🥘  1 pan |  🍽 Serves 2 | ⏱ 25 mins | 🛒 9 ingredients | £1.80pp

Ingredients:

• 80g pancetta
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 600ml chicken stock
• a good slosh of white wine
• 200g penne or fusili
• 75ml double cream
• 30g parmesan, finely grated
• 1 handful of basil leaves, shredded

Step by step:

1. In a deep frying pan, cook the pancetta and spring onions in the olive oil until crisp.
2. Add the stock, wine and pasta, bring to a simmer and cook until just tender.
3. Stir in the cream and the parmesan, simmer for a few minutes. Season well, especially with black pepper.
4. Stir in the basil and serve

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken thigh portions, skin off
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 1 chopped onion
• handful green beans
• 1/2 pack noodles
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 250ml milk or dessert spoon full of crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small red pepper skinned
• shake of maggi seasoning (optional)

Step by step:

1. Boil the chicken thighs with half the chopped onion in 1 litre chicken stock. Simmer for 25 minutes.
2. In a pan, fry off the chopped vegetables in the oil until softened and add the flour. Continue cooking, stirring regularly for 5 minutes. Add more oil if necessary.
3. Take the chicken out of the stock and set aside.
4. Sieve the stock onto the vegetables and cook until soft. Add the noodles and seasoning.
5. Pull the chicken apart and add it to the pot.
6. Stir through the crème fraîche and serve with crusty bread

Notes:

Use coconut milk and coriander for a more Asian flavour. We also add ginger and garlic for a variation

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a sourdough loaf (or pack panko breadcrumbs).
• 3 medium size chicken breasts
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or spray if you have it)
• 1 large aubergine, cut into 5mm slices
• 1 large courgette, cut into 5mm slices
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• Grated parmesan (and mozzarella if you like, optional).
• Handful of chopped basil

Step by step:

1. Make your breadcrumbs using a food processor and place the whisked egg into a shallow dish. Set your oven to 200C.
2. Cut the chicken portions into thirds and dip them in the whisked egg bath, then cover them with the breadcrumbs. Place them on a baking sheet and spray with oil.
3. Sprinkle oil over the aubergine and courgette slices and lay them out on a separate baking sheet. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Place the vegetables and the chicken in the oven.
5. Add 2 tbsp oil and the chopped onion to a pan, sauté until translucent. Add the tin of tomatoes, basil and splosh of red wine (optional). Simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced down to a nice thick sauce.
6. After 10 minutes, check the vegetables are ready (just softened) and pour over the reduced tomato sauce. Sprinkle over the parmesan (and mozzarella if using). Return the vegetables to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. In ten minutes, check that the chicken is cooked,(it will have been in the oven for 20 minutes). Serve it on top of the parmigiana and vegetables of your choice with some lemon wedges.

We made the breadcrumbs with sourdough, but a similar crusty bread will do fine. Panko breadcrumbs are a time saving alternative.

We used Mutty chopped tomatoes but any supermarket brand is ok, especially if you are adding the red wine.

We haven’t used garlic in this recipe, but adding a few cloves to the vegetable baking tray is nice if you like garlic.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200g speck or smoked lardons
• 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 80g pitted prunes
• 500g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 shallots or small onions, finely sliced
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Step by step:

1. Chop and slice all the vegetables and parsley
2. Fry off the speck or lardons in a pan with a splash of olive oil. After 5 minutes add all the vegetables except the onion and parsley. Cook for a few minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
3. Add the vegetable stock and and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir through most of the parsley (reserving a little for garnish) and season to taste.
4. Fry off the onion in a knob of butter and cook until nice and crispy.
5. Serve topped with the onions and chopped parsley

Notes:

We use floury potatoes which tend to fall apart, adding to the creamy texture of the soup. Maris piper or king edward are ideal.

For vegetarian option, leave out the speck or lardons and increase the herbs and add some beans.

Cooking in the thermomix is very quick. Simply add all the ingredients except the onions and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook your onions in a frying pan.

🥘  1 wok  🍽 Serves 4 ⏱ 20 mins

 🛒 9 ingredients   €6 (V)

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, coarsely grated
• 250g halloumi, coarsely grated
• 1 large egg
• 1 small bunch of basil, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 6 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp halloumi mix
• 1 tsp paprika

• vegetable oil for frying
• salad of your choice to serve

Step by step:

1. Put the first eight ingredients into a mixing bowl and season well with black pepper and a little salt.
2. Work the mixture with your hands to combine it well, then take roughly 1 tbsp of the mixture and roll it into a ball approximately 30mm diameter. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
3. Fill a pan no more than 1/3 full with oil and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper.
4. Carefully lower the balls into the hot oil and fry, in batches, for 1–2 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain.
5. Serve hot with salad leaves.

