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Home Cooking Made Easy
Lorraine Pascale
TV chef Lorraine Pascale, author of the phenomenal bestseller Baking Made Easy, is back with her second cookery book – this time packed with simple and delicious recipes for relaxed home cooking that go far beyond baking.The queen of cookery offers 100 scrumptious and seriously easy recipes, from cosy soups and roasts to delicious autumnal breads, in this second book to accompany Lorraine’s BBC2 prime time four-part autumn cookery series.


LORRAINE PASCALE
Home Cooking
Made Easy
100 fabulous,
easy to make recipes
Photographs by Myles New




Contents
Cover (#u239ba337-3397-5bef-a6e7-7c308718b5a9)
Title Page (#u597342a1-d90b-5a9c-80b8-6d7be30dd2de)

Introduction

Starters, Soups, Canapés & Snacks (#ua5b23eab-3bdc-589f-827b-31a6eb415ba9)
Bacon & mature Cheddar cheese twisties (#u47c2bb91-e3a0-5137-86f0-0f163e491d4e)
Sausage roll’s big night out (#u5d2e0bc3-c474-5d3c-91bc-8579136d4a91)
Goat’s cheese truffles
Roasted butternut squash soup with chilli & ginger (#u3329cb6a-8c9e-548a-9827-df6fa6126d3f)
Herbed baked Scotch eggs (#u3645880a-3fb5-5552-8fae-7c4d8d1fc103)
Caramelised spiced nuts (#u97cfb57a-12e3-5f55-9cc9-4a7ae006e7ce)
Duvet day chicken noodle soup (#ud43a0c63-38b8-5262-8d05-ce93145d1874)
Pea soup with minted mascarpone (#u8970cffc-9208-543e-b80a-d23b5e4c4bed)
Hot & spicy Bloody Mary soup (#ue5dac7d9-a375-5ed5-87e0-2fd1a5e7d4d2)
Deep-fried Camembert with a cranberry, Burgundy & thyme sauce (#u6af0c059-c359-5695-9094-0486ef330556)
Light & crispy tempura prawns & soy chilli dipping sauce (#u8b8bb5e4-2bb5-52b5-b676-678bedc5fb0a)
Prosciutto & Brie toastie (#ub4183559-0a9c-5e45-9bcb-9a0f1187f189)
Satay chilli chicken (#u053621fe-0039-5cc7-8bd2-42d2dc3ddbb0)

Breads (#u2c9eff11-bcf7-5823-8a35-51b6f3b4d2d6)
Sea salt & olive oil pain d’epi (#udcdf4f21-085f-53c4-adb4-e59a42bcb857)
Twenty-first century ham, cheese & chive bread (#u3a532967-46fe-5c57-85fb-6b69c85d6b85)
Old-fashioned English muffins (#u9dcad41f-df72-5d61-b72a-51e7fe2b75d2)
Hamburger baps (#u42b0a7fc-873c-55e3-96b0-db1a4cf5f2f7)
Puffed-up pitta bread (#u904fd25c-2ddd-50a8-a3f2-6ea0c8de1676)
Mrs Stephenson’s dinner party bread rolls (#u184eb134-71f3-5572-8149-7095e8c97a83)
Spring onion & red chilli cornbread (#uc656a177-3057-5137-bdea-a173cb206534)
Really quick ‘Danish pastries’ (#u73766c89-d408-57dc-8a0d-a4ae6dabf770)

Mains (#ud48ce80b-ecc5-541f-ae86-7f67e5df3294)
Decadent rosemary & Worcestershire sauce shepherd’s pie (#u5061132a-c94a-50b4-9933-470d6d2a230a)
Lemon, tarragon & garlic quick roast chicken with oven-baked potato slices (#u92c3dbda-2c18-55e3-92c2-c0b05bc0b6e0)
Cracked black pepper pasta (#litres_trial_promo)
Really slow-roast pork shoulder with crispy, crispy crackling & garlic roast vegetables (#litres_trial_promo)
Five-spice baked ribs (#litres_trial_promo)
Beer-battered fish & baked chunky chips (#litres_trial_promo)
Pad Thai (#litres_trial_promo)
Thai green chicken curry (#litres_trial_promo)
Oven-roast salmon with a mustard & parsley crust (#litres_trial_promo)
Rosemary & sage pork chops with caramelised shallots & cider (#litres_trial_promo)
Quick brown sugar & spring onion chicken teriyaki (#litres_trial_promo)
Stove-top haddock with fennel seeds & basil (#litres_trial_promo)
Creamy pancetta pasta with mushrooms & Parmesan (#litres_trial_promo)
Simple pan-fried lemon sole with parsley & browned butter (#litres_trial_promo)
Warm & cosy coq au vin (#litres_trial_promo)
Pot-roast beef with port & juniper berries (#litres_trial_promo)
Rack of lamb with a rosemary & parsley pesto crust (#litres_trial_promo)
Sweet potato & salmon fish cakes with chives & lime (#litres_trial_promo)
My dad’s really very good lasagne (#litres_trial_promo)
Heart-warming ‘boeuf bourguignon’ (with a touch of something Italian)
Not-so-Cornish pasties with sturdy shortcrust pastry (#litres_trial_promo)
Mum’s chilli con carne (#litres_trial_promo)
Lamb, chickpea & pear tagine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chicken Paillard with herbed warm butter & crushed new potatoes (#litres_trial_promo)
Minted lamb & coriander burgers with cucumber yoghurt (#litres_trial_promo)
Paprika baked fish with chorizo, lemon & thyme (#litres_trial_promo)
Rioja-braised lamb shanks with chorizo & garlic (#litres_trial_promo)
Pan-fried balsamic pear salad with pancetta, Gorgonzola & a warm honey dressing (#litres_trial_promo)
Hearty Spanish paella with sherry, chorizo & prawns (#litres_trial_promo)
Mini beef Wellingtons with morel mushrooms, sherry & thyme (#litres_trial_promo)
Prawn bisque with basil & brandy (#litres_trial_promo)
Twice-cooked chicken Kiev (#litres_trial_promo)
Not-so-slow roast leg of lamb with thyme & plum gravy (#litres_trial_promo)

