Salmon and Pea Penne

You can make this creamy salmon and pea dish in the time it takes to cook the pasta, and all the ingredients are easy to find. This recipe will serve 2 people, possibly with a bit leftover for seconds. You can add some chopped parsley or chives at the end if you have them to hand.

Ingredients:

• 200g penne pasta
• 2 salmon fillets
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 250g frozen peas
• 250g quark
• Juice and zest of a lemon
• Plenty of fresh black pepper
• Salt

Method:

• Begin by putting the pasta on to cook in lots of boiling, salted water.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the frozen peas in the microwave by adding a little water to a bowl and covering with cling film. Heat on high for 4 minutes then set aside.
• Steam the salmon by adding a couple of teaspoons of water to a bowl or plate then cover the salmon with clingfilm. Cook for 4 minutes then when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the quark, spring onion, lemon zest* and lemon juice. Mix well and season with lots of black pepper and a big pinch of salt.
• Flake the salmon slightly then add to the quark mixture along with the peas.
• Once the pasta is cooked, transfer directly to the mixture with a slotted spoon (don’t drain).
• Mix well but gently until everything is combined.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
• Eat!

*if you don’t own a zester, you can use a speed peeler to take off the zest of the lemon. Just be gentle so you don’t get any of the white pith and chop as finely as you can before adding to the dish.

Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce

This is the dish I cooked for previous MasterChef contestants and arguably the one that won me a spot in the quarter finals. Since the show went out I’ve been inundated with requests for the recipe so I’ve written it up below.  If anyone would like a printable step by step guide which includes timings and lots of detail just get in touch via the site and I will whizz one over to you! I’m a very methodical person (except when I’m in the MasterChef kitchen apparently) so I made myself detailed guides to help me stay on track with timings. If you’re making this at home, it’s probably not necessary unless your co-eaters intend to time you to exactly 60 minutes!

Ingredients:

Pork:

• 350g pork tenderloin  (outdoor reared is best if you can)
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• 250ml crème fraiche
• 50ml whiskey
• Salt
• Olive oil for frying
• Black pepper
• Tablespoon dried sage
• Tablespoon dried parsley
• 25g parmesan

Vegetables:

• Chanteney carrots (allow a few per person)
• Teaspoon of sugar
• 60g butter
• 3 baby leeks
• 3 baby parsnips
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds

Apple sauce:

• 1 granny smith apple
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon honey

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Scrape the skin off the carrots using a sharp knife and wash the parsnips.
• Half the parsnips lengthways and toss in oil, salt, black pepper and celery seeds. Tip on to a roasting tray and put them in the oven, they’ll take about 30 minutes.
• Combine 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, herbs and parmesan in a small bowl and mix well. Use a pastry brush to coat the meat all over then set aside.
• Peel and chop the apple in to 2cm chunks then heat in a small pan with the juice of half a lemon. Once the mixture is soft and the apples are cooked, pass through a fine sieve and set aside.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork on all sides until well browned, then transfer to a roasting tin and cook for 12-15 minutes. Don’t wash the pan; you’ll need it for your sauce!
• Once the cooking time has finished, transfer the meat to a board and cover loosely with foil to rest. A general rule is to rest the meat for the same length of time you’ve cooked it for.
• Place the carrots in medium saucepan then add enough water to just cover them. Add a big pinch of salt, a big pinch of sugar and 30g of butter. Turn the heat up and cook for around 15 minutes until the carrots are cooked through.
• Slice the leeks lengthways and give them a really good rinse under cold water. Slice them up and add a big knob of butter to a frying pan, leave the heat low and sauté until soft.
• Take the pan you cooked your pork in and put on a high heat. When hot, add the whiskey and a knob of butter.
• Once you can see the liquid has reduced slightly add the rest of the Dijon and the wholegrain mustard to the pan and give it a stir.
• Add the crème fraiche, turn down the heat and allow to bubble. Taste and season if necessary (add more mustard if you like).
• Slice the pork thickly and arrange on the plate with the vegetables.
• Give each plate a couple of teaspoons of apple sauce then pour plenty of mustard sauce over the whole dish.

