For those moments when everyone is hungry and the food you make needs to be filling, nutritious and flavoursome. In the writing and cooking of this family recipe book, I would like to show how good food is easy to make and needn’t be all that expensive or elite. This first chapter contains quick, simple and achievable recipes that will take 10 to 20 minutes tops!
__________________
For a super-quick and nutritious lunch or supper, this dish of smoked mackerel with soft lemony white beans and courgettes heaped on brown buttered toast is a lifesaver.
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
½ celery heart (pale leafy inside of celery), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g tin white beans, such as cannellini or haricot, drained and rinsed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g firm courgettes, cut in half lengthways
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of ½ lemon – cut the other half into wedges, to serve
Smoked mackerel for 4 people (about 4 fillets or 730g), skin and bones removed, then roughly flaked
¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
Hot buttered toast, to serve
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat and cook the onion and celery for 5–8 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beans and cook for about 3 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and put to one side.
While the onion and celery are cooking, slice the halved courgettes into 2cm pieces.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, add the courgettes and fry for 5–10 minutes until coloured and tender but still with some bite.
Stir the courgettes into the beans. Add the parsley and lemon juice.
To serve, add the flaked mackerel and season with the chilli flakes if using. Pile onto hot buttered toast and serve with lemon wedges.
__________________
Peas and bacon are a classic combination. Here with linguine and spring onions, this is a dish that you can make in the time it takes for the pasta to boil. My children love this for supper – there’s certainly never any left over.
350g dried pasta, such as linguine or penne
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
100g unsmoked streaky bacon, finely sliced
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
300g frozen peas, defrosted
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
Have all the ingredients ready and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Cook the pasta as instructed on the packet.
Heat the olive oil or butter in a frying pan over a moderate heat and fry the bacon for 3–5 minutes until it begins to brown a little. Add the spring onions and garlic and cook for about 1 more minute.
Add the peas and cook for a minute or two, then add the parsley and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste (the bacon will provide some salt).
Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the bacon. Mix well and serve with grated Parmesan.
__________________
Egg fried rice is the dish of champions, and made with very little planning. If you cook rice for supper one night be sure to cook plenty so you have enough left over in the fridge to make this. It’s a dish that can easily swell to feed extra kids and the super-hungry. Just use more rice and eggs, and add frozen peas with the prawns and spring onions. If you prefer, use cold leftover roast chicken, pork or beef instead of the prawns. Egg fried rice is a perfect dish for using up leftovers or ‘fridge-raiding’, as it’s sometimes known.
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional, but it really does make all the difference)
6 tbsp groundnut, vegetable or sunflower oil
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
½ small pointed or spring cabbage, core removed, finely sliced into ribbons
Salt
250g medium prawns, peeled and deveined
6 spring onions, finely sliced
750g cooked long-grain white rice, cooled
50g peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve
Beat the eggs together with the soy sauce, and fish sauce if using.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or a large non-stick pan over a medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add the ginger and fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the cabbage and stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted and soft; this should take about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt to taste (soy sauce and fish sauce are both salty). Using a slotted spoon, remove the gingery cabbage to a plate and wipe the wok with kitchen towel.
Put the wok back over the heat and add another 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the prawns and spring onions and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Transfer the prawns and spring onions to the plate with the cabbage.
Add the remaining oil to the wok and heat until just beginning to smoke. Add the cold cooked rice and stir-fry, ensuring all the grains get coated in the hot oil and the rice is heated through. Add the beaten eggs and fry until all the egg has been absorbed by the rice. After the egg has been absorbed, stir vigorously and fry for about 3 minutes or until the eggy rice begins to caramelise, with some of the grains and egg turning crunchy and golden.
Return the cabbage and prawns to the pan. Toss the rice, prawns and cabbage together until everything is heated through. Serve immediately, with the peanuts scattered on top.
__________________
Frittata, a chunky omelette, gets bad press in this country and I’ve seen wacky versions with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. Let the eggs and vegetables be the stars of the show, helped along with a flurry of Parmesan. Feel free to mix and match different vegetables and cheese. Cooked sweet potato with thyme and Cheddar, cooked beetroot with goat’s cheese, or peas and feta are all great combinations; just be gentle with the cooking time (there’s nothing worse than overcooked rubbery egg) and remember less is more when it comes to this dish.
4 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, finely sliced, rinsed and drained
200g Swiss chard (or spinach), washed, leaves cut into ribbons, stalks finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
4 tbsp milk
Small bunch of mixed fresh herbs, such as mint, dill, parsley, chives or whatever herbs you have to hand, chopped
60g Parmesan, grated (or use another cheese, such as Cheddar, if you prefer)
Preheat the oven to 200°C (190°C fan).
Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in an ovenproof non-stick frying pan (approx. 25cm diameter) over a medium heat. Sauté the leek and chard stalks with a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes until soft. Add the chard leaves and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate.
While the chard and leek are cooking, whisk the eggs, milk, chopped herbs and three-quarters of the Parmesan in a large bowl, with a little salt and pepper to taste.
Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and heat over a medium-high heat, swirling the hot oil around the pan to coat all the sides. Add the beaten egg mix and reduce the heat. Cook the eggs, scraping the sides to the centre every now and then, over a low heat for about 1 minute until the mix is just beginning to firm up at the sides but is still a little runny.
Arrange the cooked leek and chard mix across the top of the eggs and scatter the remaining Parmesan over the top. Put the pan in the hot oven for 3–5 minutes to finish cooking.
Loosen the edges of the frittata with a knife or spatula and slide out onto a plate or – if it’s tricky to shuffle out onto a plate – serve straight from the pan.
__________________
Coating the fish in oats before frying gives a crisp, golden crust. This is an impressive-sounding dish that’s a doddle to make. Serve with boiled new potatoes.
250g green beans, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 trout fillets (depending on size), skinned
200g crème fraîche
75g fine or medium porridge oats
2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
30g butter
2 shallots, very finely chopped
100ml water
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp tarragon leaves, roughly chopped (or parsley or chives if you prefer)
Cook the green beans in plenty of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain and put to one side.
Brush each fillet with some of the crème fraîche and season with a little salt. Spread the oats out on a plate and press each fillet into the oats to coat the fish.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and gently place the trout fillets into the pan (you may need to cook the trout in batches). Cook for 2–3 minutes until the oats turn crisp and golden, then gently turn the fillets over and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes. When cooked, remove the fillets from the pan and drain on kitchen towel to remove any excess fat.
Wipe out the pan with kitchen towel and add the butter and the shallots. Cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes until the shallots have softened. Add the cooked beans along with the remaining crème fraîche, the water, mustard and tarragon and warm through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, spoon some of the beans onto a plate and top with the fried fish.
__________________
Simply ace. Eggs cooked individually in little pots make a brilliant and terribly easy family meal. Broccoli with Cheddar is a favourite but having additional ingredients to hand means that family members can pick and mix. Any number of the following will bake very well nestled under an egg and a puddle of cream: fresh herbs, sautéed mushrooms, caramelised onions, cooked bacon, spring onions, blanched spinach, diced fresh tomatoes, cooked peppers, leftover tomato pasta sauce, chopped chilli or toasted cumin seeds. The water bath sounds flashy but isn’t: it ensures the eggs don’t dry out as they cook. A mountain of toast cut into soldiers is essential.
300g broccoli, cut into small florets
butter to grease the ramekins
40–60g Cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml single cream
bread, for toasting
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). You will need four 250ml ramekins or ovenproof pots and a deep-sided baking tray that will hold the ramekins. Line the baking tray with a tea towel to stop the ramekins from sliding about when you put it in the oven. Boil the kettle or have some very hot water to hand.
Cook the broccoli in salted boiling water for 3 minutes or until tender; drain well.
Grease the ramekins with a little butter and divide the cooked broccoli and grated cheese among the four ramekins. Crack an egg into each ramekin on top of the broccoli and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour a quarter of the cream into each ramekin.
Place the ramekins on the cloth in the baking tray and add boiling water to come halfway up the side of the ramekins, taking care not to spill water into any of the ramekins.
Gently place the baking tray in the hot oven and bake until the egg whites are set: 12– 15 minutes for a runny yolk or 15–18 minutes for a firm yolk. Serve immediately with hot buttered toast cut into fingers.
__________________
Known as pasta e fagioli in Italian, this is a disarmingly simple, chunky soup – a robust dish that packs a punch on a cold blustery day. If the soup gets too thick as you cook the pasta, add more boiling water. If you like, you can squeeze the inside of a sausage (or two) into the pan as you fry the garlic and rosemary, stirring until the meat is browned all over before adding the stock.
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
6 tbsp olive oil
2 or 3 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
100g tiny pasta shapes, such as macaroni, ditalini, orzo or alphabetti
400g tin beans, such as cannellini, borlotti or white haricot, drained and rinsed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
In a pan, heat the stock to boiling point.
Heat half the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed casserole or saucepan. Add the garlic and rosemary and fry for 2–3 minutes until fragrant but not coloured.
Add the pasta and the drained beans and cover with the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the pasta is cooked.
