BBC Easy Cook 2014-71 - PDF Free Download (2024)

The UK’s BEST VALUE food magazine 30

Pork stir fry

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DIGITAL EDITION

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Quick ﬁsh stew

ISSUE 71 MAY 2014

Fast &fab!

From the BBC

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Jammy drops

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114

tried & trus recipes ted

Try our one-pan meal

Mary Berry’s

3-course menu for friends UNDER £5

PER HEAD!

Our

TV COOKS Recipes from your favourite BBC chefs

10th birthday issue

10 years of brilliant family meals

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Happy summer cooking!

Our

10th birthday

Welcome

BBC Easy Cook, Immediate Media Company London Ltd, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT EDITORIAL

EDITOR SARAH GILES Assistant Editor Sarah Sysum Art Editor Gareth Jones Chief Sub-Editor Barbara Baker PUBLISHING

Group Publishing Director, Contract and Customer Publishing Alfie Lewis Publisher Lorna East ADVERTISING

Advertising Director Jason Elson (020 7150 5030) Group Head Display and Classiﬁed Myrto Koutsia Senior Display Sales Executive Catherine Nicolson Display Sales Executives Rosie Bee, Candice Burrow Classiﬁed Sales Executive Aimee Vince Inserts Harry Rowland BRAND SOLUTIONS

Group Head Brand Solutions Nicola Shubrook Senior Brand Solutions Executive Charlie Farr Brand Solutions Executive Abigail Snelling MARKETING & READER OFFERS

Senior Marketing Executive Hayley Marsden Reader Offer Manager Liza Evans PRODUCTION & AD SERVICES

Head of Production Lifestyle, Youth & Children’s and Repro Koli Pickersgill Production Manager Food & Pre-School Kate Willey Senior Production Coordinator Leanda Holloway Senior Reprographic Technician Robert James Reprographic Technicians Andrew Herne, Jonathan Shaw Head of Ad Services Sharon Thompson Ad Services Coordinator Sarah Barker SYNDICATION

...to our May issue. This is a very special issue for us because it’s our 10th birthday – yes, BBC Easy Cook has been going strong since the summer of 2004! In this issue, we’re celebrating our ﬁrst decade with a look back at some of the team’s favourite recipes – you’ll ﬁnd the main meals we all cook over and over again on pages 32-35, our most-loved puds on page 36 and our best-ever bakes on pages 52-55. We’d love to know which are your favourite BBC Easy Cook recipes too – email us to let us know at [emailprotected], or via Facebook (search for ‘Easy Cook Magazine’) or on Twitter @EasyCookMag. One recipe I often use, especially in the summer, was sent to us by a reader many years ago. It was a really easy way to make ice cream ﬂavoured with maple syrup and walnuts, but I’ve adapted it over the years to make fruity versions: make a custard by whisking 2 egg yolks and 50g caster sugar until pale, then add 85ml milk. Pour into a pan and heat gently, stirring, until it thickens (make sure it doesn’t boil). Leave to cool. Meanwhile, whizz up a punnet of fresh raspberries or strawberries or 3 fresh peaches to a rough purée. Stir into the custard with a tub of clotted cream, then freeze for at least 4 hours. Delicious!

Head of Licensing & Syndication Joanna Marshall MANAGEMENT

BBC WORLDWIDE, UK PUBLISHING Director of UK Publishing Nicholas Brett Head of UK Publishing Chris Kerwin Head of Editorial, UK Publishing Jenny Potter UK Publishing Coordinator Eva Abramik [emailprotected] http://www.bbcworldwide.com/uk--anz/ukpublishing.aspx We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the prices displayed in BBC Easy Cook magazine. However, they can vary once we go to print. Please check with the appropriate retailers for full details. Nutritional analysis includes listed ingredients only and excludes optional ingredients such as salt, and serving suggestions.

PS With thanks to M&S who made this wonderful birthday cake for us. It’s from their Cakes To Order range – see www.marksandspencer.com for more info

mins

If you’re cooking in a hurry, look out for the colour-coded timing circles on our 20 Quick Weeknight Meals, starting on page 6 BBC Easy Cook magazine is owned by BBC Worldwide and produced on its behalf by Immediate Media Company Limited. BBC Worldwide’s profits are returned to the BBC and help fund new BBC programmes. © Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2014

From the BBC

The BBC Easy Cook team is here to help you get healthy, nutritious, good-value meals on the table as quickly as possible. When we’re planning what to include in each issue, there are four key words we always bear in mind:

EASY: you will never need complicated techniques or special equipment to make our recipes.

QUICK: most of our recipes can be on the table in half an hour or less. Some take a little longer than that in the oven, but we always keep the prep times to a minimum. VALUE: to help you keep

Sarah Giles, Editor

Chairman Stephen Alexander CEO Tom Bureau

Our promise

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What’s so good about our recipes is that they’ve all been tested in the kitchens of our sister title, BBC Good Food magazine. So they’re easy, super-tasty and quick to make – and you can also be sure that they’ll work perfectly every time.

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down the cost of your shopping bill, we make the most of good-value, seasonal produce; we keep the number of ingredients in a recipe to a minimum, and we show you how to use up leftovers. Look out for stamp – our it shows where the cost per person for a main meal recipe comes in at under £1.

LEARN: whether you’re a beginner cook or just too busy to spend ages in the kitchen, we’ll show you lots of clever shortcuts and essential skills to help speed things up.

BBC Easy Cook

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Contents ISSUE 71 MAY 2014

Foolproof recipes for perfect results every time

SPEEDY MEALS Great food on the table in half an hour or less

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY

6 20 FAST MEALS Weeknight suppers for a whole month – ready in 30 minutes or less

Relaxed but special meals to cook and enjoy with family and friends

24 LUNCHBOX IDEAS Tasty ideas that are ideal to take to work

38 MARY BERRY’S BRILLIANT MENU

25 DELICIOUS SIDE DISHES

Lovely three-course lunch for under £5 a person

Great new accompaniments to try

42 TAKE A PACK OF…

26 SPICY AND TEMPTING Fab recipes from spice expert John Gregory-Smith

… broccoli. It’s versatile, tasty and good for you!

31 SATURDAY SNACK

44 FANTASTIC FISH

Prawn bruschetta with a lemony fennel salad

It’s much easier to cook than you might think

IT’S OUR 10 BIRTHDAY! Celebrate with our all-time favourite recipes

32 BEST-EVER MAIN MEALS Favourites you'll want to make again

36 BEST-EVER PUDS Our top recipes, including a 10-minute microwave choc cake

52 BEST-EVER BAKES Our favourite cake, scones and bread, plus savoury recipes 4

BBC Easy Cook

Our

10th birthday

46 VEGETARIAN SPECIAL Three great main courses, including a tasty gratin

48 MAKE THE MOST OF ASPARAGUS Fabulous recipes for seasonal produce at its best

51 ONE-POT ROAST Simple roast pork goulash to make

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To make our delicious cover recipe, turn to page 49

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TV COOKS Recipes from your favourite BBC celebrity chefs

Slowroast pork – the perfect Sunday lunch

62 JAMES MARTIN

GET BAKING

Slow-roast pork and three side dishes to make

Sweet and savoury ideas you’ll want to make again and again

64 JOHN TORODE Grilled lamb steaks and yummy rhubarb tarts

56 EUROVISION SPECIAL

66 GERARD BAKER

Make Danish pastries for the big night!

An easy fish main course and delicious dessert

58 HOMEMADE BISCUITS

68 DONAL SKEHAN

Including scrumptious Jammy Drops and easy Butterscotch Cookies

Savoury scones with a difference

60 FOR THE CAKE TIN

70 EDD KIMBER

Chocolate fudge cupcakes – perfect for a kids’ party

A fantastic layer cake to make

COOKS’ EXTRAS 50 YOUR GUIDE TO EGGS 74 LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS… … and how to use them up 76 EASY COOK FAVOURITES Best economy buys from the supermarkets 78 EASY EXTRAS 4 packed pages of ideas, tips and products

EASY COOK COOKERY SCHOOL 72 HOW TO COOK SCALLOPS Our step-by-step guide will inspire you to have a go!

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REGULARS 3 WELCOME 28 SUBSCRIBE! BBC Easy Cook direct to your door

30 GREAT READER OFFER Save £££s on retro storage tins

82 RECIPE INDEX BBC Easy Cook

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20 quick weeknight meals

Turn into Lamb Burgers: Shape into 4 burgers instead of meatballs and fry for 5-8 mins on each side until cooked through. Serve in buns with lettuce, cucumber and tzatziki

A whole month of tasty recipes – all ready in 30 minutes or less

mins Lamb pittas O

Serves 4 Ready in 30 minutes O £1.27 a portion O 411 kcals, 22g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion O Suitable for freezing O

2 tbsp olive oil 2 red onions, very ﬁnely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander 400g can chopped tomatoes ½ tsp sugar 10g fresh mint, ﬁnely chopped 6

BBC Easy Cook

500g pack lean lamb mince 8 dried apricots, ﬁnely chopped 50g fresh breadcrumbs pitta bread and salad, to serve 1 Make the onion mixture Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and soften the onions for 5 mins. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a few minutes more. Spoon half the onion mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool. Add the tomatoes, sugar and seasoning to the remaining onions in the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced.

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2 Shape into meatballs Meanwhile, add the mint, lamb, apricots and breadcrumbs to the cooled onions, season and mix well with your hands. Shape into little meatballs. 3 Simmer and serve Heat the rest of the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the meatballs until golden (in batches if you need to). Stir in the tomato sauce with a splash of water and gently heat everything for a few minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with pitta bread and salad.

SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net

Steaks with artichoke salad O

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 20 minutes O £3.24 a portion O 582 kcals, 45g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

2 steaks (weighing about 140g each) 1 tbsp dried pink peppercorns, crushed (use a rolling pin to crush them) 1 tbsp olive oil, plus an extra drizzle 250g artichoke hearts (from a jar), drained and halved if whole 85g mixed salad leaves 100g roasted peppers (from a jar), halved if whole 10 SunBlush tomatoes, drained balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

1 Cook the steaks Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Put a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, season the beef with salt, then rub in the peppercorns. Add the oil to the pan, then brown the steaks for 1 minute on each side. Put on a roasting tray and transfer to the oven to cook for 5 minutes (for rare) to 8 minutes (for well done). Remove, wrap tightly in foil, then leave to rest while making the salad. 2 Make the salad Arrange the artichoke pieces on two serving plates. Put the salad leaves in a mixing bowl with the peppers and tomatoes, drizzle over a little olive oil, season, then arrange on top of the artichokes. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top. Remove the beef from the foil, slice, then put on the plate and serve.

theeasyway Pink peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, slightly spicy ﬂavour, but if you can’t ﬁnd them it’s ﬁne to use black peppercorns instead

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BBC Easy Cook

SPEEDY MEALS Sweet and sticky chicken noodles WorldMags.net

O Serves 2 (easily multiplied) O Ready in 20 minutes O £1.22 a portion O 500

theeasyway This is lovely with pork or beef too, if you want to ring the changes

kcals, 14g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion

1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp sesame seeds 2 tbsp runny honey 150g egg noodles 1 skinless, cooked chicken breast, cut into small chunks 3 spring onions, sliced ½ red pepper, stalk and seeds removed, sliced into small strips handful of coriander (optional)

O Not

suitable for freezing

1 Make the dressing and cook the noodles Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, seeds and honey and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to pack instructions, then drain. 2 Finish the dish Tip the noodles into a bowl. Stir in the dressing, add the chicken, spring onions and pepper and stir. Divide between bowls and top with coriander, if you like.

Quick ﬁsh stew O

Serves 4 OReady in 30 minutes O£3.10 a portion kcals, 20g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing

O620

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1 onion, chopped 3 tbsp garlic butter 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes, ﬁnely chopped 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar pinch of chilli ﬂakes 1 vegetable stock cube 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar), sliced and drained 300g potatoes, cut into chunks 400g bag mixed seafood (defrosted if frozen) 250g white ﬁsh or salmon, chopped into chunks 2 tbsp ﬁnely chopped parsley 8 thin slices of baguette 1 Simmer the veg Cook the onion in 1 tbsp garlic

butter for 5 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes and juices, balsamic vinegar and chilli. Crumble over the stock cube, and add the peppers and potatoes. Season, then simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are just tender. Add the seafood and ﬁsh and cook for 5 minutes, or until hot and cooked through. 2 Make the garlic toasts Meanwhile, mix the rest of the garlic butter with 1 tsp parsley. Season. Toast the bread and spread one side with the butter. Grill until golden. Serve the stew in bowls, scattered with parsley and toppped with the toasts.

Grilled chicken with chilli O Serves 2 (easily multiplied) O Ready in 20 minutes O £1.89 a portion O 303

BBC Easy Cook

kcals, 10g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion

O Not

suitable for freezing

1½ tbsp chilli sauce 2 tsp grated ginger 2 tbsp clear honey 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2 skinless chicken breasts 1 tbsp vegetable oil 240g Tenderstem broccoli 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

season on both sides. Heat a grill pan.

1 Make the chilli marinade In a small bowl, mix the chilli sauce, ginger, honey and vinegar with a little seasoning. Slice the chicken breasts lengthways into 2 pieces. Rub with the oil and

3 Boil the broccoli Boil the broccoli for 4-5 minutes, then divide between the plates and pour over the remaining sauce. Top with the chicken and the toasted sesame seeds.

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2 Grill the chicken Cook the chicken on one side for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brush with the marinade, then cook for 5 minutes more.

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Serve the garlicky toast as a change from rice WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook

SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net Masala salmon O

Serves 4 Ready in 30 minutes O £2.12 a portion O 523 kcals, 22g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing

1 Coat the ﬁsh Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Combine the tikka paste, tomato purée and almost all the yogurt in a bowl. Add the ﬁsh, turn to coat, then put on a baking sheet.

2 tbsp tikka masala curry paste 1 tsp tomato purée 150g pot natural yogurt 4 x salmon ﬁllets (about 140g each) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, ﬁnely sliced 200g basmati rice ½ red onion, ﬁnely chopped, to serve 100g bag baby spinach, to serve lime wedges, to serve

2 Cook the rice Heat the oil in a medium pan over a high heat. Add most of the onion, cook for 5 minutes until soft, then stir in the rice. Add 500ml water, bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the water has evaporated. Season.

3 Finish the dish Meanwhile, roast the ﬁsh for 12-15 minutes until golden and the ﬂesh ﬂakes easily. Divide the rice between plates. Top with the ﬁsh, scatter with the chopped red onion and spinach, then spoon over the remaining yogurt. Serve with lime wedges.

You could use firm white fish fillets instead of salmon in this recipe, if you prefer

10 BBC Easy Cook

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Mexican veggie hash O

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 30 minutes O £2.42 a portion O 671 kcals, 46g fat, 14g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

280g new potatoes, cut into cubes 2 tbsp each butter and olive oil 1 red chilli (half sliced, half deseeded and ﬁnely chopped) 1 clove of garlic, chopped 1 tsp cajun seasoning 198g can sweetcorn, drained and rinsed 200g black beans (from a can), drained and rinsed well 2 eggs 1 ripe avocado, chopped lime wedges, soured cream and warm tortillas, to serve (optional)

1 Cook the hash Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes, then drain and leave to steam-dry for a few minutes. Heat half the butter and oil in the pan and fry the potatoes for 10-15 mins, until golden. Add the chopped chilli, garlic, cajun seasoning, sweetcorn and black beans, and heat through for 5 minutes, then season. Keep warm in a low oven. 2 Fry the eggs Meanwhile, fry the eggs in the rest of the butter and oil until cooked. Divide the potatoes between 2 plates and top each with an egg, some chopped avocado and the sliced chilli. Serve with the lime wedges, soured cream and tortillas (if using).

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BBC Easy Cook 11

SPEEDY MEALS Fish fingers and carroty chips WorldMags.net O O

theeasyway Serve the ﬁsh and carroty chips with the dip in a little dish on the side

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) O Ready in 20 minutes O £1.57 a portion 987 kcals, 54g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing

1 large potato, cut into wedges 2 carrots, peeled and cut into wedges 6 tbsp olive oil 2 skinless, boneless salmon ﬁllets, sliced into ﬁngers 50g plain ﬂour, seasoned 1 egg, beaten 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs ½ onion, chopped 4 tbsp tomato ketchup 2 tbsp sugar ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Make the chips Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Boil the potato and

carrots for 4 minutes, drain and put on a baking tray. Drizzle with 3 tbsp oil, season, then bake for 15 minutes until golden. 2 Coat the ﬁsh Coat the salmon in the ﬂour, dip in the egg and coat in the breadcrumbs. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a pan and fry for 3 mins on each side, until golden and cooked. 3 Make the dip Cook the onion in the remaining 1 tbsp oil until soft. Add the ketchup, sugar and vinegar and cook for 4 minutes.

Ciabatta pizzas OServes 4 OReady in 30 minutes O£1.18 a portion O357 kcals, 12g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing O

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1 tbsp olive oil 2 large onions, thinly sliced 1 clove of garlic, sliced 2 rosemary sprigs (leaves picked and chopped) 10 peppadew peppers (from a jar), drained and quartered 3 tbsp black olives, pitted and halved 1 ciabatta loaf, sliced lengthways and halved 2 handfuls of grated gruyère or cheddar 1 Soften the onion Turn oven to fan 180C/

conventional 200C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan. Add the onions, garlic and rosemary with a splash of water, cover, then cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn up the heat, then cook for 4 minutes more. 2 Assemble the pizza Stir in the peppers, olives and seasoning. Put the ciabatta halves, facing up, on a baking tray. Spread the mixture over the bread to cover. Sprinkle over the cheese, then bake for 10 mins, or until the cheese is bubbling.