Notes:

We squeeze the carrot in a cloth to eliminate much of the juice. If you don’t have your own breadcrumbs to hand, Panko are a good alternative.

This makes a great canapé or part of a tapas selection.

This is a nice light meal served on a bed of leeks with a cucumber and parsley salsa. The saltiness of the ham brings out the flavour of the trout and you will just need freshly ground black pepper for the seasoning.

🍴 2   ⌚ 20 mins   🍳 1   £1.50 pp   LF  

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized leeks
• 2 sea trout fillets (each about 150g)
• 4 slices of parma ham
• 10 baby plum or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 a lime
• 1/2 cucumber
• parsley, leaves only, chopped

Step by step:

1. Wrap each trout fillet in two slices of parma ham. 
2. Prepare the salad and lime salsa. Peel the lime discarding all the pith and chop roughly. Halve the tomatoes and chop the cucumber and mix in the lime with a dash of olive oil and parsley leaves. Season to taste. 
3. Slice the leeks and fry them in a knob of butter and 50ml water. Cook on a low heat until softened but not browned. Set aside
4. In the same pan (no need to clean the pan), add the two trout fillets wrapped in ham. Fry the on a low heat turning after 2 minutes and cooking for another 2 minutes.

🥘  1 large pan  🍽 Serves 6  🛒 5 ingredients  ⏱ 15 minutes + chill overnight €8

Ingredients:

• Frozen berries 1kg
• Seedless raspberry jam
• 7 slices of bread, crusts removed
• Fresh berries of your choice to serve
• single cream

Step by step:

1. Defrost the berries and combine with 5-6 tbsp of jam in the large pan. simmer for 2 minutes until nice and juicy. Strain the fruit over a large jug. Set aside 150ml of the juice for serving and you should have about 200ml left for making the pudding.
2. Use 5 bread slices to line a 1.2L basin. Fill the basin with 950g of the fruit and the 200ml of juice. Cover with 2 bread slices, trimmed to fit and a sheet of baking parchment. Weigh it down with a snug fitting side plate or saucer and a couple of cans. Chill overnight.
3. Turn the pudding out onto a serving plate and then brush with some of the reserved juice to fill any patches. Decorate with the remaining berries and serve with cream and the remaining juice.
4. We used some fresh berries and a sprinkle of caster sugar to decorate. Serve with single cream or yoghurt

This is a lovely snack or light lunch combining the wonderful flavours of figs and gorgonzola cheese.

🍴 4     ⌚ 30 Mins    🍳 1   £1.00pp  10 ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar, plus extra to serve
• 2 figs, cut into eight
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 slices ciabatta (or baguette)
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 2 small handfuls watercress
• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
• 50g Gorgonzola piccante
• Cracked black pepper

Step by step:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Combine the sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss the figs in this mixture to coat them, leave for 15 minutes then transfer to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until soft and caramelised.
3. Meanwhile, brush olive oil over the ciabatta slices and toast for 1-2 minutes a side on a hot griddle or under the grill. Rub lightly with garlic.
4. Top the ciabattas with watercress, mint, figs, a little black pepper and crumbled Gorgonzola.
5. Drizzle with a little olive oil and Balsamic vinegar before serving.

Tip: Add a few chopped walnuts or pistachios for extra crunch.

Recipe courtesy of Gorgonzola. Chef Gianluca Corradino kindly agreed to share his recipes with us. For information about all things Gorgonzola, go to https://en.gorgonzola.com/

Did you know? Gorgonzola is named after the northern Italian town where it was originally made. There are two main flavours Dolce and Piccante. Dolce is matured for 2 months and Piccante for 3 months. Gorgonzola has PDO (protected designation of origin) status. Gorgonzola is recognised by the blue or green foil wrapper with a big g embossed on the foil.

Every Italian knows just how delicious courgette flowers are. Stuffed with ricotta and gorgonzola and fried, they are perfection

Ingredients

• Courgette flowers (2 per person at least)
• 250 grams Ricotta cheese
• 4 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese
• 1 Egg
• 1 Lemon
• Plain flour add a portion into a bowl
• Cold sparkling water
• Sunflower oil for frying

Preparation

• Prepare the stuffed courgette flowers, remove the pistil from the middle and place the flowers in a bowl of sparkling water.
• While the flowers are soaking, make the creamy sauce. Add the ricotta, approx 4 tablespoons of gorgonzola, and fresh lemon zest to a large bowl. Mix the ingredients with a fork, pressing down on the ricotta so it combines with all the other ingredients.
• Add a splash of sparkling water into the bowl and mix through. Continue adding slowly until you get a creamy sauce.
• Spoon the mixture into a Ziploc bag, close the bag and then push the mixture to one corner before cutting a small hole.
• Add one egg and sparkling water to a separate bowl with flour. The consistency should be creamy, thick, and not too watery. Continue adding water little by little and whisk until you get a creamy consistency batter.
• Pour sunflower oil into your pan and put it on the stove at a medium heat. Leaving it to warm up to a temperature of (180°C/356°F).
• Now fill the flowers. Remove them from the bowl of water, and shake each one to get the excess water off, then stuff the flowers halfway with cream, using the Ziploc bag as a piping bag!

