easycook

The UK’s BEST VALUE food magazine 

‘Try my 

never-fail 

chocolate 

cake’ 

Bake Off’s 

Jo Wheatley 

easycook 

Singapore noodles 

Fish burgers 

ISSUE 80 APRIL 2015 

From the BBC 

It’s spring 

at last 

New season’s 

recipes to 

inspire you 

Happy 

Easter! 

● Bank holiday 

menus 

● No-fuss 

buffet dishes 

20 

mins 

30 

mins 

ONLY 

£1.99 

Chilli 

chicken 

pizza 

kitchen 

30 

mins 

10 

simple 

& tasty 

soups 

One-pan 

paella 

page 51 

Spiced honey butter 

Make our hot cross bun ring


kitchen 

From the BBC 

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BBC Easy Cook, Immediate Media Company London Ltd, 

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Super-tasty bolognese 

EDITORIAL 

EDITOR SARAH GILES 

Assistant Editor Sarah Sysum 

Art Editor Gareth Glynne Jones 

Chief Sub-Editor Barbara Baker 

Thanks to Todd Slaughter & Jill Tipping 

PUBLISHING 

Group Publishing Director Alfie Lewis 

Publisher Lorna East 

ADVERTISING 

Advertising Director Jason Elson (020 7150 5030) 

Group Head Display and Classifed Catherine Nicolson 

Senior Display Sales Executive Rosie Bee 

Classifed Sales Executive Lloyd Meeks 

Inserts Harry Rowland 

Group Head, Partnerships Nicola Shubrook 

Senior Partnerships Executive Charlie Farr 

Partnerships Executive Abigail Snelling 

MARKETING & READER OFFERS 

Senior Marketing Executive Hayley Marsden 

Reader Offer Manager Liza Evans 

Subscriptions Marketing Manager Lynn Swarbrick 

PRODUCTION & AD SERVICES 

Head of Production Lifestyle, 

Youth & Children’s and Repro Koli Pickersgill 

Production Manager, Food & Pre-School Kate Gristwood 

Senior Production Coordinator Leanda Holloway 

Senior Reprographic Technician Darren McCubbin 

Reprographic Technician Jonathan Shaw 

Head of Ad Services Sharon Thompson 

Senior Ad Services Coordinator Sarah Barker 

SYNDICATION 

Director of International Licensing & Syndication 

Tim Hudson 

MANAGEMENT 

Chairman Stephen Alexander 

CEO Tom Bureau 

BBC WORLDWIDE, UK PUBLISHING 

Director of UK Publishing Nicholas Brett 

Head of UK Publishing Chris Kerwin 

UK Publishing Coordinator Eva Abramik 

UK.Publishing@bbc.com 

http://www.bbcworldwide.com/uk--anz/ukpublishing.aspx 

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the 

prices displayed in BBC Easy Cook magazine. However, 

they can vary once we go to print. Please check with the 

appropriate retailers for full details. Nutritional analysis 

includes listed ingredients only and excludes optional 

ingredients such as salt, and serving suggestions. 

BBC Easy Cook magazine is owned by BBC Worldwide and 

produced on its behalf by Immediate Media Company Limited. 

BBC Worldwide’s profits are returned to the BBC and help 

fund new BBC programmes. 

© Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2015 

Welcome 

... to the April issue of BBC Easy Cook. We’re celebrating the 

start of spring with some lovely recipes this month, including two 

delicious Easter meals for you to enjoy – a super-easy roast chicken 

lunch (page 40) and a simple but special roast lamb menu from 

James Martin (page 64). 

When we put together each issue of BBC Easy Cook, we always 

try to include as many quick tricks to make food taste extra-special 

as we can. One of our favourites is marinading the mince for a 

bolognese sauce in red wine overnight (pictured above). It takes 

seconds to prepare the night before – and makes a huge difference 

to the fnished dish: pour a glass of red wine over 500g beef mince, 

cover and leave in the fridge overnight. Next day, dry-fry the mince 

until browned all over and set aside. Fry 1 chopped onion and 

4 chopped carrots until soft, then add 2 sliced courgettes, 

85g button mushrooms and a crushed clove of garlic to the pan 

and fry for a few mins more. Add a 400g can of chopped tomatoes, 

200ml hot beef stock and the mince, bring to the boil then simmer 

for 15 mins (or up to 45 mins if you have time). Serves 4, with pasta. 

Happy Easter - and happy cooking! 

From the BBC 

Sarah Giles, Editor 

PS Don’t miss the next issue of BBC Easy Cook, on sale 1st April. 

