Seafood and couscous

Pretty quick and easy and absolutely delicious! You can use mixed seafood, prawns, white fish or a mixture.

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot
2 sticks of celery
2 leeks
2 cloves of garlic
pinch of chilli flakes
1 bay leaf
150ml dry white wine
400g tin of tomatoes
400g of seafood
375ml hot vegetable stock
1 lemon
200g couscous
fresh parsley

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the carrot, thinly slice the celery, thinly slice the leeks and chop the garlic. Cook the carrot, celery, leeks, garlic, chilli and bay leaf in the oil for about 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the wine and tinned tomatoes to the pan (if using whole plum tomatoes, first blitz them briefly in a blender or chop them by sticking a large knife repeatedly into the open tin). Boil rapidly for 5 minutes to reduce.
3. Finely grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze the juice of half of it. Put into a small pan with the stock and bring to the boil.
4. If using fish, cut into small pieces. Turn down the heat under the pan and add the seafood, simmering gently for 5 minutes till piping hot and the fish (if using) is cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, add the couscous to the boiling stock and lemon juice, stir, remove from the heat and cover. Leave for 5 minutes. Season, add some finely chopped fresh parsley and fluff with a fork. Serve when the couscous and seafood are both ready.

The seafood will freeze well so you can make this to serve 2 by halving the amount of couscous, stock and lemon then saving half the seafood for another occasion.

Goulash

Great for a cold winter evening - real comfort food! And yet, it's low in fat - bonus :-)

Makes: 3-4 servings
Takes: 10 minutes + 1 1/2 hours cooking time

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
400g lean stewing steak, cubed
1 large onion
1 clove of garlic
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 green or red pepper
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 beef stock cube
1 tbsp cornflour
salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick saucepan and add the meat. Cook until the meat has all sealed and browned.
2. Thinly slice the onion and crush the garlic then add to the pan and fry for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the paprika and stir well.
3. Remove the seeds and pith from the pepper and chop, then add to the pan with the tomatoes and tomato puree. Mix the stock cube with 425ml (15 fl oz) very hot water and pour into the pan.
4. Bring the goulash to the boil then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, till the meat is very tender. Add a little extra hot water if the mixture looks too dry towards the end of the cooking time.
5. Blend the cornflour with 3 tbsp cold water then add to the goulash with salt and pepper. Stir until the sauce thickens then cook for a further 2 minutes.

This is lovely served with boiled or mashed potatoes, or plain boiled rice. You could also top each serving with a spoonful of low fat plain yogurt if you wish. Spare portions freeze well, too.

Bacon and leek risotto

Very easy - after the initial cooking, just pop it in the oven! It's very tasty, and low in fat too.

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 15 minutes + 1 hour cooking time

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 large leek
1 clove garlic
4 rashers bacon
2 or 3 mushrooms
7 oz (uncooked weight) risotto rice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150oC.
2. Trim and finely slice the leek. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and fry the leek and garlic for a few minutes till softened, then transfer to a plate.
3. Trim all the fat from the bacon and cut into small pieces. Slice the mushrooms. Cook bacon and mushrooms in the saucepan till browned (you shouldn't need any extra oil).
4. Return the leek and garlic to the pan and add the rice, stirring well. Make 1 1/2 pints of stock using the stock cube and boiling water, and add to the pan with the thyme.
5. Bring to the boil, stirring well, then transfer to a large ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Bake for an hour. Check towards the end of this time and remove the foil if the risotto looks too wet, or add a little extra boiling water if necessary.

Great as it is, or as an accompaniment to a main meal. I often cook a chicken breast while the risotto is cooking then shred the chicken and add to the risotto before serving (the photo above shows the risotto with chicken added). You can also make this a vegetarian dish by using Quorn rashers and ensuring that the stock cube is vegetable rather than chicken.

Chicken parcels

The basic idea behind this recipe is that the chicken cooks in its own steam so is very tender and juicy, and the flavourings both infuse the chicken itself and mix with the juices to make a small amount of sauce. The photo shows Thai green curry chicken but the flavour combinations are endless - see the notes below. Great for serving up everyone's favourites while catering to different tastes!

