320g onion chutney/marmalade
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
600ml hot water
3 tablespoons gravy granules
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon dried coriander, or a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Start by putting the hash browns into a microwave-safe bowl and defrosting them in the microwave for 10 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. When it’s hot, add the Bengali five-spice and, as soon as the whole spices start to pop, add the sausages and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes, until they are golden and slightly curled.
Now add the onion chutney, chilli powder and salt and mix through roughly. Stir in the hot water and, as soon as it comes to the boil, add the gravy granules and stir them in. The mixture should start to thicken straight away. Leave to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile put the hash browns into another large non-stick frying pan or a large, deep wok over a medium heat and use a spoon to break them up into small chunks. As the edges start to crisp up a little, stir in the mayonnaise – this will make it creamy and help the spices to stick. Add the chilli flakes and coriander and mix through.
Dinner is ready, but first, put half the sausage mixture into an oven-safe dish (approx. 25cm x 20cm) so you can freeze it for another time. Add just a few spoons of the gravy and top with half the hash brown mixture. Set aside to cool completely before freezing.
Now you can have dinner. Serve sprinkled with the cheese.
To reheat, preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C and bake for 40 minutes from frozen, keeping it covered all the time, except for the last 5 minutes.
ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON COUSCOUS
SERVES: 4–6 ACTIVE TIME: 5 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES
The reason why I love this recipe so much is that I always know I will get two for one here. The roast chicken is in a tray and the couscous is cooked in the same one. What I never do is throw the carcass away, because that is full of lovely shreds of meat and juices from the bones and with that I make my chicken soup.
1 x 1.7kg whole chicken
a drizzle of oil
salt and pepper
5 small red onions, peeled and quartered
3 preserved lemons, halved
10 anchovy fillets
250g pearl couscous
500ml boiling water
a large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.
Put the chicken into a roasting dish, drizzle generously with oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Add the onions, preserved lemons and anchovy fillets, then cover with foil and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Take the dish out of the oven and take off the foil, then move the chicken to one side of the tray and bring the ingredients on the base together. Squash the lemons and anchovies with the back of a fork. Stir in the couscous, then pour in the hot water, give it a stir and pop it back into the oven for another 15 minutes, uncovered.
Take out of the oven again and leave for 10 minutes to allow the moisture to absorb into the couscous and the chicken to rest. Stir in the parsley.
Carve the chicken and serve with the couscous.
CHICKEN SOUP
Once dinner is done, collect the carcass and all the bones and pop them into a large pan, along with 1.5 litres of cold water. Peel and quarter 2 medium potatoes (about 500g) and drop those straight in, along with 1 teaspoon of garlic paste, ½ teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of dried tarragon. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently on a medium heat for at least 1 hour with the lid on the pan. The chicken on the carcass should be soft and the potatoes so soft they should be falling apart.
Take the bones out, then take off all the chicken and put it back into the pan. Use the back of a fork to squash the potatoes down a little – this will thicken the soup. This is a good base if you want to add the odd vegetable or two and simmer until they are tender, otherwise it is ready to eat.
If you have any leftovers, this soup freezes really well.
HOOP FISH BAKE
SERVES: 4 ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR
This is something I used to cook for my kids when they were much younger, and I still make it sometimes among the floods of recipes that I test. I don’t like spaghetti hoops as they are, neat out of the tin, but I can really appreciate their sweetness and ability to bulk out a dish when they are mixed with other things. So this is exactly that – lots of white fish, mixed with a few vegetable-drawer staples and canned hoops and topped with breadcrumbs. If you’re making one of these it’s worth making two, as we do here, so that one can sit in your freezer until next time.
2 x 380g pollock fillets, defrosted and chopped into bite-size chunks
10 cherry tomatoes, halved, or 2 tomatoes, chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 red chillies, thinly sliced
7 florets of broccoli, chopped roughly (or you could use frozen defrosted broccoli, with all the moisture squeezed out)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 x 385g tins of spaghetti hoops, drained
For the breadcrumb topping
4 small slices of bread or 2 large (approx. 100g)
1 teaspoon garlic granules
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Have two oven- and freezer-safe dishes, approx. 20cm x 26cm, at the ready. I like to use the ones that have plastic lids.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C.
Start by putting the fish into a bowl – if there is too much liquid, squeeze out any extra water by hand so the dish doesn’t end up being too wet.
Add the chopped tomatoes, spring onions, chillies and broccoli and mix together. Stir in the salt and paprika, then mix in the drained hoops.
Divide the mixture equally between the two dishes and level the top.