Vegetables & Vegetarian (#litres_trial_promo)
Gruyère & mustard cauliflower cheese (#litres_trial_promo)
Pan-fried asparagus with toasted flaked almonds (#litres_trial_promo)
Hot buttered green beans with spring onions & pomegranate (#litres_trial_promo)
Tarragon, parsley & mint crushed buttered new potatoes (#litres_trial_promo)
Roast carrots with lemon & thyme (#litres_trial_promo)
Red cabbage with pears & garlic (#litres_trial_promo)
Paprika baked sweet potato wedges with honey-glazed bacon & herby crème fraîche (#litres_trial_promo)
Oven-roast broccoli with chilli & mint (#litres_trial_promo)
Hasselback tatties (#litres_trial_promo)
Root vegetable rosemary rösti with a chive & cracked black pepper crème fraîche (#litres_trial_promo)
Baked mushroom, chestnut & pea ‘risotto’ with truffle oil (#litres_trial_promo)
Extra thin & crispy goat’s cheese tart with spinach & thyme pesto (#litres_trial_promo)
Lemony basil spaghetti with mascarpone, chilli & chives (#litres_trial_promo)
Roasted beetroot salad with orange, goat’s cheese, mint & toasted hazelnuts (#litres_trial_promo)
Asparagus, tarragon & mint omelette (#litres_trial_promo)
Spinach, rocket & Parmesan roulade with sun-dried tomato & pine nut filling (#litres_trial_promo)
Stilton, pear & poppy seed tartlets (#litres_trial_promo)

Desserts (#litres_trial_promo)
Caramelised banana bread & butter pudding with toasted pecans (#litres_trial_promo)
Shameless, flourless, moist & sticky chocolate cake (#litres_trial_promo)
Sauternes, cardamom & ginger poached pears (#litres_trial_promo)
A very spotted dick (#litres_trial_promo)
My big fat tipsy trifle (#litres_trial_promo)
Frozen raspberry ripple parfait ‘ice cream’ (#litres_trial_promo)
White chocolate mousse with crème fraîche & stem ginger (#litres_trial_promo)
Extra gooey pecan pie with brown sugar pastry (#litres_trial_promo)
Chocolate digestive cheesecake with white icing (#litres_trial_promo)
Steamed chocolate pudding with warm Mars bar sauce (#litres_trial_promo)

Cakes & Cookies (#litres_trial_promo)
Party time chocolate fridge cake (#litres_trial_promo)
Raspberry muffins with brown sugar topping (#litres_trial_promo)
Caramelised pineapple, rum & vanilla upside-down cake (#litres_trial_promo)
Chewy white chocolate fudge cookies (#litres_trial_promo)
Winter Swiss roll bowl cake (#litres_trial_promo)
Graffiti cake (#litres_trial_promo)
‘Oat couture’ granola bars (#litres_trial_promo)
Really very naughty chocky rocky road cake (#litres_trial_promo)

Sweets, Jams & Other Good Stuff (#litres_trial_promo)
Apple, blackberry & cinnamon chutney (#litres_trial_promo)
Bubble wrap sugar (#litres_trial_promo)
Chocolate marshmallow brown sugar fudge (#litres_trial_promo)
Asian chilli jam (#litres_trial_promo)
Peanut butter truffles (#litres_trial_promo)
Peppermint creams sugar rush (#litres_trial_promo)
The nutty brittle brigade (#litres_trial_promo)
Winter spiced lemon curd with cinnamon & vanilla (#litres_trial_promo)
Flavoured butters (#litres_trial_promo)
Toffee caramel popcorn (#litres_trial_promo)
Lollipops (#litres_trial_promo)
Index

Acknowledgments
Copyright
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)


Introduction
From scrumptious soups to sizzling lemon sole, cheeky cheesecakes and perfect peppermint creams, here are a hundred of my favourite recipes for relaxed home cooking.
I love nothing more than collecting recipes, testing them and sharing them with people – well, actually, I have to confess that eating the delicious results does give me a bit more pleasure…
Recently I’ve been like a mad food scientist in the kitchen; conducting culinary experiments using everyday ingredients and putting a wicked spin on some familiar traditional recipes. I’ve also drawn inspiration from my travels to Barcelona, Sri Lanka, Corsica and chilled-out Byron Bay, so be ready for a few surprises!
In this book are the kind of recipes that I like to cook on autumnal afternoons and cosy winter evenings. You’ll find comfort in duvet day chicken noodle soup when the dark skies seem just a little too foreboding, and braised lamb shanks with Rioja and chorizo will bring the warmth and passion of an Iberian summer into the nippiest of seasons.
At one in the morning, standing in the kitchen covered in flour, I came up with another of the recipes that I’ve included here. While making a sugar syrup for toffee apples, I rifled through the cupboards and found some red food colouring. As I dropped a few beads of the scarlet liquor into the sugar syrup the mixture fizzled a bit. I swizzled it around in a heatproof glass jug and through the fog of a sugary fatigue I started drizzling crazy shapes on a sheet of baking parchment. When I lifted the band of now warm and hardening sugar and wrapped it around a freshly iced sponge cake sitting forlornly in a corner of the kitchen, graffiti cake was born!
For me, cooking can provide pure escapism into an aromatic realm of flavours, zests, glazes and textures. Sometimes this inspires me to reinvent recipes drawn from childhood memories, such as my sausage roll’s big night out, which reminds me of the salami sticks my mum used to put in my school lunchbox.
It’s important to me that I use ingredients that don’t require a trip to an exotic foods store, and to include recipes that even the most inexperienced or reluctant cook can have a go at. Both my busy thirtysomething sister and my retired seventy-year-old dad have successfully cooked some of the recipes in this book.
I hope that there’s something for everybody here. Whether you like an old-fashioned English muffin spread with lashings of butter, a not-so-Cornish pasty to take on those long winter walks, an oat couture granola bar for a quick-grab anytime snack, or the wonderfully retro and revamped caramelised pineapple and rum upside down cake to finish off the day.
In this book you’ll also find recipes for homebaked breads, cakes, cookies, muffins and bars; soups, starters and canapés when you feel like making that extra effort and easy main meals for lunch or dinner that can cook slow or be rustled up super fast. If you’re vegetarian or fancy a meat-free day, there are also some ideas for new slants on serving up your favourite veg. Not forgetting the sweet stuff; desserts such as my steamed chocolate pudding with warm Mars bar sauce that I could eat all by myself in one sitting, and a few of my favourite little extras – chutneys, sweets and other fine stuff.
Cooking at home, whether for family and friends or just for yourself, is one of life’s great pleasures, and hopefully with these recipes I can show you that it can be relaxed and easy, too.