Makes: As many servings as you wish, just use a chicken breast per person
Takes: 5 minutes + 30 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

1 chicken breast
Any flavourings you wish, see below

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200oC/fan oven 180oC.
2. Cut a piece of foil about 12" square and lightly oil or butter the centre of it. Place the chicken breast onto the foil and add the other ingredients.
3. Bring the edges of the foil together and scrunch to seal, trapping air inside the parcel to allow the chicken to steam. Place the parcel into a roasting tin and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Transfer the parcel to a plate, add potatoes or rice and vegetables, and allow each diner to open his or her own parcel - being careful of the steam! The juices that collect can be poured over the chicken and rice or potatoes as a sauce.

There are so many variations on this theme. A really simple flavour would be lemon juice and fresh herbs - sprinkle a tablespoon or so of lemon juice over the chicken then add some chopped parsley, for example. The photo above shows Thai green curry chicken, which I made by spreading the chicken breast with Thai green curry paste then adding 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and some chopped coriander. You can use a little tomato puree and some grated cheese for 'pizza' chicken, or try butter, finely chopped garlic and sliced mushrooms. Or keep it very simple by adding a little chicken stock to each parcel.

Just one word of warning - you may need to allow longer if cooking several of these at once. Check by carefully opening one of the parcels and sticking a sharp knife into the thickest part of the breast to check that the inside is no longer pink and the juices are clear.

You can also cook fillets of fish this way, though they would only need about 20 minutes in the oven.

Cheat's carbonara

Very easy, and much lower in fat than the traditional creamy version. Use turkey rashers if you want to reduce the fat further, or Quorn to make it vegetarian - or add extra vegetables if you wish. I add mushrooms but you can skip them if you prefer. Tastes good with or without the works!

Makes: as many portions as you want, just increase the quantities accordingly
Takes: 15 minutes

Ingredients (per person)

1 serving of spaghetti
spray oil
2 rashers bacon
a few button or closed cup mushrooms (optional)
50g extra low-fat cream cheese (such as Philadelphia)
freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
2. Spritz a non-stick pan with spray oil and heat. Trim the fat from the bacon and cut it into small pieces, then trim and slice the mushrooms. Fry both over a medium heat till golden brown.
3. Stir in the cream cheese and add a little of the cooking liquid to thin the sauce - you want a coating consistency.
4. Add the spaghetti to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Season to taste.

If you want to add any other vegetables, cut them into bite-sized pieces and fry gently in spray oil till softened, then add to the pan at the end of step 2.

Vegetable curry

It's difficult to post a recipe for this one, as it's very much a 'throw what you've got into the pan' type thing with no fixed quantities! It's lovely, though - the vegetables pretty much cook down into mush, but they all add their own bit of flavour and it's much nicer than the baby food it resembles... (If you really want some quantities to get started then see the notes at the end.)

Makes: Depends how much of each ingredient you use

Takes: 10 minutes + 30-40 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

Sweet potato(es)

Potato(es)

Cauliflower

Carrots

Tinned tomatoes

Tinned coconut milk

Vegetable stock cube

Salt and pepper

Curry powder to taste

Fresh spinach

Method

1. Peel the sweet potato(es) and potato(es) and cut them into approximate 2-inch chunks. Cut the cauliflower into florets of a similar size. Peel and top and tail the carrots, cut in half lengthways then chop into thick slices.
2. Put all the vegetables in a large saucepan with the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk. Make up a pint of stock with the stock cube and boiling water and add to the pan, then season and add the curry powder.
3. Stir well and bring the curry to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the vegetables are cooked and starting to break up to form a thick sauce. Stir every now and then during this time and add a bit more boiling water if the curry looks too dry.
4. Rinse the spinach leaves then stir them into the curry till they start to wilt. Serve with rice.

As a very rough guide, you can use 1 large sweet potato, a couple of medium potatoes, 1 small cauliflower, 3 carrots and 1 tin each of tomatoes and coconut milk with 1 pint of stock and a couple of handfuls of spinach. I'd use about 2 tbsp curry powder with that lot. But as you can see, it's a very flexible recipe!