Rocket salad and Gorgonzola

Crumble the gorgonzola over a simple rocket salad and dress with a few chopped nuts

Brazil’s national cocktail, Caipirinha (which means little country girl in Portuguese) is made with just three ingredients, shaken and served over ice.

Ingredients:

• 1 lime cut into rough cubes and a couple of slices
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 65 ml cachaça
• A good handful of cracked ice

Step by step:

1. Put the lime cubes in a cocktail shaker (or sturdy glass tumbler) and crush them with a muddler or end of a small rolling pin. Extract as much lime juice as you can, then add and dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the cachaça and a little ice. Give it a stir and serve over ice with a slice of lime and a swizzle stick to stir.

Many years ago the old remedy for treating a fever was to hold a cloth moistened with alcohol to your forehead whilst sucking a lime. One day, a man who found the taste too bitter added a spoonful of sugar and hey presto the caipirinha was born. It also goes to prove the saying – a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

Cachaça (pronounced ka-sha-sa) is the national alcoholic drink of Brazil. Like rum, it is a sugar cane spirit. However cachaça is distilled from fermented sugar cane juice rather than from the molasses. Originally a poor man’s drink and given the slang name pinga from the Portuguese pingar, meaning to drip referring to the distillation process.

It is a clear strong spirit with a grassy flavour and recently the production of mature cachaça aged in wooden barrels has become popular. This gives a rounded more mellow flavour with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and dried fruits and makes an ideal alternative after dinner drink such as brandy or whiskey.

Nothing beats a stir fry for a quick, crunchy, colourful and healthy meal. Get the kids involved and they’ll be eating loads of vegetables and learning how to cook in no time.

Whilst you will obviously have to supervise the chopping and cooking of ingredients. There are many opportunities for children to learn about flavours of sauces and herbs and how long different vegetables take to cook.

🥘  2  🍽 Serves 4  🛒 up to 16 ingredients  ⏱ 20 minutes €6 V

Ingredients:

• 200g thin rice noodles
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
• 1/2 bunch of coriander
• 100g broccoli
• 1/2 red or yellow pepper
• 100g sugar snap peas
• 1 lime, sliced into 2 halves
• 1/2 fresh red chilli
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 100g baby spinach
• 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Step by step:

1. Cook the noodles to the packet instructions, then drain them in cold water to stop them overcooking.
2. Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic. Peel the ginger and chop it into matchsticks.
3. Pick the coriander leaves and set them aside, then finely chop the stalks. Carefully cut the broccoli into little florets and thinly slice the stalks. 
4. Scoop the seeds and white pith out of the pepper, then slice into strips.
5. Carefully cut the baby corn and sugar snap peas into 3 cm pieces at an angle.
6. Hold the chilli by the stalk and run a teaspoon down the cut side to remove the seeds and white pith. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after this stage.
7. Place the wok or a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the sesame seeds and toast until golden. Set them aside in a small bowl.
8. Put the pan back on a high heat, add the vegetable oil, red onion, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks and fry for 2 minutes or until lightly golden. Stir the vegetables regularly 
9. Add the broccoli pepper and mixed vegetables and fry for another 2 minutes.
10. Add the noodles and spinach, squeeze over the juice of half a lime and add a tablespoon of soy sauce.
11. When the spinach has wilted, stir it well into remaining ingredients. Use tongs to to divide the stir fry into serving bowls, then drizzle over the sesame oil, remaining tablespoon of soy sauce and a good squeeze of lime juice.
12. Sprinkle over the sliced chilli, coriander leaves and toasted sesame seeds.

Use this recipe as a guide and use any vegetables you have to hand. If you don’t have sugar snap peas, mangetout is fine. If you don’t have red onions, spring onions are great. The whole idea of stir frying is to use what you have, or like and have fun cooking.

Knobbly fresh ginger can be easily peeled with a teaspoon. Hold the ginger in the palm of your hand and scrape the skin towards you.

Getting kids used to the taste of garlic early is a good idea. The vitamins B6 and C aid a healthy immune system. Stir fry is also a great way to introduce the children to using chopsticks.

Buy the best wok you can afford. Le Creuset is one of the best premium brands but Salter make a very good wok for less than €50.