Starters, Soups, Canapés & Snacks
It’s not every day that I serve starters and canapés, but when I do it’s usually something quick, easy and super tasty. Bacon and mature Cheddar twisties have become a firm favourite in my house, so much so that I often make a large batch and store them in a plastic container for people to grab on the go. Needless to say, they don’t usually last very long. My sausage rolls have a special twist, and the herbed Scotch eggs have a special place in my heart! On those I-don’t-feel-like-going outside days, my duvet day chicken noodle soup gives edible relief, while roasted butternut squash soup with chilli and ginger is real food for the soul.
‘One cannot think well, love well and sleep well, if one has not dined well.’
Virginia Woolf
Bacon & mature Cheddar cheese twisties
When I made a batch of these they were gone before they were even cool! These are in my top ten all-time favourite foods and are fantastically easy to make. For a little extra spice, sprinkle on some paprika or cayenne.
Makes 14 twisties
1 x 375g puff pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
1 tbsp English mustard
100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
14 or so slices of really good-quality thin bacon (sadly, the regular stuff is just too salty) or 14 slices of prosciutto or pancetta
1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash
Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and set aside.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a large rectangle that is as long (when I say ‘long’ I mean the height from top to bottom) as one of the slices of bacon and as wide as you can roll it. The pastry should be about 5mm thick. Turn the pastry so that the longest side is facing you and spread the mustard over, then sprinkle with the cheese and black pepper. Lay the pieces of bacon down side by side as if they were all lying in bed together, leaving a 2mm gap between each piece. Then use a sharp knife to cut between each piece. Pick up one piece and twist it about 4–5 times so it looks like a curly straw, then put it on the prepared baking tray and repeat with the rest of the twisties, arranging them spaced apart, as they will spread a little during baking.
Put the trays in the fridge for 15–20 minutes to firm up, or in the freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Remove the twisties from the fridge and brush the pastry with the eggwash. Put the baking trays into the oven, turn the oven down to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is well risen and looks golden brown. Preheating the oven at a higher temperature compensates for any lost hot air when the oven is opened to put the twisties in. Otherwise, the oven temperature may drop to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 and it would not be hot enough to give the twisties that big blast of heat they need.
When they are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave to cool.




Sausage roll’s big night out
I don’t have people over for dinner too much these days, as there do not seem to be enough hours in the day. The few times a year I do, however, these sausage rolls make a regular appearance. I know salami sticks are not everyone’s cup of tea, but all tucked up in puff pastry then lightly cooked they remind me of my youth, when Mum would put one in my lunch box along with egg-and-salad-cream sandwiches, prawn cocktail crisps and a carton of my favourite blackcurrant cordial.
Makes 6
1 x 375g packet of puff pastry
Flour, for dusting
6 skinny regular-sized salami sticks, cut in half
1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Cut the pastry in half and roll one half out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 42cm wide and 9cm high (or the height of half the salami stick). Trim the edges with a sharp knife to neaten them a little if necessary. Lay a salami stick half on the pastry about 1cm from the left-hand side edge, then take another one and lay it 4cm away from that one. Repeat until you have four sticks lying side by side (but spaced apart on the pastry). This will use up half of your 42cm piece of pastry. Brush the side with the salami sticks with the beaten egg, brushing it well in between the gaps and all around. Fold the other half of the pastry over the sticks like a neat book and press down in between them so they are nicely covered and the pastry is fitted all around. The salami sticks may roll round a little, but gentle prodding will get them to their right place in the end. They should look like they have been tucked up in bed!
Now place this in the fridge to firm up, then repeat with the other half of the pastry and the remaining salami.
Once the pastry is firm enough, remove from the fridge and put one block on a chopping board. Place the pastry so that the salami sticks are horizontal like the rungs of a ladder. Using a sharp knife, cut a slice vertically about 1cm thick. Repeat all the way along with both blocks of pastry, then place each slice onto a baking sheet, spacing them about 2cm apart because they tend to spread during baking. Brush the pastry (try to avoid the salami sticks) with the eggwash and place in the oven. Turn the oven down to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown. Have a peek through the glass at 15 minutes to see how they are doing, just in case they have cooked more quickly.
Goat’s cheese truffles
Really cute and tasty little balls of yumminess.
Makes 18–20
300g rindless goat’s cheese log, fridge cold
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few squidges of honey
Suggested coatings
(Each amount coats about 2 balls)
2 tsp crushed pink peppercorns
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts
Prepare your chosen coating ingredients and put each one in a separate small bowl or ramekin. Choose a good combination of colours, flavours and textures.
Put the goat’s cheese in a bowl and season, blending the salt and pepper in well. Break the cheese into bite-sized pieces, each about 15g (1 teaspoon) each and roll them into smooth balls measuring about 2.5cm in diameter.
Mix the honey with a few drops of water to loosen it a little and brush it all over a truffle. Place the ball in one of the coatings and swirl it around until it is evenly coated. Arrange on a serving platter and repeat until all the balls are coated.
Either eat at once or cover and refrigerate until almost ready to serve. The beauty of these is that they can be made ahead of time and then taken out of the fridge half an hour or so before guests arrive.