Lamb Provencal

A lovely fresh tomato and courgette sauce that works well with lamb but would also go with chicken or beef if you prefer! Ingredients here are for one portion but it's easy to increase quantities to make more servings. Allow a bit more preparation time if making more than one portion though.

Makes: 1 portion

Takes: 10 minutes plus 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

2 fresh tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

2 spring onions or 1/2 a small leek

1 courgette

3 tbsp dry white wine

a few basil leaves

4 1/2 oz/125g lean lamb steak

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Use a sharp knife to score small crosses in the base of the tomatoes. Place in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Remove after 30 seconds and slip off the skins, then quarter, remove the cores, and chop the flesh.
2. Crush the garlic and chop the spring onions or leek and the courgette. Place all these in a pan with the tomatoes and add the wine and seasoning. Cook until it starts sizzling then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently until the vegetables have softened.
3. Season the lamb and grill or griddle for about 5 minutes each side until cooked to your taste. Tear the basil into pieces and stir into the sauce then serve the lamb with the sauce spooned over.

Good with a few chips or a jacket potato. It does make plenty of sauce so you may not need a vegetable to go with it, but green beans go well.

Pesto chicken

I use my nut-free pesto for this but you can of course use the usual kind, bought or homemade.

Makes: 2 servings

Takes: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on

2 tbsp pesto

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp milk

Method

1. 
   
   Loosen the skin of the chicken with your fingers, making sure it stays attached along one side. Spread 1/2 tablespoon pesto over each chicken breast, pull the skin back over to cover, then season.
2. 
   
   Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat then place the chicken into the pan skin side down. Fry for about 3 minutes until the skin is crisp.
3. 
   
   Turn the chicken over, reduce the heat, then cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
4. 
   
   Add the other tablespoon of pesto to the pan with the milk, mix with the juices and heat till bubbling. Season to taste. Serve the chicken with the pesto sauce poured over.

Notes: Great served with new potatoes roasted with sprigs of rosemary, and with a green vegetable such as spinach, green beans or broccoli.

You could get away with using a bit less oil if you have a good non-stick pan, but you do need to use a little to get the skin to crisp.

Two meals in one: Salmon fried rice

Use the leftovers from the Mediterranean-style roasted salmon and add a few more ingredients to make this dish.

Ingredients

1/2 red pepper
100g baby sweetcorn
100g sugar snap peas
1 tsp olive oil
1 sachet Thai basil and lemon stir-fry sauce
basmati and wild rice (left over from previous day)
50g pak choi or mixed stir-fry leaves
1 salmon fillet (left over from previous day)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp coriander
juice of 1 lime

Method

1. Cut the pepper, baby sweetcorn and sugar snap peas into bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil and fry the vegetables for 2 minutes.
2. Add the stir-fry sauce and rice and mix thoroughly then heat for 4 minutes. Stir through the pak choi or stir-fry leaves, flaked salmon and soy sauce, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the coriander and squeeze over the lime juice just before serving.

You can also add a sliced spring onion and/or a few unsalted peanuts at step 3.

Two meals in one: Mediterranean-style roasted salmon

Make this one night and use the leftovers with a few added ingredients to make the next day's meal!

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 5 minutes plus 15 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

few sprigs each of basil, mint and parsley
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 salmon fillets
250g cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
225g basmati and wild rice

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 220oC. Mix the chopped herbs with the lemon zest and 1 tbsp of the olive oil then toss the salmon fillets in the mixture. Place into a roasting tin.
2. Put the tomatoes into the tin and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Roast the salmon and tomatoes for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rice. When rice and salmon are ready, serve two-thirds of the rice with the tomatoes and two of the salmon fillets, drizzling with the juices from the pan.
4. Cool the remaining rice under cold running water. Refrigerate with the cooled salmon fillet.

Very nice as it is, but I'd recommend adding some green vegetables on the side too.

Aromatic Chicken Curry

This is a full-flavoured curry with a rich sauce, delicious with rice and naan bread :-) (Chipped plate optional!)

