Turkish meatballs

 

• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• Olive oil for frying
• 1 tbsp ras al hanout spice mix
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Large pinch ground cinnamon
• Handful fresh flatleaf parsley, stalks and leaves chopped separately
• 500g higher-welfare British lamb mince
• 600ml passata
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 heaped tbsp rose harissa paste
• 4 tbsp plain yogurt
• Steamed  couscous to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Cook the onion in olive oil over a medium heat in a casserole (with a tight-fitting lid) for 10 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the ras al hanout and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer half the onion to a large mixing bowl to cool and put the other half on a plate.
2. Add the cinnamon, chopped parsley stalks and lamb to the onion in the mixing bowl, then season. Using your hands, mix together. Divide the mixture into 12 evenly sized balls. Heat another splash of oil in the casserole and fry the meatballs for 5-6 minutes until browned all over (you may need to do this in batches). Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Return the onion to the casserole, then add the passata, stock and harissa with a little extra seasoning. Heat until just bubbling. Add the meatballs, stir to coat, then cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
4. Spoon over the yogurt, sprinkle with parsley leaves and serve with steamed couscous.

Pomegranate, figs and pistachio mince pies with tahini pastry

 

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 180g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 75g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1large free-range egg yolk
• 3 tbsp tahini

For the mincemeat

• 200g mincemeat (best quality shop bought)
• 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 3 dried apricots, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2 dried figs, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
• Fresh pomegranate seeds, to garnish
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan, to garnish

You’ll also need…

• 12-hole muffin tin

Method

1. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingers. Quickly stir in the sugar, egg yolk and tahini with
   a round-bladed knife. Add 1-2 tbsp cold water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together to make a dough. Form into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Mix together all the mincemeat ingredients except the sesame seeds, then cover until needed.
3. Use scales to weigh out 12 equal pieces of dough. With your fingers, press the dough into each hole of the muffin tin, working it about 3cm up the side of each hole to make rustic pastry cases. Spoon in the mincemeat mixture, then chill for a further 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
4. Bake the pies for 15-18 minutes, turning the tin halfway through if one side is browning too quickly. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then use a palette knife to transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with extra chopped apricots, pistachios, the fresh pomegranite and the sesame seeds to serve.

Salmon and ginger black rice bowl

 

• 2 free-range duck eggs
• 250g pouch ready-to-heat black rice 
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 chopped chilli
• 2 gloves garlic, grated
• 3 tbsp soured cream
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Finely grated zest and juice ½ lime
• 150g smoked salmon, sliced
• 150g king prawns
• 2 x baby cucumber, sliced
• small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• plus a handful of watercress leaves

Method

1. Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Lower in the egg and cook for exactly
   6 minutes (for a runny yolk). Drain and rinse under cold running water, then
   peel and cut in half.
2. Heat the rice according to the pack instructions. Then add fish sauce, chilli and garlic.
3. In a small bowl, mix the soured cream (see tip), ginger, sesame oil, and the
   lime zest and juice to make a dressing. Season to taste.
4. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl and top with the smoked salmon, prawns cucumber, coriander and spring onions/watercress. Drizzle over the dressing to serve.

Eggs Kejriwal

 

Ingredients

• sourdough bread 2 slices
• mature cheddar 100g, grated
• spring onions 2, chopped
• green chilli 1, finely chopped
• sunflower oil for frying
• eggs 2
• sliced red chilli
• sliced clove of garlic
• spring onion sliced
• hot sauce mixed 50/50 with ketchup

Method

• STEP 1

  Toast the bread in a toaster until lightly golden. Spread a little spicy ketchup over one side of each slice. Mix together the cheese, spring onions, chilli and some cracked black pepper. Sprinkle this evenly on the toast, reserving 2 tbsp. Put on the top shelf of an air fryer oven on 200c for 3-4 minutes until melted.

• STEP 2

  Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Crack in the eggs and and sliced chilli and garlic fry for 2-3 minutes until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny, slightly undercook.

• STEP 3

  Put the eggs with the chilli and garlic on top of the toasts and dot on the reserved cheese mix, then grill for another minute. Sprinkle over spring onions. Serve immediately with any extra spicy ketchup.

Nutritional Information

• Kcals398
 
• Fat27.4g
 
• Saturates12.9g
 
• Carbs13.2g
 
• Sugars1.3g
 
• Fibre0.9g
 
• Protein24.1g
 
• Salt1.5g

Ramen with chicken bone broth, pork shoulder, soft-boiled egg & greens

 Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 250g ramen noodles
• 2 large handfuls shredded spring greens
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• chilli oil, to serve
• pickled chilli and shallots to serve

For the stock

• 2 chicken carcasses including the wings, chopped
• 2 large carrot, halved
• 2 onions, quartered
• 4cm piece ginger, sliced
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 900g piece pork shoulder
• 2 heads of garlic, halved across the centre
• Black peppercorns, about 40
• Maldon sea salt, 2 tsps

For the seasoning

• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp saké
• 4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce

For the pickled chilli and shallots:

Put 1 sliced red chilli and 3 thinly sliced small shallots in a small bowl and pour 150ml rice wine vinegar over. Add a pinch of sugar and let it sit to pickle for at least 20 minutes. Drain before serving.