Roasted butternut squash soup with chilli & ginger
This is the soup that broke me – it turned me from being a model into wanting to be a chef. I made it one autumnal day in Battersea and the sweet, deep, slightly spicy taste blew me away.
Makes about 1.2 litres, serves 4
1 medium butternut squash, about 800g, unpeeled, deseeded and cut in half from top to bottom
1 clove of garlic, unpeeled and squashed
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
1 x 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
Pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional) or 1–2 chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (I like my chillies quite hot), plus extra to serve
900ml of liquid chicken stock (veggie stock is good but chicken stock usually has a better flavour)
Squeeze of lime juice
To serve
Splash of coconut milk
Few fresh coriander leaves
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Put the butternut squash halves on a large roasting tray with the garlic. Slash the squash with a knife, then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and season well. Roast in the oven for about 30–35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the squash slides through easily and it is nice and soft.
While the squash is roasting, put the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion and seasoning and leave to soften right down, stirring occasionally. This is a little time-consuming and can take up to 20 minutes or so, but it is worth it for the sweetness of flavour.
Remove the roasted squash from the oven and leave to cool a little, turn the oven off and pop some bowls in to warm. As soon as the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin and set aside, discarding the skin.
Once the onion is soft, squeeze in the roasted garlic clove, discarding the skin, then add the squash, ginger, chilli and stock. Bring to the boil then take it off the heat.
Next, get another large pan at the ready. Working in batches, blitz the soup in a blender, pouring the smooth soup into the clean pan. I like to blitz it until it is really, really smooth. Once all the soup has been blitzed, return the soup to the hob to heat through until piping hot. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it. At this stage I often add a squeeze of lime juice, which really lifts the flavours of the soup.
Ladle the piping hot soup into the warmed serving bowls and serve with a little coconut milk drizzled over the top and a sprinkling of coriander leaves and finely sliced chilli.
Herbed baked Scotch eggs
I have a penchant for Scotch eggs. I buy them at the petrol station in the middle of long car journeys – I just fill the car up with petrol, then go into the shop and grab a Scotch egg and a packet of prawn cocktail crisps. However, when I have time, I like to make my own, and I use different types of sausagemeat to give them something a bit extra. Dipped in some mayonnaise or a large blob of salad cream, they really make my day.
Makes 4
Oil, for oiling and drizzling (you can use light oil spray if you like)
4 medium eggs
1 egg, lightly beaten
75g natural or golden dried breadcrumbs
Small handful of fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain flour, for dusting
Pinch of mustard powder
6 good-quality sausages, with their ‘skins’ removed
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and line a baking tray with oiled foil. Put the whole eggs in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, turn it down to a robust simmer and cook for 5 minutes. When the eggs are ready, remove the pan from the heat, take it to the sink and run cold water over the eggs for a minute or two to stop them cooking. Peel the eggs and set aside.
Put the lightly beaten egg in one bowl and the dried breadcrumbs, thyme and nutmeg along with a bit of salt and pepper in another bowl. Season the flour with salt and pepper and the mustard powder.
Put some clingfilm on the work surface, take 1½ sausages and squidge the meat down on the clingfilm. Squish it until is becomes a roundish flat circle, then take one egg and dip it into the seasoned flour. Put the egg in the middle of the sausagemeat and draw up the clingfilm around it so you have a little ‘sac’. This is a great way of covering the egg with the sausagemeat and I find it beats trying to do it without. Now carefully peel away the clingfilm, leaving the sausagemeat around the egg. You may need to squish it down and around slightly on the egg if there are any gaps.
Now dip the meat-coated egg into the lightly beaten egg, making sure it is covered all over, then dip it into the breadcrumbs, rolling it around and pressing to secure any bits that are not sticking properly. Place the Scotch egg on the prepared baking tray and repeat with the other three eggs. Spray or drizzle a little oil over the eggs, then cook in the oven for about 20–30 minutes, or until the sausagemeat is cooked and the Scotch egg looks golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
These are lovely to take to work, or just to have in the fridge as a treat.




Caramelised spiced nuts
I like to make a big jar of these spiced nuts and pop them on the shelf to grab on the go when I fancy a naughty tasty snack.
Makes about 600g
300g granulated sugar
450g mixed nuts, like cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika, plus extra to taste if necessary
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to taste if necessary
1 tsp ground cumin, plus extra to taste if necessary
300ml water
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking tray with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.
Put the sugar, nuts, salt and spices in a medium pan with the water and bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat a little and simmer the mixture rapidly for about 15–20 minutes until the bubbles become thick and syrupy.
Strain the mixture through a colander set over a bowl (use oven gloves when handling the pan, as hot sugar can spit and splutter and burn you), then tip the nuts onto the prepared baking tray and spread them out in a single layer. Bake the nuts in the oven for 20 minutes, or until toasted.
Remove from the oven, leave to cool and harden before breaking the nuts into small pieces. Sprinkle with more spices if required. Store in an airtight container for a few days if not eaten straightaway.
Any leftover syrup is delicious drizzled over ice cream or on a poached pear.
Duvet day chicken noodle soup
Supreme comfort eating and good for the soul, too! The essence of a very good soup is a really good stock, jam-packed full of flavour. Homemade is best, but a decent liquid chicken stock bought from the shop works well too.
Serves 4–6
1.5 litres good-quality chicken stock
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed, sliced and separated into white bits and green bits
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 x 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
6 black peppercorns
Sea salt flakes
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 stick of celery, trimmed and sliced into thin matchsticks
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
150g quick-cook thin noodles
Small bunch of fresh basil leaves
Small bunch of fresh mint leaves
1 lime, cut in half
Put the chicken stock into a large pan with the spring onion whites, garlic, chilli, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns and a good amount of salt. Bring to a simmer, then carefully slide the chicken breasts in and cover with a lid. Cook for 12 minutes, then throw in the celery and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes. Taste the soup and season as necessary.
Remove the chicken, cinnamon stick and star anise from the soup with a slotted spoon and at the same time put the noodles into the broth and cook, uncovered, for as long as needed.
While the noodles are cooking, flake the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks. Just before the noodles are ready, put the chicken back into the broth to heat through and taste the soup again to check if you need any more seasoning.
Rip up half of the basil and mint leaves, stir through the soup with the spring onion greens and then divide the soup among 4–6 bowls. Scatter the remaining herbs over the top and squeeze a little lime juice over each one to finish.




