Listen some nice ideas for Easter Sunday Lunch on LMFM here and see recipes below.
Happy Easter to all from Tara x
Smoked Salmon Pate
Serves 6
Ingredients:
150 grms Smoked Salmon
80 grms Cream Cheese (light if possible)
80 grms Crème Fraiche
A small handful of Chives, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & Pepper
Method:
I like to serve this in little individual bowls at the table with a small salad to garnish.
Cucumber Pickle
450g cucumber, thinly sliced unpeeled
1 small onion, thinly sliced
150g sugar
1 tbsp salt
110ml cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
Mix the cucumber and onion in a large bowl. 2. Add the sugar, salt and vinegar, and mix well
to combine. Leave for one hour to enable the flavours to develop.
Wholemeal Scones
Ingredients:
125g/4oz Coarse Wholemeal Flour and 125g/4oz Self Raising Flour
150ml/¼ pint milk (approx)
Pinch Salt
25g/1oz Caster Sugar
25g/1oz Margarine
Method:
milk.
Roast Leg of Lamb
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
1 leg of lamb
3 Cloves Garlic, sliced
A couple of rosemary sprigs
1 carrot cut into chunks, no need to peel
1 onion quartered, no need to peel
1 stick of celery cut into chunks
A few drops of soy sauce
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
Rapeseed oil
Salt & pepper
For the gravy:
A knob of butter
1 small onion, finely diced
A teaspoon of tomato puree
A tablespoon of flour
250 mls lamb stock
A dash of red wine
Method:
incisions about ½ a cm deep all around the lamb. Brush with a little rapeseed
oil.
sauce, Worcestershire sauce and a cup of water. Place the lamb on top and
place in the oven for 2 hours.
the flour. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the tomato puree and stir for
about 30 seconds
now and then
10 mins) and pour the juices from the roasting dish into the gravy.
smoother finish (optional)
Healthy & Wholesome Recipes
Watch here
SPICY TOMATO, OLIVE AND BUFFALO MOZZARELLA SPELT SPAGHETTI
I suppose this is a cross between a pasta puttanesca (‘lady of the night’) and a pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino (garlic, oil and chilli pepper). Mini mozzarella balls are very useful for this recipe as well. I’ve only added a handful of olives here, but if you love olives feel free to go mad!
Serves 2
Ingredients
100g spelt spaghetti
Olive oil
1 clove of garlic (thinly sliced)
2 anchovies (optional)
A large handful of Kalamata olives, stoned
1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
A few cherry tomatoes, halved
1 buffalo mozzarella, sliced in half cm discs
2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley or basil
Method
Cook the spaghetti according to the pack instructions until al dente.
Gently heat a good glug of oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic, anchovies (if using), olives, chilli flakes and cherry tomatoes. Cook until the garlic has softened a little and the anchovy has started to dissolve (2–3 minutes). Toss the spaghetti through it
Toss the slices of mozzarella through the cooked spaghetti and serve with the fresh herbs sprinkled over the top.
Fish Parcels and Oven-roasted Potato Wedges
These parcels are a very quick and easy way to cook fish and there is no washing up!! Use any type of fish you like with any combination of flavours, or you can also use thinned out chicken fillet instead of the fish. I like to use cod or haddock for this recipe but you can use any white fish you prefer.
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the fish:
2 x 150g fillets of cod/haddock (skinned)
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 pinch of herbes de provence for each piece of fish
A splash of white wine
For the wedges:
4 medium-sized Rooster potatoes
Salt and pepper, to season
3 tablespoons olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/fan 160˚C/gas mark 4.
Cut the potatoes into wedge-shaped pieces. Place on a baking tray, season and drizzle with the olive oil. Cook for 20–30 minutes until soft.
Cut out a rectangular piece of parchment or baking paper large enough to hold the fish and wrap it up. Place the fish in the centre and place the other ingredients you are using on top.