Method

1 For the stock, slowly brown the chicken carcasses, carrots, onions, garlic and ginger in a large saucepan with sesame oil. Add the shiitake mushrooms and the pork, and pour in 3 litres of cold water, peppercorns and sea salt. Bring to the boil and then turn down to the lowest simmer you can. After the foamy scum rises to the top, skim it off with a ladle and discard. Part-cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 3 hrs but remove the pork after about 2½ hrs, or when it is very soft, and set aside. Strain the stock into a clean pan. Boil for another 30-40 mins on a medium heat to reduce by a third, then skim the excess fat off. 

2 Boil the eggs in a pan for 6 mins, then remove and put in iced water to cool.

3 Boil the noodles in a large pan, stirring so they don’t stick, until al dente, about 3 mins. In the final minute of cooking, add the greens. Drain and divide between the bowls.

4 Mix the ramen seasoning ingredients and add to the broth to taste. Slice the pork and add to the bowls. Pour the broth over each and add the spring onions. Peel the eggs, slice in half lengthways and place in each bowl with the pickled chilli & shallots. Sprinkle over the chilli oil.

Whisky lamb shoulder

 Serves 4

4 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp runny honey
5 tbsp whisky (preferably single-malt Scotch)
A big pinch of fresh rosemary
A splash of apple cider vinegar
Salt and black pepper
Bone-in shoulder of lamb (around 1.5kg)

1 Mix the vegetable oil, honey, whisky, rosemary, cider vinegar and some salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the lamb and coat it in the marinade.

2 If you have a large, sealable food bag, move the meat and all the marinade to the bag and seal with as little air inside as possible. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.

3 Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3. Remove the lamb shoulder from the bag, reserving the marinade. Place it on a large piece of foil. Pour all the marinade over the top and fold up the sides of the foil; scrunch it together to seal the meat. Transfer to a roasting pan.

4 Place in the preheated oven and roast for at least 2½ hours, but ideally 3 hours for really tender meat.

5 Lift the meat out of the foil, but make sure you reserve the juices for gravy. Serve with your choice of sides.

For the leftovers: 

Leftover whisky lamb shoulder wrap 

Serves 2 Prep 5 mins Cook 15 mins

• 1 aubergine 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 2-4 Greek flatbread wraps 
• 2-4 tbsp natural yogurt 
• 2-4 tbsp redcurrant jelly 
• 2-4 handfuls of baby leaf spinach 
• 100g feta
• Hot sauce
• Seeds of 1 pomegranate
• Red onion rings, quick pickled
• 300-400g leftover roast lamb (from Whisky lamb shoulder), torn into pieces 

1. Slice the aubergine into 5-mm-thick slices. Heat the olive oil in a ridged griddle/grill pan or frying pan over a high heat, then fry the aubergine slices, in batches if necessary. Once cooked, transfer to paper towels to soak up the oil. Leave the pan over the heat. 

2.Heat the flatbreads in foil parcels just to warm through in the oven. To serve, spread the yogurt and redcurrant down the middle of each flatbread. Lay the aubergine and lamb on top and sprinkle over the spinach, red onion, pomegranate and feta. Fold the sides over the middle to make a wrap. Add hot sauce as desired.

Herb Crêpes with Mushrooms, Spinach & Creme fraiche

 

Ingredients

• Flour 140 g
• Eggs 2, medium
• Milk 250 ml
• salt 1/2 tsp
• Butter 2 tbsp, melted
• Chives 1 small bunch, chopped, plus extra to garnish
• Parsley 1 small bunch, flat-leaf, chopped
• Chervil 1 small bunch, chopped
• Sunflower oil 2 - 3 tbsp, for frying
• Olive oil 1 tbsp
• Butter 1 tbsp, unsalted
• Pepper 1 red, cored
• Garlic 1 clove, minced
• Mushrooms 250 g, cleaned, sliced
• Spinach 200 g, baby, washed
• Crème fraîche 200 g

For the herb crêpes

Blend together the flour, eggs, milk, salt, butter, and the herbs in a food processor until you have a smooth batter.
Pour into a jug and let stand for 10 minutes.
Heat a little sunflower oil in a non-stick frying or crêpe pan set over a medium heat until hot.
Add a small ladle of batter to the pan and tilt with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden underneath and then flip and cook for a further minute or so.
Remove to a plate and repeat the process using a little more oil for each pancake; keep cooked pancakes loosely covered with aluminium foil to keep warm.

For the mushrooms and spinach filling

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large sauté pan set over a medium heat until hot.
Add the pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and a generous pinch of salt, sautéing until the mushrooms are tender and starting to colour, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, cover the pan with a lid, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes; stir from time to time.
Stir in the crème fraîche, letting it melt into the vegetables.
Let the sauce simmer gently for 2 minutes before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Fill each herb crêpe with some of the filling, folding the top and bottom sides of the crêpe over it to enclose.
Serve on platters with some chives as a garnish, if desired.

