Innehållsförteckning för April 2024 från Easy Cook

Variety is the spice of life – and a variety of spices is even better! That’s what we’re celebrating in this month’s issue on p52. And it isn’t just curries (as wonderful as they are.). We’ve got recipe inspiration from around the world, including slow-roast five-spice pork belly, chilli-spiked meatballs, merguez sausage baps and garlic prawns with paprika. Star names this month include Tom Kerridge (p64), showing us how to get four meals from one roast chicken, and Mary Berry (p48), whose comfort food twists will go down a storm. Enjoy your cooking!…

20 budget meal ideas Tomato soup with tear & share cheesy bread ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 30 mins 25g garlic butter 1 tsp dried oregano 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes 1 vegetable stock cube 100g half-fat crème fraîche pinch of sugar (optional) tear & share cheesy bread, to serve, (see below) 1 Heat the garlic butter in a pan until foaming. Add the onion and carrot and cook until softened. Pour in the tomatoes, crumble over the stock cube, add the oregano and simmer for about 20 mins, then stir in the crème fraîche. Blitz using a hand blender and season – it may need a pinch of sugar if it tastes slightly acidic. Add enough boiling water to make a good soup consistency.…

1 Courgette, green bean & pasta salad with sherry-hazelnut dressing Slice and griddle 1 large courgette. Steam ahandful of green beans. Toss with cooked pasta and dress with hazelnut oil and sherry vinegar. 2 Salmon, potatoes & watercress with horseradish Mix flaked cooked salmon with sliced new potatoes and watercress. Dress with horseradish cream and some lemon juice. 3 Fruit & nut sandwich Spread 2 slices of seeded bread with low-fat soft cheese. Fill with watercress, sliced apple and chopped pecans, then sandwich the bread slices together to serve. 4 Beetroot, red cabbage & grapes salad Mix chopped and cooked beetroot with some finely shredded cabbage and halved red grapes. Dress the salad with low-fat crème fraîche and Dijon mustard. 5 Chicken & pomegranate cousons Toss chunks of roast chicken with a handful of pomegranate…

WEEKEND CHICKEN " When I was set the task of making one chicken into four different meals, I thought about how I could simplify the process. Making fresh stock isn’t a big ask at the weekend, but on a weeknight, I could just see people thinking ‘yeah, right’ and cooking something else. So here, I’ve pot-roasted the whole bird to give you chicken and stock in one. I just love this way of cooking, it’s what I was brought up on – no waste, comforting family favourites. " Pot-roast chicken with stock Pot-roasting like this is a winning formula for keeping your chicken succulent and also giving you an amazing stock to use in other recipes. I’ve used a large chicken, but use whatever size suits your budget and fits…

COCONUT & MARSHMALLOW ROLL ■ Crush 15 digestive biscuits with a rolling pin and put them in a mixing bowl. Snip 15 marshmallows into four pieces and add to the bowl with 15 halved glace cherries and 175ml condensed milk. Mix until the ingredients are well combined and you have a sticky mixture. If it’s too dry, add a splash more condensed milk. Shape into a sausage about 30cm × 5cm, and coat generously with desiccated coconut. Wrap in foil and chill until firm. Cuts into 15 slices. STRAWBERRY-MALLOW MOUSSE ■ Put 250g strawberries into a pan along with 100ml water and 25g sugar. Cook for about 3 mins until the strawberries are soft enough to mash. Remove from the heat and squash the strawberries using a fork until pulpy.…

Stuffed peppers with chilli & black beans ■ Serves 3 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 35 mins 3 large mixed peppers, halved oil, for drizzling 2 x 250g pouches cooked lime and coriander rice 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed 6 chilli cheese slices (or regular cheddar or monterey jack), or vegetarian alternative small tub ready-made guacamole 1 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Remove the seeds and any white pith from the peppers and arrange, cut-side up, in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the oil and season, then bake for 20 mins. 2 Combine the rice and beans. Remove the peppers from the oven and fill with the rice mixture. Top each pepper with a slice of cheese and bake for 10-15 mins more, until the rice has melted…

Lancashire hotpot ■ Serves 4 2 tbsp sunflower oil 1kg middle neck lamb chops, trimmed 3 lamb’s kidneys, trimmed and halved (optional) 1kg potatoes, cut into 5mm slices 500g carrots, sliced 2 large onions, chopped 1 tsp caster sugar 1 bay leaf 1 rosemary sprig few parsley sprigs, plus extra, chopped, to garnish 600–750ml lamb or chicken stock, or water 1 Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish and brown the lamb in batches, over a medium heat, for 5 mins. Remove and set aside. Add the kidneys to the dish and cook for 3–5 mins. Remove and set aside. 2 Add the potatoes, carrots and onions, and cook for 5 mins. Remove from the dish. Make layers of lamb chops, kidneys and vegetables in the casserole dish, sprinkling with the sugar and a little salt and pepper,…

