Author: Sophie

Schnitzel

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A long-standing family birthday tradition, this is a labour of love, especially made for large numbers. Known as snitchel by the children, and řízky by my dad. Always made of pork in my family and always cooked in massive excess so there are leftovers for sandwiches and snacking. No amount sorry, this is strictly a case of ‘measure with your heart’.

  • As much pork fillet as you think you can eat – probably a touch more
  • Dried breadcrumbs (or matzo meal)
  • Egg
  • Flour mixed with a bit of garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper
  • Butter
  • Veg oil
  1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and, if you’ve got a lot of pork, cut a few additional pieces so you can layer them up
  2. Cut the pork fillet into 3 cm rounds, then butterfly each one (cut it almost completely in half lengthways and open it out like a book), and bash it out with a big wooden hammer until it’s about ½ to 1 cm thick
  3. Set up your seasoned flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in separate wide bowls or lipped plates
  4. Dip each schnitzel into flour on both sides, shake it off, then dip into egg on both sides. Gently lift it out, let it drip for a moment, then lay it in the breadcrumbs. Flip it so both sides are covered and then put to one side on the lined tray. Once the tray is covered with a single layer of pork (with minimal overlapping), put a piece of baking paper on top and keep going with single layers of pork and paper until you’ve done it all
  5. Turn the oven on to 75C and get out a wire rack or two
  6. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high and add ~1 tbsp butter and roughly the same amount of oil. Swirl around to mix and coat the pan
  7. Once it’s sizzling, add a couple of pieces of the breadcrumbed pork (don’t crowd the pan). Cook on one side until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. It’s quick because the pork is so thin, so don’t leave it alone – this is a job which requires your attention. As you go, put the cooked schnitzel onto a wire rack in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest. Add more butter and oil as you go along, and periodically wipe the pan out so you avoid burnt crumbs.

Serve with boiled, buttery new potatoes, a wedge of lemon (and anchovy fillets if you’re my mum – ew) and plenty of cucumber salad aka okurkový salát

Sunday morning pancacakes

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Our Sunday morning tradition, called pancacakes for at least 9 years due to a pre-school spelling mistake. Medium-healthy, high in protein, so simple there’s no measuring except a spoon. And therefore less washing up. It’s the ideal Sunday morning blurry start while you stand over a pan feeling like you’re doing decent parenting, drinking tea and trying to remember what on earth you’ve committed yourself to today. Makes 5-6 pancakes, enough for 1 hungry teenager or 2 as part of a bigger breakfast.

  • 2 big heaped tbsp plain flour
  • 1 big heaped tbsp ground almonds
  • Pinch of salt
  • ~1 tsp baking powder (the tip of the big spoon)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 heaped tbsp greek yoghurt
  • A smidge of vanilla extract
  • A splosh of milk
  1. Mix the flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder in one small-ish bowl
  2. Mix the egg, yoghurt, vanilla and milk in another small bowl. No whisk, just spoon
  3. Scrape the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir together – again, just the spoon
  4. The consistency should be thick and spoonable. Adjust if you’re bothered with a bit more flour or a bit more milk, but it’s very forgiving if you have Sunday morning fuzz and you can’t be bothered
  5. Heat a frying pan with a little oil over a high heat (use a wad of 2 kitchen towels to spread it and then keep it to re-oil the pan in between rounds)
  6. Turn the heat down to medium-low and dollop 1 heaped spoonful of mixture per pancake into the pan. My pan fits 3 pancakes at a time
  7. Cook until brown underneath (you can tell from the edges) and then flip and repeat on the other side. If they’re still oozy inside, turn the heat down. If it’s taking forever, turn it up a bit.

Serve them as you make them. Apparently no fruit allowed, only syrup. But you can do what you like. I like a diagonal slice of banana in the pan with mixture added over the top so it becomes embedded in the surface of the pancake. You can also do this with thinly sliced streaky bacon. 5 stars, highly recommend.

Any leftovers (or intentional leftovers if you double the recipe) can go in a tupperware in the fridge and they re-heat excellently in the toaster for weekday morning breakfast when you just can’t face cereal again.

Amba chicken with green tahini sauce

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Mildly obsessed with the Farmer J amba chicken bowl, this is my best guess (also based on the ingredients in my cupboards) and it is both delicious and Elena-endorsed.

