White chocolate and blueberry cheesecake
Lemon pudding cake with berries
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
Roast Chicken Salad + Chive Mayonnaise
Paprika and Coriander Roasted Chicken
Spiced Chicken Wraps + Mango Chutney
Chicken Paillard with Spring Onions and Prosciutto
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.