Recipe List
PEARL BARLEY, POMEGRANATE & PISTACHIO SALAD
WARM LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN HONEY MUSTARD PASTA SALAD
COLD & CRUNCHY WINTER VEGETABLE NOODLE SALAD WITH ASIAN DRESSING
ASIAN PRAWN NOODLE SALAD WITH CRUNCHY GREENS
THE ONLY POTATO SALAD RECIPE YOU’LL EVER NEED
THE ONLY TUNA PASTA SALAD YOU’LL EVER NEED
SEAFOOD CITRUS SALAD RICE BOWL
ISRAELI CHOPPED MIXED BEAN SALAD
BLTA CHOPPED SALAD WITH SKINNY BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING
HOT SALMON & AVOCADO SALAD WITH SOURED CREAM & LIME DRESSING
Sandwiches, Wraps & Things on Toast
LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN, PESTO MAYO & TOMATO SANDWICH
MACKEREL MAYO & QUICK-PICKLED CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
BACON & AVOCADO WRAPS WITH SKINNY BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING
LOADED FAJITA SALAD WITH SOURED CREAM & LIME DRESSING
SLIGHTLY STICKY & SLIGHTLY SPICY CHICKEN WINGS
INDIAN SPICED LEFTOVER SUMMER VEGETABLE FRITTERS
LIGHT TZATZIKI WITH HOME-BAKED PITTA CHIPS
PESTO, RICOTTA & PARMA HAM BAGEL PIZZAS
ROAST BONE MARROW WITH GREMOLATA
MUSHROOMS ON TOAST WITH TAMAGO RIBBONS
TEN-MINUTE MUSHROOMS & BACON ON TOAST
PEARL BARLEY, POMEGRANATE & PISTACHIO SALAD
Always buy a whole pomegranate and remove the seeds yourself; little packs of pomegranate seeds are disproportionately expensive. Also, take care when you’re choosing pistachios. You want the shelled variety with no added salt. Some shops sell the same weight of nuts for more money in the snacks aisle, so look in the whole foods and baking aisles.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30–40 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
FRESH
150g pearl barley
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
2 handfuls of shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
2 generous handfuls of pomegranate seeds
a large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
a large handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
1. Place the pearl barley in the largest saucepan you have and cover with a couple of inches of cold water. You need to use a large saucepan for cooking even a small amount of pearl barley, as it froths up a lot while it is cooking. Set it over a high heat and bring to the boil. Let it cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the barley is tender, skimming the scum off the top of the cooking water halfway through. Keep an eye on it during cooking to make sure you don’t need to add any more water to stop the barley drying out.
2. Drain the barley and rinse off any excess stickiness under a cold tap. This will also cool the barley down, ready to be made into a salad. Shake off as much excess water as you can, and rinse out the saucepan before tipping the barley back in. Add all of the salad ingredients, a generous seasoning of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, and stir well until everything is combined. Taste a little, to make sure you’ve added enough salt and pepper. You can add more molasses too, if you think it needs a bit more tang, and a bit more oil if you think it’s too dry.
GOOD GREEN COUSCOUS
I love how stupidly quick it is to make couscous. For some reason, when I imagine a big bowl of couscous, I want it to have lots of fresh greens and lots of crunch. I also want it to improve over time, which is what this couscous salad does. So while it will taste great when you’ve just made it, this is one of those dishes you’ll get excited about having stashed away in the fridge ready for the next day.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
125g couscous
¼ cucumber, peeled and cut into small chunks
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
2 large handfuls of sugar snap peas, sliced
a large handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
juice of ½ lemon
1. Combine the couscous, 200ml boiling water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to steam and absorb the liquid (about 5 minutes) while you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and mix in the chopped vegetables and herbs, followed by the lemon juice. Season to taste with freshly ground salt and pepper, and loosen with a little more olive oil if you think it needs it.
WARM LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN HONEY MUSTARD PASTA SALAD
This was one of my favourite weeknight suppers as a student. I pretty much have everything for this recipe in my fridge and in the kitchen cupboard at any time, and if you cook from this book regularly, you’ll probably have the ingredients to hand, too.
If you don’t have any leftover roast chicken, you can instead poach a chicken breast in a pan of simmering water for 20 minutes over a medium-low heat, before shredding it with a fork.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 12 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
100g pasta shapes
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
½ tablespoon runny honey
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
a small handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
a large handful of shredded leftover Easy Lemon & Thyme Roast Chicken (here)
a large handful of rocket
1. Put the pasta on to cook in a saucepan of salted boiling water over a high heat; cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, honey, oil and vinegar.
3. Drain the pasta and return it to the saucepan. Pour over the dressing and add the tomatoes and chicken. Season well with salt and pepper, and stir until everything is coated in the honey-mustard dressing. Stir in the rocket before serving.
COLD & CRUNCHY WINTER VEGETABLE NOODLE SALAD WITH ASIAN DRESSING
This is a cold noodle salad designed for the cooler months, rather than the summertime. Winter vegetables like Brussels sprouts and curly kale are fantastic raw, especially doused in a punchy dressing.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5–10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 nest of egg noodles
FRESH
2 large handfuls of shredded curly kale
2 chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 portion of Asian dressing (here)
1. Cook the noodles in a pan of salted boiling water over a high heat until tender. This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the brand.
2. Drain the noodles, and run them under the cold tap for instant cold noodles. Shake off as much water as possible, and toss the noodles together with the vegetables and enough Asian dressing to ensure that everything is coated.
ASIAN PRAWN NOODLE SALAD WITH CRUNCHY GREENS
This is my ideal salad to make the night before and then pack up to eat on the go. You can use as much or as little of the Asian dressing on your salad as you want; it keeps very well in the fridge. I always have some made up to dress any number of different salads, bowls of rice or noodles.
I buy my edamame beans frozen, and I defrost a handful quickly to use in salads by running them briefly under warm water. You can also throw them still frozen into stir-fries. To safely defrost frozen cooked prawns, you need to run them under cold water.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5–10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5–10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1½ teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon runny honey
FRESH
100g soba, udon or egg noodles
1 teaspoon mirin
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil, plus a drop for the noodles
½ teaspoon lime juice
1 large spring onion, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal
2 large radishes, trimmed and cut into 5mm slices
a large handful of pea shoots, lamb’s lettuce or watercress
a small handful of edamame beans
a small handful of sugar snap peas, halved on the diagonal
¼ cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
a small handful of cooked prawns
1. Cook your chosen noodles as per the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, sesame oil and lime juice to make a dressing. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
3. Once the noodles are tender, rinse them under cold water to remove any excess starch and to create instantly cold noodles. Mix a drop of sesame oil into the noodles to stop them sticking together.
4. Transfer the noodles to a bowl or lidded plastic container, and arrange the vegetables and prawns on top. Drizzle over the dressing if you’re eating straight away, otherwise store the salad, covered, in the fridge, along with the dressing in a separate sealed container, until you’re ready to eat.
THE ONLY POTATO SALAD RECIPE YOU’LL EVER NEED
I created this potato salad to serve with barbecued sausages and griddled courgettes one summer evening using whatever I could find in the fridge. It has been my go-to summer side ever since. All of my friends have become familiar with it (and request it) whenever we have a beach barbecue, family-style summer dinner party or a picnic where we each bring a dish.
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15–20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
10–15 baby new potatoes
1 large spring onion, trimmed and cut into 5mm slices
1. Place the potatoes in a large pan of salted cold water and set over a high heat. Bring the pan to the boil and cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll know if they are done if you can easily push a knife into a potato.
2. Drain the potatoes and leave to cool. Halve the potatoes when they are cool enough to touch.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, oil, mustard and vinegar with a very generous few grinds of salt and pepper.
4. Once the potatoes have cooled to room temperature, gently fold them into the mayonnaise mix until they are all well coated. Transfer them into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the spring onion pieces.
THE ONLY TUNA PASTA SALAD YOU’LL EVER NEED
I think everyone who loves a good tuna salad has spent time trying to perfect their own personal recipe; this is mine. I find the lemon zest and juice lift the dish, while the Greek yoghurt makes for a much lighter lunch dish, both in terms of health and flavour. Use this recipe as a starting point, and tweak it to make it your own.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 12 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
200g pasta shapes
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ large red onion, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons nonpareille capers
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 × 112g tin tuna in spring water or brine
3 tablespoons light Greek yoghurt
2 large handfuls of tinned sweetcorn
zest of ½ lemon
a generous squeeze of lemon juice
1. Put the pasta on to cook in a saucepan of salted boiling water over a high heat; cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, and rinse under the cold tap until the pasta is cold. Shake the pasta in a sieve to try and remove as much excess water as possible.
2. Drain the tuna, and mix together with the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt and mustard. Mix the red onion into the mayonnaise mixture, along with the sweetcorn, capers and lemon zest. Season generously with salt and pepper, and fold in the pasta shapes until they are well coated. Brighten up with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and check you are happy with the seasoning.
SEAFOOD CITRUS SALAD RICE BOWL
This is a Californian-inspired rice bowl. If you defrost a couple of handfuls of mixed frozen seafood, you almost can’t taste the difference from fresh once you’ve tossed them in a bright, zingy citrus dressing. Frozen seafood is also cheaper than fresh, and you don’t have to worry about expiration dates.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
75g brown rice
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
FRESH
½ ruby grapefruit
1 orange
½ banana shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 handfuls of frozen mixed seafood, defrosted
2 large handfuls of watercress
1. Cook the rice in a pan of boiling water set over a high heat until the rice is tender. This should take about 25 minutes. Cook the rice like pasta, in a lot of water instead of in a set, measured amount. Using the absorption method is the easiest way to accidentally undercook, dry out or burn your rice.
2. While the rice is cooking, peel the grapefruit and the orange and chop the flesh into bite-sized pieces, reserving 1 teaspoon of grapefruit juice and 1 teapoon of orange juice for the dressing.
3. Prepare the dressing. Whisk the shallot together with the lime juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, orange juice, some salt and pepper and the olive oil.
4. Once the rice is cooked, run it under the cold tap until it has cooled. Drain away as much excess water as possible. Stir in the dressing, citrus pieces, seafood and watercress. Taste to see if it needs any more salt and pepper, and then serve straight away.
ISRAELI CHOPPED MIXED BEAN SALAD
A tin of mixed beans is a great starting point for any salad, but I like to combine it with a classic Israeli salad for a quick and crunchy bowlful at lunchtime. I say classic Israeli salad here because it includes tomatoes, cucumber, onion and lots of fresh parsley, all of which are essential components. However, you’ll find that traditional recipes vary a lot.
I only use large tomatoes in the summer when they are nice and ripe; in the cooler months, you get a better flavour from cherry tomatoes.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 × 400g tin mixed beans, drained
¼ cucumber
1 large spring onion, trimmed
a large handful of cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes
a large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon za’atar
1. Drain the beans and rinse off any extra liquid under the cold tap. Drain well and transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. Chop the cucumber, spring onion and the tomatoes into equal pieces, about the same size as the beans. Stir all of the chopped salad items and parsley into the beans. Add the oil, lemon juice and a generous few grinds of salt and pepper to the salad, and stir until everything is combined. Taste to see if you want to add any more lemon juice for tartness, salt if it is still a bit too bland, or pepper for flavour.
3. Transfer to a bowl, and sprinkle with the za’atar just before eating.
BLTA CHOPPED SALAD WITH SKINNY BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING
I love a good, American-style chopped salad where all the pieces (including the lettuce) are cut up into same size pieces before being tossed in the salad dressing. This is a classic BLT (with added avocado) in salad form. Let it win you over to the world of chopped salads forever.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
FRESH
2 rashers of streaky bacon
1 Little Gem lettuce, sliced
1 small ripe avocado, cut into chunks
1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
a large handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
Skinny Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (here)
1. Fry the bacon in a (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a high heat, without any extra cooking fat, until the bacon is crispy.
2. Using a pair of scissors, snip the bacon into small pieces and toss all of the ingredients together with about 1 tablespoon of the dressing until everything is just coated. Eat immediately.
HOT SALMON & AVOCADO SALAD WITH SOURED CREAM & LIME DRESSING
While it’s fairly standard to use different textures and flavours in a salad to make life a bit more interesting, mixing hot and cold ingredients is more unusual. This is what I love about this salad: a mixture of a cool creamy dressing, room-temperature avocado and hot poached salmon.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15–20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 salmon fillet
a splash of white wine or water
4–5 large handfuls of salad leaves
1 large ripe avocado, chopped
2 large spring onions, trimmed and chopped
2 small handfuls of sugar snap peas, sliced
a handful of sunflower seeds
Soured Cream & Lime Dressing (here)
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Lay the salmon on a piece of tin foil and gather the sides up slightly to create a boat-like shape. Splash some white wine or water over the salmon, and season well with salt and pepper. Fold the top of the foil over so the package is sealed, but there is space inside for the salmon to steam. Place on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the salmon is flaky, but still slightly pink in the middle.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad. Arrange the salad leaves in two bowls. Divide the avocado, spring onion and sugar snaps between the bowls, and sprinkle over the sunflower seeds.
4. Drain away the cooking liquid from the salmon, and remove the skin. Using a fork, flake the salmon and divide it between the two salad portions. Drizzle over a generous amount of dressing, and eat immediately.
LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN, PESTO MAYO & TOMATO SANDWICH
If you don’t have enough chicken leftover to make a pie (here) after you’ve made my Easy Lemon & Thyme Roast Chicken (here), make a chicken sandwich instead. Wrapped in tin foil and packed up for later, this is a real treat.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
½ teaspoon pesto
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
a large handful of shredded leftover Easy Lemon & Thyme Roast Chicken (here)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
2 slices of bread
1. Combine the mayonnaise and pesto and add the chicken. Stir until the chicken is well coated. Pile the chicken mayonnaise on to a slice of bread and season with salt and pepper. Spread the tomato over the top and add the second bread slice.
TIP: If you want to use sliced bread from the freezer, let it defrost on a plate covered in cling film. This will make the bread as soft as it was before you froze it.
WELSH RAREBIT
This is my mother’s variation on the classic Welsh rarebit. She usually makes it for my dad at lunchtime, changed up a little from how my grandmother used to make it for my grandfather.
My mother’s recipe uses English mustard powder, and while it is better here, you can also sub it out for a teaspoon of Dijon mustard if you don’t have any.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
4 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
2 slices of bread
2 handfuls of grated hard cheese (approximately 70g)
½ teaspoon English mustard powder
½ tablespoon milk
1. Preheat the grill as high as it will go and toast the bread in the toaster. Meanwhile, mash together the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, milk and a generous amount of salt and pepper to make a chunky paste. Depending on what type of cheese you’re using, you may need to add a splash more milk.
2. Spread the cheese mixture over the toast, making sure you spread it right to the very edges. If you don’t, any exposed bits will burn. Grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling; this can take anything from 1 to 5 minutes, again depending on the type of cheese you’re using.
DEVILLED EGG SANDWICH
An egg salad sandwich is a classic, but I bet you’ve never thought of making a devilled egg sandwich before, have you? These two retro egg dishes combined make a delicious sandwich with a bit of a kick from the mustard and Tabasco. If you’re a cress person, feel free to add some, too.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
a splash of Tabasco
FRESH
2 large eggs
1 small spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
a small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
a small handful of salad leaves
2 slices of bread
1. Boil the eggs in a pan of boiling water set over a high heat for 10 minutes.
2. Run the eggs under cold water to cool them enough so that you can easily peel them. Once you’ve removed the shells, chop the eggs. Combine the chopped egg with the spring onion, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard, some salt and pepper and a good splash of Tabasco. Add a little bit more if you like things spicy.
3. Spread the egg mixture right to the edges of a slice of bread. Top with the salad and second slice of bread.
MACKEREL MAYO & QUICK-PICKLED CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
I came up with this sandwich because I got bored of plain old tuna mayo. I like how the quick-pickled cucumber ribbons make this sandwich rather unique. Toasting the bread is a personal preference; I think the flavour works better with the smoked fish, but it’s up to you.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon golden caster sugar
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
¼ cucumber
1 × 110g tin smoked mackerel
2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
a squeeze of lemon juice
4 slices of bread
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Using a vegetable peeler or a very sharp knife, cut the cucumber into very thin ribbons – you don’t need to bother peeling it. Add the cucumber ribbons to the bowl, and mix so that the cucumber is well coated in the pickling liquid. Set aside to pickle while you’re making the rest of the sandwich filling.
2. Drain the mackerel and combine with the yoghurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
3. Toast the bread. While the bread is toasting, squeeze any excess liquid out of the cucumber ribbons.
4. To assemble the sandwich, divide the mackerel between two pieces of toast and spread it out to the corners. Lay the cucumber ribbons over the fish and grind over some pepper. Top with the toast slices and cut the sandwiches into rounds before serving.
SUPER VEGGIE RAINBOW WRAPS
I love a good salad wrap at lunchtime, made with whatever I can find in the fridge. Wraps just feel much fancier than sandwiches. A rainbow selection of peppers, cucumber, carrot, red cabbage and spring onions, all held together with a generous scraping of mayonnaise, is a fantastic combination.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 small carrot, peeled
½ red pepper, deseeded
a large chunk of cucumber
2 spring onions, trimmed
½ red cabbage
2 large tortilla wraps
1. Slice the carrot, pepper, cucumber and spring onions into the thinnest matchsticks you can manage and shred the cabbage.
2. Divide the mayonnaise between the tortillas and spread it out evenly. Season the mayonnaise well with salt and pepper. Divide the vegetables between the tortillas and wrap up ready to enjoy.
BACON & AVOCADO WRAPS WITH SKINNY BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING
Bacon and avocado are a winning combination, especially when they are smothered in my lighter version of the all-American classic buttermilk ranch dressing. The quantities here will make more dressing than you need for this recipe; it will keep in the fridge in a sealed jam jar for 2 to 3 days and it is integral to my BLTA Chopped Salad (here).
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 very small garlic clove, chopped
a large pinch of sea salt
FRESH
1 tablespoon light Greek yoghurt
2½ tablespoons buttermilk
2 teaspoons finely snipped fresh chives (optional)
4 rashers of streaky bacon
1 large ripe avocado, chopped
1 Little Gem lettuce, shredded, or mixed salad leaves
2 large tortilla wraps
1. To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, yoghurt and buttermilk until smooth. If you would like the dressing a little runnier, add a little cold water. To crush the garlic pieces, sprinkle over the salt and scrape over the garlic with a large, sharp knife at an angle. Stir the crushed garlic and salt, along with the chives (if you’re using them), into the dressing. Taste, and add a little more salt if you think it needs it.
2. Fry the bacon in a large (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a high heat, without any additional fat, until it is cooked through and slightly crispy around the edges (I like to cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces using a pair of scissors, but you don’t have to).
3. Assemble the wraps by dividing the bacon, avocado and lettuce or salad leaves between the tortillas. Drizzle over the dressing, then roll up and enjoy straight away while the bacon is still warm.
PILCHARDS ON TOAST
This is something my father likes to eat for lunch. Every time he makes it, I get treated to a lecture on how this was the type of ‘simple’ food they used to eat in the seventies. All I know is that it is cheap, easy and bloody delicious.
On the other hand, if you’re after a quick ‘something on toast’ that does not require turning on the grill, cream cheese, za’atar and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is one of my all-time favourite combinations. Another great one is a large handful of defrosted frozen peas mashed up with some lemon zest, a lot of freshly ground salt and pepper and, again, a good drizzle of extra virgin. If you have any leftover fresh mozzarella or fresh mint, tear them up and throw them in as well.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt
FRESH
2 slices of bread (preferably the ends)
1 × 155g tin pilchards in tomato sauce
1. Toast the bread and preheat the grill to 250°C/485°F.
2. Tip the pilchards and their sauce into a bowl and, using a fork, mash into a rough paste with a good few fishy chunks left in.
3. Divide the mashed pilchards between the two pieces of toast and, using the fork, spread the pilchards right to the edges of the toast. Season each piece with a bit of salt.
4. Grill for 5 minutes until the fish topping has started to crisp up at the edges.
LOADED FAJITA SALAD WITH SOURED CREAM & LIME DRESSING
This bright, Tex-Mex-inspired salad is made with leftovers. The salad and the tortilla chips can be made ahead and the fajita filling is easily microwaved, which accounts for both the quick cooking and preparation time in this recipe, and makes it the perfect desk lunch.
If you have any leftover homemade Pico de Gallo Salsa (here), or you fancy making some Boozy Guacamole (here), they will also be delicious added to the mix. You can use black beans instead of the red kidney beans, if you prefer, or a mixture of both.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt
FRESH
1 flour tortilla
3 tablespoons soured cream
juice of ¼ lime
2 large handfuls of salad leaves
250g tinned red kidney beans (drained weight)
1 portion of chicken and peppers from the Chicken Fajitas (here)
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Using a pair of scissors, cut the tortilla into triangles and spread them out on a baking tray. Bake them in the oven for 5 minutes or so, until they are crisp and golden around the edges. This method is also great for making chips to go with salsa or guacamole.
3. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the soured cream and lime juice, and season to taste with sea salt. Arrange the salad leaves and the kidney beans in a bowl and microwave the fajita chicken and peppers until heated through.
4. To serve, arrange the tortilla chips and the fajita filling at the side of the bowl, and spoon the dressing all over. If you have any fresh coriander or lime wedges in the fridge, serve the salad with these. However, they’re not essential to a delicious bowlful.
CAJUN PRAWN TACOS
Tacos are always a good idea. You can fill them with pretty much anything that could be described as Mexican in flavour, but my favourite tacos are made with my super-easy, super-delicious Cajun prawns. The prawns are also great in salads, skewered and barbecued, or served on cocktail sticks by way of an easy summer canapé with a Classic Margarita (here) or two.
MAKES: 6 tacos
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 3 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
½ tablespoon light oil
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
FRESH
juice of ½ lime
1 tablespoon Cajun spice mix
18 raw prawns
a large handful of fresh coriander, leaves picked
Soured Cream & Lime Dressing (here)
Boozy Guacamole (here)
6 taco-size tortillas
1. Combine the lime juice, oil and Cajun spice mix in a small bowl and add the prawns, tossing until well coated. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the taco accompaniments.
2. Leave the red onion to soak in a bowl of cold water, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper (soaking the onion will remove some of the bite from the raw onion). Place the onion, coriander, soured cream and lime dressing and the guacamole in small bowls.
3. Heat a small (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, tip in the prawns and all of their marinade. Cook the prawns, stirring every 30 seconds or so, for about 3 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through (they’ve gone from translucent and blue to pink and solid) and the marinade has formed a thick sauce. Transfer to a warm bowl and carry everything to the table with the warm tortillas for everyone to assemble the tacos themselves.
LEFTOVER FAJITA BURRITOS
If you’re serving fajitas up for a crowd (here), chances are that you may have a bit of meat, veg, and not to mention accompaniments like salsa and soured cream, left over. These burritos are the reason I make extra on purpose so that I’m guaranteed to have a bit left to play with.
Once you’ve made up the basic rice mixture, you can use anything, including grated cheese, leftover guacamole, soured cream, salsa and black beans, to build your burritos.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 35 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
80g brown rice
a splash of light oil
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
freshly ground sea salt
FRESH
1 portion of Chicken Fajitas (here)
a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
juice of ¼ lime
2 flour tortillas
leftover Chicken Fajitas accompaniments (here)
1. Cook the rice in a saucepan full of boiling water for 25 minutes. I cook rice like pasta and drain it once it is cooked. I promise you if you use this method rather than measuring out water and letting the rice absorb it all as it cooks, you’ll never, ever have burnt, crunchy or dried out-rice.
2. Drain the rice and heat a splash of oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Gently fry the onion for a few minutes until it has started to soften. Stir in the rice, cumin and a generous seasoning of sea salt.
3. Add the fajita chicken and peppers and the fresh coriander. Gently fry until the meat and vegetables are heated through. Squeeze over the lime juice and check you’ve added enough salt. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Lay the tortillas on top of a double layer of foil. Divide the rice mixture between them. Add any additional burrito accompaniments and tightly roll up the wraps. Wrap around the foil to make them easy to hold, and eat immediately.
LEFTOVER BREAD PANZANELLA
When you’re living off a student budget, you come to hate wasting any scraps of food that you could otherwise turn into another dish. This salad is great in the summer when tomatoes are at their reddest and juiciest, and uses up the end of yesterday’s loaf of bread.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon nonpareille capers
½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
FRESH
leftover stale bread
a small handful of fresh basil, torn
a generous handful of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1. Turn the grill up as high as it will go. Tear your leftover bread into ragged chunks that are small enough to eat in a single bite, and spread them out across a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil, and season well with freshly ground salt and pepper. Put the tray under the grill, and toast the bread until it is just browned.
2. Meanwhile, leave the red onion in a dish of cold water. This will help take some of the bite out of it, making it much nicer to eat raw.
3. Transfer the toasted bread to a shallow bowl and throw in the basil, tomatoes, onion (patted dry on a piece of kitchen paper first) and capers. Toss so the tomato juices start to coat the bread, and drizzle over the remaining teaspoon of oil and the red wine vinegar. Toss again, season with a bit more freshly ground salt and pepper, and leave the bread to marinate for 10 minutes before tucking in.
SLIGHTLY STICKY & SLIGHTLY SPICY CHICKEN WINGS
I love chicken wings as you get a lot of bang for your buck: a better marinade-to-meat ratio than chicken drumsticks, and they’re much easier to prepare than pork ribs. However, this slightly Asian marinade would be equally delicious with either of these, too.
MAKES: 12 wings
PREP TIME: 10 minutes, plus 3 hours marinating
COOKING TIME: 30–40 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
FRESH
8 teaspoons Sriracha
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
12 chicken wings
1. Combine the soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, honey, chopped garlic and a lot of freshly ground black pepper to create a smooth marinade. Transfer the chicken wings and the marinade to a large plastic bag. Tie a knot in the top of the bag, having pushed out as much air as possible. Mix the chicken wings around until they are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
2. Take the wings out of the fridge to come up to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Once the oven is hot, lay the wings out in a grill pan (you can take the grill pan out of the grill and use it in the oven). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, basting the wings every 10 minutes or so with the leftover marinade from the bag and turning the wings over halfway through cooking. You can tell the wings are cooked through if the meat comes away easily when pulled with a fork. The marinade should create a sticky glaze.
FATTOUSH
This punchy Middle Eastern salad is my favourite way to use up leftover stale pitta. This is the only recipe in the book that uses sumac, so if you don’t have any other uses for it and you don’t want to invest in a jar, za’atar makes a perfectly acceptable substitute here.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
½ red onion, thinly sliced
3½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon sumac
¼ cucumber
6 radishes
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
3 large pittas
1 Little Gem lettuce, shredded
a large handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley
1. Place the onion slices in a small bowl with some cold water. Soaking will remove some of the bite from the raw onion.
2. Whisk together ½ tablespoon of the oil, the lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of the sumac to make the dressing. Set that aside, too.
3. Cut the cucumber, radishes and tomatoes into equal chunks and place in a bowl. You don’t need to peel the cucumber.
4. Heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Tear the pittas into bite-sized chunks and fry them in the oil for about 10 minutes until they’ve started to crisp, tossing the pan as they fry. Season well with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over the rest of the sumac.
5. Drain the onion and dry on a piece of kitchen paper. Add to the salad. Toss the hot pitta pieces, the salad and the dressing together before serving immediately.
INDIAN SPICED LEFTOVER SUMMER VEGETABLE FRITTERS
This recipe is designed to use up whatever summer vegetables or vegetable pieces you happen to have kicking around at the back of your fridge. The quantities suggested below are just a guide. These are great as part of a brunch spread or as a light summer meal with a green side salad.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chilli powder
freshly ground black pepper
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
light oil
FRESH
1 very small baking potato
½ courgette
1 large egg
¼ red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1. Coarsely grate the potato, without peeling it, and then do the same with the courgette. Combine with the sea salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Beat together the egg, flour, baking powder, cumin and chilli powder in another bowl with a generous few grinds of black pepper to form a thick paste. Add the onion and the red pepper to the batter.
3. Over the sink, squeeze out any excess water from the potato and courgette mixture in handfuls, and add the grated vegetables to the batter. Stir until all of the vegetables are well coated.
4. Heat a very generous glug of oil in a (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, fry about two spoonfuls of the batter-coated vegetables at a time for a few minutes on each side, until golden. Fry in batches, leaving the cooked fritters to drain on a couple of pieces of kitchen paper on a heated plate while you fry the rest.
5. Serve in a stack, sprinkled with fresh coriander.
LIGHT TZATZIKI WITH HOME-BAKED PITTA CHIPS
During the summer, you’ll pretty much always find a big tub of homemade tzatziki in my fridge. It keeps for 3 to 4 days, and is great with my Spiced Lamb Patties (here), Pork Souvlaki (here), as part of a mezze or even as a salad dressing. I also love it with fresh toasted pitta (brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with dried oregano), or with home-baked pitta chips.
SERVES: 4–6
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 garlic clove, chopped
freshly ground sea salt
FRESH
1 cucumber
a small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
1 × 500g tub light Greek yoghurt
a squeeze of lemon juice
6 pittas
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Coarsely grate the cucumber and set aside. To crush the garlic pieces, sprinkle over some sea salt and scrape over the garlic with a large, sharp knife at an angle. Combine the garlic and the dill in a large bowl with the yoghurt.
3. Over the kitchen sink, squeeze any excess liquid out of the grated cucumber and add to the yoghurt. Stir in the cucumber until everything is combined, and season to taste with lemon juice and sea salt. Set aside for the flavours to meld together while you’re making the pitta chips.
4. Tear or cut (I like to use scissors for this) the pitta into manageable pieces. Spread them out across a baking tray and bake in the hot oven for 4 to 5 minutes until the pitta pieces are crisp and starting to go golden.
PESTO, RICOTTA & PARMA HAM BAGEL PIZZAS
Bagel pizzas are one of my favourite ‘I’ve got time to make it home but not to make anything fancy’ lunches. They’re also great for using up leftovers. Pesto, ricotta and Parma ham is one of my favourite combinations, but you can make a classic Italian version with any leftover tinned chopped tomatoes, passata or tomato purée you may have, plus a good handful of grated cheese melted on top and a few chopped olives.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
pesto
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 bagel
2 tablespoons fresh ricotta
4 slices of Parma ham, prosciutto or wafer-thin ham
1. Halve the bagel and spread each half with ricotta. Dot a few small dollops of pesto on top and drape over the pieces of ham. Season with salt and pepper, and grill until the ricotta is starting to go golden around the edges and the ham is beginning to crisp up.
SOUPED-UP SAUSAGE ROLLS
Using shop-bought puff pastry sheets and pre-seasoned sausage meat, these ‘homemade’ sausage rolls are child’s play. However, you can take them to a whole other level by adding a few fresh herbs, some chopped ham and additional seasonings.
MAKES: 4 large sausage rolls
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
100g ham, roughly chopped
a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
350g sausage meat
1 × 320g all-butter puff pastry sheet
1 small egg
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Take the ham and the parsley, along with the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and a generous amount of freshly ground salt and pepper, knead them into the sausage meat. The ham, sauces and parsley should be evenly distributed throughout the meat.
3. Quarter the pastry sheet with a sharp knife. Divide the sausage meat into four even portions and roll each into a sausage shape a couple of centimetres shorter than the length of each pastry piece. Position the sausage meat along the bottom of each pastry sheet, leaving just over 5mm at the bottom and along each side for sealing the roll.
4. Whisk the egg with a splash of cold water to make an egg wash, and paint this along the bottom edge and sides of each pastry sheet. Fold the sheets over to seal the sausage rolls. Be sure that each roll is well sealed, as any gaps will allow cooking juices from the sausage to leak out and give your sausage rolls a soggy bottom. Use a fork to make pretty lines around the edges of the rolls. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and brush the exposed pastry with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
EASY SMOKED MACKEREL PÂTÉ
If you always have a tin of smoked mackerel in the cupboard and a pot of yoghurt in the fridge, you’ll be able to make up a delicious mackerel pâté for lunch. I like mine flavoured with fresh lemon, black pepper and chopped capers, but feel free to play around. Make it your own with your favourite flavours, or whatever you have to hand. If you have any fresh dill, chives or parsley, they are great here.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 5–10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 teaspoon nonpareille capers, chopped
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 × 110g tin smoked mackerel
3 tablespoons light Greek yoghurt
a squeeze of lemon juice
toast, to serve
1. Drain the mackerel and mash it with a fork in a small bowl. Mix in the yoghurt. Stir the capers into the pâté. Season to taste with the lemon juice, sea salt and lots of black pepper. Serve with warm toast.
ROAST BONE MARROW WITH GREMOLATA
Bone marrow may seem like a fancy restaurant ingredient, and not something you’d cook with at home. However, it is super-cheap and easy to cook, and is perfect served with something fresh and punchy on the side, like a classic gremolata.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10–15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
FRESH
1 piece of bone marrow, halved lengthways
a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
zest of ½ lemon
2 thick slices of bread, to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Place the bone cut side up on a baking tray and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes until the marrow becomes translucent.
3. Meanwhile, combine the garlic and parsley with the lemon zest and a generous pinch of sea salt.
4. Toast the bread and serve alongside the roasted marrow and gremolata.
INDIAN SPICED POTATOES
While my version of Indian Spiced Potatoes make a great side dish (multiply these quantities by the amount of people you want to feed), I also like to eat a bowlful by themselves as a quick meal. Pile on some yoghurt and fresh coriander, and even some mango chutney if you have any, to enhance the dish.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
sea salt
1 tablespoon light oil
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
FRESH
1 large baking potato
¼ teaspoon ground tumeric
a large pinch of ground coriander
a squeeze of lemon juice
1. Cube the baking potato (don’t worry about peeling it) and place in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and enough cold water to just cover the potatoes. Set over a very high heat with a lid on and bring to the boil. Cook the potato pieces for 10 minutes until just tender. Remove from the heat and drain.
2. Heat the oil in a medium or large frying pan over a high heat. Once the oil is just smoking, add the potato and the spices. Toss everything well until the potato pieces are well coated. Fry for about 5 minutes, tossing the potato around the pan every minute or so, until crispy. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
MUSHROOMS ON TOAST WITH TAMAGO RIBBONS
Sometimes the best dishes come out of whatever is left over in your fridge. I like to use shiitake mushrooms here (you can now find them fresh in most supermarkets) to fit in with the idea that this is essentially Asian mushrooms and egg on toast, but chestnut mushrooms will do. Tamago is a type of Japanese omelette that I think makes the most delicious garnish.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
FRESH
a large and a small knob of unsalted butter
4 thick slices of bread
6–8 shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 large egg
1 teaspoon mirin
a small handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1. In a large frying pan, heat the large knob of butter over a medium heat until frothy. Toast the bread and leave it in the toaster so that it stays warm.
2. Gently fry the mushrooms in the butter until they are soft and starting to brown. Season well with black pepper and stir in the soy sauce. Don’t season with any salt, as there is enough salt in the soy sauce already.
3. Leave the mushrooms in the pan over the lowest heat you can to keep warm while you cook the egg. If you’re good at kitchen management, it is possible to cook the egg and the mushrooms simultaneously, but it is not a requirement!
4. Whisk the egg together with the mirin. Heat the smaller butter knob in a small frying pan over a medium heat, and when it is frothy pour in the egg mixture to cover the base of the pan. Let it cook until it is just set, then slide it out of the pan onto a chopping board. Roll up the cooked egg and cut it into ribbons.
5. Spoon the mushrooms over the toast and top with the tamago ribbons. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs and finish with a good few grinds of black pepper.
TEN-MINUTE MUSHROOMS & BACON ON TOAST
Mushrooms on toast are usually something I can throw together from the fridge for a quick and satisfying breakfast, lunch or dinner. Alternatively, forget the bacon and add a spoonful each of Dijon and wholegrain mustard and a good few dollops of either cream or crème fraîche (not yoghurt though, as it will split in the pan). Now you have a creamy, mustardy veggie version that is equally satisfying.
SERVES: 1
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
2 rashers of streaky bacon
a large knob of unsalted butter
2 slices of bread
6 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 large spring onions, trimmed and sliced
1. Chop the bacon (I find it easiest to use a pair of scissors). Heat the butter in a medium frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Toast the bread, and leave it in the toaster to stay warm.
2. Once the butter is frothy, add the mushrooms, bacon and spring onion and fry until the mushrooms are soft and the bacon is starting to turn golden. Season well with salt and pepper, and spoon over the hot toast. I don’t butter my toast, but you may like to.
