Table of contents for October 2015 in Easy Cook

Tasty bake Leek & tomato eggy bread bake Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grease a baking dish and fill with 200g crusty white bread, torn into chunks. Heat 25g butter in a large pan until it foams. Add 2 leeks, thinly sliced, and 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped. Cook over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring as you go. Spoon the leek mixture over the bread and top fiith 100g cherry tomatoes, halved. Beat together 4 eggs, 200ml milk, and 100g cheddar. Season, pour over the bread and bake for 15-20 mins, until golden and puffy. Serve fiith ketchup. Serves 4. Curry in a hurry Egg korma Boil 3 eggs for 8 mins, then cool under cold fiater. Peel off the shells. Fry 1 onion, finely sliced,…

Mediterranean fish gratins • Serves 6• Prep 25 mins Cook 55 mins• £2.31 a portion• 372 kcals, 11g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion FREEZABLE 3 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 fennel bulb (about 250g), trimmed and thinly sliced 3 large garlic cloves, finely sliced 1 heaped tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed 150ml white wine 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes with herbs 2 tbsp tomato purée good pinch of saffron 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped 900g mixed skinless fish fillets, cut into chunks 350g raw peeled king prawns 75g finely-grated Parmesan 50g panko or coarse dried breadcrumbs 1 Heat the oil in a wide non-stick saucepan and gently fry the onion, fennel, garlic and coriander seeds for 15…

Witches’ fingers • Makes 15• Prep 20 mins Cook 10 mins• 13p a cookie 190g plain flour 135g butter, softened, plus a little extra to bring the mixture together if necessary 100g icing sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp baking powder whole blanched almonds, for the fingernails FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR 2 tbsp caster sugar ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and work everything together to form a smooth dough. If still a little dry, add an extra ½ tbsp softened butter at a time until you can work with the dough. 2 Form long, bobbly finger shapes and arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Place a whole almond at the top of each finger…

Ceviche Saturday Kitchen’s James Martin introduces one of Peru’s famous no-cook dishes • Serves 6 as a starter• Prep 20 mins plus 1 hr 30 mins in the lime juice• £1.55 a portion• 154 kcals, 6g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion 500g white fish fillets, such as haddock skinned and thinly sliced juice 8 limes (250ml), plus extra wedges to serve 1 red onion, sliced into rings handful pitted green olives, finely chopped 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped 2-3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 2cm pieces bunch coriander, roughly chopped 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil good pinch caster sugar tortilla chips, to serve 1 In a large glass bowl, combine the fish, lime juice and onion. The juice should completely cover the fish; if not, add a little more. Cover with cling…

Toasted banana bread with vanilla ricotta • Serves 8• Prep 30 mins Cook 1 hr 10 mins• £1.54 a portion• 483 kcals, 20g fat, 12g sat. fat a portion FREEZABLE bread only 140g butter, softened 140g light muscovado sugar 2 large eggs 2-3 very ripe bananas zest ½ lemon 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 85g buttermilk 225g self-raising flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda FOR THE VANILLA RICOTTA 250g tub ricotta 3 tsp vanilla bean paste juice 2 oranges, 1 zested FOR THE RASPBERRY COMPOTE zest and juice 2 oranges 85g granulated sugar 600g raspberries 1 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line the base of a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs,…

Aubergine, tomato & feta baklava • Serves 6• Prep 5 mins Cook 2 hrs plus cooling• £1.94 a portion• 869 kcals, 46g fat, 17g sat. fat a portion VEGETARIAN FREEZABLE unbaked 100ml olive oil, plus extra for brushing 2 onions, halved and finely sliced 500g aubergines, cut into long 5mm-thick slices 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tsp ground cinnamon 5 tbsp tomato purée 10 vine-ripened plum tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped pinch of sugar 1 bunch dill, finely chopped 2 tsp dried mint dash of red wine vinegar 1 pack filo pastry (14 sheets) 100g butter, melted 100g Medjool dates, stoned, finely sliced 50g flaked almonds 200g feta, crumbled 6 tbsp clear honey 1 Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over a low heat and sauté the onions until softened…