5 

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10 

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15 

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kitchen 

20 

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30 

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If you’re cooking in a hurry, look out for the colour-coded timing 

circles on our 20 Quick Weeknight Meals, starting on page 6 

What’s so good about our recipes is that they’ve all been tested in the kitchens of 

our sister title, BBC Good Food magazine. So they’re easy, super-tasty and quick to 

make – and you can also be sure that they’ll work perfectly every time. 

Our promise 

The BBC Easy Cook 

team is here to help you 

get healthy, nutritious, 

good-value meals on 

the table as quickly as 

possible. When we’re 

planning what to include 

in each issue, there 

are four key words we 

always bear in mind: 

EASY: you will never need 

complicated techniques 

or special equipment to 

make our recipes. 

QUICK: most of our 

recipes can be on the 

table in half an hour or 

less. Some take a little 

longer than that in the 

oven, but we always 

keep the prep times to 

a minimum. 

VALUE: to help you keep 

down the cost of your 

shopping bill, we make 

the most of good-value, 

seasonal produce; we 

keep the number of 

ingredients in a recipe 

to a minimum, and we 

show you how to use up 

leftovers. Look out for 

our stamp – 

it shows where the cost 

per person for a main 

meal recipe comes in at 

under £1. 

LEARN: whether you’re a 

beginner cook or just too 

busy to spend ages in the 

kitchen, we’ll show you 

lots of clever shortcuts 

and essential skills to 

help speed things up. 

BBC Easy Cook 3

Contents 


SPEEDY MEALS 

Weeknight suppers for a 

month – ready in just half an hour 

6 20 FAST MEALS 

Weeknight suppers for a month – in 30 minutes or less 

26 SATURDAY SNACK 

Beans on toast – with a Tex Mex twist 

Foolproof 

recipes 

for perfect 

results every 

time 

28 10 EASY SOUPS 

Delicious, warming and filling meals or snacks 

32 MICROWAVE CAKES – IN A MUG! 

How to make a cake in just a few minutes 

ENTERTAINING 

MADE EASY 

Delicious meals to enjoy with family and friends 

36 ONE-PAN FAMILY MEALS 

Including a yummy sausage pasta bake 

38 SERVE A BANK HOLIDAY FEAST 

Wow your guests with our help-yourself platters 

40 SPECIAL EASTER LUNCH 

Our Italian-style roast chicken is delicious and 

simple to make 

42 GREAT SIDE SALADS 

… all with a citrussy twist 

43 GO SEASONAL! 

Recipes for purple-sprouting 

broccoli and rhubarb 

46 TAKE A PACK OF 

CHICORY 

Don’t miss our tasty idea 

for pork belly 

48 FABULOUS 

PUDDINGS 

Chocolate pudding, coffee 

panna cotta and a new 

way with cherry bakewell 

51 TWIST ON PAELLA 

Bursting with flavour 

To make 

our delicious 

cover recipe, 

turn to 

page 51 

4 

BBC Easy Cook

James 

Martin's 

delicious 

roast lamb, 

page 66 

GET BAKING 

Sweet and savoury ideas you’ll 

want to make again and again 

52 BAKE-AHEAD TREATS 

Including an unusual caramelised carrot cake 

54 SAVOURY BAKES 

Try our twist on Danish pastries 

56 DELICIOUS AND DAIRY-FREE 

Fantastic brownies, plus Easter cupcakes 

58 EASTER SPECIAL 

Three new ideas for hot cross buns 

60 FOR THE BISCUIT TIN 

Salted caramel and peanut butter slices 

TV COOKS 

Recipes from your favourite BBC cooks 

64 JAMES MARTIN 

Herb-crusted lamb, rhubarb crumble trifle, 

plus a great starter 

68 JOHN TORODE 

Two brilliant pasta dishes you’ll want to try 

70 MARCUS WAREING 

Try his salt and pepper prawns, plus a 

gorgeous lemon posset 

72 JO WHEATLEY 

No-fail chocolate cake with an unusual icing 

73 FRANCES QUINN 

Irresistible Easter nest topped with chocolate 

mini eggs – children will love it! 

COOKS’ EXTRAS 

50 OUR EASTER 

GIFT GUIDE 

Bunnies, eggs and, 

of course, chocolate! 

74 LEFTOVER 

INGREDIENTS… 

and how to use 

them up 

78 EASY EXTRAS 

Three packed pages 

of ideas, tips, 

products & more 

81 THE EASY 

COOK INTERVIEW 

Rachel Khoo shares 

her thoughts 

EASY COOK 

COOKERY 

SCHOOL 

76 HOW TO MAKE 

BAGELS 

Why not give them a go 

this weekend? 