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 15 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
3cm piece of fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
2 ripe tomatoes
2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
150ml (1/4 pint) chicken stock
2 tbsp half-fat creme fraiche
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic, add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Finely grate the ginger and add to the pan with the spices, cooking for a further minute.
3. Chop the tomatoes and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add tomatoes and chicken to the pan with the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
4. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick and rich.
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the creme fraiche, adding salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce can be frozen at the end of step 4. Reheat then add the creme fraiche to serve.
It's easy to increase the quantities (especially if wanting to freeze part of the sauce) but allow extra cooking time.
You can use garlic puree, ginger puree and a couple of tinned tomatoes if preferred.

Keralan-style Prawn Curry

I couldn't find any curry leaves so I just missed them out. I was wary of making the curry too hot so I also used just one chilli and removed the seeds, but that did make a mild sauce so if you like hot curries then you may want to use two chillis and include the seeds. It is more of a fragrant, tasty curry than a burn-your-mouth hot curry though!

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 40 minutes (including cooking time)

Ingredients

2 tbsp mild olive oil
150g shallots
3 cloves garlic or 3 tsp garlic puree
20g fresh root ginger or ginger puree
1-2 fresh green chillis
1 tsp turmeric
small bunch fresh coriander
About 30 curry leaves
200ml vegetable stock
400ml tin of coconut milk
200g green beans
300g large raw peeled prawns

Method

1. Peel and slice the shallots and fry them in 1 tbsp of the oil till softened but not coloured. Peel and slice the garlic and peel and chop the ginger (if not using purees). Slice the chillis, removing the seeds if desired. Remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside for now.
2. Put the shallots, garlic, ginger, chillis, turmeric and coriander stalks into a blender and blitz to a coarse paste.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and fry the curry leaves for 1 minute (if using). Add the curry paste and cook for 3 minutes then add the stock and coconut milk. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Trim the green beans and cut into short pieces. Add to the sauce and cook for 5 minutes, then add the prawns and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. Season and stir in the coriander leaves before serving.

You can make the sauce in advance then bring back to simmering point and add the beans and prawns when ready to eat.
You could also use fillets of white fish, such as cod, instead of the prawns.

Chinese Steamed Chicken

The chicken is so moist and tender and succulent cooked this way! (Sorry about the poor photo - I'll update it when I make this again. And I will make this again!)

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 10 minutes + 10 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp dry sherry
2 pak choi (Chinese cabbage) or 100g Chinese leaf
a couple of generous pinches of Chinese five spice powder
1 tsp sesame oil
2 spring onions
salt and black pepper

Method

1. Using a sharp knife, cut into the chicken breasts twice on each side. Put into a polythene bag with the soy sauce and sherry, seal the top, shake well and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, set some water to boil in a saucepan and place a steamer basket on top.
3. Halve the pak choi or shred the Chinese leaf. Place into a shallow heatproof bowl that is small ennough to fit into the steamer. Season lightly.
4. Place the chicken breasts on top and pour over the marinade. Sprinkle over the five spice powder and sesame oil. Top with long, thin strips of spring onion.
5. Put the plate into the steamer and cover. Steam for 10 minutes, till the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with rice and steamed or lightly boiled vegetables.

Notes:

We didn't have any light soy sauce, so I used dark. It didn't seem to matter too much.
We didn't have any dry sherry, so I used cream sherry. It didn't seem to matter too much.
We didn't have any pak choi or Chinese leaf, so I used Choi Sum. I found it very bitter but The Doctor liked it.
I didn't feel the need to add extra salt, as the soy sauce is quite salty in itself. It didn't seem to matter too much.
I don't like spring onion, so I missed it out. It didn't seem to matter too much.
We didn't have a bowl that would fit into the steamer, so I lined it with the Choi Sum and was very careful how I poured on the marinade. We lost some of the juices in dishing up but it didn't seem to matter too much.
This appears to be a very forgiving recipe :-)

Tuna Pasta Bake

At its best served hot, but also good cold as a snack or for a packed lunch :-)

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 15 minutes + 40 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

spray oil
3 1/2 oz dried pasta (I use spirali)
3 1/2 oz broccoli
185g tin of tuna (canned in brine or water)
2 eggs
1/4 pint skimmed milk
black pepper
herbs (eg parsley) if desired
1 1/2 oz mature Cheddar cheese (I use the reduced fat version)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5 and spritz an ovenproof dish with oil.
2. Cook the pasta shapes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut or break the broccoli into florets and add these to the pasta for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time.
3. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to the saucepan. Drain and flake the tuna and mix with the pasta and broccoli then tip into the ovenproof dish.
4. Beat together the eggs and milk and season with black pepper (if using tuna in brine you won't need any additional salt). You could also add some fresh or dried herbs. Pour over the pasta mixture.
5. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the top then bake for 35-40 minutes, till set and golden on top.

