FOR NATALIE, EDIE, INÈS, BUNNY and anyone who has ever tried to get a good meal on the table after 6pm… It’s been an enormous year. I’ve completed this book, opened a restaurant in London and one in central Tokyo, taken on a weekly column in the Independent on Sunday, ‘The New Review’, as well as my regular writing for various magazines. I’ve had a daughter start a new school and we’ve acquired a very big black Labrador called Skippy. There’s a passionate team of very loyal people helping me get all this done so that I can still get dinner on the table each night for my family. So an enormous thank you firstly to Lou D, who has joined me this year and has helped organise me and my work – no mean feat; Erika and Mikkel, you make me feel calm and reassured, and your combined vision and energy fuels the furnace for all of us, even on this my 10th book; Glenda for polishing and enhancing my words; Jane Price for her sense of humour and insight, even into my own condition; Victoria for her organisation, experience and support; my book food team Lou M, Nick and Rosie – where would I be without your commitment, wealth of knowledge and attention to detail? These days I’d rather a new plate to a new shirt, so thank you to Geraldine and the fortynine for working together to produce such unique and beautiful ceramic pieces; Klint for being everything to everyone and an appreciative taste tester; Paul Aikman for his eye for colour and taking our images that extra 10 per cent; Antony for his sensible and sensitive guidance; Lizzy for her confidence and enthusiasm; Sylvia, who is always there for us; Natalie for being my partner in crime, and finally, to my family, who show me the exquisite joy that cooking and looking after others can bring.

