Indice dei contenuti per March 2021 in Easy Cook

One of the advantages of having teenagers is that I no longer have to worry about Mother’s Day. When my three were little, I’d help them make homemade cards and cook a special brunch for them to pretend it was all their own work. Now, I simply say, ‘She’s not my mother: you lot show her how much you care,’ and wave Easy Cook in front of their noses to inspire them. ‘No excuses,’ I mutter. So, the recipe on this page is exactly what I expect them to delight their mum with. But, if they don’t get out of bed in time, (they won’t), then at least I won’t be blamed. Mean-spirited, moi? I make every day Mother’s Day for my wife all year round! (I’m sure she’ll agree.)…

Smoky chickpeas on toast ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 2 mins ■ Cook 10 mins VEGETARIAN FREEZABLE chickpeas only 1 tsp olive or vegetable oil, plus a drizzle 1 small onion or shallot, chopped 2 tsp chipotle paste 250ml passata 400g can chickpeas, drained 2 tsp honey 2 tsp red wine vinegar 2-4 slices crusty bread 2 eggs 1 Heat ½ tsp of the oil in a pan. Tip in the onion and cook until soft, about 5-8 mins, then add the chipotle paste, passata, chickpeas, honey and vinegar. Season and simmer for 5 mins. 2 Toast the bread and fry the eggs in the remaining oil in a frying pan. Drizzle the toast with a little oil, then top with the chickpeas and fried eggs. PER SERVING 423 kcals, fat…

Meat-free Monday Spiced vegetable pilaf ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 35-40 mins VEGETARIAN 6 carrots, cut lengthways into 6-8 pieces 3 red onions, cut into wedges 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp cumin seeds 4 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick 200g brown basmati rice, rinsed 400ml vegetable stock 400g can brown lentils, drained and rinsed 200g baby spinach handful of flaked almonds, toasted, or a few whole almonds, to serve (optional) 1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cook the carrots in a pan of boiling water for 4 mins, adding the onions for the last minute of cooking time. Drain, then toss in a roasting tin with 4 tsp oil, the cumin and some seasoning. Roast for 30 mins. 2 Heat the remaining oil…

“If you don’t have time to make the pea purée, simply cook some peas and mash or blend” Charred vegetable salsa, roast tomatoes & halloumi This can make a beautiful dish on its own served with lovely crusty bread, or as part of a spread. Don’t be scared to really char the veg. ■ Serves 4-6 VEGETARIAN 150g heritage tomatoes 1 garlic bulb 1 large red pepper 1 red onion, cut into 1.5cm rings, but not separated 1 red chilli small bunch of basil, stalks and leaves separated 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 225g halloumi, chopped into chunks squeeze of lemon juice (optional) 1 Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the tomatoes, whole garlic bulb, pepper, onion and chilli until blackened and charred. (You…

Plum, cardamom & orange cobbler Soft, pillowy and slightly sweet cardamom-and-orange-infused dumplings sit atop saucy plums. Serve this with double cream, custard, yogurt or ice cream — it’s delicious with whichever! ■ Serves 4-6 VEGETARIAN 1 orange, zested and juiced 200g self-raising flour 100g vegetable suet 4 tbsp caster sugar 1½ tsp ground cardamom 75ml whole milk 800g red plums, halved and stoned 50g light muscovado sugar double cream, custard, yogurt or ice cream, to serve 1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the orange zest, flour and suet in a medium bowl. Rub the ingredients together using your fingertips until most of the suet has been incorporated into the flour (you can do this in a food processor if you have one). Stir in the caster…

■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 5 mins 50g soft cheese 2 bagels, halved and lightly toasted 100g smoked salmon, cut into slices 1 avocado, sliced ½ lemon, cut into wedges 1 tbsp olive oil 2 eggs pinch of cayenne pepper 1 Spread the soft cheese over both halves of the toasted bagels. Add the salmon to the bottom halves, then top with the avocado. Squeeze over a little lemon juice, then season well. 2 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. When hot, crack in the eggs, season and cook for 2-3 mins until the white is set and starting to crisp up around the edges. Sit the eggs on top of each bagel base and sprinkle cayenne on each yolk. Top with the other…

Speedy goat’s cheese & filo crunch ■ Serves 2 adults, 2 children ■ Prep 20 mins plus cooling ■ Cook 30 mins VEGITERIAN olive oil, for frying and brushing 2 peppers, deseeded and chopped 1 red onion, chopped 2 x 250g pouches cooked lentils 180g goat’s cheese log or vegetarian goat’s cheese, sliced into rounds 6 sheets filo pastry 1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat a glug of oil in a frying pan, and fry the peppers and onion for 8-10 mins until soft. 2 Add the lentils and cook for 5 mins more. Season. Spoon the mixture into a large gratin dish along with 2 tbsp water, then nestle in the goat’s cheese slices. Scrunch up the filo pastry sheets, use them to top the dish,…

