BBC Easy Cook 2015-81

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easycook easy ways to feed a crowd’

MasterChef’s John Torode

Italian-style burger

Bank holiday cooking Sweet and ISSUE 81 MAY 2015

Asparagus soup

From the BBC

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savoury bakes ● Lighter pork lunch

Fuss free chicken Simple roast

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Keep it simple

30-minute meals Useful shortcuts Delicious veggie dinners Throw aion Eurovis ! party

+2 great sauces (Your new favourites!)

Thai noodles

Chilli lime ken chic age10 p

So moreish White choc cookies

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Welcome

... to the May issue of BBC Easy Cook. Last weekend I needed a quick pud to serve some unexpected lunch guests. For inspiration I looked through the proofs of this issue of the magazine (which we were working on at the time), and knowing that the Fromage Frais Mousse on page 50 is delicious, but not having strawberries or, annoyingly, any eggs to hand, I made up a quick adaptation of it. The result was a pud I’ve christened Ginger Creams and as everyone really enjoyed it, I’ll share it with you here... Tip a 500g tub of fat-free or low-fat fromage frais into a bowl, fnely grate in the rind of a lemon and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Chop six pieces of stem ginger in syrup (from a jar) and stir them into the fromage frais, then spoon into individual bowls. Serve with a small jug of syrup from the ginger jar for pouring over at the last minute. I breathed a sigh of relief when everyone was fed and happy that day – and made a mental note to sort out my shopping list so I don’t end up in a situation again where there’s a jar of stem ginger in the house, but no eggs! Hope you enjoy the magazine this month.

© Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2015

The BBC Easy Cook team is here to help you get healthy, nutritious, good-value meals on the table as quickly as possible. When we’re planning what to include in each issue, there are four key words we always bear in mind:

EASY: you will never need complicated techniques or special equipment to make our recipes.

QUICK: most of our recipes can be on the table in half an hour or less. Some take a little longer than that in the oven, but we always keep the prep times to a minimum.

VALUE: to help you keep

Sarah Giles, Editor PS Don’t miss the next issue of BBC Easy Cook, on sale 1st May.

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If you’re cooking in a hurry, look out for the colour-coded timing circles on our 20 Quick Weeknight Meals, starting on page 6 BBC Easy Cook magazine is owned by BBC Worldwide and produced on its behalf by Immediate Media Company Limited. BBC Worldwide’s profits are returned to the BBC and help fund new BBC programmes.

Our promise

From the BBC

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What’s so good about our recipes is that they’ve all been tested in the kitchens of our sister title, BBC Good Food magazine. So they’re easy, super-tasty and quick to make – and you can also be sure that they’ll work perfectly every time.

down the cost of your shopping bill, we make the most of good-value, seasonal produce; we keep the number of ingredients in a recipe to a minimum, and we show you how to use up leftovers. Look out for our stamp – it shows where the cost per person for a main meal recipe comes in at under £1.

LEARN: whether you’re a beginner cook or just too busy to spend ages in the kitchen, we’ll show you lots of clever shortcuts and essential skills to help speed things up.

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Contents ISSUE 81 MAY 2015

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY Delicious meals to enjoy with family and friends

35 EASY ONE-PAN BRUNCH Home-cooked food everyone will love

36 GREAT CHICKEN RECIPES Including a simple roast and brilliant curry

38 EAT OUTDOORS – OR IN

SPEEDY MEALS Weeknight suppers for a month – ready in just half an hour

Foolproof recipes for perfect results every time

6 20 FAST MEALS Easy dinners for a month – in 30 minutes or less

24 EAT YOUR GREENS! Mouthwatering ideas for kale, broccoli and chard

26 HEALTHY LUNCHES Perfect if you’re calorie-counting

28 SPUDS YOU’LL LIKE Quick and easy potato side dishes

33 TWO QUICK PUDS Balsamic Strawberries Filo Layer and Banoffee Mess 4

BBC Easy Cook

Versatile meals – whatever the weather!

40 IT’S EUROVISION! Party food to put you in the mood

42 SPECIAL LUNCH Lighter roast pork with trimmings, plus apple pie

44 VEGETARIAN MAIN COURSES Incuding a yummy squash and blue cheese pilaf

46 ASPARAGUS Lovely seasonal recipes

48 CHOCOLATE Venison... and balloons!

50 SUMMER PUDS Funky ice cream sandwiches and more

To make our delicious cover recipe, turn to page 10

Apricot and ginger frangipane tart, page 66

TV COOKS

GET BAKING

Recipes from your favourite BBC cooks

Sweet and savoury ideas you’ll want to make again and again

64 JAMES MARTIN Italian-style roast pork with delicious sides and a scrumptious apricot and ginger frangipane tart

52 SWEET TREATS An unusual cheesecake sponge, plus cupcakes

68 JOHN TORODE

54 SAVOURY BAKES Don't miss our fabulous roasted tomato tatin

Easy lemon and garlic chicken, plus a roasted squash, goat's cheese and asparagus salad to make

56 GET THE KIDS BAKING!

70 CLODAGH MCKENNA

Step-by-step recipes, including chocolate buttons

58 TRY OUR 'BAKE OFF' CHALLENGE! Fancy a go at fondant fancies?

60 FOR THE BISCUIT TIN White chocolate and peanut butter cookies

COOKS’ EXTRAS 34 FREEZER SPECIAL Tips and recipes 62 CHEDDAR Clever ideas to try 74 LEFTOVERS... How to use them up

78 EASY EXTRAS Three packed pages of ideas, products and more

Try her family recipe for a super-healthy loaf – and tasty herby soda bread to make too

72 RACHEL KHOO A delicious vegetarian burger the whole family will love, plus her wonderful chocolate 'bark' – for kids and grown-ups alike

EASY COOK COOKERY SCHOOL 76 HOW TO POACH A WHOLE SALMON

81 THE EASY COOK INTERVIEW It makes a fab centrepiece but is really easy James Martin shares to make his thoughts and tips

REGULARS 3 WELCOME 29 GREAT READER OFFER A food processor, plus attachments

30 SUBSCRIBE! BBC Easy Cook direct to your door

82 INDEX BBC Easy Cook

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quick 20 weeknight

A whole month of tasty recipes – all ready in 30 minutes or less

meals

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Shish kebabs l

Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £2.54 a portion l 273 kcals, 19g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 2 cloves of garlic, fnely grated 400g Greek yogurt 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ground coriander 6

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a generous sprinkle of dried chilli fakes 600g lean lamb neck fllet, cut into chunks 1 onion, cut into wedges 1 large red pepper, cut into chunks 1 large green pepper, cut into chunks fatbreads, fresh mint, tomato wedges and shredded iceberg lettuce, to serve 1 Make the garlicky yogurt dressing Stir the garlic into the yogurt with plenty of seasoning. Put a third into a bowl and mix

in the oil, coriander, chilli fakes and lamb. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Chill the rest of the garlicky yogurt to serve. 2 Make and griddle the kebabs Separate the onion wedges to make petals, then thread onto 8 metal skewers with the lamb and peppers. Season, then griddle for 5 mins on one side and 2-3 mins on the other, until cooked through. Serve with the fatbreads, mint, tomatoes, lettuce and remaining yogurt.

SPEEDY MEALS Thai pesto prawn noodles l

Serves 5 l Ready in 20 minutes l £2.52 a portion l 418 kcals, 18g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 300g dried egg noodles a small pack of basil a small pack of coriander 75g peanuts 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped fnely grated and juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve 2 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp olive oil 400g king prawns, halved lengthways

1 Make the Thai pesto Put the noodles in a large bowl, then pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside. Meanwhile, put the basil, coriander, peanuts, chilli, lime rind and juice, sesame oil, 1 tbsp of the olive oil, 2 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt in a food processor and whizz into a pesto. 2 Stir-fry the prawns Heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick pan and quickly stir-fry the prawns for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the pesto. Drain and add the noodles, season with black pepper and mix well, so that the noodles are well coated – if it looks a little dry, add a splash of hot water. Spoon into bowls and squeeze over extra lime juice. Sprinkle over more coriander, if you like.

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theeasyway The Thai pesto would make a lovely topping for cooked chicken breasts too

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SPEEDY MEALS

One-pan pea and ham pasta l l

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Serves 1 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 15 mins l 75p a portion 633 kcals, 23g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

85g long pasta, such as linguine, spaghetti or tagliatelle 85g frozen peas 3 spring onions, sliced 50-85g sliced ham, chopped 2 tbsp pesto 2 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche

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1 Cook the pasta and make the sauce Bring a pan of salted water to

the boil, then add the pasta. Simmer for 6 minutes, add the frozen peas and spring onions, then continue cooking until the pasta is al dente. 2 Mix together Drain everything well, then tip the pasta back into the pan. Add the ham, pesto and crème fraiche and stir until well mixed. Serve immediately.

Chorizo and kale hash with a fried egg l l

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 30 mins l £1.36 a portion 436 kcals, 20g fat, 7g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

1 tsp mild olive oil, plus extra for frying 80g spicy chorizo sausages, cut into small pieces 1 onion, fnely chopped 100g ready-prepared kale 400g leftover cooked potatoes, roughly chopped ½ tsp paprika (optional) 2 eggs

Good value

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1 Make the hash Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and add the chorizo and onion. Fry for about 8 mins, until

the chorizo is golden and has released its oils and the onion is soft. Turn up the heat, tip in the kale and stir-fry for 1 minute to wilt. Stir in the potatoes, paprika and some seasoning. Fry for 5 minutes more, or until the potatoes are hot through and the kale is tender. Scrape the bottom of the pan now and again to loosen the crispy bits. 2 Cook the eggs Meanwhile, fry the eggs, then serve on top of the hash.

Teriyaki salmon parcels l l

You can prepare the parcels several hours ahead and chill them until you’re ready to cook 8

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Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £1.49 a portion 243 kcals, 12g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing

2 tbsp low-salt soy sauce 1 tbsp clear honey 1 clove of garlic, chopped 1 tbsp mirin (optional) a little sunfower oil 300g Tenderstem broccoli 4 x 100g salmon fllets 1 small piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks a little sesame oil (optional) sliced spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and cooked rice, to serve 1 Make the sauce Whisk together the soy, honey, garlic and mirin and set aside. 2 Make the parcels Cut out 4 squares of foil, each about 30cm square. Brush each

piece of foil with a little oil and bring the edges of the foil up a little. Divide the broccoli stems between the squares, then put a salmon fllet on each and scatter over the ginger. Spoon over the sauce and drizzle with sesame oil (optional). Fold the edges of the foil together to seal and put the parcels on a baking sheet. 3 Cook Turn oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Cook the parcels in the oven for 15-20 minutes, then leave to stand for a few minutes. Put each parcel on a plate. Serve with the spring onions and sesame seeds for scattering over, and cooked rice on the side.

theeasyway You could poach the eggs instead of frying them, if you prefer

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Cayenne chillies which are about the size of your little finger are best for this as they're spicy but won't blow your head off! Find them in packs of mixed chillies

Chilli-lime chicken l

Serves 6 l Ready in 30 minutes l £1.89 portion l 403 kcals, 28g fat, 7g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing (chicken only) FOR THE MARINADE AND DRESSING

fnely grated rind and juice of 3 limes 3 tbsp fsh sauce 3 tbsp light soft brown sugar 2 red chillies, thinly sliced 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, crushed a handful of coriander stems, fnely chopped 10 BBC Easy Cook

1 tsp turmeric 8 chicken legs and thigh pieces, skin-on FOR THE SALAD

a bunch of spring onions, shredded lengthways ½ cucumber, halved, deseeded and cut into long strips 200g cherry tomatoes, halved a handful each coriander and basil leaves 2 ripe avocados, sliced a handful of toasted cashews or peanuts 1 Make the dressing and the marinade Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. For the dressing, whisk together the lime rind and juice, fsh sauce, sugar and chillies. Pour

one third of this mixture into a bowl, add the oil and set aside. Put the remainder into a large food bag to make the marinade, with 1 tsp salt, the garlic, coriander stems and turmeric. Slash the chicken to the bone a few times, then add to the marinade and squish it in the bag. 2 Cook the chicken Lift the chicken from the marinade and put into a roasting tin. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through 3 Make the salad Put the spring onions, cucumber and tomatoes on a platter with the chicken, herbs, avocados, and nuts and drizzle with the dressing.

SPEEDY MEALS Italian burger with fresh tomato salsa l

Serves 4 Ready in 30 minutes l £1.46 a portion l 556 kcals, 26g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing (burgers only) l

500g pork mince 1 tsp each fennel seeds, chilli fakes and dried oregano a drizzle of olive oil 2 large tomatoes, chopped 6 black olives, chopped a drizzle of balsamic vinegar 4 ciabatta bread rolls, split and toasted 4 tbsp mascarpone a handful of baby spinach

1 Make and cook the burgers Mix the pork mince with the fennel seeds, chilli fakes, oregano and some seasoning. Mix well with your hands until well combined, then shape into 4 burgers. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan and brush the burgers with a little oil. Cook the burgers for 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. 2 Make the salsa and serve Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes, olives, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle more oil with some seasoning to make a salsa. Top the base of each roll with 1 tbsp mascarpone, a few spinach leaves, a burger and a spoonful of the salsa, then sandwich together with the lid.

theeasyway You could use chicken or turkey mince for this. Cook for a few minutes longer on each side to ensure the burgers are cooked through

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SPEEDY MEALS

Chicken stir-fry l l

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Serves 4 l Ready in 15 minutes l 145 kcals, 5g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion

1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic, chopped 4 chicken thighs, chopped 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 1 tbsp soy sauce 50g mangetout 100ml chicken stock 1 Brown the chicken Heat the oil in a frying pan or

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83p a portion Not suitable for freezing

wok, add the garlic and chicken and stir-fry until browned all over. Add the pepper to the pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes. 2 Add the sauce Stir in the soy sauce, mangetout and chicken stock and continue to stir-fry over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Mushroom fajitas & avocado houmous l

Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £2.22 a portion l 380 kcals, 31g fat, 17g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

Serve with egg noodles

theeasyway Serve the chicken with the mint and Thai basil scattered over, the lime wedges for squeezing, and jasmine rice on the side

1 large avocado, stoned, peeled and chopped 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 clove of garlic, crushed fnely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 2 tomatoes, deseeded & diced 1 red onion, cut into thick rounds 2 large fat mushrooms, thickly sliced 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp fajita spice mix 4 tortillas shredded little gem lettuce Tabasco sauce, to serve (optional) 1 Make the houmous Put the avocado, chickpeas, garlic, lemon rind and juice in a food processor and whizz

together until it forms a chunky consistency. Spoon into a bowl, season and stir in the tomatoes. 2 Cook the onion Drizzle the onion and mushrooms with the oil and sprinkle over the fajita seasoning. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the onion for 2 minutes on each side, then remove from the pan and keep warm. Cook the mushrooms for 2 minutes on each side, or until softened and turning golden in places. 3 Assemble the fajitas Spread some of the avocado houmous down the middle of each wrap and top with the mushrooms and onions. Add shredded lettuce and a dash of Tabasco, if you like, and wrap up.

Thai shredded chicken l l

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Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £2.63 a portion 214 kcals, 11g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

200g runner beans, topped, tailed and cut into strips 1 red chilli, halved and sliced 2 shallots, fnely sliced 1 lemongrass stalk, fnely sliced 2cm piece ginger, shredded 2 cooked, skinless chicken breasts, shredded a small bunch mint leaves a large bunch Thai basil 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve steamed jasmine rice, to serve

COCONUT DRESSING

100ml coconut cream 1 clove of garlic, crushed 3 tbsp fsh sauce 1 tsp sugar juice of 1 lime 1 bird’s eye chilli, fnely diced 1 Make and serve Cook the beans in boiling water for 3 mins. Drain and pile onto a plate with the chilli, shallots, lemongrass, ginger and chicken. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour on the chicken.

Put everything out on the table and let everyone make their own fajitas

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SPEEDY MEALS

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Easy and tasty

Cannellini bean and egg salad l

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 20 minutes l £1.76 a portion l 333 kcals, 17g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

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2 medium eggs 8 spring onions, trimmed (remove the root and half of the dark green part) 1½ tbsp olive oil 1 slice of wholemeal bread, broken into chunky breadcrumbs 14 BBC Easy Cook

400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed juice of ½ lemon 1 tsp dijon mustard ½ small red onion, fnely chopped handful of parsley, roughly chopped 1 little gem lettuce, roughly chopped

water. When cool enough to handle, pat the spring onions dry and peel the eggs.