Garlic Spatchcock Chicken with Creamy Orzo and Rocket

This is a really easy tea with notably very little washing up! We have served this as a crowd pleaser for friends in the past but tonight I’ve made it for two. You can add your own twist with different vegetable sides or by using a regular soft cheese if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 medium chicken (around 1.4kg)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 5 tablespoons light olive oil
• 250g orzo pasta
• 150ml half fat crème fraiche
• 100g soft goat’s cheese
• 2 lemons
• 70g fresh rocket
• Small bunch of parsley
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 200 degrees.
• Flip the chicken so the breast is facing down then use a strong pair of scissors to cut down the back bone. Once you’ve cut all the way down turn the chicken over and use your hands to push down until you hear a crack and you feel the bird flatten out.
• Place the chicken in a large roasting tin.
• Bash or blend the garlic with the oil until completely smooth (any pieces of garlic will burn in the oven) then pour over the chicken and rub in all over.
• Season the chicken on both sides with plenty of salt and pepper then roast for 1 hour basting 2 or 3 times with the juices from the tin.
• Once the chicken is out of the oven, cover loosely with foil while you prepare the orzo.
• Cook the orzo in plenty of boiling, salted water for 7 minutes then drain keeping about a mug full of the cooking water.
• Add the crème fraiche, goat’s cheese and juice of 2 lemons then mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
• Allow to simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes then taste again. Adjust flavourings to your own preference (salt, pepper, lemon) then stir through the rocket and turn off the heat.
• Roughly chop the parsley and stir through the orzo.

How you eat this is down to you! I removed the breasts and legs from the chicken then served on top of the orzo but this could work equally well in the middle of the table so people can help themselves. If you’re making this for a crowd chicken thighs would be ideal on or off the bone. I don’t tend to cook chicken breasts but if you prefer them, a griddled breast sliced on top of the pasta would also work well.

Cheese and Griddled Pineapple sticks

These cheese and pineapple sticks are a perfect choice for a party buffet. They look brilliant all laid out on a board like we’ve done here; they are just a bit more interesting than the usual cheese and pineapple sticks you tend to get and you can add more or less chilli depending on who you’re feeding.

Makes: 32 sticks

You will need: canape picks or cocktail sticks

• 1 pineapple
• 40g fresh coriander (about half a bunch)
• 2 red chillis, deseeded
• 400g extra mature cheddar cheese
• Pinch of salt

 

1. Prepare the pineapple! The best way to do this is to cut off the top of bottom of the fruit so the fruit sits upright on your board. Use a sharp knife to slice off the skin, following the curve of the pineapple downwards. Cut out any remaining ‘eyes’ (the little black bits) using the tip of your knife, until you can only see yellow fruit. Slice the fruit length ways to give two halves then cut each half in to 4 to give 8 slices. Once you have prepared the slices, cut off the tough inner core to leave only soft and juicy fruit.
2. Heat up the griddle pan (or use a grill if you don’t have a pan) until smoking hot, then place the slices in the pan.
3. After 4 or 5 minutes, check that the slices are taking on the lovely charred grill lines (don’t be put off by the black marks, they increase flavour and look great). Keep turning the slices to create more grill marks on all sides.
4. While the pineapple is griddling, finely chop the coriander and chilli (as fine as you can get it) and ensure the herbs and chilli are well mixed to give a beautiful mix of red and green. Season with a pinch of salt.
5. Cut the cheese in to squares, keeping them as even as possible.
6. Once the pineapple has been griddled on all sides, place the slices on top of the herbs and chilli.
7. Cut each slice in to four equal pieces then gently move about to ensure the fruit is coated with the lovely mixture.
8. Assemble the cheese and pineapple on sticks or picks.
9. Arrange on the chopping board, with the leftover herbs and chilli underneath so people can take a bit more if they wish!

Chicken and Butter Bean Casserole

Today seemed the perfect opportunity to make a rich, warming casserole to use up lots of things I had in the fridge and cupboard. We ate this with boiled potatoes which I think are seriously underrated. I love the fluffy texture of and they’re healthier than butter and milk loaded mash.

