Spanish-style cod

Serves 1 – easily multiplied

Have just come back from Majorca and really enjoyed the gutsy flavours of the local tapas. Anyway I had lots of leftover bits in the fridge that needed using up when I got back – peppers, toms, garlic, onion etc – so threw this dish together with a little Spanish inspiration. I really liked it, even though it was eaten on a dreary day rather than hot Mediterranean sunshine!

1 cod fillet

¼ red onion, finely sliced

3-4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

¼ small pepper, sliced (or a mini pepper such as Tesco Chiquino peppers)

½ clove garlic, finely chopped

4-5 chorizo slices, cut into strips

3 olives, sliced

½ tin butterbeans, drained

Pinch dried herbs

Hot paprika

Salt and pepper

2 -3 tablespoons red wine

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Drizzle of Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180C Fan.

Layer most of the onions, tomatoes, pepper, garlic, chorizo, olives and butterbeans in a small heatproof dish (I used a small oblong enamel pie tin). Season and add a little hot paprika to taste.

Place the fish on top and season with herbs, a little extra dusting of hot paprika to taste, and more salt and pepper.

Pile the remaining sliced ingredients on top to cover the fish, then spoon over the wine, balsamic and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Cover tightly with foil, allowing a bit of tent space for steam. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and serve with seasonal vegetables, rice or bread.

Divine Halloumi and Couscous Salad

Serves 2- depending how greedy you are

I had forgotten how much I adore couscous until recently when I opened a pack that had been in my fridge the best part of a year! (this stuff has an amazing shelf life) I made a massive batch and was eating it for 4 days (see other pic below as proof!) but was actually quite sad when I finished it all off! Must try to get out more.

I have discovered the sweet chilli sauce is also a good friend of halloumi. Nice in a wrap if you don’t use it all up.

1 100g pack tomato or roast vegetable couscous

1 small courgette

1 small aubergine

1 red or yellow pepper

1 red onion

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Handful of olives, sliced

Cherry tomatoes, chopped

3 spring onions, sliced

Bag of rocket

2 tbsp Lemon juice

Fresh Dill and Basil (optional), chopped

1 block of Halloumi

Preheat oven to 200C.

Make up the couscous according to packet instructions and set aside to cool.

Cut the courgette, aubergine and pepper into chunks. About an inch is fine. Peel the onion but leave the end core on and cut into thinish wedges so they do not fall apart.

Tip onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. Cook for about 25-30 mins until soft and lightly charred round the edges. Drizzle with a little balsamic and pop back in oven for 5 mins more minute then remove and cool.

In a serving bowl, toss together the warm or room temperature couscous and roasted vegetables with the remaining ingredients, apart from the Halloumi. You can refrigerate at this stage if you don’t want a warm salad.

When ready to eat, slice the halloumi and dry fry in a hot frying pan for about 1 min on each side until golden and toasty. Divide the salad between plates and top with the hot cheese slices and eat.

Greek lamb stew with tagliatelle

Serves 4-5

This dish was created because I couldn’t bear to waste some dill! Can’t believe I spent about £6 on lamb to save the dill, but lamb is such a rare, expensive treat. And it does go quite a long way in this dish.  I then portioned this up and froze little bags of it as I am not feeding a family, although it would improve in flavour in the fridge a day or two after you cooked it.

Next time I might chop up the lamb smaller and cook for 2 hours to make a finer ragu style sauce for pasta or just some nice crusty bread.

• olive oil

• 500g lamb steaks ,  cut into chunks
• 1 aubergine , cut into chunks
• 2 onions, half chopped and half sliced into half moons
• garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes 
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (or Herbes de Provence)
• 200ml chicken or lamb stock 
• ½ stick cinnamon 
• few sprigs fresh dill (or parsley if you don’t like dill)
• 1 lemon, zested (optional)
• grated parmesan cheese or crumbled feta
• 50g dried tagliatelle for each person (so 200g for 4)

Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a large wok or casserole with a lid. Season the lamb  and brown all over in two batches then remove. Add the aubergine and another splash of oil and cook for 2-3 mins until softened a little. As the aubergine soaks up so much oil, I poured a little of the meat juices that had run out of the lamb to the pan. This deglazed it which adds more flavour and made the aubergine cook quicker without even more oil. Lift out the aubergine and give the pan a wipe as it will probably be black by now! Then add the onions and garlic and cook for 5-6 mins until softened and translucent.

Tip the lamb and aubergine back with the tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, cinnamon and check seasoning. Simmer then put on a lid on (or transfer to a casserole if you used a wok) and cook for 1.5 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich. Remove the cinnamon stick. Sprinkle the dill or parsley over and lemon zest.

Cook the tagliatelle according to packet instructions and serve with the stew. Add either parmesan or feta to taste and eat.