1 Hard boil the eggs Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 mins, or longer if you prefer them hard-boiled. Add the spring onions for the fnal 3 minutes of cooking. Remove and run both under cold

3 Mix everything together Toss the spring onions with the beans, lemon juice, mustard, onion, parsley, remaining oil and lettuce. Season and put the halved boiled eggs on top. Sprinkle with the crumbs to serve.

2 Toast the breadcrumbs Meanwhile, heat ½ tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan. Tip in breadcrumbs and season. Fry for 3-4 mins until crisp and golden and set aside.

Prawn jalfrezi l

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 30 minutes l £3.29 a portion l 335 kcals, 7g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing 2 tsp rapeseed oil 2 medium onions, chopped a thumb-sized piece of ginger, fnely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp each ground turmeric and cumin ¼ tsp chilli fakes 400g can chopped tomatoes a squeeze of clear honey 1 large green pepper, halved, deseeded and chopped a small bunch coriander (stalks and leaves separated), chopped 140g large, cooked peeled tiger prawns

250g pouch cooked brown rice minty yogurt or chutney, to serve (optional) 1 Make the curry paste Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onions, ginger and garlic for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to colour. Add the spices and chilli fakes, stir briefy, then pour in the tomatoes with half a can of water and the honey. Blitz everything in the pan with a hand blender until almost smooth (or use a food processor). Stir in the pepper and coriander stalks, cover the pan and simmer for 10 mins. (The mixture will be very thick and splutter a little, so stir frequently.) 2 Add the prawns Stir in the prawns and scatter over the coriander leaves. Heat the rice according to pack instructions. Serve both with minty yogurt or chutney, if you like.

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The sauce for this is deliciously thick and authentic – you could use it with cooked chicken too BBC Easy Cook 15

SPEEDY MEALS

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theeasyway Broad bean and feta cheese toasts Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 20 minutes l 60p a portion l 354 kcals, 18g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

1 Prepare the beans Cook the beans in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain under running water until cold. Press each bean out of its skin into a bowl.

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2 Add the cheese Crumble over the feta and scatter over the mint leaves. Season with black pepper and drizzle with 2 tsp of the oil. Toss together.

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350g broad beans (fresh or frozen) 100g feta (or vegetarian alternative), drained 2 tbsp chopped or shredded mint leaves 1 tbsp olive oil 50g bag mixed salad leaves 10 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 tsp lemon juice 4 thin slices baguette (white or brown) 16 BBC Easy Cook

3 Finish and serve Toss the salad leaves and tomatoes with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Divide between 2 plates. Toast the bread under the grill or in a toaster until golden and crisp on both sides. Spoon the bean and cheese mixture onto the warm toasts and serve with the salad.

Toasted slices of sourdough bread are also ideal for this

Ring the changes Goat’s cheese toasts Swap the broad beans for 300g frozen peas and boil for 2-3 minutes before draining and cooling. Swap the feta for 100g goat’s cheese, then assemble the toasts as recipe, left. Toss the salad with 2 cooked, diced beetroots instead of the tomatoes, and serve.

SPEEDY MEALS

Spicy lamb and rice timbale l l

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 30 mins l £3.07 a portion 548 kcals, 25g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

1 onion, chopped a large knob of butter 100g basmati rice 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled a handful of spinach, roughly chopped ½ tsp each paprika, turmeric and ground cinnamon ¼ tsp mixed spice 2 large lamb steaks 1 tbsp sunfower oil

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1 Make the timbale Fry the onion in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the rice, 200ml

water and the stock cube, then cover tightly and simmer for 6 minutes, or until the stock has been completely absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt, then spoon the mixture into ramekins or mini pudding basins. 2 Spice the lamb Mix all the spices together on a plate with some seasoning and use to lightly coat the lamb on both sides. Oil a griddle pan and cook the lamb for 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked.

Griddled aubergines with sultanas

theeasyway

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Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £1.42 a portion l 314 kcals, 16g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

Serve the lamb sliced, with the rice on the side

3 aubergines, sliced into 1cm thick rounds olive oil, for brushing 200ml sherry vinegar 100g clear honey 50g sultanas TO SERVE

Fish sauce is very high in salt, so don't be tempted to add any more salt to this

a small pack of fat-leaf parsley, chopped 50g toasted pine nuts Greek yogurt 1 Griddle the aubergine Heat a griddle pan. Brush the aubergine slices with some olive oil, season, then griddle the slices

in batches, turning when they are charring and tender. Watch the heat so that they don’t char before they soften. Remove to a large serving platter and leave at room temperature until you're ready to serve. 2 Make the dressing Put the sherry vinegar and honey into a small pan and bring to a simmer. Add the sultanas and bubble for 5-10 minutes until reduced a little. Leave to cool slightly and serve with the aubergines.

Lamb with buckwheat noodles l l

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18 BBC Easy Cook

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 30 mins l £2.99 a portion 477 kcals, 12g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 tsp fsh sauce fnely grated rind and juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 100g buckwheat noodles 2 tsp rapeseed oil 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 100g shredded white cabbage 200g lean lamb loin fllet or steaks, diced 4 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 Make the dressing Squash the tomatoes with the fsh sauce, lime rind and juice, and the chilli sauce. Cook the noodles according to pack instructions. 2 Stir-fry the veg and lamb Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the onion, carrot and pepper for 5 mins. Add the cabbage and cook for a few mins more. Remove the veg from the pan, add the lamb and cook for 5-8 mins. Take the pan off the heat, toss in the noodles, vegetables, dressing and mint.

Scatter with the chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts and serve with Greek yogurt on the side

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BBC Easy Cook 19

SPEEDY MEALS Sausages with piquant beans l

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 30 minutes l £2.39 a portion l 419 kcals, 16g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

2 tsp rapeseed oil 4 low-fat pork sausages 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed 400g can cannellini beans in water 2 heaped tbsp tomato purée ½ reduced-salt chicken stock cube 6 celery sticks, thinly sliced 1 tbsp sherry vinegar 1 tsp clear honey ½ small bunch of parsley, fnely chopped

1 Cook the sausages Heat the oil in a deep frying pan with a lid. Add the sausages and fry, turning them frequently, until they are browned and cooked through. Remove the sausages to a plate, then add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5-8 mins until softened – add a splash of water if the onion starts to colour too much. 2 Add the beans Add the fennel seeds and cook for a few minutes until toasted. Pour in the beans and their liquid, plus half a can of water, then add the tomato purée, stock, celery, vinegar and honey. Cover and leave to cook for 12 minutes. Add the sausages and continue cooking until everything is piping hot, then stir in the parsley to serve.

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Beef or venison sausages would work well for a change too

20 BBC Easy Cook

Perfectly balanced crackers Calories Sugars

✔ Low in fat, less than 2% ✔ Good source of fibre ✔ Dairy free ✔ Lactose free

Fat

✔ Nut free

Sat Fat Salt

✔ Low in sugar ✔ Low in salt

Visit www.rakusens.co.uk for stockists

SPEEDY MEALS

Quick chilli con carne l l

theeasyway

Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £1.47 a portion 395 kcals, 26g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing

1 onion, fnely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic, chopped 500g minced beef 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped ½ tsp cumin seeds 1½ tbsp tomato purée 200ml red wine 300ml beef stock ½ tsp dried chilli fakes

This can easily be multiplied if you’re serving lots of people

1 Brown the mince Fry the onion in the oil until

soft. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the beef mince and fry until browned. 2 Simmer and serve Add the chilli, cumin seeds, tomato purée and some seasoning and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the stock and chilli fakes and then simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice, a spoonful of yogurt and a sprinkle of coriander.

Asparagus pizzas with prosciutto l l

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A twist on fsh fngers!

Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £1.78 a portion 765 kcals, 31g fat, 15g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

500g strong white bread four, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp easy-blend yeast ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp fresh pesto 4-6 slices prosciutto 250g asparagus 2 x 125g balls of mozzarella, drained and sliced 1 Make the pizza bases Turn oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Mix the four, yeast and salt in a bowl. Stir the oil and 200ml warm water together. Mix into the dry ingredients to make a soft dough,

then tip onto a work surface and knead for 5 mins. Cut the dough into 4, then cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 5 mins. 2 Top and bake On a lightly dusted surface, roll each piece of dough into a large oval, approx 23 x 18cm (don’t knead it frst). Lift onto 2 large oiled baking sheets. Spread with the pesto and tear over the ham. Discard the woody ends of the asparagus, then snap the asparagus in half and scatter on top of the pizzas. Tear over the mozzarella and bake for 8-10 mins, or until the base is cooked.

Fish with bacon crumble topping l l

30

mins

Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l £1.69 portion 351 kcals, 20g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

50g butter (room temperature) 1 tbsp chopped tarragon 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces 25g fresh white breadcrumbs 4 skin-on haddock fllets 1 tbsp four, seasoned 1-2 tbsp olive oil 400g Tenderstem broccoli 1 Make the breadcrumb mix Mix the butter and tarragon with a grind of pepper. Fry the bacon until crisp. Stir in the breadcrumbs and some black pepper, and fry until golden. Stir

22 BBC Easy Cook

in a third of the tarragon butter, to melt, then take off the heat. 2 Cook and serve Score the fsh skin and coat each fllet in the four (pat off excess). Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, put in the fsh, skin-side down, and cook for 6 minutes without moving it. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 4 mins. Turn the fsh over, turn off the heat and leave for 2-3 mins until cooked. Toss the broccoli in the remaining tarragon butter and put on plates. with the fsh and bacon crumble.

30

mins

You may not have thought of serving asparagus on a pizza before, but it tastes delicious and makes the most of the British asparagus season

BBC Easy Cook 23

Eat your

greens! Try these great new ways to include leafy veg like chard and superhealthy kale into everyday meals

Mexican tortilla soup l Serves

6 l Ready in 30 minutes l 79p a portion l 297 kcals, 12g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 1 dried chilli 1 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp for drizzling 1 small onion, diced 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 1.1 litres vegetable stock 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and fnely chopped 170g can black beans, drained & rinsed 4 corn tortillas a little sea salt 1 avocado 1 lime pack of fresh coriander 60g baby spinach leaves 1 Make the base Pour 250ml boiling water over the dried chilli in a small dish and set aside. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over a medium heat and add the onions, cooking until soft (about 5 mins). Drain the chilli and chop into quarters. Add to the onions with two-thirds of the canned tomatoes, and stir. Using a hand blender, puree the mixture until smooth. 2 Finish the soup Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180 C/gas 4). Add the remaining tomatoes, stock, jalapeño and black beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 24 BBC Easy Cook

3 Crisp the tortillas Stack the tortillas on a board and carefully cut them in half, then slice them into 1cm-wide strips. Put the strips on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove and sprinkle with a little sea salt while still warm. 4 Top and serve Peel the avocado and cut the fesh into cubes. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over it to keep it from browning. Cut the remaining lime into wedges. Wash and pat dry the coriander. When you're ready to serve, stir the spinach into the soup and allow it to wilt, then ladle the soup into shallow bowls. To serve, top the soup with crispy tortilla strips, the avocado and coriander, and serve a wedge of lime on the side for squeezing.

Chard, coriander and cashew pizza l Serves

2 in 20 minutes l £2.48 a portion l 662 kcals, 28g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Ready

2 ready-made pizza bases 250ml Chard and Coriander Pesto (see right) 90g broccoli forets, chopped 40g red onions, sliced 85g Cashew 'Cheese' (see right) 1 Add the toppings and bake Preheat the oven to fan 200/conventional 220C/gas 7. Spread the pesto over the pizza bases, leaving a border around the edge. Top with the broccoli, onions and small spoonfuls of cashew 'cheese'. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Slice and serve.

SPEEDY MEALS Noodle and tahini tangle l Serves

2 in 10 minutes l 364 kcals, 20g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l £2.26 a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Ready

340g cooked noodles 225g kale one third of a cucumber, diced 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 carrot, grated 2 tbsp sunfower seeds 40g cashews or peanuts FOR THE DRESSING

2 tsp white miso paste 2 tbsp tahini 1 tbsp tamari 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp umeboshi vinegar (from health food shops) or sherry vinegar 1 Prepare the veg Snip the noodles into shorter lengths. Wash and dry the kale, then cut away the tough ribs. Stack the leaves and slice into ribbons. Put the kale and noodles in a bowl and set aside.

Fresh and delicious

theeasyway All these dishes would make a tasty feast for a Friday night with friends, too

These recipes are adapted from Greens 24/7 by Jessica Nadel, with photography by Jackie Sobon. Published by Apple Press, £14.99. BBC Easy Cook readers can buy it for just £13.49, with free p&p. Call 01326 569444 or visit www.sparkledirect.com/ easycook

2 Make the dressing and serve Whisk all the dressing ingredients together – the sauce will thicken then become runny, but add a little water if it's still too thick. Add half the dressing to the noodles, toss well to coat, then add the cucumber, carrot, sunfower seeds and cashews or peanuts to the bowl. Top with the remaining dressing, mix and serve.

Add the toppings FOR THE CHARD AND CORIANDER PESTO

75g chard leaves 50g fresh coriander 75g sunfower seeds 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Whizz all the ingredients until smooth in a food processor, then season to taste.

Tamari is a thicker, less salty fermented soy sauce used to add a rich savoury flavour

FOR THE CASHEW 'CHEESE'

170g cashews (pre-soaked for 4 hours) 1 tbsp sherry vinegar freshly ground black pepper Rinse and drain the cashews. Put in a food processor with the vinegar and 2 tbsp water. Blend for 3 to 4 mins, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you have a smooth, thick consistency. Season to taste with pepper. BBC Easy Cook 25

This will keep in the fridge for 2 days, although the vegetables are best prepared fresh to preserve their vitamins

Healthy lunches These snack meals all come in at well under 400 calories, but the combination of delicious ingredients will keep you satisfied and full of energy all day

26 BBC Easy Cook

SPEEDY MEALS Pepper & walnut houmous with veggie dippers l

Serves 2 Ready in 15 minutes l £1.03 a portion l 296 kcals, 14g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

Fresh and very tasty

l

400g can chickpeas, drained 1 clove of garlic 1 large roasted red pepper from a jar (not in oil) 1 tbsp tahini juice of ½ lemon 4 walnut halves, chopped 2 courgettes, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, all cut into batons 1 Make the houmous Put the chickpeas, garlic, pepper, tahini and lemon juice in a bowl. Blitz with a hand blender or in a food processor to make a thick purée. Stir in the walnuts. Pack into pots or a lunchbox and serve with the veggie sticks.

Lemony tuna & asparagus salad box l

Serves 2 Ready in 15 minutes l £1.54 a portion l 279 kcals, 10g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

2 large eggs 200g asparagus (woody ends snapped off, spears halved) 160g can tuna in spring water 1 small red onion, very fnely chopped 125g canned cannellini beans, drained fnely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 Boil the eggs and cook the asparagus Put a pan of water on to boil with a steamer above. When boiling, lower the eggs into the water and steam the asparagus above for 8 mins. 2 Mix the salad Meanwhile, gently toss together the remaining ingredients and put on plates or in rigid containers. Plunge the eggs into cold water to cool a little, then peel and quarter. Add the eggs and asparagus to the salad. Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Avocado sandwich topper Fill 1 wholegrain pitta with 2 tbsp houmous, then add ½ small avocado, diced, a squeeze of lemon, some chopped red onion, a small handful of chopped coriander leaves and some halved cherry tomatoes. This filling is great for topping toasted rye bread too. Serves 1. (364 kcals, 18g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion)

theeasyway The tuna salad box (above) works well with canned salmon too BBC Easy Cook 27

SPEEDY MEALS

Super spuds Looking for a new way to serve potatoes? Try one of these tasty recipes

Great with a roast

Sticky potato wedges

Mini hasselbacks with dill

l

Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l 51p a portion l 268 kcals, 8g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

l

1kg red-skinned potatoes, cooked and cut into wedges 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp garlic granules juice of 2 lemons 150ml vegetable or chicken stock 2 tbsp sesame seeds

1kg baby new potatoes 2 tsp dried dill 2 tbsp fne breadcrumbs 2 tbsp veg oil

1 Cook the wedges Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Put the wedges in a single layer in a roasting tin. Whisk together the oil, oregano, garlic, lemon juice and stock and stir it into the potatoes to coat well, then season. Bake for 20 mins, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. 28 BBC Easy Cook

Serves 6 Ready in 30 minutes l 32p a portion l 159 kcals, 4g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

1 Prepare the potatoes Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Slice each potato at 3mm intervals (but don’t cut all the way through). Stir the dill into the breadcrumbs. Toss the potatoes with the oil, season, and put in a baking tray, cut-side up. 2 Cook Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake for 10 minutes more, or until cooked through.