Ingredients:

• 600g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
• 2 carrots
• 1 large white onion
• 3 sticks of celery
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tin of butter beans (drained)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (best quality)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large glass white wine (optional)
• 2 chicken stock cubes (we recommend Knorr)
• 1 pint boiling water
• Olive oil for frying
• Salt and fresh black pepper

Method:

Start by preparing the ingredients so you’re ready to go!

• Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery (this is called a mirepoix and makes the base of lots of classic recipes). Take the time to ensure everything is diced finely and evenly so everything cooks at the same time; it’s worth the extra effort and is actually quite therapeutic!
• Finely slice the garlic and roughly chop the pepper.
• Season the chicken all over with salt and black pepper.
• Drain the beans and open the tin of tomatoes.

Now for the cooking…

• Heat some oil in a large frying pan then add the chicken, keeping it on a high heat. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes then turn over; the chicken should be golden on the outside. Transfer the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat.
• Add the mirepoix (see above) to the pan and fry gently for 12-15 minutes, stirring every so often.
• Put the chicken back in to the pan, then add the red pepper, paprika and garlic.
• If you have some leftover wine, turn up the heat and add it now, letting it bubble for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol.
• Now add everything else! So in go the tomatoes, beans, stock cubes, water, oregano and bay leaf.

Options for the rest of the cooking time.

1. Transfer the whole thing to a slow cooker and cook on high for about 3 hours,
2. Leave it in the pan. Cover with a lid and cook very gently on the hob for an hour, or
3. Use an oven proof frying pan or transfer to a dish and cook in the oven at around gas mark 5, 190 degrees for an hour.

Croissant Bread and Raspberry Pudding

This easy pudding is a bit different to the normal bread and butter pudding recipe as the flakiness of the croissants gives a slightly lighter texture. I’ve added raspberry flavour using jam, but you can add whatever fruit flavour you like, or just leave it out completely. I always spot croissants in the reduced bit in the supermarket, so look out for them there as it’s best made with dry croissants.

Ingredients:

• 6 stale croissants
• 300ml double cream
• 300ml whole milk
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 250g caster sugar
• 200g seedless raspberry jam
• Handful of fresh raspberries (optional)

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, gas mark 4.
• Grease a 12cm dish with butter (see the photo for the one I used – it’s not hugely important).
• Slice the croissants across in to 1cm slices, then generously spread each with jam.
• Arrange the slices in rows in the dish, packing them in a bit (it gets a bit messy).
• Heat up the milk, sugar and cream in a saucepan until it’s bubbling, then add a little bit of the hot mix to the beaten eggs. Whisk really well until combined.
• Keep adding the hot mix to the eggs until everything is combined and smooth.
• Pour the custard mix back in to the saucepan and heat gently for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture catch on the bottom as it will cook the eggs and go lumpy.
• Once it’s thickened, pour over the croissants, pushing them down a bit and making sure they soak up as much custard as possible.
• Find your largest roasting tin and add a mug of water, then put the pudding dish in to the larger dish to create a bain-marie or water bath.
• Cover the pudding tightly with foil then make a couple of holes in the top to let the steam escape.
• Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes before eating; serve with ice cream, custard, cream or just eat on its own!

Party in Your Mouth Roast Chicken

My mouth had a party, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium chicken
• 2 large white onions
• 100g butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• Big handful of any fresh green herbs! (I used chives, parsley and coriander because they’re in my garden, but pretty much any combination will deliver freshness and flavour – ask me if you’re not sure!)
• 2 lemons
• Salt
• Black pepper

It’s easier to make the butter in a food processor but you can do this by hand if you don’t have one (Christmas is coming, so stick one on your list).

Method:

• Pre-heat your oven to 210 degrees of gas mark 7.
• Mash or blend the butter with 2 cloves of garlic, the juice and zest of lemon, herbs, oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Carefully slide a spoon underneath the skin of the chicken breast to make a pocket for the butter. Take your time so you don’t rip the skin.
• Score each chicken leg once with a sharp knife.
• Push a tablespoon of butter under the skin of each chicken breast, then push the mixture up the breast so it gets right under the skin.

