Author: Sophie

Italian meringue

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So crisp, so light, so much greater than the sum of its parts. The ideal meringue for piping bones at Halloween, pink hearts for valentines, or snowflakes at Christmas. More dry and stable than its French counterpart.

  • 2 egg whites
  • 150g caster sugar
  1. Pre-heat oven to 100C fan (120C). Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper
  2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl
  3. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (not allowing the bottom of the bowl to touch the water)
  4. Use an electric whisk (fingers crossed you’ve got one within reach of the stove) to whisk the mixture until it’s light, expansive and feels smooth rubbed between two fingers.
  5. Remove the bowl from the pan and continue to whisk for a few mins until the meringue mixture is glossy and thick
  6. Use a piping bag with a round tip (or a plastic sandwich bag with a tiny bit of corner snipped off, pipe shapes onto your lined baking trays
  7. Bake for one hour until they’re completely dry and just off-white/cream coloured
  8. Cool completely on the tray before removing gently. Store in an airtight container

Braised red cabbage

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Delicious, spiced and piquant accompaniment to deeply-rich wintery food, like a beef & red wine stew. Also purple, so it’s a double win.

  • ½ red cabbage, cored and shredded
  • 1 red onion, sliced into half moons
  • 2 apples, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • Grate of nutmeg
  • 60ml red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 50g brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Heat the oil in a big pan and cook the onions until soft
  2. Add cabbage and apples and cook for a couple of mins
  3. Add spices, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper
  4. Stir together, bring to a bubble and cook with the lid on for about 45 mins to an hour, stirring occasionally

Chicken pilau

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Mild in chilli but mighty in flavour, this one-pot chicken and rice dish is a brilliant autumn evening meal. Looks much lengthier and complicated than it actually is! Feeds 2 generously

  • 160g basmati rice
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 black peppercorns
  • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cm piece of ginger, minced
  • 3 green birdseye chillis
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 400g chicken thigh, diced into small pieces [or paneer or chickpeas instead if you like]
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp crispy fried onions
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 250ml boiling water
  • Handful flaked almonds, toasted
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Yoghurt, mango chutney, green chutney
  1. Rinse the basmati rice thoroughly under cold water, soak it in water for 10 mins, then drain well
  2. Put the tip of a sharp knife through each of the chillis without fully splitting them lengthways
  3. Heat the veg oil in a deep, lidded frying pan over medium heat
  4. Put the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, black cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns into the pan
  5. Fry and stir about for a minute until aromatic
  6. Tip in the onions, then stir well and cook for 8-10 mins until completely soft and golden brown
  7. Add the bay leaf, ginger, garlic and chillis. Stir together and cook for a couple of mins
  8. Then add the turmeric, garam masala and salt to the pan and stir to combine
  9. Add the diced chicken, butter, wet rice, crispy onions and lemon juice, and stir well to coat everything in the spices
  10. Pour in 250ml boiling water, stir into the rice and turn the heat up to bring back to the boil
  11. Put on the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 mins
  12. Then lift the lid, cover the pot with a tea towel, place the lid tightly back on top (flipping the tea towel edges onto the top of the lid so you don’t set fire to them) and cook for a further 10 mins
  13. Turn off the heat and leave to steam for another 5 mins without lifting the lid, then open up and fluff well
  14. Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander and flaked almonds – with plain yoghurt, mango chutney and green chutney on the side or just dolloped in an artistic manner on top

Sausage ragu pasta bake

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The ultimate warming winter pasta dish. Eat it on a chilly day, it’s like a radiator for your insides. Feeds 2 generously

  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 4 sausages
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 1 stick celery, finely diced
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 250ml red wine
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 200g pasta shapes
  • Cheddar, grated
  1. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium high
  2. Squeeze the sausages into pieces into the pan and break up further with a wooden spoon
  3. Cook until well-browned and then remove from the pan
  4. Reduce the temperature and add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan
  5. Cook, stirring often, until soft
  6. Add the stock cube and tomato puree, stir well to combine and cook for a couple of mins
  7. Add the wine and turn the heat up. Use the liquid to scrape the brown off the bottom of the pan
  8. Add the tinned tomatoes, half a tin of water, thyme, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper
  9. Bring to a bubble, then add the sausage back in
  10. Simmer for 20-30 mins until thickened and rich
  11. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 170C fan (190C) and cook the pasta in salted boiling water, draining it 2-3 mins before it’s fully cooked
  12. Mix the undercooked pasta with the sauce and tip the whole thing into a casserole dish, top with grated cheese and bake for 20-30 mins until golden and bubbling
  13. Allow to sit for 10 mins until it’s slightly less hot than a lake of boiling lava, then serve with a crispy green salad

Elote-inspired chicken pasta salad

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Inspired by the delicious flavours of the Mexican corn-on-the-cob snack – with added pasta and chicken for weeknight dinner delights.