Pea soup with minted mascarpone
There is always a bag of peas or petit pois in my freezer. Peas are my vegetable of choice and I serve them most days of the week. The other thing I always have in abundance is mint. If you have ever tried to grow it, you will know the ease with which it slowly takes over the garden, winding its way through and over everything else in its path. The supply manages to keep up with demand; we are a mint-loving family and use mint in salads, teas, the odd alcoholic beverage and, of course, in soups. Serve this soup hot with a big chunk of fresh bread slathered with butter.
Makes 1.5 litres, serves 6
800ml chicken or vegetable stock
1kg frozen petit pois
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
4 dollops of mascarpone (about 150g)
Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan and add the peas. Cover with a lid and allow it to return to the boil. I always put a lid on while waiting for it to boil, as it speeds up the process quite considerably. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, or until the peas are tender, then remove the pan from the heat.
Working in batches, blitz the peas and stock in a blender until smooth. Pour each batch into a clean pan as you go. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, then reheat it gently over a low heat.
Meanwhile, stir the mint through the mascarpone until well blended.
Once the soup has been heated through, divide it among serving bowls, put a dollop of the minted mascarpone on each one and serve piping hot.
Hot & spicy Bloody Mary soup
The morning after the night before in a steaming hot bowl of soup. Of course, the Vodka at the end is entirely optional but it does add a nice alcoholic kick, should the mood take you! I am not normally a fan of tomato soup, but this one is really full of flavour and will be one to remember.
Makes about 1.2 litres, serves 4–6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
500g ripe tomatoes (about 5 vine or plum tomatoes), roughly chopped
1 litre tomato juice
3 squirts of tomato purée
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
50ml Worcestershire sauce
½–1 tsp cayenne pepper (depending how spicy you like it!)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Several shakes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Vodka, to taste (optional)
1 stick of celery, trimmed and cut into batons
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice and purée, bay leaf, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and finally the cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat a little to let it bubble away for a good 30 minutes to really get the flavours going.
Taste the soup and add more seasoning if needed, so it is just as you like it. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Then, working in two or three batches, ladle the soup into a blender and blitz until it is quite smooth but still has a little texture. Pour the blended soup into a large bowl or jug as you go. Once done, return it all to the pan and heat through gently. Add the Tabasco and Vodka, if using, and taste again, adjusting the seasoning if necessary.
Ladle the soup into warmed mugs or serving bowls and serve with the celery batons.




Deep-fried Camembert with a cranberry, Burgundy & thyme sauce
This dish is so naughty – in every way. It comes in the canapé chapter, but it is mightily fine as a meal in itself, to be perfectly honest. For me, life is too short to make cranberry sauce from scratch every time (except at Christmas!), so I like to buy a jar of ready-made and give it a little help from some herby friends.
Serves 4
4 tbsp red wine, preferably Burgundy
Pinch of fresh thyme leaves
150g cranberry sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
80g natural or golden breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 250g whole Camembert, unwrapped
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Put the red wine in a small pan and boil it until it is reduced by half, this usually happens quite quickly. Add the thyme leaves and cranberry sauce, bring it to just below the boil, then take the pan off the heat and set aside.
Put the egg in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another, then season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper. Cut the Camembert into four pieces, then dip into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Dip once again into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Have a slotted spoon and tongs at the ready along with a wire rack with some kitchen paper underneath it.
Fill a medium, deep pan with oil to the depth of 6cm and heat over a medium heat until a small piece of bread carefully placed in the oil browns in 60 seconds.
Carefully place the breaded cheese into the hot oil, one by one, using a slotted spoon. Put them into the pan from a low height so that the hot fat does not splash, then deep-fry until they are a lovely golden brown colour. Remove the cheese with a slotted spoon or tongs – whichever is easier for you – and place them on the wire rack. Putting them on the rack rather than straight onto kitchen paper means that they will not be sitting in their own fat and will stay nice and crispy.
Once you have cooked all of the cheese wedges, place them on serving plates with the cranberry sauce and serve straightaway with a green salad.
Light & crispy tempura prawns & soy chilli dipping sauce
This is a great dish to impress friends. Prawns are perfect, but you could also use courgettes, aubergines, peppers and all sorts of vegetables as well if you like. I have made my own dipping sauce to serve with the tempura, but it is also delicious served with some ready-made chilli sauce.
Serves 3–4
500ml vegetable oil, for deep-frying
100g plain flour
100g cornflour
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp baking powder
180–200ml very cold sparkling water
Few ice cubes (not essential but it helps)
10 large raw prawns, peeled with tails still intact
Dipping sauce
20ml soy sauce
20ml mirin
½ chilli, deseeded and finely diced
½ clove of garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 x 5mm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced (or to taste)
Lay some kitchen paper on the work surface and place a wire rack over it. I put deep-fried food on this as soon as it is cooked because the fat can drip down onto the kitchen paper through the rack; this is better than letting the food sit in its own oil if put directly on kitchen paper. Have a slotted spoon or tongs at the ready, whichever is easiest for you to use.
Fill a medium, deep pan with enough oil to reach 5cm depth (I used about 500ml) and heat over a medium heat until a small piece of bread carefully placed in the oil browns in 50–60 seconds.
Just as the oil is almost at the right temperature, put the flour, cornflour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the water. Mix everything together very quickly until just combined. The batter should be quite thick and it does not matter if there are still lumps. Add 2 or 3 ice cubes, then dip one of the prawns in the batter and let the excess drip off until you can still see a bit of prawn through the batter. Carefully add the prawns to the hot oil from a low height so the fat does not splatter. Do not overcrowd the pan, as this lowers the temperature of the oil and makes the prawns boil rather than fry, so add them in small batches and deep-fry for 2 minutes. The prawns will cook in 2–4 minutes (although this depends on how big the prawns are). Tempura batter is very pale, unlike fish and chip batter, so when it starts going from white to pale golden, the prawns should be ready. Check one by cutting it open to see if it is cooked. It should be white and not too glassy looking, and you will now know how long to cook the other prawns.
Remove the prawn with a slotted spoon or tongs and place it on the wire rack to drain, then repeat with the others. There will be enough batter here for some vegetables too, which are delicious.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and serve with the hot prawns.




