Author: Sophie

Banana almond pancakes

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A brilliant use for that one over-ripe banana in the bowl that everyone keeps avoiding. Tender, fluffy, sweet and wholesome. Feeds 2.

  • 150g plain flour
  • 60g ground almonds
  • 40g soft brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 heaped tbsp almond butter
  • 200ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 big brown banana, roughly mashed
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  1. In a big bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder and salt
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, almond butter and vanilla. Then stir in the mashed banana
  3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and scrape in the egg mixture
  4. Combine as briefly as possible with a whisk or a spoon – don’t over-beat, or the pancakes will be stiff and chewy when you’re aiming for light and fluffy
  5. Heat the veg oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat
  6. Blob heaped spoonfuls of the mixture separately into the hot oil to make small individual pancakes
  7. Cook for 2-3 mins a side until golden brown on the outside and just cooked through

Serve with a pile of blueberries, or crispy streaky bacon. Or both. They’re sweet enough to not need syrup though.

Herb pancakes

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Tender and green, this is the perfectly quick weeknight dinner. Makes 8 pancakes.

  • 300g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 200ml milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 50-60g soft herbs, finely chopped (I like a combination of parsley and dill with a bit of mint and sage. But anything works. Try coriander, tarragon, chervil, chives. Whatever you like – or have guiltily wilting in the back of the fridge)
  • 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • 100g baby spinach
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • Chop the spinach and pop in a sieve. Boil the kettle and pour the boiling water over the spinach to wilt it. Then press out as much of the liquid as possible
  • Dump all the ingredients except the oil (but including the spinach) into a bowl and whisk gently until just combined. If it’s too stuff, just add a little more milk but take care not to over-beat it or it’ll be chewy when you cook it
  • Turn the oven on to 50-70C to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat
  • Use a serving spoon to scoop 3 scoops of batter separately into the pan to make 3 small pancakes. The edges should sizzle!
  • Leave for 3-4 mins until golden brown on the bottom and puffy on top, then flip it and give it a couple of mins on the other side
  • Pop the cooked pancakes into the warm oven, then add another tbsp oil to the pan and repeat the process
  • Keep going until all the batter is used up and then serve while still warm
  • Change up with different herbs, different cheeses, whatever you’ve got hiding in the fridge.
  • Serve with a lovely crisp salad and some guac. Or some honey mustard roast carrots. Or crunchy red cabbage slaw. Or just chilli sauce and mayo for dunking. Tuck in!

Chicken pibil

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Richly spiced and delicous. Serve with soft wheat tortillas, this salsa (or one of these 3 salsas!), pickled jalapenos and guacamole. Or just pop it on top of some rice. Or use to make enchiladas. Yum! Feeds 2 generously.

  • 4 chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 tsp salted butter
  • 2 tsp veg oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • Generous pinch ground cloves
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 heaped tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tsp chipotle paste
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed lidded pan over a high heat
  2. Put chicken thighs in the pan and brown on both sides, then remove from the pan
  3. Turn the heat down to low and add the onions and garlic
  4. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 mins until soft
  5. Add the spices, tomato puree and chipotle paste and stir in for a minute
  6. Add the orange juice, lime juice, vinegar and 150ml water
  7. Bring to the boil, add the chicken and any juices back to the pan
  8. Tuck in the bay leaf and season with salt and plenty of black pepper
  9. Stick the lid on and turn to the lowest possible simmer for an hour, stirring once or twice
  10. Take off the heat and, using 2 forks, shred the chicken
  11. Serve warm with as many sides as you can fit on the table

Chicken escalope

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Crisp on the outside, succulent on the inside. 100 times better than anything you can buy ready-made. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • A few grinds of black pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic granules
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 6 tbsp dried white breadcrumbs
  • 4 tbsp veg oil
  1. Put one of the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of clingfilm and bash it out with a meat hammer (or rolling pin) to a consistent 1cm thick. Then repeat with the other one
  2. Lay out 3 plates- the first with flour and seasonings, the second with the egg and milk whisked together, and the third with breadcrumbs. Make sure all are well mixed and spread out
  3. In turn, coat each chicken breast in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Fill any gaps with breadcrumbs from around the edges
  4. Pop the oil into a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat
  5. Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 4-5 mins on each side until golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle with a pinch of crunchy flaky salt and serve

Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over and whatever accompaniments you feel go best. Literally anything works. I like spicy rice, long stem broccoli and mayo. Try it with salad and new potatoes. Or orzo with caramelised leeks and peas. All good.

