plus overnight marinating
  Easy
  Serves 6 
  
  

  Method

  1. Tip the beef into a large bowl with the bay leaves, thyme, wine and some pepper, then cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
  2. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place a colander over another large bowl and strain the marinated meat, keeping the wine. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, then brown the meat in batches, transferring to a plate once browned. When all the meat is browned, pour a little wine into the now-empty frying pan and bubble to release any caramelised bits from the pan.
  3. Heat the rest of the oil in a large casserole and fry the carrots and chopped onions until they start to colour. Stir in the flour for 1 min, then add the tomato purée. Add the beef and any juices, the wine from the frying pan and the rest of the wine and herbs. Season and bring to a simmer. Give everything a good stir, then cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hrs until the meat is really tender. Cool. Will freeze for up to 3 months.
  4. To serve, defrost completely overnight in the fridge if frozen, then place on a low heat to warm through. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a frying pan and add the bacon and pearl onions. Sizzle for about 10 mins until the bacon starts to crisp and the onions soften and colour. Add the mushrooms and fry for another 5 mins, then stir everything into the stew and heat for 10 mins more. Serve scattered with chopped parsley.
  Beef bourguignon 

Beef & beer pie

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small celery stick, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 700g beef shin, featherblade or stewing steak, cut into large chunks
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 540ml can dark ale or beer
• 1 egg, beaten
• a few pinches poppy seeds

For the pastry

• 500g plain flour, plus a little extra
• 250g vegetarian suet
•  
  Prep: 1 hr Cook: 4 hrs
  Moderately easy
  Serves 4 
  
  

  Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Using a flameproof casserole dish with a lid, soften onion and celery in the butter. Stir in the flour until it has disappeared, then stir in the beef and Worcestershire sauce. Crumble in stock cubes and add thyme. Pour over ale, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 2½ hrs. Remove lid and cook for another 30 mins – this should thicken the sauce nicely.
  2. Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the pastry, whizz the flour, suet and 1 tsp salt in a food processor until there are no suet lumps. Keeping the motor running, dribble in 1 tbsp water at a time until the pastry starts to come together, then tip onto a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands.
  3. Roll out half the pastry and use to line a20-22cm pie dish. Using a slotted spoon,spoon in all of the meat, then pour oversome of the sauce until the meat is justcoated. Put the rest of the sauce into asaucepan. Roll out the remaining pastryto cover the pie. Trim the edge with asmall, sharp knife, then crimp or fork theedges to seal. Make a small heart fromcuttings. Brush top of the pie and heartwith beaten egg, then dip heart intopoppy seeds and stick to top. Bake for30-40 mins until golden brown and crisp.Reheat sauce and serve with the piealong with some mash and greens.

Pasta with pine nuts, broccoli, sardines & fennel

 

 

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a splash
• 500g bucatini or long pasta, like spaghetti
• 500g purple sprouting broccoli, stalks halved if very large
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• 50g salted sardines, or good-quality canned sardines in oil
• 25g pine nuts
• 25g raisins
• juice and zest ½ lemon
• chilli flakes
•   Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15 mins
  Easy
  Serves 6 
  
  

  Method

  
  

  1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, with a splash of oil, then add the pasta. Cook following pack instructions, adding the broccoli for the final 5 mins.
  2. Meanwhile, gently heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and sliced garlic, and cook slowly for 2 mins. Add the fennel and cook for a couple more mins, until softened. Flake the sardines into the pan and stir around for a few more mins to break them up.
  3. Tip the pasta and broccoli into thepan with the pine nuts, raisins andlemon juice. Toss together to let thepasta absorb the oil, season well andserve immediately, scattered withlemon zest and chilli flakes.