🥘 Carole’s – carrot and sweet potato soup…

Smooth and tasty, this vegetarian soup is perfect for main course or starter. Two of your five a day and ready in 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

500g sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
300g carrots peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 litre vegetable stock
100ml crème fraîche plus extra to serve

Step by step:

Step 1.

Heat your oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and put the sweet potatoes and carrots into a large roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season well.

Step 2.

Roast the vegetables in the oven for 25-30 mins until caramelised and tender.

Step 3.

Meanwhile, put the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep saucepan and fry the 2 finely chopped onions over a medium-low heat for about 10 mins until softened.

Step 4.

Add the 2 crushed garlic cloves and stir for 1 min before adding the 1 litre of vegetable stock. Simmer for 5-10 mins until the onions are very soft, then set aside.

Step 5.

Once the roasted vegetables are done, leave to cool a little, then transfer them to the saucepan and use a stick blender to process until smooth. Stir in 100ml crème fraîche, a little more seasoning and reheat until hot.

Step 6.

Serve in warmed bowls topped with a swirl of crème fraîche and a good grinding of black pepper or sunflower seeds .

**Sunflower seeds around £1.20 per 100g**

**Kallo stock cubes available from most supermarkets**

Variation:

Carrot & Parsnip with ground coriander and dressed with chopped fresh coriander .

🥘 Carole’s – vegetable soup…

A great way to use up vegetables and make a nourishing, flavoursome soup. Don’t forget to add some drops of Maggi® seasoning towards the end of cooking.

Ingredients:

2 rashers of bacon, chopped
1 leek washed and chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
olive oil
1/2 jar of leftover pasta sauce or tomato puree, or tinned tomatoes
plain flour
4 small potatoes, quartered
can of butter beans, drained
1 low salt chicken stock cube

Step by step:

Step 1

Fry off the bacon, leek, pepper and carrot in a dash of oil for 3-4 minutes. Make up the stock with 500ml of boiling water in a jug.

Step 2

Sprinkle some flour on top of the ingredients in the pan, then add the pasta sauce, tomato puree or tinned tomatoes. Add the stock, potatoes and butter beans cook for 20 minutes or until everything is soft. Add some Maggi® seasoning after 10 minutes. Check the seasoning. Chop some parsley and dress the soup to serve.

**Kallo stock cubes £2 from most supermarkets**

🥘 Carole’s firecracker rice with vegetables and chicken …

🥘 1 pan 🍽 Serves 2 🛒 9 ingredients ⏱ 30 minutes £5

Tilda® hot and spicy Firecracker rice is free from artificial colourings and preservatives. Ready in a couple of minutes the smoky, peppery basmati rice is vegan and gluten free.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Small Broccoli with florets cut into bite size pieces
½ red pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast cut into 10 pieces
1 pack Tilda® firecracker rice
¼ tin of low fat coconut milk or 150ml of stock
Chopped parsley

Step by step:

Step 1

Fry off the chicken pieces in oil and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and fry off the onion, peppers and broccoli.

Step 2

Add the coconut milk and replace the lid (or pop a plate on top) to prevent the pan running dry. Cook for 10 minutes adding more coconut milk or stock as required.

Step 1

After 10 minutes, add the rice and chicken and put the lid back on the pan. Cook for another 3-4 minutes adding more coconut milk or stock as required. Add a dessert spoon of Maggi® seasoning.

Serve with chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

🥘 Carole’s – vegetable soup…

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (or 2 shallots or 4 salad onions), chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp ground spices (such as cumin, coriander or paprika)
150g potatoes, peeled and chopped
350g vegetables (such as butternut squash, red pepper, broccoli or a mix), peeled or scrubbed and chopped
500ml hot stock (chicken or vegetable)
4 tbsp crème fraîche (or use yogurt, single cream or double cream)
1 bunche of soft herbs (such as basil, coriander or dill), leaves whole or roughly chopped
40g toasted nuts or seeds (such as sunflower seeds, hazelnuts or almonds), roughly chopped

**We had some cherry tomatoes to use up. Place them in boiling water for a minute or so and then transfer into cold water and the skins peel of easily**

Step by step:

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, then fry until soft (8-10 minutes). Stir in the garlic and ground spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the potatoes and any root vegetables, along with the stock and 150ml water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer until very tender (20-30 minutes).