Honey mustard gammon

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A festive classic – although, why on earth wouldn’t you make it at other times of year too?

  • 1 kg unsmoked boneless gammon joint
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 4
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 stick celery, cut into 4
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 600ml apple juice
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  1. Put the gammon into a large pan and cover with cold water
  2. Put on the heat and bring to the boil
  3. Then remove the ham and pour the water away
  4. Pop the ham back in the pot with the carrot, onion, celery, peppercorns and bay leaves
  5. Pour over the apple juice and top up with water if needed until the ham is just covered
  6. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for 1 hour
  7. Remove the ham from the liquid and set aside to drain. You can keep the stock for making an absolutely banging split pea soup
  8. Preheat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  9. Remove the skin from the ham (but not the layer of fat underneath). Score the fat in a diamond pattern
  10. Mix the honey and mustard together and smear onto the ham on every side, but mostly on the top
  11. Put the sticky ham into a small foil-lined roasting tin
  12. Roast for 15 mins until golden brown

Serve hot with creamy mashed potatoes and peas, drizzled with the juice from the roasting tin. Or allow to cool and slice thickly to eat in the best ham sandwich ever (fresh white bloomer, salted butter, wholegrain mustard). Or of course you can just idly break off small chunks and munch on them until the whole thing is unexpectedly finished and you have to make another one.

Roast potatoes

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Absolutely foolproof roasties, crispy on the outside and fluffy-soft on the inside. Make way more than you think you’ll eat because you’ll definitely want seconds. Feeds 4-6.

  • 1 kg floury potatoes (King Edward or similar)
  • 4-6 tbsp veg oil
  • Salt
  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunky pieces
  2. Half fill a large pan with water and bring it to a rolling boil
  3. Add the potato pieces to the water and stick the lid on
  4. Over a high heat, bring the water back to the boil and then cook the potatoes uncovered for just 5 mins
  5. Drain and then put the pieces back into the pan
  6. Stick the lid on and, holding it firmly onto the pan with both hands, shake the pan sharply twice
  7. Lift the lid off and let the steam out. Observe your beautifully rough-edged pale gold parcooked potato pieces
  8. While the potatoes are cooking, pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  9. Once the oven is up to temperature, put the oil into the bottom of a large roasting tin and stick it in the oven for 7 mins or so to heat up
  10. Take the tin out of the oven and, while it’s still hot, tip the parcooked potato pieces in
  11. Season with salt and shake the pan gently to coat with oil
  12. Stick the tin back into the oven for 30 mins, then take it out to turn the potatoes over very gently
  13. Then back in for another 30 mins until they’re golden brown and crisp on the outside

Serve straight away. The perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken!

Murgh Lasan (chicken with garlic and dill)

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The most fantastic, low-effort curry you’ll ever put in your mouth. Maximum flavour – incredible creamy spicy rich fragrant savoury deliciousness – courtesy of the fantastic Romy Gill and tweaked by me because I don’t have a big food processor and I like spinach. Feeds 4