To make the breadcrumb topping, put the bread, garlic granules, salt and oil into a food processor and whiz until you have fine crumbs. Top each dish with half the breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve one dish as soon as it comes out of the oven, and leave the other one to cool completely, then cover and freeze.
HOOP FISH BAKE
PIRI DRUMSTICKS, CHIPS AND PEA SALSA
SERVES: 4 TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
Growing up in Luton, you can’t often make chicken and chips as good as the ones that come out of the chicken shop that’s open until 3 a.m. But when time is short and with kids looking up at me, I like to try, and God loves a trier. Nothing about this feels like a takeaway, but I love chicken and potatoes any which way. This is how I cook them in the week, but they’re great for summer weekend barbecues too.
500g frozen oven chips
For the chicken
10 chicken drumsticks, with the skin still on
1 x 45g jar of paprika
1 x 44g jar of chilli powder
1 x 12g jar of dried oregano
1 x 14g jar of ground ginger
1 x 42g jar of garlic granules
1 x 42g jar of onion granules
5 tablespoons salt
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, for roasting
For the pea salsa
375g frozen peas
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 small red onion, finely chopped
a sprinkling of salt
1 lemon, juice and zest
a handful of fresh coriander
Score the drumsticks, cutting through the skin and just a little bit into the flesh. Pop them into a pan and pour over enough boiling water to cover them completely. Put the pan on the hob and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make the peri sprinkle by putting the paprika, c
hilli powder, oregano, ginger, garlic granules, onion granules and salt into a screwtop jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake to mix everything together.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C.
Put the oven chips on a baking tray. Drain the drumsticks and put them into a roasting dish. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper, then drizzle over the oil and massage it into the chicken when it’s cool enough to handle.
Sprinkle the spice mix over the drumsticks, using enough to make a generous coating. Put them into the oven, along with the tray of frozen chips, and bake for 20–25 minutes. Or, if you’re doing them on the barbecue, put them on for 10–15 minutes, until cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the pea salsa. Defrost the peas by pouring boiling water over them. This should only take a minute. Drain the peas and put them into a bowl, then, using the back of a fork or a rolling pin, lightly crush them with the ginger paste, chopped onion, salt, lemon juice and zest, and coriander.
By the time the salsa is made, the chicken and chips will be ready to serve. Set aside 4 drumsticks to cool, so they can be frozen in a tub or bag and eaten on another occasion.
PIRI DRUMSTICKS, CHIPS AND PEA SALSA
POUTINE
SERVES: 4 TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
We were in Canada not long ago and one of the first things I asked when I went there was, ‘What shall we eat?’ The same question we always ask ourselves. So many of our breaks are dictated by what we will eat. Canada didn’t disappoint. Poutine is a Canadian ‘thing’, and quite a thing it is too. I love chips and it turns out so do they, but with curd cheese and mushroom gravy. So that’s what I’m doing here. Anywhere where they adorn their chips in this way is a place I intend to revisit, but, until then, it happens in my kitchen.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons garlic paste
2 mugfuls of frozen onions, or 2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
750g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 litre vegetable stock (1 litre boiling water mixed with 4 stock cubes)
1 tablespoon yeast extract
4 tablespoons cornflour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
700g oven chips
500g halloumi cheese, diced into small 1cm pieces
Begin by making the gravy. I’m making more than I need, as this gravy is great for freezing, so you don’t have to make it again when you need it, be it for your poutine or your Sunday roast.
Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the garlic and onions, along with the salt, and cook on a high heat until the onions are soft but a deep golden brown. If it starts to stick, add a splash of water.
Stir in the mushrooms, rosemary and thyme, then add the stock and yeast extract and bring to the boil.
Mix the cornflour and cocoa with 3 tablespoons of water in a bowl, then add to the mushrooms and simmer gently while you cook the chips as per the packet instructions.
Have the halloumi cubes ready to serve. Once the gravy is thick, take it off the heat and use a stick blender to make it smooth. That’s the way I remember it, but if you want a chunky version that’s okay too.
Serve a heap of chips, sprinkle over the halloumi, and drench in the mushroom gravy.
Whatever gravy you have left, cool and freeze.
FISH FINGER ENCHILADA
SERVES: 2 HUNGRY, 4 NOT SO HUNGRY ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
What I want to do one day is write a book about the versatility of a fish finger. There’s something about these perfectly rectangular, golden fishy beauties that I cannot resist. So I have found yet another way to eat them. For all the times you may have thought, ‘I only have a box of fish fingers in the freezer,’ think of all the things you could have done. Enchiladas for one. We are making two batches with this recipe. One for dinner now, one for later on in the week or month. Just halve the ingredients if you prefer to only make today’s.
