300g cherry tomatoes (a mix of yellow and red cherry tomatoes works really well)
2 x 125g mozzarella balls
small bunch of basil leaves
olive oil, for drizzling
balsamic vinegar, for drizzling to taste
salt and pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4 and lightly grease a baking dish with some butter.
2. Put the mini chicken fillets into the dish, add the pesto and use a spatula to push the fillets around until they are all coated with pesto. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Transfer to a chopping board and leave to cool for a few minutes before slicing into chunks.
3. Meanwhile cut the tomatoes into quarters, removing the seeds if you wish, and tip into a large bowl. Cut or tear your mozzarella into small chunks, tear the basil leaves into smaller pieces and add both to the bowl too. Drizzle over some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and and stir well to combine.
4. Tip the salad into a serving dish and put the chicken pieces on top. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and serve.
Mini fillets are used here for the shorter baking time – you can use chicken breasts or thighs but you’ll need to increase the baking time to make sure they’re cooked through.
TERIYAKI PORK LOIN & EGG-FRIED RICE
This is a tantalisingly tasty – yet simple – recipe. Delicious pork tenderloin is baked and drenched in a teriyaki glaze and served with some good old egg-fried rice. This really is a perfect combination of simplicity and cheeky flavour.
READY IN 50 MINUTES
SERVES 4
60ml mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
600g pork tenderloin
FOR THE RICE
1 large egg
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 pak choy, sliced lengthways
2 spring onions, sliced
500g cooked rice
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark 6.
2. Put the mirin, soy, sugar, garlic and ginger into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and cook until thickened and sauce-like, about 5 minutes.
3. Put the pork tenderloin into an oven dish that will hold it snugly and drizzle the sauce over the top and down the sides. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes, basting two or three times during cooking.
4. While the pork is cooking, prepare the rice. Beat the egg and 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce together. Heat half the sesame oil in a wok and scramble the egg until just cooked. Remove from the pan and put to one side. Heat the remaining oil in the wok over medium-high heat and stir-fry the pak choy for 3–4 minutes until it starts to brown but retains some crispness. Tip the spring onions and rice into the pan, toss and stir then return the egg to the pan. Toss everything together with the remaining soy sauce.
5. Once the pork is cooked, remove from the oven and cut into thick slices. Serve with the egg-fried rice, drizzled with the sauce from the pan.
Check the pork is cooked through by cutting into the thickest part and making sure there’s no pink remaining.
CHORIZO & SPINACH SCRAMBLED EGG BAGELS
A delicious mouthful of tangy chorizo alongside spring-oniony scrambled eggs and spinach is a great way to start the day. The ingredients are minimal and it’s all made in a flash, so it’s a really good filler to get you going in the morning, but also works well for lunch or in the evening. A proper no-hassle recipe.
READY IN 10 MINUTES
SERVES 4
8 eggs
splash of milk
4 spring onions, sliced
4 bagels
200g cooking chorizo, diced
knob of butter, plus extra for spreading
4 large handfuls of baby spinach
salt and pepper
1. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper then stir in the spring onions.
2. Preheat the grill while you slice the bagels in half. Put the bagels under the grill and toast the cut side.
3. Meanwhile, place a frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the chorizo until it’s browned and crisp. Turn off the heat and tip away the excess fat but keep the chorizo in the pan.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat, tip in the eggs and stir. While the eggs are scrambling, put the spinach in with the warm chorizo, return to a medium heat and toss. Let the spinach wilt while you butter the bagels and stir the scrambled eggs. The eggs should be only just set.
5. Put the buttered bagels on plates, top with the chorizo and spinach then spoon the scrambled eggs on top.
This meal is super-quick but everything happens at once so you need to be organised and have everything laid out ready at the start. Keep an eye on the bagels as you do not want them to burn (you could also toast them in your toaster).
LAMB KEBABS WITH SESAME FLATBREAD
I love the ease of this recipe; I think that’s what makes me feel good about it. That pleasing comfort of knowing that you’ve got a sneaky recipe up your sleeve to rely on. Marinated lamb with a quick fix accompaniment alongside (a sort of food hack really) using ready made flatbreads/chapatti but just taking them up a notch with mustard and sesame seeds – winner!
READY IN 30 MINUTES, PLUS MARINATING TIME
SERVES 4
90ml