Garlic and basil mash l

Serves 3 Ready in 30 minutes l 52p a portion l 324 kcals, 8g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

1kg foury potatoes, peeled and cubed 5 cloves of garlic, peeled 100ml skimmed milk 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil a small pack of basil, chopped (reserve a few whole leaves to serve) 1 Make the mash Boil the potatoes and garlic in salted water until tender. Drain, return to the pan and steam-dry for 1 minute, then mash with the milk, oil and chopped basil. Season and serve scattered with a few basil leaves.

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SPEEDY MEALS

The baked filo slices work well with all sorts of other fillings too

Quick pud This is quick to make and is perfect if you fancy a real treat Balsamic strawberries flo layer with banana mousse l

Serves 4 Ready in 20 minutes l £1.19 a portion l 451 kcals, 20g fat, 12g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

4 sheets of flo pastry 50g butter, melted 2 tbsp caster sugar 225g strawberries, hulled and chopped 1 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 bananas 3 tbsp ready-made toffee sauce 200ml half-fat crème fraiche 1 Bake the flo and prepare the berries Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Lay one sheet of flo on a baking sheet,

brush with some of the melted butter, then sprinkle over ¼ tbsp caster sugar and top with another sheet of flo. Repeat the layers until you've used all the flo and half the sugar, then cut into eight. Bake for 5 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Meanwhile, put the strawberries into a bowl, sprinkle over the icing sugar, then stir in the balsamic vinegar and set aside. 2 Make the mousse Mash 1 banana with the toffee sauce, and stir in the crème fraiche. Slice the other banana, put on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp caster sugar, then put under a very hot grill until the sugar has turned golden. 3 Serve Spoon a little of the strawberry mixture onto a plate and top with a flo rectangle. Spoon

a quarter of the mousse on top and add more strawberries, then top with another flo rectangle. Sieve over a little of the extra icing sugar, and top with a quarter of the caramelised bananas. Repeat to make four desserts and serve.

Use up the toffee sauce in... Banoffee mess Lightly whip 284ml double cream in a large bowl, then crumble in 6 meringue nests. Fold in 5 sliced bananas, and swirl in 5 tbsp ready-made toffee sauce. Spoon into 6 dishes, then scatter over a handful of pecan nuts and drizzle with a little more toffee sauce. Serves 6.

BBC Easy Cook 33

COOKS’ EXTRAS a pan and add 4 tbsp flour and 50g butter. Whisk fast until the butter melts, the mixture comes to the boil and the sauce thickens. Whisk for 2 mins, then turn off the heat. Stir in 75g grated cheddar and pour over the cauliflower. Scatter over 25g more grated cheddar and 2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 mins, until bubbling. Serves 4. Tip: Buy a large chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano, grate it and freeze in portions – it works out about 35 per cent cheaper than freshly grated.

Ice cube trick Freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays to add Make to casseroles when required – that way you won’t have to buy a whole bottle just for the most of a glassful. Try this… 20-minute beef the glut of cheap in red wine Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a Fry 200g sirloin or rump steak summer berries in pan. until brown then remove to a plate. the supermarket Add 1 small onion, sliced, 1 clove of garlic, finely sliced and a pinch of dried for year-round oregano to the pan and fry for 5 minutes, until turning golden. Tip 1 glass red wine vitamin C

Our great tips will help you reduce waste, save money and conjure up great food at short notice Seasonal is cheaper

Make breadcrumbs

Freeze berries when they’re in season (and cheaper), for good-value crumbles year-round. Open-freeze fresh berries on a lined baking sheet until solid, then bag up and label. Try this… Blackberry and pear crumble Turn oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Put 4 large ripe pears, peeled and cubed, in a pan, add 100g granulated sugar and cook on a medium heat for 10 mins. Add 250g blackberries, boil, remove and put into a baking dish. Put 200g plain flour, 100g unsalted butter, cubed, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and rub together to make rough breadcrumbs. Stir in 85g shelled pistachios, chopped, and 100g demerara sugar. Sprinkle the crumble over the fruit. Bake for 40 mins. Serves 4-6. Tip: For an instant dessert, take frozen berries straight from the freezer and pour melted white chocolate over.

Whizz leftover bread into breadcrumbs and freeze in portions in a freezer bag (they’ll keep for up to 3 months and can be used from frozen). Try this… Herby crust for lamb Mix 50g breadcrumbs with the finely grated rind of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp chopped thyme. Spread over 4 lamb chops before grilling. Serves 4. Tip: Ring the changes by mixing the crumbs with different herbs or finely chopped garlic, lemon rind and chilli.

34 BBC Easy Cook

Leftover cheese Grate and freeze leftover cheese (will keep for up to 4 months) and use straight from the freezer. Try this… Crispy caulifower cheese Boil 1 cauliflower, broken into pieces, for 5 mins until just tender, drain and tip into an ovenproof dish. Turn oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Put 500ml milk in

Make one, freeze one Make two batches of biscuit dough and freeze one ready to use another time. Try this… Vanilla thins Tip 325g plain flour into a food processor with 200g chilled salted butter, chopped into small pieces. Whizz until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 125g golden caster sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 large egg yolks. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a sausage shape about 25cm long and 5cm in diameter. Cut in half. Wrap half and freeze for another time and chill the other half. To bake, turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 5mm thick slices and arrange on the sheet, spaced apart. Bake for 20 minutes until pale golden. Cool on a rack and dust with icing sugar. Half the quantity makes 17 biscuits. Tip: Using the basic dough, add your own flavours – flaked almonds, finely diced stem ginger (from a jar), orange or lemon extract or 2 tsp cinnamon all work really well.

theeasyway Freeze leftover egg whites in an ice cube tray (for up to 6 months). Defrost overnight in the fridge. They make the best meringues!

FEATURE: BARBARA BAKER

Shortcuts for the

(or 6 red wine ice cubes) and a 200g can chopped tomatoes into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Slice the steak into chunks, return to the pan with the juices and simmer for 5 minutes. Serves 2.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

Serve the sausage bake with the fried eggs and hot buttered toast

Sunday

brunch

Keep everyone happy with this all-in-one brunch dish with homemade baked beans, sausages and bacon Sausage, bean & bacon bake l

Serves 6 Takes 15 minutes, plus 50 mins in the oven l £1.19 a portion l 524 kcals, 30g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

1 tbsp brown sugar 100g brown sauce 3 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 6 eggs

12 chipolatas 200g smoked bacon lardons 4 tbsp sunfower oil 680g passata 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika 3 tbsp tomato purée

1 Start cooking the sausages Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Toss the chipolatas, bacon lardons and 1 tbsp of the oil together in a large roasting tin. Roast for 20-30 minutes until everything is turning brown and crisp – tip away any liquid

l

and stir everything halfway. Use a fish slice to scrape up any stuck bits. 2 Make the saucy beans Whisk together the passata, paprika, tomato purée, sugar, brown sauce, 250ml water, a little salt and lots of pepper. Stir in the beans. 3 Finish the dish Add the bean mixture to the sausages and bake for 20 minutes, until thickened and bubbling. Meanwhile, fry the eggs, then serve. BBC Easy Cook 35

Tasty ways with

chicken Quick and easy

Here are three of our favourite fuss-free chicken recipes, including a tasty curry and the easiest-ever roast chicken – you won’t want to wait until the weekend to cook it! Cider, mustard and herb chicken l Serves

4 5 minutes, plus 35 minutes cooking l £2.74 a portion l 298 kcals, 12g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Takes

1 tbsp olive oil 750g skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks 2 onions, thickly sliced 36 BBC Easy Cook

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 400ml medium-dry cider 175g half-fat crème fraiche 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard a small pack of parsley, chopped a few thyme sprigs (leaves only) 1 Cook the chicken Heat the oil in a large, lidded non-stick pan (we used a wide, high-sided frying pan) and cook

the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, then add the onions to the pan. Cook for 3 mins, then stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in the cider and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 mins. Remove the lid and stir in the crème fraiche, mustard and herbs. Bubble for another 5 mins, or until cooked through and piping hot, then season and serve.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

Chicken curry l Serves

6 15 minutes, plus 55 minutes cooking l £1.32 a portion l 410 kcals, 9g fat, 12g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l Takes

2 large onions, quartered 4 cloves of garlic a thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 600ml reduced-salt chicken stock 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground turmeric 4 green cardamom pods 1 small red chilli, deseeded and chopped 2 tbsp ground almonds 2 tbsp tomato purée 500g skinless chicken breasts, cubed ½ small pack of coriander, chopped

Reheat the lemony sauce in a pan or in the microwave until it’s piping hot

1 Make the onion mixture Put the onions in a food processor with the garlic and ginger. Blitz until it is as smooth as possible, then pour in half the stock (300ml) and blitz again. 2 Make the curry sauce Heat a large, non-stick pan, sprinkle in the spices and toast for 1 minute. Pour in the onion mixture, the remaining stock and all but ½ tsp of the chopped chilli. Add the almonds and tomato purée, and stir well. Simmer for 35 minutes, or until completely soft, stirring every now and then and adding a little water if the mixture starts to catch.

Super-simple roast chicken l Serves

3 Add the chicken Add the coriander and chicken. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.

4 25 minutes, plus 1 hour 20 minutes in the oven l £1.75 a portion l 689 kcals, 36g fat, 13g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

l Takes

2 Prepare the veg Tip the carrots and potatoes into a bowl, drizzle over the oil and toss everything together with your hands. Scatter the vegetables in an even layer around the chicken, and then season.

1 whole chicken (about 1½ kg) 1 lemon, halved 2 cloves of garlic a thyme or rosemary sprig (optional) 50g soft butter 800g very small salad potatoes 350g baby carrots (or 3-4 regular carrots, cut into chunks) 1 tbsp olive oil 300ml chicken stock 1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce

3 Roast the chicken Cook the chicken in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove and stir the vegetables. Reduce the heat to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. and return the chicken to the oven for 50 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the oven and check that it's cooked through fully. (If a leg comes away easily from the body when pulled, there is no sign of pink and the juices run clear, it's cooked. A digital cooking thermometer should read above 70C.) Remove the chicken to a plate.

1 Stuff the chicken Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Cut the elastic or string holding the chicken together. Stuff the lemon halves into the cavity of the chicken with the garlic and herb sprig (if using). Sit the chicken in a large roasting tin and use your hands to smear the butter all over it.

4 Make the lemony sauce Scoop the vegetables into a serving dish. Use a pair of tongs to remove the garlic, lemon and herbs from the chicken and put them in the roasting tin. Squash them down well with a potato masher to release the juice from the lemons. Strain the sauce. Pour in the stock and soy and stir well. Strain the juices into the jug. BBC Easy Cook 37

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

Make the most of sunny weather and enjoy dining in the great outdoors – but if the British weather lets us down, these lovely recipes are just as easy to serve indoors Steak, roasted pepper and pearl barley salad l Serves

2 10 minutes, plus 55 minutes cooking l £3.31 a portion l 498 kcals, 17g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Takes

85g pearl barley, rinsed 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges (leave the root intact) 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra 1 large lean steak (around 300g), trimmed of any excess fat ½ x 100g bag watercress, roughly chopped juice of ½ lemon

EAT INDOORS OR OUT 38 BBC Easy Cook

1 Cook the pearl barley Put the pearl barley in a large pan of water. Bring to the boil and cook vigorously for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a bowl. 2 Roast the veg Meanwhile, turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Put the peppers on a baking tray with the onion wedges, toss in 1 tbsp olive oil and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender. 3 Cook the steak About 15 minutes before the veg is cooked, rub the steak with a little oil and season. Cook in a non-stick frying pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, or to your liking. Leave to rest for a few minutes. Mix the peppers and onions into the barley and stir though the watercress, lemon juice and seasoning. Serve with the steak.

Garlic chicken l Serves

4 20 minutes, plus 55 minutes cooking l £1.92 a portion l 276 kcals, 8g fat, 13 sat. fat a portion l Sauce is suitable for freezing l Takes

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced a few thyme sprigs, leaves only 2 tbsp olive oil 2 red onions, fnely sliced 3 celery sticks, thickly sliced 4 courgettes, halved lengthways and cut into chunks 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 tsp capers 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp sultanas 4 skinless chicken breasts

Serve the lamb at the table in the pan, with couscous and natural yogurt on the side

1 Flavour the oil Put one-quarter of the garlic, all the thyme and some seasoning in 2 tsp of the oil. Set aside. 2 Make the courgette sauce Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Tip in the onions and celery, and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the courgettes and the rest of the garlic, and fry for a few mins to soften. Add the tomatoes, ½ can water, the capers, vinegar, sultanas and seasoning. Simmer for 20 minutes until thickened and the vegetables are tender. 3 Cook the chicken Meanwhile, halve the chicken breasts horizontally so you can open them up like a book. Put them between 2 layers of baking parchment and fatten a little by bashing with a rolling pin. Heat a griddle pan and rub the chicken with the favoured oil (discard the garlic). Cook for 3 mins on each side, or until cooked through (in batches if necessary). Cut the chicken into strips and serve with the sauce.

Slow-cook lamb l Serves

6 l Takes 30 mins, plus 7 hours 35 mins cooking and overnight marinating l £4.17 a portion l 659 kcals, 41g fat, 13g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing 1 large leg of lamb, bone in (about 2kg) 600g shallots, halved if large 410g can apricot halves in juice, drained 85g whole skinless almonds 2 preserved lemons (from a jar), fesh discarded, peel & pith chopped 1 tbsp ras el hanout spice mix 1 tbsp clear honey 150ml hot chicken stock a small pack of coriander (leaves only) FOR THE MARINADE

4 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, crushed, 1 tbsp ground cumin 2 tsp clear honey 2 tsp each ground cinnamon, ground ginger and coriander seeds a pinch of saffron strands

1 The day before, marinate the meat Slash the lamb leg all over and put in a large food bag or in a large casserole dish. Smash the marinade ingredients together using a pestle and mortar. Season with black pepper and rub all over the lamb. Marinate overnight, or for up to 24 hours. 2 Cook the lamb Turn oven to fan 120C/conventional 140C/ gas 1. Put the lamb in a roasting tin, scraping off any leftover marinade. Cover the tin with foil, pinching the edges to seal. Cook for 6-7 hours, basting regularly, until tender. 3 Add the shallots and apricots Remove the tin from the oven and increase the heat to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Pour the juices from the lamb into a jug, cool slightly and skim off the fat. Put the shallots in the tin with the lamb add a little of the juices and toss to coat. Roast for 15 mins, then add the apricots and almonds. Whisk the cooking juices from the jug with the lemon, ras el hanout, honey and stock, then pour over the lamb and roast for 20 minutes. BBC Easy Cook 39

Inspired by The Eurovision Song Contest Watch the final on Saturday 23th May

Why not throw a

Eurovision party? Everyone’s favourite song contest is back for its 60th birthday. So invite everyone over, grab your flags, and cheer on your country Douze-pointes pies l

Makes 12 Takes 1 hour, plus 30 mins in the oven l Around 56p a pie l 834 kcals, 54g fat, 19g sat. fat a pie l Suitable for freezing l

a little oil, for greasing 500g pack shortcrust pastry a little four, for dusting 1 egg, beaten FOR 4 POLISH PIES

85g potatoes, cut into chunks 85g cabbage, fnely chopped 1 tbsp butter 3 spring onions, chopped 25g mature cheddar, grated 1 egg yolk, beaten

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FOR 4 SPANISH PEPPER PIES

1 small red pepper, deseeded and diced ½ onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tsp paprika 1 tbsp olive oil ½ x 400g can cherry or chopped tomatoes 2 tsp brown sugar 1 tsp vinegar (sherry, red wine or malt) 1 tbsp fnely chopped parsley FOR 4 GREEK CHEESE PIES

50g feta cheese, crumbled 75g ricotta 1 egg yolk fnely grated rind of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze of juice 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 75g spring greens, roughly chopped 1 Prepare the tin Grease and line the holes of a 12-hole muffn tin with baking parchment. Roll out twothirds of the pastry on a foured surface and stamp out 12 x 11-12cm circles (re-roll the trimmings). Press a circle of pastry into each hole. Wrap the remaining pastry in cling flm. 2 Make the Polish pie flling Cook the potatoes in salted water. Drain, then 40 BBC Easy Cook

Make 4 of each flling mash. Fry the cabbage in the butter until soft. Stir into the mash with the spring onions, cheese, egg and seasoning. Set aside. 3 Make the Spanish pie flling Fry the pepper, onion, garlic, paprika in the oil until soft. Add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and parsley, simmer for 10 mins until thickened. Cool. 4 Make the Greek pie flling Whizz the feta, ricotta, yolk, lemon rind and juice and garlic until smooth. Tip in the greens,

pulse for a few seconds, then season generously. 5 Fill and bake the pies Divide the fllings between the cases. Roll out the remaining pastry, stamp out 12 x 6-7cm circles and add a top to each pie. Press the edges to seal. Re-roll the trimmings and stamp out the numbers ‘1’ and ‘2’. Stick onto each pie with beaten egg, then brush the lids with more egg. Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Bake the pies for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Cool a little and serve just warm.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

theeasyway The chips are delicious with our cheese and mustard dip (see recipe below)

Bucks fzzer puds l

Makes 8 l Takes 30 minutes, plus chilling time l 89p each l 635 kcals, 54g fat, 34g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing 500ml pot double cream 300g dark chocolate, broken into chunks fnely grated rind of 2 oranges, plus 100ml juice (and a splash extra) 2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted a few sachets of sherbet FOR THE TOPPING

200ml whipping cream 50ml prosecco 2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted 1 Melt the chocolate Put the cream, chocolate, orange rind and juice, and icing sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set over a pan of barely simmering water and gently melt until smooth.