REGULARS 

3 WELCOME 

30 SUBSCRIBE! 

BBC Easy Cook direct to your door 

62 GREAT READER OFFER 

Big savings on cutlery 

82 INDEX 

BBC Easy Cook 5

20 quick 

weeknight meals 

A whole month of tasty recipes 

– all ready in 30 minutes or less 

20 

mins 

Ravioli with artichokes, 

leek & lemon 

l Serves 2 (easily multiplied) 

l Ready in 20 minutes 

l £2.55 a portion 

l 513 kcals, 31g fat, 13g sat. fat a portion 

l Not suitable for freezing 

l 

280g jar artichokes, drained and 

chopped (reserve 1 tbsp oil) 

1 large leek, fnely sliced 

1 clove of garlic, crushed 

3 tbsp soft cheese 

fnely grated rind and juice 

of 1 lemon 

250g pack spinach & ricotta 

ravioli 

1 Make the sauce 

Heat the oil from the artichokes 

in a large pan, then add the leek 

and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes 

over a medium heat until the 

leek is soft. Stir in the artichokes, 

soft cheese and lemon rind, then 

heat through. Season to taste and 

add a squeeze of lemon juice. 

2 Cook the pasta 

Meanwhile, cook the ravioli according 

to pack instructions. Drain, add to the 

pan with the artichokes and soft cheese, 

and toss through to serve. 

theeasyway Serve topped with the rocket 

and a grating of parmesan, if you like 

6 

BBC Easy Cook

SPEEDY MEALS 

Couscous, 

quinoa or a mixture 

of grains would also be 

delicious in this recipe. 

For a protein-packed 

alternative, try using 

two cans of drained 

green lentils 

30 

mins 

Halloumi with bulghar and chickpea salad 

l Serves 4 





l 

200g bulghar wheat 

250g pack halloumi, cut into 8 slices 

5 tbsp olive oil 

fnely grated rind and juice of 2 limes 

1 tsp sweet paprika 

400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

70g bag rocket 

1 Cook the bulghar and fry the cheese 

Cook the bulghar wheat according to pack 

instructions. Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan, 

fry the halloumi in 2 tbsp oil for 3-4 mins on 

each side until golden and starting to crisp. 

2 Assemble the salad 

Mix together the lime rind and juice, paprika 

and remaining olive oil, and stir this through 

the bulghar wheat using a fork. Toss in the 

chickpeas and rocket, and serve with the fried 

halloumi slices. 

BBC Easy Cook 7

SPEEDY MEALS 

theeasyway 

Serve the noodles 

topped with the duck 

20 

mins 

Singapore noodles 

l Serves 2 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 20 mins l £4.42 a portion 

l 563 kcals, 23g fat, 5g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing 

1 tbsp ground coriander 

seeds 

1 tsp freshly ground black 

peppercorns, 

2 duck breasts, fat scored 

1 tbsp soy sauce 

2 tbsp clear honey 

2 nests fne egg noodles 

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

4 spring onions (whites 

chopped, greens shredded) 

1 red chilli, fnely chopped 

½ tsp mild curry powder 

1 egg 


1 Cook the duck 

Turn oven to fan 180C/ 

conventional 200C/gas 6. Rub 

Lamb lollipops 

the coriander and peppercorns 

over the duck and fry them, 

skin-side down, in an ovenproof 

frying pan for 5 mins until the 

skin is browned. Drain off the fat, 

turn the duck over, add the soy 

and honey and fry for 1 minute. 

Put in the oven for 10 mins, then 

leave to rest for 5 mins and slice. 

2 Stir-fry the noodles 

Cook the noodles according to 

pack instructions. Heat the oil 

in a wok, then add the spring 

onions, chilli and curry powder 

and stir-fry for 1 min. Add the 

egg and fry until scrambled. 

Toss in the noodles and soy 

sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute. 

l Serves 4 l Ready in 20 minutes l £4.29 a portion 


theeasyway 

This recipe works 

really well 

with pork too 


juice of ½ lemon (use the 

other half for the Minty 

Mash, see box right) 

1 small red chilli, fnely 

chopped 

a splash of olive oil 

12 lamb cutlets (well 

trimmed and meat 

fattened out slightly) 

1 Marinate the meat 

Mix the garlic, lemon juice, chilli 

and olive oil together. Put the 

lamb cutlets in a dish and pour 

over the marinade. Cover and 

leave to marinate for at least 

10 minutes in the fridge (or 

longer if you have time). 

