F R O M
Y O R K
T O
F O R K
Starters
Appetising, small and delicious
Shrimp Scampi with Garlic Toasts
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
15 mins
25 mins
4
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dry white wine
5 cloves garlic, chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch salt of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
8 1/2 -inch-thick slices crusty bread
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
Instructions
Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter
in a large oven-proof skillet over medium
heat. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt
and the red pepper flakes and cook 1 to 2
minutes; remove from the heat.
Brush both sides of the bread with some
of the garlic mixture and arrange on a
baking sheet. Broil the bread until toasted,
about 1 minute per side. Divide the bread
among 4 bowls.
Place the skillet with the remaining garlic
mixture over high heat. Add the shrimp
and toss to coat, then stir in the wine
and lemon zest and juice. Transfer to the
broiler and cook until the shrimp are pink.
Transfer the shrimp to the bowls.
Return the skillet to high heat and boil the
cooking liquid until slightly thickened, 1 to
2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and chives.
Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon
butter and simmer 1 to 2 more minutes;
pour over the shrimp.
Main Courses
Perfect for impressing friends and family
Grilled Lemon and Rosemary Chicken
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
50 mins
4
Ingredients
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 3/4 pounds chicken cutlets
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 lemon, sliced in half, optional
2 large handfuls baby arugula
Instructions
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil,
mustard, rosemary, garlic and a big pinch
of salt and pepper in a measuring cup.
Add chicken to a gallon-size zip top bag
or casserole dish and pour the marinade
over the chicken.
Turn to coat and let the chicken marinate
at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat a grill to medium-high. Brush the
grill grates with olive oil using a clean tea
towel or paper towel.
Remove the chicken from the marinade
and discard the marinade. Place the
chicken on the grill and cook until golden
and slightly charred, about 3 minutes
per side. Place the lemon halves cutside down on the grill grate and grill until
charred, about 4 minutes.
Add the arugula to a platter and drizzle
very lightly with olive oil. Remove the
chicken from the grill and shingle across
the bed of arugula. Squeeze some lemon
juice over the chicken and serve.
Spring Chicken and Vegetables
P R E PA R AT I O N
T OTA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
45 mins
2
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
350g broccoli, cut into small florets
1 onion, chopped
350g spring greens, shredded
500g boneless, skinless chicken
140g petits pois
300g small new potatoes
bunch spring onion, sliced
425ml low-salt vegetable stock
2 tbsp pesto
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the
onion, gently fry for 5 mins until softened,
add the chicken, then fry until lightly
coloured.
Add the potatoes, stock and plenty of
freshly ground black pepper, then bring
to the boil. Cover, then simmer for 30
mins until the potatoes are tender and the
chicken is cooked.
Can be frozen at this point.
Add the broccoli, spring greens, petit pois
and spring onions, stir well, then return to
the boil. Cover, then cook for 5 mins more,
stir in the pesto and heat through.
Bacon and Mushroom Pasta
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
5 mins
25 mins
2
Ingredients
400g penne (or other tube shape) pasta
4 tablespoons pesto
250g pack chestnut or button mushrooms
200ml 50% fat crème fraîche
8 rashers streaky bacon
handful basil leaves
Instructions
Cook the pasta in boiling water in a
large non-stick saucepan according to
pack instructions. Meanwhile, slice the
mushrooms and snip the bacon into bitesize pieces with scissors or a sharp knife.
Reserve a few drops of the cooking
water in a cup or bowl, then drain the
pasta and set aside. Fry the bacon and
mushrooms in the same pan until golden,
about 5 mins. Keep the heat high so the
mushrooms fry in the bacon fat, rather
than sweat.
Tip the pasta and reserved water back
into the pan and stir over the heat for 1
min. Take the pan off the heat, spoon in
the pesto and crème fraîche and most of
the basil and stir to combine. Sprinkle with
the remaining basil to serve.
Chicken & Chorizo Casserole.
P R E PA R AT I O N
T OTA L T I M E
SERVES
15 mins
50 mins
2
Ingredients
110g Spanish chorizo
400g diced chicken breast
1 onion, diced
410g can chickpeas
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
100ml water
1tbsp dried Italian herbs
1 Chicken Stock Pot
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, Gas
Mark 4. Fry the chorizo over a low heat
until the oil is released. Add the onions
and fry for 2–3 minutes until they begin to
soften. Stir in the chilli, garlic and
Italian herbs.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them
with the tomatoes, water, and the Chicken
Stock and bring to the boil. Transfer to
the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes,
checking to see that the chicken
is cooked.
