Innehållsförteckning för January 2024 från Easy Cook

A fter the post-Christmas splurge, I'm in need of some comfort – without spending any more than necessary. We tried to be frugal, but with three fridge-raiding ‘kids’ to feed (now aged 21, 18 and 16), the best-laid plans vanished as quickly as the leftovers. So, January is the time for cosy, money-saving meals, which use minimal energy but will still fuel a house full of gannets. As ever, it's Easy Cook to the rescue. Inside you'll find budget-beating ideas (p8), a week's worth of healthy meals (p34) and one-pot winter wonders (p52) – plus Ravneet Gill's sweet sensations (p84). Wishing you all the best for 2024.…

22 budget meal ideas Good source of omega-3 Feel-good fishcakes ∎ Serves 4 ∎ Prep 15 mins ∎ Cook 35 mins 600g potatoes, cut into chunks 2 x 120g cans sardines in spring water, drained 4 tbsp chopped parsley 1 small lemon, zested and juiced 3 tbsp mayonnaise 4 tbsp Greek yogurt 1 tbsp seasoned plain flour 4 tsp sunflower oil green salad and lemon wedges, to serve 1 Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 15-20 mins, until tender. Meanwhile, coarsely mash the sardines in a bowl (there's no need to remove the bones as they're soft enough to eat). Mix in 3 tbsp of the parsley and half the lemon zest and juice. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise and yogurt with the remaining parsley, lemon zest and juice, then season…

1 TOMATO & GREENS SALAD ∎ Blanch a handful of longstem broccoli or broccoli florets for 2 mins, then rinse and drain. Toss with 2 tbsp defrosted peas, 2 tbsp defrosted edamame beans, 6 halved cherry tomatoes, 3 sliced radishes and 2 sliced spring onions. Mix 1 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, then toss together with the salad. 2 BANG BANG NOODLE SALAD ∎ Cook 50g egg noodles until tender, then rinse and drain. Put in a bowl with 2 shredded spring onions, a handful of shredded mangetout, 4 baby corn, sliced lengthways, and a little chopped chilli. Mix 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter with 1 tsp sesame oil and 2 tsp soy sauce, then add enough boiling water to make a dressing.…

Gochujang steak salad ◼ Serves 2 ◼ Prep 15 mins ◼ Cook 5 mins 1 tbsp gochujang 2 tsp mirin 2 sirloin steaks, trimmed of fat, at room temperature 2 large handfuls watercress handful sugar snap peas, halved handful Thai basil, leaves torn handful coriander leaves, torn ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced handful roasted peanuts, roughly chopped FOR THE DRESSING 2 tsp English mustard 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp soft brown sugar 2 tsp fish sauce 2 tsp lime juice 1 Mix the gochujang and mirin, rub all over the steaks and season well. Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the steaks for 2 mins on each side for rare, or to your liking. Leave to rest for 5 mins, then slice. 2 Whisk together all the dressing ingredients with some seasoning. 3 Put the watercress, sugar snaps,…

WEEKEND PUDS & BAKES Lemon & vanilla cheesecake with candied lemon peel ∎ Serves 8-10 ∎ Prep 15 mins plus cooling ∎ Cook 55 mins VEGETARIAN butter, for the tin 1 large ready-made flan sponge 225g golden caster sugar 3 tbsp cornflour 750g low-fat cream cheese 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 lemons, zested 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 300ml half-fat crème fraîche FOR THE CANDIED PEEL 1 lemon 100g caster sugar 1 For the candied peel, cut long strips of peel from the lemon, then cut into very thin strips. Put in a pan and cover with 100ml cold water. Add the sugar and gently bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 30 mins. Leave to cool. 2 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly butter a 25cm springform cake tin.…

Spring-clean your spices There's something about this time of year that makes you want to spring-clean – even if it is only January! One place to start is the spice rack. Ready-blended spice mixes are useful, but we often only use them for a specific recipe. So, if you bought jerk seasoning last summer for a barbecue, here are two ways to use it up now. Jerk prawn & coconut rice bowls ■ Heat 1 tbsp flavourless oil in a large frying pan. Add a 150g pack raw peeled prawns and 1½ tbsp jerk seasoning and cook for 1-2 mins. Drain a 400g can red kidney beans in chilli sauce, reserving 3 tbsp of the sauce. Add the beans to the pan along with the reserved sauce and a 250g…

Lovely 1 luch or starter Serrano ham & red pear salad Contrasting flavours and textures really bring this simple salad to life. ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 5 mins 2 slices ciabatta, cut into cubes 1 tbsp olive oil 100g Serrano ham 1 red pear, cored and cut into wedges 50g rocket FOR THE DRESSING 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tsp honey 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 Toss the ciabatta with 1 tbsp olive oil, spread out on a baking tray and grill for about 5 mins, turning regularly, until golden. 2 To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and season to taste. 3 Arrange the ham, pear wedges and rocket on two plates. Add the warm croutons and spoon over the dressing. PER…

Grilled masala lamb with chopped salad ∎ Serves 1 ∎ Prep 10 mins ∎ Cook 8-10 mins 1 tsp rapeseed oil 1 tbsp curry paste 2 lamb loin chops ½ pomegranate, seeds only ¼ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely diced 6 radishes, diced 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered ½ small red onion, very finely sliced small handful each of mint and coriander, roughly chopped, plus a few leaves to garnish ¼ tsp ground cumin ½ lemon, juiced 1 Heat the grill. Rub the oil and curry paste all over the lamb chops and season. Put the chops on a baking tray and grill for about 4-5 mins each side for medium, depending on the thickness of the chop, or to your liking. Allow to rest for a couple of mins. 2 Meanwhile, put the remaining ingredients (except the garnish) in a…