Add any other vegetables for the final 10 minutes or so of the cooking time.

Step 2

Once all the vegetables are soft, use a stick blender (or transfer to an upright blender) to whizz until very smooth, adding a splash more water to thin, if necessary. Set over a medium heat again until piping hot and season to taste. Ladle into bowls, topping each with a dollop of crème fraîche (or similar), some soft herbs and the nuts or seeds. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes:

Like many soups the flavour intensifies over a few days. So make plenty and store in the fridge or freezer (without the cream).

Great vegetable combinations:

Carrot & Parsnip with ground coriander and dressed with chopped fresh coriander .
Broccoli & Leek with nutmeg and chopped chives
Mushroom and Cauliflower with paprika and dressed with chopped fresh parsley

🥘 Carole’s chicken carbonara…

This twist on the classic carbonara is quick and easy to make. Make sure you have your ingredients ready because it all comes together fast at the end of cooking.

🥘 2 🍽 Serves 4-6 🛒 10 ingredients ⏱ 15 minutes £12

Ingredients:

350g (12oz) dried tagliatelle
1 tbsp oil
3 chicken breasts (about 175g/6oz each), each cut into four
2 egg yolks (keep the whites – see notes below)
150ml (5fl oz) pouring double cream
75g (3oz) Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
175g (6oz) dry-cured streaky bacon, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful of small basil leaves

Step by step:

Step 1

Heat a large saucepan of salted water, then add the tagliatelle and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain in a colander, reserving 6 tablespoons of the cooking water, then return the drained pasta to the warm pan. Fry off your bacon and onions, set them aside.

Step 2

While you’re cooking the pasta, place a large griddle pan on a high heat and when hot, add the oil. Fry the chicken pieces for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside to keep warm.

Step 3

While the chicken is cooking, place the egg yolks, cream and Parmesan in a bowl, season well with salt and pepper and stir until combined.

Step 4

Return the bacon and onions to the frying pan, add the garlic and fry for another minute. Transfer the griddled bacon and garlic to the drained tagliatelle in the saucepan, pour in the cream mixture and toss together well. Loosen with a little of the pasta cooking water if required.

Step 5

Add a portion of the pasta to each plate, twisting some of the tagliatelle around a fork to form a nest. Sit two or three pieces of chicken in a cross on top of each and sprinkle with basil leaves and extra Parmesan.

Notes:

It is important to take your pan off the heat step 4 and stir in the eggs quickly, you want the eggs to remain silky but not scrambled.

Save your egg whites to use later in a pavlova, they freeze well. Carole’s Pavlova HERE

We’ve used 3 Marks & Spencer higher welfare chicken breasts and double cream which is available in store or online via Ocado

Need some new tongs? Oliver’s have two for £9 in their Sale…

🥘 Carole’s tagliatelle with trout, lemon and dill…

This recipe is adapted from Rukmini Iyer’s Quick and Easy Linguine. Use pre-packed trout or salmon fillets to make it an even faster preparation and no need to use the oven.

Ingredients:

2 trout fillets
2½ tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Juice and finely grated zest of ½ lemon, plus 2 lemon slices
180g tagliatelle
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 large courgette, trimmed and coarsely grated
10g fresh dill, roughly chopped
4 tbsp pine nuts, or 4 tbsp M&S nut and seed mix

Step by step:

Step 1

Heat your oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Place the trout fillets on a small lined baking tray, drizzle with half a tablespoon of olive oil, scatter over a pinch of sea salt and top each fillet with a slice of lemon. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just cooked through. (If you are using your air-fryer, the fish will take eight to 10 minutes.)

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the tagliatelle according to the packet instructions, until just al dente. While the pasta is boiling, get all the remaining ingredients ready.

**Sainsbury’s Fresh tagliatelle £2.40 / 500g**

Step 2

Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving a mugful of the cooking water. Return the empty pasta pan to the hob on a low heat, add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, then fry the garlic, chilli and lemon zest for just 30 seconds.

**Add black olives to the courgette for extra flavour**

Step 3

Add the grated courgette, fry for a minute, until just starting to soften, then add the drained pasta, dill, lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt. Stir well – there should be enough liquid from the courgette to form a sauce, add a tablespoon of the reserved pasta water if necessary. Flake the cooked trout in large pieces into the pasta, then stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.