Hearty lamb soup OServes O58

4 OReady in 30 minutes O kcals, 11g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion

200g lamb neck ﬁllet, trimmed and cut into small pieces 1 tsp olive oil ½ large onion, ﬁnely chopped 50g pearl barley 600g mixed potato, parsnip and swede, cubed 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 litre lamb or beef stock 1 thyme sprig 100g green beans (frozen are ﬁne), chopped

Serve with crusty bread 12 BBC Easy Cook

1 Simmer the soup Season the lamb, then fry in

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94p a portion for freezing

OSuitable

the oil for a few minutes until browned. Add the onion and barley and fry for 1 min. Add the veg, cook for 2 mins more, then add the Worcestershire sauce, stock and thyme. Cover, and then simmer for 20 minutes. 2 Add the green beans Spoon about a quarter of the soup into a separate pan. Purée with a stick blender, then stir it back into the rest of the soup. Add the green beans, simmer for 3 mins, then ladle into bowls.

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mins

theeasyway For a meaty version, fry 50g lamb mince until browned (no extra oil needed), then stir into the onions with 1 tsp sugar. Spread over 4 lightly toasted pitta breads, scatter with 100g crumbled feta, then grill to ﬁnish. Serve with tzatziki

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BBC Easy Cook 13

WorldMags.net Sweet and sour pork stir-fry O

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 10 minutes O £1.47 a portion O 210 kcals, 9g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

1 tbsp vegetable oil 100g pork loin, sliced into strips 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 1 courgette, sliced into matchsticks ½ bunch spring onions, shredded 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 1 tbsp clear honey 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Cook the pork Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok, add the pork and brown for 1 minute. Lift out onto a plate and set aside. Add the pepper and courgette and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the spring onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds more, until hot through. 2 Add the sauce Mix together the ketchup, honey and vinegar in a small bowl, then pour into the pan with the veg. Add the pork strips and cook for about 20-30 seconds, or until the pork is tender. Serve the pork and veg with rice.

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Cheaper than a takeaway 14 BBC Easy Cook

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SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net

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Tangy turkey sloppy joes O

Serves 6 Ready in 20 minutes O 84p a portion O 353 kcals, 8g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion O Suitable for freezing (sauce only) O

1 tbsp olive oil 2 small onions, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 500g turkey mince 1 tsp each ground cumin and hot smoked paprika 2 tbsp soft brown sugar 125ml cider vinegar, plus 1 tbsp extra 500ml passata 75ml low-fat mayonnaise 1 tbsp caster sugar ¼ head of celeriac, peeled and grated

2 carrots, grated 6 small soft buns 1 Make the sloppy joes sauce Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add half the onions, the garlic and some seasoning, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mince and cook until browned. Add the cumin, paprika, brown sugar and the 125ml vinegar, and cook for 5 mins. Pour in the passata and cook for 10 mins more. Set aside and keep warm. 2 Make the celeriac slaw In a bowl, combine the 1 tbsp vinegar with the mayo, a little seasoning and the caster sugar. Add the celeriac, carrots and remaining onions, and mix well. Serve the mince mixture on the buns and top with the celeriac slaw.

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theeasyway Serve the sloppy joe sauce over pasta too

BBC Easy Cook 15

SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net Indian bean, broccoli and carrot salad O

Serves 4 Ready in 20 minutes O 91p a portion O 248 kcals, 11g fat, 2g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

1 Boil the veg Cook the green beans in a large pan of boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes, adding the broccoli after the ﬁrst 2 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, drain well.

250g green beans, trimmed 1 head of broccoli, cut into ﬂorets 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 tsp black mustard seeds ½ tsp dried chilli ﬂakes 100g frozen peas 3 large carrots, grated large bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

2 Heat the rest of the ingredients Heat the oil in a large frying pan and toast the mustard seeds and chilli ﬂakes for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the peas, green beans and broccoli, tossing until heated through. Turn off the heat and stir in the carrots and coriander. 3 Serve Serve the salad warm, with some pitta bread if you like. (It's great cold too – perfect for lunch the next day.)

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16 BBC Easy Cook

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theeasyway Serve with Homemade Raita: Mix together 200ml natural yogurt, ½ cucumber, peeled and grated, a thumb-sized piece ginger, grated, ½ tsp ground cumin, the grated rind and juice of 1 lime and 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves

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SPEEDY MEALS Spicy meatball skewers WorldMags.net

OServes 2 (easily multiplied) OReady in 20 minutes O£1.45 a portion O561

mins

kcals, 27g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion

100g basmati rice ½ chicken stock cube 1 tsp turmeric 250g pack minced beef 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and ﬁnely chopped 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 courgette, thickly sliced 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into large pieces 1 tbsp olive oil 1 Cook the rice Boil the rice according to pack instructions, adding the stock

ONot

suitable for freezing

cube and turmeric to the water. 2 Make the meatballs Meanwhile, mix the beef, garlic, chilli, half the parsley and some seasoning in a bowl and shape into 12 walnut-sized pieces. Push onto 4 skewers, alternating with the courgette and pepper pieces. 3 Grill the skewers Brush the skewers with oil and grill for 10 minutes, or until cooked. Stir the remaining parsley into the rice and serve the skewers with the rice.

Cheese and ham macaroni OServes

theeasyway Lamb or pork mince works really well in this recipe too

mins

O717

4 OReady in 30 minutes O£1.38 a portion kcals, 24g fat, 14g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing

400g macaroni 140g frozen peas 140g light mascarpone 1 heaped tbsp English mustard 140g cheddar, grated 175g shredded ham 4-6 tbsp dried breadcrumbs 1 Boil the pasta Cook the macaroni according to pack instructions, adding the peas for the ﬁnal 3 mins. Drain, reserving a mug of cooking water, then tip the macaroni and peas back into the pan.

2 Make the sauce Heat the grill to medium. Put the pan back on the heat and tip in the mascarpone, mustard and most of cheese. Mix well and add enough of the reserved cooking water to make a creamy sauce that coats the pasta without it looking dry. Stir in the ham and season to taste. 3 Bake Tip into an ovenproof dish and scatter over the breadcrumbs and remaining cheese, then grill for 5 minutes until golden.

Creamy sausage tagliatelle O O

It’s best to use good-quality sausages for this as they need to be really meaty. Look for those with at least 75% meat 18 BBC Easy Cook

Serves 4 O Ready in 30 minutes O £1.17 a portion 617 kcals, 28g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing

1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, ﬁnely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, ﬁnely chopped 400g sausages, skins removed and broken into small chunks 400g can chopped tomatoes 400g tagliatelle handful of basil 125g ricotta 1 Brown the sausagemeat Heat the oil in a large frying pan, tip in the onion and garlic, and cook for about 10 mins. Add

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the sausagemeat and brown for 5 mins. Tip in the tomatoes and simmer for 5 mins until thickened and the sausagemeat is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to pack instructions, then drain. 2 Add the sauce to the pasta Season the tomato sauce and toss through the drained pasta. Tear most of the basil (reserving a few leaves) and stir through the pasta. Spoon into bowls and dot with the ricotta. Sprinkle with the reserved basil leaves.

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mins

You can use cheddar or gruyère in this WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook 19

SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net Chicken and harissa pearl barley salad O

Serves 4 Ready in 30 minutes O £1.37 a portion O 597 kcals, 28g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

4 small chicken breasts 100ml olive oil 3 tbsp harissa rind and and juice of 2 small lemons 2 tsp runny honey ½ tsp ground cumin 200g pearl barley 1 red onion, ﬁnely sliced 2 oranges, peeled and divided into segments 4 handfuls of rocket

1 Griddle the chicken Brush the chicken breasts with 1 tbsp of the oil and cook on a pre-heated griddle or frying pan until golden on both sides and cooked through (about 15-20 minutes). Season and keep the chicken warm while you make the salad. 2 Make the harissa dressing Mix the harissa with the rind and juice of the lemons, the remaining olive oil, the honey, ground cumin and plenty of seasoning. 3 Assemble the salad and serve Cook the pearl barley according to pack instructions and mix with the onion, orange segments and rocket, then stir through 4 tbsp of the harissa dressing. Serve with the chicken.

You won't need all the dressing for this recipe. The rest can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

mins 20 BBC Easy Cook

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ADVERTIsem*nT FEATURE

WorldMags.net Baking Dreams

meringue letters 185g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Golden Caster Sugar 3 large egg whites Paste food colours of your choice

1 Warm the sugar Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Spread the sugar onto a lined tray. Warm on the middle shelf for 3 minutes or until it lightly colours. Stir once, don’t let it caramelise.

2 Whisk the eggs and sugar

A TASTE SENSATION When you try Tate & Lyle Sugars new range of baking sugars and syrups, you may be inspired to make your baking dreams come true! Sugar shouldn’t just be about adding sweetness to baking, but adding subtle ﬂavours too. With the Taste Experience range, you can taste the difference. Tate & Lyle Sugars have always been at the Great British family’s table as the original source of cane sugar, and these new golden and brown sugars – plus a 600g Lyle’s Golden Syrup® baking bottle – have been created to inspire a new generation of bakers. The range consists of eight distinct Fairtrade cane sugars that are diverse in ﬂavour and texture. From bold Light Muscovado, perfect for adding a creamy aromatic ﬂavour to desserts, to the crystals of Guyaneseinspired Demerara, which add crunch and texture, each sugar has a unique ﬂavour and texture developed to enhance your baking (as only cane sugars can do), whether you want a light sugar or a sweet-spiced kick. Tate & Lyle Sugars Taste Experience golden and brown cane sugars 325g-750g are available in Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose stores, and at ocado.com.

Reduce oven to fan 90C/conventional 110C/gas ¼. Using an electric mixer, add the whites to a bowl and whisk on high speed for about 1 minute until light and foamy. Slowly add the sugar, a tbsp at a time, whisk for 5 minutes until it cools and is thick and glossy.

3 Pipe the letters Turn a disposable piping bag inside out and, using a paintbrush, paint 3 x 10cm lengths of one of the food colour pastes from the nozzle up. Turn the bag back and spoon in some of the meringue. Pipe some letters on 2 lined baking trays, spaced apart. Repeat using all of the meringue and colours.

4 Bake the meringues Whether you want to kick start your baking business or need some guidance on how to make a wedding cake, Tate & Lyle Sugars can make your baking dreams come true. Pick up a promotional WIN* pack of Tate & Lyle Sugars or 600g Lyle’s Golden Syrup® baking bottle in store and submit your lucky pack code and baking dream online at tasteandsmile. com/bakingdreams for a chance to win one of ﬁve big cash boosts to help make your dream a reality – or millions of baking prizes and rewards, including inspirational baking trips, classes and hampers full of baking goodies, to make your life that bit sweeter.

Bake on the top and middle shelves for 1 hour, swapping the trays over halfway. Turn off the oven and leave to cool inside, for a few hours.

For tasty recipes and more about Tate & Lyle Sugars Baking Dreams, visit tasteandsmile.com WorldMags.net

* T&Cs apply. Baking Dream promotional packs will be available in main Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and Co Op stores, and online at ocado.com from Friday 28 March 2014. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 and over. Promotion closes 19 December 2014. Visit tasteandsmile.com/bakingdreams for full T&Cs.

Takes 30 minutes, plus 1½ hours in the oven OMakes 36 letters

SPEEDY MEALS Duck with rice pilaf WorldMags.net

OServes 4 OReady in 30 minutes O£2.98 a portion O894 kcals,

57g fat, 17g sat. fat a portion

theeasyway Slice the duck and serve

OSuitable for freezing (pilaf

2 duck breasts, skin on 1½ tsp garam masala 1 tsp grated fresh root ginger 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp cumin seeds 100g mixed basmati and wild rice 300ml chicken or veg stock 85g frozen peas bunch of spring onions, sliced 2 tbsp mango chutney, to serve

with the rice and a spoonful of chutney

mins

1 Make the spice rub Score criss-crossed lines into the duck skin, then rub in the garam masala and ginger. Chill for 5 mins. 2 Roast the duck Turn oven to fan 180C/

only)

conventional 200C/gas 6. Heat a heavy, non-stick pan, then gently fry the duck, skin-side down, for 8-10 mins until the fat runs out. Pour off the excess fat halfway through. Transfer to a baking dish and roast, skin-side up, for 10 mins, then leave to rest. 3 Make the pilaf Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, fry for 2-3 mins, then stir in the rice and cook for 2 mins. Pour over the stock, simmer for 10 mins, adding the peas for the ﬁnal 4 mins. When the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed, fork through the spring onions and season to taste.

Satay aubergine OServes 4 OReady in 20 minutes O£1.83 a portion O349 kcals,

22g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion

mins

ONot suitable for freezing O

1 large aubergine, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 tbsp coconut milk basmati rice, to serve FOR THE SALAD

1 cucumber, cut into chunks 1 red onion, sliced handful of fresh mint and coriander leaves

1 Make the skewers Toss the aubergine with the soy, oil, turmeric, half the chilli sauce and some black pepper, then thread onto pre-soaked wooden skewers. Heat a griddle pan and cook the aubergine on both sides on a medium-low heat, until soft and golden. Brush with a little oil if it starts to stick to the pan. 2 Make the peanut sauce In a bowl, mix the remaining chilli sauce with the peanut butter, hoisin, vinegar and coconut milk. In another bowl, mix together the salad ingredients.

Sausage and pasta pot OServes 4 OReady in 30 minutes O

96p a portion

O772 kcals, 25g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing

Good with mash too

22 BBC Easy Cook

8 good-quality sausages 1 tbsp olive oil 2.8 litres hot chicken stock 400g penne pasta 2 carrots, thinly sliced 2 onions, thinly sliced 3 celery sticks, thinly sliced 140g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths handful of ﬂat-leaf parsley, chopped

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1 Cook the sausages Fry the sausages in the oil until brown all over. Pour in the hot chicken stock and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. 2 Finish the dish Stir in the pasta and bring to the boil. Add the carrots and onions, cook for 5 mins, then add the celery and beans and cook for 4 mins. Stir in the parsley. Season.

WorldMags.net

mins

Serve the skewers, salad and sauce with cooked basmati rice

WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook 23

WorldMags.net Keep the zesty dressing in a separate pot until you are ready to eat so the salad stays nice and crisp

Pack up your

lunch

Taking your lunch to work saves money and can be healthier, too. All these great ideas serve 1 Fruity prawn noodles Cook 1 block dried egg noodles according to pack instructions, then rinse with water to cool. Drain and toss with a handful of cooked prawns and a handful of sugar snap peas, 1 tsp olive oil, the juice of ½ a lime and ½ a mango, chopped into small pieces. Keep it in the fridge until lunchtime.

Speedy gazpacho In a food processor or using a blender, whizz 250g passata with 1 small, crushed clove of garlic, 1 tsp sherry vinegar and a good squeeze of lime juice. Add some diced cucumber and diced red pepper and a small handful of kidney beans, then whizz until smooth and pour into a flask to keep cool.

Rainbow rice Mix a chunk of cucumber,

Ham & cheese roll-ups Spread 1 large

diced, and ½ yellow pepper, diced, with 2 tbsp sultanas, 100g leftover cooked rice and ½ carrot, grated. Mix 1 tbsp mango chutney with 1 tsp oil and a squeeze lemon juice, and then mix everything together.

tortilla with 2 tbsp cream cheese and some snipped chives. Top with shredded lettuce, 1 slice ham, torn into pieces, and 2 tbsp sweetcorn. Roll up tightly, then wrap in foil or cling film until you're ready to eat.

24 BBC Easy Cook

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Zesty bulghar and broad bean salad Cook 50g bulghar wheat according to pack instructions, adding 85g frozen broad beans for the ﬁnal 2 mins. Rinse under cold water, drain and toss with 6 sugar snap peas, halved, 4 radishes, sliced and ½ red onion, sliced. Mix the rind and juice of 1 lime with ½ small red chilli, deseeded and chopped, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp white wine vinegar and 1 tsp clear honey. Toss with the salad and scatter with mint leaves.

Pea pasta salad Cook 85g pasta bows, according to pack instructions, and tip in 50g frozen peas for the final 4 mins of cooking. Drain the peas and pasta, then rinse under cold water to quickly cool. Tip into a small container and mix in 1 tbsp pesto and 1 tbsp crème fraiche. Houmous salad wrap Shred a few crisp lettuce leaves and mix them with a handful of bean sprouts, 1 small grated carrot, ¼ chopped cucumber, ½ tomato, sliced and 1 spring onion, sliced. Spread 1 soft flour tortilla with 2 tbsp houmous, pile the salad on top, then roll up tightly.

SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net

Speedy sides

Give your greens a fresh spin this month with these tasty ideas Spinach with chilli and lemon crumbs O

Serves 4 Ready in 10 minutes O 92p a portion O 169 kcals, 7g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

25g butter 100g fresh breadcrumbs rind of 1 lemon 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 red chilli, ﬁnely chopped 500g spinach 1 Make the dish Melt the butter in a frying pan, tip in the breadcrumbs, lemon rind, garlic and chilli and cook until golden. Remove from the pan, season and set aside. Add the spinach to the pan and wilt, stirring. Season and serve with the crunchy crumbs sprinkled over the top.

Spring cabbage with mustard seeds

Watercress mashed potato O

Serves 4 Ready in 25 minutes O 64p a portion O 189 kcals, 6g fat, 4g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

650g ﬂoury potatoes, cut into chunks 100ml milk 25g butter 170g watercress 1 Boil the potatoes Cook the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for 15 mins, or until tender. Drain well and return to the pan to steam-dry for a few minutes, then mash well. 2 Add the watercress Push the mashed potatoes to one side and add the milk and butter to the other side of the pan. Heat gently until the butter melts, then stir into the potatoes with the watercress and some seasoning.