To serve, season the soup with salt and pepper – and chilli flakes instead of or as well as the black pepper if you like – plenty of grated Parmesan and a slick of the remaining olive oil in each bowl.
__________________
Mussels are the ultimate fast food – they cook in minutes. Preparing them is pretty straightforward and a good kitchen task to involve the kids with: pull off the beards (the straggly fibres where the mussel clung to the rocks or rope) and give any open shells a quick tap to check the mussel is still alive and closes on contact. Rinse the mussels in plenty of cold running water and you’re good to go.
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 small bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5cm piece of fresh ginger (no need to peel it), grated
2 tbsp curry powder – hot or mild
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of sugar
200ml unsweetened coconut milk
250ml water
1kg mussels, scrubbed and debearded, broken or open mussels discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Melt the butter over a medium heat in a large heavy pot to which you have a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion, cinnamon and bay leaves and cook about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, blend the garlic, ginger, curry powder, half the lime juice, a pinch of sugar and 50ml of the coconut milk until smooth.
Add the blended mixture to the pan with the onion and fry for about 2 minutes until thickened slightly.
Add the remaining coconut milk along with the water and bring to the boil. Immediately add the mussels, put the lid on the pan and increase the heat. Shake and jostle the pan from time to time, keeping the lid firmly on, and cook until the mussels open. This should take about 6 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, divide the mussels among four bowls, being sure to discard any mussels that have not opened.
Boil the sauce in the pan for 1 minute. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste, then add the chopped coriander and the remaining lime juice. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.
__________________
I love recipes that make use of slightly stale bread. It goes without saying that you should use crusty, good-quality bread: the sliced white stuff never ages gracefully, let alone cooks well. This is inspired by a Spanish dish that goes by the name of migas. Bacon or black pudding would work very well in addition to the chorizo. Topped with a fried egg, this is absolutely knockout.
4 tbsp olive oil
½ small cabbage (approx. 250g), such as savoy or hispi, finely shredded
1 tsp sweet paprika (Spanish pimentón if possible)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g cooking chorizo, chopped into 2cm slices
2 thick slices (approx. 100g) of one- or two-day-old bread, torn into approx. 2cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 eggs (optional)
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan or a wok over a medium heat, add the cabbage and fry for about 5 minutes until soft and beginning to turn golden brown in places. Season the cabbage with the paprika, salt and pepper and pile onto a plate. Put to one side.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the chorizo and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the chorizo has softened and released some of its fat.
Add the bread to the pan with the chorizo and fry for about 10 minutes until the bread has absorbed all the fat and is becoming crisp in places. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
While the bread is frying, fry the eggs, if using, in a separate frying pan in some olive oil.
Add the chickpeas to the chorizo mix and cook for a further 1 minute. Add the parsley, return the cabbage to the pan and warm through. Check the seasoning and serve immediately, with the fried egg on top.
A good salad is a well-dressed salad. Toasted seeds and nuts, along with fruit, make for a more interesting dish and my children enjoy these variations. These three substantial salads can stand alone as a great lunch, or use as a lunchbox offering. You can, of course, serve them alongside some cooked meat or fish: pork chops with the carrot and beetroot, cold roast chicken with the apple and celeriac, or pan-fried mackerel with the parsnip, kale and pomegranate for example.
__________________
100g mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame
½–1 tsp English mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil, or more to taste
½ small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a little salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2–3 carrots, peeled and grated
2 raw beetroot, peeled and grated
4 spring onions, finely sliced
Small bunch of coriander or parsley, roughly chopped
Put the seeds into a dry, non-stick frying pan and place over a moderate heat until they toast and begin to crackle. Tip into a bowl and put to one side.
In a serving bowl, mix the mustard, vinegar, both oils, the garlic, salt and pepper.
Add the grated carrots and beetroot, the spring onions and chopped herbs, then check the seasoning, adding a bit more sesame oil if you like. Mix to combine and scatter over the toasted seeds just before serving.
__________________
2 large crisp eating apples, peeled, cored and finely sliced (matchsticks or half-moons, as you like)
150g celeriac (about a quarter), finely sliced and prepared as the apple
Juice of 1 lemon
150g crème fraîche or plain yogurt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3–4 sticks of celery heart (pale leafy inside of celery) with leaves, finely sliced
1 lettuce, such as Little Gem, leaves separated and roughly torn
3 tbsp walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
3 tbsp sultanas or raisins
Prepare the apples and celeriac and squeeze a quarter of the lemon juice over them to prevent them from browning.
To make the dressing, mix the crème fraîche, mustard, oil and the remaining lemon juice together with salt and pepper to taste.
