Innehållsförteckning för June 2023 från Easy Cook

Now my three kids have finished their (very significant) exams, it's become nigh on impossible to get them out of bed – even though the sun is blazing. But when they do finally rise, they're in for a treat: fabulous food for us all to enjoy outside from this issue. Top of my list are sticky maple-glazed ribs (p6), which are sure to provoke a feeding frenzy. Then, as we approach the longest days of the year, a gorgeous midsummer menu, starring spiced barbecued lamb (p62), plus a celebration of fresh salads on p18. And there are sweet treats galore, including the devilishly simple jam jar trifles on this page, and fruity puds on p50. June is truly bustin’ out all over! Editor…

MIDWEEK MEALS MADE SIMPLE Gingered chicken patties ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 25 mins FREEZABLE patties only 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped 4 spring onions, roughly chopped 4 skinless chicken thighs and 2 skinless breasts, cut into large chunks ½ small bunch of coriander, chopped 2-3 tbsp fish sauce 300g egg noodles 3 tbsp sunflower oil 250g pack stir-fry vegetables ½ tbsp soy sauce sweet chilli sauce, to serve Tip Using jars of ginger and garlic paste will speed up the prep time even more 1 Put the garlic, ginger and spring onions in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the chicken, coriander, fish sauce and some seasoning, and pulse again until well combined. Use wet hands to shape the mixture into 12 patties. 2 Bring a…

GOOD SOURCE OF FOLIC ACID & VIT C LOW FAT COUNTS AS 2 OF 5-A-DAY GOOD SOURCE OF VITAMIN C LOW FAT COUNTS AS 2 OF 5-A-DAY Meat-free Monday Mushroom, spinach & potato pie ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 40 mins VEGETARIAN 400g baby spinach 1 tbsp olive oil 500g mushrooms, such as chestnut, shiitake and button 2 garlic cloves, crushed 250ml vegetable stock 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 300g cooked new potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 heaped tbsp light crème fraîche 3 filo pastry sheets 300g each green beans and broccoli, steamed 1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Wilt the spinach in a colander by pouring a kettleful of hot water over it. 2 Heat half the oil in a large non-stick pan and fry the mushrooms on…

USE YOUR BEANS When shopping for beans, you'll come across umbrella descriptions such as runner, green, French and broad. But what do these mean? ■ Broadly speaking, runner bean types are long and flat, as are Helda beans, which you may see in some larger supermarkets. ■ Green and French beans (also known as fine beans) are long and round, although some are thicker and others are thinner. ■ Broad beans have thick pods lined with a soft, downy layer and are usually picked out of their pod to eat, unless they're very young and tender, in which case you can eat them pods and all. ■ As well as green-coloured beans, there are also some purple varieties; wax beans, which are yellow or cream in colour, and borlotti beans,…

WHAT'S ON THE MENU Raw raspberry shrub ★ Courgette fritters with dill & cucumber sauce ★ Chicken with pomegranate & brazil nuts ★ Mixed grain & preserved lemon salad ★ Mango, lime & coconut sundaes HOW TO GET AHEAD THE DAY BEFORE ■ Combine the raspberries with the honey and chill for the shrub. ■ Make the dill and cucumber sauce for the fritters. ■ Prep and marinate the chicken, cover and chill. ■ Prepare the grain salad. ■ Freeze half the mango and marinate the rest in lime juice. ON THE MORNING OF EATING ■ Shape the fritters. ■ Add the vinegar to the raspberries and strain through a sieve. Courgette fritters with dill & cucumber sauce ■ Serves 6 as a starter ■ Prep 35 mins ■ Cook 25 mins VEGETARIAN vegetable oil,…

EASY SUMMER PUD ■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 30 mins ■ No cook VEGETARIAN 1 tbsp custard powder 500g icing sugar 250g butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract 1-2 tbsp milk 500g strawberries 2 tbsp elderflower cordial 300g shop-bought madeira sponge YOU'LL ALSO NEED 6 x 400ml jam jars 1 Beat the custard powder, icing sugar, butter, vanilla and 1 tbsp milk together in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy, or do this in a large bowl using an electric whisk. Add a little more milk to loosen, if needed. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped nozzle and set aside. 2 Choose three of the best strawberries, then halve and set aside for decorating (or you can use six whole strawberries). Halve, hull and chop the rest of the berries, then mix…

Crispy chickpea shakshuka Instead of bread with your breakfast, why not try crispy chickpeas? They provide a delicious contrasting crunch that will take your shakshuka to the next level. Just roast them up and chuck them on top. ■ Serves 1 VEGETARIAN ¼ x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (save the rest for another recipe) oil (any), for roasting and frying smoked paprika ground cumin ¼ onion, sliced ¼ x 400g can chopped tomatoes (save the rest for another recipe) 1 egg small handful of chopped coriander (optional) 1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Scatter the chickpeas onto a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and add a pinch each of paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well, then roast for about 25 mins until crispy. 2 Meanwhile, in a small frying pan,…