2 Grill the meat 

Heat a griddle pan and cook 

the lamb for 2-3 minutes on each 

side for thinner chops or 

3-4 minutes on each side for 

thicker chops. 

20 

mins 

Chicken and chickpea casserole 

l Serves 2 (easily multiplied) l Ready in 20 minutes l £2.29 a portion 


1 onion, fnely sliced 



1 chicken breast, cut into 

chunks 

150ml red wine 

150ml vegetable stock 

2 tbsp tomato ketchup 

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce 

400g can chickpeas, rinsed 

and drained 

2 large handfuls of spinach 

1 Cook the chicken 

Fry the onion in the oil for 

3 minutes until soft, but not 

browned. Add the garlic and 

cook for 1 minute, then stir 

in the chicken and cook until 

browned all over. 

2 Add the wine 

Pour the wine into the pan, 

bring to the boil, then bubble 

until the liquid is reduced by 

half. Pour in the stock, ketchup, 

Worcestershire sauce and 

chickpeas, then bring to the boil. 

Reduce the heat and simmer for 

6 minutes, or until the chicken is 

cooked through. Season. Stir in 

the spinach just before serving. 

8 

BBC Easy Cook

Serve with... 

Minty mash 

Tip 300g podded and skinned broad 

beans into a food processor with 

1½ tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, 

and the juice of ½ lemon. Whizz to 

a chunky purée, then tip into a pan 

and heat through. Stir through a 

small pack of roughly chopped mint 

and 1 tbsp olive oil. Serves 4. 

20 

mins 

BBC Easy Cook 9

30 

mins 

theeasyway Tahini 

is a paste made from 

ground sesame seeds 

– fnd it in the special 

ingredients aisle 

Spiced lamb 






2½ tbsp olive oil 

2 onions, halved and thinly sliced 

3 cloves of garlic, crushed 

1 red chilli, deseeded and fnely chopped 

100g bulghar wheat 

1 tbsp tahini paste 

juice of 1 lemon 

2 tbsp Greek-style yogurt 

2 tsp cumin seeds 

2 tsp ground coriander 

200g lamb mince 

100g cherry tomatoes, quartered 

2 spring onions, fnely sliced 

a small bunch of fat-leaf parsley, 

chopped 

1 Soften the onion 

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a 

non-stick frying pan. Tip in the 

onions and cook for 15 minutes 

until caramelised – 5 minutes 

before the onions are cooked, 

add 2 cloves of the garlic 

and the chilli. Remove from 

the pan and set side. 

2 Cook the wheat 

Cook the bulghar wheat 

according to pack 

instructions, then drain 

thoroughly. Mix the tahini, 

1 tbsp of the lemon juice, 

the remaining garlic, 

yogurt and seasoning 

together, and thin with 

1-2 tbsp of water. 

3 Fry the mince 

In the onion pan, heat the 

remaining oil. Add the cumin 

seeds and coriander and fry 

for 1 minute. Add the mince 

and fry for 5 minutes until 

cooked through. Tip in the onion 

mixture and heat through. 

4 Add the tomatoes 

Stir the tomatoes, spring onions, 

parsley, remaining lemon juice and 

seasoning into the bulghar wheat, then 

spread it out on a serving dish. Top with the 

lamb mince and a drizzle of yogurt dressing. 

10 

BBC Easy Cook

Fish and mussel stew 

l Serves 4 





1 tsp vegetable oil 

2 unsmoked bacon medallions or turkey 

rashers, chopped 

1 litre hot fsh stock 

a generous pinch of saffron 

1 large carrot, fnely diced 

1 celery stick, fnely chopped 

2 leeks, thinly sliced 

350g tomatoes, chopped 

400g can cannellini beans, drained 

265g pack skinless sustainable fsh 

fllets (such as haddock or cod), 

cut into chunks 

350g fresh mussels, scrubbed and 

beards removed 

2 tbsp chopped parsley 

SPEEDY MEALS 

theeasyway Saffron gives this 

stew a lovely colour, but it will 

still be delicious without it 

1 Soften the carrots and celery 

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan with a lid. 

Add the bacon or turkey and stir-fry over a 

high heat for 1 minute. Pour in the stock, then 

stir in the saffron, carrot, celery and leeks. 

Cover and cook for 10 mins on a medium heat. 

2 Add the beans 

Add the tomatoes and beans to the pan, and 

cook for 10 mins more until the veg is tender. 

The consistency will be quite brothy – if you 

prefer a thicker texture, use a hand blender and 

purée a little soup in the pan to thicken it. 

