Table of contents for June 2021 in Easy Cook

Saturday night is a finger lickin’ sharing night in the Kendrick household. Fried chicken, fajitas, falafel-stuffed wraps and pizzas – the more tactile, the better. But top of the list for my teenagers is pork ribs. Fall-off-the-bone, sticky and spicy, like the beauties on this page. I know I’ve got them right when silence descends and a cacophony of gnawing fills the room. Sharing is everything, and in this month’s issue we’ve got pass-around grub galore, with ease at its heart. Take the top 10 mince recipes on page 44, for example. Great for weeknights, great for weekends, great all the time – like everything else in this issue. I hope you enjoy it. Editor…

Tarragon, mushroom & sausage frittata ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 15 mins 1 tbsp olive oil 200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 2 pork sausages 1 garlic clove, crushed 100g asparagus 3 large eggs 2 tbsp half-fat soured cream 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp chopped tarragon mixed rocket salad, to serve (optional) 1 Heat the grill to high. Heat the oil in a medium-sized, non-stick frying pan, tip in the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for 3 mins. Squeeze the sausagemeat out of their skins into nuggets, add to the pan and fry for a further 5 mins until golden brown. Add the crushed garlic and asparagus, and cook for another min. 2 Whisk together the eggs, soured cream, mustard and tarragon in a jug.…

1 Broccoli & pesto lentils ■ Toss 300g long-stem broccoli with 1 tbsp olive oil on a baking tray. Roast at 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6 for 20 mins. Warm 4 tbsp pesto with a 250g pouch puy lentils and a squeeze of lemon juice. Top with the broccoli, 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, and 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds. Serves 2. 2 Fennel & pesto gratin ■ Butter a small baking dish. Add 3 fennel bulbs, quartered. Grill for 8 mins. Mix 2 tbsp pesto with 100ml white wine, 50g grated parmesan and 150ml double cream. Pour over the fennel. Top with more cheese and grill for 8-10 mins until golden. Serves 3. 3 Pesto baked chicken ■ Cut 4 chicken breasts two-thirds of the way through the middle. Fill with tomato…

GRAINS OF TRUTH WHOLE OATS are a great source of fibre and renowned for their heart-healthy benefits. Porridge and muesli are the obvious way to serve it, but it can also be used instead of crumbs on fish cakes or stirred with mince to bulk out meatballs. BARLEY absorbs flavours and dressings really well, so it makes a great alternative to lentils, rice and couscous in summer salads. Pearl barley, so called because it has had its bran layer polished off, is the most common type. It puffs into a slightly chewy, plump grain as it cooks. BULGUR WHEAT has a nutty texture and is made by steaming, drying and crushing whole wheat. Don’t confuse it with cracked wheat, which is very hard, takes a lot of cooking and is…

MENU FOR 6 ★ Crisp feta nibbles with dips ★ Fragrant roast chicken Spiced herb & almond couscous Cumin roast peppers, tomatoes & olives ★ Raspberry & rose delights Crisp feta nibbles These little wedges are perfect for dipping before you start the meal. ■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 5 mins VEGETARIAN 6 pitta bread 200g feta or vegetarian alternative 20g flat-leaf parsley or mint, leaves roughly chopped vegetable crudités, hummus, tzatziki or your favourite dips, to serve 1 Toast the pittas in a toaster until they’re just under-done – puffed up but not yet crisp – then leave to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, mash the feta in a large bowl with a fork. Stir in the chopped herbs and lots of black pepper.…

Buttermilk scones Once you’ve mastered a basic scone recipe, you can knock out a batch in half an hour. Then, you can start getting fancy with the flavourings. Try the three twists at right. ■ Makes 6 ■ Prep 20 mins ■ Cook 12-14 mins VEGETARIAN 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting ¼ tsp salt 50g cold butter, diced 150ml buttermilk or milk 1 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until there are no lumps of butter (or rub in any lumps with your fingers). Stir in any flavourings (right). 2 Stir in the buttermilk or milk and use a cutlery knife to quickly combine everything together into a dough – stop when it has…

