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Equipment: Baking tray, 2 wide, shallow bowls, small bowl
Vegetable oil (or spray oil)
2 medium eggs
100g dried natural breadcrumbs (or polenta)
1 tsp English mustard powder
2 stalks of fresh flat leaf parsley or thyme (optional)
4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Honey mustard dip
100ml mayonnaise
3 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 squidges of honey
2 limes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
+ Preheat the oven to 200°C, (fan 180°C), 400°F, Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a baking tray with oil and set aside. I like to do this quickly with a spray oil.
+ Crack the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and beat lightly to bring together. Tip the breadcrumbs (or polenta) and mustard powder into another wide, shallow bowl. Pick the leaves from the parsley or thyme then finely chop them before tossing through the breadcrumbs with some salt and pepper.
+ Cut each chicken breast lengthways into three strips. Dip each piece into the egg, shaking off the excess, and then into the breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Arrange on the baking tray as you go. I tend to get in a sticky mess with this as the egg on my hands becomes coated with breadcrumbs, but the end result is so worth it.
+ Bake in the oven for around 12 minutes, turning each piece of chicken over halfway through.
+ Meanwhile, to make the dip, put the mayonnaise into a small bowl with the wholegrain mustard and honey and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
+ Cut the limes into quarters and add the juice of one piece to the dip, squeeze by squeeze, tasting as you go until you are happy. The lime lifts the dip’s flavours a little and gives a nice balance. Spoon the dip into a small serving bowl and place in the centre of a large plate.
+ Remove the chicken from the oven. When cooked, it should be piping hot in the centre and crispy and golden brown on the outside.
+ Arrange the chicken around the dip on the plate and serve with the remaining lime wedges.
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Pancetta & Parmesan puffs (#ulink_9682513d-86a4-5fb7-b61d-2dc9dffcc4a9)
I know, I have done it again. Pancetta. It’s that porky, tasty yumminess that I love so very much. Now these cheesy little numbers are made from choux pastry, which for me is the easiest pastry on the block. A positive word of warning: these are incredibly moreish. A just-cooked bowl of them will disappear in literally minutes.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Time baking in the oven: 25 minutes
Makes: about 25
Equipment: 2 baking sheets, small frying pan, medium pan, grater, 2 medium bowls, disposable piping bag (optional)
50g butter
125ml milk
50g pancetta cubes
Oil
25g Parmesan cheese
75g plain flour
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
Pinch of salt
2 medium eggs
+ Preheat the oven to 170°C, (fan 150°C), 325°F, Gas Mark 3. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and set aside.
+ Put a small frying pan on a medium heat for the pancetta.
+ Put the butter and milk in a medium pan over a low heat and leave the butter to melt.
+ Meanwhile, place the pancetta into the frying pan with a drizzle of oil and cook for about 4 minutes, turning every so often.
+ Once the butter has melted into the milk, whack up the heat and bring to the boil.
+ Meanwhile, finely grate the Parmesan and tip it into a medium bowl. Stir in the flour, chilli powder, if you like, and a pinch of salt.
+ As soon as the buttery milk boils, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour mixture to it. Beat it really hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. Then tip it into a medium bowl, spread it out all around the inside and leave it for a few minutes until cool to the touch.
+ Once the pancetta is crisp and golden, remove from the heat and tip onto kitchen paper to drain off excess fat and set aside.
+ Once the flour mix has cooled down a little, add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard between each addition. When the egg first goes in, the mixture will look a little less than pleasant, as if it won’t mix in, but keep beating it really hard and it will come good. Then stir in the pancetta.
+ Now, here you can either spoon blobs of the choux pastry onto the baking sheets or (my favourite method with my piping bag obsession) pipe the blobs using a disposable piping bag cut to give a 1.5cm opening. Either way, make them about 2–3cm in diameter and space them a little bit apart. This makes about 25. Use a finger slightly moistened with water to push down any end bits that may be sticking up (so they don’t burn in the oven), then bake for 25 minutes.
+ The puffs should be crisp and golden on top when cooked. These are really best served piping hot when they are still slightly moist as they are cut open.
