Kitabı oku: «Easy Meals»

EasyMeals

Rachel Allen

Over 180 delicious recipes to get

you through your busy life

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Introduction

Store Cupboard

Hearty lentil and onion soup

Artichoke salad

Haricot bean and tuna salad

Perfect mushrooms on toast

Spiced baked eggs

Spiced beans and corn salsa toppings for baked potatoes

Thai chickpea and mushroom curry

Tarka dahl

Poached eggs with bacon lentils

Instant dips

Huevos rancheros

Smoked salmon and chive fish cakes

Spaghetti with anchovies, garlic and chilli

Fusilli with tuna, capers and cream

Tinned-tomato pasta

Tagliatelle with bacon, peas and mint

Chicken and bacon pilaf

Bacon and potato gratin

Baked mushroom risotto

Tomato and rosemary risotto with meatballs

Spiced lamb pittas

Lamb meatballs

Chocolate, toffee and peanut squares

Easy lemon cake

Orange torte

Orange and almond cake

Gluten-free chocolate and orange polenta cake

Chocolate mousse

Oreo chocolate fudge sundae

Toffee peanut sundae

Chocolate marshmallow biscuit cake

Fruit sundae with strawberry coulis

Raspberry coconut pudding

Coconut and cardamom pannacotta

Vanilla buttercream squares

Ginger squares with lime frosting

Fast and Fabulous

Parsnip soup with porcini oil

Speedy chicken noodle soup

Five-minute pea soup

Chickpea and aubergine salad

Fattoush

Spicy prawns with feta and watermelon

Roasted vegetable couscous

Zac’s omelette wraps

Zac’s omelette wraps (cont.)

Mushroom and Gruyère tart

Tomato and goat’s cheese tart

Piadine

Piadine (cont.)