Contents

Cover

Title page

Dedication

Easy does it

Piece of chicken

Chilli chicken + skordalia

Roast chicken salad + chive mayonnaise

Paprika and coriander roasted chicken

Light butter chicken

Spiced chicken wraps + mango chutney

Chicken paillard with spring onions and prosciutto

Moroccan chicken pies

Fillet of fish

Tandoori fish + cucumber tomato salad

Hoisin marinated salmon + chilli soy tenderstem broccoli

Baked fish with capers, potatoes and lemon

Spanish fish stew

Yellow fish curry + coconut rice

Pan-fried salmon with cucumber and lemon salsa

Chunky fishcakes

Slab of steak

Marinated steak rolls + barbecue sauce

Steak salad + chimichurri dressing

Beef, mushroom and mangetout stir-fry

Vietnamese beef curry

Spiced steak fajitas with pineapple salsa

Goulash with gnocchi and soured cream

Leg of lamb

Lamb with torn bread and apricot stuffing + caramelised chicory

Classic lamb stew

Herb rolled leg of lamb + mint mashed peas

Slow roasted lamb leg + chilli relish

Lamb tagine with tomatoes

Barbecued lamb leg with thyme and harissa dressing

Pork chop

Manchego crusted pork + romesco sauce

Orange and oregano marinated pork

Fennel roasted rack of pork with maple apples

Stuffed pork chops with marsala

Braised pork chops with leek and mustard

Thai style marinated pork + chilli dressing

Mince + sausages

Merguez sausages with lentils and cavolo nero

Cevapcici with radicchio and lemon

Chilli, sausage and broccoli pizza

Ginger pork fried rice with egg pancake

Roasted sausages with peppers and onions

Lamb kofta meatballs in curry sauce

Pack of pasta

Pork ragu with herb pangrattato

Pasta puttanesca

Courgette and tuna spaghetti

Taleggio and pancetta baked pasta

Orzo, feta and roasted pepper salad

Spicy pasta and sausage soup

Bag of rice

Lebanese rice and lentils

Stir-fried curry brown rice with cashews

Rice salad with broad beans, asparagus and smoked trout

Chorizo, cumin and tomato rice

Baked leek and goat’s cheese risotto + apple and celery salad

Pea and fennel risotto

Handful of grains

Couscous with feta and cumin

Spelt, tomato, basil and pecorino salad

Vegetable and spelt soup + pistou

Roasted apricot yellow couscous with grilled fish

Quinoa, tuna and fennel salad

Quinoa fritters

Sack of potatoes

Warm potato salad with salmon and creme fraiche

Fontina tartiflette

Indian spiced potatoes with fried egg

Chickpea, tomato and spinach cottage pie

Potato, courgette and mozzarella fritters

Baked jacket potatoes + kohlrabi slaw

Tin of beans

Crostini with white beans + salsa verde

Spiced calamari and chickpeas

White bean soup

Individual baked beans with eggs

Chickpea, baby spinach and pan-fried paneer salad

Mixed bean chilli + corn and avocado salsa

Baked aubergine, chickpeas and green chilli

Slice of cheese

Antipasto plate with fried bocconcini balls

Ricotta and spinach gnudi with sage butter

Shortcrust cheese tart

Blue cheese and pancetta tray loaf

Feta and gruyere pastries + spicy tomato relish

Ricotta and parmesan lasagna

Carton of eggs

Northern chinese scrambled eggs

Eggs with artichokes and tomatoes

Leek and spinach cake

Poached eggs with lentil, bacon and rocket salad

Baked eggs with three cheeses

Spanish tortilla

Apples + pears

Quick bircher muesli + spiced cranberries

Malva pudding + buttered pears

Free-form apple tart

Ginger pear upside-down pudding

Apple and vanilla turnovers

Punnet of berries

Blackberry jelly + vanilla ice-cream

Strawberry pannacotta

Blackberry and plum streusel cake

White chocolate and blueberry cheesecake

Lemon pudding cake with berries

Block of chocolate

Cinnamon chocolate mousse

Chocolate and cherry tart

Flourless chocolate cake

Hot marshmallow fudge sundaes

Chocolate chunk meringue cake

List of recipes

Copyright

About the publisher

Easy does it

I always imagined life was going to slow down and get easier – once the children were out of nappies; once the business was up and running. But it seems to speed up every day, doesn’t it. Perhaps by now I should be into my Elizabeth David phase, writing recipes that need a free weekend to hunt down and roast a wild boar? But, instead of even growing my own vegetables, I still find myself with barely enough time to race around the supermarket and buy them. It’s all too easy to forget – in this fast-paced wind tunnel of life – that true happiness comes with relationships, and relationships thrive on good food. As my mum likes to say, ‘Life’s too short to stuff a mushroom.’ So invite your friends over and cook them something delicious, but EASY.

Piece of chicken

Chicken is the great traveller, the easy-going backpacker of the food world, who happily joins in with every culture and is keen to make friends with every flavour she meets: from Thai lemongrass to French thyme, Mexican chipotles to Tunisian harissa. In just one generation chicken has become our favourite go-to meat for almost every meal (certainly in my house, anyway). For my father’s generation, roast chook was served with great fanfare for Christmas lunch; this week, I’ll probably stir-fry, pan-fry, curry, roast, poach or toss it into a salad two or three times to feed the family.

Piece of chicken

Chilli Chicken + Skordalia

Roast Chicken Salad + Chive Mayonnaise

Paprika and Coriander Roasted Chicken

Light Butter Chicken

Spiced Chicken Wraps + Mango Chutney

Chicken Paillard with Spring Onions and Prosciutto

Moroccan Chicken Pies

CHILLI CHICKEN + SKORDALIA

OK, you’ve spotted it: this is really chicken and mash – but I make no apologies for my double-chilli chicken with garlicky skordalia.

1 red chilli, halved and sliced

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 garlic clove, crushed

4 tablespoons olive oil

1.5kg chicken legs

handful pea shoots or watercress

lemon wedges

Place the fresh chilli, chilli flakes, garlic and oil in a bowl and mix to combine. Cut deep slashes in the chicken pieces and rub the marinade over the skin and into the slashes. Place in an ovenproof tray or tin, cover with cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Roast the chicken for 45–50 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside in a warm place to rest for 10–15 minutes. Serve with the skordalia, pea shoots and lemon wedges. SERVES 4

SKORDALIA

1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

160ml soured cream

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the water off the potatoes and return to the stove over low heat for a minute to remove any excess water. Remove from the stove and mash thoroughly, then add the olive oil, garlic and soured cream. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and beat until smooth.

ROAST CHICKEN SALAD + CHIVE MAYONNAISE

Making your own mayo always tends to impress people, even though it only takes two minutes and a blender. You can liven up shop-bought whole egg mayo with a little lemon juice and sea salt.

1kg boneless chicken thighs, skin on

1 lemon, halved

½ ciabatta, torn into chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 eggs

1 small iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges

handful celery leaves

3 celery sticks, cut into 5cm-long batons

finely chopped chives, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Place the chicken on an oven tray lined with baking paper, squeeze lemon juice over the top and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 35–45 minutes or until the skin is golden. About 10 minutes before the chicken should be ready, toss the bread in the oil in a bowl, season well and then add the bread to the baking tray.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer over high heat. Add the eggs, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 6 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice into thick rounds.

Take the tray from the oven. Remove the bread and set the chicken aside to rest in a warm place for 5–10 minutes. Slice the chicken and toss with the bread, lettuce, celery leaves and batons. Divide into serving bowls and dress with the soft-boiled eggs and chive mayonnaise. Sprinkle with chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper. SERVES 4–6

CHIVE MAYONNAISE

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

250ml light-flavoured oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Use a blender to blend the egg yolks, a pinch of sea salt and lemon juice until well combined. With the motor running, slowly add the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is thick and creamy. If you find your mayonnaise splits or curdles, the addition of a little boiling water can bring it together. Stir through the chives just before serving.

PAPRIKA AND CORIANDER ROASTED CHICKEN

This roast chicken comes out of the oven in a sea of wonderful vibrant juices. Mop them up with bread or rice.

1.5kg chicken legs

2 lemons, 1 cut into 8 wedges and 1 juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 onions, cut into thin wedges steamed rice

Season the chicken pieces with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in a dish. In a bowl mix together the lemon juice, oil, coriander seeds, paprika, soy sauce and garlic to make a marinade. Pour over the chicken and rub into the skin. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Place the onion and lemon wedges on the bottom of a baking tray to form a bed. Place the chicken pieces on top and pour over the marinade.

Roast for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally to prevent the chicken drying out. Serve with steamed rice. SERVES 4–6

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