Banana & tahini bread & butter pudding Not everyone is a fan of raisins, so I wondered what else I could add to a classic bread and butter pud. I instantly thought of banana – pillowy and sweet, and eternal friend to honey and cinnamon, they work beautifully in this comfort-food classic. The earthy sesame flavour of tahini grounds the sweetness for an added twist. ■ Serves 6 50g butter, plus extra for the tin 8 slices slightly stale white bread 100g tahini 2 large bananas, sliced on the diagonal demerara sugar, for the topping 1 tbsp sesame seeds FOR THE CUSTARD 300ml whole milk 250ml double cream 3 large eggs 3 tbsp caster sugar 2 tbsp runny honey 1 tbsp tahini 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting 1 Butter a 20cm × 25cm baking dish.…

Not many people know this, but swedes and fully grown turnips are interchangeable because they were once the same vegetable. Accidental cross-pollination with kale produced the swede – a slightly sweeter root vegetable with denser, yellower flesh. They’re robust, able to survive the winter frost and can be stored for months, so it’s no wonder they have a starring role in veg boxes – and they’re good value too. Serve as a side mashed with butter (they provide one of your 5-a-day, unlike potatoes), or mix with potato for a cottage pie topping. Or, try these recipes and you’ll soon be sad to see them go. Beef, thyme & swede stew Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and fry 2 sliced onions and a sliced celery stick…

Cut out & keep Egg-in-the-hole bacon sandwich ■ Serves 1 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 15 mins oil, for frying 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon 2 thick slices sourdough 1 tbsp mayonnaise 1 small egg 1 tbsp ketchup or brown sauce, to serve 1 Heat a splash of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Fry the bacon until crispy, then transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 2 Using a cookie cutter, cut a hole in one slice of bread, then spread mayonnaise on one side of both slices. Fry the bread in the same pan. When browned on one side, flip both slices over and crack the egg into the hole. Fry for 2-3 mins, then turn down the heat and cover the pan until the white of…

Yellow curry chicken noodles ■ Serves 1 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 6 mins 50g dried flat rice noodles ½ × 400g can coconut milk 1 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste 50ml chicken stock 150g chicken mini fillets, sliced handful of mangetout, halved lengthways ½ red chilli, deseeded and shredded, to serve small handful of basil, torn, to serve 1 Put the noodles in a large bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Soak for 8-10 mins or until tender, then rinse them in cold water and drain well. 2 Meanwhile, scoop 2 tbsp of the thickened cream from the top of the can of coconut milk into a non-stick pan. Heat along with the curry paste, stirring until sizzling. 3 Add the rest of the coconut milk and the stock, and bring to…

Garlic prawns with paprika & sherry butter This is a speedy dish and makes a great starter as well as a special supper. ■ Serves 2 ■ Prep 8 mins ■ Cook 6 mins 25g salted butter, softened 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón) 1 tbsp dry sherry ½ lemon zested, plus a squeeze of juice 1 tbsp olive oil 4 garlic cloves, crushed pinch of dried chilli flakes 12 large, raw, shell-on prawns ½ small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped crusty bread, to serve 1 Mash the butter, paprika, sherry and lemon zest in a bowl with a fork. Add some black pepper and leave to stand at room temperature. 2 Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and gently fry the garlic and chilli flakes for 1-2 mins or until fragrant. Add the prawns and…

WEEKEND BUFFET Meze spread ■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 15 mins 1 tsp olive oil 16-20 mini lamb or beef meatballs 1 tsp honey 4 flatbreads or pittas 200g pot hummus 50g pomegranate seeds small bunch of mint, leaves picked ½ tsp sumac (optional) 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil TO SERVE (OPTIONAL) olives tzatziki falafels chopped feta or fried halloumi grated carrot chopped tomatoes cucumber slices lemon wedges 1 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then cook the meatballs, shaking the pan from time to time, for about 12-15 mins until browned and cooked through. Drizzle over the honey and shake the pan until it is well coated. 2 Warm the flatbreads or pittas, then spread over the hummus. Arrange the sticky meatballs on top and scatter with the pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and…