Serves 4 O Ready in 15 minutes O 35p a portion O 65 kcals, 4g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp mustard seeds 1 small onion, ﬁnely sliced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp grated ginger 500g spring cabbage, shredded

theeasyway

1 Stir-fry the cabbage Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then cook the mustard seeds until they are fragrant and starting to pop. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, then fry until golden. Tip in the cabbage and stir to coat in the spices, then cook for 5 minutes until tender. Season and serve.

WorldMags.net

Mashing greens into potatoes is a good way to sneak in an extra veg portion for kids – broccoli works well too BBC Easy Cook 25

SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net

Quick &spıcy

Spice expert John Gregory-Smith rustles up two tasty dishes using a range of spices

Duck tostadas with black beans and salsa OServes

4 in 30 minutes O£2.69 a portion O532 kcals, 26g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

4 duck breasts (about 150g each),

trimmed and skin scored 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 2 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp chilli powder 2 tbsp olive oil 4 ﬂour tortillas lettuce and a large handful of coriander, ﬁnally sliced and mixed together FOR THE BLACK BEANS

400g can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 tbsp olive oil 1½ tsp ground cumin juice of ½ a lime FOR THE SALSA

1 red onion, peeled and cut into quarters 115g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained 1 tsp smoked paprika juice of ½ a lime 1 Spice and roast the duck Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Put the duck breasts in a small roasting tin. Add the garlic, paprika, chilli powder, oil and a good pinch of salt, and mix well to coat. Turn the duck skin-side up, then roast for about 25 minutes, until golden on the outside and just pink in the centre. 2 Cook the beans Meanwhile, tip the beans into a pan over a medium heat. Mash the beans until fairly smooth, then add 55ml water, the olive oil and cumin. Squeeze in the lime juice, season and mix well. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and thick. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to one side. 3 Make the salsa Put the onion in a food processor with the sundried tomatoes, smoked paprika and pinch of salt. Squeeze in the lime juice. Blend until smooth, then pour into a serving bowl.

theeasyway

If you like, serve the duck, beans, salsa and tortillas separately and let everyone help themselves

26 BBC Easy Cook

WorldMags.net

4 Serve Put a tortillas on each of 4 serving plates and divide the beans between them. Slice up the duck and put on top of the beans. Serve with the coriander and lettuce salad and the salsa.

WorldMags.net

Ready in 30 minutes

Saffron chicken OServes

4 OReady in 30 minutes O£2.04 a portion O859 kcals, 37g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing 350g basmati rice 600ml chicken stock ¼ tsp saffron 2 onions, peeled and sliced 3 tbsp olive oil 6 cardamom pods, crushed 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 2tsp ground cinnamon 3 bay leaves 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs 55g toasted pine nuts 1 large handful of parsley leaves, ﬁnely chopped ½ nutmeg 55g ﬂaked almonds 1 bag green salad, to serve FOR THE TAHINI YOGHURT

300g natural yogurt

2 tbsp tahini juice of ½ lemon 1 Start cooking the rice Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and stir. Leave for a few minutes to soak. 2 Boil the stock Meanwhile, pour the stock into a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, then add the the saffron, stir well and remove from the heat. 3 Cook the onions Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan over a medium heat and add the onions. Mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden, then add the crushed cardamom. 4 Add the chicken Add the garlic to the onions, then add the cinnamon, bay leaves and a good pinch of salt. Drain the rice and tip into the onions. Mix well so the grains become coated in oil and spices. Pour over the saffron stock and stir gently. Put the chicken thighs on the top of the rice and poke them down with a spoon. Bring to the

WorldMags.net

boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. 5 Make the tahini yogurt Tip the yogurt into a serving bowl, add the tahini and a pinch of salt. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon, mix well and add a grinding of fresh black pepper. Leave to one side. 6 Finish the dish Once the chicken is cooked, grate over the nutmeg and add half the pine nuts, half the ﬂaked almonds and half the parsley. Season and mix well with a fork. Scatter over the remaining nuts and parsley and serve with the tahini yogurt and a green salad.

These recipes are adapted from Mighty Spice Express Cookbook, John GregorySmith, £20, Watkins Publishing Limited. BBC Easy Cook readers can buy it for just £16 with free p&p. Call 01326 569444 or visit www.sparkle.co.uk

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Fantastic offer this month! To celebrate BBC Easy Cook’s 10th birthday, we are offering you the chance to subscribe for just £14.95 for 10 issues – saving 35%*. Each issue of BBC Easy Cook is packed with mouthwatering recipes for busy cooks looking for inspiration. There’s a great choice of speedy recipes for the month ahead, with lots of delicious new ideas, sections on easy entertaining and perfectresults baking. Don’t miss all these quick and tasty recipes you’ll want to make again and again. WorldMags.net

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30 BBC Easy Cook

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SPEEDY MEALS WorldMags.net To make a veggie version, top the bruschetta with thin slices of halloumi, grill until melted, then top with the salad

Saturday

snack

Make this low-fat posh treat for two (or double up the ingredients for a delicious starter if you’ve got friends coming over for a meal) Prawn bruschetta with lemony fennel salad O

Serves 2 (easily multiplied) Ready in 15 minutes O £1.37 a portion O 220 kcals, 7g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced through the root, green fronds reserved & chopped 1 heaped tbsp roughly chopped dill rind & juice ½ lemon (plus wedges, to serve) 1 tbsp olive oil 4 small slices wholemeal bread 1 clove of garlic, halved 140g prawns, defrosted if frozen handful of rocket

1 Make the salad Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the fennel slices and blanch for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain well and toss with reserved fennel fronds, dill, lemon rind and juice, 2 tsp olive oil and some seasoning. 2 Assemble the bruschetta Brush the slices of bread with the remaining olive oil. Put in a hot griddle or grill pan (a griddle pan will give nice striped markings) and toast on both sides until lightly charred. Rub one side of each slice of bruschetta with the garlic, and then divide the fennel salad between them. Top with the prawns, then the rocket and serve immediately.

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Try these ideas too Chilli prawns Melt a knob of butter in a pan, add 2 sliced spring onions and ½ finely sliced deseeded red chilli and cook for 1 minute. Add a large handful of cooked, peeled prawns and heat through. Transfer the prawn mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with a handful of chopped coriander. Serves 1. Prawn skewers Marinate 20 cooked, peeled prawns in 4 tbsp tomato ketchup mixed with 4 tbsp soy sauce. Thread the prawns onto 4 wooden skewers (soak the skewers in water first) and grill for 3-4 minutes. Serves 2.

BBC Easy Cook 31

Our

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10 th Our best-ever...

maın mea s

birthday

It’s great to have a few recipes up your sleeve that can be quickly assembled when time’s short. These fit the bill perfectly…

We love this recipe because… it’s our failsafe Sunday roast recipe. The Marmite is optional, but adding it to the gravy gives it a good depth of flavour

Slow-roast chicken with homemade gravy OServes OTakes

2 tbsp ﬂour 1 tsp Marmite (optional)

1 large whole chicken 50g soft butter 2 tsp fresh thyme (or use 1 tsp dried), plus sprigs to serve 1 lemon 1 litre chicken stock

1 Roast the chicken Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 6 and put the chicken in a roasting tin. Put the butter into a bowl and add the herbs and plenty of seasoning. Grate in the lemon rind and mash well. Rub the lemony butter over the chicken breasts, legs and wings, then push the whole lemon into the big cavity of the chicken. Pour half the stock into the tin, then cover with a tent of foil and roast for 2 hours.

6 10 minutes, plus 2 hours 30 minutes in the oven O£1.44 a portion O446 kcals, 27g fat, 11g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing

32 BBC Easy Cook

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2 Increase the heat Remove the foil from the chicken, increase oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7 and cook the chicken for 30 mins more. Remove to a serving dish and cover with foil. 3 Make the gravy Meanwhile, tip the chicken juices and stock from the tin into a jug. Put the tin over a medium heat and stir in the ﬂour and Marmite, if using, with a splash of the juices to make a paste. Gradually stir in the rest of the stock, then serve with the chicken.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net We love this

recipe because…

who doesn’t love sausages? Using chipolatas means it's ready in under half an hour

Super-easy carbonara OServes O575

4 OReady in 15 minutes O kcals, 24g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion

350g spaghetti 140g smoked streaky bacon 2 tsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 egg, plus 4 yolks 50g parmesan, grated

96p a portion suitable for freezing

ONot

1 Boil the pasta and make the sauce Cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in the oil until golden. Add the garlic, fry for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. To make the sauce, whisk the egg and yolks in a bowl with most of the parmesan and some seasoning. 2 Add the bacon Drain the pasta, reserving some cooking water. Add the sauce and 1 tbsp of cooking water and mix. (The heat from the pasta will gently cook the sauce.) Stir in the bacon and garlic and serve topped with the remaining parmesan.

Quick sausage stew OServes

4 in 20 minutes O 97p a portion O373 kcals, 24g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing OReady

1 tbsp olive oil 12 chipolatas 1 onion, sliced 410g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 350g jar ready-made tomato sauce 150ml chicken stock 1 clove of garlic, ﬁnely chopped grated rind of 1 small orange 2 tbsp chopped ﬂat-leaf parsley 1 Fry the sausages Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the sausages for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. 2 Start making the stew Cook the onion in the same pan for 5-6 mins until softened, adding a splash of water if it starts to catch. Add the chickpeas, tomato sauce and stock and bring to the boil.

We love this recipe because… it’s so quick and easy, plus it's very good value. You can also ring the changes by using chopped chorizo instead of bacon

3 Finish and serve Return the sausages to the pan, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked through. Scatter the garlic, orange rind and parsley over the stew and serve with crusty bread on the side.

WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook 33

WorldMags.net

Baked salmon with fennel OServes

2 15 mins, plus 25 mins in the oven O£3.43 a portion O398 kcals, 25g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OTakes

2 medium fennel bulbs 2 tbsp chopped ﬂat-leaf parsley grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 175g cherry tomatoes 1 tbsp olive oil 2 salmon ﬁllets a few black olives (optional) 1 Prepare the fennel Turn the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Trim the fronds from the fennel and set aside. Cut the fennel bulbs in half, cut each half into 3 wedges. Cook in boiling

salted water for 10 minutes, drain well. Chop the fennel fronds roughly, then mix with the parsley and lemon rind. 2 Bake Put the drained fennel in a shallow, ovenproof dish, then add the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, then bake for 10 minutes. Put the salmon among the fennel and tomatoes, sprinkle with the lemon juice, then bake for if you're worried about 15 minutes more, cooking fish, this is a until the ﬁsh is just an easy way of getting cooked. Scatter over the parsley mixture a delicious result and the olives, if using, and it's perfect for and serve with boiled entertaining new potatoes, if you like.

We love this recipe because…

Pork burgers with herby chips OServes

4 in 40 minutes O 99p a portion O675 kcals, 29g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing (uncooked burgers) OReady

3 large baking potatoes, cut into chips 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into quarters 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp extra 2 tsp dried mixed herbs 500g pack pork mince 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 large egg 4 tbsp mayonnaise 4 burger buns, sliced red onion and lettuce leaves, to serve 1 Cook the chips Turn oven to fan 210C/ conventional 230C/ gas 8. Toss the potatoes and pepper with 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp herbs on a baking tray. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once, until the chips are golden and the pepper is soft. Season.

We love this recipe because… the burgers are cheap, quick to make and freeze really well – we’re addicted to the herby chips too! 34 BBC Easy Cook

WorldMags.net

2 Make the burgers Meanwhile, mix together the mince with twothirds of the garlic, the paprika, egg, remaining herbs and some seasoning in a bowl. Shape into 4 burgers. Heat a frying pan, add 1 tsp oil, and cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway. Mix the mayonnaise with the remaining garlic. 3 Serve Serve the burgers in buns ﬁlled with the roasted pepper, lettuce and onion and a spoonful of the mayo, with the chips on the side.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net Creamy pesto chicken OServes

4 in 40 minutes O£1.94 a portion O545 kcals, 33g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

4 skinless chicken breasts 3 tbsp green pesto 85g mascarpone 4 tbsp olive oil 100g breadcrumbs (day-old bread is ideal) 175g baby tomatoes on the vine handful of pine nuts handful of basil leaves

We love this recipe because… it’s a great way of using up food that might go to waste: bread, an open jar of pesto, and tomatoes that are past their best

1 Stuff the chicken Turn the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Use a sharp knife to make a slit along the side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Mix together the pesto and mascarpone, then spoon a quarter of the mixture into each pocket and smooth to seal. 2 Coat with the crumbs Brush a little oil over each chicken breast and season well. Tip the breadcrumbs onto a large plate and season. Coat the chicken with the breadcrumbs, then put in a lightly oiled, shallow baking dish with the tomatoes (leave on the vine). Drizzle over the remaining oil. 3 Bake Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins, until the chicken is golden and is cooked through. Scatter over the pine nuts and cook for 2 mins more. Sprinkle with basil. Serve with new potatoes or crusty bread

Super-fast prawn noodles OServes

1 Cook the prawns In a wok or large pan, bring the stock to the boil. Stir the sauces into the stock, then add the ginger. Simmer for a moment, then add the prawns: if using raw prawns, simmer for 2 minutes until they turn pink, then add the pak choi; if using it's so quick to cooked, add with the pak make from mainly choi, then cook for 2 mins until just wilted. storecupboard

4 in 15 minutes O£2.01 a portion O277 kcals, 4g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

We love this recipe because…

1 litre chicken stock 2 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 1 tbsp ﬁsh sauce large piece of fresh root ginger, shredded or cut ingredients – just keep 2 Add the noodles into thin matchsticks some prawns in the Tip the noodles into the 300g peeled king prawns freezer broth then gently stir to (either raw or cooked will loosen them. Bring the liquid be ﬁne) back to a simmer, then cook for 4 pak choi, each cut into quarters 2 mins more to warm through. Scatter with the 2 sachets straight-to-wok noodles spring onions and serve from the wok, using 4 spring onions, ﬁnely sliced tongs for the noodles and a ladle for the broth.

WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook 35

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Our best-ever...

sweet

recipes Our

These four puds are a few of our all-time favourites from the last 10 years of BBC Easy Cook. We hope you agree!

10th birthday

We love this recipe because… it’s so quick and easy to make and a great excuse to have a pudding on a weeknight – it’s cheap to make too!

Make in the microwave Ten-minute microwave chocolate cake OServes

8 in 10 minutes O26p a portion O273 kcals, 16g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

100g plain chocolate 100g butter 100g soft dark brown sugar 100g self-raising ﬂour 2 tsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting pinch of salt 2 eggs, beaten ½ tsp vanilla extract 36 BBC Easy Cook

1 Melt the chocolate Line a round, 20cm microwaveable, shallow glass dish with greaseproof paper. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar into a microwaveable bowl and cook on full power (100%) for 1 minute or until melted. 2 Cook the cake Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into the dish and cook on full power (100%) for 4-5 minutes, or until just set. Leave to cool slightly, then dust with cocoa powder. Serve warm with cream and berries as a dessert or serve cold as a cake.

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Try this too... Choc and nut cake Line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film. Melt 100g butter, 400g dark chocolate and 50g sugar in the microwave on medium power (50%) for 2-3 mins. Stir in ½ tsp cinnamon and 200g macaroons and 100g Brazil nuts, broken up. Pour into the tin, smooth and cover with cling film. Chill for about 2 hours. Put on a plate, remove the cling film. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut. Serve with ice cream. Serves 6.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net Quick banana pudding OServes

4 in 10 minutes O55p a portion O474 kcals, 26g fat, 15g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

100g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 2 ripe bananas 100g light muscovado sugar 100g self-raising ﬂour 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 eggs 2 tbsp milk

2 Microwave the pud Slice the remaining banana over the top, then return to the microwave and cook on full power (100%) for 8 minutes, until risen and cooked through. 3 Serve Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar (with a drizzle of toffee sauce and a scoop of ice cream too, if you like).

Hot strawberry sandwiches OServes

4 in 20 minutes O54p a portion O373 kcals, 14g fat, 8g sat. fat per portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

50g butter 8 slices white bread, crusts removed 225g strawberries, sliced 2 tbsp caster sugar 1 egg, beaten 3 tbsp milk 1 Make the sandwiches and sauce Spread butter around the edges of 4 slices of bread to make a border. Divide two-thirds of the strawberries between the buttered slices and top each with an unbuttered slice to make 4 sandwiches. Press the edges together to seal. Whizz the remaining strawberries and half the caster sugar in a food processor and set aside.

1 Make the batter Put the butter in a 1-litre baking dish and microwave on full power (100%) for 30 seconds-1 minute, until melted. Mash 1½ bananas into the melted butter, then add the sugar, ﬂour, cinnamon, eggs and milk and mix well.

We love this recipe because… it tastes really indulgent but can be on the table in under 10 minutes. Dot with blueberries to ring the changes

2 Cook the sandwiches Beat together the egg and milk in a wide, shallow bowl. Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan until bubbling. Dip both sides of each sandwich in the egg mixture and fry on both sides until golden and crisp (in 2 batches, if necessary). Put a sandwich on each plate, sprinkle with the remaining sugar, top with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with the sauce.

We love this recipe because… it’s one of our most requested ‘back catalogue’ recipes. It’s a great way to use up leftover bread and fruit WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook 37

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net

Mary’s menu

UNDER £5 PER HEAD!

