3 medium onions, quartered
2 bulbs of garlic, peeled
100ml vegetable oil
125ml balsamic vinegar
150ml fish sauce
150ml light soy sauce
100g brown sugar
200g chilli paste
For the noodles
40g noodles (per portion) of your choice (you can also buy instant noodles that don’t need boiling)
To make the spice paste, blitz the onions and garlic until pulsed but not a smooth paste.
Put the oil into a pan on a medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 10–15 minutes, until the onions are brown. Now add the vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and chilli paste, and cook until the mixture is a thick paste with no liquid. This should take about 20 minutes on a medium to low heat.
When the spice paste is cooked and cooled, put it into a jar – it should keep in the fridge for 2 months.
Now to make the noodles. Put a tablespoon of the spice paste into a 500ml jar, along with your portion of noodles and all the other bits. Leave it in the fridge, and when you are ready to eat, pour 300ml of boiling water into the jar and pop the lid on. I like my noodles brothy, but if you like a drier noodle, just add less water. These are great for home but also perfect for taking to work.
NOODLE VARIATIONS
CHICKEN AND PEA
1 tablespoon spice paste (see p. 78) + 3 tablespoons frozen peas + 3 tablespoons frozen onions + a small handful of cooked chicken + ¼ of a lime, squeezed, then dropped into the jar + 1 teaspoon dried dill
BEEF AND KIMCHI
1 tablespoon spice paste + 1 spring onion, sliced + 1 tablespoon kimchi + 2 strips of beef jerky, thinly cut with scissors + ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
SOYA MUSHROOM
1 tablespoon spice paste + ½ x 285g tin of sliced mushrooms, drained + 4 tablespoons soya mince, dried or frozen + 1 cube of frozen spinach + a slice of lemon, squeezed and dropped into the jar
EGG NOODLES
1 tablespoon spice paste + 4 tablespoons mixed frozen veg + 2 eggs, cracked straight into the jar + 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed + 1 teaspoon dried dill
INSTANT NOODLES
CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE
SERVES: 4–6 ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR
While pastry is perhaps my favourite part of a quiche, occasionally, for me, removing one element of a dish makes life just a little bit quicker but still delicious all the same. I love making this because for the most part I have all the ingredients at home. Full of spinach, it fills me with joy – as does anything bright green. It’s good eaten straight away, but is even better chilled and eaten later.
butter, for greasing
100g frozen spinach, defrosted
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
6 eggs, beaten
400ml whole milk
yoghurt, to serve
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C. Generously grease a 25cm pie dish.
Put the spinach into a medium bowl, first squeezing out any excess water by pressing it between two sheets of kitchen paper. Mix in the ginger paste, chilli flakes, salt and turmeric, then add the cheese, eggs and milk and mix well, using a fork as this helps separate the spinach.
Pour into the prepared dish and bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes. You will know it is cooked when there is no longer a wobble in the centre.
Take out of the oven and leave for at least 15 minutes before cutting – this will give it just enough time to set, making it easier to cut. I like to serve it simply with some yoghurt.
CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE
PECAN BRIE BRÛLÉE
SERVES: 4 TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES
To be totally honest you can make anything taste good if you add salty cheese and melted sugar, but when you do the two together, it becomes a taste explosion in your mouth. This is bread topped with an easy chilli pecan paste that can be used in so many different ways, but the paste spread on some bread and topped with slices of Brie, sprinkled with sugar and then grilled, is yummy. Make the paste and you can use it on other things, but first try it with some crunchy sweet grilled Brie.
200g pecans
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons chilli paste
1 teaspoon garlic granules
a pinch of salt
4 slices of bread (sourdough would be nice)
200g Brie cheese
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
To make the pecan chilli paste, put the pecans into a food processor and blitz until totally ground. Gradually add the oil – the mixture should begin to come together. Now add the chilli paste, garlic granules and salt.
Turn the grill to high.
Spread half the chilli pecan paste in an even layer over the bread slices and put them on a baking tray. Cut the Brie into slices and put them on top of the pecan paste. Sprinkle over the sugar and place under the grill until it has caramelized. This should only take 5 minutes, but it can vary depending on your grill/oven.
Put the remainder of the chilli pecan paste into a jar. It will keep in the fridge for up to a month. You can use it on toast or biscuits – I enjoy it spread on salty crackers when I’m peckish in the middle of the night. Or see below for how to use it as a sauce for a delicious chicken dish.
PECAN CHILLI CHICKEN WITH RICE
Mix the leftover paste with 300ml cream, along with the zest and juice of 2 limes. Cook 2 chicken breasts in a pan with some oil, and as soon as the chicken is browned all over, add the nut cream mixture and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes on a low heat. Perfect with some steamed veg or a packet of microwave rice.