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Crunchy black pepper halloumi dip sticks with harissa hummus (#ulink_39d787d9-89aa-5035-a65e-8872f1954148)
Before I tested this recipe I had not had the privilege of cooking halloumi. I’d eaten it many times, but never felt the urge to give it a go at home. Halloumi is an eccentric-textured-and-tasting cheese which is very salty on the palate. It prefers, unlike its cheesy counterparts, to be pan-fried and grilled as it holds itself together very well once cooked.
Time from start to finish: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Equipment: Colander, blender or food processor, large frying pan, plate
Hummus
400g tin of chickpeas
1 garlic clove
100g half- or full-fat crème fraîche
1–4 tbsp harissa paste (easy to find at the supermarket)
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Halloumi
Sunflower oil
50g plain flour
2 × 250g blocks of halloumi cheese
1 lime
Small handful of fresh coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
+ First, make the hummus. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, peel the garlic and add both to a blender or food processor. Add the crème fraîche and enough harissa paste to taste (depending on how hot you like it). Blitz until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of oil if you think it needs it. Then spoon it into a serving bowl and set aside.
+ Next, prepare the halloumi. Put three big glugs of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Put the flour on a plate, season with a little pepper and set aside. Cut the halloumi into thick sticks. I cut each block into quarters lengthways and then lay each piece on its side and cut it in half again to give eight big chunky chips. Toss them in the flour so they are well covered, then gently lower them into the hot oil and fry for 4–5 minutes, turning regularly with tongs, until golden brown all over.
+ Remove the halloumi from the pan and drain on kitchen paper for a minute. Then arrange on a large serving plate and squeeze the lime juice over. Sit the dip bowl on the plate beside the halloumi, pick and scatter the coriander leaves on top and serve. Halloumi really comes to life with these flavours.
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Naughty, naughty nachos (#ulink_faf5da62-01de-5311-85f3-5c71228d1a4f)
Lots of cheese, chips and cream. Just what I feel I need on those days when I want that extra bit of comfort on a plate. There are a few parts to this recipe, but it is really, really quick and I find myself gravitating to make this at the weekend, as it is a great sharing dish. It is on the side of naughty, but really tasty. Everything in balance is my mantra. I found the jars of jalapeños in the supermarket, but if you can’t get them, just use two regular green or red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced.
Time from start to finish: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
Equipment: Colander, 2 small bowls, 25.5cm-square baking dish at least 6cm deep
Salsa
200g jar red or green jalapeños
200g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion (or 1 bunch of spring onions)
Small handful of fresh coriander
Nachos
200g Cheddar cheese
400g tin of kidney beans
200g bag of tortilla chips
200g sour cream
Guacamole
3 perfectly ripe avocados
A few drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)
½ lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
+ Preheat the oven to 200°C, (fan 180°C), 400°F, Gas Mark 6.
+ Firstly, prepare the salsa. Drain the jalapeños, quarter the cherry tomatoes and toss both into a small bowl. Peel and finely chop the red onion (or finely slice the spring onions, if using), reserve a small handful and add the remainder to the bowl. Rip the leaves from the coriander stalks, roughly chop them, then toss everything together and season to taste.
+ Finely grate the cheese and drain and rinse the beans.
+ Now to assemble the nachos. Scatter a third of the tortilla chips in the bottom of the baking dish and scatter over a third of the cheese and then all of the beans. Then follow with a third more tortillas, a third more cheese and some of the salsa. Finish with the remaining tortillas and cheese. This is actually a total freeform dish; my only thing is I love cheese on the top.
+ Now pop it into the oven to bake for 10 minutes while you make the guacamole.
+ Halve the avocados, discard the stones and use a spoon to scoop the flesh out into a small bowl. Lightly mash with a fork and then stir the reserved chopped onion through with a few drops of Tabasco, if you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper and squeeze in the lime juice.
+ Spoon the sour cream, remaining tomato salsa and guacamole into small serving bowls. Remove the now-cooked nachos from the oven. The cheese should be bubbling and the tortillas just catching colour. Serve in the centre of the table with the accompaniments for everyone to dig in and help themselves.
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Skinny dipping (#ulink_89d2bdf2-a164-5e09-9b67-7d855fe91771)