Fish finger wraps with pea purée ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 10 mins 6 fish fingers 175g frozen peas ½ tbsp rapeseed oil 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve 2 wholemeal & seeded tortillas 2 carrots, coarsely grated 1-2 cornichons, sliced 1 Grill or bake the fish fingers following pack instructions. Meanwhile, boil the peas for 3 mins. Drain. Blitz in a food processor with the oil and lemon juice until smooth. Season, adding a little more lemon juice, if you like. 2 Warm the tortillas. Spread with the pea purée, then top with the carrots, fish fingers and corinchons. Roll up and eat hot, with the lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over. PER SERVING 391 kcals, fat 15g, saturates…

The easiest roast chicken dinner This is such an easy way to roast a chicken. The garlic salt rubbed on at the start really gets into the meat, acting as both seasoning and brine, keeping your bird ultra-juicy – this is a little trick I picked up from my local Portuguese restaurant. The oven should be really hot when you put your chicken in to cook so that the bird starts to cook instantly, which helps reduce the overall cooking time. Resting the chicken is essential, and will ensure your bird is really juicy. The chicken is cooked on top of the veg. The reason for this is two-fold: one, the veg is cooked in and covered with delicious chicken juices, and two, sitting the chicken on top of the…

Chocolate & toasted marshmallow cheesecake ■ Serves 8-10 Prep 20 mins plus cooling and 4 hrs chilling ■ Cook 50 mins oil, for the tin 250g Oreo or bourbon biscuits 50g butter, melted 200ml double cream 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped 750g soft cheese 250g golden caster sugar 3 eggs 1 tbsp cocoa powder 100g white marshmallows 1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Oil a 23cm springform cake tin and wrap the outside tightly with foil. Blitz the biscuits and butter in a food processor to make a fine rubble. Tip into the tin and press evenly over the base to make a compact layer. 2 Warm the cream in a saucepan. When it’s steaming, add the chocolate and leave for 5 mins. Meanwhile, beat the…

Rosie Birkett’s squash, chickpea & coconut curry The sweetness of most winter squash is a wonderful foil for bold, sour and spicy flavours, and I love to use it in this coconut-based curry, which is spiked with a pleasing tang of tamarind and has earthiness from the chickpeas. You can find bottles of tamarind sauce in most supermarkets and, of course, in Indian and Asian stores. While it is an extra step, roasting and grinding your own curry powder enhances the flavour of the spices, and you’ll have some spare to thank yourself for in a future recipe. ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 25 mins ■ Cook 1 hr VEGETARIAN 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, cut into 2cm-thick slices 3 tbsp coconut or rapeseed oil 5 tbsp tamarind sauce 1…

Rhubarb & ginger pavlova ■ Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and line a large sheet with baking parchment. Whisk 4 large egg whites in a bowl to stiff peaks. Add 200g caster sugar, one large spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition, until thick and glossy. Add 1 tsp cornflour, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, ½ tsp ground ginger and whisk to combine. Pile in a circle on the parchment and bake for 1½ hrs until the paper pulls away easily from the meringue. Turn the oven off and let it cool completely inside. Bring 250ml ginger beer, 1 tbsp sugar and a small piece fresh ginger to the boil, then drop in 400g rhubarb, cut into long pieces. Cook for 5 mins, then cool in the…

Lemon marmalade chicken ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 40 mins 200g lemon marmalade 2 garlic cloves, crushed small knob of ginger, peeled and finely grated (you’ll need about 1 tbsp) 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sunflower oil 1 lemon, zested and juiced 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs 2 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal rice and stir-fried long-stem broccoli, to serve 1 Heat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Combine the marmalade, garlic, ginger, soy, oil and half the lemon juice. Arrange the chicken thighs on a baking tray lined with foil, and spoon over half the marmalade mix. Roast for 15 mins. 2 Baste the chicken with the marmalade mix from the bottom of the tray, then spoon over the remaining marmalade mix…

Curried halloumi with spinach & peas ■ Melt 1 tbsp coconut oil the microwave. Mix with ½ tbsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric and 150g cubed halloumi. Melt ½ tbsp coconut oil in a pan, tip in 1 sliced red onion and cook over a medium heat until soft. Stir in 2 tsp garlic & ginger paste. Cook for 1 min, then tip in the halloumi and spices. Fry for 4 mins, turning the halloumi regularly until crisp and firmed up a little. Add 2 large handfuls baby spinach, 100g frozen peas and 50ml water. Cook until the spinach has wilted, season, then serve with rice. Serves 2. Halloumi & fig bagel ■ Heat the grill to its highest setting. Cut 1 sesame bagel in half and slice 2 figs.…

Duck ragu Like all the best ragus, this one is slowly simmered until the meat is meltingly tender. It’s also good value — four duck legs feed six. It might seem like an unusual addition, but the cinnamon really lifts the dish. In Venice, this style of sauce would usually be served with thick, noodle-like pasta called bigoli, or try large tubular shapes called paccheri, or the more familiar pappardelle (ribbon pasta). ■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 2 hrs 30 mins 1 tbsp olive oil 4 duck legs 2 onions, finely chopped 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp plain flour 250ml red wine 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 250ml chicken stock 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped 2 bay…