ASIAN AUBERGINE WEDGES
SERVES: 2–4 ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES
Aubergines are totally delicious, but I always think they feel like more faff than they are worth when you watch them being salted, left to drain, etc. Mum always just threw them into a curry, but there is a faster way to eat them. The microwave is my friend – you can cook them in the little box of wonder and this is how. The sauce is really versatile, too.
50ml dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon chilli paste or gochujang paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 medium aubergines
To serve
a small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Start by making the marinade. Put the soy sauce, balsamic, oil, garlic paste, ginger paste, chilli paste and honey into a microwaveable medium-sized bowl.
Remove the stalks from the aubergines, then cut each one into 8 wedges. Throw them all into the bowl of marinade and toss them around. If you can bear it, leave the aubergines to sit and soak up the mixture for at least 5 minutes. You can wait and watch, or make a cup of tea, or chop the coriander and chilli.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and cook in the microwave on your highest setting for 13 minutes.
When the bowl comes out it will be hot, so be careful. Carefully remove the clingfilm and put the aubergines on a plate. Sprinkle over the coriander, chilli and sesame seeds.
I would normally set aside whatever is left over and use it as part of a salad the next day – you could do that, or you could eat it all now.
STIR-FRIED NOODLES
You can also use this marinade as a stir-fry sauce for noodles or serve it with egg-fried rice. Cook 2 nests of noodles following the packet instructions. Drain, then return the noodles to the saucepan with the aubergine sauce and cook for 1–2 minutes, tossing to coat the noodles.
CREAMY MARINARA CHICKEN
SERVES: 4 NOW AND 4 LATER AC
TIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
Chicken breast can be dry and it’s not always my favourite protein of choice – bit of lamb any day! But enough sauce can really transform it, and packing the marinara with lots of flavour is important. Also, this is my creamy version mixed with hummus, because I always have a stray tub at the end of the week, and it works beautifully in this. We’re going to make a double batch here, so that you have another meal for 4 in the freezer, but if you prefer to just make enough for today, simply halve all of the ingredients.
For the chicken
8 chicken breasts
500g passata
1 tablespoon onion granules
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ x 198g jar of capers (about 65g capers, drained weight)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hummus
For the couscous
1 medium courgette, grated
400g couscous
1 chicken stock cube, crushed
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons basil pesto
100ml olive oil
Cut a horizontal slit in each chicken breast, then tease open to allow lots of space for sauce. Just make sure you don’t cut all the way through. Place 4 breasts in one casserole dish and 4 in the other, making sure one of the dishes is freezer-safe.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C.
Put the passata, onion granules, basil, oregano, salt and black pepper into a bowl. Squeeze any excess moisture out of the capers and chop them roughly, then add them to the bowl along with the oil and hummus. Divide the mixture between the two casserole dishes, then get your hands in to encourage the mixture to get deep into those slits.
Cover one dish and pop it into the freezer. Place the other one in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the couscous by grating the courgette into a big bowl. Pour in the couscous, crush in the stock cube, then pour in boiling water until it reaches just 1cm above the couscous line. Cover with clingfilm and set aside.
Drain the chickpeas, then pop them into a small bowl and stir in the pesto and oil. Once all the water has been absorbed into the couscous, fluff it up with a fork, then add all the chickpeas and mix really well. By now the chicken should be ready.
Put half the couscous into a freezer bag and leave to cool before freezing.
Now it’s time for lunch.
CREAMY MARINARA CHICKEN
KIWI SALAD
SERVES: 4–8 TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES
I only recently discovered through the powers of social media that you can eat a kiwi with the skin on! I mean, why didn’t I think of that? We eat peaches with their fuzzy skin and don’t bat an eyelid, even if the sensation is that of licking a Russian Blue! Kiwis are a great balance of tart and sweet with the added pop of the little black crunchy seeds that make it much more than a lunchbox snack. This is a welcome change to a potato salad at a barbecue.
5 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons runny honey
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
1 tablespoon za’atar
4 tablespoons tahini
1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
8 kiwis, firm but not overripe, topped and tailed and chopped into chunks, skins and all!
1 cucumber
200g feta crumbled or roughly chopped
a small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
Start by making the dressing at the bottom of a large serving bowl. Saves on washing-up if nothing else. Add the oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, za’atar and tahini and mix.
Now add the onion and mix through really well. The onion will soften as it sits in the vinegar. Now add the kiwi.