Mary Berry and Lucy Young, who has worked closely with her for many years, have come up with these fabulous recipes for entertaining STARTER Roasted figs with parma ham and goat’s cheese O

Serves 6 Ready in 20 minutes O £2.08 a portion O 223 kcals, 13g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

2 x 100g rolls ﬁrm goat’s cheese, 6 fresh ﬁgs 12 slices parma ham rocket or salad leaves, to serve balsamic vinegar and olive oil, to serve 1 Prepare the cheese and ﬁgs Put the cheese in the freezer for 1 hour, or until ﬁrm. Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Cut off the pointed stem at the top of each ﬁg, then stand the ﬁgs upright on a board. Cut a cross in the top of each ﬁg, but not down to the base. Trim the ends off the cheese and discard. Slice each cheese into three. Halve each slice to make semi-circles, then cut half of these again to make quarters. 2 Make the parcels Lay each slice of ham out ﬂat and trim off any fat. Put a semi-circle of cheese into each ﬁg where you’ve made the cross. Use the quarters to ﬁt in either side, so the cross is ﬁlled with goat’s cheese. Wrap each ﬁg in a piece of ham, then wrap it in another piece, working in the other direction. Squeeze together at the top.

theeasyway Ring the changes: use skinned, slightly under-ripe tomatoes prepared in the same way as the ﬁgs. Spoon 1 tsp pesto over the cheese and tomato before wrapping it in the parma ham 38 BBC Easy Cook

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3 Bake Roast for 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the ham is crisp. Put the ﬁgs onto plates with some rocket or salad leaves, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to serve.

WorldMags.net theeasyway Everyone loves shepherd’s pie, but make it special with this clever topping

MAIN COURSE Shepherd’s pie dauphinois O

Serves 6 Ready in 20 minutes O £1.65 a portion O 672 kcals, 38g fat, 20g sat. fat a portion O Suitable for freezing (uncooked) O

900g minced lamb 2 onions, chopped 2 large carrots, ﬁnely diced 45g plain ﬂour 300ml red wine 300ml beef stock 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp tomato purée dash of gravy browning (optional) salt and freshly ground black pepper FOR THE TOPPING

900g ﬂoury potatoes, cut into 3mm slices 150ml double cream 75g mature cheddar, grated

'Liquid gravy browning gives gravy a rich brown colour and saves you time as you don’t have to brown the onions for so long,' says Mary 1 Brown the meat Turn oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Put the lamb, onions and carrots into a deep frying pan or ﬂameproof casserole and fry over a high heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until the meat is brown. Drain away any fat. 2 Make the sauce Stir in the ﬂour and, over a high heat, add the red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée (add the gravy browning, if using, if you want the sauce to be a rich, dark colour). Stir well, then bring to the boil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven for 1-1½ hours, or until the mince is tender. Check the seasoning, then tip the meat into a 2.4 litre shallow, wide-based ovenproof dish and set aside to cool.

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3 Boil the potatoes Increase the oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/ gas 7. Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling, salted water for 4–5 minutes to blanch. Drain, then refresh in cold water and dry well with kitchen paper. 4 Make the pie Arrange a layer of potato on top of the cold mince, then pour over half the cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the remaining potatoes on top, pour over the remaining cream, and sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Turn over for a delicious and quick-to-make dessert BBC Easy Cook 39

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net

DESSERT Heavenly lemon cheesecake on a ginger crust OServes

8 10 minutes, plus chilling time O53p a portion O498 kcals, 38g fat, 25g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing

1 Make the base Mix the biscuits with the butter in a bowl, then press into the base of a 20cm round, loosebottomed cake tin, greased and base-lined with baking parchment (but not up the sides).

100g ginger biscuits, crushed 50g butter, melted 2 x 250g tubs mascarpone 325g lemon curd juice of 1 small lemon fresh raspberries and blueberries, to decorate icing sugar, to dust

2 Mix the mascarpone ﬁlling Put the mascarpone, lemon curd, and lemon juice in a bowl and beat with a spatula until smooth. Spoon on to the biscuit base and level the top. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or up to 24 hours) to ﬁrm up.

OTakes

40 BBC Easy Cook

3 Serve Remove the cheesecake from the tin, peel off the parchment and arrange on a plate. Decorate with the fruit and dust with icing sugar.

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Tips for success O

You can make the cheesecake up to a day in advance. O Take care not to overbeat the mascarpone mixture – just until smooth. O Ring the changes and decorate the top with sliced strawberries.

These recipes are adapted from Cook Up A Feast by Mary Berry & Lucy Young, published by DK, £14.99, dk.com. BBC Easy Cook readers can buy it for just £12.99 with free p&p. Call 01326 569444 or visit www.sparkle.co.uk

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Broccoli can be mushy and flavourless if it’s overcooked, but give it a bit of love and it becomes a versatile ingredient that can be the star of a dish

Broccoli is a good source of a range of nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K and folic acid. It contains fibre too

Broccoli, fried onion and warm garlic salad OServes

2 (easily multiplied) in 15 minutes O69p a portion O102 kcals, 6g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing OReady

1 head broccoli, broken into ﬂorets 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, ﬁnely sliced 2 cloves of garlic, ﬁnely sliced 42 BBC Easy Cook

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1 Cook the broccoli Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the broccoli and cook for 3-5 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat, then add the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden. 2 Add the garlic Stir in the garlic and fry for 1 minute more, then add the broccoli and heat for 2 minutes.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net Broccoli soup with cheese toasties OServes

4 in 25 minutes O 57p a portion O464 kcals, 19g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing (soup only) OReady

1 large potato, diced 1.2 litres vegetable stock 400g broccoli, chopped into ﬂorets FOR THE TOASTIES

7 slices bread 175g cheddar, grated 1 egg, beaten 3 spring onions, chopped few drops of Worcestershire sauce

Broccoli and cauliﬂower cheese OServes

6 OTakes 15 mins, plus 40 mins in the oven O 41p a portion O242 kcals, 16g fat, 9g sat. fat a portion OSuitable for freezing O

theeasyway Turn it into Blue Cheese Soup: After blending the broccoli soup, stir in 175g crumbled blue cheese until melted. Serve with crusty bread

1 Make the soup Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Put the potato and stock into a pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the potato is tender. Add the broccoli and some seasoning and cook for 4-5 minutes more. Blend the soup until smooth, then return to the pan and keep warm while you make the toasties. 2 Cook the toasties Whizz 1 slice of bread to make crumbs, then stir in the cheese, egg and onions. Spread the mixture over 3 slices of bread, add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and top each with a remaining slice of bread. Brush with oil and bake for 10 mins, turning halfway through, until the outside is crisp and golden and the middle has melted. Cut into triangles and serve with the soup.

1 small cauliﬂower, leaves removed and broken into small ﬂorets 1 small head broccoli, broken into ﬂorets FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE

50g butter 50g ﬂour 1 tsp mustard powder 500ml milk 100g cheddar 2 tbsp snipped chives 1 Cook the veg Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Cook the cauliﬂower in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes more. Drain well and transfer to a large ovenproof dish. 2 Make the cheese sauce Melt the butter in a pan. When foaming, add the ﬂour and mustard powder, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and gradually add about half the milk, stirring constantly to get rid of any lumps. Return to the heat and add the remaining milk. Keep stirring and bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in most of the cheese and some seasoning, then take off the heat and stir in the chives. 3 Assemble and bake Pour the sauce over the vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until bubbling.

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BBC Easy Cook 43

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net

Not as scary as it looks!

If you have time, make the salad ahead and leave to marinate for up to 2 hours so the flavours develop

Many people hesitate at the thought of cooking whole fish. But you don’t have to be an expert to make a fantastic meal – try our easy recipe and follow our tips and you’ll be ‘hooked’! Roast whole ﬁsh with salsa romesco Serves 2 (easily doubled) Takes 15 mins, plus 20 mins roasting O £4.88 a portion O 858 kcals, 49g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O O

2 whole farmed sea bass or other medium-sized white ﬁsh, about 500g each (if buying from a ﬁshmonger, ask them to gut and scale it for you) 2 lemons, thickly sliced buttered new potatoes, to serve FOR THE SALAD

6 roasted peppers from a jar, drained and cut into quarters 200g tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 red chilli, deseeded and ﬁnely chopped handful of ﬂat-leaf parsley (leaves only, but reserve the stalks for the ﬁsh) 50g blanched hazelnuts, roughly crushed 1 tbsp sherry vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 Make the salad In a bowl, mix the roasted peppers with the tomatoes, garlic and chilli. Roughly chop most of the parsley leaves and add to the bowl with 44 BBC Easy Cook

the nuts, vinegar and oil, then stir well. Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6.

Tips for cooking O Fish

2 Cook and serve Rinse and dry the ﬁsh, score the ﬂesh on each side, then chop the parsley stalks and put into the cavities with a few lemon slices. Put the remaining lemon slices in an oiled baking dish and put the ﬁsh on top. Season the ﬁsh, drizzle with oil, scatter with the rest of the parsley, then roast for 20 minutes, until the ﬂesh ﬂakes easily. Serve with the salad and the potatoes.

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is done when the flesh begins to turn from translucent to opaque or white and flakes easily. O Remove the fish from the heat just before you think it’s ready – it will finish cooking in the residual heat, retain its moisture and remain tender. O Scoring the flesh (down to the bone) helps it to cook evenly and crisps up the skin.

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Herb roast pork with vegetable roasties & apple gravy

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Fresh and delicious

Veggie mains There’s no need for vegetarians to miss out on great-tasting meals for special occasions – and even meat-eaters will love these

Sesame halloumi parcels O

Serves 6 Takes 40 mins, plus 20 mins in the oven O £1.83 a portion O 741 kcals, 53g fat, 18g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

FOR THE HALLOUMI PARCELS

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing 1 tbsp tahini 1 red chilli, deseeded and ﬁnely chopped handful of parsley, chopped rind of 1 lemon (use the juice in the salad) 2 x 250g packs halloumi, each cut into 12 slices 6 sheets ﬁlo pastry 50g sesame seeds 1 egg, beaten FOR THE MASH

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 tbsp tahini 4 tbsp olive oil FOR THE SALAD

juice of 1 lemon 46 BBC Easy Cook

1 tbsp clear honey 5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling small bunch each of mint, parsley and dill, all roughly chopped handful of cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cucumber (seeds removed & chopped) small handful of black olives, roughly chopped 1 Prepare the ﬁlling Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Grease 2 baking trays with oil. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, tahini, chilli, parsley and lemon rind. Add the halloumi and toss together to coat (the halloumi may break up a little). 2 Make the parcels Cut the ﬁlo sheets in half so that you have 12 squares – work with two at a time and keep the remaining pastry covered with a damp tea towel so it doesn’t dry out. Lightly brush the ﬁlo all over with a little oil, put 2 slices of halloumi at the top of each square, sprinkle with sesame seeds, then fold over the edges to enclose the halloumi. Brush again with oil and sprinkle with more seeds. Fold up into a

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square, brushing the ﬁnal edge with egg to help seal the parcel. Put the parcels on the baking trays, brush the tops with egg and sprinkle with more sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, swapping the trays over halfway. 3 Meanwhile, make the mash Put the sweet potato in a pan of water, cover with a lid, and boil for 10-12 mins until tender. Drain the potatoes, reserving a little of the cooking water, and leave to steam-dry for a few minutes. Tip the sweet potato into a food processor with the tahini, olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Whizz until smooth, adding enough of the cooking water to make a smooth purée. 4 Make the salad Whisk together the lemon juice, honey and olive oil in a bowl with some seasoning. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together. 5 Serve Spoon some sweet potato onto each plate. Add a pile of the herb salad and two halloumi parcels to each plate and drizzle with a little olive oil to serve.

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net Courgette and tomato gratin O

Serves 4 Takes 25 mins, plus 45 mins in the oven O £1.91 a portion O 362 kcals, 23g fat, 8g sat. fat a portion O Suitable for freezing O

500g courgettes, sliced 75g gruyère (or vegetarian alternative), coarsely grated 25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), ﬁnely grated

500g new potatoes, unpeeled and thickly sliced 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 5 tbsp olive oil oregano (or marjoram) and thyme sprigs 500g tomatoes, thickly sliced

1 Cook the potatoes Turn oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/ gas 5. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 6 minutes, then drain well. 2 Start layering up Mix the garlic with the olive oil and a little

seasoning. Strip the herb leaves from their stalks, then add to the oil. Drizzle a little of the oil over the base and sides of a 1.5-litre ovenproof dish. Layer half the potatoes, tomatoes and courgettes in the dish, drizzling with garlic and herb oil as you go. Mix the two cheeses and sprinkle half over the vegetables. 3 Cook until golden Repeat the layers of veg and oil, drizzle over the remaining oil, then sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the veg is tender and the top is golden and crisp.

Many vegetarians eat cheese but some cheeses contain animal rennet so check the label

Try this too... Aubergine melts Heat oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Drizzle 3 tbsp olive oil over 2 aubergines, halved lengthways and bake for 25 mins, until soft. Arrange 4 sliced tomatoes and 1 x 150g ball mozzarella (or vegetarian alternative) on top. Bake for 5 mins more. Scatter with basil and serve with a green salad. Serves 2.

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BBC Easy Cook 47

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Eating with the

SEASONS

Eggs with bacon and asparagus soldiers The philosophy 1 Assemble the soldiers Serves 4 on BBC Two's Heat the grill to high. Cut the bread into Ready in 30 minutes 12 soldiers, a little shorter than the asparagus. 81p a portion Food & Drink show is Put a spear onto each soldier and wrap tightly 306 kcals, 19g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion with a rasher of bacon. Put the soldiers on a Not suitable for freezing always that ingredients baking tray, season, and then grill for 15 mins, in season are cheaper or until the bacon is crisp. 8 asparagus spears (discard the woody ends) and taste better. Try our 4 thin slices of bread 2 Boil the eggs Boil a pan of water, then simmer the eggs 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon seasonal asparagus and or pancetta for about 7 minutes to get a runny yolk and a cooked white. Serve immediately with the 4 small eggs watercress recipes... O O O O O

warm soldiers for dipping.

theeasyway Wrap the asparagus tightly with the bacon so it doesn’t unravel while it’s cooking 48 BBC Easy Cook

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ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net Rosemary roast chicken with new potatoes and asparagus OServes

4 10 mins, plus 45 mins in the oven O£1.61 a portion O509 kcals, 24g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OTakes

750g new potatoes, halved 2 large bunches of asparagus (discard the woody ends) 1 whole garlic bulb, cloves separated 1 tbsp olive oil 1 lemon, halved small handful of rosemary sprigs 8 chicken thighs 1 Start cooking the potatoes Turn oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Put the potatoes, asparagus, garlic, oil and lots of seasoning in a large roasting dish. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon halves, then cut them into chunks and add them to the dish. Toss everything together, cover the dish with foil, and roast for about 15 minutes.

This is lovely with lamb chops intsead of chicken, if you fancy a change another time

2 Add the chicken Remove the foil and stir through the rosemary. Season the chicken thighs and arrange evenly in the dish. Roast for another 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is crisp and cooked through.

Watercress mayonnaise OServes

6 in 10 minutes O33p a portion O475 kcals, 52g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion ONot suitable for freezing OReady

Great with salmon

1 tbsp lemon juice, plus a little extra if needed 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, plus a little extra if needed 100ml olive oil 200ml vegetable oil 2 egg yolks 1 tsp dijon mustard ½ clove of garlic, crushed 75g watercress, leaves and stalks 1 Make the mayo Mix together the lemon juice and white wine

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vinegar. Mix the oils together in a jug. In a food processor, whizz the egg yolks with the mustard and a pinch of salt until mixed. With the processor still running, add a few drops of the oil mixture, incorporating each drop before adding the next, then very slowly drizzle in the rest of the oil – the mayo should begin to thicken and then stiffen. If the mixture looks too thick, add 1 tsp of the lemon and vinegar mixture. Keep adding the oil in the same way, alternating with 1 tsp at a time of the lemon and vinegar mixture, until all the oil has been incorporated and the mayonnaise is the required consistency. 2 Add the garlic and watercress Add the garlic and give it a quick whizz, then add the watercress and whizz until smooth. Season and add a little extra warm water, lemon juice or vinegar to loosen, if liked. BBC Easy Cook 49

COOKS’ EXTRAS WorldMags.net

They’re one of the simplest and best-value ingredients you can buy, yet they’re incredibly versatile. Barbara Baker takes a closer look at eggs…

ggs have always been seen as a useful ingredient, not least because they're such good value, but there have been a lot of improvements in the nutritional benefits of eggs over the years, partly due to changes in what hens are fed, so it's a good time to revisit just how important they are in the diet and explode a few myths too. In fact, egg are one of the few foods that are rich in Vitamin D – with levels up to 72 per cent higher than before – a vitamin that is vital for bone health and muscle strength. Plus they contain twice the amount of selenium, a key antioxidant. As well as containing almost all the other vitamins our bodies need, eggs are a rich source of choline too, a micronutrient we don’t hear much about but which has lots of key roles in the body including the metabolism of fat. Choline also supports liver function (making eggs a great choice for 'the morning after'), and it's the building block of acetylecholine which is needed for memory. Eggs are a source of essential omega-3 fatty acids too – this is good news for vegetarians and for the elderly or anyone who doesn't like eating oily fish. You can even buy eggs from hens who are specially fed an 3-enriched diet – look on the You can freeze whole omega label for information. Plus they’re eggs – break them high in protein, which makes them particularly useful if you’re trying to into a bowl, beat them, then pour into lose weight, as protein fills you up more than sugary foods. a freezer bag. Use The bad press eggs have had within 3 months. over the years has resulted in lots of people still thinking they are Defrost thoroughly linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but that's not true. Seventy five per cent of the cholesterol in our body is manufactured by the liver – cholesterol in foods (known as “dietary cholesterol”) does not have any significant effect on total blood cholesterol levels and doesn’t raise the risk of cardiovascular disease in most healthy people. (Some people are genetically more prone to producing cholesterol, a condition known as hypercholesterolemia, and may need to take medication for it.) Generally, if we eat more cholesterol than usual, our body makes less to balance it out. Excess cholesterol is primarily due to eating too much saturated fat, rather than eating too much cholesterol. And in the case of eggs, it’s the fat we add to eggs when cooking them that can make them less healthy, not the eggs themselves. So, if you’re making an omelette for instance, don’t swamp it with loads of cheese and butter! Some research does suggest that egg consumption is associated with a risk of type 2 diabetes. But if you’re healthy and don’t already have high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease, including eggs in your diet will ensure you’re getting a good variety of vital vitamins, minerals and other nutrients important to your health.

theeasyway

Choosing, storing and cooking eggs OLook

out for the Lion Quality mark – this is a food safety mark that shows the eggs are fully traceable and from flocks that have been vaccinated against salmonella. OBeware of labels ‘Farm fresh’ for instance can still mean the eggs are from hens kept in cages, with limited room to move and with no access to sunlight. ‘Barn eggs’ are from hens kept indoors. ‘Free-range’ eggs are from hens that have daytime access

50 BBC Easy Cook

to outdoors, but may still be kept in very large flocks. Organic eggs are the most expensive as they’re laid by hens who have the highest welfare standards, genuine access to the outside, with strict regulations that govern their housing and freedom of movement. Their feed is organic too. ONever buy eggs that are broken or cracked. OStore eggs in the fridge. Use by their ‘best before’ date.