Mini pavlovas with white chocolate cream & rosé raspberry syrup Meringues keep for ages in an airtight tin, so make more than you need to keep for another time. ■ Makes 6 ■ Prep 25 mins plus cooling ■ Cook 1 hr 15 mins VEGETARIAN 3 egg whites 150g caster sugar ½ tsp cornflour ½ tsp white wine vinegar FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM 100g white chocolate, broken into pieces 400ml double cream FOR THE SYRUP 300ml rosé wine 150g caster sugar 300g raspberries 1 Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and draw 3 x 10cm circles on each piece of parchment. 2 Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Put the egg whites into a large, clean bowl and use electric beaters to whisk to firm peaks. Add the caster sugar,…

FREE FROM EGGS, DAIRY NUTS & GLUTEN FREE FROM EGGS, DAIRY & NUTS Egg-less mayo sandwiches ■ Makes 16-20 sandwiches ■ Prep 5 mins plus draining ■ No cook VEGETARIAN 400g block medium-firm tofu in water 6 tbsp vegan mayo, plus extra if needed ½ tsp Dijon mustard ¼ tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tsp finely chopped chives 1 large white sandwich or wholemeal loaf (about 8-10 slices), or 12 mini rolls (use gluten-free bread, if necessary) 1 punnet of cress (optional) 1 Remove the tofu from the pack and press out the excess water, either between sheets of kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, weighed down with a plate for about 30 mins. 2 Mix the mayo, mustard, turmeric and nutritional yeast together with a little salt and pepper in a mixing…

Sticky maple-glazed ribs Bourbon is a barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn that's popular in barbecue sauces in the States, but dark rum is a good alternative. After cooking, there is no trace of the alcohol, so it's fine for kids to eat, too. ■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 1 hr 30 mins 3 small rib racks, about 500g each 2 star anise 8 allspice berries or ¼ tsp ground allspice FOR THE GLAZE 4 tbsp bourbon or dark rum 6 tbsp maple syrup 6 tbsp tomato ketchup 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp ground allspice 1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the ribs, fleshy-side down, in a single layer in a large roasting tin. Pour over water to just cover, season and…

Beef salad ■ Serves 2 (easily doubled) ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 5 mins 300g rump steak, trimmed of fat 2 tsp groundnut oil 1 lime, juiced 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced 1 tbsp light brown soft sugar 85g bag baby leaf salad 140g beansprouts, blanched 140g red grapes, halved 1 Rub the steak with 1 tsp of the oil and season. Fry in a hot pan for 2-21/2 mins each side (depending on thickness) for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 mins. 2 Make the dressing by mixing the lime juice, chilli, sugar and remaining oil in a bowl. Set aside until the sugar dissolves. 3 Divide the salad leaves, beansprouts and grapes between two serving bowls. Thinly slice the steak and add the juices to the…

Cut out & keep Stuffed avocado with spicy beans & feta This is such a speedy meal, and the creaminess of avocado means there's no need for oil in the dressing ̵ just the refreshing zing of lime. ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 1 min VEGETARIAN ½ tsp cumin seeds 210g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 large lime, ½ zested and juiced, the other ½ cut into wedges 3 tomatoes, diced 1 banana shallot, finely chopped 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped generous handful of coriander, chopped, plus a few extra leaves to serve 85g vegetarian feta 1 large or 2 small avocados, stoned and peeled 1 Put the cumin seeds in a small pan on the hob and lightly toast. Tip into a large bowl and mix with the…

BARBECUE FOR SIX ■Smoky aubergine dip & barbecued poppadums ■ Spiced barbecued lamb with pickled red onions ■ Green raita ■ Easy flatbreads ■ Lemony potato salad ■ Chopped salad ■ Iced coconut & lime slice with summer fruit HOT TIPS ■ Light the barbecue an hour before you want to cook the lamb and, while the coals are very hot, char the aubergines and cook the poppadums. ■ On a large barbecue, you can use the coals to give you a range of heat. Pile them three deep on one side, gradually going down to a single layer on the other. The side with most coal will be hotter and perfect for charring the aubergines and cooking things quickly, like the breads or poppadums. The cooler side is ideal…

Rose harissa gnocchi bake Traybake heaven. By which I mean: throw ingredients into a baking dish, pop into the oven and let it do the hard work. The flavours work so well together, and that little crispy gnocchi exterior is a joy to bite into. ■ Serves 4 VEGETARIAN 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp rose harissa paste 1 red onion, unpeeled, cut into 8 wedges 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed 300g cherry tomatoes 500g pack gnocchi ½-1 small bag rocket ½ pack vegetarian feta, crumbled 1 Heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. In a large roasting tin, mix together half the olive oil and half the harissa paste with the onion, garlic and tomatoes, along with a pinch of seasoning. Spread this out on one side of the roasting tin. On the…

MICROWAVE COFFEE & WALNUT CAKE ■ Beat 85g soft butter with 85g caster sugar until fluffy. Add 2 beaten eggs, 85g self-raising flour and 2 tsp instant coffee powder. Stir in a handful of walnut pieces. Put in a microwave-proof dish and cook on high for 2 mins. Reduce to medium and cook for another 2 mins or until cooked. Cool. Dissolve 1 tsp instant coffee powder in 1 tsp milk. Add 25g very soft butter and 100g icing sugar. Beat until smooth, then spread over the cake and top with chopped walnuts. Cuts into 4. SPICED COFFEE ICE CREAM » ■ Mix 2 tbsp instant coffee, 6 bashed cardamom pods and a bashed cinnamon stick with 50ml justboiled water. Leave to infuse for 2 hrs. Pour 600ml double cream…