  • 250g small pasta shapes
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 tin sweetcorn, drained
  • ½ red onion, finely diced (or a small handful of pink pickled onions, roughly chopped)
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • Pinch of salt
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp tajin
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente (couple of mins less than usual)
  2. Once cooked, drain and rinse under cold water
  3. Add to a big bowl with sweetcorn, pepper, onion and coriander
  4. Marinate the chicken in veg oil, lime juice and spices
  5. Grill until tender and cooked through, then allow to cool and cut into bitesized pieces. Reserve any of the cooking juices and keep to one side
  6. Mix together all the dressing ingredients thoroughly, and then add to the pasta mixture and combine
  7. Add the chicken and any reserved cooking juices, and mix everything well

Pink pickled onions

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You may never buy pickled onions again – these are sweet, twangy and crunchy

  • ½ red onion, sliced finely into half moons
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 120ml white wine vinegar
  1. Pack a clean jar with the red onion, add the salt, sugar and vinegar
  2. Top up with water, shake well and it’ll be ready to use in about 24 hours (although better if you leave it a couple of days)

Coronation chicken schnitzel with curry mayo

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All the best bits of coronation chicken in the form of crispy chicken escalope served with a curry mayonnaise

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp medium curry powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 egg, beaten with 2 tsp water
  • Dry white breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • Veg oil
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tsp mango chutney
  1. Pre-heat overn to 150C
  2. Bash out the chicken breasts with a rolling pin (do this under a piece of baking paper to stop bits flying off!)
  3. Get 3 lipped plates. In one, put the flour, salt, curry powder and garlic powder and mix together; in one put the beaten egg; and in the last one, put the breadcrumbs mixed with sesame seeds
  4. Dip the thin chicken in flour on both sides, then egg on both sides and then breadcrumbs on both sides
  5. Heat veg oil over medium-high in a thin layer in the bottom of a large frying pan
  6. Fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown, then place on a rack on a baking tray in the oven for 10 mins
  7. While it’s in the oven, mix together the mayonnaise ingredients and taste for seasoning
  8. Serve the chicken with crunchy crisp salad, curry mayo and pickled chillis. Maybe a couple of boiled new potatoes on the side.

Crunchy crisp ‘shades of green’ salad

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The perfect accompaniment to coronation chicken schnitzel – or anything else really!

  • ¼ fennel bulb, finely sliced (fronds saved and added separately)
  • 1 stalk celery, finely sliced on the diagonal
  • ½ green apple, finely sliced
  • ¼ cucumber, halved lengthways with seeds removed and finely sliced
  • 100g sugar snap peas, finely sliced on the diagonal
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 spring onion, finely sliced on the diagonal
  • Green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced into strips
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  1. Mix together fennel, celery, apple, cucumber, sugar snaps, coriander, spring onion and chilli
  2. Mix together the lime juice, salt, oil and maple syrup, then use this to dress the salad

Biscotti

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The absolute crunchiest!

  • 250g plain flour
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 50g shelled pistachio nuts
  • 100g whole almonds
  • 100g skinned hazelnuts
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan (180C)
  2. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and half of the beaten eggs
  3. Then add half of the remaining egg mixture until the sticky dough comes together (only add the remaining egg if needed)
  4. Mix in the nuts and lemon zest
  5. Divide the mixture into thirds and, with damp hands, roll into chunky sausage shapes
  6. Place each sausage on baking parchment on separate baking sheets (because they spread a lot) and slightly flatten them
  7. Bake for 30-40 mins until golden, then remove from the oven and leave on one side for 10 mins to cool and firm up
  8. Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 130C fan (150C)
  9. With a serrated knife, cut the baked dough into 1 cm slices and lay them on their side back on the lined baking sheets
  10. Return the biscotti to the oven for 15 mins then flip them over and cook for a further 15-20 mins until golden brown
  11. Leave to cool and store in an airtight jar