3 Cook the fsh 

Stir in the fsh and mussels, cover and cook for 

5 minutes more until the fsh is just cooked and 

the mussels open. Take some of the mussels 

out of their shells. Stir through the parsley, then 

ladle into bowls. 

30 

mins 

BBC Easy Cook 11

SPEEDY MEALS 

Chinese pork 



20 

mins 


350g pork fllet, diced 



juice of ½ lime 

a dash of sweet chilli sauce 

½ tsp cornfour (mixed with 

1 tbsp water) 

1 Stir-fry the pork 

Heat the oil in a wok, then add 

the pork and stir-fry for 2-3 mins. 

Mix the soy, honey, lime juice and 

chilli sauce with the cornfour 

mixture. Add to the pork, stir and 

cook until thickened. 

2 Finish and serve 

Serve the pork sprinkled with 

crispy seaweed (see left) and 

toasted sesame seeds, and with a 

side dish of boiled rice. 

Crispy sea bass 



How to make... Crispy seaweed 

Even in restaurants, 'seaweed' is often actually finely 

shredded cabbage. Thinly slice ¼ savoy cabbage, then 

deep-fry in vegetable oil until crispy. Drain on kitchen 

paper, then toss in a mixture of sugar and salt. 

theeasyway 

Serve with a 

scattering of 

parmesan 

1 tbsp white wine vinegar 

5 black peppercorns 

¼ tsp coriander seeds 

(optional) 

1 pink grapefruit 

100g unsalted butter 

2 large egg yolks 

1 tbsp double cream 

4 x 100g sea bass fllets 

(defrosted if frozen) 

2 tsp oil 

1 Flavour the vinegar 

Put the vinegar, peppercorns and 

coriander seeds (if using) into 

a small pan with 1 tbsp water. 

Simmer until reduced to 1 tsp, then 

remove from the heat. If it reduces 

too much, add a splash of water. 

2 Prepare the grapefruit 

Segment the grapefruit and put 

the segments onto kitchen paper. 

Squeeze the juice from the shell. 

3 Blitz the eggs 

Melt the butter in a small pan 

and keep it warm. Put the egg 

yolks into a food processor with a 

pinch of salt. Strain the reduced 

vinegar on top, then discard the 

peppercorns and coriander seeds. 

Add 1 tsp grapefruit juice, then 

whizz for a few seconds. 


With the motor running, pour in 

about 1 tbsp butter and the cream. 

Gradually add the rest of the 

butter, allowing it to fully emulsify 

after each addition to make a thick, 

smooth sauce. Keep the butter 

warm on the hob in between 

pours. Add 1 tsp more grapefruit 

juice to loosen, then season. Stir in 

the grapefruit segments and break 

it up a little. Keep the sauce warm. 

5 Cook the fsh 

Slash, then season the fsh. Heat 

a non-stick frying pan over a 

medium-high heat. Heat the oil, 

then fry the fsh skin-side down, 

for 4-5 mins, until almost cooked 

and the skin is crisp. Cook for 30 

seconds on the other side. 

Aubergine, chilli and bacon pasta 

l Serves 4 l Ready in 30 minutes l 89p a portion 


30 

mins 


1 large aubergine, cut into 

small cubes 

6 rashers smoked streaky 

bacon, roughly chopped 


1 red chilli, fnely chopped 

2 x 400g chopped tomatoes 

300g pasta 

1 Make the dish 

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add 

the aubergine and cook for 8 mins, 

until soft. Add the bacon and fry 

until cooked, adding the garlic 

and chilli for the fnal minute. 

Tip in the tomatoes and cook 

for 10 mins until thickened. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Drain 

well, then stir through the sauce. 

12 

BBC Easy Cook

30 

mins 

Serve the 

fish with the 

hollandaise on a 

bed of steamed 

Tenderstem 

broccoli 

BBC Easy Cook 13

SPEEDY MEALS 

Chilli chicken and 

sweetcorn pizza 

l Serves 4 





100g barbecue sauce 

1-2 tbsp chipotle paste (or more if you 

like it spicy) 

2 large ready-made pizza bases 

175g mozzarella, grated (ready-grated 

is fne) 

200g can sweetcorn, drained 

300g jar red peppers, drained 

and torn into slices 

200g cooked sliced chicken 

1 Top the pizzas 

Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/ 

gas 7. Mix the barbecue and chipotle sauce in 

a bowl. Put the pizza bases on 2 large baking 

trays and spread 

over the sauce. Scatter the mozzarella over the 

pizzas, then top with the sweetcorn, peppers 

and chicken. 