Add the chicken and fry until it has started
to brown all over.
Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or
crusty bread, garnished with a sprig
of rosemary.
Self Saucing Jaffa Pudding
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
15 mins
50 mins
4
Ingredients
110g butter, melted
3 eggs
250g self-raising flour
150ml milk
140g caster sugar
100g orange milk chocolate
50g cocoa 1 tsp baking powder
single cream or ice cream, to serve
zest and juice 1 orange
200g light muscovado sugar
25g cocoa
Instructions
Butter a 2-litre baking dish and heat oven
to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the kettle
on. Put the flour, caster sugar, 50g cocoa,
baking powder, orange zest and a pinch
of salt in a large mixing bowl.
Mix 300ml boiling water from the kettle
with the sugar and cocoa for the sauce,
then pour this all over the pudding batter
– don’t worry, it will look very strange at
this stage!
Whisk together the orange juice and any
pulp left in the juicer, the eggs, melted
butter and milk, then pour onto the dry
ingredients and mix together until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chunks and scrape
everything into the baking dish.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for
30 mins until the surface looks firm, risen
and crisp. As you scoop spoonfuls into
serving bowls, you should find a glossy,
rich chocolate sauce underneath the
sponge. Eat immediately with vanilla ice
cream or single cream.
Bolognese Sauce
P R E PA R AT I O N
T OTA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
130 mins
2
Ingredients
1lb/450g best minced beef
Teaspoon of dried oregano
8 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced
Tin of tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
Large tube or half a tin of tomato puree
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Black pepper
Level teaspoon salt
Olive oil
Glass of red wine
Handful of fresh basil
Instructions
In a large pan, fry off the minced beef,
bacon, onion and garlic in a tablespoon
of olive oil. Add the wine and reduce
to nothing, add the oregano, tinned
tomatoes and tomato puree.
I think that the tomato puree is important
for flavour and it thickens the sauce. Add
the salt and some freshly ground black
pepper, bring it to the boil and simmer
gently for a couple of hours.
Add some ripped up fresh basil just
before serving. Serve the sauce with
pasta and Parmesan cheese or nice
strong grated cheddar. A green salad is
nice with this.
Fideuà (fee-dey-wa)
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
30 mins
1
Ingredients
150ml olive oil
1 can tomatoes
200g macaroni pasta
pinch of paprika
1 fillet salmon
1/2 teaspoon fish stock powder or cube
10 peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Can of crab meat
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Instructions
Heat about one-third of the olive oil in a wide
frying pan over a medium heat. Add the dried
pasta and fry until it turns golden. Remove
from the pan and set aside.
Add the chopped tomato, crab meat, paprika
and pepper and stir constantly to dissolve the
sticky bits on the bottom.
Add the rest of the olive oil to the pan,
increase the heat and add the salmon and
salt. Fry until cooked through, roughly chop
up and remove the skin from the pan at the
same time. Don’t scrape the bottom of the
pan, as that sticky layer on the bottom is
essential for a rich stock.
Add the fish stock powder or cube and 1 litre
of water. Bring to the boil and let it simmer
for about 10 minutes before adding the fried
pasta. You need just enough water left in
the pan for the pasta to cook and absorb all
the remaining liquid. Stir in the pasta, cover
the pan and cook until the liquid has been
absorbed, so about 15 minutes on a
simmer heat.
Add the peeled prawns, garlic and onion and
cook for another 5 minutes until everything is
dark golden.
Something for the little ones
These child-friendly recipes are perfect for
weekends in with the kids
Easy Iced Buns
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
90 mins
10
Ingredients
500g white bread mix
1 egg
100g caster sugar
350g icing sugar
Sprinkles
Instructions
Pulse together the bread mix and sugar in
a food processor ortable-top mixer. While
the motor is running, add the egg and about
250-300ml lukewarm water, until a soft dough
is formed. Knead on a lightly floured surface
wuntil smooth, about 5-10 mins. Leave in an
oiled bowl, covered with oiled cling film, in a
warm place until doubled in size – about 1 hr.
Knock back dough by squashing with your fist,
and divide into 20 even-sized pieces – keep
covered with a clean tea towel so they don’t
dry out. Shape each into a sausage and place
on an oiled baking tray. Cover with oiled cling
film and rise until doubled in size again.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove
film and cook buns on top shelf for 8-10 mins,
until golden. Cool on a wire rack. To decorate,
mix icing sugar with a little water until stiff but
spreadable – add food colouring, if you like.
Dip in the top of each bun and scatter
with sprinkles.