Fasolakia

Serves 2-4 depending on what you serve with it.

This is a traditional Greek stew that maybe doesn’t sound exciting, but boy I am addicted! The flavours meld together and tastes so summery and this is a great way of using up a glut of runner beans which was the reason for making it. The amount of olive oil is really worth it.

I have eaten masses of this just on its own with crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Or its great with simple grilled fish with a squirt of lemon as in this picture or lamb chops. If you don’t like dill use fresh parsley or marjoram. You can eat hot, warm or at room temperature. It also freezes well.

250g Runner beans, de-stringed and cut into 2 inch diagonal lengths

4 tablespoons good olive oil

1 large onion – half finely chopped and half sliced into half moons

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium potato or 4 new potatoes, sliced into thickish chunks (I don’t bother to peel)

Salt and pepper

Small pinch chilli flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

Water to cover – about a small glass or half a tin canful

Feta cheese, a really thin slice crumbled per serving

Dill or parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

1. wash the prepped runner beans and drain.

2. heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and gently cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of mins, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

3. Add the beans and potatoes and cook for 3-5 mins, coating well in the oil and onions. Season well and add the chilli and dried oregano.

4. Tip in the tomatoes and tomato puree, and pour in some water just to cover. Bring to boil and put on a lid or transfer to a lidded casserole then simmer for 1 hour (or cook slowly in oven at 160C for same time)

5. After an hour if it is too liquid, remove lid and cook for another 10-15 mins. The sauce should be rich and velvety.

6. Sprinkle over chopped dill and crumbled over feta.

Dhal

I love Dhal – thick, gently spiced, cheap as chips  and very filling. You could add cooked diced chicken or lamb to it and some stock to loosen it more, which would give it more of a Dhansak curry feel. Also nice!

Serves 2-3

150g dried split yellow peas
500-750ml water
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds)
½ tbsp cumin seeds
A pinch of ground turmeric
10 curry leaves
1 onion, sliced
1-2 large green chillies, sliced (deseed if you don’t like too much heat)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
3 tomatoes, chopped

Juice of ½ a lemon
Fresh coriander, chopped

2 shallots, sliced into rings (optional)

Naan or tortillas, warmed, to serve

1 Wash and drain the split peas in a sieve and place in a saucepan. Pour 500ml of water over, boil for 10 mins, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the peas are very soft. You may need to add the extra 250 ml water if it evaporates too fast. Season.

2 Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the spices and curry leaves and fry over a medium heat until the mustard seeds start to pop.

3 Add the onion, chillies and garlic and stir well. Cook for another 3 minutes, then add the garam masala.

4 Mix well, and then tip into the cooked dhal with the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, adding more water if the mixture becomes too thick.

5 Add the lemon juice and coriander. (If you like fry the shallot in a little oil and garam masala until crisp and tip over the dhal)  Serve with warm flatbreads for scooping.

Turkey stir fry

Turkey stir fry

Serves 1

Did a fridge raid and cleared out some of my vegetables that have seen better days – this calls for a stir fry! I usually add the aromatics – garlic and ginger near the end so it doesn’t burn over the high heat at the start, and also it retains a fresher flavour. Just make sure you cook out the rawness. The sweet chilli sauce had also been hanging around in the fridge too long than I’d care to admit, but it all tasted nice :)

1tsp oil

Half a small onion, sliced

¼ yellow pepper, roughly chopped

¼ courgette, sliced

½ carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 field mushroom, sliced

Leftover cooked turkey strips

2 spring onion, sliced on the diagonal

½ clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger root

1 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli stir fry sauce

Heat a wok or frying pan with the oil and throw in the onion, pepper and  carrot and stir fry over a high heat for 2 mins. Add the mushroom and cook for another minute until the hard vegetables are starting to soften slightly.  Add the turkey strips, spring onion, garlic and ginger and mix well – stir fry for a minute until the garlic is fragrant and cooked, then add the soy sauce and chilli sauce, stir and serve immediately.

Curried Turkey Pilaff

Curried turkey pilaff

Serves 1

A great quick dinner using just a few ingredients and some leftover cooked turkey. Some coriander, mango chutney, fresh chillies, a squeeze of lemon and anything else you fancy would be very tasty additions but this is simple and very filling – not to mention cheap as chips!

1 tsp oil

Half an onion, finely chopped

2 tsp curry paste

Few strips of cooked turkey or chicken breast

½ tsp tumeric

½ pouch Tilda white basmati microwaveable rice

1 tbsp frozen peas

2 tsp flaked almonds

1 tsp sultanas

Few pumpkin seeds (optional)

2 pinches nigella seeds (optional)

Sprig of fresh mint, chopped

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for a couple of minutes until starting to soften. Add the curry paste and cook for a min or two more to cook-out the spices. Add the turkey and turmeric and stir fry for a minute to heat through.