Wrap up tightly and ensure the steam cannot escape.
Place on a baking tray and put in oven for 15–20 minutes (this depends on the thickness of the fish you are using). Check the fish is cooked through before serving.
Serve the fish with all the juices, a portion of wedges and some vegetables of your choice.
Other suggestions to use with the fish:
Half a red onion, 8 cherry tomatoes, a pinch of dried oregano and 30g crumbled feta.
A handful of spinach, a clove of garlic and a small drop of cream, for each piece of fish.
A pinch of cumin, a slice of lime and a clove of garlic, thinly sliced, for each piece of fish.
1 teaspoon of harissa paste brushed over each piece of fish and a nice with a dollop of Greek yoghurt when serving.
A slice of orange, a pinch of smoked paprika, a slice of roast red pepper and a couple of Kalamata olives, for each piece of fish.
Salmon Teriyaki
You can use shop-bought teriyaki sauce when making this recipe (use 3–4 tablespoons), but I prefer to make my own and that is what I have done in this recipe. It’s tastier than the shop-bought equivalent and healthier too, as there are no preservatives or unnatural additives.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
For the teriyaki sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons of water mixed with 1½ tsps of cornflour
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
Thumb sized piece of ginger, grated finely
1 clove of garlic, minced
Method
Mix together all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce in a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened (about 3–4 minutes). Ensure the sugar has dissolved.
Heat a frying pan until very hot and fry the salmon on one side for about 2 minutes, turn and cook for the same length of time on the other side. The salmon should be slightly charred and crispy on the outside.
Add the teriyaki sauce to the frying pan with the salmon and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 3–4 minutes until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half.
Serve the salmon with a little of the reduced teriyaki sauce poured over it, accompanied by the oriental rice salad (see p. xx) and the Japanese pickled cucumber
Oriental Rice Salad
This is a great way of using up leftover rice and gives it a fresh flavour. Use brown rice for a low GI option.
Serves 2
Ingredients
100g cooked and cooled rice
2 spring onions, finely sliced
¼ red pepper, finely diced
A small bunch of coriander, roughly torn
For the dressing:
1 teaspoon Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Juice of ½ lime
1 teaspoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Method
In a large bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust the flavourings to your liking, if necessary.
Add the rice, spring onions, red pepper and coriander and mix thoroughly.
JAPANESE PICKLED CUCUMBER AND TOASTED SESAME SEEDS
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cucumber
3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
Method
Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.
Cut into quarters lengthways. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumber into ribbons. Place in a bowl and douse in the mirin.
Leave for at least one hour, stirring regularly to ensure the cucumber is fully coated in the mirin.
Before serving, gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan.
Toss the seeds over the cucumber and serve.
A roast chicken dinner is a real family favourite but the leftovers can be the best part sometimes. This Thai Chicken Noodle Soup is tasty, fresh and light whilst also being a satisfying supper. I also love it if I’ve got a cold as it gives you a great kick with the ginger!
Watch here and Thai Chicken Noodle Broth here
Lemon Roast Chicken
The great thing about this roast chicken is the lack of chopping or prep you need to do while it still delivers on great flavour. This is a great gravy too!
Serves 4
Ingredients
1.5kg chicken
1 lemon cut in half
Olive oil
3 or 4 sprigs of herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, parsley (your choice)
Salt and pepper to season
15g butter
15g flour
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas mark 6.
Place the chicken in a roasting dish, place half the lemon and some herbs inside the cavity and rub a little olive oil all over the skin. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook in the oven for 1½ to 2 hours until cooked through – the best way to check this is to put a large fork into the cavity and hold the chicken up carefully. If the juices run clear then it is cooked. Place the chicken in a warm place to rest before serving, reserving the juices in the roasting dish.
Squeeze the juice of the other half of the lemon into the roasting juices.