Prosciutto & Brie toastie
I used to go round to my friend’s house in Witney for tea. Every so often, when cheese triangle sandwiches on white bread were not on the menu, her mum would fire up a machine that made the most perfect toasted cheese and ham sandwiches. I can never beat the perfection of those little triangle sandwiches, but this comes oh so close!
Serves 2
6 slices of prosciutto (streaky bacon will work well too)
Large knob of butter
4 slices of good thick crusty bread
Oil, for frying
100–150g Brie, ripped up into chunks
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Fry the prosciutto or bacon to just the way you like it, then set aside. Tip off any excess fat from the pan. Butter each slice of bread.
Heat some oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add two slices of bread, buttered side down, and divide the Brie and prosciutto or bacon between the bread. Put the other slices of bread on top, buttered side up, and using a fish slice, squish it down in the pan so it cooks more quickly. As soon as the bottom is toasty and golden brown, turn it over and cook the other side, squishing with the fish slice. I usually cook mine for about 2 minutes on each side. Once the toasties are cooked, remove them from the pan.
The chilli jam goes well with this, but a big blob of brown sauce is also a match made in heaven!


Satay chilli chicken
A quick easy canapé or starter, or just a tasty snack.
Serves 4
4 chicken breasts
Oil, for cooking
1 squidge of runny honey
1 small bunch of coriander leaves
Peanut sauce
100g crunchy peanut butter
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
1–2 red chillies, finely chopped (depending on how hot you want it)
Pinch of soft light brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of ½ lime
3–4 tbsp rice wine vinegar or mirin
1–2 tbsp water
Equipment
12 wooden kebab sticks cut so they can fit inside your biggest frying pan. Soak them in cold water for 30 minutes before using to prevent burning
Take a chicken breast and, using a pair of scissors and with the pointy end furthest away from you, cut the breasts into about three long thin strips, then set aside and continue with the other three chicken breasts.
Push a kebab stick along the length of a chicken piece, stopping just before the stick comes out the other end. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Of course, if you don’t feel like threading pieces of chicken on sticks, you can just skip this step and serve them as strips instead.
Heat some oil in a large sauté pan or frying pan, add the chicken and cook well on each side until the chicken is completely cooked. Depending on the thickness of the breast pieces, this will take about 8 minutes. My pan is not big enough to do all the chicken in one go, so I usually put about 1½ breasts’ worth in at a time, then set them aside to cook the rest.
While the chicken is cooking, put all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and blitz to a rough consistency. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add any seasoning or perhaps a squeeze more lime juice, then set aside.
Once the chicken is almost cooked through, add a little honey to the pan and mix the chicken around in it until coated, then remove from the pan. If cooking the chicken in batches, leave the pan to cool a little, then wipe or rinse out the honey before adding the next batch, as it will burn if left in the pan. Add a little more oil and repeat with each batch.
Serve three satay sticks per person sprinkled with some coriander leaves and accompanied by the peanut sauce.


Breads
I have tried to make it my goal these days to bake a fresh hand-made loaf at least once a week. It is hard to beat the smell that meanders around the house as bread bakes in the oven. The first bread I ever made was at secondary school during my much loved Home Economics classes. They were little white bread rolls shaped into small bundles of deliciousness. Since then I have experimented with many different breads, some of which can be found in this chapter – such as old-fashioned English muffins, best served hot with loads of butter, the stunning pain d'epi, which often gets oooos and ahhs when brought to the table, and the divine ham, cheese and chive bread, which is ready from start to finish in under an hour.
‘Enthusiasm is the yeast that raises the dough.’
Paul J. Meyer
Sea salt & olive oil pain d’epi
The way of shaping this loaf transforms an ordinary baguette into quite a stunner. Place the loaf at the centre of the table so everyone can break off a big hunk. Although there is olive oil in the recipe, I like to serve a little extra oil with a drizzle of balsamic, but it goes really well with butter too. As with most bread, this is best served warm.
Makes 1 loaf (V)
275g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting and sprinkling
1 scant tsp sea salt, plus extra for the top
2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
150–185ml warm water
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Put the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and the yeast in a large bowl. Add enough of the water to make a lovely soft dough and then the olive oil and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to come together a little. Put the spoon down and get your hands in, and squidge it together to form a ball. Knead the dough for 10 minutes if doing by hand, or for 5 minutes if using a machine.
Dust a large baking tray with flour, form the dough into a tight ball so that the top is really nice and taut, then roll it into a long and thin baguette shape (thinner than usual, as it will expand while it rises). Cover the tray with oiled clingfilm so it is airtight but not too taut, giving the dough room to expand. Leave it in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. I usually leave mine on a chair near the oven.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Once the bread has almost doubled in size, remove the clingfilm and sprinkle over some flour. Put the bread with the shortest edge facing you (or lengthways) and, starting at the end furthest away from you, hold a pair of scissors so they are parallel to the bread, then tilt them so they are at a 45-degree angle. Make a large cut 10cm away from the top of the dough, almost as if you were going to snip that bit off (but it will be attached still), then take that piece and move it to the left. Make another snip about 10cm down from the bottom of the last one and move that piece to the right. Keep on doing this until you reach the end of the bread.
Sprinkle the top with flour and sea salt. Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the dough in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the bread is cooked. It should smell cooked, be golden brown and sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.