Cheesy chips l

Serves 8 Takes 10 minutes, plus 20 mins in the oven l 21p a portion l 361 kcals, 21g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

2 Decorate the glasses Splash about 1cm of orange juice into a small bowl. Tip the sherbet onto a plate. Dip the rims of 8 small pots, glasses or jars into the orange juice, then into the sherbet (like frosting the rim of a Margarita glass). Reserve the remaining sherbet. 3 Chill the chocolate Evenly pour the chocolate between your frosted pots, glasses or jars, and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 48 hours. 4 Add the topping Beat the whipping cream, prosecco and icing sugar until thick, then add a spoonful to the top of each pot. Sprinkle on a little more sherbet just before serving.

Waterloo sunsets Mix 200ml vanilla vodka with 100ml peach schnapps and 500ml chilled peach juice. Divide between 8 glasses. Add ice cubes, fill with lemonade, then pour a splash of grenadine over a teaspoon down the inside of the glass so it settles at the bottom. Add a few raspberries to each. Makes 8.

l

700g frozen skinny French fries 25g parmesan, grated ½ tsp garlic salt 1 Make the cheesy chips Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Spread the fries on 1-2 large baking trays and cook for 10 mins, then scatter over the parmesan and garlic salt (use tongs to toss and coat all the chips in the cheese), then bake for 10 mins more until golden and crisp. For crispier chips, increase oven to fan 220C/ conventional 240C/gas 9 for a few minutes.

Serve the chips with Cheese & mustard dip Heat 25g plain flour, 1 tsp mustard powder and 300ml milk in a small pan and gently cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Carry on bubbling and stirring until thickened. Turn off the heat, stir in 140g grated mature cheese until melted, then season to taste. Serve warm. Serves 8.

BBC Easy Cook 41

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

Lighter lunch Cut the fat and not the flavour with this healthier take on a traditional roast dinner, including all the trimmings, and apple pie for pud

Serve with Lemon & sage roasties Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Cook 1kg floury potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks, in boiling, salted water for 6 mins. Drain and steam-dry, then put into a roasting tin with 2½ tbsp rapeseed oil, a 20g pack of sage leaves, chopped (save a few for the roast pork, right),

42 BBC Easy Cook

seasoning and the finely grated rind of 1 lemon, and toss everything together. Cut 2 lemons into quarters, and add to the roasting tin. Roast for about 1 hour, turning occasionally, until crisp. Use tongs to squeeze over the juice from the roasted lemon wedges, then serve. Serves 4.

Pork loin roast with fg and apple stuffng

Serve with low-fat frozen yogurt or make a low-fat custard with custard powder and skimmed milk

l

Serves 4 Takes 15 minutes, plus 55 minutes cooking, and resting time l £2.89 a portion l 506 kcals, 14g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

2 tbsp olive oil 600g pork tenderloin fllet, trimmed of any fat FOR THE STUFFING

2 onions, fnely chopped 2 dessert apples, cut into cubes 3 dried fgs, fnely chopped 85g each fresh white and wholemeal breadcrumbs a few sage leaves, fnely chopped 1 egg a pinch of fnely grated lemon rind 500g pot chicken stock FOR THE SAUCE

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp quince paste (or apricot jam) 350g each steamed green beans and carrots, to serve 1 Roast the meat Turn oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/ gas 5. In a non-stick frying pan, heat 2 tsp of the olive oil and brown the pork fllet for 4-5 minutes, turning once to cook evenly. Rub with another 1 tsp of oil and season. Transfer to a roasting tin and roast for 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you insert a skewer into the thickest part of the loin. (Timings will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.) 2 Make the stuffng balls Using the same frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the apples and fgs and cook for 5 minutes more. Tip into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, sage, egg, lemon rind and 2 tbsp of the chicken stock. Add some seasoning, then roll into 12 balls. Put the stuffng balls on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, then bake for 20-25 minutes. 3 Rest the meat, and make the sauce When the pork is cooked, remove it from the roasting tin to a plate and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Deglaze the roasting tin with the remaining chicken stock, scraping any of the brown bits off the bottom, then add the vinegar, quince paste (or apricot jam) and resting juices. If your roasting tin isn’t fameproof, transfer the sauce to a pan and bubble until it has thickened to the consistency of double cream. Season, slice the pork and serve with the stuffng, sauce and vegetables.

Virtuous apple & pear pie l

Serves 4 (with leftovers) l Takes 25 minutes, plus 25 minutes in the oven, and resting time l £1.12 a portion l 225 kcals, 5g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 6 eating apples 4 ripe pears fnely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp honey 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tbsp cornfour 4 flo sheets 4 tsp rapeseed oil 25g faked almonds 1 Simmer the fruit Peel, core, and chop the apples and pears into large pieces, and put into a large pan with the lemon juice, honey, mixed spice and 200ml water. Bring to a simmer with the lid

on, then take off the lid and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the apple softens. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out three-quarters of the fruit chunks and put into a pie dish. 2 Finish making the fllling Cover and cook the remaining fruit for 4-5 minutes more until soft, then mash with a potato masher. Mix 1 tbsp of this with the cornfour to a smooth paste, then add back to the pan and return to a simmer, stirring, to thicken the sauce. Pour over the fruit in the pie dish and stir together. Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. 3 Add the topping and bake the pie Lay out the sheets of flo pastry and brush all over with oil – 1 tsp should be enough for 1 sheet. Scatter over the almonds and press to stick to the pastry, then crumple up each sheet as you lift it on top of the fruit. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is browned and crisp. BBC Easy Cook 43

Vegetarian

main meals Whether you’re vegetarian or just looking to go meat-free a few times a week, these satisfying veggie main courses will keep everyone happy

Squash, mushroom & blue cheese pilaf l Serves l 422

2 l Takes 15 minutes plus 50 minutes cooking l £2.59 a portion kcals, 10g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

1 tsp rapeseed oil 1 large onion, halved and sliced 3 cloves of garlic, fnely chopped 200g chunk of butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced 140g small button mushrooms 125g brown basmati rice 700ml reduced-salt vegetable stock 10 pieces dried mushroom, chopped 2 tsp chopped fresh sage a small pack of parsley, chopped (stalks and leaves separated) 40g vegetarian blue cheese, crumbled

1 Make the pilaf Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan, add the onion and garlic, and fry for 5 minutes. Tip in the squash and button mushrooms, and cook for a few mins more. Stir in the rice, then pour in the stock. Stir well, then add the dried mushroom, sage and parsley stalks. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 35-40 minutes until the rice is tender (check towards the end of cooking and add a little water if the rice has absorbed all the stock, or if there is a lot of liquid, uncover and cook for 5-10 mins more.) 2 Add the cheese Take off the heat, fold in the parsley leaves and cheese with some black pepper, then leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with salad or crusty bread

44 BBC Easy Cook

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY Miso-glazed tofu steaks with beansprout salad l Serves

4 40 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooking l £2.97 a portion l 490 kcals, 24g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Takes

l

FOR THE BEANSPROUT SALAD

300g beansprouts 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips 100g radishes (about 12), trimmed and quartered 2 spring onions, fnely sliced on the diagonal 75g pack of pea shoots 50g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve FOR THE DRESSING

3 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1cm piece of ginger, peeled and fnely grated 3 tbsp sunfower or rapeseed oil

Top the 400g fresh frm tofu (we used salad with the 2 x 200g blocks) tofu and scatter 1 tbsp miso paste 150ml mirin with the egg strands, 75ml reduced-sat soy sauce peanuts and pea FOR THE EGG STRANDS 3 large eggs shoots. Drizzle 1 tbsp mirin with glaze ½ tsp sunfower or rapeseed oil FOR THE GLAZED TOFU

1 Make the beansprout salad Put the beansprouts in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 2 minutes, then drain well and leave to cool, tossing from time to time to speed up the cooling. Combine with the pepper, radishes and spring onions. 2 Mix the dressing Whisk together all the ingredients except the oil until the sugar dissolves. Trickle in the oil slowly while whisking. Stir the dressing through the beansprout mixture and chill until ready to serve, stirring occasionally. 3 Prepare the tofu Drain the tofu, wrap in kitchen paper, and press gently to absorb excess moisture. Unwrap and cut in half across the middle, then in half again diagonally, to make 4 triangles. (If using 2 packs, you will have 8 smaller triangles.) 4 Make the tofu glaze Put the miso paste in a cup and add 2 tbsp of

boiling water. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Pour into a pan (wide enough so that the tofu will ft into in a single layer). Add the mirin and soy sauce, stir and bring to the boil. Add the tofu to the sauce and simmer for 15 mins, turning the tofu carefully halfway through. 5 Cook the tofu Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Carefully lift the tofu from the sauce and put on the tray. Cook in the oven for 15 mins, then turn off the oven and leave the tofu in to keep warm. Meanwhile, to thicken the glaze, increase the heat to a medium boil and stir occasionally until syrupy. Set aside. 6 Make the egg strands Beat together the eggs and mirin with 2 tbsp cold water and a large pinch of salt until well mixed, but not frothy. Heat a medium non-stick pan over a low-medium heat and add the oil,

spreading it over the surface with a spatula. Pour in a quarter of the egg mixture and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan to form a very thin omelette. Cook for 4-5 mins until the top is dry and the bottom is set but not too brown. Carefully remove from the pan (no need to fip) and put on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, adding more oil if the pan seems dry. Stack the omelettes on top of each other and cool. (Don’t worry if they rip or buckle, but stack them as fat as possible.) Once cool enough to handle, roll them up tightly and slice thinly. 7 Glaze the steaks Remove the tofu from the oven and spread a little glaze over the top of each piece. (If the glaze is too thick, reheat slightly until spoonable.) Reserve a little glaze to pour over just before serving. BBC Easy Cook 45

Inspired by The Big Allotment Challenge

Seasonal best British asparagus has a very short season, so make the most of it now

theeasyway

For a picnic, cool the frittatas, and then return them to the tin so they’re easy to carry, or stack in containers layered with baking paper

Mini prosciutto and asparagus frittatas l Makes l Takes

100ml milk 85g parmesan, grated

onions when soft. Cook for 2-3 minutes more, then remove and cool.

12 slices prosciutto 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 125g pack asparagus tips 6 eggs

1 Fry the onions and asparagus stalks Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Grease a 12-hole muffn tin and line each hole with a slice of prosciutto to cover the base and sides. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, snap the tips off the asparagus and set aside. Finely slice the stalks and add to the

2 Make the frittata mix Beat the eggs, milk and ¾ of the parmesan together. Add some onion mixture to each muffn hole. Divide over the egg mix, then top with the asparagus tips. Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan and cook for 18-20 mins, or until set. Leave to cool for a few mins, then remove from the tin and eat warm or cold.

12 15 mins, plus 20 mins in the oven l 67p a frittata l 122 kcals, 8g fat, 3g sat. fat a frittata l Suitable for freezing

46 BBC Easy Cook

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY Asparagus soup l Serves

4 in 25 minutes l 97p a portion l 101 kcals, 8g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l Ready

Later in the season, use broccoli instead of asparagus and swap the shallots for leeks

l

25g butter a little vegetable oil 350g asparagus spears (stalks chopped, woody ends discarded, tips reserved) 3 shallots, fnely sliced 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 large handfuls of spinach 700ml vegetable stock 1 Fry the asparagus tips Heat the butter and oil in a large pan until foaming. Fry the asparagus tips for a few minutes to soften. Remove and set aside. 2 Add the stock Add the shallots, asparagus stalks and garlic, and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened. Stir through the spinach, pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then blitz with a hand blender. 3 Check the seasoning Season generously and add hot water to loosen if needed. Ladle into bowls and scatter the asparagus tips over each.

Great starter Asparagus with dipping sauces l Serves

6 (as a starter or snack) in 35 minutes l £1.13 a portion l 431 kcals, 43g fat, 16g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Ready

l

24 asparagus spears, trimmed FOR THE PARMESAN & LEMON BUTTER

juice of 1 lemon 85g butter, cut into small chunks 25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), fnely grated FOR THE GARLIC MAYONNAISE

theeasyway Serve hot in a pile for everyone to help themselves and dip into the parmesan butter, Asian dressing or garlic mayo

2 cloves of garlic, crushed 5 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise 1 tbsp olive oil FOR THE ASIAN DRESSING

½ red chilli 1 tsp brown sugar

juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp sesame oil 1 Make the parmesan butter and garlic mayo Tip the lemon juice into a small pan and, over a low heat, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted to make a smooth sauce. Add the parmesan, then season and put into a dipping bowl. Mix all the mayo ingredients together and put into a separate dipping bowl. 2 Make the Asian dressing Using a pestle and mortar, crush the chilli with the brown sugar, stir in the lime juice, the soy and sesame oil, then put into a dipping bowl. 3 Cook the asparagus Cook the asparagus in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 mins, until just tender. Drain well and serve. BBC Easy Cook 47

Take a bar of

chocolate Resist eating that chocolate in the cupboard – make these instead! Spiced braised venison with chocolate l Serves

6 25 minutes, plus 2½ hours cooking l £3.37 a portion l 452 cals, 12g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l Takes

2 tbsp vegetable oil 1½ kg diced stewing venison 3 large carrots, roughly chopped 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tsp ground coriander

a large pinch of chilli powder a small cinnamon stick 1 whole red chilli 1 heaped tbsp plain four 500ml red wine 300ml beef stock 400g can chopped tomatoes a large thyme sprig 2 bay leaves 50g dark chocolate

1 Brown the meat Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Heat the oil in a large, fameproof casserole dish and brown the meat in batches. Add the carrots and onion and brown lightly, then stir in the spices, chilli and four, and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the wine, stock and tomatoes, then add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. 2 Cook, then add the chocolate Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 1½ hours, then remove the lid and cook for 1 hour more, until the meat is really tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly, then stir in the chocolate and serve.

You might think it odd to add chocolate to a savoury dish but it gives an extra richness and gloss

48 BBC Easy Cook

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY Chocolate balloon bowls l Serves

4 20 minutes, plus chilling time l 23p a portion l 191 cals, 11g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l Takes

300g chocolate (we used dark, but choose your favourite), broken into pieces 4 small balloons (to use as moulds) 1 Melt the chocolate Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water and leave to melt. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 mins. Meanwhile, blow up the balloons – each bowl should be

about 10cm wide (don’t blow them up too much). Tie with a knot. 2 Dip the balloons in the chocolate Line a baking tray with parchment. Holding the knotted end of the balloon, dip it into the melted chocolate to create a bowl shape. Stand it on the tray and hold the balloon for a few seconds until the chocolate pools around the base, allowing you to let go of the balloon. Continue with the remaining balloons. Chill for 30 minutes, or until set. 3 Peel away the balloons When the chocolate has set, pop the balloons and peel them from the bowls.

Kids love these!

Popping candy lollies l Makes

12 30 minutes, plus setting time l 9p each l 61 cals, 3g fat, 2g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing l Takes

140g white chocolate 2 tbsp popping candy edible red glitter or sprinkles and 12 lolly sticks, to serve 1 Get everything ready Draw an egg shape about 6cm long and use as a template to draw about 12 shapes on sheets of baking parchment. 2 Make the lollies Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir in the popping candy. Spread 1-2 spoonfuls of chocolate inside each egg shape. Add a lolly stick to each. Sprinkle edible glitter or sprinkles over the lollies. Repeat to decorate the rest, then leave somewhere cool to set.

Serve with... Hot white chocolate Stir together 500ml full-fat milk, ½ tsp vanilla extract and 100g chopped white chocolate in a pan. Cook on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Serves 2.

theeasyway Fill with your chosen dessert – ice cream is good because it keeps the bowls cold

Our favourite bars to buy We’ve tested lots of chocolate over the years (well, someone's got to do it!). Our conclusion is that cheap chocolate can be as good as more expensive chocolate and it can save quite a lot of money: a recipe needing 300g chocolate will cost, on average, a whopping £2.70 more than cheaper chocolate. Here are our favourite 3 budget varieties: • Sainsbury’s Basics Dark Chocolate Bar, 100g, 35p It's quite sweet but melts really well and makes a lovely chocolate icing for a cake.

• ASDA Smartprice Milk Chocolate Bar, 100g, 30p This isn’t overly sweet and gives a lovely flavour to homemade truffles. • Sainsbury’s Basics White Chocolate Bar, 100g, 35p Cheaper white chocolate can have a powdery flavour or no taste at all, but this is lovely and creamy. It melts well and is great in cookies. If you like, posh it up by adding ½ tsp vanilla paste per 100g of melted chocolate. BBC Easy Cook 49

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

Sweet sensations Make the most of early summer fruits from strawberries to peaches – and try our funky ice-cream sandwiches too

Fromage frais mousse l

Serves 6 Takes 25 minutes, plus chilling time l 94p a portion l 118 kcals, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

1 large egg white 50g icing sugar, plus 2 tbsp fnely grated rind of 1 lemon & juice of ½ 500g tub low-fat fromage frais 500g strawberries

This would work well with raspberries too, although you may need to add a little extra icing sugar

1 Make the mousse Put the egg white into a heatproof bowl with the icing sugar. Set the bowl over a large pan of simmering water and whisk for 5 minutes (use an electric whisk), until the mixture is light and fuffy and holds peaks when the blades are lifted. Remove from the heat, whisk in the lemon rind, then whisk for 2 minutes more to cool it down. Fold in the fromage frais, then spoon the mousse into six glasses or small bowls and chill. 2 Make the strawberry purée Roughly chop half the strawberries and put in a food processor with the 2 tbsp icing sugar and the lemon juice. Whizz to a purée, then press through a sieve to remove the seeds. Chop the remaining strawberries. 3 Serve Spoon the chopped strawberries over the mousses, spoon a little purée over each. Chill until ready to serve.

50 BBC Easy Cook

Posh ice cream sandwiches l

Makes 7 Takes 25 minutes, plus freezing time l 82p a portion l 266 kcals, 17g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

1 pack of pink wafer biscuits 250ml pistachio ice cream 100g white chocolate 50g shelled pistachios, fnely chopped 1 Make the flling Arrange half the wafer biscuits on a fat baking tray. Spoon the ice cream into a food processor and pulse until just smooth (be careful not to let it melt too much). Spoon quickly into a disposable piping bag, cut off the end (a little narrower than the width of a biscuit) and pipe an ice cream log onto the biscuits. Try to squeeze from the end of the bag, so that the heat from your hands doesn’t melt the ice cream as you pipe. 2 Assemble the sandwiches Put a second biscuit on top to complete the sandwiches and press together a little to squeeze the ice cream to the edges. Put the tray into the freezer and freeze for at least 1 hour. 3 Coat in chocolate Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Tip the pistachios into a dish. Working quickly, dip the end of each frozen sandwich into the melted chocolate, then into the pistachios. Put the sandwiches back onto the tray and freeze again for 1 hour. (Will keep for 1 month frozen in an airtight container between sheets of baking parchment.)

Peach and blueberry cobbler l

Serves 6 Takes 30 minutes, plus 25 mins in the oven l £1.07 a portion l 352 kcals, 10g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

stone and slice the peaches and add to the pan. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring gently until the sauce is shiny and thickened (about 3-4 mins). Remove from the heat, stir in the blueberries and tip into the prepared dish.

1 tbsp cornfour juice of 2 oranges and the fnely grated rind of ½ 2 tbsp caster sugar 6 ripe peaches 250g blueberries

2 Start making the cobbler dough Tip the four into a mixing bowl and add the 50g butter. Rub the butter into the four until it resembles fne breadcrumbs, then stir in half the sugar. Mix the remaining sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.

l

FOR THE COBBLER

200g self-raising four 50g butter, cut into small pieces (plus an extra 15g, melted) 100g light muscovado sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 5-6 tbsp milk 1 Make the fruity sauce Turn oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/ gas 5. Butter a wide, shallow ovenproof dish. Blend the cornfour with the orange rind and juice, and put in a pan with the sugar. Halve,

Yummy treats!

3 Knead and shape the dough topping Add the milk to the four and butter mixture and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly foured surface and knead briefy. Roll out to a rectangle roughly 16 x 24cm. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly with the spicy sugar. Roll up from one long side and cut into 12 slices. Arrange the circles of dough around the top of the dish, leaving the centre uncovered. Bake for 20-25 mins, until the top is crisp and golden. Serve warm with ice cream, cream or custard.

theeasyway If you’re not keen on cinnamon, leave it out of the cobbler topping – the pud will still be delicious BBC Easy Cook 51

Easy bakes

Mayonnaise sounds like a strange cake ingredient, but it gives just the right texture to the cupcakes

Welcome warmer spring weather with these gorgeous bakes Banana and peanut butter cupcakes l

Makes 16 Takes 25 mins, plus 20 mins in the oven l 23p each l 295 kcals, 14g fat, 3g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing

FOR THE ICING

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80g margarine 250g icing sugar 25ml milk 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

2 Sprinkle over the chocolate When the cupcakes are cooked, sprinkle the chocolate chips over while they're still warm – they will melt and then harden again, so don’t touch them.

240g self-raising four 140g golden caster sugar 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 240g mayonnaise 2 large or 3 small ripe bananas, mashed 1 tsp vanilla extract 25g dark chocolate chips

1 Make the cakes Turn oven to fan 150C/conventional 170C/gas 3½. Line muffn tins with 16 cases. In a bowl, mix the four, sugar, ½ tsp salt and the bicarb. In another bowl, mix the mayo, bananas and vanilla and mix it into the four, until just combined. Spoon the mixture into the cases and bake for 20 mins.

3 Ice the cakes Mix the margarine and icing sugar in an electric mixer, then add the milk and mix on a slow speed until combined. Increase the speed and mix for 3 minutes more, then stir in the peanut butter. Spread the icing on top of the cakes. Store in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.

52 BBC Easy Cook

GET BAKING Strawberry and almond cheesecake sponge l

Serves 8 Takes 25 minutes, plus 1 hour in the oven and cooling time l 97p a portion l 485 kcals, 31g fat, 16g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

175g soft butter, plus extra for greasing 250g caster sugar 4 large eggs 200g self-raising four 50g ground almonds 75g full-fat natural yogurt 2 tsp vanilla extract 250g strawberries, hulled and sliced a handful of faked, toasted almonds FOR THE CHEESECAKE BLOBS

200g full-fat cream cheese 25g caster sugar 1 large egg

1 Mix the cheesecake blobs Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a deep, 23cm cake tin with baking parchment. Mix the ingredients for the cheesecake blobs together in a bowl until just combined – be careful not to over-mix or it will become too runny. Set aside. 2 Make the cake batter Put the butter, sugar, eggs, four, ground almonds, yogurt, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, and beat together until smooth using an electric hand whisk.

and add spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture (saving about half for the top). Cover with the remaining cake mixture, being careful not to disturb the cheesecake and strawberries below. Scatter with the remaining strawberries and spoon on the remaining cheesecake mixture. 4 Bake Scatter with the almonds and bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in the tin.

3 Assemble the cheesecake Scrape half the cake mixture into the tin, then scatter with half the strawberries. Use the back of a teaspoon to create dips in the surface of the cake

theeasyway Check on the cheesecake after 30 minutes – if the top is browning too quickly, cover lightly with foil for the fnal cooking time BBC Easy Cook 53

Lunch bakes Rustle up a posh lunch with these recipes – they’re easier than they look and guaranteed to impress!

Slow-roast tomato tatin l

Makes 6 Takes 20 minutes, plus 30 mins in the oven l 79p a portion l 307 kcals, 19g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

25g butter a splash of olive oil 800g medium and small mixed tomatoes (halved across the middle and seeds roughly scooped out) 1 tbsp light soft brown sugar 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or oregano, plus extra to serve 375g block all-butter puff pastry plain four, for dusting

54 BBC Easy Cook

1 Cook and arrange the tomatoes Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Melt the butter with a splash of olive oil in your widest frying pan. Add the tomatoes, skin-side down, in a single layer (you can do this in two batches if they won’t all ft in one pan) and cook over a low heat until they release their juices (about 15 minutes). Lift out with a slotted spoon and arrange in a tart tin (roughly 23cm in diameter), skin-side down – cram them in as they will shrink a little and you don’t want any gaps. Add the sugar and vinegar to the pan, and cook until the pan juices are reduced and syrupy. Drizzle over the tomatoes in the tin, then scatter with the thyme or oregano and season.

2 Top with pastry Roll the pastry out on a lightly foured surface to a round, approximately 25-26cm in diameter. Lay the pastry round carefully on top of the tomatoes, and tuck the edges down. Use a fork to prick holes all over the pastry – this will help the steam to escape. 3 Cook the tart Sit the tart tin on a fat baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Leave to cool slightly for 10 mins, then run a knife round the edge to release the pastry. Carefully fip the tart over onto a serving plate or board and scatter with more herbs to serve.

GET BAKING Scotch egg pasties l

Makes 8 Takes 30 minutes, plus 25 minutes in the oven and chilling time l £1.04 each l 795 kcals, 52g fat, 19g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing l

9 medium eggs (don't use large eggs) 8 large pork sausages, meat squeezed out 6 spring onions, fnely sliced 2 x 500g blocks frozen shortcrust pastry, defrosted plain four, for dusting 1 Hard-boil the eggs Bring a pan of water to the boil and lower in 8 of the eggs. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 6 mins. Drain, then cool under cold water. Peel the eggs carefully (the yolks will still be quite soft). Meanwhile, mix the sausagemeat and onions together (using your hands). 2 Roll out the pastry Roll out each block of pastry until large enough to cut 3 x 18cm circles (each about the size of a side plate). Re-roll the trimmings so you have 8 circles in total. Dust 2 baking sheets with four. 3 Assemble the scotch eggs Using damp hands, squash out an eighth of the sausage mixture onto each of the rounds of pastry, going almost to the edges. Slightly wet the edges of the pastry. Put a peeled egg in the middle of the sausage, season, then pull the sides up over the egg and seal. Crimp the edges and put onto the baking sheet.

theeasyway ‘Butterfying’ prawns is great here because it makes the prawns go a little further. Make a deep cut along the belly of each prawn, open it out and press it down so that it’s fat

Spicy prawn pizzas l Serves 4 l Takes 20 mins, plus 10-15 mins in the oven and overnight rising time l £1.84 a portion l 532 kcals, 15g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing (uncooked, without the prawns)

FOR THE DOUGH

4 Glaze the pasties and bake Beat the fnal egg and brush over the pasties. Chill for 30 minutes. Turn oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Bake the pasties, one tray at a time, for 25 minutes, or until golden.

250g pack white bread mix 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra 150ml warm water plain four, for dusting FOR THE SAUCE

200g can chopped plum tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 clove of garlic, crushed a pinch of sugar (caster or granulated) FOR THE TOPPING

3 tbsp mascarpone 3 tbsp (about 20g) fnely grated parmesan 10 cherry tomatoes, halved 12 large raw prawns (frozen and defrosted is fne), patted dry, deveined and 'butterfied' (see 'the easy way', above) 2 rosemary sprigs, needles chopped a generous pinch of chilli fakes a handful of pitted green olives, halved (or use capers) a drizzle of olive oil 1 Make the dough the day before Put the bread mix in a large bowl. Combine the oil with the warm water in a jug, then tip onto the

bread mix. Stir to a soft dough and set aside for 5 minutes. Flour the work surface and your hands well, then knead the dough for 5 minutes until springy and smooth. Squish some oil around in a large food bag, then put the dough into the bag and tie the top, leaving the dough room to grow. Leave to rise in the fridge overnight. 2 Make the sauce Stir the sauce ingredients together. When ready to cook, heat the oven as high as it will go. Dust a large baking sheet and the work surface with a little four. Split the dough into 2 equal pieces. (Do not knead it or it will become too springy.) Roll the dough into large slipper shapes, about 30cm long. Lift onto the baking sheet. 3 Top the pizzas Spread the sauce over the pizzas, then scatter with small spoonfuls of mascarpone, the parmesan, tomatoes, prawns, rosemary, chilli fakes, olives and plenty of seasoning. Drizzle with a little oil. Bake the pizzas for 10-15 minutes until the base is crisp and golden, the prawns are cooked through and the cheese is bubbling. Transfer to a board and serve immediately. BBC Easy Cook 55

GET BAKING

Cooking with the kids

Get your children into the kitchen and cooking at the weekend with these two great step-by-step recipes

Big chocolate buttons l

Makes 10 of each favour Takes 30 minutes, plus setting time l 3p each l 52 kcals, 3g fat, 2g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing l

100g milk chocolate, melted 100g plain chocolate, melted 100g white chocolate, melted sprinkles and sweets to decorate

1 Make the shapes on baking paper Draw around a glass to make button shapes. Turn the paper over.

2 Make the chocolate buttons Spoon a blob of melted chocolate into the middle of each circle and spread it to the edges. 56 BBC Easy Cook

Melt the chocolate on full power (100%) for 2 minutes in the microwave first

3 Decorate the buttons Decorate each button with sprinkles, sweets or blobs of other coloured chocolate.

4 Cool the chocolate Leave to cool and set hard (in the fridge, if you like). Peel them off the paper and wrap up or eat.

Very chocolatey cake l

Serves 6 Takes 25 minutes, plus 25 minutes in the oven l 86p a portion l 236 kcals, 16g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing (before flling) l

3 eggs, beaten 200g golden caster sugar 200g very soft butter 200g self-raising four 1 tsp baking powder 3 tbsp cocoa powder PLUS 100g chocolate drops (milk, plain, white or a mix of all three)

1

2

FOR THE ICING

300g soft butter 100g icing sugar 400g melted plain chocolate

3 Put the mixture into the tins Spoon half of the mixture into each tin and smooth the tops.

Sift in the four Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Butter and line 2 x 18cm sandwich tins.

4 Bake the cakes Bake for 20-25 mins, or until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin, turn onto a rack.

Mix the batter Beat the cake ingredients using a wooden spoon or electric beaters. Stir in the chocolate drops.

5 Sandwich the cakes together Mix the icing ingredients together, and use to sandwich the cakes. Dust with icing sugar.

theeasyway If you are making this with under-5s, to speed things up and create less mess, weigh out all the ingredients frst. Your kitchen will thank you for it!

BBC Easy Cook 57

Inspired by The Great British Bake Off

Fancy a

Do you ever watch Bake Off and think ‘I fancy having a go at that’? Then why not make these lovely fondant fancies?

challenge? Lemon and lavender fondant fancies l

Makes 16 Takes 50 mins, plus 50 minutes in the oven, and cooling, chilling and setting time l 43p each l 526 kcals, 16g fat, 9g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing l

175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 250g caster sugar 3 large eggs 100g full-fat natural yogurt 275g plain four 1½ tsp baking powder FOR THE BUTTER ICING

1½ tsp dried lavender 100g butter 100g icing sugar fnely grated rind of 1 lemon, plus a little to decorate FOR THE FONDANT ICING

8 tbsp apricot jam, sieved and heated in the microwave until runny 1kg pack fondant icing sugar yellow and purple food colouring

Why not also try Churros? l

Makes 20 l Ready in 1 hour l 10p each l 185 kcals, 9g fat, 5g sat. fat each l Not suitable for freezing 50g butter, melted ½ tsp vanilla extract 250g plain four 1 tsp baking powder about 1 litre sunfower oil a few chunks of bread 100g cinnamon sugar ready-made hot chocolate sauce 58 BBC Easy Cook

1 Make the sponge Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, yogurt, four and baking powder in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Tip into the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 45-50 mins until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn onto a wire rack to cool. 2 Make the butter icing Grind 1 tsp of the dried lavender to a powder with a pestle and mortar. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until fuffy. Divide between 2 bowls, add the lemon rind to one and the ground lavender to the other, then stir each to mix. Transfer the icings to 2 piping bags. 3 Pipe on the butter icing When the sponge is cold, use a large serrated knife to remove the top to make a fat surface. Flip the cake over so the fattest side becomes the top. Carefully trim off the edges, then cut the sponge into 16 squares. Brush the top

1 Make the churros dough Put 350ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla. Sift the four and baking powder into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the liquid and quickly beat into the four with a wooden spoon until lump-free. Rest for 10-15 minutes. 2 Prepare the sugar coating Fill a large, deep pan one-third full of oil. Heat

and sides of each sponge square with a little jam. Pipe a small dome of butter icing onto each sponge (8 with lavender icing and 8 with lemon). Chill the cakes for at least 1 hour. 4 Make the fondant icing Sieve the fondant icing sugar into a bowl, and add enough water to make a thick, pourable icing. Spoon a little white icing into a sandwich bag or piping bag to use later. Divide the rest into 2 bowls, and use the food colouring to make one yellow and one pale lilac batch. 5 Coat the sponges in the icing Remove the sponges from the fridge to a wire rack (sit it on a tray to catch any drips). Spoon a little icing over each sponge to make both lemon and lavender-favoured fancies, then use a knife to spread the icing down the sides of the sponge to completely cover each one. Leave to set for 30 mins, then cover the cakes with a second layer of icing to give a smooth surface. Drizzle the white icing over the cakes and decorate with lemon rind and lavender buds. Leave to set for 1 hour at room temperature.

until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds to 1 minute. Cover a tray with kitchen paper and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on it. 3 Deep-fry the churros Fit a star nozzle to a piping bag, 1.5-2cm wide is a good size. Fill with the rested dough, then pipe 2-3 strips directly into the pan, snipping off each dough strip with a pair of kitchen scissors. Fry until golden and crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper-lined tray. Cook the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with cinnamon sugar as you go. Toss with any remaining cinnamon sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce, for dipping.