Open the rice and squeeze half a pouch into the pan and stir to break up any lumps and coat in the paste. Add the peas, almonds, sultanas and pumpkin and nigella seeds if using. Add a splash of water to help coat everything nicely and to stop the rice from being dry.

Tip into a bowl and add the chopped mint and eat!

Tuna and olive pasta

Tuna and olive pasta

Serves 2-3

I eat this at least once a month – usually in the run up to pay day when there’s nothing in the house to eat! If you have any leftover it will sit happily in the fridge until the next day. The sauce is quite punchy with salty olives and capers and a bit of warm heat from the chilli flakes, but you can always leave the chilli out if you are giving it to kids.

125g rigatoni or penne pasta

2 tsp olive oil

1 sprig rosemary (or use ½ tsp dried mixed herbs)

1 garlic clove, squashed

1 stick of celery, finely chopped, reserve a few leaves if there are any

400g tin chopped tomatoes

Seasoning

1 pinch dried chilli flakes

1 small can tuna

6 black olives, sliced

1 tsp capers, rinsed and chopped

3-4 basil leaves (only if you have any)

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 tbsp grated Parmesan, optional

Cook the pasta according to instructions – about 12-14 minutes.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan and add the rosemary , garlic and celery and cook until lightly golden. Then add in the can of tomatoes – be careful as it will probably splutter! – and the chilli flakes and season, but go easy on the salt. Leave to reduce and thicken – about 5 mins.

Flake in the tuna, but don’t break up too much. Then add the olives, capers and tear in the basil if using. Add the balsamic and cook for another minute or two. Fish out the garlic and discard.

Take off the heat and stir in the parsley and any chopped celery leaves.

Drain the pasta and toss in the sauce. Serve with parmesan if you like.

Spicy scrambled eggs with spinach

Spicy scrambled eggs with spinach

Serves 1

Breakfast this morning - had some eggs going out of date and the addition of red chilli and spinach turned out to be jolly nice. It’s hardly a recipe but was very healthy and filling. Would make a nice brunch with some grilled crisp bacon and roast cherry tomatoes on the side.

2 thick sliced of seeded soda bread or whatever you have

Spray oil

¼ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2-3 eggs, beaten lightly

Small handful of baby spinach leaves

Salt and pepper

Toast the bread. Meanwhile in a small frying pan spray in a few squirts of oil (or a tsp of regular olive oil). Add the chilli and stir fry for about 30 secs to soften slightly. Tip in the eggs and spinach and season. Stir quickly and continuously so that the eggs scramble and the spinach wilts. You can cook until quite firm or leave the eggs a bit soft – it’s up to you. Pile onto hot toast (no need to butter in my opinion) and eat immediately.

Creamy pesto turkey, asparagus and spinach pasta

Creamy pesto turkey, asparagus and spinach pasta

Serves 1

More asparagus and spinach to use up! This is such a quick and comforting dinner – using just a little cream cheese and adding the pasta water makes a fab low fat sauce. Love it! Sprinkle with parmesan if you have any.

50g rigatoni

Salt

5 asparagus stalks, cut into 2in lengths

Handful spinach

1 tsp oil

1 turkey breast steak, sliced into thin strips

2 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp pesto

1 tsp cream cheese

Black pepper

Boil the pasta according to instructions in salted water. Add the asparagus for last 4 mins and the spinach just before draining.

Meanwhile heat the oil and fry the turkey breast strips until just cooked – about 2-3 mins. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and add the pesto and cream cheese. Loosen with a few tsp of pasta cooking water until you have sauce. Season with black pepper and then add the drained pasta and vegetables. Toss to coat then serve. Mmmm

Chicken jalfrezi

Chicken Jalfrezi

Serves 2

This is another great leftovers kind of a dish. You can add extra veggies in such as courgette, beans, spring onions etc or use turkey, pork or lamb. It is a fairly dry, stir fried curry that can be made in 10 mins! Serve with either rice or naan. I once ate some leftover jalfrezi in a wrap at work the next day and stunk out the whole office – whoops!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

¼ green pepper, sliced

¼ red pepper, sliced

1 chicken breast (or cooked leftovers), diced

1 green chilli, chopped (deseed if you don’t like too much heat)

½ tsp garlic paste or 1 chopped clove

1 tsp ginger paste (or 1 knob finely grated root ginger)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1-2 tsp curry powder

1 squeeze tomato puree

Half a can of chopped plum tomatoes (save rest for a pasta sauce)

To finish:

A shake of garam masala (optional)

Fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a wok and fry the onion and red peppers until softened but not brown. Add the chicken and continue to stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Next add the chilli, garlic, ginger and spices and mix well so everything is coated for 1 minute. Then squeeze in about a teaspoon of tomato puree and half a can of chopped tomatoes. Keep cooking for a few more minutes until the sauce is thick and reduced. You may need to slacken with some water to get the consistency you like, but it is meant to be quite dry.  Sprinkle with garam masala and coriander and eat asap!