Twenty-first century ham, cheese & chive bread
On weekends I love to spend hours in the kitchen preparing fresh breads, hearty meat dishes and lots of puddings. I especially love the taste of freshly baked bread! I find that during the week, however, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day for baking, so I dreamed up this very tasty little number, which is made from start to finish in under an hour – the perfect 21st-century bread.
Makes 1 loaf
425g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated, plus an extra 10g grated cheese, for sprinkling
½ bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped
Few twists of black pepper
1 tsp paprika (optional)
1 tsp mustard powder (optional)
6 slices of honey roast ham, ripped up into little bits
200–225ml water
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl except the water and the 10g of grated cheese and mix together well. Add enough water to make a soft but not sticky dough. I usually add 200ml, stir it briefly and then get my hands in and squidge it together, adding more water if necessary. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball, flatten the ball slightly, so it cooks more quickly, then slash the loaf three times vertically with a sharp knife. Sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.
Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the dough on a baking tray and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and smells cooked.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool a little bit (although I find this quite hard to do!). I love this bread served with lots of butter and a steaming hot bowl of soup.
Old-fashioned English muffins
These beautiful little specimens are truly hard to beat when it comes to the ultimate comfort food.
Makes 8–10 muffins (V)
575g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
150ml warm water
175–225ml milk, at room temperature
Oil, for oiling
Equipment
Round pastry cutter; my cutter measured 8.5cm
Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl, then make a well in the centre and pour in the water and milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir it all together, then put the spoon down and use your hands to bring the mixture together into a ball. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or for 5 minutes if using a food processor fitted with a dough hook.
Once it has been kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Once the dough is ready, remove it from the bowl and roll it out into a rough circle, about 1.5–2cm thick. Cut out 8–10 circles with the round pastry cutter. Usually when I do these I have to scrunch the dough up and re-roll it so I get the right amount of circles.
Put a flat baking tray or very large frying pan over a low heat. Once the tray or pan is hot, place a few of the circles on the tray or pan and cook slowly for about 4 minutes on each side. It is possible to cook the muffins completely on the hob, but if they have begun to go too dark and are still looking a bit doughy on the sides they can be finished off in the oven for about 5–8 minutes.
Once they are cooked, remove them from the oven/hob and slice in half. I do like to pop these in the toaster or back on the baking tray, cut side down, to crisp up the inside. Then they can be slathered with hot butter and raspberry jam. Totally delicious!


Hamburger baps
I am all for breads with a crunchy crust and am a great advocate of those, but there is also a certain beauty in a soft doughy roll that squidges when lightly pressed. So I embarked on a journey for a soft(ish) roll and found the best way to get one was to use plain flour. If these are cooked for too long, a firm top will result; but if cooked for just the right amount of time, the top will stay soft and squidgy. These baps are great with the salmon and sweet potato fish cakes, or even the lamb and mint burgers. When time permits, I double the ingredients and then pop half the baps into the freezer for another day.
Makes 5 baps (V)
525g plain flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
150ml warm milk, plus extra for brushing
125–150ml warm water
Sesame seeds
Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and enough water to make a soft dough. The softer the dough, the better because it will mean the buns will have a really nice rise. Knead the dough for a good 10 minutes if doing by hand and 5 minutes if using a mixer fitted with a dough attachment. To test when the dough is ready, form the dough into a ball so that it has a nice tight top, then using a floured finger, prod it into the dough – if it springs back all the way, then it is ready. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Mine weighed 170g each, but this will depend on how much water you have used. Take one portion and shape it into a ball. I like to pull the sides down of the ball down and under so that the top of the bread becomes tight. This makes the bread look really nice when it is cooked.
Now place a dough ball on a baking tray and squash it down a little to flatten it slightly. Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing the dough balls on the tray fairly spaced apart because they will spread during baking. Once all the dough balls are formed, cover them with oiled clingfilm so that it is loose but airtight. I normally have to use several pieces of clingfilm to cover them sufficiently. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough balls have almost doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Once the dough balls have risen, carefully remove the clingfilm and brush all over with the extra milk. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the baps into the oven. Bake for about 30–35 minutes, or until the baps are golden brown, firm and sound hollow when they are tapped on the bottom. The cooking time will vary according to how much liquid the baps have in them and how long they have been left to rise for.
Once the hamburger baps are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave to cool. These baps are great for burgers, or they can be transformed into iced buns by topping them with icing sugar mixed with a little water.


Puffed-up pitta bread
I LOVE making these! They are so much fun, easy and a real showstopper. These pitta breads have become an absolute firm favourite in my house – wonderful served with curries, dips or soup.
Makes 8 pitta breads (V)
100g wholemeal flour
270g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
1 squidge of honey
200–250ml water
Oil, for oiling
Put all the ingredients into a bowl except the water and oil and stir for a second to combine. Gradually add the water, mixing with a spoon as you go, until you have a soft dough. I used 220ml, but this can differ with how much water there is in the atmosphere! Put your hands in and take the ball of dough out and knead it for 10 minutes until it is very smooth. To test if the dough is ready, prod a floured finger into the side; if it springs back, then it is ready. If you are doing this in a machine, knead with a dough hook for 5 minutes. Once the dough is kneaded, cover it with oiled clingfilm and leave until it is almost doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour or so.
After about 45 minutes preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and put a flat baking tray into the oven to heat up. Divide the dough into eight pieces and roll each one out to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then form into a flattish circular or oval shape slightly thicker in the middle than around the sides.
Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then remove the hot tray from the oven and put four of the pittas on it. Slide the tray back into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pittas are nicely puffed up and firm, usually about 7–9 minutes depending the thickness of the pitta. Once they are cooked, remove them from the oven, transfer to a plate and pop in the other four.
Occasionally there are one or two pitta breads that do not want to play puffball, but they should puff up beautifully.
Mrs Stephenson’s dinner party bread rolls
I first made these during my GCSE Home Economics classes at school. Much to the disdain of my highly academic father, I chose Home Economics over History (but he came round to the idea in the end!). While my friends were learning about Henry VIII, I was staring out of the window of the HE block, kneading my dough with a very, very large grin on my face, dizzy with happiness. One of our first assignments was to make shaped bread rolls, glazed old-school style with a heavy eggwash for maximum shine. The daughter of my Home Economics teacher recently got in touch with me, so Mrs Stephenson, thank you, and this one is for you.
Makes 12 rolls (V)
280g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
1½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
190ml warm water
1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash
3 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds
Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Then make a well in the centre and pour in the water. Use a wooden spoon to stir it all together, and when it starts getting stiff, put the spoon down and use your hands to squidge it together into a ball. The dough should feel soft and not too hard – like Blu-Tack. If the dough is too stiff, pop it back into the bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of water and squidge it together with your hands until it comes together. Knead for 10 minutes if doing by hand and for 5 minutes in a machine. Once the dough is kneaded, I weigh it and then divide the number by 12, so all the rolls are an even size.
Roll each one into a ball and either just leave them in a ball or shape them as in the photo. Space the rolls on a large baking tray and cover with oiled clingfilm so it is airtight but not too taut. You may need to use two trays. Leave the rolls in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until they are almost doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. To test the dough, remove the clingfilm and with a floured finger, prod the side of the dough – the dent should spring back halfway. Brush liberally all over with the eggwash and sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds.
Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the rolls into the oven. Bake for about 15–20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.