Little Toffee Apple Cake
P R E PA R AT I O N
T OTA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
60 mins
4
Ingredients
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large apple
110g self-raising flour
1 egg
50g golden caster sugar
3 soft toffees
Instructions
Ask your grown-up helper to switch the
oven on to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5. Brush a
small (500g/ 1 lb) loaf tin with a little oil.
Peel the apple with a potato peeler, then
cut it into quarters and cut out the cores.
Ask a grown-up for help if you need to.
Grate the apple using a rotary or box
grater and put it in a large bowl.
Break the egg into a small bowl. If any
pieces of shell fall in, lift them out with a
spoon. Add to the apple, then add 3 tbsp
oil and the vanilla. Mix well.
Add the flour and sugar and stir together.
The mixture is quite stiff so keep going
until all of the flour is mixed in. Scrape into
prepared tin.
Push 3 toffees into the mix in a row.
Ask a grown-up to put the tin in the oven
for 30-40 mins or until cooked through.
Cool before tipping out and slicing.
Pink Jam Slice
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
45 mins
4
Ingredients
300g butter
500g plain flour
120g golden caster sugar
400g raspberry jam
2 tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar
1 large egg yolk
Pink food colouring
Instructions
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a
20 x 30cm baking tin with baking parchment
(2 lengths crisscrossing is the easiest way).
Beat the butter, caster sugar, vanilla and egg
yolk together in a large bowl with an electric
whisk until pale. Stir in the flour with a good
pinch of salt using a wooden spoon – then
your hands to bring everything together into a
crumbly dough.
Press half into the base of the tin as evenly as
you can – using a potato masher works quite
well – and smooth the top. Spread the jam
over the top, leaving a 1cm empty border all
around the edge.
Crumble over the remaining shortbread
mixture, then pat down, trying
not to dislodge the jam too much. It will look
patchy, but don’t worry, the icing will smooth
it all out. Bake for 35 mins until pale golden.
Leave to cool in the tin.
Once cool, sift the icing sugar into a bowl,
and stir in about 100ml water with some
food colouring to a thick-ish but runny icing.
Pourover the slice, then tilt the tin to evenly
spread. Quickly dot over some
more food colouring, then use a skewer or
toothpick to swirl and marble the top. Leave
to set overnight until the icing is hard, then cut
into slices. Will keep in a tin for up to five days.
Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes
P R E PA R AT I O N
T OTA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
35 mins
6
Ingredients
200g butter
250g self-raising flour
200g plain chocolate,
Smarties to decorate
200g light, soft brown sugar
200g plain chocolate
2 eggs, beaten
100ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g icing sugar
Instructions
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3
and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases.
Gently melt the butter, chocolate, sugar
and 100ml hot water together in a large
saucepan, stirring occasionally, then set
aside to cool a little while you weigh the
other ingredients.
Stir the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate
mixture. Put the flour into a large mixing
bowl, then stir in the chocolate mixture
until smooth. Spoon into cases until just
over three-quarters full .
Set aside for 5 mins before putting
on a low shelf in the oven and baking for
20-22 mins. Leave to cool.
For the icing, melt the chocolate in a
heatproof bowl over a pan of barely
simmering water. Once melted, turn off
the heat, stir in the double cream and sift
in the icing sugar. When spreadable, top
each cake with some and decorate with
your favourite sprinkles and sweets.
Chocolate
Sugar-free
Jungle
Banana
JamCake
Jar
P R E PA R AT I O N
T O TA L T I M E
SERVES
10 mins
50 mins
4
Ingredients
125g self-raising wholemeal flour
50g butter, melted
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
75g sultanas
1 tbsp milk
3 ripe bananas
Instructions
Grown ups: Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C
fan/ gas mark 4. Grease and line a 450g
loaf/1lb tin with baking parchment.
Children: Weigh the flour, baking powder,
cinnamon and sultanas into a bowl and mix
with a wooden spoon. Then weigh the butter,
vanilla essence, egg, milk and mashed
bananas and put into another bowl or jug
and mix with a small balloon whisk or fork.
Pour the ‘wet’ banana mixture into the ‘dry’
flour mixture and combine thoroughly with a
wooden spoon.
Weighing needs to be very accurate when
baking so help older children to measure
carefully. Younger children can also get
involved by spooning or pouring into the
scales with adult supervision.
Younger children can also beat the egg
with a fork and mash the banana with a
potato masher.
Grown ups: Pour the cake mixture into the
prepared tin and bake for 30 - 40 mins or until
a skewer inserted in the middle comes out
clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool in
the tin for 10 mins then turn out.