  • 8 chicken thigh fillets, left whole
  • 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 20g fresh dill, roughly chopped
  • 10g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 birdseye chillis, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, juice and zest 
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 3 tsp veg oil
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 200g spinach
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. In a mini food processor, add the garlic, dill, ginger, turmeric, chilli, onion, lime juice and zest, salt, ground coriander and 2 tbsp coconut milk
  3. Whizz into a paste as fine as you can get it
  4. Heat the veg oil in a deep, ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat
  5. Add the paste, stir and cook for 2 mins until it goes a shade darker
  6. Then add the remaining coconut milk and stir through
  7. Fry for another 2-3 min until it’s fully combined and bubbling
  8. Add the chicken thighs and turn them over in the sauce to coat them
  9. Bring the sauce back to a bubble around the chicken
  10. Put the pan in the oven uncovered and cook for 45 mins, stirring around the chicken once or twice while it bakes
  11. While it’s in the oven, steam or stir fry the spinach until wilted. Then put into a sieve and press as much moisture out as possible
  12. When the bubbling curry comes out of the oven, stir in the spinach and scatter with coriander
  13. Serve with basmati rice or parathas

If you wanted to make this vegetarian, you could definitely cook the sauce on the hob for 30 mins over a low heat, stirring occasionally. And then just fry some paneer cubes or roast some cauli florets to stir through at the end

Soft boiled egg

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Sheer indulgent simplicity. Peeled and halved it’s an essential component of ramen; decadent peeled and lightly squashed atop a corn fritter; and deeply comforting sat jauntily in an egg cup with toast soldiers for dipping.

  • An egg (or up to 4 eggs) – I use large, fridge-cold eggs. If yours are smaller or warmer, reduce the cooking time by a minute
  1. If you can, prick your eggshell with a pin on their rounded bottoms to allow the air inside to escape. Just don’t prick the pointy end by mistake or the egg itself will try to escape from the shell during cooking
  2. Bring a small pan of water to a rolling boil
  3. Gently lower your egg(s) in with a spoon
  4. Set the timer for 7 minutes and turn the heat down to a simmer
  5. When the timer goes off, fish the eggs out with a spoon and serve immediately (or plunge into cold water to stop them cooking)

For hard boiled eggs, do the same but start them in the cold water and start the timer for 7 mins when it comes to the boil. This will give you eggs with tender whites and a still-slightly-squidgy yolk. The cold water plunge is essential with hard boiled eggs, to stop them cooking and prevent a sulphuric grey ring forming around the yolk.

Apple and almond muffins

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Most autumnal of muffins. Delicious and justifiable to eat at literally any time of day. Makes 12.

  • 1 egg
  • 60g soft light brown sugar
  • 80g plain flour
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Couple of gratings nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp almond extract
  • 50ml sunflower oil
  • 2 apples, peeled and cored and diced
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • Handful of sultanas
  • Flaked almonds
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 170C fan (190C) and line muffin cases
  2. Whisk together the sugar and egg until well combined and thickened
  3. Add the milk and oil and beat in
  4. Then add the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt and spices
  5. Mix together thoroughly with a spoon or spatula, then add the apple and sultanas
  6. Stir them in and then spoon the batter into the muffin cases
  7. Sprinkle over a light scatter of flaked almonds
  8. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and then cool on a wire rack
  9. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature

These freeze really well if you can’t get through all of them before they go stale

Halloumi and tomato rice bowl

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Simple supper, a lovely pile of fragrant deliciousness. Eat it with a spoon, sitting somewhere cosy. Feeds 2.

  • 1 block halloumi, cut into 8 slices
  • Fragrant pilaf
  • Turkish dip
  • 150g green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • Handful flaked almonds, toasted in a dry pan
  • 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • Pinch of cumin
  • Couple of lemon wedges
  • A couple of tbsp of finely chopped fresh herbs (a combination of parsley, mint, dill or coriander)
  1. Cook the pilaf and pile it into bowls
  2. Boil salted water and cook the beans for 6-7 mins or so until tender but not soggy
  3. Drain and mix with the yoghurt, cumin, a small squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt
  4. Fry the slices of halloumi in a dry non-stick frying pan until golden on both sides
  5. Arrange the halloumi, green beans and Turkish dip on top of the rice in a semi-artistic fashion
  6. Scatter with toasted almonds and herbs, and a squeeze of lemon on top