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.

Rose Harissa

I love huge, bold flavours that grab you by every sense and leave a lasting memory on your palate. Just the thought of this harissa is enough to make my mouth water. I promise you it will make pretty much any meal a whole lot more interesting; these flavours are best friends with grilled meat and are perfect for a BBQ.

I made this harissa as part of a middle eastern style BBQ with Tzatziki and some beautiful prawns which were marinaded in sumac, lemon, garlic and coriander. The prawn recipe is courtesy of Sabrina Ghayour. Her book, Persiana is the most beautiful recipe book I own and is my go to place for inspiration.

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh red chillis
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• Salt

Method:

• Place the rose petals in a small bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to soak.
• Put a dry frying pan on a medium heat and add all the seeds.
• Toast them for a minute or two – give them a couple of shakes and don’t walk away while they’re toasting! You’ll know they are done when your kitchen starts to smell gorgeous.
• Tip the seeds in to a pestle and mortar and bash to a fine powder.
• Chop the stalks off the top of chillis but leave the seeds in.
• Put the everything (including the soaking water) in a food processor and blend to a paste. If you prefer, you can bash everything up in your pestle and mortar until you have the consistency you want. You can add a bit more tomato puree to make it thicker, or a few drops of water to loosen.
• Taste and add some salt if you think it needs it but go easy as the flavours will mature further over a few days or even hours.

The harissa is perfect to eat straight away but it’s even better the day after. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge and it will keep for a couple of weeks.

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.

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!

Caribbean Oxtail Stew

Raw oxtail isn’t the most attractive ingredient, so it’s likely most people have seen it in the supermarket and swiftly moved on to safe old braising steak or brisket. That’s a real shame! Oxtail is flavoursome and rich, making it perfect for this Caribbean inspired slow cooked stew.

 Ingredients:

• 600g oxtail (300g per person)
• 6 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
• 3 celery sticks, washed and sliced
• 3 tomatoes, quartered
• 1 good quality beef stock cube
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli
• 1 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1 bay leaf
• Half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• Sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (light golden or Demerara is fine too)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oil for frying
• Black pepper
• Salt

Method:

• In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil then fry the oxtail for about 10 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer the oxtail to a plate.
• Add the white onions, spring onions and celery then turn down the heat. Cook gently for 5 minutes then add the all spice, cinnamon, bay leaf, celery seeds and a few twists of black pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes until everything is soft and starting to smell great.
• Add the oxtail back to the pan and add the tomatoes, stir well then throw in the chilli (whole) and thyme.
• Dissolve the stock cube in a pint of boiling water and add to the pan with another half a pint of water. Bring to the boil then add the soy sauce and a tablespoon of brown sugar.
• Transfer the stew to a slow cooker or to a large oven proof dish. If you’re cooking in the oven, put a lid on your dish or make one using tin foil; this should be sealed tightly. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees or gas mark 4 for 3 hours or in the slow cooker on high for at least 6 hours.
• Once the cooking time is up, remove the oxtail and allow it to cool on a plate.
• Taste the liquid and add some salt, pepper or sugar to your own taste. Don’t be tempted to over season before cooking as you can always add more but can’t really take any away!
• Pour the remaining mixture back in to your saucepan and add a tablespoon of plain flour, whisk it in quickly so it doesn’t create lumps.
• Reduce the sauce right down to make lovely rich gravy. You can also give it a couple of squashes with a masher to make it slightly smooth and thicker.
• Once the oxtail is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones. Take your time here and don’t waste any meat.
• Once you’re happy with the thickness and taste of the sauce, add the meat back and heat through.

If you want to make it stretch a little further, you could add potatoes, carrots or another root vegetable about an hour before the oxtail is removed. I stir fried some cabbage (left over from making my Cabbage Rolls) to serve with it – simple and seasonal!

You can keep this covered in the fridge for a couple of days and it’s also fine to freeze if you’ve made too much (unlikely).

Banana Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Glaze

Some people are a bit funny about eating over ripe bananas (my husband Jason just refuses!) so before you throw them away, consider using them up by disguising any darker bits in a cake. You can also freeze over ripe bananas then thaw them out when you fancy baking.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 350g ripe bananas (about 3 large or 4 medium)
• 150g plain flour
• Half a granny smith apple, peeled
• 120g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 120g soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 50g walnuts, roughly chopped
• Pinch of salt

For the glaze:

• 200g cream cheese
• Juice of 2 limes
• 4 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Notes on equipment: It’s useful to have a handheld electric whisk for this recipe; they are very easy to find and at about £5 it makes sense to invest in one if you can. You’ll also need a sieve for the dry ingredients which will help you get air in to the cake and prevent it becoming too dense. The cake tin I have used is a loose bottomed 8 inch tin, but if you don’t have that exact one, you can use a similar size; a bigger tin will give a larger surface area, so you’ll need to reduce the cooking time slightly. You could also make this in a loaf tin which will mean a slightly longer cooking time.

Method:

For the cake:

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 180 degrees.
• Grease a loose bottomed 8 inch cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
• Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time.
• Peel and mash the bananas and grate in the apple, give it a good mix then add the nuts and stir through.
• Add the fruit and nuts to the wet mixture and stir well.
• Sift in the dry ingredients through a sieve then fold in until well combined. Don’t stress about lumps here!
• Pour the cake mix in to the tin and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, stick a tooth pick in to the cake and if it comes out clean, take the cake out and allow to cool in the tin. If the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, give it another 5 minutes and try again.
• Once the cake has cooled and come away from the tin a little, turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze:

• Combine all ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Once the cake is totally cool (don’t be impatient), pour over the top and smooth out using the back of a spoon, the glaze will drip down the sides and set very slightly.

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.