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ENTERTAINING MADE EASY WorldMags.net

One-pan roast

This is quick to prepare, then you can just leave it in the oven to cook. The ultimate fuss-free Sunday lunch!

Simple and tasty

Pot roast pork goulash O

Serves 4 (plus leftovers) O Takes 20 mins, plus 3½ hours in the oven O £1.70 a portion O 811 kcals, 32g fat, 11g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing 2 tbsp olive oil 1.5kg-2kg pork shoulder, boned and rolled 2 onions, sliced 2 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp caraway seeds 1 red chilli, ﬁnely chopped 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 red pepper, deseeded, cut into wedges

1.2kg potatoes, cut into quarters 1 green cabbage, ﬁnely sliced soured cream, to serve 1 Slow roast the pork Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, ﬂameproof casserole with a lid. Brown the pork all over (about 10 mins), set aside, then discard any excess fat. Cook the onions in the pan for 5 mins, until soft. Stir in the paprika, caraway and chilli and cook for 30 seconds. Pour over the tomatoes, add the pepper, then top up with 400ml water. Cover tightly with a lid, then cook in the oven for 3 hours. Uncover the casserole and cook for 30 minutes more, until tender.

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2 Add the potatoes About 20 minutes before the end of the pork cooking time, boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Stir the potatoes into the casserole and leave to cook for 5 minutes more. If the sauce is a little watery, remove the meat to a plate and boil the sauce hard for about 5 minutes more to thicken. 3 Cook the cabbage Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Tip in the cabbage and cook for 1 minute. Pour over 3 tbsp water, cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes until soft. To serve, slice the meat, serve with the sauce, potatoes and cabbage and spoon over some soured cream. BBC Easy Cook 51

GET BAKING WorldMags.net

Our best-ever...

Our

BAKES

10th birthday

Over the last 10 years, baking has become increasingly popular. Here are six of our favourite recipes that we use again and again

We love this recipe because… it’s a cake for every occasion. Great for afternoon tea or you can jazz it up with icing for a special birthday cake

Classic sponge cake O

Serves 8 O Takes 10 mins, plus 25 mins in the oven O 48p a slice O 568 kcals, 34g fat, 20g sat. fat a slice O Suitable for freezing (sponges only) 200g soft butter, plus extra for greasing 200g self-raising ﬂour 1 tsp baking powder 200g caster sugar 4 eggs

52 BBC Easy Cook

2 tbsp milk 142ml tub double cream (optional) 100g strawberry jam icing sugar, for dusting 1 Prepare the cake mix Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Grease and base-line two 20cm non-stick, round sandwich tins with baking parchment. Sift the ﬂour and baking powder into a large bowl, then tip in the butter, sugar, eggs and milk. Whisk or beat everything together until smooth.

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2 Bake the cake Divide the mixture between the cake tins, then bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked and golden. When cool enough to handle, remove the cakes from the tins then leave to cool completely on a rack. 3 Make the ﬁlling Whip the cream, if using, until it holds its shape. Assemble the cake by spreading one sponge with jam and the other with cream, if using, then sandwich together and dust with icing sugar.

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Red pepper, ham and cheese tart O

Serves 4 Takes 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes in the oven O £1.23 a portion O 377 kcals, 29g fat, 11g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

215g ready-rolled puff pastry sheet 3 tbsp sundried tomato paste 4 slices ham 125g ball mozzarella, drained and torn into chunks 50g roasted red peppers from a jar, cut into strips 25g pitted black olives, halved large pinch of dried oregano handful of rocket leaves,to serve

We love this recipe because… it looks as if you’ve spent ages making it, when in reality it takes just 10 mins to prepare and half an hour to cook

1 Bake the pastry Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ gas 7. Unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet and score a border 1cm from the edge. Prick inside the border with a fork and spread with the sundried tomato paste. Bake for 12-15 mins. 2 Assemble Remove the tart from the oven, then squash down the puffed-up pastry inside the border with the back of a wooden spoon and top with the ham, cheese, peppers and olives. Sprinkle with the oregano and bake for 10-12 minutes more, until the base is crisp. Scatter with the rocket leaves to serve.

Light lunch or tasty snack

1 Make the ﬁlling Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the mince and cook for 2-3 mins, until brown. Add the stock, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, then simmer for 15 mins, until the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat, stir in the peas and season.

We love this recipe because…

2 Assemble and bake Turn oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. it’s a great way to Quarter the pastry, then roll use up Sunday roast each piece into an 18cm leftovers. Mince leftover square. Divide the mash between the squares and roast lamb and mash top with the mince mixture. any leftover roast Dampen the pastry edges, potatoes pull up the 4 corners up to meet in the centre, then press the edges together to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet, brush with egg and bake for 20 mins. Serve with baked beans or green vegetables.

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GET BAKING WorldMags.net Easy seed and grain loaf O

Makes one loaf Takes 15 minutes, plus rising and proving and 35 minutes in the oven O 17p a portion O 277 kcals, 8g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion O Suitable for freezing O

We love this recipe because… it’s quick to make and easy to ring the changes. Use 500g strong white flour for a white loaf or add cheese instead of seeds

500g mixed grain ﬂour 1 tbsp each sesame and poppy seeds, plus extra for topping one 7g sachet fast-action yeast 1 tsp salt 300ml warm water 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp clear honey 1 Make the dough Tip the ﬂour, seeds, yeast and salt into a bowl. Mix the water, oil and honey in a jug, then pour into the ﬂour mixture, stirring to make a soft dough. If it feels sticky, sprinkle in a little more ﬂour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly ﬂoured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough no longer feels sticky, sprinkling with a little more ﬂour if needed. 2 Leave to rise and bake Oil a 2lb loaf tin and put the dough in the tin, pressing it in evenly. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour, until it springs back when you press it with your ﬁnger. Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Make 8 slashes across the top of the loaf, brush with water and sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds. Bake for 30-35 mins, until the loaf is risen. Tip onto a rack to cool.

Best-ever scones O

Makes 6 O Ready in 20 minutes O 10p each O 221 kcals, 8g fat, 5g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing 225g plain ﬂour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 25g caster sugar 50g butter 150ml milk

1 Make and bake the scones Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Mix the ﬂour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the milk you get brilliant, slowly, until you have a ﬁrm perfectly risen, light dough.Turn it onto a ﬂoured scones every time – and surface and pat into a circle about 1½ cm thick. Cut out the they freeze well so scones with a 5.5cm cutter. Put they're always on

We love this recipe because…

standby

brush the tops with milk. Bake for 12 minutes, or until ﬁrm and risen.

theeasyway Turn these into Cheese Scones: Use the recipe as above, but omit the sugar and stir in 50g grated cheddar. Sprinkle another 50g grated cheese over the top before baking 54 BBC Easy Cook

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Cheese and rosemary bread O

Serves 8 Takes 20 minutes, plus 25 mins in the oven O 36p a portion O 379 kcals, 19g fat, 10g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

2 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 350g self-raising ﬂour, plus extra for dusting ¼ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 85g cold butter, cut into cubes 150g tub plain, full-fat yogurt 4 tbsp full-fat milk 250g cooked new potatoes, sliced

1 tsp chopped rosemary, plus extra small sprigs to decorate 50g parmesan, grated 85g gruyère, grated 1 Fry the garlic Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Heat the oil in a pan and gently cook the garlic until soft. Set aside. 2 Make the dough Whizz the ﬂour, salt, baking powder and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Heat the yogurt and milk in a pan until hot – it may look lumpy. Tip into the well and

work into the ﬂour using a cutlery knife. 3 Shape the bread Turn the dough onto a ﬂoured surface, bring it together with ﬂoured hands, then press out to a large rectangle. Scatter over the potatoes, chopped rosemary, the garlic and some of its oil, and most of the cheese. Knead brieﬂy, shape into a round and lift onto a ﬂoured baking sheet. 4 Bake Score the top, scatter with the rest of the cheese, poke in a few rosemary sprigs, then drizzle with the remaining garlicky oil. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden.

We love this recipe because… you get a homemade bread taste and smell without the hassle of proving and rising. It's the perfect tear-andshare loaf too

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Inspired by The Eurovision Song Contest – watch the ﬁnal on Saturday 10th May

This year, the Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Denmark – so enter into the tongue-in-cheek spirit by making these to eat while you watch!

Pecan pinwheels

Apricot custard turnovers

Raisin swirls

Makes 18 O Takes 40 mins, plus rising and chilling time and 20 mins in the oven O 18p each O 281 kcals, 17g fat, 8g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing

Makes 18 O Takes 40 mins, plus rising and chilling time and 20 mins in the oven O 11p each O 240 kcals, 13g fat, 7g sat. fat each O Not suitable for freezing

Whizz 85g pecans until ﬁne, then stir in 50g light muscovado, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 25g softened butter. Cut each square of pastry almost to the middle from each corner, spoon on 1 tsp ﬁlling, then fold each point over and press into the middle. Scatter over more chopped pecans and a little sugar. Leave to rise for 30 mins, until puffed and doubled in size. Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Brush with beaten egg, then pinch the edges together again and bake for 20 minutes until golden and risen. Drizzle with maple syrup to serve.

You will need 150g ready-made custard, 2 x 320g cans apricots and a few tsps apricot jam. Put 2 tsp custard in the middle of each pastry square, top with 2 apricot halves, dot with jam, then pull 2 corners over and pinch to seal. Leave to rise for 30 mins. Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes.

Leave the dough whole (in 2 pieces). Mix 50g raisins, 25g caster sugar, 1 tsp mixed spice and 50g soft butter. Spread over each piece, then roll up and slice each log into 9 rounds, squash slightly. Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Brush with egg and bake for 20 mins. Drizzle with 50g icing sugar mixed with a few drops of water.

56 BBC Easy Cook

theeasyway

Makes 18 Takes 40 mins, plus rising and chilling time and 20 mins in the oven O 17p each O 266 kcals, 15g fat, 9g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing O

You can make the pastry ahead – follow step 1, leave overnight, and then ﬁnish the pastries the next day WorldMags.net

GET BAKING WorldMags.net Slice each of the two logs for the Raisin swirls

rner of the Fold over each co ls Pecan pin whee

Pinch the Apr icot custard turnovers to seal them

The basic dough and the pecan and raisin swirls can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge before baking

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Nigel Slater’s recent look at the history of biscuits for a BBC Four documentary inspired us to make some ourselves. We love these!

Delicious classic with a twist Jammy drops O

Makes 18 O Takes 20 mins, plus 12 minutes in the oven O 16p each O 265 kcals, 12g fat, 7g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing 250g unsalted butter, softened 140g caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 300g plain ﬂour 340g (about one jar) seedless raspberry jam 2 tbsp custard powder 85g icing sugar 58 BBC Easy Cook

1 Make the dough Beat the butter and sugar together, until pale and ﬂuffy. Beat in the vanilla and then stir in the ﬂour with ¼ tsp salt. Roll the dough into 36 small balls. 2 Shape the biscuits Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Squish 2 balls of dough together on the paper, keeping the ‘round’ edges of the balls at the bottom, but pinching together at the top where they meet, so they make a rough heart shape. Flatten the tops with the palm of your hand to make a biscuit, then, using your

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thumbs and ﬁngers, press a heart-shaped ‘dip’ in the top of each biscuit to hold the jam. Repeat with the remaining dough and put on the trays, leaving space between them. 3 Add the jam and ice the biscuits Spoon the jam into a disposable piping bag (or a freezer bag), snip off the end and pipe 2-3 tsp jam into the heart-shaped dip of each biscuit. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until pale golden and crisp. Cool on the trays. Mix the custard powder and icing sugar, then gradually add enough water to make a runny icing. Drizzle all over the cooled biscuits, then allow to set for at least 10 minutes.

GET BAKING WorldMags.net Butterscotch cookies O

Makes 10 (easily doubled) Takes 15 mins, plus 20 mins in the oven O 7p each O 188 kcals, 8g fat, 5g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing (unbaked) O

100g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 100g light soft brown sugar 2 tbsp golden syrup 175g self-raising ﬂour 25g Rice Krispies (or similar) dark chocolate chips, for decoration 1 Beat the sugar, syrup and butter Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and golden syrup until smooth. 2 Mix and bake Sift in the ﬂour and mix together, then fold through the cereal. Roll into walnut-sized balls and put on a lightly buttered baking sheet, spaced well apart. Decorate each ball with a few chocolate chips. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Leave on the baking sheet for 1 minute and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

These German biscuits make a great gift. You can dip them in melted chocolate instead of icing, if you prefer

theeasyway You can use any puffed rice cereal for these – it gives the perfect texture

Lebkuchen O

Makes 30 O Takes 15 minutes, plus cooling time and 15 mins in the oven O 24p each O 102 kcals, 4g fat, 2g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing (unbaked and un-iced) 250g plain ﬂour 85g ground almonds 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda pinch each of ground cloves, grated nutmeg and black pepper 200ml runny honey 85g butter ﬁnely grated rind of 1 lemon FOR THE ICING

100g icing sugar 1 egg white, beaten

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1 Mix the dough Tip the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Heat the honey and butter in a pan over a low heat until the butter melts, then pour into the ﬂour mixture, together with the lemon rind. Mix well (the dough will be fairly solid). Cover and leave to cool. 2 Shape the biscuits Turn oven to fan160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Using your hands, roll the dough into about 30 balls, each 3cm wide, then ﬂatten each ball slightly into a disk. Divide the biscuits between two baking trays lined with baking parchment, leaving a space between. Bake for 15 mins, then cool on a wire rack. 3 Ice the biscuits Mix together the icing sugar, egg white and 1-2 tbsp water to form a smooth, runny icing. Dip the top of each biscuit into the icing and spread with the back of a knife. Leave to dry out in a warm place. Store in an airtight tin for up to a week. BBC Easy Cook 59

GET BAKING WorldMags.net

For the

cake tin Who doesn’t love chocolatey cakes? These fun cupcakes are perfect for children’s parties Chocolate fudge cupcakes O

Makes 12 Takes 20 mins, plus 22 mins in the oven and cooling time O 58p each O 505 kcals, 29g fat, 17g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing (un-iced) O

200g butter 200g plain chocolate 200g light, soft brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 250g self-raising ﬂour FOR THE ICING

200g plain chocolate 100ml double cream 50g icing sugar sweets and sprinkles, to decorate 1 Make the cakes Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3 and line a 12-hole mufﬁn tin with cases. Melt the butter, chocolate, sugar and 100ml hot water in a pan, stirring. Set aside to cool for 2 mins. Stir the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Put the ﬂour into a large bowl, then add the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Spoon into the cases until just over three-quarters full, then bake for 20-22 minutes. Leave to cool. 2 Make the icing Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of just simmering water; turn off the heat. Stir in the cream and sift in the icing sugar. Spread the icing on the cakes and decorate with sprinkles and sweets.

60 BBC Easy Cook

theeasyway Take the cream out of the fridge about 30 mins before you need to use it as it needs to be at room temperature

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Easy recipes clever tips, shortcuts and ideas

James Martin

John Torode

Gerard Baker

Donal Skehan

Edd Kimber

TV cooks 16 delicious ideas from your favourite chefs

Donal’s Maple Bacon Scones, page 68

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TV COOKS WorldMags.net

Saturday Kitchen’s

James Martin James serves up a cost-conscious roast that’s packed with modern flavours and looks spectacular at the table. And all for less than £2.30 a head!

