🥘 1 pan | 🍽 Serves 4 | ⏱ 40 mins | 🛒 7 ingredients | £5
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 .
🥘 1 pan | 🍽 Serves 2 | ⏱ 25 mins | 🛒 10 ingredients | £4
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.
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.
🥘 1 pan | 🍽 Serves 4 | ⏱ 55 mins | 🛒 10 ingredients | £5
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
Have all your ingredients prepped and ready
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.
Sunflower seeds around £1.20 per 100g
Kallo stock cubes available from most supermarkets
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
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.
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…
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
Have your ingredients ready
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.
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.
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.
I discovered this delicious chocolate dessert at The Olimpia bakery in Margate. Perfect served with a hefty dollop of their homemade vanilla ice cream.
Whilst it takes a little effort, this showstopper dessert is ideal for dinner parties and get ready for lots of oohs and aahs from guests.
Ingredients:
100g golden caster sugar
3 egg yolks
120g unsalted butter
60g cocoa powder
110g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
190ml double cream, lightly whipped with 2 tsp of icing sugar
vanilla ice cream to serve
Method
Dissolve the sugar in 50ml water and bring it to the boil, then simmer for a minute.
Whisk the egg yolks until they are thick and fluffy, then gently pour in the hot sugar syrup and keep whisking until you have a very thick mixture. Keep whisking until the mixture is cold.
Melt the butter and cocoa powder together, and melt the chocolate in a separate pan.
Whisk the butter and cocoa powder mixture into the egg yolks, followed by the chocolate, then fold in the lightly whipped cream. Pour into a 750ml terrine lined with cling film and chill until set (at least 3 hours).
To serve, lift out the marquise using the cling film and cut it into slices using a hot knife. Put a slice on a plate or in a bowl and a dollop of ice cream on top.
Tips:
The shiny surface is achieved by a quick flash under a hot grill, a nice touch but not essential.
Use some finely chopped praline or hazelnuts to decorate the marquise.
If you don’t have a square terrine, a traditional loaf tin will do fine.
67 High Street, Margate. CT9 1JN
Situated in the old town, and a short walk from the sea front and central car park, The Olimpia is delightful family business. Quick, efficient and friendly service you will find a great choice of toasted paninis and traditional Greek, bread and sweet bakes. Rated 4.8 on Trip Advisor.
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