2 Cook the pizzas 

Bake for 20 minutes, swapping the trays over 

halfway through cooking, until the cheese 

has melted and the pizza is piping hot. 

30 

mins 

theeasyway 

scatter with 

chopped 

coriander and 

sliced green 

chillies, if you 

like it extra 

spicy. 

14 

BBC Easy Cook

Spicy Moroccan eggs 

l Serves 4 





l 

2 tsp vegetable oil 

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 

3 cloves of garlic, sliced 

1 tbsp rose harissa 



400g can chickpeas 

2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes 

2 courgettes, fnely diced 

200g bag of baby spinach 

4 tbsp chopped coriander 

4 large eggs 


Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan, and 

fry the onion and garlic for about 8 minutes, 

stirring every now and then, until starting 

to turn golden. Add the harissa and ground 

coriander, stir well, then pour in the stock and 

chickpeas with their liquid. Cover and simmer 

for 5 minutes, then mash about one-third of the 

chickpeas to thicken the stock a little. 

2 Add the tomatoes and courgettes 

Tip the tomatoes and courgettes into the 

pan, and cook gently for 10 minutes, until the 

courgettes are tender. Fold in the spinach so 

that it wilts into the pan. 

3 Break in the eggs 

Stir in the chopped coriander, then make 

4 hollows in the mixture and break in the eggs. 

Cover and cook for 2 minutes, then take off the 

heat for 2 minutes before serving. 

30 

mins 

BBC Easy Cook 15

SPEEDY MEALS 

Bacon and sausage grill 

l Serves 4 





4 rashers lean unsmoked back bacon 

4 portobello mushrooms 

12 cherry tomatoes 


2 slices granary or wholegrain bread, 

cut on the diagonal 

2 pork sausages 

2 eggs 

a few drops of cider vinegar 

1 Get the grill hot 

Lay the bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes 

on a foil-lined tray. Brush the tops of the 

mushrooms with 1 tbsp of the oil and both 

sides of the bread with the remaining oil. 

Set aside. Heat the grill to very hot. Lay 

the sausages on a small, foil-lined tray. 

Grill for about 10 minutes until cooked, 

turning occasionally. 

2 Poach the eggs 

Meanwhile, three-quarters fll a small pan, and 

a wide, deep pan with water. Bring both to 

the boil. Lower an egg into the small pan and 

remove after 30 seconds. Crack the egg into a 

cup. Add vinegar to the larger pan then, using 

a wire whisk, swirl the water around to create a 

whirlpool. Remove the whisk and slowly tip the 

egg into the centre of the whirlpool. When the 

water comes back to the boil, remove the pan 

from the heat, cover and leave for 3 minutes, 

then remove the egg. Put in a bowl of warm 

water while you cook the other egg. 

3 Griddle the bacon and veg 

Meanwhile heat a griddle pan to very hot. Put 

the tomatoes, bacon and mushrooms under 

the grill for 3-4 minutes without turning. At 

the same time, lay the bread on the griddle 

pan, cook until crisp, about 1 minute each side. 

Drain everything on kitchen paper. 

4 Serve 

Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and 

drain briefy on kitchen paper. Arrange 

everything on a plate. 

30 

mins 

theeasyway You can cook both eggs up to an hour 

ahead, leave in a bowl of iced water, then reheat for 

1½ mins in simmering water before serving 

16 

BBC Easy Cook

La Madeleine Bonne Maman. A traditional French recipe with 

fresh eggs and butter. Lovingly baked, individually wrapped, 

delicious to eat. 

Available in supermarkets nationwide

SPEEDY MEALS 

20 

mins 

theeasyway 

The spicy 

sauce is great 

with pasta too 

theeasyway Rinsing the rice frst 

(until the water runs clear) stop the rice 

grains from sticking together 

Sausage burgers with spicy tomato sauce 


l 650 kcals, 36g fat, 12g sat. fat a portion l Suitable for freezing 

2 cloves of garlic, chopped 

½ red chilli, chopped 


200g canned chopped 

tomatoes 

2 pork sausages, skins 

removed 

25g chorizo, chopped 

6 sage leaves, chopped 

2 slices ciabatta, toasted 

2 slices of goat’s cheese 


Fry the garlic and chilli in 1 tbsp 

of the oil for 1 min. Add the 

tomatoes, bring to the boil, then 

reduce the heat and simmer for 

8-10 minutes. Season. 