Cheat’s butter chicken curry

 

Ingredients

• skinless chicken breasts 500g, cut into chunks
• ground turmeric 1 tsp
• ginger a thumb-sized piece, peeled and grated
• garlic 2 cloves, crushed
• lemon 1/2, juiced
• butter 35g
• onion 1 large, thinly sliced
• makhani or other curry paste 3 tbsp
• tomato purée 1 tbsp
• ground almonds 2 tbsp
• full-fat natural yogurt 175ml
• chicken stock 150ml
• coriander a handful of leaves
• basmati rice to serve

Method

• STEP 1

  Toss the chicken with the turmeric, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and ½ tsp salt. Heat the butter in a large wide pan then cook the onion for 10 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden. Add the curry paste and tomato purée and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until opaque.

• STEP 2

  Mix the almonds and yogurt in a bowl then stir into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Scatter over the coriander and serve with basmati rice.

Nutritional Information for 4

• Kcals346
 
• Fat16.6g
 
• Saturates6.2g
 
• Carbs10.7g
 
• Sugars8.6g
 
• Fibre2.7g
 
• Protein37.1g
 
• Salt1.58g

Immunity boosting Spinach, Avocado & Watercress Soup

Ingredients

• 150g spinach
• 150g watercress
• 3 spring onions
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 100ml chicken stock
• ½ an avocado
• 50g cooked wholegrain rice
• juice ½ lemon
• 1 tsp Avocado oil
• 2 tbsp toasted mixed seeds to serve

Method

Saute spring onion and 2 garlic in avo oil then add the spinach and watercress to wilt. Then add stock and cooked rice,and bring to a simmer. Once heated through, off the heat add avocado, lemon juice and last raw garlic with seasoning. Blitzz until smooth with a stick blender. Heat until piping hot. Scatter over the toasted.

 

Sausage & fennel meatballs with lentils

 Ingredients

450g pack low-fat sausage

1 tsp fennel seed , crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion , finely chopped

2 medium carrots , finely chopped

1 fennel bulb , trimmed and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves , crushed

100ml full-bodied red wine

200g puy lentils

1 tbsp tomato purée

850ml hot chicken or beef stock

juice ½ lemon

handful parsley , chopped, to serve

Method

STEP 1

Squeeze the meat from the sausages into a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds and mix well with your hands. Shape the meat into 16 walnut-sized balls.

STEP 2

Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins, turning regularly, until golden but not completely cooked through. Remove to a plate.

STEP 3

Add the rest of the oil to the pan, tip in the onion, carrots and fennel, cover and let the veg sweat over a gentle heat for 10 mins until softened. Stir now and then.

STEP 4

Uncover the vegetables, turn up the heat and let them start to colour here and there. Stir in the garlic, sizzle for 1 min, then splash in the wine and let it reduce by half. Stir in the lentils, tomato purée and stock. Cover and simmer for 25 mins or until the lentils are almost tender. Add the sausageballs, plus a splash of water if the pan is looking a little dry. Cover and simmer for a further 10 mins until the meat is cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season to taste and scatter with parsley to serve.

Nutrition: per serving (for 4)

Highlight	Nutrient	Unit
low in	kcal	459
	fat	16g
	saturates	5g
	carbs	39g
	sugars	9g
	fibre	13g
	protein	35g
	salt	3.1g

Charred hispi cabbage with hazelnut romesco

 

Ingredients

Serves 2

• olive oil
• sweetheart (hispi) cabbage 1/2
• piquillo peppers in oil 4 from a jar
• garlic 1 clove
• hazelnuts 25g, plus 1 tbsp chopped to serve, toasted
• stale sourdough 1 slice, torn into pieces
• smoked paprika 1 tsp
• extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
• sherry vinegar 1 tbsp

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tbsp oil. Season the cabbage well and put in the pan, cut-side down. Put a plate on top to weigh it down and ensure the whole cut surface is in contact with the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and charred. Remove from the pan and carefully cut in half lengthways. Put the two halves back into the pan on the non-charred side and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden.

• STEP 2

  Put on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes until a sharp knife pierces the core easily.

• STEP 3

  Meanwhile, to make the romesco sauce, whizz the peppers, garlic, hazelnuts, sourdough, smoked paprika and a good splash of the oil from the pepper jar in a small food processor until smooth. Season.

• STEP 4

  To make the dressing, lightly whisk the extra-virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar.

• STEP 5

  Spoon some of the romesco sauce onto the plate, put the cabbage wedge on top, and finish with a drizzle of dressing and a sprinkle of hazelnuts.

Nutritional Information

• Kcals353
 
• Fat25.4g
 
• Saturates3.1g
 
• Carbs17.6g
 
• Sugars9.1g
 
• Fibre9.8g
 
• Protein8.7g
 
• Salt0.2g