Six of the best
Fresh ideas for dinners that are as easy to prepare as they are family-friendly
Chickpea, butternut squash and chorizo baked rice (pictured above)
Prep 20 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
300g butternut squash, peeled and diced
150g diced chorizo (optional)
40ml olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper, peeled and finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, left whole in skin but given a little bash
2 tsp paprika, either sweet or picante
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp tomato puree
400g paella rice (or risotto rice)
About 1 litre chicken stock, or boiling water
Salt and black pepper
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small handful flat‑leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Toss the squash with the chorizo and a tablespoon of oil, and put on a tray in the oven for about 10 minutes to release the oil and for the squash to begin to soften.
In a casserole dish, fry the onion and pepper in the remaining oil for eight to 10 minutes, until softened.
Add the garlic, paprika, bay, tomato puree and rice, then toast and warm the rice through for a minute.
Scrape the squash, chorizo and as much of the oil as possible into the rice, add the stock, season and spread the chickpeas over the top.
Put a tight-fitting lid on the dish, or cover with foil, then roast for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. Serve with the chopped parsley.
Beef burger with chimichurri and mozzarella
Prep 10-15 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4
600g beef mince
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped (or use 2 trimmed spring onions)
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil, or vegetable oil
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
To assemble
200g mozzarella, cut into 2cm-thick slices
4 brioche buns, halved and toasted
8 lettuce leaves (2 per burger)
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
Combine the meat, half the garlic, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in a large bowl, and knead very well. Divide into four and shape each into burgers about 1cm wider than the brioche buns.
To make the chimichurri, blend the rest of the garlic with the shallot, vinegar, olive oil, parsley, chilli and oregano to form a smooth sauce (or finely chop and mix in a small bowl). Season to taste.
Heat the grill. When ready to cook, grill the burgers for about three minutes on each side, until crisp and brown on the outside and still pink in the middle, or to taste. Top with the mozzarella, then grill to melt and colour the cheese a bit – about 45 seconds.
Put the cheesy burger in the bun, add the lettuce and tomato, and some chimichurri sauce to taste.
Hasselback baked potatoes with spicy sausages
Prep 15-20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
20 waxy small or new potatoes, washed but unpeeled (about 800g)
6 plain pork sausages, sliced into coins
1 small glass dry white wine (about 150ml)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, freshly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each salt and black pepper, to taste (flaky salt is good here)
To serve
Juice of ½ lemon
1 small handful flat‑leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 small chunk parmesan, grated, or peeled with a vegetable peeler
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Make slices in each potato about 0.5cm apart, making sure to cut only three-quarters of the way through so the potatoes stay connected at the bottom and fan out a bit as they cook.
Carefully toss the potatoes with the remaining ingredients and arrange the potatoes cut side up, pushing some of the sausage, spices and herbs into and over the crevices in the potatoes. Messy work, but worth it.
Put the tray in the oven to cook for about 30–40 minutes, or until tender throughout and caramelising nicely along the incisions.
Remove from the oven, add the lemon juice, parsley and parmesan, and serve.
Roast mushroom with fried eggs and almonds
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
4 slices rindless streaky bacon, finely chopped (optional)
60g butter
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
4 large field or portobello mushrooms
40g flaked or whole almonds, roughly chopped
4 eggs
Olive oil or vegetable oil, to fry the eggs
Watercress, to serve
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Fry the onion, thyme and bacon (if using) in two tablespoons of butter for eight to 10 minutes, until soft. Remove from the heat, stir in half the breadcrumbs and half the parsley, and season.
Fry the mushrooms in a tablespoon of butter for a couple of minutes on each side, adding a bit of salt as they cook. Put them flesh side up on a baking tray and divide the onion (and bacon, if using) into each and flatten with the back of a spoon.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is golden.
While the mushrooms are baking, fry the remaining breadcrumbs with the almonds in the remaining butter until golden brown, set aside and wipe the pan clean. Fry the eggs to taste.
Serve the mushrooms topped with the fried eggs and scattered with the additional fried breadcrumbs and almonds and the remaining parsley. Serve at once alongside some watercress, if you like.
Koshari rice with roasted spiced carrots and onions
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
1kg small–medium sized carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin, toasted
1 tsp ground coriander, toasted
1 tsp ground turmeric
125g vermicelli, broken into pieces
30g butter
125g long-grain rice, rinsed and drained
125g green or brown lentils, rinsed, drained in cold water
2 cinnamon sticks
800ml boiling water or chicken stock
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
Plain yoghurt mixed with a little lemon juice and salt to taste
Heat the oven to 180C/ 350F/gas 4. Put the carrots and sliced onion into a roasting tin, add two tablespoons of oil, a big pinch each of salt and , a good grind of black pepper, and the ground spices. Mix to coat, cover tightly with foil and roast for about 35 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, in a heavy-based casserole over a medium heat, fry the vermicelli in the butter for about five minutes, until browning. Add the rice, lentils and cinnamon and cook for a further two minutes, stirring continually.
Add a teaspoon of salt and the boiling water or stock, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the grains and pasta are cooked and liquid has evaporated. Give the pan a gentle stir after five minutes of cooking to redistribute the lentils.
Remove the foil from the roast veg and turn up the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6 . Roast for a further 15 minutes, until golden.
To serve, tip the koshari rice into a wide serving dish, spoon on the carrot and onion mix (along with all the cooking juices and all of the flavoured oil), scatter with the parsley and chilli flakes and a dollop of the seasoned yoghurt.
Pasta with fried cauliflower and red pepper pesto
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
1 medium cauliflower, broken up into walnut-sized florets
80ml extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
Salt and black pepper
80g flaked almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
100g red peppers, roasted and peeled (fresh or from a jar)
1 pinch chilli flakes (optional)
300g short pasta tubes such as penne or rigatoni
2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Cook the cauliflower in a pan of boiling salted water for five minutes until soft, then drain.
Return the pot to the heat and add half the olive oil. Add the cauliflower, half the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Give the pan a good stir, put the lid on and cook on a very low flame for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, grind the rest of the garlic and half the almonds until coarsely ground. Add the peppers and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the rest of the oil in a thin stream until it is fully emulsified. Season to taste.
Remove the lid from the cauliflower, add a touch of chilli to taste, cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring and scraping now and then to stop it catching. Try to keep some small cauliflower chunks for texture.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and drain. Stir the pepper sauce through the pasta, check the seasoning and spoon into bowls. Top with the soft, caramelised cauliflower, the remaining almonds and the chopped parsley.