■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 35 mins 12 meaty pork ribs 100ml hoisin sauce 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp vinegar (you can use cider, malt or wine) 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder 1 Put the ribs in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins. Meanwhile, pour the hoisin sauce into a jug and stir in the soy sauce, honey, vinegar and five-spice powder. 2 Drain the ribs well, then brush with the glaze – if barbecuing, chill, cover and keep in the fridge for later. 3 Heat the grill to high, if using. Grill or barbecue for 15-20 mins, turning from time to time until shiny and slightly charred in places. Serve…

Prawn, avocado & soya bean salad ■ Serves 1 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 3 mins 85g frozen soya beans 85g cooked large prawns 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce 1 lime, zested and juiced 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil ½ small ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and chopped into small pieces ¼ cucumber, chopped into small pieces small pack coriander, leaves picked small pack baby salad leaves 1 Cook the soya beans in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 mins until tender, then drain and cool under cold water. Toss the prawns with the sweet chilli and lime zest. Whisk together the oil, lime juice and some seasoning to make a dressing. 2 Mix the soya beans, avocado, cucumber and coriander. Pour over the dressing and toss to…

Meat-free Monday Spinach & blue cheese pizza, p28 Tuesday Herb & garlic pork with summer ratatouille, p28 Meat-free Monday Spinach & blue cheese pizza If you’d prefer tomato sauce, spread on two chopped tomatoes mixed with 1 tbsp tomato purée before the other toppings. This will also give you another one of your 5-a-day. ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 17 mins VEGETARIAN 1 tsp rapeseed oil 2 large flat mushrooms, halved and sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 160g spinach, washed and well dried 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced 40g vegetarian blue cheese, crumbled 4 walnut halves, broken FOR THE BASE 125g wholemeal flour ½ tsp baking powder 3 tbsp bio yogurt mixed with 3 tbsp water 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and…

MENU FOR 6 ★ Coriander & mint chutney ★ Mini broccoli & potato cakes Goan prawn & coconut curry Stir-fried beans with peanuts Yellow rice with time, & sesame Goan sweet bread ★ Mango & coconut trifles with time syrup HOW TO GET AHEAD ★ Prepare the broccoli & potato cakes, then chill ★ Make and chill the sauce for the curry ★ Bake the bread and keep at room temperature ★ Make and chill the trifles “My menu is designed to transport you to the coast of west India, where the food is typically flavoured with a wonderful combination of spices, mellowed by the ever-present creamy coconut. The dessert brings together the best of India and England – I’ve paired juicy mangoes with a delicious custard and classic madeira…

Linguine with kale pesto & crispy chicken skin It can be hard to find chicken breasts with the skin on these days, as if we are all afraid of them, but in reality, the skin is one of the tastiest bits of the bird. By saving the skin from a roast chicken, you can get all that savoury flavour into your pasta without the need to add any meat at all! ▪ Serves 4 ▪ Prep 5 mins ▪ Cook 15 mins skin from 4 free-range chicken breasts 350g linguine 150-200g kale, tarragon & hazelnut pesto (see below) grated parmesan, to serve FOR THE PESTO 200g curly kale, cavolo nero or brussels sprouts 2-3 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked 2 garlic cloves, crushed 70g hazelnuts, blanched 100g parmesan 1 lemon, zested…

Cut out & keep Courgette & cauliflower yellow curry ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins VEGETARIAN ■ Cook 30 mins FREEZABLE curry only 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 small onions, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbsp yellow curry paste 400ml can coconut milk 450g cauliflower florets 2 large courgettes, halved and sliced 250g basmati rice 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced small bunch of coriander, leaves picked 1 Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and cook the onions for 5 mins until soft but not browning. Add the garlic and curry paste and stir for 2 mins. 2 Pour in the coconut milk and half a can of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, add the cauliflower and courgettes. Cover and simmer…