Make the roux by melting the butter in a pot over a medium heat. Add the flour, combine and cook for 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of the roux to the juices in the roasting dish over a high heat whisking vigorously. Allow to come to the boil. The juices should have thickened to give a good consistency, but add a little more of the roux if it is still too liquid for your liking. If it has become too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of hot water.
Serve with roast potatoes and roast cauliflower à la Kristiina.
Classic Roast Potatoes
This is my method for crispy on the outside, fluffy in the centre potatoes. Make sure you time these to be served straight from the oven, in other words, giving your meat time to rest. All you need is potatoes and rapeseed oil. I am not giving quantities for the potatoes as it depends on how many people you are cooking for and how many potatoes you like. If you are doing a lot, you may need to increase the amount of oil. I am glutton for roast potatoes. They are also great to make leftover potato hash with.
Ingredients
Rooster potatoes
2–3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas mark 6.
Peel the potatoes and cut into even size chunks. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and allow to cook for about 3 minutes.
In the meantime, pour the rapeseed oil into an ovenproof dish big enough for the amount of potatoes you are doing and place in the oven.
Empty the boiled potatoes into a colander and place a clean tea towel over them. Holding the tea towel over the colander in the sink, give them a good shake to bash up the edges. This will help to make them lovely and crispy.
Carefully put the potatoes into the preheated oil. The oil should be good and hot and you should hear a little sizzle when you put the potatoes in. Brush the potatoes with some of the oil, making sure all of the potatoes are well coated.
Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, shaking every now and then to ensure they brown evenly.
Roast Tabasco Cauliflower à la Kristiina
This recipe was a revelation for me when the lovely Kristiina made it for our family Sunday roast. It is so easy and has become a staple in our house.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
Tabasco sauce
Olive oil
Salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C /fan160˚C/gas mark 4.
Put the cauliflower in a roasting dish and sprinkle as much Tabasco over as you want, depending on how spicy you like it.
Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and roast for 15–20 minutes or until soft or al dente, depending on how you like it.
Thai Chicken Noodle Broth
One of my favourite winter warmers, I crave this when I am sick with a cold or flu, or simply a bit tired and stressed. I am not mad about the term ‘clean eating’ but it does describe this pretty well. This is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken if you have it, but if you don’t you can use chicken fillets as per the recipe below. If you have roast chicken left over, simply shred it and add it in for the last minute of cooking to heat it through.
Serves 2
Ingredients
750ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 chicken fillet, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
1 large piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 nest of medium egg noodles
3 handfuls of mixed vegetables (e.g. baby sweetcorn, mangetout, pak choi, spinach, peppers, sugar snaps, beansprouts)
1 fresh red chilli, sliced (optional)
A small bunch of coriander or flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
Method
Put the stock into a large pot and bring to the boil. Place the chicken, nam pla, lime/lemon juice, garlic and ginger into it and poach over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes or until the chicken has turned white. Make sure the water is not boiling too hard or the chicken will break up.
Add the noodles and the harder vegetables, such as the corn (if using) and peppers. Poach for another 3–4 minutes.
Remove a large piece of chicken and slice in half to check that it is cooked through. If it is cooked, switch off the heat.
Add the leafy greens and any other vegetables you are using and stir through. Taste for balance between the citrus juice and nam pla. Adjust to your liking by adding more nam pla if necessary.
Ladle into bowls, ensuring a good mix of all the ingredients with poaching liquid. When serving, sprinkle with the chilli (if using), herbs and spring onions.
Whether you’re looking for something light and elegant or comforting and robust, we have you covered!
Bramley Apple, Blue Cheese & Bacon Crostini
Ingredients:
1 tsp vegetable oil
6 rashers back bacon
1 Bramley Apple, quartered, cored and sliced
25g soft blue cheese, crumbled
Method:
Crab Mayonnaise
(Makes 10-12)
Ingredients:
200g of crab meat
½ a shallot, finely chopped
Some zest and juice of a lemon
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Some tarragon, chopped with a few leaves saved for garnish
A pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tblsp of mayonnaise
Salt, to taste
Some small salad leaves such as Endive or Little Gem, washed
Method:
Mix all of the ingredients apart from the lettuce in a bowl and taste for seasoning
When you are ready to serve, spoon a little of the mixture onto the lettuce
Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Beef & Rocket
These are a great way to use up leftover beef and gravy but are equally worth cooking a small fillet steak for!