Spring onion & red chilli cornbread
When you want some and you want it quick, an American-style cornbread spiced with chilli and onion is perfect. Use lots of salt and black pepper in the mix, as this bread needs a good amount of seasoning.
Serves 4–5 (V)
Oil, for oiling
220g fine cornmeal or polenta
90g plain flour
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
200g natural yoghurt
300ml milk
1 tsp salt
75g tinned drained sweetcorn
30g butter or olive oil
3–4 red chillies, finely chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
Medium ovenproof frying pan, a large brownie tin or a 20cm springform tin
Preheat the oven to 220°C (225°F), Gas Mark 7 and oil the pan or tin. If using the springform tin, line the bottom with baking parchment.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (the mix will look very sloppy and not that appealing, but I promise it will come good), then place the mixture into the pan or tin. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the bread looks cooked and is no longer wet.
Once cooked, remove the bread from the oven, leave to cool, then cut into chunks and eat with a hearty soup.
Really quick ‘Danish pastries’
When I am thinking of ideas for recipe testing, I lock myself in the kitchen with the television on and a huge pile of ingredients and just experiment. About 1 o’clock one Sunday morning, I was standing in the kitchen and staring at a block of puff pastry that had to be used up. I rifled through the cupboards and fridge and found a small tin of apricots and a little tub of ready-made custard. Within a very short space of time, I had conjured up these ‘Danish pastries’ – a more than acceptable alternative to the ‘proper’ ones and with the added satisfaction that they are so quick to make.
Makes 12 small pastries (V)
1 x 375g packet of puff pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
1 x 220g tin of apricot halves
300g thick custard (for these I use shop-bought)
1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash
Sugar, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a square 30cm by 30cm. To make the windmill, or what are sometimes called Imperial stars, cut the pastry into 7.5cm squares and make diagonal cuts from each corner to within 1cm of the centre. Put one or two apricot halves in the centre of the square and spoon over a little ready-made thick vanilla custard, then fold alternate corners of each cut section down to the centre, brushing the tips with beaten egg.
Place them into the fridge for 15 minutes or so until they are firm. Remove them from the fridge, brush them with eggwash and sprinkle with sugar, then place the pastries into the oven. Bake for about 20–25 minutes, or until they are firm, risen and golden brown.
Remove them from the oven and leave to cool.




Mains
There is always a question in my mind at the beginning of every day – and that is, what shall I serve for dinner? At the weekends, this also becomes, what shall I serve for lunch? Most days I get in the kitchen and whip up something for the family, but I will wholeheartedly put my hands in the air and say that some days I pop out to the local supermarket and buy something out of a packet to prick with a fork and bung in the oven. So, I wanted to come up with a chapter full of recipes to cook for a main meal, such as super-fast pan-fried lemon sole, to the slightly less quick but very much worth the wait slow-roast pork shoulder with crispy crackling and the very frequently made (in my house) not-so-Cornish pasties. However much time you have, and no matter what the occasion, there is much to choose from here, whether you’re planning a family meal or a smart dinner to impress.
‘An empty belly is the best cook.’
Estonian proverb
Decadent rosemary & Worcestershire sauce shepherd’s pie
This pie is an old-school classic with a hint of something extra.
Serves 4–6
Oil, for cooking
2 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
3–4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 stick of celery, trimmed and chopped (optional)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
700–750g lamb mince
2 large squidges of tomato purée
3–4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
200ml Madeira or a good red wine or lamb or beef stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
Mashed potato
1kg mashing potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
70ml single cream
75g butter
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Grated cheese and breadcrumbs, for sprinkling (optional)
Equipment
Medium casserole dish
Piping bag fitted with a star nozzle
Heat some oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they are soft. Add the balsamic vinegar, turn up the heat and cook until all the vinegar has evaporated – this adds a little extra flavour. Add the carrots, celery, if using, and rosemary, then stir it all together and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the lamb mince, break it up with a wooden spoon and cook it until the meat has turned from pink to brown.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Add the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, wine or stock, salt and pepper and the bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the mashed potato, put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Cover with the lid so it comes to the boil faster. Once it is boiling, add the potatoes and cook for 10–20 minutes, or until they are nice and tender and a knife can glide through them easily.
Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pan. Using a potato masher or mouli, mash the potatoes until smooth, then add the cream, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using, and mix well together. If the mashed potatoes have gone cold, then return the pan to the hob and heat over a medium heat. Make a well in the centre of the potatoes, drop in the butter and wait until it melts, then remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Taste, adjust the seasoning, add more butter if needed, then set aside.
Tip the meat mixture into the casserole dish. If you find that there is too much liquid at this stage, use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to the casserole dish. This lovely leftover gravy can be used to pour over the shepherd’s pie once it is cooked.
Dollop the mash on top and fork it through to make a pattern. I like to allow the mash to cool a bit, then put it into the piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe the mash on top. Cook the shepherd’s pie in the oven for 20–30 minutes. While not strictly authentic, a large handful each of grated cheese and breadcrumbs sprinkled over the top prior to baking is a delicious optional extra.
Serve with a crispy and crunchy green salad.


Lemon, tarragon & garlic quick roast chicken with oven-baked potato slices
This is the best way to cook a chicken when time is not on your side; because the chicken is cooked flat it needs less cooking time, so the bird stays beautifully moist.
Serves 4
5 medium potatoes
1 bulb of garlic, unpeeled
Oil, for drizzling and rubbing

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