62 BBC Easy Cook

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James is the regular presenter of Saturday Kitchen

WorldMags.net Spiced slow-roast pork O

Serves 8 (plus leftovers) Takes 10 mins, plus 4 hours cooking and resting time O £1.59 a portion O 551 kcals, 41g fat, 13g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing (leftovers only)

Prepare and cook the cabbage a day ahead, then reheat. You can make the spice rub for the pork up to a day ahead too

5 thyme sprigs, leaves only, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tsp dried chilli ﬂakes 1 tsp smoked paprika rind and juice of ½ lemon 1 tbsp olive oil 4-4.5kg boned, scored and rolled pork shoulder 1 Spice the pork Turn oven to fan 210C/conventional 230C/ gas 8. Mix everything (except the pork) together in a bowl, then rub the mixture all over the meat, getting in between the cuts in the skin. 2 Slow-roast the pork Lift the pork onto a wire rack in a roasting tin and cook for 30 mins. Reduce oven to fan 130C/conventional 150C/gas 2 and roast for 3 hours. To get the crackling really crisp, turn oven back up to 210C/conventional 230C/ gas 8 for 30 minutes. 3 Rest the meat Remove the tin from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 20 to 40 minutes before carving. Serve with the side dishes below.

Serve with these... Red cabbage with apple O

Serves 8 (plus leftovers) O Takes 10 minutes, plus 45 mins cooking O 24p a portion O 67 kcals, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing 1 red cabbage, ﬁnely shredded 2 bay leaves 5 star anise ½ tsp ground cinnamon 200ml vegetable stock or water 50g caster sugar 75ml cider vinegar 2 apples, cored and cut into wedges 1 Braise the cabbage Put all the ingredients except the apples in a pan. Season. Boil, then simmer for 30 mins. Add the apples and cook for 15 mins until soft.

Mustard-glazed roast new potatoes

Broccoli with garlic and lemon

Serves 8 Takes 10 mins, plus 50 mins cooking time O 23p a portion O 149 kcals, 5g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing

1.25kg new potatoes, halved 3 thyme sprigs 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 heads broccoli, cut into ﬂorets 3 tbsp olive oil 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced rind of 1 lemon

1 Roast the potatoes Put the potatoes on a baking tray. Add the thyme, drizzle with 2 tbsp oil, season and toss to coat. Put in the oven for the final 30 mins of the pork’s roasting time (at fan 210C/ conventional 230C/gas 8). Once the pork has been removed, roast for 20 mins to crisp. Toss the hot potatoes with the mustard, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, then season and serve.

1 Cook the broccoli Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes, or until just tender. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and cook until lightly golden. Add the lemon rind and cook for 1 minute more. When the broccoli is cooked, drain well, toss with the garlicky oil, season and serve.

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Serves 8 Ready in 15 minutes O 21p a portion O 89 kcals, 6g fat, 1g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing

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TV COOKS WorldMags.net

MasterChef’s

John Torode

John is a judge on MasterChef

‘To speed things up, leave out the initial marinating with the lemon and thyme mix and just marinate the lamb in the yogurt mixture for 1 hour’ Grilled lamb steaks O

Serves 6 O Takes 10 mins, plus overnight marinating, 20 mins cooking and resting time O £1.24 a portion O 313 kcals, 14g fat, 7g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing 3 lemons (1 cut into wedges, to serve) 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp thyme leaves 4 lamb rump steaks 4 sprigs of rosemary

FOR THE MARINADE

½ 500g pot natural yogurt 2 red chillies, deseeded large handful of coriander 2 cloves of garlic 1 tbsp ground cinnamon ½ tbsp each cardamom pods, cloves and turmeric 1 Marinate the meat the night before Mix the juice of 2 lemons with the salt and thyme. Pour over the lamb, then leave in the fridge for a few hours to tenderise. Put all the

marinade ingredients in a food processor with some black pepper, then blend to a paste. Remove the lamb from the lemon mixture, rub the marinade all over, then leave overnight. 2 Grill the steaks Scrape the excess marinade from the meat. Heat a griddle pan, then cook the lamb with the rosemary sprigs scattered around. Turn the lamb over after 7 minutes, then cook on the other side until browned. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, remove and leave to rest for 10 mins. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

theeasyway Use less red chilli in the marinade if you don’t like your food too spicy 64 BBC Easy Cook

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WorldMags.net Flatbreads

Little rhubarb tarts

Makes 12 O Takes 30 mins, plus 6 mins cooking and 1¼ hours rising time O 14p each O 188 kcals, 4g fat, 3g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing

Makes 12 O Takes 30 mins, plus 1 hour in the oven O 46p each O 533 kcals, 24g fat, 9g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing FOR THE RHUBARB

500g plain ﬂour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp fresh yeast or 1 x 7g sachet fast-action yeast 175ml milk 50g butter 150g pot natural yogurt 1 Make the dough Put the ﬂour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and mix well. Heat the milk and butter together until the butter has melted, then cool until lukewarm. Reserve 1 tbsp of the yogurt, then add the rest to the milk, blending thoroughly. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix together. Knead until you have a springy dough. Cover with a damp cloth or oiled cling ﬁlm, then leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

700g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths 200g caster sugar, plus 1 extra tbsp 1 tsp vanilla paste 1kg ready-to-roll shortcrust pastry 100g soft brown sugar 200g mixed dried fruit 1 tbsp cornﬂour 2 tbsp milk 1 Roast the rhubarb Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. Put the rhubarb into a roasting tin and sprinkle with the 200g caster sugar and vanilla paste, stir in 2 tbsp water, then cover with

foil. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway, until the rhubarb is just cooked, but still holds its shape. Remove from the oven, tip into a sieve and leave to cool over a bowl. 2 Assemble the tarts Meanwhile, roll the pastry out to a ½cm thickness, then cut out 12 circles slightly larger than the bases of a 12-hole mufﬁn tray. Line the holes with the pastry. Mix the rhubarb, brown sugar, dried fruit and cornﬂour together, then pile into the tart cases. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat. 3 Bake Cut 12 lids from the remaining pastry and put on top of the ﬁlled tarts, pinching the edges together to seal. Brush the pastry with milk, then sprinkle with the extra 1 tbsp caster sugar. Make two small slits in each lid. Put the tray on the hot baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Cool a little before turning out. Serve with cream, ice cream or custard.

2 Knock out the air from the dough Punch down the dough, then divide into 12. Cover and leave for 15 mins. Put a large baking sheet under a moderate grill to heat for 10 mins. 3 Shape and grill Flatten the balls of dough into rough teardrops with your hands, then roll out into pitta bread shapes with a rolling pin. Spread with the reserved yogurt and put three at a time on the hot baking tray. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, keeping watch all the time, or bake in the oven for 6 minutes.

John likes to serve the lamb with a Greek salad Toss together 6 chopped medium-sized tomatoes, 2 peeled and chopped small cucumbers, 1 sliced red onion, 3 chopped celery sticks, a large handful each torn basil leaves and chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, a small handful of oregano leaves, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 100ml olive oil. Season to taste. Tip the salad into a serving bowl, scatter with a handful of black pitted olives, then crumble over 200g feta.

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TV COOKS WorldMags.net

The Food Programme’s

Gerard Baker ‘This lovely recipe makes the most of all the new-season produce. Look out for the MSC blue tick on the fish packet – that way you know you’re buying sustainable fish’

Food historian Gerard is a regular contributor to the Food Programme

Sea bass with asparagus O

Serves 4 Ready in 35 minutes O £3.32 a portion O 555 kcals, 37g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

2 egg yolks rind and juice ½ lemon, plus extra wedges to serve 1 clove of garlic, crushed 250ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 500g Jersey Royal potatoes 500g asparagus, trimmed small bunch of chives, snipped, to serve FOR THE SEA BASS

3 tbsp olive oil 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 4 x 140g sea bass ﬁllets, defrosted if frozen 1 Make the ﬂavoured mayo Put the egg yolks in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and the lemon rind and juice. Whisk to combine, then add the garlic and whisk again. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a mayonnaise and all the oil is used. Taste and add salt, white pepper and additional lemon juice, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill until you’re ready to serve. 2 Boil the potatoes Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Drain, toss with a drizzle of oil, set aside and keep warm.

3 Cook the asparagus Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for 3-5 mins until tender. Drain, drizzle with oil, then set aside to keep warm. 4 Grill the ﬁsh Heat the grill. Pour 2 tbsp of the oil into a frying pan set over a medium heat, add the thyme and garlic, and cook for 1-2 mins. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper into the pan,

theeasyway

To save time, buy ready-made lemon mayonnaise and stir through 1 very ﬁnely chopped clove of garlic

66 BBC Easy Cook

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add the fish, skin-side up, cook for 2-3 mins, then remove from the heat. Drizzle with the remaining oil, then grill for about 4 mins until the skin blisters and the fish is cooked through. Keep the fish warm while you finish the veg. 5 Serve Thickly slice the potatoes and arrange a layer in the middle of each of 4 dinner plates. Scatter the asparagus over the potatoes, squeeze over some lemon juice and finish with a grind of black pepper. Top each plate with a fillet of sea bass, finishing with a spoonful of mayonnaise and the snipped chives.

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Use up the oatmeal Oaty Parkin Cake: Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/Gas 4. Line a 15x20cm baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a pan, gently melt 250g butter, 250g golden syrup, 125g black treacle and 500g muscavado sugar. In a bowl, mix 375g plain flour, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp baking powder and 500g oatmeal. Add the syrup mixture and stir to combine. Add 280ml milk to loosen the mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-45 minutes

Cranachan O

Serves 4 Takes 15 mins, plus cooling time O £1.25 a portion O 529 kcals, 48g fat, 27g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing O

2 tbsp medium oatmeal 300g raspberries, defrosted if frozen a little caster sugar 350ml double cream 2 tbsp honey 2-3 tbsp whisky, to taste

1 Toast the oatmeal Spread the oatmeal out on a baking sheet and grill until it smells rich and nutty. This will take about 4-6 minutes, but it will not darken very much, so use your sense of smell to tell you when it is nutty enough. Cool. 2 Make the raspberry purée Crush half the fruit and sieve it to remove the pips. Sweeten the fruit to taste with a little caster sugar. Whisk the double cream until it is just set, then stir in the honey and whisky,

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being careful not to over-whip the cream. Taste and add a little more honey or whisky, if necessary. 3 Layer up Stir the oatmeal into the whipped cream and whisk lightly until the mixture is just firm. Alternate layers of the creamy oatmeal with the remaining whole raspberries and the raspberry purée in 4 serving dishes. Leave to chill slightly before serving. Serve this on its own or with crisp biscuits.

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TV COOKS WorldMags.net

Junior MasterChef’s

Donal Skehan ‘These recipes are really easy, so if you’re new to baking do have a go. They’re great for occupying the kids over half-term too – they’ll enjoy eating them too!’ says Donal Maple bacon scones O

Makes 20 O Takes 20 minutes, plus 25 mins in the oven O 24p each O 239 kcals, 13g fat, 7g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing 1 tbsp vegetable oil 250g smoked streaky bacon, snipped into 2cm pieces

450g plain ﬂour 2 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 225g cold butter, cut into 1cm cubes 175ml maple syrup, plus a little extra for glazing 175ml buttermilk 1 egg

Donal is a judge on Junior MasterChef

1 Crisp the bacon Put a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and fry the bacon pieces until crisp and sizzling. Put a piece of kitchen paper onto a plate, then tip the bacon onto it. Set aside to cool completely. 2 Rub the ﬂour into the butter In a large mixing bowl, mix the ﬂour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb of soda and a pinch of salt. Use your ﬁngertips to rub in the butter until you have a mixture that looks like wet sand. Don’t worry if there are still some rough lumps of butter. 3 Add the maple syrup and bacon Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Pour the maple syrup and buttermilk into a jug, whisk with a fork, then pour into the ﬂour mixture, together with the cooled bacon. 4 Make the dough Stir the mixture with a fork to bring it together and make a soft dough – don’t over-mix it or your scones will be heavy. Sprinkle the work surface with ﬂour and tip the dough out onto it. 5 Roll out the scones Roll out the dough to a 3cm thickness. Stamp out circles using a cookie cutter. (You may have to roll out the dough again to use it all up.) Put the scones on 2 baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Whisk the egg in a bowl. 6 Bake Brush the top of each scone with some beaten egg – this will give them a shine – then bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the scones from the oven. Brush each one with a little maple syrup, then put back in the oven for another 3 minutes. Transfer the scones to a wire cooling rack.

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WorldMags.net Chocolate-chip cookie ice-cream sandwiches O

Makes 12 sandwiches Takes 20 minutes, plus 20 mins in the oven and chilling time O 39p each O 623 kcals, 28g fat, 17g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing O

280g light soft brown sugar 225g granulated sugar 250g butter 2 large eggs 1 tbsp vanilla extract 450g plain ﬂour 2 tsp baking powder 300g milk chocolate, roughly chopped 600ml vanilla ice cream 1 Cream the butter and add the eggs Tip the sugars and butter into a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, mix them together until smooth, pale and creamy. Break in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each egg. Mix in the vanilla extract.

2 Add the ﬂour and chocolate Sift in the ﬂour and baking powder, then mix well with a wooden spoon. Stir through the chocolate. Squeeze the dough together, then split into two and put on a sheet of cling ﬁlm. 3 Roll the dough Roll each piece of dough in the cling ﬁlm to form thick sausage shapes, then seal the ends. Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours. (You can freeze the dough at this point to use later.) 4 Make and bake Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Unwrap the dough rolls and slice each one into 12 slices, so you have 24 in total. Put the slices on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges, but still pale in the centre. Leave to cool slightly, then cool on a wire rack. To serve, sandwich the cookies together with a scoop of ice cream.

Try this too... Knickerbocker Glory In a medium pan on a high heat, melt 25g butter and 25g brown sugar and add 100g peeled, chopped plums or peaches, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla paste. In a sundae glass, add some of the stewed fruit, then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Repeat this process until the glass is full. Sprinkle with some toasted almond flakes and a little grated chocolate. Serves 1.

‘Put one of the rolls of dough into the freezer and you’ll be able to whip up another batch of cookies whenever you like. You can freeze the dough for up to six months. Defrost in the fridge for 4 hours before using,’ says Donal

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BBC Easy Cook 69

TV COOKS WorldMags.net

The Great British Bake Off’s

Edd Kimber

These cakes are much simpler to make than they might first look. You can freeze the sponges and cupcakes un-iced so they’re brilliant for making ahead

Edd is a winner of The Great British Bake Off

Simple layer cake O

Serves 12 Takes 45 mins, plus 30 mins in the oven O 22p a slice O 858 kcals, 50g fat, 31g sat. fat a slice O Sponges are suitable for freezing O

225g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing 350g plain ﬂour, plus extra for dusting 3 tbsp boiling water 1 tsp red gel food colouring 40g cocoa powder 250ml buttermilk 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ¼ tsp salt 350g caster sugar 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

This layer cake is surprisingly easy to make and it looks amazing once you cut a slice

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

250g unsalted butter 500g icing sugar 400g full-fat cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Mix the cocoa mixture Turn oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Grease 3 x 20cm round cake tins, line the bases with baking parchment and grease. Dust with ﬂour and tap out any excess. Mix the boiling water, food colouring, cocoa powder and buttermilk until combined, and set aside. 2 Make the cake batter Sift the ﬂour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and

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ﬂuffy (about 5 mins). Beat in the eggs a little at a time, until combined, then mix in the vanilla. Slowly mix in a third of the ﬂour mixture followed by half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, then mix in the ﬁnal third of the ﬂour mixture. Stir in the vinegar. 3 Bake the sponges Divide between the tins. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until a co*cktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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4 Make the frosting Beat the butter until light and smooth (about 5 mins). Slowly beat in the icing sugar, then beat until light and ﬂuffy. Beat in the cream cheese and the vanilla until just combined. 5 Assemble the cake Put one sponge on a plate. Spread a layer of frosting on the top and put a second sponge on top, then a layer of frosting. Put the ﬁnal sponge on top. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

WorldMags.net Chai tea and milk chocolate cupcakes O

Makes 12 Takes 40 mins, plus 25 mins in the oven O 66p each O 626 kcals, 40g fat, 25g sat. fat each O Suitable for freezing (un-iced) O

1 tbsp chai tea leaves (from about 3 tea bags) 225g plain ﬂour 2 tsp baking powder 225g butter 225g caster sugar 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 125ml soured cream grated or melted chocolate, to decorate (optional) FOR THE FROSTING

200g good-quality milk chocolate 225g butter 1 tbsp milk ½ tsp vanilla extract 225g icing sugar 1 Sift the ﬂour and tea together Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/ gas 4. Line a standard 12-hole mufﬁn tin with paper mufﬁn cases. If the tea isn’t already ﬁne, grind it a little using a pestle and mortar. Sift the ﬂour, baking powder and chai tea into a medium-sized bowl, then set aside. 2 Make the cake batter Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and ﬂuffy (about 5 minutes). Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating until combined, then add a third of the ﬂour mixture followed by half the soured cream. Repeat, then add the ﬁnal third of the ﬂour mixture. 3 Bake the cakes Divide the batter equally among the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a co*cktail stick inserted into the centre of one cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 4 Melt the chocolate Melt the chocolate in a microwave, or a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Once melted, remove

from the heat and allow to cool for several minutes to room temperature.

What is chai tea?

5 Make the frosting Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 3 mins). Slowly incorporate the melted chocolate, milk and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add the icing sugar, a little at a time, beating until combined.

It’s an aromatic and warming spiced tea from India that has become increasingly popular here. It’s generally made up of black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper and in India is often made with milk. Most supermarkets now stock them in their own tea bag ranges.

6 Decorate the cakes Spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes using a knife, or use a piping bag ﬁtted with a large star piping tube to pipe on circles of frosting. Decorate with grated chocolate or a drizzle of melted chocolate too (optional).

‘Only mix in the ﬂour until it is just combined, or your cakes will be dry and tough. Use room-temperature butter too, if you can’ WorldMags.net

These recipes are adapted from The Boy Who Bakes by Edd Kimber, photographs by Yuki Sugiura, £16.99, Kyle Books. BBC Easy Cook readers can buy it for just £13.99, with free p&p. Call 01326 569444 or visit www.sparkle.co.uk.