French toast croissant bake This dish was born from my love of French toast, and it has the classic flavour combinations you'd expect – though I love it as a dessert too. It's also a great way to use up any stale croissants you may have lurking in the bread bin. ∎ Serves 4 ∎ Prep 5 mins ∎ Cook 15 mins 3 eggs, lightly beaten 50g caster sugar ¼ tsp ground cinnamon 100ml milk butter, for the dish 3 large croissants, torn into pieces (about 200g in total) 70g blueberries double cream, to serve 1 Heat the air-fryer to 160C. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, cinnamon and milk in a bowl until combined. 2 Butter a baking dish measuring about 20 × 15cm. Put the croissant pieces in the dish, then pour over the egg…

WEEKEND FAMILY ON THE MENU Tomato & oregano orzo with koftas, yogurt & pul biber butter Flatbreads Apple & feta salad Chocolate & orange rice pudding BEST OF THE BBC A regular on Saturday Kitchen, Sabrina Ghayour is a British-Iranian chef and author who started her career in food hosting a hugely popular supper club. She takes inspiration from the Persian food that she loved growing up. @sabrinaghayour. Tomato & oregano orzo with koftas, yogurt & pul biber butter ◼ Serves 6 (approx 40 koftas) ◼ Prep 20 mins ◼ Cook 1 hr 500g 20% fat beef mince 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 tsp paprika 1 heaped tbsp dried oregano 2 tbsp tomato purée 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp caster sugar 300g orzo 50g unsalted butter 1 heaped…

BEST OF THE BBC Pastry chef, author and TV presenter Ravneet Gill has appeared on Saturday Kitchen, as well as the BBC's Teach Me A Lesson podcast with Greg James and Bella Mackie. Her latest book, Baking for Pleasure, (£26,Pavilion) is out now. Fruit scones One of my earliest pastry jobs involved making hundreds of scones each morning for afternoon tea service. The key was never to overmix the dough, and to get your hands involved to bring it together, then to rest it before cutting. A scone is best served on the day it is baked, with copious amounts of clotted cream and jam on the side. ■ Makes 6 scones ■ Prep 25 mins plus soaking and chilling ■ Cook 20 mins 1 tbsp raisins 250g plain flour, plus…

Rhubarb & apple crumble This uses forced rhubarb, one of the UK's first fruits of the year. However, did you know that rhubarb is actually classed as a vegetable? This is because it's the stem of the plant that is eaten rather than the part containing the seeds! ■ Serves 4-6 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 45 mins 450g rhubarb, cut into 3cm chunks 350g Bramley or Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract 120g golden caster sugar ice cream or custard, to serve FOR THE TOPPING 200g plain flour 1 tsp ground ginger (optional) 100g cold salted butter, cubed 70g light brown soft sugar 1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Toss the rhubarb, apples, vanilla and caster sugar together in an ovenproof dish and bake…

Get the scoop This is great with toffee sauce, but if you're going for a boozy addition, take a look at what you have left over from Christmas. Tipples such as Irish cream liqueur, amaretto or orange liqueur would all work well. Easy Christmas pudding ice cream ■ Whizz a 1-litre tub vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, in a food processor until smooth. Fold 200g leftover Christmas pudding, crumbled, into the ice cream. Scrape into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hrs, until set. Serve topped with ready-made toffee sauce or drizzle over your liqueur of choice. Serves 4. SHUT THAT DOOR! When using the oven, it's often tempting to take a peek at how things are coming along, but did you know that a quick inspection…

Cut out & keep Cauliflower soup with chorizo topping ◼ Serves 2 ◼ Prep 10mins ◼ Cook 20 mins without topping 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 cauliflower, cut into florets 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 500ml chicken or veg stock 5cm piece from a chorizo ring large slice of crusty bread 2 tbsp double cream small bunch parsley, chopped 1 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft, about 6 mins. Add the cauliflower and half the garlic, stir, then pour in the stock. Cook for 12 mins, until the cauliflower is tender. 2 Meanwhile, peel the chorizo, then chop into small pieces. Toast the bread, then tear or cut into chunky, crouton-sized pieces. Heat the remaining oil in a frying…

WEEKEND COMFORT Beef & pumpkin stew, p54 Golden onion & spring veg pilaf, p54 Beef & pumpkin stew ■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 25 mins ■ Cook 2 hrs 20 mins 2 tbsp vegetable oil 500g stewing beef, cut into chunks 2 onions, chopped 600g carrots, cut into chunks 1 celery stick, roughly sliced ¼ small bunch of thyme 2 bay leaves 1½ tbsp tomato purée 1½ tbsp plain flour 1 litre vegetable stock 250ml ale or beer 1 medium pumpkin (about 500g), peeled, deseeded and chopped mashed potato or crusty bread, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a large, lidded pan over a medium-high heat and fry the beef in batches for a few minutes until browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Fry the onion in the same pan over a medium heat for 6-8 mins, or…

ROASTED FIG BRUSCHETTAS ■ Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix 85g butter with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon and cut 4 thick slices of crusty bread. Spread both sides of the bread with the cinnamon butter, put on a baking sheet and sprinkle with caster sugar. Cut 8 figs in half, then put four halves on each bread slice, cut-side up, and sprinkle with more sugar. Bake for 20 mins, then serve with crème fraîche. Serves 4. PEAR PUFFS ■n Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cut 375g ready-rolled puff pastry into four squares and put on a baking sheet. Thinly slice 4 pears, then lay the slices on the pastry so they overlap, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Brush with 25g melted butter, sprinkle over…