Good served with a side salad of your choice!

Monkfish, Ciabatta and Pancetta, on Rosemary Skewers

Oh yum, oh yum!! It is a bit pricey (though you do make the monkfish go a long way), but see the notes at the end for ideas on how to do a lower-cost version.

Makes: 2 servings
Takes: 10 minutes + 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

about 8 oz (225g) trimmed monkfish tail
1 ciabatta roll
a few sprigs of rosemary (about 6 or 7, each 6 inches or so in length)
1/2 tsp garlic paste or 1/2 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper
6 or 7 rashers of pancetta
balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220oC/200oC fan/Gas Mark 7.
2. Cut the monkfish into about 12 pieces of roughly equal size. Remove the ciabatta crust and tear the bread into the same number of pieces - they should be roughly the same size as the fish.
3. Keep the top inch or so of each rosemary stalk intact, and remove the leaves from the rest by running finger and thumb down the length of the stalk.
4. Put the rosemary leaves and garlic into a pestle and mortar and bash them together then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
5. Put the fish and bread into a bowl, add the rosemary oil and toss together.
6. Cut the bottom of the first rosemary stalk at an angle to create a sharp point. Thread on a piece of monkfish followed by a piece of ciabatta and repeat. Each stalk should hold two pieces each of fish and bread.
7. Do the same with the other stalks until all the monkfish and ciabatta has been used up.
8. Wrap a piece of pancetta loosely around each skewer, tucking it between the pieces of monkfish and ciabatta. Place on a roasting tray then season with black pepper and sprinkle over any remaining oil from the bowl.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes, till the bread is crisp and golden and the fish cooked through.
10. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, a little extra olive oil and any juices from the tray to serve.

Lovely as they are for a starter, or with a salad for a light meal, or with chips or potato wedges as a main course.

For a cheaper version, use any meaty white fish instead of the monkfish, and smoked streaky bacon instead of the pancetta.

Beef and Guinness Stew

It takes a while to cook (but that's what makes the meat so tender) - just make sure you plan ahead if you don't want to eat too late in the evening!! (Not that I would ever make such a mistake. Ahem.)

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 15 minutes + 3 hours cooking time

Ingredients

2 sticks of celery
1 small onion
2 carrots
1 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
500g diced stewing beef
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
400ml can of Guinness
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper

Method

1. Trim the ends of the celery and cut into large chunks, peel and chop the onion, and peel the carrots before halving lengthways and then cutting into large pieces.
2. Put the olive oil, vegetables and bay leaves into a large pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the beef and flour and stir well then pour in the Guinness and tomatoes. Season and stir well.
4. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 3 hours, removing the lid for the final 30 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Great with boiled or mashed potatoes and vegetables, or with rice. Alternatively, once cooked, put into an ovenproof dish and add a puff pastry lid, or a topping of sliced or mashed potato, and cook for 40 minutes (pastry or sliced potato) or 25 minutes (mashed potato) at 180oC.

Oven-baked Mushroom and Thyme Risotto

No pesky stirring for hours over a hot stove! After a little bit of preparation, stick it in the oven till the rice is cooked. Easy!

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 10 minutes + 25 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

25g pack dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
350g risotto rice
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
750ml vegetable stock
100ml white wine
salt and pepper
handful of freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190oC/fan 170oC/Gas Mark 5.
2. Put the mushrooms in a bowl and pour over 425ml boiling water. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan. Finely chop the onion and cook gently for 2 minutes until it starts to soften then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop them. Put them into the pan with the rice and thyme leaves and stir well.
5. Strain the mushroom-soaking liquid into the pan and add the stock and wine. Stir thoroughly and bring to the boil. Season to taste.
6. Pour into a large overnproof dish and put into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, till the rice is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.
7. Stir in the grated parmesan if using. Serve with extra parmesan shavings and thyme leaves sprinkled over, if desired.