Step 4

Use tongs to divide the pasta and trout evenly between two warmed bowls, top with the pine nuts and serve hot.

We used Sainsbury’s Scottish Loch trout fillets. The sweet chilli salmon fillets from Sainsbury’s were also very tasty. Iceland’s ginger, chilli and lime salmon fillets are also excellent. They all come in 2 X 240g fillets.

Tips:

Use spaghetti or linguine if you prefer
Use fresh chillies (with or without seeds)
If you don’t like garlic, use onions

🥘 Carole’s risotto use up – arancini…

Ingredients:

Leftover risotto
1 egg
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil

Step by step:

Take your leftover risotto and roll it up into small balls (approximately 2cm diameter) no bigger than a golf ball.
Whisk an egg in a small bowl and place your breadcrumbs in medium size dish. Heat some oil in a sauté pan
Roll the risotto balls through the beaten egg mixture and then roll through the breadcrumbs. Place the rice coated balls in the saute pan and cook until nicely browned all over.
Serve with a crisp salad and some vegetables of your choice.

Broad Bean Risotto > HERE

🥘 Carole’s Risotto Primavera 🇮🇹…

🥘 1 pan 🍽 Serves 4 🛒 12 ingredients ⏱ 45 minutes £5

Spring vegetable risotto celebrates new life in the garden and this variation on the traditional Venetian recipe is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients:

1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1/2 leek, finely chopped
6 green beans, chopped in 1 centimetre lengths
400g risotto rice
white wine
chicken stock cube
100g butter
olive oil
60g Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Single cream
12 asparagus spears, chopped

Step by step:

Step 1

Add a large knob of butter to a pan and sauté the red onion, celery, beans and asparagus adding more oil and butter as necessary.

Step 2

Add the rice, stir well and add white wine to taste. Start adding the stock a ladle full at a time and keep cooking on a low heat, stirring occasionally until all the stock is absorbed.

Step 3

Season with black pepper, stir through the cream and Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Dress with sage leaves or parsley and serve.

Adapted from favourite Italian cookbook Antonio Carluccio’s Italia (2005 Quadrille). See More: HERE

Tips:

Use your favourite vegetables and what you have to hand. We didn’t have any carrots, but they are in the usual recipe.

Use leftovers go make arancini > HERE

🥘 Carole’s anchovy and garlic croutons…

These croutons make a tasty addition to a salad. Make them as larger rounds topped with tuna or smoked salmon for nice canapes.

Ingredients:

Day old crusty bread
Anchovies
Garlic
Salt
White balsamic vinegar
Lemon juice

Step by step:

Cut the bread into small squares or cubes
Pound (or blend) the anchovies, garlic and salt in a pestel and mortar and slowly drizzle in the balsamic vinegar to make a nice paste
Toss the bread in the anchovy paste and place on a baking tray. Heat in a hot oven until nice and crisp
Serve with a few light sprinkles of lemon juice

Notes:

White balsamic vinegar is a much lighter flavour than regular balsamic vinegar
Try it mixed with garlic, thyme and olive oil and stirred through grilled or oven cooked vegetables
Mixed with sage it makes a great marinade for chicken pieces without being too caramelised

**Available in specialist food shops or online**

**Available from delicatessens and large supermarkets**

🥘 Carole’s couscous salad…

This attractive mediterranean salad is a great light lunch or side dish to meat or fish. It keeps for several days in a sealed tupperware container.

Ingredients:

1 mug of couscous
1 1/4 mug of hot stock
1 knob of butter
10 dried soft apricots
1 handful chopped cranberries
Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
1 handful chopped mint
2 handfuls of shelled pistachios, chopped

Step by step:

Put the couscous in a pan, add the stock and butter and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the heat, leave for 10 minutes and fluff up with a fork.
Add the chopped apricots, cranberries, pomegranate seeds, mint and pistachios.

Serve with chilli and honey vinaigrette:

For the vinaigrette whisk together

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple or white wine vinegar
1 dsp sweet chilli sauce

Stir the vinaigrette through the couscous

Notes:

Swap the pistachios for flake almonds or chopped walnuts and add any seeds that you like.
Raisins go well as does chopped cucumber and baby tomatoes.