20 fish fingers, defrosted
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 x 326g tin of sweetcorn
100g full-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 tortilla wraps
500g passata
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1 teaspoon dried basil
200g Cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C, and have two baking dishes at the ready.
Put the defrosted fish fingers into a bowl and crush gently, using the back of a fork. Add the sliced onions, then mix in the corn, cream cheese and black pepper.
Spread the tortillas out and divide the fish mixture between them. Fold and roll so you can get 4 of them into the dish comfortably, then lay those in the dish, seam-side down.
To make the sauce, put the passata into a bowl with the salt, chilli flakes, garlic granules and basil and mix well.
Spoon half the sauce all over the wraps in the dish and sprinkle over half the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until the fish fingers are cooked and the cheese is bubbly. Serve with salad.
Put the other 4 filled wraps into a freezer-safe baking dish, add the rest of the sauce and cheese, then cover the dish with foil and pop into the freezer.
MARMALADE HADDOCK
SERVES: 4 ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
I love fish, mostly when it is teamed up with citrus, and this is my take on that combination using marmalade, which most of us have knocking about the house. It’s fresh and zingy and although it sounds unusual, it tastes good. You can use fresh new potatoes instead if you prefer – they should take the same amount of time to cook as the tinned variety.
2 x 550g tins of new potatoes, drained and halved
3 sun-dried tomatoes (the antipasti kind, in oil), snipped into strips, plus 1 tablespoon oil from the jar
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, about 1 tablespoon
a pinch of salt
4 haddock fillets
For the topping
6 tablespoons marmalade
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic paste
2 teaspoons chilli flakes
4 tablespoons dried dill
60g panko breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C.
Put the halved potatoes into a large roasting dish, along with the tomatoes, oil, balsamic and salt, and give it all a really good stir. Place in the oven for 10–15 minutes to warm the potatoes through.
To make the topping, put the marmalade, salt, garlic paste, chilli flakes, dill and breadcrumbs into a food processor and whiz everything together. Take half the mixture and spread it all over the fish. Put the rest of the topping into a freezer bag and freeze, ready for the next time you need breadcrumbs for fish or chicken.
Take the tray of potatoes out of the oven and place the fish on top. Put back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked and the topping is crunchy.
Freeze any leftovers in a tub.
MARMALADE HADDOCK
ONE-TRAY PEANUT CHICKEN
SERVES: 4 ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
Nut butters are so versatile, especially peanut, and whenever I run out, I just make my own. It’s cheaper and so much easier. And it can be used for much more than just breakfast – it’s great with chicken and even better when you can have it for dinner. You make enough here to have a jar in your cupboard too.
For the peanut butter
500g salted peanuts
1 teaspoon salt (optional – you may find it salty enough with the salted peanuts)
1 tablespoon honey
4–5 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the chicken
250g gnocchi
1kg deboned and skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons
honey
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
5 tablespoons peanut butter (100g)
1 teaspoon salt
2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
2 small red onions, cut into small wedges
3 tablespoons salted peanuts, roughly chopped
a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
To make the peanut butter, put the nuts into a processor with the salt and honey and blitz till the whole thing starts to change texture. Add the oil slowly and watch as it turns to butter before your very eyes. As soon as it’s smooth and shiny, stop and transfer the mixture to a jar.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C and have a roasting dish (about 30cm x 22cm x 5cm) at the ready.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, then add the gnocchi. Boil until they come to the surface, then take off the heat, drain and set aside.
Put the chicken into a large bowl. Add the honey, oil, curry paste, peanut butter and salt, and mix it all well with your hands, massaging in all that flavour. Then put it into the roasting dish along with the broccoli, onions and gnocchi and bake for 30 minutes, giving it a stir halfway through.
Serve topped with the chopped nuts, coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Freeze any leftovers in a tub or freezer bag.
ONE-TRAY PEANUT CHICKEN
LAMB DANSAK
SERVES: 4 TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
When I was younger, I had only ever seen the word ‘dansak’ written on Dad’s restaurant menus, and I used to watch them sizzling past me on a hot plate. We didn’t eat curries like that at home. But now I always enjoy the wholesome thick nature of a dansak – it’s hearty, warm and full of flavour. It’s great if someone else is making it, but when I’m doing it I want to make it quickly and often in double portions, so that I can enjoy it twice for half the work.
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