Put the apple, celeriac, celery and lettuce in a serving bowl, add the dressing and mix well to coat. Scatter over the walnuts and raisins and serve immediately.
__________________
150g coarse bulgur
1 large raw parsnip, peeled and grated
2 handfuls of raw curly kale, washed and shredded very finely
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 3 clementines or 1 large orange
2 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ head of cauliflower, broken up and chopped into tiny florets
Seeds from 1 large pomegranate
4 tbsp chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
Put the bulgur in a bowl, add warm water to cover and leave to soak for 10 minutes until tender.
Toss the grated parsnip in 1 teaspoon of white wine or cider to prevent browning.
Put the shredded kale into a large serving bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt; thoroughly and firmly mix the leaves with your hands for about a minute to soften the kale.
In a small bowl, mix together the citrus juice, the remaining olive oil, vinegar, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the bulgur in a sieve and add to the kale along with the cauliflower, parsnip, pomegranate seeds and nuts.
Pour the dressing over the salad and give it a good mix before mixing through the chopped herbs; check the seasoning before serving.
Toast makes a satisfying and speedy lunch or supper dish. Use good robust bread and don’t scrimp on the topping. Look for fruit and veg in spanking condition and at their seasonal peak. There is little point making the tomato bread, or pan Catalan to use its Spanish name, in midwinter when tomatoes are rock hard and have little flavour.
__________________
100g crème fraîche
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a little salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g frozen peas, defrosted, or use fresh peas, cooked and cooled
300g small courgettes, cut in half lengthways and sliced very thinly
Small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
Bread to toast
Mix the crème fraîche, mustard, lemon zest and juice and crushed garlic together in a bowl with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.
Add the peas and courgettes and mix with the dressing. Add the mint, and the poppy seeds if using, and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Toast the bread, pile on the pea mix and serve.
__________________
3 ripe and flavourful large tomatoes, halved and flesh coarsely grated, leaving the skin behind
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
Salt to taste
Bread to toast
1 garlic clove, halved
In a bowl, mix the grated tomato flesh with the olive oil and salt.
Toast the bread on both sides and rub the hot toast vigorously all over with the garlic clove.
Spoon the tomato mix over the garlic toast and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve.
__________________
100g caster sugar
120–150g soft cheese
½ vanilla pod, split in half lengthways
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (optional)
600g mixed ripe stone fruit (apricot, peach, nectarine or plum), halved or cut into thick slices, and stoned
Bread to toast
Preheat the oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan).
Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar to the cheese and put to one side.
Tip the remaining sugar onto a shallow baking dish, add the vanilla pod, lemon zest and juice, and cardamom if using, then add the halved fruit, flesh side down. Roast for 10 minutes or so until the fruit have softened but not collapsed and the sugar and juices have combined to make a syrupy sauce. Remove the cardamom pods and discard. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the sauce.
Meanwhile, toast the bread and spread each slice generously with the cheese. Pile the roasted fruit onto the toast with a spoonful or two of the pan juices and serve immediately.
These puddings are a cinch to make. Get your children to layer the apple and oats with cream to make the little cranachans. After all, mess can be good thing when in small spaces, such as in this pudding! My guess is your kids will be able to make the strawberry number themselves – for bashing and mashing is child’s play.
__________________
Less of a recipe, more of a serving suggestion. Allow approximately 75g of ripe strawberries, 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and 1 or 2 digestive biscuits per person.
Tip the strawberries onto a plate and roughly mash with the back of a fork, leaving some whole and some completely squished. If you think your strawberries need a little sugar, now’s the time to add it.
Put the biscuits in a clean plastic bag. Holding the end closed, give the bag a good whack with a rolling pin to break up the biscuits.
Put the mashed strawberries on a large serving plate or in individual bowls, blob the yogurt on top and scatter with the broken biscuits.
__________________
3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
2 tbsp runny honey
120g rolled oats
2 tbsp demerara sugar, plus 1 tbsp to serve
A good pinch of ground cinnamon, allspice or nutmeg
125ml double cream
125g Greek yogurt
Put the apples in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, until soft. Check them often, adding a tablespoon or so more water if they appear to be drying out. Mash the cooked apple with the honey and spread the mix out on a plate to cool quickly.
Toast the oats in a dry frying pan over a moderate heat for 2–3 minutes, until golden. Add the sugar and spices and cook for 1 more minute.
Whip the cream until it forms soft pillowy peaks, then fold in the yogurt.
In four glasses, layer the cooled apple purée with the toasted oats and cream – two layers of each is nice, finishing with cream. Sprinkle with the rest of the demerara sugar and serve within an hour or so.
