Table of contents for February 2024 in Easy Cook

February is one of my favourite months. The post-Christmas gloom is behind us; spring lies ahead, with all its expectations to get out and about and socialise. Well, I’d rather not, thank you. For me, now is the perfect time to do what I love most: lock myself in the kitchen and cook to my heart’s content – whether that's a roast (p64), an Indian-inspired feast (p72), a rainy-day bake (p76), or, my favourite, batch-cooking and loading up the freezer (p52) so the kids don't bother me when they get home from school. I’ll cheer up when the weather warms up again, but for now, bring on the f-f-f-February freezer fillers.…

20 low-budget meal ideas Spaghetti arrabbiata ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 25 mins 2 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tsp chilli flakes 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 tsp sugar 150g spaghetti handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 Heat the oil in a pan and cook the garlic gently for a few mins. Add the chilli flakes and cook for 1 min, then tip in the tomatoes and sugar. 2 Simmer for 20 mins, until thickened. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then drain and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle over the parsley to finish. PER SERVING 400 kcals, fat 13g, saturates 2g, carbs 60g, fibre 5g, protein 12g, salt 0.2g Do a twist Tomato & feta pasta sauce Tip a 400g can chopped tomatoes with garlic, ½…

A roast, all the trimmings, & pudding Roast loin of pork with stuffing & gravy, p66 THE MENU Serves 6 Roast loin of pork with stuffing & gravy Broccoli & cauliflower cheese Cider fondant potatoes Green beans with shallots Individual coconut & pineapple upside-down cakes Broccoli & cauliflower cheese, p66 Roast loin of pork with stuffing & gravy ■ Serves 12 ■ Prep 20 mins ■ Cook 1 hr 45 mins 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped few sage leaves, shredded 25g fresh breadcrumbs 4 sausages, skin removed 1.6kg boned loin of pork 2 tbsp plain flour 400ml chicken or beef stock 100ml cider 1 Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 mins, until soft. Take off the heat. Once cool, transfer to a bowl, mix in the sage, breadcrumbs…

No-bake orange cheesecake ■ Serves 8-10 ■Prep 25 mins plus at least 4 hrs 30 mins chilling ■ No cook 15 digestive biscuits, crushed 6 tbsp butter, melted 400g cream cheese 3 oranges, zested (save the segments to decorate) 200g mascarpone 100g caster sugar 3 tbsp milk 184ml pot double cream 1 Mix the biscuits with the melted butter, then press into the base of a 23cm round, loose-bottomed tin. Chill for 30 mins. 2 Put the cream cheese, orange zest, mascarpone, sugar and milk in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Tip the cream into a clean bowl and beat with an electric whisk until it's the consistency of thick custard. Add to the orange mixture and mix thoroughly. 3 Pour the filling over the biscuit base and spread evenly. Decorate with the…

The slice is right! Got some stale bread? It will be perfect for this cheesy bake. Cherry tomato & ham bread & butter bake ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 40 mins 25g butter, softened, plus extra for the tin 1 garlic clove, crushed 4 thick slices stale white bread 12 cherry tomatoes 50g ham, roughly chopped 500ml milk 3 eggs 50g cheddar, grated 1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Mix the butter and garlic together, then butter a shallow baking dish or tin. Use the rest to butter the bread, then cut the slices in half diagonally. 2 Arrange the bread slices, overlapping, in the baking dish. Tuck the cherry tomatoes and ham in and around them. 3 Whisk the milk and eggs together and season. Pour over the bread…

1 A hearty winter salad Hot pasta salad ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 15 mins 300g penne 4 tbsp mayonnaise ½ lemon, juiced 200g can tuna in olive oil 2 red peppers, thinly sliced 1 red onion, halved and finely sliced large handful rocket 1 Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the mayonnaise, lemon juice and 1 tbsp of the tuna oil into a large bowl and mix. Drain the rest of the oil from the tuna, then flake the fish into the bowl and mix well. 2 Drain the pasta and toss it with the mayonnaise mixture, peppers and onions. Scatter over the rocket just before serving. PER SERVING 476 kcals, fat 17g, saturates 3g, carbs 64g, sugars 8g, fibre 4g, protein 21g, salt 0.5g 2 Super-speedy stew…

Anytime eggs ■ Serves 1 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 10 mins 1 tbsp olive oil 2-3 cooked potatoes, sliced handful cherry tomatoes, halved 2 spring onions, sliced 1 egg few basil leaves 1 Heat the oil in a small frying pan, then add the potato slices and fry on both sides until brown. Add the tomatoes and spring onions and fry for about 1 min until softened. 2 Season well with salt and pepper, then make a space in the centre of the pan. Gently break the egg into the space and fry until cooked to your liking. Spoon into a bowl and scatter over the basil leaves to serve. PER SERVING 305 kcals, fat 18g, saturates 3g, carbs 27g, sugars 2g, fibre 2g, protein 11g, salt 0.6g Smoked trout & pea…

