Rainbow orzo salad

Rainbow orzo salad

 

Ingredients

• 2 pepper, different colours if you like, deseeded and sliced
• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cherry tomato, halved
• 25g orzo pasta
• 25g feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped basil

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the peppers and onion in a roasting tin and drizzle with half the oil. Roast for 20 mins, adding the tomatoes for the final 5 mins. Leave to cool.
2. Cook the orzo following pack instructions, then run under cold water to cool before draining thoroughly. Toss with the vegetables, the remaining oil, the feta and basil. Will keep in the fridge for a few days.

 

Watermelon & spinach super salad

 

Ingredients

• 100g quinoa
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• ½ small watermelon, skin and seeds removed, cut into chunks
• 80g baby spinach
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
• ½ small pack mint, finely chopped
• 50g feta, crumbled
• juice 1 lime
• 1 punnet salad cress

Method

1. Rinse the quinoa, then put it in a pan with a fitted lid and cover with 200ml water. Cook, covered, over a medium heat for 15 mins or until fluffy and the water has been absorbed. Don’t worry if it catches on the bottom at little. Fork through to separate the grains , then leave to cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the pumpkin seeds for 1 min or until they start to pop. Tip into a serving bowl or on a platter with the watermelon, spinach, avocado, mint and feta. Toss through the quinoa , then squeeze over the lime juice with a pinch of seasoning. Top with the cress and serve.

 

Salade Niçoise

 

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb fresh tuna or 4 x 175g/6oz tuna steaks, 2.5cm/1in thick
• 8 new potatoes, cooked and quartered lengthways
• 4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 115g/4oz extra fine French beans, topped, cooked and drained
• 4 little gem lettuce hearts, quartered lengthways
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 4 eggs, cooked for 6 minutes in boiling water from room temperature, halved
• 6 anchovy fillets cut lengthways into thin strips
• 16 pitted black olives in brine
• 8 basil leaves, ripped

For the dressing or marinade

• 105ml/7tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp aged red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp freshly snipped chives
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. To make the dressing or marinade whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, chives, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Place the tuna in a shallow dish and pour over half of the dressing. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours to allow the fish to marinate. Toss in the marinade from time to time.
5. Heat a ridged griddle pan on the hob or a hot barbecue for 5 minutes. Remove the tuna from the marinade. Cook the tuna steaks for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on how rare you like your fish.
7. Lay the lettuce leaves onto a large plate and add the lettuce, onion, tomatoes, potato, tuna, beans and anchovies. Drizzle over the remaining dressing then finish by adding the eggs, olives and ripped basil leaves.

 

 

Spanish meatball & butter bean stew

Ingredients

• 350g lean pork mince
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 peppers, sliced, any colour will do
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 400g can butter beans, drained
• 2 tsp golden caster sugar
• small bunch parsley, chopped
• crusty bread, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Season the pork, working the seasoning in with your hands, then shape into small meatballs. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the meatballs and cook for 5 mins, until golden brown all over. Push to one side of the pan and add the onion and peppers. Cook for a further 5 mins, stirring now and then, until the veg has softened, then stir in the garlic and paprika. Stir everything around in the pan for 1 min, then add the tomatoes. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 mins.2
2. Uncover, stir in the beans, the sugar and some seasoning, then simmer for a further 10 mins, uncovered. Just before serving, stir in the parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dunking, if you like

Fruit & nut breakfast bowl

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp porridge oats
• 2 oranges
• just under ½ x 200ml tub 0% fat Greek-style yogurt
• 60g pot raisins, nuts, goji berries and seeds

Method

1. Put the oats in a non-stick pan with 400ml water and cook over the heat, stirring occasionally for about 4 mins until thickened
2. Meanwhile, cut the peel and pith from the oranges then slice them in half, cutting down either side, as closely as you can, to where the stalk would be as this will remove quite a tough section of the membrane. Now just chop the oranges.
3. Pour the porridge into bowls, spoon on the yogurt then pile on the oranges and the fruit, nut and seed mixture.

Gnocchi with lemon & chive pesto

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• small bunch parsley, finely chopped
• small bunch chives, snipped
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, plus extra for serving
• zest and juice 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 500g pack gnocchi

Method

1.Place the garlic, herbs, pine nuts, cheese and lemon zest in a small bowl, season well, then stir in the olive oil and lemon juice. Set aside.

2.Cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted boiling water following pack instructions, then drain well. Tip into a serving bowl and toss through the pesto. Serve with extra grated Parmesan, if you like.

St Clement’s pie

 

Ingredients

For the crust

•     250g light digestive biscuit
•     100g cornflake
•     85g butter
•     Butter, melted
•     140g caster sugar 

 For the filling

• 1 large egg, plus 4 large egg yolks
• 397g can light condensed milk
• zest and juice 3 lemons
• zest and juice 2 oranges

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Sit a fluted 20cm round loose-bottomed tin (about 5cm deep, or a slightly shallower 22cm tin) on a baking sheet. Break the biscuits into a big bowl, or double-bag them in food bags, and bash to big crumbs with the end of a rolling pin or small saucepan. Add the cornflakes and bash a bit more to crumbs. Mix with the melted butter and sugar and press into the base and sides of the tin. Bake for 15 mins, then remove and reduce oven temperature to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
2. Whisk egg and yolks in a big bowl until pale and frothy. Whisk in the condensed milk, followed by the zests and juices. Pour in the tin and bake for 20 mins. Cool in the tin, then chill for at least 5 hrs, or overnight.
3. Whip the cream, yogurt and icing sugar together. Dollop on the pie and scatter with zest to serve