GET BAKING

theeasyway These gorgeous little cakes will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight tin

BBC Easy Cook 59

GET BAKING

To cook from frozen, thaw on a baking tray for 30 mins, then bake as in step 3

For the biscuit tin These are perfect for freezing – just whip up a batch, and you’ll have yummy cookies on demand!

White chocolate and peanut butter cookies l

Makes 10 Takes 20 minutes, plus 10 minutes in the oven and chilling time l 15p each l 239 kcals, 16g fat, 7g sat. fat each l Suitable for freezing l

100g unsalted butter, softened 100g crunchy peanut butter 50g demerara sugar 50g caster sugar 1 large egg 100g plain four ½ tsp baking powder

60 BBC Easy Cook

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 50g white chocolate, cut into chunks 1 Make the dough Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Mix the butter, peanut butter and sugars together with an electric whisk until light and fuffy, then gradually add the egg, whisking until combined. Fold in the four, baking powder, bicarb and chocolate. 2 Shape the cookies Put spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the

baking trays (use an ice cream scoop if you have one), leaving a generous border around each so they have room to expand in the oven. (To freeze the cookies, put them in the freezer now for 30 minutes to 1 hour until frm, without covering the trays, then transfer them to freezer bags.) 3 Bake Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, taking the tray out halfway through and banging sharply on a work surface covered with a couple of tea towels – this dispels the air to ensure squidgy cookies. Leave to cool.

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COOKS’ EXTRAS

easy ways with

cheddar Use up the last chunk of cheese lurking in your fridge with one of these quick ideas Speedy cheese sauce

Three-layer Mexican dip

Heat a 500ml pot crème fraîche in a pan over a gentle heat. Once hot, but not boiling, remove from the heat, then stir through a large handful of grated cheddar. Season to taste. Use in lasagne, macaroni or cauliflower cheese. Serves 4.

Heat oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Line an ovenproof dish with a jar of salsa, then top with a layer of soured cream. Top with a handful of grated cheddar, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve with nachos for dipping. Serves 1-2.

Quick fritters Mix 3 tbsp self-raising flour, 1 tsp mixed dried herbs and a large pinch cayenne pepper, then season. Stir in 300g grated cheddar, then mix in 1 beaten egg with a fork. Form into 8 balls and slightly flatten. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Serves 4.

Inside-out cheeseburgers

Family fondue

Serve the broccoli soup with cheese toasties or slices of your favourite bread

Mix together 500g beef mince with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, 1 finely chopped onion and some salt and pepper. Divide into 6, then shape into burger patties around 6 cubes of cheddar. Heat a grill pan, then cook the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side until browned. The cheese will be melty on the inside. Serves 3.

up, on a baking tray. Beat together 50g soft butter with 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and 1 chopped red chilli. Spread over the bread and scatter with 100g grated cheddar. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes and serve cut into wedges. Serves 6 (as a starter).

Chop & toss salad In a bowl, toss together 3 chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped avocado, 6 slices crispy bacon, 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs, ½ shredded iceberg lettuce and 85g cubed cheddar. Drizzle with salad dressing. Serves 2-3.

Easy cheesy garlic bread Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Cut a medium-sized, round white loaf in half across the centre and place, cut-side 62 BBC Easy Cook

Quick broccoli soup Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large saucepan, add 2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped, then soften over a low heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 heads of broccoli, cut into small florets, and 1.4 litres vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then purée until smooth. Return to the heat, season, then stir through 1 large handful of grated cheddar until melted. Serves 6.

Heat 500ml milk with 1 crushed clove of garlic and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce over a low heat. Add 450g diced cheddar, 3 tbsp plain flour and 1 tsp English mustard powder, then stir until melted. Serve with bread cubes to dip. Serves 4.

Cheese scones Turn oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Rub 50g butter into 200g self-raising flour. Stir in 25g porridge oats and 75g grated cheddar, then stir in 150ml milk and bring together to a soft dough. On a lightly floured worktop, roll out to 2-3cm thick. Stamp out 4cm-wide rounds. Bake on a non-stick baking sheet for 12-15 mins, until golden. Cool. Makes 12-15.

Top cheesy tips Cheddar will keep in the fridge for up to one month, wrapped in cling film or parchment paper. Store mature cheese in a plastic container to prevent other foods picking up its smell. Cheese freezes well, so if you like to buy in bulk, wrap half in cling film and put in a freezer bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

James Martin

John Torode

Clodagh McKenna

Rachel Khoo

TV cooks

12 delicious ideas from your favourite BBC chefs

Easy recipes clever tips, shortcuts and ideas

James’ fantastic roast pork, page 64

BBC Easy Cook 63

TV COOKS

Saturday Kitchen’s

BANK HOLIDAY LUNCH

James Martin

Whatever the weather, this extra-special spring roast from BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen host James Martin is guaranteed to be a favourite with all the family

James is the presenter of Saturday Kitchen

Italian-style roast pork with crispy crackling l

Serves 6 Takes 25 minutes, plus 1 hour 50 minutes in the oven, and marinating and resting time l £1.91 a portion l 676 kcals, 42g fat, 14g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 bay leaves, roughly chopped 1 tsp black peppercorns 2 tsp sea salt 1½ tbsp fennel seeds 2½ tbsp olive oil

1.8kg rolled pork loin (untied), with the skin scored 1 onion, cut into wedges 1 lemon, cut into wedges FOR THE GRAVY

2 tbsp plain flour 125ml red wine 500ml vegetable or chicken stock 1 Flavour the meat Pound the garlic, bay, peppercorns, 1 tsp of the sea salt and 1 tbsp of the fennel seeds using a pestle and mortar, then stir in 1 tbsp oil. Put

the pork, skin-side up, in a large bowl and pour over a kettleful of boiling water (this tightens the skin and helps make great crackling). Drain, pat dry and put skin-side down on a chopping board. Rub the garlicky paste all over the meat, then roll up the loin and tie it at intervals with kitchen string. Put the onion and lemon wedges in the centre of a roasting tin and sit the pork on top, skin-side up. Rub the rind with the remaining salt and leave at room temperature, uncovered, for 1 hour. 2 Roast the pork Turn oven to fan 210C/conventional 230C/ gas 8. Rub the skin with the rest of the oil. Crush the remaining fennel seeds and scatter over the meat. Roast for 30 mins, turn the heat down to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 and roast for 1 hour 20 mins. Remove the pork, cover loosely and leave to rest for 30 minutes. 3 Make the gravy Tip away all but 1 tbsp of fat from the tin and put on the hob. Add the flour and mix with the onion and lemon, scraping up any bits. Pour in the wine, let it bubble, then add the stock and resting juices, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Season, strain through a sieve and serve.

‘If the crackling isn’t crisp enough, put the joint under a hot grill for a few minutes, but watch it carefully as it will burn easily,’ says James 64 BBC Easy Cook

Turn the page for James’ three great side recipes, plus a delicious pud

BBC Easy Cook 65

TV COOKS Broccoli & green beans with toasted hazelnuts

Apricot and ginger frangipane tart

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Serves 6 Ready in 15 minutes l 57p a portion l 76 kcals, 7g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 250g pack of green beans, trimmed 220g pack of thin-stemmed broccoli 25g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped 25g butter 1 Boil the broccoli Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the beans and simmer for 1 minute, add the broccoli and then cook for 3 minutes more until tender. Drain.

Sweet roasted onions l

Serves 6 l Takes 10 minutes, plus 1 hour 10 minutes in the oven l 29p a portion l 89 kcals, 3g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 12 very small red onions 1½ tbsp olive oil 1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp maple syrup 1 Roast the onions Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Cut about 1cm off the top and bottom of each onion and peel off the skin. Put the onions in a small roasting tin or casserole dish, so they fit snugly together in a single layer. Drizzle over the oil and balsamic vinegar, season, then get your hands in and toss the onions to coat. Cover the tin with foil and roast for 40 minutes, or until tender. 2 Add the maple syrup Remove the foil and drizzle over the maple syrup, then return to the oven, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, until the onions are caramelised. Serve in the dish.

‘Don’t worry if you can’t fnd very small red onions, medium ones will work just as well – but you’ll only need six and they’ll take a little longer to cook,’ says James 66 BBC Easy Cook

2 Toast the hazelnuts Meanwhile, heat a frying pan and gently toast the hazelnuts until golden. Add the butter, let it melt and foam for a few mins (don’t let it burn), then season. Tip the drained vegetables into the frying pan and toss in the butter to coat.

Serves 8 Takes 30 minutes, plus 50 minutes in the oven and chilling and cooling time l 78p a portion l 539 kcals, 33g fat, 15g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing FOR THE PASTRY

200g plain four 100g cold butter, cubed 50g golden caster sugar a few drops of vanilla extract 1 egg yolk FOR THE FRANGIPANE

100g butter, softened 100g golden caster sugar 2 eggs 140g ground almonds 75g plain four, plus extra for dusting 2 balls of stem ginger from a jar, fnely chopped (plus 3 tbsp of the syrup) 8-10 apricots, stoned and quartered (or use canned apricots, drained) TO SERVE

Lemony potato gratin

icing sugar, crème fraiche and vanilla bean paste (optional)

l

Serves 6 Takes 15 mins, plus 1 hour 10 minutes in the oven and resting time l 58p a portion l 351 kcals, 22g fat, 13g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

fnely grated rind of 1 large lemon 4 thyme sprigs, leaves only ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg 200ml double cream 200ml vegetable or chicken stock 1.25kg potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 25g butter 1 Mix the gratin flling Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Put the lemon rind, thyme, nutmeg, cream, stock and plenty of seasoning into a pan and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes, stir, and cook gently for 8 minutes until beginning to soften, stirring regularly. 2 Bake the gratin Spoon the potato mixture into a buttered casserole dish and dot with the remaining butter. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for 30-40 minutes more, until golden. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

1 Make the pastry Tip the flour, butter and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and pulse again. Add the vanilla, egg and 1-2 tbsp ice-cold water, and pulse until the dough just comes together. Tip out and shape into a disc. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing it into the sides. Chill for 30 minutes. 2 Make the frangipane Meanwhile, using an electric whisk, beat the butter until creamy, then add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition, then stir in the almonds, flour, ginger and 1 tbsp ginger syrup. 3 Bake the tart Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4 and put in a baking tray to heat. Spoon the frangipane into the tart case and smooth. Push the apricots into the frangipane. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes (cover with foil after 30 minutes if the tart is taking on too much colour), until the fruit is tender and a skewer poked in the frangipane comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar, with a spoonful of crème fraiche mixed with a little vanilla bean paste, if you like

BBC Easy Cook 67

TV COOKS

MasterChef’s

John Torode

‘Cooking should be relaxed and easy. I use larger pieces of meat that cook without drying out, and make any sides and salads ahead of time so I can enjoy the day, too’ Lemon and garlic chicken l

Serves 6 l Takes 30 minutes, plus at least 3 hours marinating l £1.89 a portion l 482 kcals, 34g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 10 cloves of garlic 2 long red chillis, deseeded and chopped 3 lemons (2 sliced into thin wedges, the other cut into 6 wedges, to serve) 100ml olive oil, plus extra to serve 1 small bunch fat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra sprigs to serve 2 large spatchcocked chickens

68 BBC Easy Cook

1 Marinate the chicken Peel the garlic and crush in a mortar and pestle together with the red chillis, but keep the mixture fairly chunky. Mix the thin lemon wedges with the garlic and chilli mixture, then add the 100ml olive oil and the chopped parsley. Put the chicken in a large container (a large bowl or saucepan is fine), rub in the marinade, then chill for about 3 hours, or overnight if you have more time.

John is a judge on MasterChef

2 Griddle the chicken Heat a griddle pan. Put each chicken, one at a time, into the pan (or use two pans), skin-side down, and cook for 10 mins, or until charred. Turn over and cook for 10 mins more. Turn twice more, cooking it each time for 2 mins more on each side, until cooked. Cut into portions. Repeat with the second chicken.

‘You can find spatchcocked chickens in larger supermarkets, or buy 4 thighs, 4 legs, 4 wings and 4 breasts instead and griddle until cooked’

3 Finish the dish Serve on a plate, dress with olive oil and garnish with the lemon and a sprig of parsley.

‘If you can’t find fresh oregano, use thyme leaves instead. Unused dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days’

Roast squash, goat’s cheese and asparagus salad l

Serves 6 (easily halved) Takes 30 mins, plus 30 mins in the oven l £1.43 a portion l 329 kcals, 23g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l

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1 large (or 2 small) butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunky wedges 6 red onions, quartered (keep roots intact) 3 tbsp olive oil 20 asparagus spears 2-3 fresh oregano sprigs, leaves only 50g toasted pine nuts 200g crumbly goat’s cheese (or vegetarian equivalent) FOR THE DRESSING

1 tbsp dijon mustard 5 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp walnut oil 300ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 Make the dressing Put the mustard and vinegar in a bowl and whisk until blended. Slowly add the walnut and olive oils, still whisking, then season to taste. (Makes 400ml. Will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight jar.) 2 Roast the squash Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Put the squash wedges and onions in a bowl, then pour over most of the oil. In a separate bowl, toss the asparagus spears in the remaining oil. Season both well with sea salt and ground black pepper. Barbecue the squash and onions for 30 minutes until softened and charred, or roast in a large roasting tin on the top shelf of the oven for a little longer. Test the onions are soft, then leave to cool. Meanwhile, barbecue or roast the asparagus for 5-10 minutes, depending on their thickness, until tender and charred.

3 Mix the salad Cut the asparagus spears into 3 similar-sized lengths, then put into a large serving bowl with the squash, onions, oregano, pine nuts and goat’s cheese. Spoon over 3 tbsp of the dressing and mix gently.

John’s top tip ‘The ingredients in this salad work really well together. I prefer to cook the asparagus a little more than I usually would so the whole thing combines together well – it’s funny with food, sometimes you have to bend the rules just a little to get the best results. Eat the salad warm or at room temperature. To avoid cooking meat and veggie options together on the same grill, you can make the salad the day before.’

BBC Easy Cook 69

TV COOKS

Saturday Kitchen’s

Clodagh McKenna ‘I am the third generation in my family that bakes this healthy loaf recipe, and I hope that it continues for many generations after me. It’s a fantastic bread, and full of fibre’

Clodagh appears as a guest chef on Saturday Kitchen

Health loaf l

Makes 2 loaves (each cuts into 10 slices) Takes 25 minutes, plus 1 hours 10 minutes in the oven and cooling time l £1.87 a loaf l 210 kcals, 5g fat, 1g sat. fat a slice l Not suitable for freezing l

vegetable oil, for greasing 65g wheat germ, plus extra for dusting 450g wholemeal flour 65g plain white flour 65g wheat bran 65g ground flax 1 tbsp ground spirulina 225g pinhead oatmeal 2 tsp soft brown sugar 2½ tsp bread soda or bicarb of soda 1 litre buttermilk FOR THE TOPPING

2 tsp (1 per loaf) wheat germ 2 tsp (1 per loaf) pumpkin seeds 2 tsp (1 per loaf) sesame seeds 1 Mix the dough Turn oven to fan 210C/conventional 230C/ gas 8. Lightly grease two 900g loaf tins with oil and dust with wheat germ. Pour all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the buttermilk to make a moist dough.

You can fnd spirulina in whole food shops

70 BBC Easy Cook

2 Bake the loaves Divide the dough between the tins. Smooth the tops and make a large cross on each with a floured knife. Top with the wheat germ, pumpkin and sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, then reduce the heat to fan 120C/conventional 140C/gas 1 and bake for 1 hour more. Remove from the oven and partly cool in the tins, then turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Thyme-herbed soda bread l

Makes 1 loaf (cuts into 10 slices) l Takes 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes in the oven, and cooling time l £1.38 a loaf l 339 kcals, 2g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 450g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting 450g wholemeal flour 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme a pinch of sea salt 600ml buttermilk, plus 50ml for brushing (or use plain milk with a squeeze of lemon juice added) 1 Mix together the dry ingredients Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Dust a baking tray with flour and set aside. Sieve the flours into a large mixing bowl, followed by the bicarbonate of soda and the thyme. Add the salt and mix together with clean hands.

2 Mix in the buttermilk Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and slowly pour the buttermilk into the well. Use your free hand to mix the flour into the buttermilk. Make sure there are no dry patches and that the dough is completely wet. 3 Knead the dough Dust your hands with flour and shape the dough into a ball. Put the dough on the floured baking tray. Flour a large knife and cut the shape of a cross into the top of the dough, to two-thirds of the way through, and then stab every quarter with the tip of the knife (this old Irish tradition was apparently to kill the fairies!). Brush the dough with buttermilk using a pastry brush – this will give the bread a lovely colour once baked. 4 Bake the loaf Bake for about 25 minutes, then turn the bread over and bake for 5 mins more. To test whether the loaf is cooked, tap the bottom with your knuckles – it should sound hollow. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving. (This will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.)

Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen A FRESH TAKE

ON TRADITIONAL FLAVOURS

Clodagh McKenna These recipes are adapted from Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen by Clodagh McKenna, Kyle Books, £19.99. Photography by Tara Fisher. BBC Easy Cook readers can buy it for just £17.99, with free p&p. Call 01326 569444 or visit www.sparkledirect. com/easycook

ÔYou can substitute the thyme for rosemary, 1 tsp ground fennel seeds or 50g raisins,Õ says Clodagh

BBC Easy Cook 71

TV COOKS

A Cook Abroad’s

Rachel Khoo

‘I love a burger but I sometimes crave something lighter – and this vegetarian version is perfect. It’s so tasty and filling and just as satisfying too,’ says Rachel Caulifower cheese burgers l

Serves 6 l Takes 20 minutes, plus 25 mins cooking time l 83p a portion l 239 kcals, 14g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing l

1 very small head of caulifower (about 200g), trimmed and separated into forets 140g tinned haricot beans, drained 85g fresh breadcrumbs 140g mature cheddar 2 tbsp chopped fresh fat-leaf parsley a sprinkling of grated nutmeg fnely grated rind of 1 lemon 1 tbsp roasted chopped hazelnuts 1 large egg white 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 1 lettuce with large leaves 1 medium tomato, sliced

each burger all over with egg white and then press them into the crumbs, making sure they’re well covered. 4 Cook the burgers Put the oil into a large frying pan on a mediumhigh heat. When hot, cook the burgers in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden. Slice the remaining cheddar and put a slice on top of each (while in the pan) to melt. Put each burger in a lettuce leaf, add a slice of tomato and serve with a generous spoonful of chutney (see recipe, right).

Rachel is a presenter of A Cook Abroad

Serve with a spoonful of Rachel’s chutney Put 50g butter in a frying pan on a low heat, then add 4 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced, and a pinch of salt. Fry for about 20 minutes, or until sticky and soft. Add 150ml red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp raisins, finely chopped, and 2 tbsp soft brown sugar, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until glossy and reduced. Check the seasoning. Makes 250g.

1 Cook the caulifower Steam the caulifower forets for 7-8 minutes, or until tender. Take off the heat, drain and leave to cool. Meanwhile, put the haricot beans into a food processor and pulse, then add the cooled caulifower and pulse lightly. (You don’t want to overwork it as the mixture will get sloppy.) 2 Shape the burgers Put the mixture into a bowl and add 1 tbsp of the breadcrumbs. Grate 80g of the cheddar and add to the bowl, along with the parsley, nutmeg, lemon rind and hazelnuts. Season with salt and pepper, and form the mixture into 6 burgers (around 6cm in diameter each), in the palms of your hands. 3 Coat the burgers Lightly whisk the egg white in a bowl, and put the rest of the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Brush

72 BBC Easy Cook

‘You can freeze these on a tray before coating in the egg white and breadcrumbs. Then defrost, coat, and fry’

‘The toppings you can use for this are endless. I usually see what I have left over in my cupboard – from dried apricots, freeze-dried fruit (great for colour), to hazelnuts, pecans and sugar sprinkles,’ says Rachel

These recipes are adapted Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook by Rachel Khoo, £20, Michael Joseph. BBC Easy Cook readers can buy it for just £17, with free p&p. Call 01326 569444 or visit www.sparkledirect. com/easycook

Chocolate bark l

15g pistachio kernels 20g dried cranberries

or palette knife into a rectangle about 18cm x 22cm and around 0.5cm thick.

200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 15g mixed seeds

1 Melt the chocolate Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and put over a pan of just simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Stir occasionally until melted. Line a tray with baking paper and pour the chocolate onto it, then spread with a spatula

2 Add the seeds and nuts Immediately sprinkle the seeds, pistachios and cranberries evenly over the top. Transfer to the fridge to set for at least 1 hour. Once set, break the bark up into jagged pieces. (It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.)

Serves 4 l Takes 15 minutes l 42p a portion l 351 kcals, 25g fat, 13g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing

BBC Easy Cook 73

COOKS’ EXTRAS

Use up your

leftovers If you have ingredients left over from the recipes in this issue of BBC Easy Cook, here are some great ways to use them up RICOTTA from Douze pointes pies, page 40 Kale, ricotta and pesto pasta Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add 3 cloves of garlic, chopped, and cook for 2 mins, until golden. Add 1 tsp crushed chilli flakes and 2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes. Simmer for 15 mins, until thickened and reduced. Meanwhile, cook 500g penne according to pack instructions. Add 200g kale, chopped, for the final 2 mins of cooking. Drain and stir into the sauce, then divide between 4 bowls. Top each with a spoonful of ricotta, a drizzle of pesto and parmesan shavings. Serves 4. Ricotta and spring onion dip In a food processor, whizz 150g ricotta with 3 spring onions, chopped, the finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon, 50g soured cream or natural yogurt and seasoning. Serves 4-6.

FLAKED ALMONDS from Virtuous pear and apple pie, page 43 Almond-crusted fsh with saffron sauce Turn oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Season 2 sea bass fillets and spread on a little butter. Put in a buttered ovenproof dish and sprinkle with 2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted, pressing them on lightly. Bake for 12-15 mins, until cooked. Meanwhile, fry 1 shallot, chopped, with a small knob of butter. Add 150ml fish stock and a small pinch saffron strands. Boil until reduced by

MAPLE SYRUP from Sweet roasted onions, page 66 Maple, pecan and raisin cookies Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Mix 140g rolled oats, 50g desiccated coconut, 225g plain flour, 140g salted pecans, chopped, and 100g raisins. In a pan, melt 140g unsalted butter, 225g soft brown sugar, 3 tbsp each maple and golden syrup. Stir in 2 tbsp boiling water mixed with 1 tsp bicarb of soda. Stir into the oat mixture. Form 18 balls, flatten slightly and bake on 3 trays lined with baking parchment for 14-16 mins. Makes 18. Maple crunch ice cream Stir 1 tsp vanilla extract into 200g light condensed milk. Lightly whip 600ml double cream until it holds its shape and fold into the milk. Spoon into a 1-litre freezer container and freeze for 3 hours. Ruffle up the mix, pour over 4 tbsp maple syrup and 10 Werther's Originals sweets, crushed. Freeze until firm. Serves 6. 74 BBC Easy Cook

RAS EL HANOUT from Slow-cook lamb, page 39 Sausage stew Cook 8 pork sausages and 2 red onions, cut into wedges, in 2 tsp veg oil for 10 mins, until golden. Add 1 clove of garlic, crushed, and 2 tsp ras el hanout mixed with 75 ml water, and cook for 2 mins. Stir in 100g soft, pitted dates, chopped, 140g can chopped tomatoes and 175ml hot beef stock. Cover and cook for 25 mins. Mix 1 tbsp cornflour with a little water and pour into the pan, then simmer uncovered, for 5 mins. Serve with mash. Serves 4. Marinade for lamb chops Mix 1½ tsp ras el hanout with 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, juice of ½ lemon and seasoning. Use to marinate lamb chops before grilling. Serves 2.

DRIED FIGS from Pork loin roast, page 43

theeasyway Try our

tasty roast – all the favour but less fat, page 43 two-thirds. Stir in 3 tbsp crème fraiche and bubble for 2 mins. Pour on the fish. Serves 2. Raspberry bakewell cakeTurn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Line and grease a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Whizz 140g ground almonds, 140g butter, 140g caster sugar, 140g self-raising flour, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract until mixed. Spread half over the tin. Scatter over 250g raspberries then top with the remaining mixture. Scatter with 2 tbsp flaked almonds and bake for 50 minutes, until golden. Cool and dust with icing sugar. Serves 8.

WHITE CABBAGE from Lamb with buckwheat noodles, page 18 Gratin of white cabbage and lentils in Provençal sauce Turn oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Cook 140g brown lentils in boiling water for 30 mins, until just tender, then drain. Fry 1 chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, and 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped, in 3 tbsp olive oil for 10 mins until soft. Add 1 tsp ground coriander, 2 sprigs thyme and stir, then tip in 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1 tsp caster sugar and season. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 mins. Remove the thyme and stir in a handful of basil leaves, torn. Meanwhile cook one third of a white cabbage, shredded, in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Drain, and run under the cold tap, drain again. Mix the cabbage and lentils with the tomato sauce and put into a shallow, ovenproof dish. Mix 25g breadcrumbs and 25g parmesan and scatter over. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-30 mins, until sizzling. Serves 4.

Dolcelatte-stuffed fgs Remove the core from 9 dried figs. Cut a pocket in each, then stuff each with ½ tsp dolcelatte cheese. Cut 4 slices prosciutto in half lengthways, then wrap up each stuffed fig into a little parcel. Scatter with chopped parsley. Makes 8. Fruit fggy fapjacks Turn oven to fan 170C/ conventional 190C/gas 5. Line a 20cm-square tin with baking parchment. Put 140g dried figs, roughly chopped, into a pan with 150ml water and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Put into a food processor and whizz to a paste. Melt 75g coconut oil and 6 tbsp clear honey on a low heat, then stir through the fig paste. Put 300g rolled oats, 50g dried cranberries, chopped, 50g sultanas, chopped, 85g dried apricots, chopped, and 75g mixed nuts, chopped, in a bowl and mix. Pour over the figs and stir. Bake in the tin for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Makes 16 slices.

USING THESE FOR THE FIRST TIME? PROSCIUTTO used in Mini prosciutto frittatas, page 46 A sweet, delicate ham that's usually seasoned, cured and airdried. The famous 'prosciutto di Parma' (Parma ham) is salted and air-dried for up to 24 months. Lovely in a salad or added to pasta or risotto. Makes a great starter with slices of melon too.

RADISHES used in Misoglazed tofu steaks, page 45 These are from the mustard family and have a really lovely, peppery flavour and crisp texture. Brilliant in salads as they add both colour and crunch. They're easy to grow too. Smaller radishes tend to be the crunchiest.

TARRAGON used in Fish with bacon crumble topping, page 22 This versatile herb has an intense flavour that's a mix of sweet aniseed and vanilla. It goes well in a sauce to serve with fish. Or add to salad dressings or to flavour butter to melt over fish. Try it in a cider and chicken casserole, with crème fraiche to serve. BBC Easy Cook 75

easycook

l o o h c s y r e k o o C

How to poach a whole salmon Cooking for a crowd? You don’t need any fancy equipment if you follow our step-by-step guide for this impressive (but easy!) whole poached salmon

1

2

3

Put the fsh onto a baking tray

Make the foil parcel

Cook the fsh

Turn oven to fan 130C/conventional 150C/ gas 2. Brush a large piece of foil with oil and put on a baking sheet. Put a 3kg whole, gutted and scaled salmon (head removed) in the centre. Tuck in dill and sliced shallot.

Carefully bring up the sides of the foil to surround the fsh, season well (inside and out), then pour over 75ml dry white wine.

Seal the foil all the way round, but not too tightly on the fsh itself – you need to give it a bit of space within the parcel. Bake the salmon for 1 hour 30 minutes.

4

5

6

Check the fsh and leave to cool

Peel away the skin

Scrape away the brown fesh

When cooked, unwrap the parcel and pull the dorsal fn on the spine of the fsh. If cooked, it will come away easily (if not, cook for 10 mins more). Reseal the parcel and leave to cool – it will cook a little more as it cools.

When cold, carefully peel away the skin from one side of the salmon. You may need to use a knife to get you started, but it should peel away easily after that. Leave the cooked dill and shallot in place or you may damage the fesh.

Use a knife to scrape off the brown fatty fesh. It tastes delicious but doesn’t look as attractive as the pink fesh underneath. Carefully turn the salmon over onto a platter and remove the skin and brown fesh from the other side.

76 BBC Easy Cook

COOKERY SCHOOL TOP TIPS HOW TO SERVE AND GARNISH IT Serve the salmon with Herb Mayonnaise: Stir 2 tbsp each of chopped basil and chives into 250ml mayo and garnish the salmon with watercress, cucumber slices and lemon wedges.

This makes a lighter alternative to a traditional roast and looks really special

CLEVER IDEA Use the herb mayo (above) to sandwich the boned salmon fillets back into place, if you like.

DON’T USE FROZEN SALMON Large, frozen defrosted fish heats unevenly, resulting in a burnt outside or a mushy interior.

OVEN TEMP Check the oven temperature is accurate – if it's too hot, the salmon will break up and be greasy.

Use poached salmon in... Homemade salmon pâté Mash 200g poached salmon with a 200g tub of soft cheese and juice of ½ lemon. Add 1 tbsp snipped chives, 2 chopped spring onions and 1 tbsp chopped cornichons. Serves 2.

7

8

Remove the fllets

Remove any small bones & serve

Carefully remove the fllets from one side of the fsh, leaving behind the bones. The fsh has a natural divide of 2 long fllets on each side. Insert your knife along the centre and ease off each fllet. Transfer to a platter, bone-side up.

Lift up the central bone from the remaining whole fsh – it should come away in one piece – and remove the dill and shallots. Ease the 2 remaining fllets apart and remove any pin bones. Reassemble the salmon on the platter.

Salmon and dill puffs In a processor, pulse 185g poached salmon with 200g soft cheese, some chopped dill and seasoning. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into 3, lengthwise. Put the filling along the middle of each piece, brush the borders with beaten egg, fold and seal. Cut each into 8, brush with more egg and bake for 25 mins at fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Makes 24 mini puffs.

BBC Easy Cook 77

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EXTRAS

Sarah Sysum’s monthly round-up of the best new products and ideas

Our favourite

canned food Tesco Chunky Corned Beef, 340g, £2.35 Corned beef is a great standby to have in the cupboard and it makes a great sandwich, or a classic corned beef hash. Many we tried were a bit gristly but this has a lovely meaty texture and slices really well. Essential Waitrose Artichoke Hearts in Salted Water, 240g, £1.71 These are a great alternative to more expensive artichokes you can buy in jars – just drain and use. We love them chopped and mixed with breadcrumbs as a sutffing for baked mushrooms.

Tesco Guava Halves In Syrup, 410g, 90p Having canned fruit in the cupboard means you always have a pud on standby – and it’s a great way to try more exotic fruit for the fraction of the price of fresh. These guavas are delicious and the syrup isn’t overly sweet.

Sainsbury’s Aduki Beans, 410g, 60p These are small, red beans that make a taste addition to a stew. Or whizz in a food processor with a can of sweetcorn for a delicious Mexican style dip.

Morrisons Italian Plum Tomatoes, 220g, 29p When you only need a small can of tomatoes, these are ideal. Tomatoes are lovely and plump and the tomato sauce has a very good depth of flavour – absolutely delicious.

Cookbook of the month ■ My Simple Italian by Theo Randell

easycook

Good value buy M Savers Custard, 400g, 17p We love a bargain, and this is thick, creamy and with a lovely flavour of vanilla – and just 17p per can!

78 BBC Easy Cook

He runs an award-winning Italian restaurant, so who better to guide you through Italian cuisine than one of our favourite Saturday Kitchen guest chefs? The book covers everything from ‘Small Plates’ (or ‘lunch’, to us!) to main meals. Lots are one-pot dishes like Roast Chicken with Fennel and Pea Risotto and most of the recipes take less than half an hour. My Simple Italian, by Theo Randall, is published by Ebury, £25

easycook

WINE RACK

Chardonnay, £6.49, Morrisons Perfect with the frst barbecue of the year or with creamy pasta sauces, this Chilean white has fresh citrus and tropical fruit favours, or it’s delicious on its own. Chateau Badie La Forêt, £8, Asda Made from sauvignon blanc grapes, this fruity white from France goes really well with risotto or light chicken dishes – and it’s brilliant on its own as an apéritif too. Vineyards Australian Merlot, £3.99, Tesco Deliciously soft with plum and black cherry favours, this is great with roast lamb and beef. Perfect for a barbecue as it goes well with burgers.

COOKS’ EXTRAS

Fancy a snack? We’ve recently become addicted to Pressels here at BBC Easy Cook – they’re like classic pretzels, pressed flat, flavoured with herbs, spices and seeds, and baked rather than fried, and they’re very more-ish! They come in three flavours: Original, Sesame and, our favourite, Everything. Eat them on their own as a snack, or jazz them up with dips like guacamole, taramasalata and houmous. 175g pack, £1.99, Waitrose

theeasyway For easy pre-dinner nibbles, just set out some dips and bowls of Pressels

Healthy eating gadgets! GET STEAMING Argos Stainless Steel 3-Tier Steamer, £9.99 Using a steamer means you retain more of the vitamins and minerals in the food you’re cooking. This stainless steel model has a pan on the bottom and two steaming tiers above. It’s big enough for a meal for two or enough veggies for a family of four.

GRILLED TO PERFECTION Tefal Optigrill, £99.99, Lakeland This is a health grill like no other! Called an ‘intelligent’ grill, it has an automated sensor that measures the thickness of your food to ensure it’s fully cooked. Unlike most other grills, it has an LED cooking level indicator which changes colour as your meat cooks – yellow for rare to red for well done. The excess fat drains neatly into the extralarge drip tray.

Gregg Wallace’s money-saving tips ■ Switch orange juice Orange juice from concentrate is a good product, and it’s value for money. There’s a huge difference in price compared to freshly squeezed, but the taste is similar. ■ Change your protein source The most expensive part of a meal is usually the protein, so switch meat for eggs occasionally. And swap fresh oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon for canned varieties as they are cheaper. ■ Look carefully at special offers... they may not be as good as they sound!

Gregg is a presenter on Eat Well For Less

BBC Easy Cook 79

CONVERSION CHART WEIGHT Metric

Imperial

25g

1oz

50g

2oz

85g

3oz

100g

4oz

140g

5oz

150g

5½oz

175g

6oz

185g

6½oz

200 or 225g

8oz

250g

9oz

280 or 300g

10oz

350g

12oz

375g

13oz

400g

14oz

425g

15oz

450g

1lb

500g

1lb 2oz

550g

1lb 4oz

600g

1lb 5oz

650g

Growing some of your own salad is easy and will save you money

1lb 9oz

750g

1lb 10oz

800g

1lb 12oz

850g

1lb 14oz

900g

2lb

950g

2lb 2oz

1kg

2lb 4oz

1.25 kg

2lb 12oz

1.3kg

3lb

1.5kg

3lb 5oz

1.6kg

3lb 8oz

1.7kg

3lb 12oz VOLUME

Grow your own salad – it’s easy! for a crop all summer long. Our favourite ‘starter’ set of salad seeds is this lovely little tin. You get 2 kinds of lettuce: mizuna (which tastes a bit like rocket), and giant red mustard leaf. It comes with full instructions so you will be producing your own fresh salad leaves before you can say ‘Gardeners’ World’!

PHOTOGRAPHY © JONATHAN BUCKLEY

Nothing beats being able to pick fresh salad leaves from the garden as you need them and even if you’ve only got a small space, you can grow them in pots and containers – even in a window box. Sow the seeds on top of the compost, scatter over a little more compost and keep moist but not wet. Pick regularly and re-sow at regular intervals

1lb 7oz

700g

50ml

2 fl oz

75ml

2½ fl oz

85ml

3 fl oz

100ml

3½ fl oz

125ml

4 fl oz

150ml

¼ pint

175ml

6 fl oz

200ml

7 fl oz

225ml

8 fl oz

250ml

9 fl oz

300ml

10 fl oz

450ml

16 fl oz

600ml

1 pint

850ml

1½ pints

1 litre

1¾ pints

1.2 litres

2 pints

MEASUREMENTS 2cm ¾in 2.5cm

1in

5.5cm

2½in

10cm

4in

20cm

8in

23cm

9in

28cm

11in

38cm

15in

AMERICAN CUP CONVERSIONS American Metric

Don’t Forget! You can stick these fun magnets to the fridge. The set includes ‘shopping list’, ‘don’t forget’, ‘things to do’ and ‘already done’ – so you can enjoy moving things from the ‘to do’ peg to the ‘done’ one! Cup Cake Magnetic Memo Clips, £4 (set of four), www.tch.net

Trend alert

■ SHERRY

We’ve noticed recently that sherry is becoming trendy – it’s no longer just a tipple for your gran at Christmas. And we were pleased when BBC2’s Food & Drink’s Joe Wadsack agreed with us on the show recently. Joe is a leading wine expert, so what he doesn’t know about sherry isn’t worth knowing! IF YOU LIKE DRY SHERRY, TRY... the bestselling sherry in the world! It’s crisp fresh, dry and tangy with a lovely aroma of apples. Joe thinks it makes the best-ever Bloody Mary. Tio Pepe Dry Palomino, £10, 75cl, all larger supermarkets

IF YOU LIKE SWEET SHERRY, TRY... This is a mixture of 80% Palomino, 20% Pedro Ximénez. It has really honeyed notes and is lovely chilled and served with dessert. Signature by Harveys, £11.99, 50cl, Tesco

MICROWAVE COOKING Where our recipes use a microwave, they were tested using an 850W model – you may need to adjust times slightly if yours has a different wattage. 80 BBC Easy Cook

1 cup flour

150g

1 cup caster and granulated sugar

225g

1 cup brown sugar

175g

1 cup icing sugar

125g

1 cup butter/ margarine/lard

225g

1 cup sultanas/raisins

200g

1 cup currants

150g

1 cup chopped nuts

100g

1 cup ground almonds

100g

1 cup golden syrup/ treacle/clear honey

350g

1 cup uncooked rice

200g

1 cup cooked and drained rice

165g

1 cup grated cheese

100g

1 cup lentils

225g

1 cup chopped onions

100g

1 stick butter

100g

LIQUID CONVERSIONS American

Metric

½ fl oz

15ml

¼ cup

50ml

½ cup plus 2 tbsps

150ml

1 cup

225ml

1 pint/16 fl oz

450ml

2 pints/5 cups

1.2 litres

OVEN TEMPERATURES °F

°C (conventional oven)

275F

140C

300F

150C

325F

170C

350F

180C

375F

190C

400F

200C

425F

220C

450F

230C

475F

240C

COOKS’ EXTRAS

k coo

easy

int

e r v i

James Martin

e

w

James Martin (BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen and BBC Two's Home Comforts) talks about his kitchen garden, ‘Operation Hospital’ and blowtorches... We’ve been told your kitchen is full of gadgets. What gets the most use and why? I don’t have nearly as many kitchen gadgets as people think! I like the basic stuff like a pizza cutter (for the odd takeaway) and if you want a proper cheffy fnish on a dessert, you can’t beat using a blowtorch. I don’t bother getting anything fancy; I go to my local DIY chain to get mine for under £20. But my favourite gadget at the moment is a bit of a luxury – a gas-powered spit so I can do my own hog roast! I’m experimenting with Tandooristyle meat on it too. Did you ever wonder if you’d bitten off more than you could chew when you agreed to do BBC One's Operation Hospital Food? I knew it was going to be hard work, and it was. But I thought that even if I only helped to change one hospital, it was better than doing nothing. I realised early on that it was about more than just food. It was about the staff and patients as well. I had few tense moments with kitchen teams but they realised I was on their side. I’m proud that in the three hospitals where we flmed the changes, food and staff are still in place and thriving. You created your frst kitchen garden in 2006. Do you have any tips for frst-timers? I’d say grow courgettes as a frst veg. They are

really easy and you get a good-sized crop. A brick wall is a great help as it retains heat and makes it much easier for things to grow. Or get a little greenhouse and start off with tomatoes. Growing your own is great and you feel a new respect for food when you’ve put in the hard work to grow it.

Saturday Kitchen recently celebrated its 15th birthday – what changes have you noticed? It blows me away how popular it still is. Did you know it’s the longest running Saturday morning show on TV? I think the secret is its laid back atmosphere. We have flm stars coming on the show because they prefer food and a natter to a glitzy chat show. This is refected in the food we cook too. Certainly our guest chefs now cook more food you can cook at home – accessible cooking, I call it. We have lots of real foodie guests now. The snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan knew so much about food when we had him on and Michael Parkinson knew all about life in the kitchen – he helps out in his son’s award-winning pub! What are the worst things you’ve ever eaten…and the best? Worst is always room service in a hotel. The best tend to be great meals in lovely locations as it’s about the atmosphere as well as food. You can’t beat Gidleigh Park (where Great British Menu’s Michael Caines is the chef), but there are so many great locations, I’m spoilt for choice.

If you want a cheffy finish on a dessert, you can’t beat a blowtorch. I go to my local DIY chain for mine

James Martin was born into the chef’s life: his father ran the catering side of Castle Howard stately home in Yorkshire where, when he was only 12, James cooked for the Queen Mother!

Do you have any ingredients you can’t live without? For puddings, I love maple syrup. It turns a quick pancake into something special. I can’t cook without butter, and I use lots of different salts – for example, Maldon and Cornish sea salts both have slightly different favours and textures so they work well in different dishes. And fnally... it’s it true that you have an irrational hatred of tomato ketchup? Guilty! I’m not going to ban anyone else from eating it, but let’s just say I’m not a fan! BBC Easy Cook 81

TASTY IDEAS

Recipe index MEAT & POULTRY

Sesame chicken

NEXT TIME IN BBQ FEASTS

20-minute beef in red wine .............................. 34 Asparagus pizzas with prosciutto ..................... 22 Chicken curry ................................................... 37 Chicken stir-fry ................................................. 12 Chilli-lime chicken ............................................ 10 Chop and toss salad ......................................... 62 Chorizo and kale hash with a fried egg ............... 8 Cider, mustard and herb chicken ...................... 36 Garlic chicken ................................................... 39 Inside-out cheeseburgers .................................. 62 Italian burger with fresh tomato salsa............... 11 Italian-style roast pork with crispy crackling ..... 64 Lamb with buckwheat noodles ......................... 18 Lemon and garlic chicken................................. 68 One-pan pea and ham pasta .............................. 8 Pork loin roast with fig and apple stuffing......... 43 Quick chilli con carne ....................................... 22 Sausage, bean & bacon bake............................ 35 Sausage stew ................................................... 75 Sausages with piquant beans ........................... 20 Shish kebabs ...................................................... 6 Slow-cook lamb ................................................ 39 Spiced braised venison with chocolate ............ 48 Spicy lamb and rice timbale ............................. 18 Steak, roasted pepper and pearl barley salad... 38 Super-simple roast chicken .............................. 37 Thai shredded chicken...................................... 12

FISH & SEAFOOD

Almond-crusted fish with saffron sauce ............ 74 Fish with bacon crumble topping...................... 22 Lemony tuna & asparagus salad box ................ 27 Salmon and dill puffs ....................................... 77 Spicy prawn pizzas ........................................... 55 Poached salmon ............................................... 76 Prawn jalfrezi.................................................... 15 Thai pesto prawn noodles ................................... 7 Teriyaki salmon parcels ...................................... 8

VEGETARIAN Perfect for outdoor eating

DELICIOUS PUDS

Strawberry crunch pie PLUS lots more brilliant ideas

June issue ON SALE £O.NLY 40 1st May Don’t miss out, subscribe today – see page 30 for more details 82 BBC Easy Cook

Asparagus soup................................................ 47 Asparagus with dipping sauce .......................... 47 Broad bean and feta cheese toasts................... 16 Cannellini bean and egg salad .......................... 14 Chard, coriander and cashew pizza .................. 24 Cauliflower cheese burgers ............................... 72 Crispy cauliflower cheese ................................. 34 Goat’s cheese toasts......................................... 16 Gratin of white cabbage and lentils in Provençal sauce ............................................ 75 Griddled aubergines with sultanas.................... 18 Kale, ricotta and pesto pasta ............................ 74 Mexican tortilla soup ........................................ 24 Miso-glazed tofu steaks with beansprout salad ... 45 Mushroom fajitas & avocado houmous ............. 12 Noodle and tahini tangle .................................. 25 Pepper & walnut houmous with veggie dippers ... 27 Quick broccoli soup .......................................... 62 Roast squash, goat’s cheese & asparagus salad 69 Slow-roast tomato tatin .................................... 54 Squash, mushroom & blue cheese pilaf ........... 44

SIDES & EXTRAS

Avocado sandwich topper ................................. 27 Broccoli & green beans with toasted hazelnuts ... 66 Cheese and mustard dip .................................. 41 Cheesy chips .................................................... 41 Dolcelatte-stuffed figs ....................................... 75

ISSUE 81 MAY 2015

A great recipe to try These gorgeous fondant fancies look so pretty and are easy to make (page 58). Pretend you’re on a Bake Off ‘challenge’!

Easy cheesy garlic bread .................................. 62 Family fondue ................................................... 62 Garlic and basil mash....................................... 28 Health loaf ....................................................... 70 Herb mayonnaise ............................................. 77 Herby crust for lamb ........................................ 34 Homemade salmon pâté .................................. 77 Hot white chocolate .......................................... 49 Lemon & sage roasties ..................................... 42 Lemony potato gratin ....................................... 66 Marinade for lamb chops.................................. 75 Mini hasselbacks with dill ................................. 28 Mini prosciutto and asparagus frittatas ............ 46 Quick fritters .................................................... 62 Rachel’s chutney............................................... 72 Ricotta and spring onion dip ............................ 74 Speedy cheese sauce ....................................... 62 Sticky potato wedges........................................ 28 Sweet roasted onions ....................................... 66 Three-layer Mexican dip .................................... 62 Thyme-herbed soda bread ................................ 71 Waterloo sunsets .............................................. 41

DESSERTS

Apricot and ginger frangipane tart.................... 66 Balsamic strawberries filo layer with banana mousse ............................................ 33 Banoffee mess.................................................. 33 Blackberry and pear crumble ........................... 34 Bucks fizzers puds ........................................... 41 Chocolate balloon bowls ................................... 49 Ginger creams .................................................... 3 Fromage frais mousse ...................................... 50 Maple crunch ice cream ................................... 74 Peach and blueberry cobbler ............................ 51 Posh ice cream sandwiches .............................. 51 Virtuous apple & pear pie ................................. 43

CAKES & BAKES

Banana and peanut butter cupcakes ................ 52 Big chocolate buttons....................................... 56 Cheese scones.................................................. 62 Chocolate bark ................................................. 73 Churros ............................................................ 58 Douze-pointes pies ........................................... 40 Fruit figgy flapjacks .......................................... 75 Lemon and lavender fondant fancies ................ 58 Maple, pecan and raisin cookies ....................... 74 Popping candy lollies ........................................ 49 Raspberry bakewell cake .................................. 75 Scotch egg pasties ........................................... 55 Strawberry and almond cheesecake sponge ..... 53 Vanilla thins...................................................... 34 Very chocolatey cake ........................................ 57 White chocolate and peanut butter cookies ...... 60

This magazine is owned by BBC Worldwide and produced on its behalf by Immediate Media Company London Limited. BBC Worldwide’s profits are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the licence-fee payer. ISSN 17439175. Reprographics by Immediate Media Company London Limited. Printed by Polestar Chantry. © Immediate Media Company London Limited 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors in advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations. BBC Worldwide Ltd is a registered data user whose entries in the Data Protection Register contain descriptions of sources and disclosures of personal data. The text paper for BBC Easy Cook is printed on 65gsm Graphocote produced by SCA. It is elementally chlorine free and coated with kaolin from Brazil. The cover is printed on 150gsm Royal Roto produced by Sappi Paper at their Nijmegen mill in Holland. It is elementally chlorine free and coated with china clay produced in the UK. Immediate Media is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certified paper. This magazine can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping and dispose of it at your local collection point. With thanks to BBC Good Food magazine, where some recipes have previously appeared.

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