Quesadillas

Fusilli with courgettes and lemon

Spiced prawns, tomatoes and chickpeas

Quick prawn korma

Battered prawn stir-fry

Thai mussels

Scallops mornay

Thai steamed fish

Chicken stir-fry

Chicken paillard with creamy cucumber and courgettes

Chicken skewers with carrot and apple salad

Pan-fried chicken with mango salsa

Chicken noodle stir-fry

Pan-fried duck breasts with redcurrant jelly sauce

Lamb chops with parsley and mint sauce

Pork stir-fry

Pork chops with sage and apple

Garam masala pork with yoghurt

Maple black pepper pork chops

Seared beef salad

Stir-fried steak with kale

Spiced apples and pears

Baked peaches with honey and pecans

Coconut macaroon meringue

Banoffee pancakes

Quick blueberry trifles

Chocolate mascarpone mousse

Baked white chocolate vanilla custards

Quick fruit brûlée

Five Ingredients or Less

Sweet potato and Gruyère tortilla

Penne with smoked trout

Conchiglie with spinach, blue cheese and pine nuts

Penne with broad beans and asparagus

Fusilli with fried onions and olives

Fish baked with potatoes

Fish en papillote, three ways

Fish en papillote

Mackerel with chorizo

Fennel baked fish

Spicy squid salad

Salmon with capers and dill

Spanish mussels

Very fast red prawn curry

Yoghurt masala fish

Sesame-crusted chicken

Chicken livers with onions

Chicken, parsnip and potato bake

Tarragon chicken

Spiced fried chicken

Rack of lamb

Sumac lamb chops

Honey mustard pork chops

Fried potatoes with cabbage and chorizo

Flavoured butters for steak

Apple fool

Hot buttered plum pudding

Lemon posset

Cardamom and orange semifreddo

Yoghurt, apricot and pistachio pots

Chocolate zabaglione

Rhubarb and ginger meringues

Chocolate mousse cake

Strawberry and nectarine tart

Pear and cinnamon tart

Chocolate and banana tart

One Pot

Minestrone

Carrot, ginger and coconut soup

Red lentil soup

Cauliflower soup

Smoked sausage, bean and root vegetable soup

Asparagus and goat’s cheese risotto

Kale and bean stew

Mediterranean pasta

Fish stew

Fish chowder

Easy paella

Spring vegetable roast chicken

Chicken open-pot roast

Chicken and chorizo with rice

Chicken and couscous tagine

Chicken biryani

Pot-roast duck legs with onions and root vegetables

Lamb and chickpea tagine

Leg of lamb with roasted vegetables

Lamb shanks with potatoes and pearl barley

Lamb and sweet potato curry

Slow-roast shoulder of pork

Spanish pork stew

Sausage and lentil stew

Provençal beef stew

Beef pie

Beef and red wine hot pot

Caramel rice pudding

Cinnamon baked apples

Spiced plums in red wine

Pear, almond and chocolate crumble

Chocolate croissant bread and butter pudding

No Cook

Beetroot gazpacho

White gazpacho

Fennel and pink grapefruit with feta

Fennel and mango salad

Parma ham and nectarine salad

Pear and blue cheese salad

Mashed chickpeas on toast

Artichoke purée on toast

Chicken with basil mayonnaise on toast

Mixed root remoulade with ham

Thai crab toast

Spiced chicken open sandwich

Ceviche

Smoked salmon and avocado on rye toast

Japanese-style salmon tartare

Smoked mackerel, apple and fennel salad

Sardines on toast with basil and rocket

Oranges with honey, pistachios and mint

Quick banana ice cream

Little banoffee pots

Amaretto tiramisu

St Clement’s syllabub

Melon with vodka, orange and mint

Strawberries with amaretti

Messes

Fuss-free Extras and Sides

Roasted sweet potatoes

Roasted new potatoes

Perfect mashed potatoes

Sautéed potatoes

New potato salad

Paprika potato wedges

Fried kale

Root vegetable mash

Red cabbage coleslaw

Buttered cabbage

Roasted cauliflower with gremolata

Green beans with anchovies and toasted almonds

Sautéed courgettes

Broccoli and oyster sauce

Sticky roast carrots in maple syrup

Two ways with lentils

Plain boiled rice

Brown pilaf rice

Couscous

Brown scones with treacle and sesame seeds

Poppy seed scones

Quick red pepper and pesto focaccia

Shortbread biscuits

Acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Publisher

© Heather Favell

Introduction

It seems like we all lead such hectic lifestyles these days. Even though I love to cook, often I just don’t have the time to make complicated food. I’d love to spend six hours cooking an elaborate meal, but sometimes it just isn’t realistic. I think that’s true for a lot of people. Our lives are so busy now it can be difficult to set aside time to cook. That said, I don’t think it’s always the case that the more time you take over a meal the better it is. Truly great food can often be made in minutes and only using four or five ingredients.

It’s not just time though; I often want fuss-free food for other reasons. Some days, for instance, I might cook a one-pot dish that bubbles away in the oven as I get on with other things. The other advantage of one-pot cooking is that with everything ready at the same time I don’t have to coordinate various different side dishes. There are other times when I can’t get to the shops so I need to make something using only ingredients that I already have at home. It is always so satisfying to be able to make good food using only things I can find in my cupboards, fridge or freezer, which means being able to use specific ingredients cleverly as well as knowing what things it’s worth stocking up on.

This book is about times like these, when you want to cook a great meal but don’t want lots of complex steps either in the preparation or in the actual cooking. That’s why you'll find a chapter with recipes that use only five ingredients or fewer. I’ve also included a whole chapter for when you don’t feel like turning on the oven at all. The recipes are unapologetically simple and straightforward – most are very quick from start to finish – yet they never compromise on flavour. A hectic lifestyle doesn’t have to mean reaching for a sugary snack or ordering a takeaway. It’s perfectly possible to cook wholesome food without too much time or fuss. This book shows you how to do just that – make food that is quick and simple yet always delicious.

PS. The oven temperatures in this book are for a conventional oven, but if I am using a fan oven then I usually reduce the temperature by 10 per cent.

Store Cupboard

We all have times when we need to create a meal using only what we have in the cupboard, fridge or freezer. To prepare for those times when you can’t get to the shops, it’s worth stocking up on basic ingredients with a long shelf-life. Tinned tomatoes and beans as well as dried pulses and pasta are perfect for such occasions. The recipes in this chapter also include meats such as bacon and leftover roast chicken, which I often have in my fridge. My freezer is usually full of things such as minced lamb or beef and, of course, peas. I sometimes keep a few long-life and versatile luxury foods too, such as dried porcini mushrooms or artichoke hearts preserved in oil.

It’s not just savoury dishes that you can make with what you have on your shelves. Dry ingredients such as nuts, dried fruit and chocolate – both powdered and solid – make the store cupboard a treasure trove for baking and desserts.

Hearty lentil and onion soup

This is a rustic take on classic French onion soup. The lentils make it substantial and nutritious as well as bringing their own unique earthy flavour. The croutons are the perfect finishing touch, though you can make the soup without them if you prefer.

Serves 4 (v, if using vegetable stock)

PREPARATION TIME

10 minutes

COOKING TIME

1 hour

4 tbsp olive oil

6 onions (about 900g/2lb in total), peeled and finely sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

150g (5oz) Puy lentils

3 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves

1 litre (1¾ pints) chicken or vegetable stock

For the Gruyère croutons

4 slices of white bread

75g–100g (3–3½oz) Gruyère cheese, grated

* Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan on a medium heat and, when nearly hot, add the onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, uncovered, for 25–30 minutes, stirring regularly and scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge the caramelised pieces and mix them in, until the onions are a deep golden brown.

* Add the lentils, rosemary and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

* Shortly before the soup is ready, preheat the grill to high to make the croutons (if using).

* Toast the bread on both sides, then cover each slice with a thick layer of grated cheese. Place back under the grill and toast until bubbling and melted.

* Season the finished soup with salt and pepper to taste and divide between bowls to serve. Place a whole crouton on top of each bowl of soup and add a grinding of black pepper. (If the slices of bread are too large, you may want to cut them into squares before serving.)

Rachel’s tip

I always like to cook using extra virgin olive oil as I think it provides a divine depth of flavour. Throughout these recipes I've just called for olive oil but I recommend using extra virgin if you can, especially when used in a dressing.

Artichoke salad

Artichoke hearts in a tin or jar are one of the more luxurious preserved foods. Combined with semi-sun-dried tomatoes and preserved roasted red peppers, this is a really wonderful dish.

Serves 4

PREPARATION TIME

5 minutes

125g (4½oz) preserved artichoke hearts (from a jar or tin), cut into bite-sized pieces

75g (3oz) preserved roasted red peppers (from a jar or tin), cut into 2cm (¾in) dice

50g (2oz) semi-sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp pesto

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* Simply mix everything together in a big bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.