Easy Cookの April 2021 の目次

My kids have only just gone back to school, but are off again for the Easter holidays - and it’s going to be tougher than when they were home-schooling over video in their rooms. The big challenge is to keep them off their screens and entertained while me and their mum are working at home. As ever, cooking is the answer. There are loads of kid-friendly projects in this month’s issue that will benefit the whole family, from the delicious rocky road on this page to easy cakes and bakes (p78) and family favourites, such as pizzas, healthy shepherd’s pie and spicy meatballs. But the most useful recipes of all are in the slow cooker feature (p60): just put the ingredients in the pot and get on with your day…

Tagine-style chicken ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 40 mins 2 tbsp olive oil 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved if large 1 onion, chopped 2 tsp grated ginger pinch saffron or turmeric 1 tbsp honey 400g carrots, cut into sticks small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped lemon wedges, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a large, wide pan with a lid, add the chicken, then fry quickly until lightly coloured. Add the onion and ginger, then fry for a further 2 mins. Add 150ml water, the saffron, honey and carrots, season, then stir well. Bring to the boil, cover tightly, then simmer for 30 mins until the chicken is tender. 2 Uncover and increase the heat for about 5 mins to reduce the sauce a…

Meat-free Monday Chilli pepper pumpkin with bok choi, p28 Tuesday Chicken & vegetable curry, p28 Meat-free Monday Chilli pepper pumpkin with bok choi ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 30 mins VEGETARIAN 1 small pumpkin or1/2 butternut squash, cut into chunks (seeds removed), unpeeled 2 tsp sunflower oil 1 tsp each mild chilli powder and Chinese five-spice 175g thin-stemmed broccoli 175g bok choi, quartered 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp honey 1 lime, ½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges few coriander leaves 1 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the pumpkin in the oil, then sprinkle on the chilli powder, five-spice, 1 tsp black pepper and a pinch of salt, and mix well. Tip into a roasting tray in…

Fragrant duck breasts with wild rice pilaf ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 10 mins plus marinating ■ Cook 20 mins 2 duck breasts, skin on 1½ tsp garam masala 1 tsp grated fresh ginger FOR THE PILAF 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp cumin seeds 100g mixed basmati and wild rice 300ml chicken or vegetable stock 85g frozen peas bunch spring onions, finely sliced 2 tbsp mango chutney, to serve 1 Score criss-crossed lines into the duck skin, then rub in the garam masala and ginger. Chill for 30 mins if you have time. 2 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Heat a heavy, non-stick pan, then gently fry the duck, skin-side down, for 10 mins until the fat runs out. Pour off the excess fat halfway through. Transfer…

Chocolate, olive oil & rosemary cake This is one of my all-time favourite cakes, with rosemary and chunks of chocolate – a pairing that I adore. This is a less sweet cake, almost fudgy, with a delicate herbal back-note. It uses olive oil instead of butter – you can use a standard olive oil, it doesn’t need to be extra virgin. It pairs well with rosemary, but I have also made this by nestling a few bay leaves in the top of the batter instead. You could also replace the rosemary with orange zest or the seeds from a vanilla pod. ■ Makes 1kg loaf VEGETARIAN 250ml olive oil, plus extra for the tin 300g light spelt or plain flour 125g golden caster sugar or light muscovado sugar ½ tsp…

James Martin’s aubergine, prawn & chorizo salad with preserved lemon dressing ‘I love the deliciously smoky aroma and flavour you get from griddling, and the distinctive seared marks it leaves on food. If you don’t want the bother of a barbecue, it’s a great way to get a similar result in your kitchen. Aubergines take to griddling really well, as they become meltingly soft.’ ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 55 mins 2 aubergines, sliced into 1cm rounds 6 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 140g raw prawns, deveined 140g cooking chorizo, cut into 1.5cm-2cm thick slices 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed ½ red onion, finely sliced 100g baby spinach large handful of parsley, chopped FOR THE DRESSING ½ garlic clove, crushed 2 tbsp…

■ Makes 8-10 bars ■ Prep 25 mins plus cooling and 1 hr chilling ■ Cook 5 mins 225g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 100g unsalted butter, cubed 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tbsp golden syrup 100g rich tea biscuits 50g mini marshmallows 50g dried cranberries 200g chocolate mini eggs 1 Line a 20 x 30cm traybake tin with two sheets of cling film (in a criss-cross pattern). Put the chocolate and butter in a large bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, and melt until smooth. 2 Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder and golden syrup. Mix until fully combined and leave to cool for about 15 mins. 3 Put the biscuits in a freezer bag and use a rolling pin to bash them,…