To prepare the cucumber, slice lengthways and remove the seeds using a teaspoon. Cut into long strips and cube. Add to the bowl. Add the feta on top and sprinkle over the chopped dill and sesame seeds.
Don’t mix the salad till you are ready to serve, or everything will wilt and go weird.
EDAMAME WILD RICE SALAD
SERVES: 4–8 TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES
I discovered these in the frozen veg aisle and I have not looked back since. They are a great alternative to peas but firmer, less sweet, and simply delicious. So it’s worth having a bag in the freezer, especially if you, like me, are not a huge pea fan … unless they’re mushy.
300g cottage cheese
7-8cm piece of ginger, peeled
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 lemon, juice and zest
30g fresh parsley, leaves removed from the stalks
4 tablespoons pickled red cabbage
250g precooked wild rice (or precooked rice of your choice), cooled
600g frozen edamame beans, cooked and cooled
In a large serving bowl, add the cottage cheese and grate in the ginger.
Add the salt, oil and honey, then the zest and juice of the lemon and mix really well.
Add the parsley leaves. I don’t like chopping them up because I think parsley is so subtle it can almost be used as a leafy alternative in a salad. Keep the stalks, they would work well chopped into a chicken soup. Freeze in a bag, keeping the stalks whole.
Now add the pickled red cabbage and the rice. Add the cooled edamame beans and mix through.
COTTAGE CHEESE AND ONION POTATO SKINS
SERVES: 8 (MAKES 16 HALVES) ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES
Jackets are my favourite lunch, simply with some beans and cheese. Or even just a knob of butter, seasoned well with some black pepper. But I like to make these when I have a little more time to spare. They are delicious and moist, with cottage cheese running through them, topped with sriracha and cheese. I’ve also included some of my other favourite filling options on the next page if you fancy something different – or why not do a combination if there are a few of you?
8 medium potatoes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
300g full-fat cottage cheese
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
a few tablespoons oil
sriracha sauce, whichever is your favourite flavour (I like the green top)
100g red Leicester cheese, freshly grated or frozen (I always have some in the freezer)
bunch of spring onions, chopped, as optional garnish
Start by microwaving the potatoes. Prick them with a fork (so they don’t explode), then lay them on their sides and microwave for 10 minutes. Turn them over and microwave again for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the red onion, garlic paste, cottage cheese, paprika and salt into a bowl and give it a really good stir.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C.
As soon as the potatoes are ready, put them on to 2 baking trays, big enough to hold them all when they are cut in half. Drizzle them with oil and sprinkle generously with salt. This will give them a crisp skin. As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthways, then scoop out the flesh and put it into a bowl, being careful not to pierce the skins. Lay the skins back on the baking trays ready to fill.
Mash the potato flesh and mix in the cottage cheese mixture. Spoon this mixture back into the potato skins. Drizzle over the sriracha and sprinkle on the cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions (if you like) and serve.
Any leftovers can be frozen uncovered until they are firm, then wrapped individually in foil.
POTATO SKINS FIVE WAYS
Here are some other filling variations for potato skins – the method is the same as on p. 90. Just mix the fill
ing with the mashed potato, fill the skins, and top with cheese.
BACON + BEAN
1 x 400g tin of baked beans + 1 teaspoon smoked paprika + ½ teaspoon salt + 4 bacon rashers (turkey or vegetarian rashers work equally well), popped into a microwave for 1 minute, then thinly snipped with scissors + 75g mature Cheddar cheese, for the top
PESTO
3 tablespoons pesto + 200g feta cheese, crumbled + 75g mature Cheddar cheese, for the top
CHILLI
1 x 392g tin of chilli con carne + 1 teaspoon chilli flakes + 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce + 150ml sour cream, mixed with 75g mature Cheddar cheese for the top before baking
BOMBAY MIX
3 tablespoons curry paste + 1 green chilli, finely chopped + fresh coriander, finely chopped + Bombay mix plus 75g mature Cheddar cheese, for the top
CORONATION TUNA
See p. 96
COTTAGE CHEESE AND ONION POTATO SKINS
PRAWN MALAY RICE
SERVES: 6 ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES
I grew up eating rice for every single meal, but I don’t eat it as often now unless I’m at my mum’s. But there is something so comforting about eating a lunch cooked in a big pot that really fills a gap. This rice dish is no exception. It’s salty and sweet and perfect with prawns. Best of all, once you have made this pot for lunch, you have a second lot that can be frozen for dinner another day. I like to eat mine with a poached or fried egg – any situation where there is a runny warm egg adds to the deliciousness. Sprinkle some chopped red chilli on top too, if you like.
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