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cookery school

NEW TECHNIQUES TO LEARN

Learn how to pan-fry scallops perfectly – then try this lovely chorizo and scallop pasta dish

How to cook scallops They’re good value for money and really quick to prepare Stir-fried scallops and chorizo with spaghetti O

Serves 4 Ready in 25 minutes O £1.19 a portion O 584 kcals, 17g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion O Not suitable for freezing

1 Boil the pasta Cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions, then drain and toss with the olive oil, chilli and seasoning. Pile into a big dish and keep warm.

300g spaghetti 3 tbsp olive oil ¼ tsp dried chilli ﬂakes 85g cooking chorizo, sliced and cut into small chunks 2 peppers, halved, deseeded and cut into big chunks (we used 1 red and 1 orange) 2 cloves of garlic, ﬁnely sliced 12 scallops (fresh or frozen) small bunch of ﬂat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 Fry the chorizo Heat a frying pan and add the chorizo. Cook over a low to medium heat until the fat runs, then turn up the heat, add the peppers and garlic and stir-fry for 3-4 mins. Season and pile on top of the spaghetti.

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3 Cook the scallops Put the pan back on a high heat, add the scallops and cook as in our step-by-step instructions (right). Add the scallops and parsley to the spaghetti, season and toss to mix.

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Try these ideas too... Pan-fried scallops with lime Fry 6-8 scallops in 1 tbsp olive oil for 1 min until golden, then flip over and sprinkle over 2 chopped cloves of garlic and 1 tsp chopped fresh red chilli. Cook for 1 minute more, then squeeze over the juice of 1 lime. Top with chopped coriander and season. Serves 2.

Pan-fried scallops with crispy crumbs Toast a handful of fresh breadcrumbs in a non-stick frying pan. Fry 6-8 scallops, adding 1 chopped clove of garlic, the juice of 1 lemon and some chopped parsley for the final minute. Serve topped with the crispy crumbs and lemon wedges. Serves 2.

COOKERY SCHOOL WorldMags.net TIPS FOR SUCCESS CHECK THE COLOUR Avoid scallops that are bright white in colour as they may have been soaked in brine to make them swell.

WHAT TO BUY For a really good-value option, go for frozen scallops. These can be pan-fried from frozen, but will take about 4 minutes each side.

PAT DRY

STEP 1 Remove the roe

STEP 2 Slice the larger scallops

Not all scallops come with the edible orange roe attached these days. But if they do, and you’d prefer not to eat it (it can be quite gritty), pull it away along with the tough piece of muscle that attaches it to the scallop.

Cut any larger scallops in half horizontally so that you have two neat discs of meat. Season the scallops with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Have the scallops to hand – you'll need to work speedily when cooking them as they cook so quickly.

Rinse the scallops and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. (If scallops have too much moisture on the outside, they won’t brown properly.)

DON’T OVERCROWD THE PAN Choose a heavy nonstick frying pan. Cast iron and stainless steel work well because they provide even heating and can withstand high temperatures. Don’t crowd them in the pan or they will steam. Cook in batches, if necessary.

FRESH SCALLOPS

STEP 3 Lay the scallops in the pan

STEP 4 Turn the scallops

Heat 1 tbsp veg oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Carefully lay the scallops, one at a time, around the edge of the pan, starting at 12 o’clock – this way you know which went in ﬁrst. Take care in case the oil spatters.

Scallops take very little time to cook, so by the time the last one is in the pan, the ﬁrst will be brown and ready to turn over. Use a palette knife to gently ﬂip each scallop in turn and give them about 1 minute more, then lift onto kitchen paper on a warm plate to drain the oil.

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You can buy scallops in their shells. Ensure the shell is closed, then use an oyster 'shucking' knife to open the shells – place it at the hinge and prise open slightly. Turn the scallop over and run a flexible knife over the flat side of the shell to release the scallop, then open the shell fully and use a spoon to release the scallop. Pull off the frill, the black sack and the roe or coral (unless you prefer to eat the roe) and leave just the white flesh. Rinse well. BBC Easy Cook 73

COOKS’ EXTRAS WorldMags.net

Use up your

leftovers If you have ingredients left over from the recipes in this issue of BBC Easy Cook, here are some great ways to use them up

HAZELNUTS from Roast whole ﬁsh with salsa romesco, page 44 Hazelnut crisps Turn oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Toast 85g hazelnuts in a dry frying pan, then roughly grind. Mix the nuts with 50g plain flour and 200g caster sugar. Whisk 2 egg whites to soft peaks, then fold into the dry ingredients with ½ tsp vanilla extract. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture, spaced apart, onto the lined baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 mins until just starting to colour. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then cool on a wire rack. Will keep in a tin for up to 3 weeks. Lovely served with ice cream. Makes 30. Hazelnut dressing Whizz 85g toasted hazelnuts until finely chopped. Mix with 4 tbsp olive oil, the juice each of ½ orange and ½ lemon, and 2 tsp sherry vinegar. Season. Stir in some finely chopped parsley. Lovely served with griddled leeks. Serves 4.

GOLDEN SYRUP from Butterscotch cookies, page 59 Syrup crunchies Turn oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4 and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Melt 250g butter, ½ a 397g can condensed milk and 175g golden syrup in a pan. Roughly crush 175g cornflakes in a bowl, stir in 175g porridge oats, 250g plain flour, 100g custard powder and 2 tsp bicarb of soda. When melted, remove and stir in the dry ingredients. Scoop tbsp of the mixture onto the baking sheets,

BANANAS from Quick banana pudding, page 37 Mini banana cakes Turn oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4. Line a 12-hole bun tin with fairy cake cases. Put 100g caster sugar, 100g butter, 140g self-raising flour, 2 eggs, 1 ripe banana and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Divide between the cases and bake for 20-22 mins, until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool. Mix 140g icing sugar with enough water to be spoonable. Spread over the cakes and decorate with sprinkles. Makes 12. Quick banana ice cream Put 4 chopped ripe bananas on a tray, cover with foil and freeze. When ready to eat, whizz until smooth with 2-4 tbsp milk, or enough to make a creamy texture. Scoop into 4 bowls. Top with readymade toffee or chocolate sauce. Serves 2.

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GRUYERE from Cheese and WorldMags.net rosemary scone bread, page 55 Parsnip bake Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Thinly slice 3 large parsnips and 4 large potatoes. Grate 175g gruyère. Slice 4 onions. Put 600ml double cream into a jug. Put a layer of parsnips and potatoes in a gratin dish. Sprinkle over some cheese and onion and drizzle over some cream. Season. Layer up, finishing with cheese and cream. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours, remove the foil and bake for 10-20 minutes more. Serves 6. Salmon with cheesy topping Turn oven to fan 170C/conventional 190/gas 5. Season 4 salmon fillets and smear with 50g butter. Put into a buttered baking dish. Mix 4 tbsp flaked almonds with 4 tbsp chopped parsley and 50g grated gruyère and press on top of the steaks. Bake for 15-20 mins, until cooked. Serves 4.

CHIVES from Broccoli and cauliﬂower cheese, page 43 Lemon and chive mayo Mix 3 egg yolks with a pinch of English mustard powder, a pinch of salt, ground pepper, 1 tbsp cider vinegar. Mix 250ml groundnut oil with 50ml olive oil in a jug. Whisk, then, drip by drip, very slowly add the oil. When the mixture is pale and thick, and no oil is visible, add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Season, then stir in the very finely grated rind of 1 lemon and 1 bunch of finely chopped chives. Serves 6. Creamy goat’s cheese with chives Mash 150g soft, rindless goat’s cheese and 250g tub ricotta, then spread over a large plate. Scatter with 50g pomegranate seeds and ½ small bunch chives, snipped. Set aside until ready to serve. Mix 1 tbsp clear honey with 2 tsp red or white wine vinegar, and drizzle over the goat’s cheese. Great with crusty bread. Serves 6.

crumble over more cornflakes then squash to flatten. Bake for 12-15 mins. Cool. Makes 20.

Golden orange and walnut ﬂapjacks Turn oven to fan 160C/conventional 190C/gas 4. Grease and line a shallow tin. Melt 250g butter, 200g caster sugar and 175g golden syrup in a pan, stirring. Remove and stir in 425g porridge oats, 50g walnut pieces and the grated rind of 1 orange. Tip into the tin and bake for 30 mins, until golden. Remove and cut into 12. Heat 3 tbsp orange marmalade with 1 tbsp water until syrupy. Brush over the flapjacks. Makes 12.

BASMATI RICE from Saffron chicken, page 27 Fruity rice with toasted cashews Cook 400g basmati rice according to instructions. Cool. Whisk 2 tbsp mango chutney, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp curry powder and the juice of ½ lemon. Toss the rice with 100g toasted cashew nuts, 1 green and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely sliced, and 1 onion, finely sliced, and fold in the dressing. Scatter with extra cashews to serve. Serves 6. Coconut rice Cook 1 chopped onion in ½ tbsp sunflower oil and ½ tbsp butter. Add 500g basmati rice and cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Tip in 400ml can coconut milk and 1 can water. Bring to a simmer, stirring, cover, lower the heat and cook for 10-15 mins, stirring. It should be sticky and not quite cooked. Tip into a microwaveable bowl, cover with cling film. Poke a hole in the cling film, microwave for 8 mins on full power (100%), stirring halfway. Serves 5.

CARAWAY SEEDS from Pot roast goulash, page 51 These aren’t seeds at all, strictly speaking, but the split halves of the dried fruits of a plant. They look a bit like grains of rice and have a sweet and warm aromatic flavour with a distinctive, bitter, sharp and nutty taste. Try them in cakes as well as meat dishes.

DILL from Prawn bruschetta with lemony fennel salad, page 31 A green herb with clusters of wiry, thread-like leaves. It has a strong, distinctive taste that’s a combination of fennel, anise and celery, with warm, slightly bitter undertones. It goes perfectly with fish.

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ASPARAGUS from Eggs with bacon and asparagus soldiers, page 48 British asparagus is available from May to July. Look out for unusual purple varieties and choose tightly curled tips. Discard the woody ends. Boil or steam for 3-5 mins and serve with melted butter. BBC Easy Cook 75

COOKS’ EXTRAS WorldMags.net

Great products Go into most supermarkets these days and you’ll find lots of budget alternatives to standard products. We wanted to see just how good they were, so we blind-tested a range of everyday products from chocolate to cheese. Here are our favourites Sainsbury’s Basics 24 Breakfast Wholewheat Biscuits, pack of 24, £1 This was a tricky category to judge as most of the different breakfast cereals we tried tasted very similar – but this really stood out. Although the biscuits are quite small, we found two were enough for most of us and they had a really nice malty flavour. Children liked the fact that they mush up nicely in milk too. And they're great value. Sainsbury’s Basics Strawberry Jam, 454g, 30p This is a deliciously sweet, seedless jam that’s great for spreading on cakes and good for kids who often don’t enjoy finding pieces of fruit in their jam. It has 35g of strawberries per 100g, and it’s ideal for jam tarts, cakes, and on toast.

We found some great products in the course of our research for this feature – even if they're not from your usual supermarket right tang and strong it's worth stocking up mature cheddar on them when you're flavour, this was our clear favourite. It’s not passing

Tesco Everyday Value Breakfast Marmalade, 454g, 27p A lot of products labelled as ‘breakfast’ marmalades use grapefruit as well as orange. This one is made only with oranges, but it’s still very fruity with a lovely strong citrussy aroma and an even distribution of thin peel, which adds just the right amount of texture. It has a great flavour – it's not too sweet and has a nice bitter edge – and contains 20g fruit per 100g.

Tesco Everyday Value Mature Cheddar, £5.60 per kg (an average block costs £3.19) With a slightly crumbly texture and just the 76 BBC Easy Cook

too salty and sliced well too. It's good in a sandwich and makes a lovely cheese sauce too. Chene d’Argent Brie, 200g, 99p. Lidl Brie should have a creamy texture with a slight musky taste and this had both. We were really impressed and thought it tasted more like a posh artisan cheese. The pack we tested was nicely ripe too (the inside should be soft and creamy rather than chalky) and it was a big enough wedge to serve 4.

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Tesco Everyday Value Plum Tomatoes, 400g, 34p What made this our winner was the quality of the sauce the tomatoes are canned in – it was nice and thick with a really lovely rich tomato flavour. The tomatoes were great too, ripe with no skins and very few seeds, plus they broke down well when cooked. Asda Smartprice Fresh Peppers, 700g, £1.56 You get around five decent-sized peppers in these budget bags and although you might have to hunt through the packs to find one with the colours you want, the quality is great and these stood out as being really good value among all the budget packs of veg we saw.

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at great prices! Recipes to try We tested our favourite value products in different recipes to really put them through their paces. We used mayo in… Guacamole co*cktail Put 1 little gem lettuce, shredded, into the bottom of two stemmed glasses. In a bowl, mash 1 peeled avocado with the juice of ½ lemon and season with salt to taste. Spoon over the lettuce, then add 4 tbsp deseeded and cubed cucumber and 250g peeled cooked prawns and drizzle over 100ml mayonnaise. Serves 2. We used marmalade in… Sticky salmon Mix 1 tsp dijon mustard with 1 tbsp marmalade and 1 tsp grated ginger and spread it over 1 salmon fillet. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the salmon for 2-3 mins each side, or until cooked. Serve with green beans and mash. Serves 1. We used custard in… Cheat’s custard tart Turn oven to fan 130C/conventional 150C/gas 2. Mix together 500g custard, 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp vanilla paste and 1 tsp ground nutmeg. Pour it into 1 large, ready-made sweet pastry case and bake for 35 mins until set. Serves 4.

When we did a taste test of budget products 5 years ago, we were disappointed and didn’t ﬁnd many we really liked. This time we were surprised at how much the range and quality had improved Asda Smartprice Spaghetti, 500g, 23p Who knew economy pasta could be as good as this? This has a lovely golden colour with a nice wheat flavour. It’s slightly thinner than standard spaghetti but cooks perfectly and it doesn’t clump together like some cheaper pasta does. Morrisons M Savers Mayonnaise, 500ml, 50p Creamy, with a balanced flavour, this mayo is neither too oily nor too vinegary and was easily our favourite of the ones we tried. It’s thick enough to spoon out of the jar, but it's still easy to spread in a sandwich or use in prawn co*cktails for example. We liked the fact that it uses free-range eggs too.

Waitrose Essentials Squeezy Salad Cream, 450g, £1.23 A good salad cream can be difficult thing to find and most we tried were too sharp, but this had just the right tanginess. It’s very creamy with a pleasant, almost mustardy flavour. Kania Tomato Ketchup, 560g, 69p, Lidl Some of the ketchups we tested were very watery and tasted far too sweet. But this one packs in an impressive 170g fresh tomatoes per 100g of sauce – that’s a lot of tomatoes! And it’s just the right consistency too (thick, but not so thick you can’t get it out of the bottle) with just a hint of acidity and, for us, the perfect level of sweetness for a ketchup.

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Morrisons M Savers Vanilla Custard, 385ml, 17p If you buy custard every week and choose this instead of a pricier option, you could save yourself up to £40 in a year! It’s paler in colour and slightly thinner than more expensive buys, but has a nice vanilla flavour and pours well. It thickens a little when warmed too, which we liked. Sainsbury’s Basics Dark Chocolate, 100g, 33p Economy chocolate bars are fine to use in many recipes, but some cheaper bars we tried had a strange powdery flavour. This one tastes great though – it’s quite sweet, but we didn’t see that as a downside! It melts brilliantly and makes really good brownies too. BBC Easy Cook 77

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Sarah Sysum’s monthly round-up of the best new products and ideas

extras

Ingredient of the month RADISHES

Bargain baking goodies We love baking but buying the all the bits can be expensive... not anymore. This new range from Poundland has been developed with Jane Asher who knows a thing or two about cakes! There’s pretty much everything you need here, from cake liners and ramekins to whisks. We’re really impressed with the quality. All items pictured are from the Jane Asher baking range, £1 each.

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BEST BUY 78 BBC Easy Cook

The texture of radish is crisp and crunchy like a carrot and its flavour is hot and peppery. Always prepare radishes just before using, as they lose their potency once sliced and to make them extra crisp, soak them in iced water for a couple of hours before using. Pickled radishes make a lovely side dish with chilli con carne. Put 2 sliced bunches of radishes in a sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp caster sugar and 2 tsp salt, and leave for at least 30 mins or up to 1 hour. Make a dressing by mixing 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 red sliced, deseeded chilli together until the sugar dissolves. Gently press the radishes to release any liquid, then tip them into a bowl and pour over the dressing. Serves 2. Butter-basted radishes Put 40g butter in a heavy-based frying pan. Heat the butter until it’s just foaming and starting to turn a nut-brown, then add 600g trimmed radishes and turn to coat in the butter. Fry the radishes, turning every few minutes, and add small knobs of extra butter as they cook for 10 mins, until soft. Turn the heat up to high, add the juice of ½ lemon, let it sizzle for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat. Season with sea salt and serve. Serves 4.

Cookbook of the month Although this is a children’s baking book, it’s actually great for anyone new to baking. Lots of the recipes require the minimum of ingredients and there are plenty of step-by-step shots and explanations by Cathryn, who was a runner-up on The Great British Bake Off.

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Let’s Bake! by Cathryn Dresser Orion Children’s Books, £12.99

Great wines to try Fairtrade Pinot Grigio, £6.99, Co-operative This wine has a lovely aroma of tropical fruits with melon and apple ﬂavours and it goes perfectly with spicy dishes.