Pilchard puttanesca 

2 Shape the burgers 

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mash the 

sausage meat, chorizo, sage and 

some black pepper until well 

mixed. Using wet hands, shape 

the mixture into small burgers. 

3 Fry the burgers 

Heat the remaining oil in a pan 

and fry the burgers on a medium 

heat for 4-5 mins on each side, 

until golden and cooked through. 

Put the toast on a baking tray, top 

each with a burger and a slice of 

goat’s cheese. Grill for 3 minutes, 

or until the cheese is bubbling. 

Serve with the sauce. Burgers and 

sauce can be frozen separately. 

l Serves 4 l Ready in 20 minutes l 91p a portion 


300g spaghetti 


1 onion, fnely chopped 


1 red chilli, deseeded and 

fnely chopped 

1 tbsp tomato purée 

425g can pilchards in 

tomato sauce 

70g pack dried black olives 

with herbs, chopped 

shaved parmesan, to serve 

1 Cook the fsh and pasta 

Cook the pasta according to 

pack instructions. Heat the oil 

in a non-stick frying pan and 

cook the onion, garlic and chilli 

for 3-4 mins to soften. Stir in the 

tomato purée and cook for 1 min, 

then add the pilchards with their 

sauce. Cook, breaking up the fsh 

with a wooden spoon, add the 

olives and cook for 3-4 mins. 

2 Mix everything together 

Drain the pasta and add to the 

pan with 2-3 tbsp of the cooking 

water. Toss everything together 

well, then divide between plates 

and serve scattered with the 

shaved parmesan. 

Broad bean and dill pilaf 

l Serves 4 l Ready in 30 mins l 60p a portion l 435 kcals, 

12g fat, 6g sat. fat a portion l Not suitable for freezing l 

30 

mins 

300g basmati rice 

50g butter, plus extra to serve 




400g frozen broad beans, 

defrosted 

a small pack of dill, chopped 

1 Cook the rice 

Rinse the rice, then soak in warm 

water for 5 mins and drain well. 

Heat the butter in a pan and 

sizzle the onion and garlic for 

8-10 mins until softened, but 

not coloured. Stir in the rice and 

pour in the stock. Cover, bring to 

the boil, then turn the heat to a 

minimum and cook for 10 mins. 


Lift the lid, and quickly scatter 

over the beans, then replace the 

lid. Turn up the heat and simmer 

for 5 minutes until all the liquid 

is absorbed. Add the dill, stir the 

rice, and serve with extra butter 

melting through. 

18 

BBC Easy Cook

20 

mins 

If you can’t 

find dried olives, 

you can either add 

some fresh, stoned, 

chopped olives at the end 

of cooking, or leave 

them out altogether 

if you prefer 

BBC Easy Cook 19

SPEEDY MEALS 

Crispy sesame fsh burger 



l £2.76 a burger 



250g sustainable white fsh fllets, such as 

cod, haddock or pollock 

2 tbsp plain four 

1 egg, beaten 

4 tbsp dried breadcrumbs 

2 tbsp sesame seeds 

vegetable oil, for frying 

theeasyway 

Serve any leftover mayo 

on the side as a dip 

1 ripe avocado 

juice of 1 lime 

a small pack of coriander, chopped 

2 tbsp light mayonnaise 

2 burger buns (split and toasted) 

1 Coat the fsh 

Cut the fsh into 4 chunky fngers. Put the four 

in a bowl with some seasoning, put the egg 

in another bowl, and the breadcrumbs and 

sesame seeds in a third bowl. Dust the fsh 

fngers in four, then dip in egg and then coat in 

breadcrumbs. Chill for 10 mins. 

2 Fry the fsh 

Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan and cook 

the fsh fngers for 3-4 mins on each side, until 

golden and cooked through, adding a drizzle 

more oil if the pan looks too dry. 

3 Prepare the avocado 

Meanwhile, stone, peel and slice the avocado, 

squeeze over a little of the lime juice to prevent 

it from turning brown, then mix the remaining 

lime juice and coriander into the mayonnaise. 

4 Assemble the burgers 

To serve, spread a little mayo over the base of 

each bun, top with 2 fsh fngers, a few slices of 

avocado and the bun lid. 

30 

mins 

20 

BBC Easy Cook

30 

mins 

theeasyway You can use 

any small pasta shape 

for this – look out for 

economy packs of pasta 

in the supermarket 

Creamy tomato, courgette & prawn pasta 




2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 

2 large (or 400g) baby 

courgettes, sliced 

400g orecchiette pasta 

2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes 

a good pinch of sugar 

200g raw prawns, peeled 

100g half-fat crème fraiche 

small pack basil (leaves 

only, torn) 

1 Cook the courgettes 

Heat the oil in a large pan, add 

the garlic and sizzle for a few 

mins, then add the courgettes and 

cook for a few mins more until 

starting to soften. Cook the pasta 

according to pack instructions. 