  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1″ ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp amba spice (made with ¼ tsp ground fenugreek, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp pul biber, ½ tsp sumac, 1¼ tsp paprika)
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate (or date) molasses
  • 1 tsp mango chutney
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Ground black pepper
  1. Whizz up all the ingredients except for the chicken to make a thick paste
  2. Mix the marinade into the chicken thighs until thoroughly coated and leave for 2 hours
  3. Grill for 15 mins or cook in the oven at 180C fan for 20 mins, turning over halfway through cooking
  4. Drizzle with the cooking juices while they rest – happy to be served at room temp

Serve with brown rice, spicy coleslaw or crispy green salad, a handful of Bold Bean chickpeas, sliced gherkins or pink pickled onions, and green tahini sauce

Green tahini sauce

  • Large handful of your favourite fresh soft herbs – coriander, parsley, mint, dill, chives – roughly chopped
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 clove confit garlic
  • Big pinch salt
  • 2 pickled guindilla chillis
  • 2-3 heaped tbsp tahini
  • 125ml water
  1. Whizz everything up together until smooth and thick, check seasoning and scoop!

Soy sauce chicken broth

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Fragrant, comforting and restorative. And super-simple to make. Feeds 2

  • 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Veg oil
  • 4 slices ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and squished
  • 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
  • 3 spring onions, trimmed and cut into pieces
  • 1 small piece fresh turmeric, sliced (if you have it)
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, bashed
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp black vinegar
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 650ml water
  • Fresh coriander
  • Rice
  1. Brown the chicken in a little veg oil in a deep frying pan on a medium heat
  2. Once browned on both sides (doesn’t need to be cooked), remove it from the pan and add the ginger, garlic, onion, spring onion, turmeric, lemongrass and peppercorns
  3. Once these start to soften, add the soy sauce, vinegar, shaoxing, sugar and water. Bring to the boil
  4. Pop the chicken back in on top and push under the surface of the liquid
  5. Simmer with the lid on for 45 mins. Meanwhile, cook your rice
  6. Strain the broth, shred the chicken and serve together over the rice
  7. Scatter with fresh coriander, some fresh or pickled chilli if you like

Almond and cardamom cake

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I made this recipe as a mini cake, big enough for 2 or 3 people, but by all means expand it out x3 for a conventional cake size. It’s gluten free, squidgy and marzipan-ish, but still light and fluffy, and the cardamom adds a fragrance that perfectly compliments the almonds. I made this in the air fryer, which pleased me exceedingly, but you could use a regular oven

  • 2 eggs
  • 70 g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • 70 g ground almonds
  • 1 tbsp GF flour or plain flour
  • Seeds of 5 cardamom pods, lightly ground up
  • Pinch of salt
  • 30g flaked almonds
  1. If using a regular oven, pre-heat to 160C fan (180C)
  2. Line a small round baking tin with baking paper – the easiest way to do this is to tear off an appropriately-sized piece and then scrunch it up. Flatten it out and it will press into the corners and around the edges much more effectively
  3. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites into stiff peaks in a small bowl
  4. In separate bowl, beat together the sugar, yolks and almond extract until mixture turns pale yellow
  5. In another separate bowl (trust me, it’s worth the washing up!) mix together the ground almonds, flour, cardamom and salt
  6. You’re going to combine everything in the egg yolk/sugar bowl, but one spoonful at a time of egg white and then ground almonds, folding them together between additions. The batter should be palest yellow and fluffy when you’re done
  7. Spoon gently into the lined tin, top with flaked almonds, and bake for 20 mins (either in the oven or air fryer)
  8. Once baked, leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then pick it up using the paper and cool on a rack (paper in situ)
  9. Serve with raspberries and marscapone. Or just eat it directly from the tin with your hands, you don’t have to be fancy

Smoked tofu doner kebab

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Who says tofu is just for SE Asian dishes?! Stuff these shawarma-spiced, smoky strips of tofu in a pitta with salad and yoghurt sauce – it’s so quick, so delicious!

  • 250g smoked tofu
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  1. Dry the tofu with a paper towel
  2. Using a vegetable peeler or nice sharp knife, slice the tofu into very thin strips
  3. Place in a bowl with the seasoning ingredients and mix gently through
  4. Heat a frying pan over high heat – it needs to be properly hot so it doesn’t just poach gently and damply. Once smoking hot, add the tofu and cook without moving it until it’s golden and caught on the edges. Then use a spatula to turn carefully and scorch the other side. (Alternatively, 12 mins in the air frier on max crisp, turning half way)

Serve immediately, stuffed into a toasted pitta or flatbread, along with a finely chopped salad (dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt), pink pickled onions and creamy tahini yoghurt sauce

Tahini Yoghurt Sauce

  • 4 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 3 cloves confit garlic, squished (or 1 clove garlic, grated)
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Just mix together thoroughly, check for seasoning and add a teeny bit of water if the mixture is too stiff

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