Great as a dinner party dish, either as a vegetarian main with a side salad and crusty bread, or as a side dish with chicken or beef. Or mix in some cooked smoked bacon. Yum!
Leave out the wine if you prefer and use extra stock instead. And if it doesn't matter about being a vegetarian dish, chicken stock also works well.

Cheat's Stroganof

A great way to use up leftover meat from a roast dinner. Quantities given are a little vague, as it really depends how much meat you have left over!

Cheat's Stroganof

Makes: Depends how much meat you have
Takes: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Cooked meat of any kind (chicken, beef, pork - the photo shows a mixture of turkey and gammon)
Condensed mushroom soup
Black pepper

Method

1. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
2. Put into a saucepan and add enough condensed soup to coat the meat and give you a 'sauce'.
3. Heat through and season with plenty of black pepper.

Spare portions freeze well, just defrost and heat through when required.
With the soup, I just add a tin at a time - we usually have a few tins in the storecupboard ready for making this recipe.
I often add sliced mushrooms, though they don't tend to freeze so well so they're better to add to the portion you're going to eat straight away! You could add onions and a bit of garlic, too. Just start off with a small amount of oil in the saucepan and saute till soft before adding the meat and soup.

Smoked Salmon and Spinach Tagliatelle

It sounds really decadent but it isn't really too bad as a treat now and then - and you can buy packs of smoked salmon scraps quite cheaply which makes this dish even more affordable. It works fine without the spinach if you prefer.

Smoked Salmon and Spinach Tagliatelle

Makes: 2 portions
Takes: 10 minutes + 10 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

200g dried tagliatelle (approximately - enough to serve two people)
150 ml creme fraiche (I use the reduced fat variety)
125g smoked salmon (again, approximately! The scraps come in a 120g pack and this is fine)
Two good handfuls baby spinach (about 50g)
Lemon juice
Black pepper

Method

1. Cook and drain the pasta and return to the pan.
2. Stir in the creme fraiche then cut the salmon into small pieces and add.
3. Rinse the spinach and drain. Add to the pasta mixture and stir well.
4. Heat through gently until the spinach wilts (5 minutes should be plenty). Season with a squeeze of lemon juice - about 1 tsp - and plenty of black pepper.

Nice for a special dinner, without needing loads of preparation (though I like that kind of recipe sometimes too...)

Tomato Sauce

I make this mainly for pasta, with or without various extras (see below), but it's also great as a pizza topping. The long cooking time and the addition of butter at the end makes the tomatoes sweet without any harshness or bitterness. While it's not a quick recipe, it is extremely easy and preparation is very quick - it's just that it needs to cook for a while!

Tomato Sauce

Makes: 4 portions of pasta sauce, or topping for 8 individual pizzas
Takes: 5 minutes + 1 hour cooking time

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I use a small amount from a jar of ready-prepared garlic)
2 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes
1 tbsp butter
a few basil leaves (optional)


Method

1. Heat the oil and add the garlic, then cook until the garlic is softened but not browned.
2. Add the tomatoes and break them up with a wooden spoon.
3. Bring to the boil then turn right down to simmering point, cover, and cook gently for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
4. The sauce should be quite thick, without any 'liquid' layer at the top. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts. Add the basil, torn into pieces, if desired.

Other herbs, dried or fresh, could be added - basil should only go in at the end but other herbs could be added with the tomatoes.

Other variations might be: Add finely chopped onion with the garlic and cook until translucent before adding the tomatoes; fry sliced some mushrooms with the garlic till golden; add small pieces of bacon, fried until crispy (I like this better if you cook the bacon separately and add it after cooking the sauce); any of your own ideas!

The Boy likes this as is, with fusilli pasta. The Doctor and I are more likely to have it with fresh filled pasta, such as ravioli or tortellini. A sprinkling of grated cheese on top is also yummy ;-)