• Rub the rest of the butter all over the chicken using your hands.
• Half the other lemon and push the halves in to the cavity of the chicken.
• Slice the onions and lay them out on the bottom of the roasting tin, then bash the remaining garlic cloves and throw them on top. Give the onions a good season with salt and black pepper, then drizzle a bit of oil over the top.
• Sit the chicken on top and season with a bit of salt, then cut a lemon in half and push in to the cavity.

• A medium chicken will take about an hour, but during the cooking time, take it out and tilt the tray so the juices gather at one end. Spoon this juice over the top of the chicken a couple of times during cooking – it will give even more flavour and keep the breast moist.
• Once the cooking time is up, take the chicken out and cover loosely with foil for at least 15 minutes.
• You can make a gorgeous gravy by adding some water, stock or wine to the roasting tin. Let it bubble away to deglaze the tin (I do this by putting the roasting tin directly over a couple of the gas hob rings). Add some flour to thicken or just use some gravy granules if you’re in a rush.
• Tuck in!

Cabbage Rolls

This is simple, nutritious and great value. It’s also a welcome side step from the usual mince recipes like chilli or cottage pie. You can use pork or beef mince and adapt the sauce with flavours of your own like garlic or fresh green herbs. Here’s the recipe I like!

Ingredients:

• 1 savoy cabbage
• 500g beef or pork mince
• 1 mug of basmati rice
• Half a teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 x 500g cartons or jars of passata
• 1 medium red chilli

Method:

For the rolls:

• In a large saucepan, pour out a mug of rice and add two mugs of boiling water. Put a lid on and turn up the heat for a minute, then turn the heat down simmer for 5 minutes. Now take the pan off the heat, leaving the lid on and don’t touch it! The rice will continue to steam and should separate out nicely! (If you’re short on time or not confident about doing that, you can use 3 of the pre-cooked packets of basmati instead.)
• Prepare the cabbage by gently pull away the leaves, keeping them as intact as possible! I find it easiest to make incisions at the base of the cabbage using a sharp knife – this helps the leaves come away whole.
• Boil a big pan of salted water and drop in the cabbage leaves a few at a time. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from the pan and set aside on to a plate.
• Once the rice has cooked and cooled, combine with the mince, nutmeg and a big pinch of salt and black pepper. You can also add other flavours here if you want to; try finely chopped onions, peppers or even chopped nuts.
• Spoon a tablespoon of the mixture in to the centre of each cabbage leaf and wrap it around the filling. It doesn’t have to be neat but it does have to wrap all the way round so take some filling out if you need to.

Steam the rolls for 15 minutes. They are now cooked and can be eaten plain, but I like to accompany with a smooth, spicy sauce.

For the sauce:

• To make the sauce, simply add touch of olive oil and a chopped a chilli (seeds in or out) to a frying pan and fry gently for a few minutes.
• Add the passata and season well with salt, black pepper. Add a pinch of sugar and and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar then simmer for at least 10 minutes.

To serve:

 

You can serve this any way you like, but I usually pour half the sauce out in to a roasting dish then put the rolls on top of the sauce. Pour over the rest, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can pour the sauce out on to a big platter then put the rolls on top; the colour contrast is fantastic. Either way, they’re just so simple and satisfying! I served some garlicky green beans on the side for crunch and extra flavour.

Profiteroles with Star Anise Caramel

The profiterole recipe is taken from James Martin, but I chose to branch out from chocolate sauce and go for a caramel flavoured with star anise instead. I’ve filled mine with crème patisserie, which isn’t as hard as you think and is a good recipe to have in your repertoire. If you don’t have time or inclination to make the filling, then whipped cream would be lovely too. I like mixing through fresh fruit, orange zest or if you’re cooking for adults you could flavour the cream with something alcoholic like amaretto, dark rum or your favourite fruity liqueur.