You will need 2 mini muffin trays.
About 150g Cooked Beef (I like fillet for this)
A large handful of rocket leaves
A squeeze of Lemon Juice
For the batter:
250ml m ilk
115g pla in flour
1 pinch sa lt
2 eggs
A good glug of Rapeseed or Sunflower Oil
Mix all the ingredients for the batter thoroughly but try not to over mix. Leave to rest for at least half an hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200˚C Fan, 220˚C, or Gas Mark 6
Place a teaspoon of oil in each well of the mini muffin tray and heat in the until very hot. Carefully pour the batter into each well and cook for about 15 mins or until golden brown and risen up.
Slice the beef thinly and lay on top of each Yorkshire pudding. Top with the rocket and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Paillard of Lemon & Rosemary Chicken with Sauteed Mushrooms and Green Beans & Purple Potato Salad
(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 Chicken Fillets
1 clove garlic
Spritz Lemon Juice
A couple of sprigs of rosemary
1 shallot, finely diced
6/7 mushrooms, sliced fairly chunky
A splash of white wine
Green Beans & Purple Potatoes (or baby potatoes), cooked & kept warm
Rapeseed Oil
A knob of butter
Salt & Pepper
A few basil leaves
French Dressing (see below)
Method:Place the chicken on a board and cover with cling film. Use a rolling pin to bash it until it is only about ½ a cm in thickness. In the meantime, in a pestle and mortar, grind the garlic, rosemary & sea salt together with a little oil to make a paste. Rub half the paste over the chicken. A silicone brush is handy for this. Leave to marinate for at least 30mins.
For the mushrooms, melt a little butter and oil and add the shallots and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper.
When the mushrooms have caramelized and turned golden-brown, add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and you are left with an intense jus with the mushrooms.
Heat a frying pan until very hot and add a little rapeseed oil. Fry the chicken marinade side down for about 2 mins.
Turn the chicken over and spread the other half of the paste over the cooked sides and leave to cook through.
For the potato & green bean salad, toss with the French dressing (see below) while still warm
To serve, slice the chicken into 3 slices and place on top of the green bean and potato salad and top with the mushrooms, jus and basil.
French Dressing
2 parts Olive Oil to 1 part White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, peeled and bashed with the back of a knife
Salt & Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine
Porridge Bread
(Makes 1 loaf)
| Ingredients:
2 tsp of bread soda Pinch of salt 1 egg 1 large tub of natural yogurt (500 ml) |
5 1 |
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
Grease standard loaf tin
Place the yogurt and sieved bread soda in a mixing bowl. Add one egg.
Using the same yogurt tub measure 2 tubs of porridge oats and add to the bowl. Add your favourite seeds at this point. Stir thoroughly.
Pour the batter into your loaf tin.
Place in the oven and cook for approx. 45 mins – 60 minutes
Ten minutes before the end of cooking time, remove the bread from the tin, turn upside down and cook for remaining 10 mins.
Leave to cool on wire tray wrapped in clean tea towel.
Gluten Free Mini Lemon & Mint Polenta Cakes
(Makes approx. 10 depending on the size of your cake papers)
This recipe can be made as a full cake in a 9” tin. Bake for an hour if doing a whole cake.
Ingredients:
230g butter
230g caster sugar
4 large eggs
140g polenta
200g ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it is gluten free)
Zest and juice a lemon (saving 3 tablespoons for the icing)
A couple of sprigs of mint, chopped
For the Icing:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
100g icing sugar
Method:
