Recipe List
SHARING STEAK WITH THYME-ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES
ROASTED RED PEPPERS WITH TOMATOES & ANCHOVIES
SAUSAGES WITH MUSTARD MASH & ONION GRAVY
SAUSAGE ROAST WITH MUSTARD SOURED CREAM
ONE-PAN CHICKEN ROAST WITH AUTUMN VEGETABLES
ONE-PAN CHICKEN ROAST WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES
CHICKEN FAJITAS WITH SALSA & BOOZY GUACAMOLE
PORK SOUVLAKI WITH LIGHT TZATZIKI & PITTA BREAD
SPICED LAMB PATTIES WITH LIGHT TZATZIKI & PITTA BREAD
SUPER-EASY MEAT-FREE MIXED BEAN CHILLI
TOAD IN THE HOLE WITH ONION GRAVY
SWEET POTATO & SAUSAGE SHEPHERD’S PIE
EASY LEMON & THYME ROAST CHICKEN WITH ZA’ATAR POTATOES
SHARING STEAK WITH THYME-ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES
Steak can be a bit pricey, but if you buy a cut like rump or sirloin without the bone, you can cut it into very thin slices to feed two of you for a date-night dinner with these easy thyme-roasted cherry tomatoes spooned over the top. Buy whatever you can afford, and look out for special offers. I like to keep a few steaks in the freezer as they defrost relatively quickly.
Serve with red wine, some sort of salad and fresh, rustic-style bread to mop up the juices.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
light oil
FRESH
2 large handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
a small handful of fresh thyme leaves
1 steak
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.
2. Spread the tomatoes out, cut side up, in a baking tray. Drizzle them with the balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and season with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
3. While the tomatoes are roasting, remove the steak from the fridge to bring it up to room temperature. Rub it with a little light oil, and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Ten minutes before the tomatoes come out of the oven, heat a medium frying pan over a very high heat until the pan is smoking slightly. Fry the steak for a few minutes on each side until it is completely browned on the outside, but if you press the middle with your knuckles, it still feels squishy. This is the easiest way to tell that the steak is rare to medium rare.
5. Remove the steak from the pan to rest on a chopping board. Pour over any excess juices from the pan, and cover with a piece of tin foil to keep the heat in. Just before you’re ready to serve, using the sharpest knife you have, cut the steak into very thin slices, slightly on the diagonal to create wider pieces. Divide these between two plates, pour over any resting juices from the chopping board, and spoon over the roasted cherry tomatoes.
ROASTED RED PEPPERS WITH TOMATOES & ANCHOVIES
I’ve got my mother to thank for helping me fall in love with this Italian classic; it is one of her go-to summer dishes. Use the ripest, reddest tomatoes you can find, and serve with generous amounts of fresh crusty bread and ice-cold rosé.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
8 anchovy fillets in olive oil
extra virgin olive oil
FRESH
2 large red peppers
3–4 large handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
2. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds, keeping the stalks intact. Lay them, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish.
3. Fill the pepper cavities with the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle the slices of garlic over the tomato-filled peppers. Lay two anchovy fillets on top of each pepper half and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Drizzle the peppers generously with extra virgin olive oil, and roast in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
CLASSIC MOULES MARINIÈRES
Moules marinières is, hands down, one of my favourite dishes, and is super-easy to make. It is the perfect dinner for two if you’re looking to impress, served with some nice white wine and fresh crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Don’t let the amount of preparation time put you off – 25 minutes is the longest you’ll spend scrubbing and de-bearding the mussels if you’ve purchased a particularly gnarly (but still delicious) bag of them. Usually they only take me about 10 to 15 minutes to do.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
500g mussels
a very large knob of butter
2 banana shallots, finely chopped
1 small glass white wine
a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1. To prepare the mussels, clear the kitchen sink, put in the plug and fill it with cold water. Fill a large bowl with cold water too. Tip the mussels into the sink and, using a clean sponge, scrub off any excess barnacles and try to tear off as many of the scraggly ‘beards’ that may be attached to the mussels. If any shells are cracked, throw the mussels away. Also, if any mussels are open, hold them closed for about 30 seconds. If the mussels stay closed, they’re fine to eat. If they don’t, throw them away. As you clean the mussels, transfer them to the bowl of cold water while you work on the rest.
2. Heat the butter in the largest, lidded saucepan you have over a medium heat until it is frothy. Cook the shallots for a few minutes until they are tender, and add the wine, a small glass of water and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
3. Drain the mussels and add them to the pan. Add the lid and steam the mussels for 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. The mussels should steam open.
4. Add the chopped parsley, and shake the pan again with the lid on. Divide the mussels between two bowls, throwing away any shells that have not opened. Serve straight away with another bowl for the discarded shells.
SAUSAGES WITH MUSTARD MASH & ONION GRAVY
It only takes half an hour to make two platefuls of piping hot, juicy sausages nestled on a bed of mustard-mashed potatoes and finished off with a generous amount of homemade onion gravy. So obviously this is what you’ll want to make for dinner after class when you’ve had to walk home in the rain.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25–30 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
a splash of light oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
a large pinch of golden caster sugar
½ teaspoon plain flour
200ml vegetable stock (made with ½ stock cube)
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
FRESH
2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 sausages
unsalted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan with a generous amount of salt and enough cold water to cover the potatoes. Set them to boil over a high heat for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.
3. Meanwhile, pierce the sausages in a couple of places with a sharp knife and cook them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes in an ovenproof dish.
4. To make the onion gravy, heat the oil and a large knob of the butter in a medium frying pan until frothy. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes until the onion has softened and is starting to go golden. Add the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, stock, Dijon mustard, a good splash of Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper. Allow to bubble away for another 5 to 10 minutes until you’re ready to eat.
5. When the potatoes are cooked, drain away the water and mash with the wholegrain mustard, milk and another very large knob of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pile everything onto a warm plate, and enjoy.
SAUSAGE ROAST WITH MUSTARD SOURED CREAM
This is a great way to use up slightly soft apples and stale bread. It provides a comforting, filling supper for two on a blustery wet autumn evening. The mustard soured cream is optional, but highly recommended.
Any mildly flavoured cooking oil is fine here, but I prefer to use cold-pressed rapeseed oil as it adds an extra grassy flavour to the sweet roast leeks.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons light oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
FRESH
2 leeks, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 eating apples, cored and cut into wedges
4 tablespoons soured cream
4 sausages
leftover stale bread
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
2. Toss the red onions, leeks and apples in the oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. You can either do this in a large roasting dish or in a sealed plastic bag to make sure all of the pieces are super-coated in the seasoned oil. Cook in the roasting dish for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, to make the mustard soured cream stir together the soured cream and wholegrain and Dijon mustards. Add a little bit of sea salt to taste.
4. Toss the vegetables and apples around in the roasting dish and then add the sausages. With the tip of a sharp knife pierce each sausage in a couple of places, and return to the oven to cook for a further 15 minutes.
5. Tear or cut up some leftover bread to create a couple of handfuls of rough croutons. Nestle these around the vegetables, apples and sausages and roast for a final 10 minutes until the bread has started to toast. Serve with the mustard soured cream.
ONE-PAN CHICKEN ROAST WITH AUTUMN VEGETABLES
While everyone loves a good roast dinner, wouldn’t it be great if you could cook an entire roast in one pan, in one hour, from prep to table? I promise you that this recipe will change your roasting game forever.
This is easily doubled up to serve more people – you’ll just need as big a roasting tray as you can fit in the oven as otherwise you’ll end up with the vegetables steaming rather than roasting if you overcrowd the pan. Also, while I’ve made this recipe with many different vegetables, you can just mix and match depending on what you have in the fridge, making sure you cut everything to about the same size.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 red onions, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, halved
light oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
½ butternut squash
1 small sweet potato
2 parsnips
2 carrots
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Peel the butternut squash, scrape the seeds out with a spoon and cut into equal-sized chunks. You don’t need to peel the sweet potato, parsnips or carrots before chopping them. Cut the sweet potato and the parsnips into chunks like the squash, but you’ll need to slice the carrots on the diagonal to create more surface area as they take a little longer to cook.
3. Either in a sealed plastic bag or in the roasting tray you’re going to roast your vegetables in, toss the vegetables, along with the onions and garlic, in 1 tablespoon of oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. If you’re using the bag method, transfer the vegetables to the roasting tray.
4. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin side up, among the vegetables. Rub the skins with a little more oil and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
ONE-PAN CHICKEN ROAST WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES
This is the summer version of my One-Pan Chicken Roast with Root Vegetables (here). It is lighter and brighter for the summer months, and is best served with a cold glass of wine and lots of fresh, crusty bread to mop up the juices from the plate.
Again, you can mix and match the vegetables. Some people like it when I throw a few black olives in the pan, and even pieces of fresh lemon, skin still intact, roast up beautifully here if you have any that need using up.
SERVES: 2
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 red onions, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, halved
light oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 yellow pepper, deseeded
1 red pepper, deseeded
2 courgettes
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Cut the peppers and courgettes into even chunks. Toss everything apart from the chicken in 1 tablespoon of oil, either in a plastic bag or in the roasting tray you’ll be using, and season well with salt and pepper. If you’re using the bag method, tip the vegetables into the roasting tray.
3. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin side up, among the vegetables. Rub the skins with a little more oil, and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
CHICKEN FAJITAS WITH SALSA & BOOZY GUACAMOLE
Fajitas are my favourite thing to serve up on a Saturday night for friends with a few beer margaritas (here). I love that everyone can build their own wraps from a selection of whatever you’ve provided. I like to serve up a selection of homemade Pico de Gallo Salsa, Boozy Guacamole, soured cream, grated cheese and black beans.
This recipe also works brilliantly with strips of steak (one steak between two people) and raw king prawns (a large handful per person). Just adjust the cooking time so that the meat or prawns are just cooked through. You can also make a veggie version by doubling up the vegetables and adding the marinade to the pan halfway through cooking.
If you can’t find jalapeños for the salsa, you’ll still have a delicious bowlful if you leave it out.
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
FOR THE FAJITAS:
STORECUPBOARD
2 teaspoons chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons light oil
2 white onions, cut into chunks
FRESH
juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
8 tortilla wraps
FOR THE PICO DE GALLO SALSA:
STORECUPBOARD
½ white onion, finely chopped
sea salt
FRESH
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
a small handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
FOR THE BOOZY GUACAMOLE:
STORECUPBOARD
½ red onion, finely chopped
sea salt
FRESH
2 large ripe avocados
2 tablespoons soured cream
a splash of tequila
lime juice
1. Combine the juice of the lime with the chilli powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano and 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small bowl. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade, mixing everything until the chicken is completely coated. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least half an hour.
2. To make the salsa, combine the onion and tomatoes in a small bowl, along with a generous pinch of sea salt. Add the jalapeño and coriander to the salsa and chill until needed.
3. When you’re ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge to come up to room temperature. Do the same with the salsa.
4. At this stage, you’ll be able to make the guacamole without having to worry about it going brown before you eat. Peel and mash the avocados and mix in the soured cream. Add the red onion and stir it in, along with a splash of tequila. Season to taste with fresh lime juice and sea salt.
5. Heat a wok or the largest frying pan you have over a very high heat. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil and add the peppers and onions. Stir-fry for 6 to 8 minutes until the peppers and onions have started to soften and they are charring around the edges.
6. Add the chicken and all of the marinade juices to the pan and carry on stir-frying for 7 to 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Bring to the table in a heated bowl with the tortilla wraps, guacamole, salsa and any other fillings.
EASY ROOT VEGETABLE CURRY
I got in on cooking Indian food for myself pretty late in the game. When my friend Amy found out about my newfound love, she sent me an email containing what she called ‘the only curry recipe you’ll ever need’. I’ve changed Amy’s version up a bit to suit my personal tastes and the types of ingredients I usually have hanging around, but I absolutely agree that once you’ve got this curry in your repertoire, you’re set.
If I don’t use a whole tin of coconut milk in one recipe, I like to keep it in a clean, empty screw-top bottle in the fridge to add a little creaminess to soups or to make Coconut Hot Chocolate (here).
This curry is delicious served with rice or naan or both. Finish each bowl with a sprinkling of chopped fresh coriander. Also, I like to add a star anise and a splash more coconut milk in with the rice as it cooks for a little bit of extra flavour.
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour 5 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
light oil
2½ tablespoons ground cumin
2 onions, chopped
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
400ml vegetable stock (made with 1 stock cube)
sea salt
FRESH
400g mixed root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash)
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
5 tablespoons tomato purée
100ml coconut milk
½ tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Cut whatever vegetables and potatoes you’re using into roughly 2cm cubes. Spread the cubed vegetables and the garlic out in a baking tray and toss together with a light drizzle of oil and the cumin. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables that cook the fastest are just about tender. It does not matter if some of the vegetables, such as the potatoes, are still a bit firm; they’ll keep on cooking in the sauce.
3. Meanwhile, heat another splash of oil in the bottom of a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion with the turmeric, coriander and a good pinch of chilli flakes until the onion is soft and you can smell the spices wafting out of the pan. Stir in the tomato purée, followed by the coconut milk.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow the sauce to bubble away for a couple of minutes. Add the stock and stir, making sure to scrape off any burnt-on bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the ginger and roasted vegetables. Turn up the heat to high, and let the curry bubble away for about 5 minutes, uncovered.
5. Season with a good pinch of salt and turn the heat down to low, covering with a lid. Leave to simmer for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally to check it is not thickening too much and it is not drying out (it will depend on what vegetables you use; you can add a little bit more water if necessary).
6. Before serving, check you are happy with the flavours. You can add a bit more salt if you think it needs it, or tomato purée for a touch of acidity.
PORK SOUVLAKI WITH LIGHT TZATZIKI & PITTA BREAD
If you’ve eaten souvlaki recently, you might think it unusual that I’m using pork belly here. I’ve found that pieces of cubed pork shoulder dry out too quickly if you’re cooking under the grill rather than on a barbecue, so be warned if you’re tempted to substitute. Be sure to trim any bits of pork fat that are more than 5mm wide before cubing the belly slices so that your souvlaki are not too fatty.
Finally, shall I tell you what is the best thing about this recipe? You can freeze this in its marinade.
SERVES: 4–6
PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours marinating
COOKING TIME: 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
2 garlic cloves, chopped
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
FRESH
juice of 2 lemons
10 pork belly slices
pittas, to serve
salad leaves, to serve
1 portion of Light Tzatziki (here), to serve
1. Grind a little bit of salt on top of the garlic pieces and run the flat edge of a large knife over them to crush to a paste. Combine the crushed garlic, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar and a generous seasoning of sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl, and transfer the marinade to a large plastic bag.
2. Trim the pork belly slices and cut into manageable chunks. Add to the marinade and tie a knot in the top of the plastic bag, pushing out as much air as possible. Once the bag is sealed, massage the pork belly until it is well coated in the marinade and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
3. Preheat the grill to 250°C/485°F or as hot as it will go. Divide the pork belly pieces between eight wooden skewers and grill for 5 minutes on each side. If you’re a washing-up dodger like me, line the bottom of the grill pan with foil first.
4. Serve straight away with warmed pittas, some salad leaves and tzatziki.
SPICED LAMB PATTIES WITH LIGHT TZATZIKI & PITTA BREAD
A Greek supper of flavoured meat, tzatziki and salad stuffed into warm pitta is a fantastic thing to serve up for friends. However, not everyone eats pork, which means my Pork Souvlaki (here) won’t always be a suitable option. This is where these wonderful spiced lamb patties come in. I find them slightly addictive, and this coming from someone who ordinarily does not even like lamb.
On the subject of substitutions, you can always serve up skewers of grilled vegetables (red onion, red and yellow peppers, courgette, aubergine chunks, etc.), brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and sprinkled with dried oregano as a veggie option.
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 teaspoons ground cumin
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 × 500g pack lamb mince
a large handful of fresh mint, chopped
zest of ½ lemon
pittas, to serve
salad leaves, to serve
1 portion of Light Tzatziki (here), to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Combine the lamb, red onion, mint, cumin, lemon zest and a generous amount of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper until all of the herbs, onion and spices are evenly distributed throughout the mince.
3. Shape the mixture into roughly 10 to 12 patties and bake on a foil-lined baking tray for 20 minutes.
4. Serve straight away with warmed pittas, some salad leaves and tzatziki.
SUPER-EASY MEAT-FREE MIXED BEAN CHILLI
Chilli recipes are very personal. I know everyone has their own secret method and ingredients, so all I can do here is share how I make mine. While the combination of spices and beans you choose is important, for me a bowl of chilli is not a bowl of chilli if I have not loaded it up with avocado, soured cream, fresh coriander and a good spritz of fresh lime juice. It is a great way to use up whatever you have left in the bottom of your fridge. Grated cheese, chopped red onion, fresh salsa and cold shredded chicken are also perfect here to add a bit more flavour and texture.
SERVES: 3–4
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 55 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
light oil
2 white onions, cut into small chunks
1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
FRESH
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into small chunks
1 × 400g tin red kidney beans
1 × 400g tin black beans
1½ tablespoons Cajun spice mix
5 heaped tablespoons red split lentils
1. Heat a good splash of oil over a medium-high heat in a large saucepan, and fry the onion and the pepper pieces for 7 to 8 minutes until they are soft and just starting to brown.
2. Empty the red kidney beans and the black beans into a sieve and rinse under cold water. Add them to the pan, along with the tomatoes, spice mix, cumin and cocoa powder. Use a little water to rinse out the tomato tin so you don’t leave any of the tomato goodness behind, and add about 200ml water in total to the pan.
3. Stir well and turn up the heat until the chilli is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer, without a lid and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
4. Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear, and stir them into the chilli. Allow to simmer for another 25 minutes, still stirring occasionally, until the lentils are plump and tender and the chilli has thickened.
BACON & BEAN HOT POT
This is perfect as a filling spring supper with a green salad on the side for those days that are sunny but still a bit crisp and cold. While I love the rich, smoky flavour the lardons add to the beans, you’ve also got a pretty decent veggie answer to this English classic here if you leave them out all together.
SERVES: 3–4
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
light oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
½ vegetable stock cube
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
a pinch of golden caster sugar
FRESH
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 × 90g pack smoked bacon lardons
2 × 400g tins mixed beans, drained
1 very large baking potato
1. Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Once the oil is shimmering, fry the carrot and the onion until they are softened, but not golden. Add the garlic, and cook for another few minutes until the garlic has softened. Add the bacon lardons and fry until they are cooked through.
3. Add the beans, chopped tomatoes and the ½ stock cube made up in the empty tomato tin with half a tin’s worth of boiling water. Season well with salt and pepper and a large pinch of sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 220°C/425°F. Thinly slice the potato and cook in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes until the potato slices are tender, but still hold their shape.
5. Transfer the bean mixture to an ovenproof baking dish, and spread the potato slices over the top. Season with a few grinds of salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little oil. Grill for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and slightly crispy.
SAUSAGE BOLOGNESE
I love a good bolognese sauce. Yes, you can eat it with pasta, sprinkled with fresh basil, and stash any leftovers in the freezer for days when you don’t fancy cooking, but it also creates a great base for so many other comforting dishes. Make this on a Sunday evening just for yourself, and you’ll then have enough bolognese left to make a Frying-Pan Lasagne (here) or to fill a couple of baked potatoes (here) midweek.
I use sausage meat here because not only is it cheaper than beef or lamb mince, but it adds enough of that pork flavour so that you don’t have to fork out for bacon to add to your bolognese, too.
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
light oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
100ml chicken or beef stock (made with ½ stock cube)
1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
a large pinch of golden caster sugar
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
450g sausage meat
230ml red wine
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1. Heat a generous splash of light oil in the bottom of a large saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until the pieces have started to soften, but they have not yet started to brown.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until the garlic is soft, but again, don’t let it start to brown (brown garlic is burnt garlic).
3. Add the sausage meat, breaking it into pieces with the back of your mixing spoon, stirring every few minutes. The sausage meat should start to break up like minced meat as it cooks.
4. Once the sausage meat is cooked through, add the stock, wine, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano, a good pinch of sugar and a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper. To get the last of the goodness out of the tomato tin, pour a little of the wine or stock into the tin and swill it around before adding it to the saucepan.
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, and allow the sauce to simmer, without a lid, for 55 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, taste a little of the sauce to check the seasoning. Add more pepper if you think it needs a bit more flavour. More salt will help if you think the sauce tastes a little bland, and a bit more sugar will round out the sauce if it tastes too acidic.
TOAD IN THE HOLE WITH ONION GRAVY
You can always take these ingredients and cook them in one roasting tin to make a traditional toad in the hole. However, I think these dinky little single-serve portions are so much better, especially if you’re cooking for friends and you want dinner to look far more impressive than it actually is. Serve with Onion Gravy and Mustard Mash (here).
MAKES: 6
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
light oil
125g plain flour
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
6 chipolata sausages
2 large eggs
150ml milk
Mustard Mash and Onion Gravy (here), to serve
1. Preheat the oven as high as it will go, about 240°C/475°F/Gas mark 9.
2. Pour ½ tablespoon of oil into each hole of a large muffin tin and put it in the oven so the oil can heat up.
3. Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chipolatas for a few minutes until they are golden brown, but not cooked in the middle.
4. In a jug or bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk until combined. Gradually whisk in the flour until smooth and then season with salt and black pepper.
5. Carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven and divide the batter between each oil-filled hole. Place a chipolata in each and return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mini toad in the holes are puffy and golden.
SWEET POTATO & SAUSAGE SHEPHERD’S PIE
Shepherd’s pie is one of those things that will always be better homemade. I like the sweet potato topping for something a little different, but if you want to go for a more classic flavour, use regular potatoes instead.
If you’d like to make this with leftover bolognese, simply decrease the quantities for the mashed sweet potato and bake in a smaller dish.
SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 35–45 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
FRESH
3 (roughly 850g) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1cm discs
6 tablespoons milk
30g unsalted butter
4 portions of Sausage Bolognese (here)
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Boil the sweet potato slices in salted boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain, then mash with a potato masher until smooth, adding the milk and the butter as you go. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Spread the bolognese sauce (it does not matter if it is hot from the pan or cold from the fridge) over the bottom of an ovenproof dish and spoon the mashed sweet potato evenly over the top. Spread out with a knife until all of the sauce is covered, and season the top with a little more salt and pepper.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sweet potato top has started to go crispy and slightly brown, and the bolognese sauce has started to bubble up around the edges.
EASY LEMON & THYME ROAST CHICKEN WITH ZA’ATAR POTATOES
Everyone needs a good, basic roast chicken recipe in their back pocket. On Sunday nights there is nothing better than a glorious, golden bird being carried from the oven to the table to share, with the added bonus of cold leftover chicken to devour in sandwiches or a pie (here) during the week. Buy a large chicken if you want extra leftovers!
While my family go down the traditional roast potato and steamed vegetable route, I like to serve my chicken with za’atar potatoes or potato wedges, mayonnaise (rather than making gravy) and a simple green salad.
SERVES: 4–5
PREP TIME: 10 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting
COOKING TIME: as per the packet instructions (approximately 1 hour 45 minutes)
STORECUPBOARD
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon light oil
FRESH
1 large whole chicken (approximately 1.2 kg)
1 large lemon
a large handful of fresh thyme sprigs
a large knob of butter, at room temperature
1 × 500g pack new potatoes
1 tablespoon za’atar
1. Take the chicken out of the fridge at least half an hour before you want to cook it to bring it up to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Remove the chicken from all of its packaging, and remove any string trussing it together. Place the chicken on a wire rack set inside a deep roasting tray. If you don’t have anything suitable, you can keep the chicken off the base of the tin by thickly slicing a couple of onions to create a trivet to rest the chicken on. This will also help you make an awesome gravy (see here).
3. Pat dry the skin of the chicken with kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, pierce the lemon all over and halve it. Stuff the lemon halves, along with the thyme sprigs, into the chicken cavity. If possible, fold over any excess skin at the neck to shut the lemon and herbs in.
4. Rub the skin of the chicken with butter, and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Roast the chicken as per the packet instructions. No two chickens weigh the same, so they’ll usually have a cooking time printed on the packaging.
6. Boil the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes until they’re tender. Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, halve them and toss them in a plastic bag with the oil, za’atar and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Tip them into a roasting tray and put them in the oven to roast with the chicken for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
7. When the chicken is cooked, the skin should be golden and crispy, and if you poke a sharp knife into a thick bit of the chicken (not the breast) the juices that run out should be completely clear.
8. Leave the chicken to rest on a chopping or carving board for 10 minutes before carving.
How to make pan gravy: While the chicken is resting is a great opportunity to make gravy. Before you lift the chicken out of the roasting tray, turn it on its end so that any cooking juices from inside the chicken, infused with lemon and thyme, can run out into the tin.
Spoon out as much fat floating on top of the liquid still in the roasting tray as you can, and set the tin over a medium heat. If you’ve made an onion trivet to rest your chicken on, mash this down to a purée with a fork and remove the skins from the pan.
Using a fork or a metal whisk, while the juices warm up, scrape off as much of the burnt-on bits from the bottom of the tin. This is where most of the flavour is hiding! Add splashes of water (my Dad likes to use any water he’s cooking vegetables in), wine or a mixture of both to the tin to create more liquid as it evaporates.
To thicken the gravy, mix a little cornflour into some water, and then gradually whisk this into the gravy pan until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN PIE
Use whatever chicken you have left over from your Sunday bird. You need about three large handfuls, but a bit more will just make a meatier pie (or you could keep some back to make sandwiches), and if you don’t quite have enough, just use a few more mushrooms to pad the pie out.
This is a great dish either to serve up with some potato wedges and a salad if you’ve got friends coming over for a midweek supper, or to make for just one or two of you. The only thing I like more than this freshly made roast chicken pie is this cold leftover roast chicken pie!
SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
STORECUPBOARD
1 tablespoon plain flour, plus extra for dusting
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
200ml chicken stock (made with ½ stock cube)
FRESH
a large knob of unsalted butter
2 leeks, trimmed and cut into 3cm chunks
8 mushrooms, sliced
4 rashers of bacon, cut into small pieces (I find this is easiest to do with scissors)
leftover roast chicken (here)
1 × 150ml pot single cream
a generous glug of white wine or water
1 × 375g block puff pastry
1 tablespoon milk
1. Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the leek chunks and cook them until they start to soften and brown around the edges.
2. Add the mushrooms and bacon to the pan, and continue to cook until the bacon has cooked through and the mushrooms have softened and started to brown. While they are cooking, toss the chicken in the flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken and flour mixture to the pan, and stir in until the flour has formed a very thick paste. Depending on how much chicken you’re using, the pan may be getting a bit full at this point, but don’t worry! It won’t affect the flavour and nothing will over- or undercook.
4. Stir in the stock, followed by the cream and white wine or water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to bubble away until it is a little thicker than a pie filling would usually be. From start to finish, the filling should take about 20 minutes to cook.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the filling to cool a little. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6 and place a metal baking tray in the oven to heat up too. Baking the pie on a preheated metal tray will help you avoid a soggy bottom.
6. Halve the pastry block. Using a rolling pin or a bottle of wine, roll out one of the halves on a clean work surface (sprinkled with a little flour) until it is thick enough to line a 22cm pie dish, or any other ovenproof dish you could line and top with pastry, and big enough to hold the pie filling. Line the dish with the pastry. I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to slide your rolling pin or wine bottle under the pastry sheet to help you lift the pastry up so you can slide the pie dish underneath. Don’t worry if you don’t get it first time; it takes practice!
7. Roll out the other half of the pastry block so it is big enough to top the pie. Spoon the pie filling into the dish.
8. Brush the edges of the pastry with the milk, and lay the second pastry sheet on top. Lift the pie up in the air. This makes it easier to slice the excess pastry off from around the sides of the pie dish. Make a thumbprint pattern around the edge of the pie to seal the pastry. You can use any pastry scraps to decorate the top.
9. Brush the pie lid with milk, and bake it in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden. Leave the pie to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
