Jenny's Pantry

Turkey Meatball Tagine

2011-06-12T15:22:00.000+01:00

A quick and simple recipe based on the Moroccan tagine.

Serves 2

Meatballs
250g Turkey mince
Half a small onion, finely chopped
Half tsp ground cumin
Half tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chopped coriander
1 red chili
Salt and ground black pepper

Sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 400g tin tomatoes
100ml Chicken stock

Half tsp ground cumin

Half tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaf

Quarter tsp turmeric
Salt and ground black pepper

Prepare the meatballs in a bowl. This makes about 8/9 meatballs the size of golf balls. If possible, leave the meatballs in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan to a medium heat. Fry the meatballs until they just turn brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over a low-medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until soft.

Add the tomatoes, stock, spices and coriander leaf. Season well with salt and black pepper.

Bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with couscous.

Summer Salad 2: Broccoli and Roast Garlic

2011-06-04T14:48:00.000+01:00

A quick and low-calorie side salad that goes great with pasta salads, cold meats, or couscous salads.

1 head of Broccoli, cut into small florets
6 cloves of garlic, skins still on
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 180 degree celcius (200 if it's not a fan oven)

Roast garlic in 2 tbsp of olive oil for 20 minutes.

Blanch broccoli in boiling water for one minute. Drain and immediately drop the broccoli into cold water.

Drain and place in a salad bowl. Stir in the roast garlic cloves and serve.

Summer Salad 1: Beetroot and Walnut Salad

2011-05-28T15:47:00.000+01:00

A light and nutritious side salad perfect for picnics or summer lunches.

Walnuts were recently declared the King of Nuts for their top-notch nutritional value. So it's always good to find new ways to incorporate superfoods into your diet. With summer now here, salads become more appealing in the warm weather. This salad is a real superfood salad, packed with goodness. I use pre-cooked beetroot in this recipe. This means minimal preparation time and the vinegar beetroot are traditionally stored in adds a nice zing to the salad.

For a real low-calorie alternative, omit the walnuts.

4 cooked beetroot
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
2 handfuls of baby leaf spinach
25g walnuts
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the beetroot into roughly 1-2 inch sized chunks. Place in a salad bowl and add the onion and spinach, and the balsamic vinegar. Mix together.

Break the walnuts into small pieces and sprinkle over the salad.

Season well with freshly ground black paper.

Turkey Chili

2011-04-30T15:52:00.000+01:00

This recipe for a hearty Turkey chili is a much lighter affair than the traditional Chili con Carne. Turkey meat is lower in saturated fat and replacing beef stock with chicken stock also reduces the richness of the meal. This is not to say that the traditional recipe of Beef Chili is not fantastic, of course it is! But it is nice to update such traditional recipes, and with the weather getting warmer, it's nice to have some lighter alternatives while still enjoying a great chili dinner.

Serves 2

250g Turkey mince
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2-3 green or red chillies, chopped (de-seed if you want)
1 red or green pepper, sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
Half tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 400g tin tomatoes
100ml chicken stock
1 400g tin red kidney beans
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the chopped chillies and sauté for a further minute.

Add the turkey mince and cook until it changes colour, this should take about 3-4 minutes. Add the ground cumin and cook for a further minute.

Add the sliced pepper and stir.

Add the tomatoes, stock, kidney beans, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Stir well and season with salt and ground black pepper.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer. Leave for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Check seasoning and serve with brown rice or crusty bread.

Chicken and Chickpea Curry

2011-04-14T15:36:00.000+01:00

Enjoy a delicious homemade curry for dinner tonight with this simple and quick recipe.

I love making up quick and easy curries for dinner. I am also a big fan of including chickpeas in curries and this recipe can easily be turned into a vegetarian dinner by omitting the chicken and doubling the amount of chickpeas. I serve this recipe with couscous, but it also works with pitta bread or rice instead. Read how to cook couscous here.

Serves 2

Half tsp ground cumin
Half tsp ground coriander
Half tsp garam masala
Half tsp curry powder
Quarter tsp chili powder

1 chicken fillet, chopped into pieces
Half tin chickpeas
Half tin tomatoes
50ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
Half tsp chopped ginger

Heat some olive oil in a pot over a low to medium heat.

Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in olive oil until the onion begins to turn golden brown.

Add the spices and sauté for a further minute.

Add the chicken and cook for two minutes or until the chicken has almost turned white.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and stock, and stir well. Reduce to a simmer and leave for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle chopped coriander over the curry to serve.

Mediterranean Roast Vegetable Couscous

2011-04-06T12:58:00.000+01:00

This is a simple and delicious recipe that will help you get to your 5-a-day vegetable intake. This can be eaten straightaway, or cool in the fridge and have for your lunch the next day. Either way, it tastes great! You can also choose to amend the selection of vegetables in this dish - aubergine would also work great in this recipe.

Serves 2

1 courgette, cut into 1cm discs
1 large red onion, cut into large chunks
1 red pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Half tsp chopped basil
Half tsp chopped rosemary
Half tsp chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

120g dry couscous
100ml vegetable stock

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Put the vegetables into a roasting dish. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. Season and stir well. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

To make the couscous, put the dry couscous in a bowl, add the stock (at near boiling temperature), and cover. Leave for 5 minutes. Then fluff up the couscous with a fork.

Remove the roast vegetables from the oven. Tip the couscous into the roasting dish and mix with the vegetables to get all the flavours from the roasting dish.

Serve with a roast chicken or salmon fillet and this also tastes great with a dollop of hummus :-)

Mother's Day and Breakthrough Breast Cancer

2011-03-29T18:47:00.000+01:00

Mother's day is fast approaching and what is a better way to show your Mum you care than by cooking her a delicious dinner? Let you Mum put her feet up and impress with a new and tasty recipe. To celebrate Mother's day and raise awareness for a great cause, Breakthrough Breast Cancer are launching an online pamphlet with several delicious recipes that you can prepare on Mother's day.

The picture below is for Asian Steamed Sea Bass, which looks delicious, but there are also several more recipes to choose from. You can download the recipes here. But also read below to get some information on Breakthrough Breast Cancer and their reasons for creating the recipe pamphlet.

Make Mother’s Day Matter

Show your Mum you love her by cooking her something special this Mothering Sunday

To celebrate Mother’s Day this April, pioneering charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer and bestselling author Jane Greenhave teamed up to release a free exclusive recipe booklet, with accompanying photography, to encourage people to get cooking for their Mums.

The free recipe booklet, which is available to download from http://breakthrough.org.uk/mothersday, features 8 delicious and easy-to-make recipes from Jane Green’s newest novel The Love Verb. Jane wrote The Love Verb, after her experiences of nursing her best friend Heidi through breast cancer, a fight that Heidi tragically lost. One of the ways Jane supported Heidi and her family was by cooking for them, and so Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Jane Green are encouraging people to show their Mums they care, by treating them to something special and home-cooked this Mother’s Day.

Also available to download and send are a selection of Mother’s Day e-cards. Featuring mouth-watering photography of each of the recipes, they carry a pledge to make the dish pictured as a Mother’s Day treat.

Breast cancer is a disease which devastates nearly 48,000 women and their families every year. That’s why this Mother’s Day, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Jane Green are asking people to remember those affected by this terrible disease. Anyone who downloads the recipe booklet and finds it useful is encouraged to make a donation to help the charity continue its life saving work and help to create a future free from the fear of breast cancer.

For more information about the campaign and to download the recipe booklet visit http://breakthrough.org.uk/mothersday or join the conversation on Facebook.com/BreakthroughBC.

The Healthiest Nut Winner: Walnuts!

2011-03-28T16:45:00.000+01:00

New research has found that walnuts are the health champion of nuts. Packed with antioxidants, walnuts offer the best health benefits of all nuts.

Check out the BBC story here. Then go buy some walnuts...

Beef and Mushroom Ragu

2011-03-24T18:54:00.000+00:00

I was really inspired by some gorgeous pasta recipes in the Guardian a few weeks back (see them here). I gave the beef sauce recipe a go but with a few variations. I used beef mince instead of beef shin, added some mushrooms, and stuck with the more traditional penne instead of pasta sheets.

The result? Delicious. With requests of a repeat. Soon. :-)

So if you have time on your hands this weekend, why not put it to good use? This recipe will take about 2.5-3 hours from start to finish, but is completely worth it!