Spiced okra • Serves 4• Prep 15 mins Cook 30 mins• 92p a portion• 209 kcals, 16g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion VEGETARIAN 5 tbsp olive oil 400g onions, sliced 500g okra, trimmed, washed, dried and sliced into 2cm pieces 2 tomatoes, diced 1 red chilli, finely chopped 2 tsp ground coriander handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve 1 Heat a large wok or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil, then the onions, cooking until soft. Stir in the okra. Add the tomatoes and chilli, then season. Mix well and keep stirring gently, taking care not to break up the okra. Okra releases a sticky substance when cooked, but keep cooking, stirring gently – this will disappear and the tomatoes will become pulpy, about 10 mins. 2 Lower heat,…

Coconut cake • Serves 2• Prep 5 mins Cook 15 mins• 83p a portion• 489 kcals, 24.8g fat, 19.5g sat. fat a portion VEGETARIAN 410g can peach slices in syrup pinch each ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg 3 whole cloves 2 bay leaves 2 tbsp white wine 2 slices bought Madeira or banana cake 2 tbsp clear honey 4 tbsp desiccated coconut 1 Tip the peaches and syrup into a pan then gently warm through with the spices, bay leaves and the white wine for 5 mins. 2 Coat the cake with a layer of honey then coconut and toast in a non-stick frying pan for 1 min each side. Put on a serving plate and top with the peaches. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh raspberries and a spoonful of…

Say ‘boo’ Make a basic buttercream icing by mixing 140g softened butter, 380g icing sugar and a fefi drops of orange colouring together. Ice each biscuit fiith the mix. Using a black icing pen, pipe on the phrase ‘boo!’ and place sprinkles around the outside of the biscuit. Enough for 12 biscuits. Mummy alert Make the icing as before, but omit the food colouring. Run a fefi lengths of white icing across the biscuit. Push in 2 green Smarties for eyes, and use a white icing pen to pipe some streaks across them. Spooky spiders Add 2 drops of bright green colouring to the icing. Ice each biscuit fiith the mix. Using a black icing pen, pipe on 8 legs, allofiing them to meet in the centre. Press on a…

Bean & sausage hotpot • Serves 4 (plus an extra 6 portions of sauce for the freezer)• Prep 5 mins Cook 40 mins• £1.63 a portion• 577 kcals, 29g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion FREEZABLE 4 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 bay leaves 1 tsp sugar 4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 8 large sausages 3 x 400g cans butter beans 1 tbsp black treacle or muscovado sugar 1 tsp English mustard 1 Heat the oil in a pan and add the vegetables, garlic and bay leaf. Stir in the sugar with some salt. Gently cook for 10-15 mins, until the veg is tender. Stir in the tomatoes and 150ml water. Simmer gently for 30 mins,…

Roast pheasant with mushrooms & bacon • Serves 2• Prep 20 Cook 1 hr 15 mins plus soaking and resting• £5.89 a portion• 653 kcals, 32g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion 25g pack dried porcini mushrooms 1 oven-ready pheasant 1 tbsp sunflower oil 70g pack smoked bacon lardons 2 medium baking potatoes, chopped into small chunks 125ml white wine small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped small handful watercress leaves, to serve 1 tbsp olive oil 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pour about 200ml of hot water from the kettle over the mushrooms and leave to soak for 20 mins. Drain, reserving the liquid. Squeeze any excess liquid from the mushrooms, but keep them whole. 2 Generously season the pheasant all over. Heat the sunflower oil in a shallow flameproof dish and…