The Wine Selection French Chardonnay, £5, Asda A lovely wine to drink on its own or with chicken and ﬁsh dishes, this has an almost creamy taste with a hint of pears.

Winemakers’ Selection Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, £5.99, Sainsbury’s With juicy red fruit ﬂavours and a citrussy tang, this is good served with spaghetti bolognese or roast beef.

COOKS’ EXTRAS WorldMags.net

TV Tips from the last 10 years Since our first issue 10 years ago, TV chefs on everything from Ready Steady Cook to The Great British Bake Off have given the BBC Easy Cook team some brilliant tips. Here are some of the best... ‘If you’re using up scraps of ‘Don’t store cakes and leftover pastry to decorate a biscuits together in pie lid, don’t go overboard – the same tin. If soggy, too much and you will end refresh in a moderate up with an uncooked lid as oven for 5–10 mins, then the pastry will be too thick’ John Torode cool and eat’ Mary Berry ‘I always mix my pastry dough, wrap it and chill it. Then I roll it out, put in the tin and chill again – this stops it shrinking’

‘The more you knead your bread dough, the more the gluten will expand and the lighter the loaf will be’

Brian Turner

Paul Hollywood

‘My ultimate easy fruit recipe: take any fruit in season, slice it and add 3-4 tbsp amaretto liqueur and a little caster sugar. Leave it to marinate for a couple of hours, then whip some cream, fold it into the fruit, spoon it all into glasses and put in the fridge for about 2 hours before eating’

Gino D’Acampo

‘For a brilliant crumble topping for 4, use 100g each of flour, sugar, and butter, and maybe some oats, lemon rind or spices. The key is how you blend it together. I knead it by hand until the butter warms up and the crumble clumps together, so you get little biscuity bits’

‘Once I’ve used lemons, I pop the shells in the dishwasher – they make the glasses really shiny!’

Paul Rankin

Ken Hom

‘When the children were younger, I realised that the best approach was to add in the foods I wanted them to eat with the things I knew they already liked. So if I was making mashed potato, I’d layer it up with some finely chopped beans and peas and they’d happily eat it like that’

Nick Nairn

‘I know everyone goes on about marinades these days, but just mixing a little curry paste with yogurt and rubbing it on some lamb will really transform it. If you can leave it overnight, that’s great – but even just 5 or 10 mins will make a difference’ Ainsley Harriot WorldMags.net

BBC Easy Cook 79

WorldMags.net theeasyway The easycook interview

We meet...

Mark Sargeant

Poaching eggs Poaching eggs isn’t as difficult to get right as a lot of people think – in fact, it’s an easy way to cook a simple, tasty and nutritious food. It’s super-quick too!

You probably recognise Mark from his appearances as a mentor on the Great British Menu and regular guest chef on Saturday Kitchen, but away from the telly he’s a busy chef with his own restaurants. We caught up with him to see what he’s been up to... What was it that ﬁrst sparked your interest in food? I wanted to be a chef from the age of 8, even though there was no history of it in my family. I got a part-time job washing pots and pans at the age of 13 and soon went on to grilling steaks and good old Barnsley chops. Even though this wasn’t the height of gastronomy, I realised quickly that I loved cooking and working in a kitchen environment.

You’re a busy dad – what’s your favourite quick family meal? I love cooking Asian food as it’s really tasty, pretty healthy and quick. My daughters are still very young (three and one) so generally don’t eat with us, but once I’ve done bath and bed and storytime, I want to make a meal for my wife and I which doesn’t leave me cooking all night. Usually a good stir-fry and the old favourite of steak and chips. If I have more time, I love crispy chilli beef.

What are the worst things you’ve ever eaten…and the best? The worst was a cake that my business partner, Josh De Haan made as he got confused with the salt and the sugar. I was nearly sick! The best thing I have ever eaten has to be a slow-roasted salt marsh lamb, baked over a wood-ﬁred oven. It was soft and melting and sweet and delicious.

After many years in London, you moved back to your native Kent. Why did you open two restaurants in one town – Folkestone? It was great for me to come home after 20 years. The opportunity to open in Folkestone came to me and I’m pleased I went ahead with it. I have Rocksalt and also The Smokehouse, which is a high-end ﬁsh and chip shop rather than a full-blown restaurant. I also have restaurants in London and Singapore.

‘I love cooking Asian food as it’s really tasty, pretty healthy and quick’

Do you have any ingredients you can’t live without? Salt. Without doubt salt is the most important ingredient in food. It gets a bad name as generally people don’t understand how to use it properly, but it makes the most of the ﬂavour of the ingredients. What’s your most used piece of kitchen kit? My knives. A chef’s knives are like an extension of their arm. We use a knife like most people use a pen and sometimes it feels more unusual not having a knife in your hand than with.

80 BBC Easy Cook

STEP 1 Bring a pan of water to a simmer and add 1 tbsp white wine vinegar. Crack the eggs individually into separate cups, being very careful not to break the yolks.

STEP 2 Swirl the water round to create a whirlpool effect, then gently tip each egg into the water, one at a time, letting each one set a little before you add the next.

What’s the secret to a perfect steak? I won’t preach that you can’t have it well done if that’s how you like it! I like to caramelise the fat, so I go for medium-rare – I think it gives a better ﬂavour. Ensure the steak is at room temperature and oil the steak, not the pan. This gives a beautiful colour and it cooks more easily. I season it well too. Mark Sargeant has joined forces with Simply Beef And Lamb to encourage everyone to be more adventurous with meat. For more details, visit www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

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STEP 3 Leave the eggs to simmer for 2 minutes until the white is completely set. Lift out the eggs individually with a slotted spoon, cutting off any wispy bits of white with the edge of the spoon as you lift it.

COOKS’ EXTRAS WorldMags.net

Supermarketdash

Your easy conversion chart

Not everyone is used to cooking in metric – use this if you’d prefer to cook with ounces, pounds and inches WEIGHT

A quick whizz round Tesco and you’ll have all you need for this tasty, easy-to-prepare supper

+ 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 3p

+ 2 handfuls crisp cereal rice, 4p

Imperial

25g

1oz

1 cup flour

50g

2oz

225g

85g

3oz

1 cup caster and granulated sugar

175g

–

150g

4oz

1 cup brown sugar

140g

5oz

1 cup icing sugar

125g

150g

5½oz

225g

175g

6oz

1 cup butter/ margarine/lard

185g

6½oz

1 cup sultanas/raisins

200g

200 or 225g

8oz

1 cup currants

150g

100g

pinch of cayenne pepper, 9p

4 skinless chicken thighs ﬁllets, £4

AMERICAN CUP CONVERSIONS American Metric

Metric

250g

9oz

280 or 300g

10oz

1 cup chopped nuts

100g

1 cup ground almonds

100g

1 cup golden syrup/ treacle/clear honey

350g

1 cup uncooked rice

200g

350g

12oz

375g

13oz

400g

14oz

425g

15oz

1 cup cooked and drained rice

165g

450g

1lb

1 cup grated cheese

100g

500g

1lb 2oz

1 cup lentils

225g

550g

1lb 4oz

1 cup chopped onions

100g

600g

1lb 5oz

1 stick butter

100g

650g

1lb 7oz

700g

1lb 9oz

750g

1lb 10oz

800g

1lb 12oz

850g

1lb 14oz

900g

2lb

950g

2lb 2oz

1kg

2lb 4oz

1.25 kg

2lb 12oz

1.3kg

3lb

1.5kg

3lb 5oz

1.6kg

3lb 8oz

1.7kg

3lb 12oz VOLUME

LIQUID CONVERSIONS American

Metric

½ fl oz

15ml

¼ cup

50ml

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons

150ml

1 cup

225ml

1 pint/16 fl oz

450ml

2 pints/5 cups

1.2 litres

OVEN TEMPERATURES °F

°C (conventional oven)

275F

140C

300F

150C

325F

170C

50ml

2 fl oz

75ml

2½ fl oz

85ml

3 fl oz

350F

180C

Crispy chicken nuggets

100ml

3½ fl oz

375F

190C

125ml

4 fl oz

400F

200C

150ml

¼ pint

425F

220C

175ml

6 fl oz

450F

230C

200ml

7 fl oz

475F

240C

225ml

8 fl oz

250ml

9 fl oz

Put the mayo in a bowl, then chop the chicken thighs into chunky strips and dip them in. Put the cereal in another bowl, sprinkle in the cayenne and some salt, then roll the chicken strips around in it to coat well. Cook in the oven at fan 170C/ conventional 190C/gas 5 for 20 mins, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with coleslaw. Serves 4.

300ml

10 fl oz

450ml

16 fl oz

600ml

1 pint

850ml

1½ pints

1 litre

1¾ pints

1.2 litres

2 pints

MEASUREMENTS 2cm ¾in

ONLY

£1.0 per perso4 n

Enjoy highlights from the Chelsea Flower Show, on our screens this month. Each year, there seem to be more and more foodie gardens. We can’t wait to see the Peter Rabbit Herb Garden this year!

1in

5.5cm

2½in

10cm

4in

20cm

8in

23cm

9in

28cm

11in

38cm

15in

Where our recipes use a microwave, they were tested using an 850W model – you may need to adjust times slightly if yours has a different wattage.

easycook interactive

Did you know… … that OXO cubes used to come in tins and during the First World War soldiers used the tins to keep their letters from home in? Neither did we! You can now buy these funky tins (minus the stock cubes), so we’re using ours to store our cake decorating collection in. OXO tin, £5, www.iwmshop.org.uk. Don’t miss the World War One Centenary season throughout the summer on the BBC.

2.5cm

Microwave cooking

Why not join our Facebook page and become a fan of your favourite cookery magazine? Ask us a cookery question, share your tips and recipes with other readers and tell us what you like best from each issue. Go to www.facebook.com and search for ‘Easy Cook Magazine’. BBC Easy Cook is now on Twitter – go to www.twitter.com and follow us by searching for @EasyCookMag then click on ‘follow’. Tell us what you think! Take part in regular surveys and questionnaires to help shape BBC Easy Cook features. Go to www.immediateinsiders.com/home to sign up.

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BBC Easy Cook 81

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Recipe index MEAT & POULTRY

Spaghetti with olive sauce

NEXT TIME IN

Cheese and ham macaroni ............................... 18 Chicken and harissa pearl barley salad............. 20 Creamy pesto chicken ...................................... 35 Creamy sausage tagliatelle ............................... 18 Crispy chicken nuggets ..................................... 81 Duck tostadas with black beans and salsa........ 26 Duck with rice pilaf .......................................... 22 Eggs with bacon and asparagus soldiers .......... 48 Grilled chicken with chilli .................................... 8 Grilled lamb steaks........................................... 64 Ham and cheese roll-ups .................................. 24 Hearty lamb soup............................................. 12 Lamb burgers ..................................................... 6 Lamb pittas ........................................................ 6 Pork burgers with herby chips .......................... 34 Pot roast pork goulash...................................... 51 Quick sausage stew .......................................... 33 Red pepper, ham and cheese tart ..................... 53 Roasted figs with parma ham & goat’s cheese.. 38 Rosemary roast chicken with new potatoes and asparagus .............................................. 49 Saffron chicken................................................. 27 Sausage and pasta pot ..................................... 22 Shepherd’s pie dauphinois ............................... 39 Shepherd’s pie pasties ..................................... 53 Slow-roast chicken with homemade gravy ........ 32 Spiced slow-roast pork ..................................... 63 Spicy meatball skewers .................................... 18 Steaks with artichoke salad ................................ 7 Super-easy carbonara ....................................... 33 Sweet and sour pork stir-fry.............................. 14 Sweet and sticky chicken noodles....................... 8 Tangy turkey sloppy joes .................................. 15

FISH & SEAFOOD

Blueberry swirl cheesecake

Dad’s beef pie

Baked salmon with fennel................................. 34 Chilli prawns..................................................... 31 Fish fingers and carroty chips........................... 12 Fruity prawn noodles ........................................ 24 Masala salmon ................................................. 10 Pan-fried scallops with crispy crumbs .............. 72 Pan-fried scallops with lime .............................. 72 Prawn bruschetta with lemony fennel salad ...... 31 Prawn skewers.................................................. 31 Quick fish stew ................................................... 8 Roast whole fish with salsa romesco................. 44 Salmon with cheesy topping ............................. 75 Sea bass with asparagus .................................. 66 Sticky salmon ................................................... 77 Stir-fried scallops & chorizo with spaghetti ....... 72 Super-fast prawn noodles ................................. 35

VEGETARIAN

PLUS lots more speedy ideas!

Aubergine melts ............................................... 47 Broccoli and cauliflower cheese........................ 43 Ciabatta pizzas ................................................ 12 Courgette and tomato gratin ............................ 47 Fruity rice with toasted cashews ....................... 75 Houmous salad wrap........................................ 24 Indian bean, broccoli and carrot salad ............. 16 Mexican veggie hash......................................... 11 Pea pasta salad ................................................ 24 Rainbow rice..................................................... 24 Satay aubergine................................................ 22 Sesame halloumi parcels.................................. 46 Speedy gazpacho ............................................. 24 Zesty bulghar and broad bean salad ................ 24

ISSUE 71 MAY 2014

SIDE DISHES & EXTRAS

Blue cheese soup ............................................. 43 Broccoli, fried onion and warm garlic salad ......................................... 42 Broccoli soup with cheese toasties ................... 43 Broccoli with garlic and lemon ......................... 63 Butter-based radishes ...................................... 78 Coconut rice ..................................................... 75 Creamy goat’s cheese with chives ..................... 75 Flatbreads ........................................................ 65 Greek salad ...................................................... 65 Guacamole co*cktail .......................................... 77 Hazelnut crisps ................................................ 74 Hazelnut dressing............................................. 74 Homemade raita .............................................. 16 Lemon and chive mayo ..................................... 75 Mustard-glazed roast new potatoes .................. 63 Parsnip bake .................................................... 75 Pickled radishes ............................................... 78 Red cabbage with apple ................................... 63 Spinach with chilli and lemon crumbs .............. 25 Spring cabbage with mustard seeds ................. 25 Watercress mashed potato ............................... 25 Watercress mayonnaise .................................... 49

DESSERTS

Cheat’s custard tart.......................................... 77 Chocolate-chip cookie ice cream sandwiches ................................................... 69 Cranachan ........................................................ 67 Heavenly lemon cheesecake on a ginger crust .................................................. 40 Hot strawberry sandwiches .............................. 37 Knickerbocker glory .......................................... 69 Quick banana ice cream ................................... 74 Quick banana pudding ..................................... 37 Quick choc and nut cake .................................. 36 Ten-minute microwave chocolate cake .............. 36

CAKES & BAKES

Apricot custard turnovers ................................. 56 Best-ever scones............................................... 54 Butterscotch cookies ........................................ 59 Chai tea and milk chocolate cupcakes .............. 71 Cheese and rosemary bread ............................. 55 Cheese scones.................................................. 54 Chocolate fudge cupcakes ................................ 60 Classic sponge cake ......................................... 52 Easy seed and grain loaf .................................. 54 Golden orange and walnut flapjacks ................. 75 Jammy drops ................................................... 58 Lebkuchen ........................................................ 59 Little rhubarb tarts .......................................... 65 Maple bacon scones ......................................... 68 Mini banana cakes............................................ 74 Oaty parkin cake............................................... 67 Pecan pinwheels ............................................... 56 Raisin swirls ..................................................... 56 Simple layer cake ............................................. 70 Sweet pastry .................................................... 56 Syrup crunchies ............................................... 74

A great recipe to try Our microwave chocolate cake (page 36) is not to be missed! Cooked and ready to serve in only 10 minutes, it tastes fantastic

This magazine is owned by BBC Worldwide and produced on its behalf by Immediate Media Company London Limited. BBC Worldwide’s profits are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the licence-fee payer. ISSN 17439175. Reprographics by Immediate Media Company London Limited. Printed by William Gibbons. © Immediate Media Company London Limited 2014. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors in advertisem*nts, articles, photographs or illustrations. BBC Worldwide Ltd is a registered data user whose entries in the Data Protection Register contain descriptions of sources and disclosures of personal data. The text paper for BBC Easy Cook is printed on 65gsm Graphocote produced by SCA. It is elementally chlorine free and coated with kaolin from Brazil. The cover is printed on 150gsm Royal Roto produced by Sappi Paper at their Nijmegen mill in Holland. It is elementally chlorine free and coated with china clay produced in the UK. Immediate Media is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. This magazine can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping and dispose of it at your local collection point. With thanks to BBC Good Food magazine, where some recipes have previously appeared.

82 BBC Easy Cook

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WorldMags.net All adv a tickets nce include a seat i n the Supert heatre †

Seasonal food + drink

Celebrities

Baking experts

Fantastic shopping

Save 20%* – the icing on the cake! NEC Birmingham, 12 – 15 June 2014 Kick start your summer with a pick of seasonal produce, top chefs, live demos and fantastic shopping. This year see the BBC Good Food Bakes & Cakes Village, devoted to all things baking!

Easy Cook readers save 20%* on tickets NEC Birmingham 12 -15 June

Book now – quote EC20 by 30 April 2014 bbcgoodfoodshow.com | 0844 581 1339 Follow us on:

*20% off valid on Adult and Over 65s Standard Entry tickets (excluding VIP). Offer expires 30/04/14. Prices include all admin and transactional fees. Not valid with any other offer. †Standard theatre seat included with all advance tickets, subject to availability. Upgrade to Gold seat for £2. Not all celebrities appear on all days, check the website for details. Information correct at time of going to print. The GoodFood word mark and logo are trademarks of BBC Worldwide Limited. Copyright BBC Worldwide Limited.

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