'Everything' chop-suey, p50 BEST OF THE BBC Chinese food expert Ching-He Huang is a regular on Saturday Kitchen and often appears at the BBC Good Food Show (bbcgoodfoodshow.com). Spicy peanut noodles This is one of my favourite recipes. Packed full of flavour, it’s plant-based, has a low carbon footprint and is easy to put together in minutes. The flavours are spicy, nutty, tangy and sweet – so good! ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 5 mins FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE 3 garlic cloves, finely grated 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 4 tbsp smooth roasted peanut butter 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar 2 tbsp golden syrup FOR THE NOODLES 200g dried knife-cut noodles or flat udon noodles 1 tsp toasted sesame oil TO SERVE chopped coriander 1 large…

Omelette wedges ■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 20 mins ■ Cook 10 mins 3 spring onions 200g new potatoes 4 rashers smoked bacon 2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus 1 tsp 8 eggs 1 tsp English mustard 85g mature cheddar 2 tomatoes PER SERVING 290 kcals, fat 22g, saturates 8g, carbs 7g, sugars 2g, fibre 1g, protein 17g, salt 1.1g 1 Chop and slice the veg Finely chop the spring onions and set aside. Thickly slice the potatoes (there's no need to peel them first), then boil in a pan of lightly salted water for 10 mins until just tender. Drain. 2 Stir-fry the bacon Meanwhile, snip the bacon into pieces with scissors. Heat a frying pan with 1 tsp oil, then stir-fry the bacon until it turns pink. Add the spring onions to the pan, stir briefly…

WEEKEND BAKING Liven up those drab and dreary days Blood orange upside-down cake Make the most of the flavour and beautiful colour of blood oranges in this stunning upside-down cake. It's perfect to enjoy with a cuppa. ■ Serves 6-8 ■ Prep 30 mins ■ Cook 35 mins 2 blood oranges, zested 200g butter, softened, plus extra for the tin 200g light brown soft sugar 4 eggs 125g plain flour 75g polenta or cornmeal 2 tsp baking powder 100g natural yogurt 2-3 tbsp milk (optional) 1 Carefully remove the pith from the zested oranges, keeping them whole. Slice into thin rounds, picking out and discarding the pips. Set aside. 2 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Put the tin on a baking…

First, make your pancakes ■ Whisk together 300ml milk and 2 eggs and set aside. Put 150g plain flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and egg mixture, stirring gently, until you have the consistency of single cream, and no lumps (add a little water if it’s too thick). Pour into a jug and leave to rest for 30 mins. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and wipe the inside with a little sunflower oil, using a piece of kitchen paper to soak up any excess. When the pan is hot, tilt it slightly, then pour a little batter into the top edge and let it flow down to cover the base of the pan.…

Cut out & keep Rib-eye steaks with chilli butter & chips ■ Serves 2 ■Prep 10 mins plus chilling ■ Cook 45 mins 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley 50g butter, softened, plus a little extra 1 red chilli, finely chopped ½ lemon, zested and juiced olive oil, for frying 2 x 200g rib-eye steaks 2 handfuls mixed salad leaves FOR THE CHIPS 450g floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, peeled and cut into chunky chips 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp thyme leaves 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 For the chilli butter, mash the parsley into the butter with the chilli, a squeeze of lemon juice, the zest and some seasoning. Chill until firm. 2 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the chips, toss all the ingredients on a baking tray, then season. Roast for…

1 Cheese & onion grill Cook 1 chopped onion in 1 tbsp olive oil for 5 mins. Tip onto a plate and add 25g butter to the pan. Add 25g plain flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 min, then whisk in 150ml milk. Simmer for 2 mins, then take off the heat. Add 1 tsp mustard, 75g cheddar, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and the onions. Toast 8 small slices bread, top with the sauce and grill until golden. Serve with watercress, if you like. Serves 4. 2 Coronation chicken Tear 200g cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix with 2 tsp madras curry powder, 3 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp mango chutney, 25g flaked almonds, 25g sultanas and a handful chopped oriander. Leave for 30 mins in the fridge, if you have time.…

Chicken & bacon cacciatore, p54 MAKE YOUR FREEZER WORK FOR YOU! • We usually recommend that you keep food frozen for no longer than three months, however check individual recipes for specific advice. • It’s a bit of a chore, but it’s worth labelling everything with what it is, the date and the number of portions it contains. Although you may think you’ll remember, a few months down the line you’ll be defrosting surprises! • All foods need to be cooled completely before freezing, otherwise you run the risk of partially defrosting other food already in your freezer. • Most dishes work best defrosted before reheating, but some can be successfully cooked from frozen – again, check specific recipes. • Have a clear-out of your freezer every few months. It’s…

PASSION FRUIT MARTINI ■ Scoop the seeds from 1 passion fruit into a cocktail shaker, add 60ml vanilla vodka, 30ml passion fruit liqueur, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 tbsp sugar syrup. Add a handful of ice and shake well. Strain into 2 cocktail glasses, top up with prosecco, then garnish each with 1/2 passion fruit. Serves 2. PASSION FRUIT SMOOTHIE ■ Blend the seeds from 3 passion fruits, 1 banana and 300ml orange juice until smooth. Serves 2. MINI MICROWAVE PASSION FRUIT PUDDINGS ■ Make a sauce by scooping the pulp from 4 passion fruits into a small pan with 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water. Heat until syrupy. To make the puddings, whizz 100g butter, 100g sugar and the zest of 1 lemon in a food processor…