This recipe is very easy but it does take time as it is necessary to give the sauce a couple of hours to simmer. So this is probably one best left for the weekend :-) But, it is worth it! The beef stock and wine add a great richness and depth to this dish

Serves 2

250g beef mince
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
Half of 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp chopped thyme
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
125ml red wine
350ml beef stock
1 200ml tin chopped tomatoes
250g mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Heat some oil in a large pot over a low heat. Put the onion, carrot, and celery in a pot with the bay leaves and thyme, cover and sweat for 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Remove the mixture from the pot, set aside, and remove the bay leaves. Turn up the heat and add the beef mince. Cook until the mince has turned a pale brown colour. But don't overcook, remove once the mince has changed colour.

Set the mince aside as well and add the wine to the pot. Cook on a high heat until the wine reduces by about two-thirds. Then return the beef and vegetables to the pot along with the stock and tomatoes. Now also add the mushrooms and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer and partially cover. Allow the ragu to simmer for two hours, stiring occasionally and remove the lid completely after the first hour. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.

Serve with pasta of your choice, such as penne or tagliatelle, and bread.

Veggie Sausages with Baked Beans

2011-03-18T18:25:00.001+00:00

Looking for something for the weekend..?

This recipe works as both a fantastic veggie breakfast/brunch or lunch. Packed with protein and low in fat, this meal will keep hunger at bay and provide you with energy. It may not look the most appetising, but it tastes fantastic...

Of course, if veggie sausages are not your thing, this works perfectly with meat sausages too :-)

Serves 1

2 veggie sausages (I use the Linda McCartney range)
1 small tin baked beans
6 cherry or baby plum tomatoes, halved
2 thick slices wholemeal/wholegrain bread
Freshly ground black pepper

Turn on the grill and cook the sausages as per pack instructions. I use a George Foreman grill for this and it cooks the sausages faster - usually in 4-5 minutes.

When the sausages are nearly cooked put the beans into a pot and put on a low heat. Then put the tomatoes and bread under the grill too.

Remove the sausages when cooked. Cut in bite-size pieces and stir into the beans.

Remove the tomatoes from under the grill when they have softened. And don't forget to turn the bread!

Stir the tomatoes into the beans too.

Remove the bread from the grill and spoon the bean and sausage mixture on top. Season well with freshly ground black pepper.

London: Top 10 Budget Eats

2011-03-11T14:29:00.000+00:00

The Guardian has published its top 10 budget eats in central London. I'm happy to see that I have some of these on my London Food Highlights list :-)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/mar/11/central-london-restaurants-budget-eats

Favourite Food: Almond Butter

2011-03-10T20:40:00.000+00:00

For a great alternative to peanut butter, try almond butter. I'm loving spreading this over toasted bread at the moment, for a healthy and filling snack that tastes great too.

Almonds are a super-food and are one of the most nutritious of all nuts. Almonds are packed with Vitamin E and also provide you with calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Evidence suggests that almonds can help fight cancer and contribute toward having a healthy and strong heart.

But do remember, all nuts are high in calories so if you are watching your weight spread the almond butter thinly :-)

Turkey Mince Burritos

2011-03-07T15:51:00.001+00:00

Turkey mince is not something usually associated with Tex-Mex meals, but it can work in recipes as a great substitute for beef mince and as a tasty alternative for chicken. Turkey meat is very low in fat and high in protein. So if you usually avoid burritos because you are concerned about the nutritional aspect, then why not try this recipe for homemade and healthy turkey mince burritos instead?

Serves 2

250g Turkey mince
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped finely or crushed
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder (hot or mild)
Ground black pepper
1 tsp tobasco sauce
10 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 wholewheat flour tortillas

Iceberg lettuce leaves
Grated mozzarella cheese

Sweat the onion and garlic for 10 minutes on a low heat with the lid on.

Turn the heat up to medium, add the turkey mince and cook until the meat has changed colour and is no longer pink.

Add all the spices, tobasco sauce, and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and peppers and leave on a low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes have become soft and mushy.

For the flour tortillas, either heat in the microwave on a high heat for a minute, or place in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, covered with tinfoil, for 10-15 minutes.

To make the burrito, place the lettuce, turkey mince mixture, and cheese on the tortilla. Serve with salsa and guacamole (follow the links for recipes). Fold up the tortilla and enjoy.

Spicy Tomato Salsa

2011-02-27T17:19:00.001+00:00

Salsa is so easy to make and there are so many recipes, with several possible ingredients to include or exclude. I like to keep things pretty basic for salsa, but most importantly, I really want to taste the tomatoes, and not let the other flavours dominate. This means that using good quality, fresh tomatoes is really important. I like to use cherry or piccolo tomatoes as I find them the most flavoursome.

One crucial aspect of a salsa recipe is the spiciness. It's really easy to alter the spice level, although it may take a few attempts to get it right. Personally, I go for a pretty hot flavour but the milder varieties taste great too.

There are many salsa recipes to choose from, but the recipe below is very quick and easy to make. Serve on a Mexican dinner night, alongside burritos or fajitas.

10 cherry tomatoes, diced
Half tsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp lemon juice
Half red chili, chopped finely
Half spring onion, chopped finely
Salt/Ground black pepper

The best way to do this is to dice the tomatoes then place them on a chopping board. Add the chopped chili, spring onion, and coriander. Now with a sharp knife, chop quickly across the mixture until all the ingredients blend together, without it becoming mushy.

Then, place in a bowl, add the lemon juice, and mix well. Season to taste.

If you prefer a milder taste, you can omit the chili, or simply add less.

Chicken Pesto and Mozzarella Bagel

2011-02-21T17:23:00.000+00:00

For me, this is the ultimate and best way to eat a bagel. I used to eat one very similar to this from a bagel cafe beside my University. I really cannot recall how many of those I ate during my college years...A lot, but it never got old :-)

It was called 'The Italian Job', although they used to put mayonaisse and red onion on it too. I don't think this bagel needs that many flavours to make it delicious. Chicken and pesto is a classic combination and buffalo mozzarella is fabulous with both. For a slight change I like to use smoked chicken breast, which really complements the other flavours. But this will taste great with plain chicken as well.

100-125g smoked chicken breast, sliced
1 tbsp green pesto
50g buffalo mozzarella, sliced
1 wholewheat bagel

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Prepare the bagel. Layer the ingrediants - chicken first, pesto, mozzarella, and a little more pesto if you like.

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Check that the bagel has become crisp on the outside and that the mozzarella has begun to melt.

Enjoy!!

Also, try this with a different flavoured pesto. Sun-dried tomato pesto or chili pesto are delicious as well.

Beef Stir-fry with Birds Eye Chili and Oyster Sauce

2011-02-12T18:02:00.000+00:00

A beef stir-fry is one of my favourite meals to get in an Asian restaurant. Thankfully, it is also really easy to cook at home. For me, the secret to a delicious beef stir-fry is to marinade the beef beforehand and not to overcook it. I also have a preference for spicy beef stir-fries, hence this recipe. Using birds-eye chilis adds an extra kick to any dish and if you want genuine spice in your meals then they are the way to go.

As always, stir-fries are a great way to pack lots of vegetables into your diet and are very versatile. This recipe can be easily changed by swapping the beef for chicken, prawns, or tofu - and all will taste delicious.

Serves 2

250g round steak (with fat trimmed)

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp oyster sauce

2 birds eye chilis, finely sliced (or opt for one, depending on how spicy you want it - bird's eye chillis are hot!!)

1 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

10 broccoli florets

1 red pepper, sliced

100g mangetout

1 pack/tin of bamboo shoots

2 spring onions, halved and split into thin slices

Begin by preparing the beef. Trim the beef of any lumps of fat. Slice the beef very thinly - about 1-2 mm thick. Then season the slices with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the beef in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, the birds eye chilis, garlic, and ginger. Massage the beef to help it absorb all the flavours. Cover and put the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

After a few hours remove the beef from the refrigerator to take the chill of the beef. Then prepare the vegetables.

Heat oil in a pot to a medium-high heat. Split the beef into two batches, including the chili, garlic, and ginger. Cook each batch separately for about 30-45 seconds, constantly moving the beef around the pot. Once the beef is almost completely brown, remove it from the pot and place in a bowl and set aside. Remember the beef is sliced extremely thinly so it will cook very fast, and if you overcook it, the beef will become tough.

With all the beef removed, add some extra oil to the pot and add the broccoli. Stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Add the peppers and mangetout and cook for a further 2 minutes. Finally, add the bamboo shoots and the spring onion. After a minute, return the beef to the pot and mix all the ingredients together.

Lower the heat and add the oyster sauce, and an additional tablespoon of soy sauce. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with brown rice or wholewheat noodles, and maybe a glass of water...Enjoy!

Guacamole

2011-02-06T14:21:00.000+00:00

I hate buying guacamole. It is so easy to make, and generally, the homemade versions taste much better. The only difficulty can be getting a sufficiently ripe avocado. Once ripe, an avocado goes out of date quite quickly, so supermarkets can be reluctant to stock ripe avocados. An exception to this rule is Waitrose, which stocks both under-ripe and perfectly ripe avocados. So if you are planning on making guacamole tonight, then Waitrose supermarket (for those in the UK) is your best bet. If not, buy an under-ripe avocado a few days in advance. You will know how important a ripe avocado is when you try and make guacamole with an under-ripe one. The flesh of a ripe avocado should be really soft and mushy, so it is very easy to mash up. An under-ripe avocado requires some more elbow grease....

1 avocado
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 tbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chopped parsley
Salt/ Black pepper

Cut the avocado in half. Remove the skin from each side and place the flesh in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mash with a fork.

Season to taste.

Serve on the side of burritos or fajitas, or have as a snack with tortilla chips.

Moules Provencale

2011-01-27T11:38:00.000+00:00

There has been much in the Foodie news recently about eating 'sustainable' fish. This means cutting down on your cod, haddock, and salmon intake, and instead, finding recipes for mackerel, trout, mussels, and sardines, and many more of the ignored fish in the sea. If you feel guilty about running down fish stocks and feel the need to east something sustainable, then mussels are a great place to start. Mussels are delicious but are also low in calories, low in fat, and high in protein. They also cook very quickly.

The risk of food poisoning often turns people off cooking or eating shellfish. But if you are careful in the preparation and cooking process, the risk is low so do not let it deter you from enjoying a wonderful meal of mussels.

In this recipe, the mussels are cooked in the classic French Provencal sauce. This is a lot lighter and healthier than the creamy sauces often used to cook mussels.

Serves 2

36-40 mussels, debearded

1 tbsp olive oil

3 shallots, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 (400g) tin chopped tomatoes

1 tsp tomato purée

1 tbsp chopped basil

1 tbsp chopped oregano

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt/Black pepper

Begin by cleaning and debearding the mussels. Find any mussels with open shells. Tap the shell, if it closes then keep, if it does not then discard. Once all mussels are clean and checked, set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Sweat the shallots and garlic in the oil for 5-10 minutes, until soft. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, basil, and oregano. Season and cover. Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the mussels and the cherry tomatoes. Cover, and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Shake the pot once or twice during cooking. Check the mussels and discard any that have not opened their shells. Check the seasoning - add salt and black pepper is necessary.

Using a slotted spoon, place mussels in bowls and pour sauce over the top.

Serve with crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

Honey and Mustard Dressing

2011-01-17T22:58:00.000+00:00

With new year's resolutions abound, one common meal is now the salad - a pile of green leaves on a plate and maybe some tomatoes for colour...But it does not have to be such a dull affair. Not only can salads cram in a delicious range of fruit and vegetables, but a good dressing can add taste and life to the plainest of salads. Honey and mustard dressing is probably one of the more popular dressings seen in the supermarkets and cafes and restaurants. But it is very easy to make at home. I really like serving this with a side salad served alongside lasagne.

In order to get a consistent and creamy texture you need to use a blender but if you don't have access to a blender just mix the ingredients and best you can with a teaspoon and chop the garlic finely or use a garlic crusher.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 clove garlic
Salt and black pepper

Put the olive oil, honey, and mustard in a blender.

Cut the clove of garlic in half and add the pieces to the blender.

Season the mixture.

Turn on the blender and mix to a creamy texture. check to make sure that the garlic has been blended as well. Taste to check for flavour. If you would like the dressing to be a bit sweeter add some more honey and blend again.

Serve with a side salad of iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and spring onions.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-01-09T14:33:00.000+00:00

With Christmas over, all that remains of winter is the cold...and holding out for the first signs of spring, which will probably be cold too anyway...But at least the cold provides a need for some hot and spicy dishes. Food can provide both a defense and comfort against the harshness of winter and one thing I generally opt for is a good, hot and spicy soup. Chicken noodle soup is a classic and for good reason. The inclusion of noodles make it feel like you are having a proper meal. The addition of a chili adds the necessary heat to tackle the winter chill. This soup does work without the chili, but in winter I love the cosy comfort offered by a good, spicy soup. This is a very quick recipe and can be easily reheated - in fact, this soup is delicious reheated as all the flavours have had time to combine together.

Serves 2-3

2 chicken fillets
800ml chicken stock
1 tsp finely chopped root ginger
1 red chili, sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
50g wholewheat noodles
2-3 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chopped basil

Pout the stock into a pot with the garlic, ginger, and chili. Bring to the boil and add the chicken fillets. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and leave for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot. Slice into small pieces then return to the pot with the noodles, mushrooms, spring onion, and soy sauce.

Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add the basil and stir.

Ladle into bowls and serve with crispy bread to really bulk this meal up.

****It is easy to make a vegetarian version of this soup. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and omit the chicken. In place of the chicken, add more mushrooms or an extra portion of noodles. Or you can include additional vegetables, such as sweetcorn - just add with the mushrooms and noodles.

****For a lighter, or carb-free version, omit the noodles. This makes a delicious, light, and spicy broth. Perfect as a starter.

Simple Teriyaki Salmon

2011-01-03T22:11:00.000+00:00

Every new year I make a resolution to eat more fish and take advantage of all the health benefits fish offer. This quick recipe is one of my favourites and makes for a simple and delicious dinner.

Serves 2

2 Salmon fillets

For the Teriyaki Marinade

4 tbsp of Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
Salt/Ground Black pepper

Put the sugar in a small bowl or cup. Add the boiling water and mix well.

Add the Chinese rice wine and Soy sauce. Mix well and season.

Place the salmon in a deep bowl or roasting dish. Spoon the teriyaki sauce over the salmon and then turn the fillets over in the bowl to make sure all sides of the salmon are covered in the marinade.

Cover and put in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius. Cook the Salmon fillets for 15 minutes. Serve with stir-fried vegetables and noodles or rice.

Chicken and Cashew Nut Stir-Fry with Oyster Sauce

2010-12-12T17:03:00.000+00:00

A stir-fry is one of my favourite meals. And if I am in the mood for something really nourishing and packed with goodness, it's my number one option. Stir-fries are also incredibly versatile. They work with most meat and you can choose to include pretty much any vegetables you want. Make sure that you do vary the vegetable selection and try some less common vegetables, such as pak choi (Chinese cabbage) or tender-stem broccoli. The other great addition to a stir-fry is the cashew nut. If you have never tried cashew nuts in a stir-fry then get to it now! Cashew nuts taste great in a savoury meal, and their crunchy texture works perfectly in a stir-fry.

This recipe can also works as a vegetarian dish - just treble the amount of cashew nuts and remove the chicken. Or, just replace the chicken with tofu. If using tofu, make sure you add it at the end of the stir-fry, just before adding the sauce.

Finally, if you don't have a wok don't worry. It's the best to use, but I've made plenty of delicious stir-fries in a good sized pot. But do try to have two wooden spoons or spatulas to cook the stir-fry. In order to stop overcooking the food needs to be constantly moved around the wok, this is easiest to do with two wooden spoons.

Serves 2

2 chicken fillets

1 onion

Selection of vegetables (pick 3-4), such as mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli, green beans, mangetout, or pak choi

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 inch of ginger, chopped finely

1 green chili (optional), sliced (I keep the seeds in)

75g cashew nuts

6-7 tbsp Soy sauce (you will need about 4 tbsp for the marinade and the remainder for the sauce)

4 tbsp Oyster sauce

1 tbsp Nam pla (fish sauce)

Pinch of chili flakes (optional)

Olive oil

First prepare the chicken. Do this 2 or 3 hours beforehand if you can. If not, give the chicken at least 10 minutes to absorb some of the flavours. Cut the chicken into good sized chunks. Place in a bowl and add the ginger and garlic, and the chili if you want to add a little spice. Then add the soy sauce - about 4-5 tbsp should ensure that all the chicken pieces are covered. Next, using your hands (make sure they are clean first...) massage the chicken pieces, ensuring that all the flavours from the ginger, garlic, and chili get right into the chicken. Cover the bowl and leave to sit in the fridge.

To prepare the veg, chop it all into chunks. The key for a stir-fry is that the vegetables maintain their crunch so make sure you don't chop anything up to small. This goes for the onion too. I like to chop an onion into 1.5-2 cm wide rings, then cut each ring in half and peel off the pieces of onion. This means that the pieces of onion won't get lost in the stir-fry and can maintain a nice crunch which is the perfect stir-fry texture.

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat. Add the chicken to the wok along with the rest of the contents of the bowl. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, constantly moving the chicken pieces around the wok. Make sure that the chicken is white all over but don't let it cook too much as this means will be quite tough by the end of cooking.

Add the cashew nuts next and stir-fry for about a minute.

Then begin adding the veg. If you are using mushrooms I would add these first, to ensure that they are cooked through by the end of the cooking. Leave then to cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the remainder of the veg and stir-fry for 3 minutes, again, making sure that you keep everything constantly moving around the wok.

Next, add the sauce. Add about 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of nam pla (fish sauce). Then add the oyster sauce - about 4 tbsp. Add as much of these sauces as you think necessary, depending on the amount of sauce you would like, and the amount of vegetables you cooked. However, don't add too much soy sauce as this will overpower the oyster sauce.

To finish off, add some chili flakes if you want some added spice.

Serve with brown rice or wholewheat noodles.

Halibut Steak with Tomato and Garlic

2010-12-04T18:50:00.001+00:00

I need some variety when it comes to white fish, I usually go for haddock but halibut makes a great alternative (although a little bit more expensive...but worth it). Halibut has a meatier texture but like all white fish it is great for cooking alongside lots of delicious flavours. See the recipe below.

Serves 2

2 Halibut steaks
About 25-30 cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp chopped basil
Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C

Keep about half the cherry tomatoes on the vine, as in the picture above. Remove the rest from the vine and cut into quarters. Place in a bowl along with the garlic, oil, and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Place the halibut steaks in a roasting dish and spoon the tomato mixture onto the top of the steaks. Place the remaining cherry tomatoes on the vine alongside the halibut.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

How to Cook Scallops

2010-11-25T22:20:00.000+00:00

Scallops are possibly my favourite shellfish but they can be tricky to cook. Overcooking is the biggest problem with scallops but following the instructions below should improve your chances of getting that perfect texture.

Serves 2

180g King Scallops (about 6 individual scallops)
Olive oil

Before you begin cooking, pat the scallops with some kitchen tissue. Make sure you remove all excess moisture, as this is important for proper cooking.

Heat the pan to a very high heat. When the pan is very hot (it should be uncomfortable to hold your hand above the pan for a few seconds), add some oil and swirl it around the pan.

Place the scallops on the pan and leave for 2 minutes. Do not touch or move them in any way- this ensures they will get that nice seared, crispy texture. After 2 minutes, turn the scallops and cook for a further 1 and a half minutes.

Remove from the hot pan and serve as you like! I love scallops with pasta and a light tomato sauce (see pictures above).

Char-grilled Peppers

2010-11-20T22:10:00.000+00:00

This recipe for chargrilled red peppers is simple and the peppers taste delicious in several different recipes. I particularly like adding these to a tomato sauce, with some other veg and serving with pasta. Both the taste and the texture is better than using sautéed peppers.

Serves 1

1 medium red pepper

1 tbsp good olive oil

Heat a grill to a medium-hot temperature.

Slice the pepper into full-length strips, about 1-2 inches wide. Place on tinfoil, skin side up, and drizzle with the olive oil.

Place under the grill for 10-12 minutes. Turn the peppers every five minutes. Remove when the skin of the pepper begins to blister and black spots appear.

Serve warm in a salad or with tuna steaks, or stir into a tomato-based pasta sauce (especially good as part of a veggie-pasta dish).