Ingredients:

Profiteroles:

• 200ml water
• 115g plain flour
• 4 teaspoons caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 85g unsalted butter
• Pinch of salt

Star Anise Caramel:

• 100g caster sugar
• 2 star anise
• 100g butter
• 200ml double cream

Method:

Profiteroles:

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees or gas mark 6. You will need two racks in the oven.
• Weigh out the flour (be exact here) and add a pinch of salt.
• In a saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter, water and sugar until everything has melted down.
• Tip in the dry ingredients and beat well until the mixture comes together and the dough comes away from the sides of the pan. You will need a bit of vigour here!
• Leave the mixture to cool for at least 15 minutes.
• Crack the eggs in to a big bowl and beat them well.
• Add a little bit of egg at a time, beating (wooden spoons are good for this) to combine everything in to a smooth dough. Keep adding the eggs until you’re left with a smooth, soft dough. It might look like a big sloppy mess but keep beating and it will come together.
• Fill a roasting tin with a cup of water and place on the bottom rack.
• Pipe or spoon the dough on to a greased baking sheet – the size it up to you but I went for just smaller than a gold ball. Run your hands under the tap and tab a little bit of water on to the top of each one, then place the sheet on the top rack of the oven. They will take about half an hour to become golden and expanded.
• Once the profiteroles are cooked, remove from the oven and allow steam to escape by using a skewer or knife to make a small whole in the bottom of each profiterole. You must leave them to cool before filling or you might find the filling melts and runs out everywhere.

Caramel:

• Now make the caramel by adding the sugar and star anise to a shallow frying pan, melting on a medium heat. Do not stir! If you need to, you can shake the pan to make sure the sugar is melting evenly.
• Once the sugar is a deep golden brown, add the butter and use a hand whisk to combine quickly. You might need to stand back as it will hiss and splatter in the pan.
• When the butter is melted, take off the heat and add the cream, whisking again.
• Pour the caramel in to a bowl and cover with cling film while it cools.

Assembling!

I don’t have a piping bag at home so I simply sliced the profiteroles open and spooned in the filling. Simple! Once filled, caramel can also be spooned over the top or left on the side for DIY dessert fun. Best eaten straight away but if you have lots of dough leftover, it’s best to cook it all then freeze the cooked pastry for last minute party food or for whenever you fancy.

 

 

Ginger Brandy Snaps with Passion Fruit and Mango

I love making and eating brandy snaps, especially when they’re filled with cream and fruit. You can use whatever fruit you like for your filling but if you’re using something slightly tart (like berries), you might want to sweeten the cream with a bit of icing sugar.

Ingredients:

• 3 passion fruits
• 1 very ripe mango
• 55g golden syrup
• 55g unsalted butter
• 55g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Method:

Biscuits:

• The easiest way to get all your ingredients measured out correctly is to use electronic scales with a zero function. I tend to measure them out directly in to the pan to save mess. Put the pan on the scales and put the weight back to zero, then add the butter, sugar and golden syrup in the same way. Melt on a low heat.
• Weigh out the flour and add the ground ginger. Mix well then grab a sieve!
• Once the wet ingredients have melted down and the sugar has melted, sieve the flour mix directly in to the pan. Give it a really good mix then leave to cool down. The mix is now ready to use whenever you need it, and will keep in the fridge for a couple of days if covered.
• To cook the brandy snaps, preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.
• Grease a baking tray a drop a teaspoon of the mixture on the tray, making sure to leave as much room as possible between them.
• Cook in the oven for 6-8 minutes until they’ve spread out and turned golden brown.
• Once out of the oven, leave for a minute for the biscuits to firm up, then wrap around the handle of a wooden spoon or anything you like! Sometimes I drape them over an unturned glass which creates a basket, or they can be left to cool flat. They will cool in seconds and are then ready to fill, pipe or crush over cream or ice cream. If you don’t manage to shape them as quickly as you need to, you can warm them through in the oven which will allow you to shape them a second or third time.

Filling and sauce:

• Whip the cream by hand or using an electric whisk, then cut the passion fruits in half and scoop out all the flesh in to the cream.
• Blend the flesh of a mango with 2 teaspoons of icing sugar. Make sure it is very smooth before pouring in out in to a bowl or jug.

Eat in any combination, shape or way you like!