Salt & pepper squid • Serves 2• Prep 20 mins Cook 5 mins• £1.08 a portion• 570 kcals, 21g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion 1-2 tsp white peppercorns 1-2 tsp sea salt 100g plain flour 2 large fresh squid tubes 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying 4 garlic cloves small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped 1 In a pestle and mortar, add the white peppercorns and sea salt, and finely grind together. Stir this through the flour, then tip on to a plate. 2 Prepare the squid by cutting it down the middle of each tube, then open it up to create a large, flat piece of squid. Remove the membrane and discard. Using a sharp knife, score the inside of the squid on an angle to create a fine criss-cross pattern in…

Mary Berry’s Apple pie • Serves 6• Prep 45 Cook 40-45 mins plus chilling• 54p a portion• 546 kcals, 13g fat, 11g sat. fat a portion 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 175g hard block margarine, cubed, plus extra for greasing about 6 tbsp cold water 1kg dessert or cooking apples juice of 1 small lemon 85g sugar, plus 1 tbsp to glaze 1½ tbsp cornflour 1 tbsp milk, to glaze Mary’s top tip  Avoid a soggy bottom. Sugar drafis out the juice from fruit, and if there is too much, it may overfow during baking. Use only the amount of sugar specified and serve extra at the table if necessary, particularly if you’ve used cooking apples, which are less sweet than dessert apples. ‘Homely apple pie never fails to please and is…

Absorption method With this method, the amount of fiater you use is crucial – you need tfiice as much fiater as volume (not fieight) of rice. For example, for 4 people fieigh out 340g long-grain or basmati rice. Tip into a measuring jug and it fiill come roughly up to the 300ml mark, so cover the rice fiith around 600ml cold fiater. Add ½ tsp salt. Cover the pan tightly so the steam doesn't escape (you can put a layer of foil over the pan and then add the lid for a tighter fit). Bring to the boil, turn the heat to the lofiest possible setting and leave to cook, lid on, until all the fiater has been absorbed and the rice is cooked (about 12 mins). When the rice…

Pumpkin biryani • Serves 10• Prep 40 mins Cook 2 hrs 30 mins plus soaking• 99p a portion• 379 kcals, 17g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion VEGETARIAN large pinch saffron strands 500g onion, thinly sliced 175g butter 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 100g ginger, roughly chopped ¾ tsp chilli powder 1 tsp ground cardamom seeds ½ tsp grated nutmeg 3 small cinnamon sticks 1 tsp clove 3 bay leaves 2 blades mace 2 tsp garam masala 1 green chilli, deseeded and shredded juice 3 limes 3 x 1kg pumpkins 175ml Greek yogurt 450g basmati rice large handful mint leaves 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Soak the saffron strands in 4 tbsp hot water for 30 mins. Soften the onions in 100g of the butter for 10-15 mins in a covered pan.…

Sticky sesame chicken & corn • Serves 4• Prep 15 mins Cook 40 mins• 82p a portion• 675 kcals, 29g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion (includes serving suggestion) 900g chicken wings 4 frozen corn cobs 2 tsp vegetable oil 3 tbsp clear honey 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter 2 tbsp sesame seeds 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the chicken and frozen corn cobs on a large baking tray, drizzle with oil, season and bake for 20 mins. 2 In a bowl, mix the honey, peanut butter and sesame seeds with a pinch of salt. Remove the tray from the oven and brush or drizzle the sauce over the chicken and corn, then toss everything together to coat. Return to the oven and roast for a further 15-20 mins until sticky…

Lamb shoulder with bay leaves & juniper berries • Serves 6• Prep 10 mins Cook 2 hrs• £3.14 a portion• 440 kcals, 24g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion 1½ kg lamb shoulder, boned by the butcher (not rolled and tied) 2 tbsp olive oil 6 garlic cloves 6 bay leaves 5 juniper berries 150ml red wine vinegar 250ml white wine 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Trim any excess fat from the lamb shoulder. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish and add the oil. Add the lamb shoulder and fry over a high heat to brown it on all sides. Remove from dish and pour off any excess fat. 2 Add the garlic cloves, bay leaves, juniper berries, red wine vinegar and white wine to the dish and set the shoulder on…