Fun project for kids Proper pizzas ■ Makes 6 x 20cm or 10-12 smaller pizzas ■ Prep 30 mins plus proving ■ Cook 15 mins FREEZABLE uncooked 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting small pinch of sugar 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the bowl FOR THE SAUCE 1 garlic clove 400ml chunky passata 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 tsp dried oregano handful of basil leaves, snipped small pinch of sugar 1 tsp red wine vinegar FOR THE TOPPINGS ham, red peppers, black olives, salami, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, cheddar, tuna, sweetcorn, hummus and green salad, to serve 1 MIX A STICKY DOUGH Put the flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl and get your child to make a hole in the…

Zesty chicken with cashews ■ Serves 1 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 12 mins 2 limes, zested and juiced 2 tbsp honey 1 tsp oil 1 skinless chicken breast, cut into strips 50g roasted unsalted cashew nuts 3 spring onions, sliced 150g pack straight-to-wok noodles small handful of coriander, chopped 1 Whisk the lime zest, juice and honey in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a wok or non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Stir-fry the chicken strips for 4-5 mins until golden brown and almost cooked, then add the cashews and spring onions. Cook for 1 min. 2 Separate the noodles into strands and toss into the wok with the lime and honey sauce, mixing well until heated through. Finally, stir in the coriander and serve…

Thai chicken curry In Thailand, the curries we refer to as ‘Thai’ in the UK are known as ‘kaeng’ – dishes eaten with rice that are made with shrimp paste, onions or shallots, chillies and garlic. Coconut milk is not an essential ingredient in kaeng, as it’s not always used in traditional Thai curries, but we’ve added it for richness. ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10-20 mins ■ Cook 20 mins 2 shallots or 1 small onion 1 lemongrass stalk (see below) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 3-4 tsp red Thai curry paste 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar (brown is best) 4 freeze-dried lime leaves (see below) 400ml can coconut milk 20g coriander 1 Peel the shallots or onion,…

HONEY CRUNCH GRANOLA WITH ALMONDS & APRICOTS ■ Heat 200g honey with 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pan until bubbling, then tip in 300g oats, 100g whole almonds and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Stir until the oats are well-coated, then spread out over one or two large baking sheets. Bake at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 20-25 mins, stirring halfway through, until golden. While still hot, stir in 140g dried apricots, chopped. Spread out again and press down with a spatula to cool – this will help the granola clump together. Serve with yogurt or milk and fresh fruit, if you like. Serves 6-8. CINNAMON SWIRL BISCUITS ■ Mix 175g softened butter, 50g icing sugar, 50g caster sugar, 2 egg yolks and 2 tsp vanilla extract together with a…

Cut out & keep ROAST AUBERGINES WITH YOGURT & HARISSA ■ Serves 4 as a side or starter ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 40 mins VEGETARIAN 4 aubergines 2 tbsp olive oil 75g butter 1 tbsp harissa 6 tbsp Greek yogurt 1 small garlic clove, crushed 1 tbsp chopped coriander 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 Heat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Pierce the aubergines a few times with the tip of a knife, then brush with the olive oil and put on a baking sheet. Roast for 40-45 mins until completely tender. 2 Melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the harissa. Cut the aubergines in half, opening them up like a jacket potato. Put on a warm platter and season the inside of each.…

LUNCH FOR 4 ★ Roast chicken with pancetta & ricotta stuffing balls Roasted red pepper sauce ★ Warm potato & cherry tomato salad ★ Green beans with garlic & white wine vinegar ★ Focaccia with pesto & mozzarella ★ Orange polenta cake with ice cream Tip Use any leftover roasted red pepper sauce as a topping for roasted vegetables Roast chicken with pancetta & ricotta stuffing balls ■ Serves 4 with leftovers ■ Prep 20 mins ■ Cook 1 hr 50 mins 1.5kg whole chicken 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil FOR THE STUFFING BALLS 140g fresh bread (about 3–4 slices) handful of parsley, chopped 140g ricotta 100g parmesan, grated handful of thyme, chopped handful of basil, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 eggs 12 thin slices of pancetta,…

Funfetti cheesecake ■ Serves 14–16 ■ Prep 15 mins plus at least 5 hrs 30 mins chilling ■ No cook VEGETARIAN 75g butter, melted, plus extra for the tin 200g digestive biscuits 600g full-fat soft cheese 75g icing sugar 300ml double cream 1 tbsp vanilla extract 6 tbsp sprinkles 1 Butter a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line with baking parchment. Put the biscuits in a food bag and bash to crumbs with a rolling pin, or blitz in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, pour over the melted butter and mix to combine. Tip into the prepared tin and press down firmly into an even layer. Chill for 30 mins, or until set. 2 Beat the soft cheese and icing sugar together with an electric whisk until…