Chorizo and Broccoli Storecupboard pasta

Chorizo and Broccoli Storecupboard pasta

Serves 1

This came about as another leftovers dish, hence the name. You maybe able to tell I hate waste. It sounds really basic but actually it is both fresh and rich, with fully pronounced flavours. And it’s good for you! You could of course add anything you have such as courgette or use bacon instead of chorizo. I didn’t add garlic because I had lots at lunchtime!

50g Rigatoni, or other pasta shapes

Splash olive oil

¼ onion, diced

Few slices of chorizo, cut into strips

Small pinch chilli flakes

 Small pinch mixed dried herbs

½ can chopped tomatoes

3-4 black olives, sliced

Few broccoli florets, quartered

Seasoning

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Get the pasta on to boil and cook as per instructions.

In a small saucepan heat the oil and add the onions and some salt. Fry for a couple of mins until starting to soften. Add the chorizo and stir until it starts to crisp. Add the chilli, herbs, tomatoes, olives and seasoning to taste. Cook for about 5-6 mins, adding extra pasta water to stop it drying out.

When the pasta has 3 mins to go, add the broccoli to the water and cook until the pasta is done. Drain and tip into the tomato sauce. Stir to coat then pile into a bowl sprinkled with parmesan.

Spicy roast field mushroom

Spicy roast field mushroom
Serves 1

A fridge inspection revealed a large mushroom and little else today. Was just going to roast it plain and eat with a slice of toast but I started looking at what else I had in my cupboard to rev up the flavour a bit and this is what I did… I swear this umami-packed shroom tasted just like meaty fillet steak!

1 large field mushroom

Dab of garlic paste

1 tsp Wholegrain mustard (or Dijon would be nice too)

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Drizzle olive oil

Pinch paprika and chilli powder

Salt and pepper

Toast and salad to serve

Preheat oven to 200C. Place the mushroom in a tin and spread the garlic and mustard over the black gills. Drizzle over the Worcestershire sauce and oil and sprinkle with the spices. Set aside until ready to cook then roast for 20 mins until juicy and cooked through. 

Super-fast Sweet Chilli Turkey Wraps

Super-fast Sweet Chilli Turkey Wraps

Serves 1-2

Ok, so this is a recreation really of a lunchtime dish I had in a wine bar! It came with curly fries, but at home I served it with a plain green salad, only to then ruin my virtue by tipping the leftover turkey stir fry on top of the salad instead of saving it for lunch tomorrow – see 2^nd pic! Well, I hadn’t eaten any lunch and it tasted bloomin lovely…

1 turkey steak or chicken breast, flattened if it is thick and sliced into thin strips

1 tsp olive oil

1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks

¼ red pepper, sliced into matchsticks

1 spring onion, shredded

Half a jar of sweet chilli stir fry sauce, such as Sharwoods

1-2 tortilla wraps

Salad leaves

Season the meat and stir fry in the oil on a high heat. After a couple of minutes add the carrot and peppers and continue to cook for another minute or so until starting to soften. Add the spring onion and then add the sauce, stirring continually – it will only need 30 secs to heat through otherwise it will go too thick and burn.

Meanwhile heat the tortilla(s) for 30 secs in the microwave and pile in the stir fry mix. Roll up and serve with salad on the side. 

Sea bass with spring veg in under 10 mins

Sea bass and spring veg in under 10 mins!

Serves 1

I love crispy fish but don’t cook it all that much. Not sure why, but this sea bass fillet was half price in a pack of 2 so I snapped it up. It’s a very virtuous dish – probably less than 400 cals I would imagine. I have frozen the other fillet for another time.

1 sea bass fillet, skin on

Seasoning

1 tsp olive oil

5 asparagus spears, tips separated

4 runner beans

1 tsp frozen peas

Half a bag of spinach

¼ lemon

First boil the kettle for the veg.  Season the fish on both sides and heat the oil in a sauté pan. Lay skin side down for about 3 minutes to crisp. Meanwhile boil the runner bean and thick ends of asparagus in salted boiling water for 5 mins.

Turn the fish and continue to fry for about 3 mins. I turned the heat off after a minute as it got quite hot.

Throw in the peas and asparagus tips with the runner beans and cook for 3 mins.

Tip the spinach into a large pan and wilt in a splash of water from the kettle over a low heat. Season.

When the veg is tender and spinach wilted, drain and plate. Add a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil to the fish and place on top of the veg. And that’s it! Clean and fresh and carb free!