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, 

sugar and seasoning to the pan, 

and simmer, lid off, for 10 mins. 

2 Finish the dish 

Add the prawns to the sauce and 

bubble until they just turn pink. 

Drain the pasta and add to the 

sauce with the crème fraiche. 

Simmer for another 1-2 mins, 

then add the basil and serve. 

Seared steak with pepper caponata 


l 269 kcals, 10g fat, 3g sat. fat a portion l Caponata suitable for freezing 

200g extra-lean fllet steaks 

140g fresh spinach 

FOR THE CAPONATA 

1-cal oil spray 

1 red onion, halved and sliced 

2 cloves of garlic, sliced 

400g can chopped tomatoes 

2 celery sticks, sliced 

1 orange pepper, deseeded, 

quartered and sliced 

25g pitted black kalamata 

olives, halved (about 8) 

1 tbsp capers 

½ tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp balsamic vinegar 

1 Make the caponata 

Spray a large, non-stick pan with 

3 sprays of oil, and add the onion 

and garlic. Cover and cook for 

5 mins to brown, stirring halfway. 

Tip in the tomatoes and a can 

of water, then stir in all the other 

caponata ingredients. Cover the 

pan and simmer until soft. 

2 Fry the steaks 

Heat a griddle or small non-stick 

frying pan. Grind black pepper 

over the steak and sear on both 

sides until cooked to your liking 

(about 5-6 mins). Leave to rest 

while you wilt the spinach in a 

covered pan on a low heat. To 

serve, spoon the caponata onto 

2 serving plates, top with the 

spinach, then slice the beef and 

arrange on top. 

Spiced chicken & pineapple salad 



22 

BBC Easy Cook 

10 

mins 

theeasyway This is lovely 

with ready-cooked, flavoured chicken breasts 

– sweet chilli and BBQ flavours are ideal 

227g can pineapple in juice 

about 140g cooked, sliced 

chicken breast 

1 small red onion, halved 

and thinly sliced 

90g bag mixed leaves 

a small bunch of coriander, 

leaves only 

a handful of cherry tomatoes, 

halved 

1 red chilli, deseeded and 

chopped 

2 tbsp white wine vinegar 

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 

1 Make the salad 

Drain the pineapple, reserving 

the juice (if in rings, chop into 

chunks). Mix with the chicken, 

onion, leaves, coriander and 

tomatoes, and divide between 

2 plates. 

2 Make the dressing 

Whisk together 2 tbsp of the 

pineapple juice, the chilli, vinegar 

and sweet chilli sauce with some 

seasoning, and toss through the 

salad before serving.

SPEEDY MEALS 

30 

mins 

For a posh 

lunch, bake some 

ready-made garlic 

bread slices and 

spoon the pepper 

caponata over 

the top 

BBC Easy Cook 23

Bake 

YOURSELVES 

For Red Nose Day this 

year, be inspired by 

Maltesers and bake 

yourselves silly – make 

some cakes and hold a 

bake sale to raise money 

for Comic Relief 

If bathing in baked beans or shaving your 

hair for the Red Nose Day madness doesn’t 

sound like your cup of tea, you can still delve 

into the wacky antics and do your bit by 

organising a bake sale choc-full of yummy 

cakes. It’s a great way to show off your 

cooking prowess, and the kids can get 

involved too. 

There’s no better way to get creative in the 

kitchen than to start with an inspiring 

ingredient. This year Maltesers has paired 

up with Red Nose Day, and they are 

encouraging the nation to get baking for a 

silly 

great cause. This deliciously light chocolate 

is so versatile, you’ll be able to create a 

range of tempting baked treats. 

Better still, Maltesers is helping to raise 

£1 million for Comic Relief with its specially 

designed Red Nose Day packs. Buy one of 

these and you can increase the feelgood 

factor, since 5p will be donated from every 

pack sold. 

So whether you bake to share with friends, 

raise a smile on colleagues’ faces or 

contribute to a bake sale, your cakes will 

also support the charity that works tirelessly 

to free the world from poverty. Just go to 

maltesers.co.uk for some simple and tasty 

recipe ideas. Or why not try these 

scrumptious fridge squares – perfect for 

every occasion. 

Bake with Maltesers this Red Nose Day – 

visit maltesers.co.uk 

Maltesers ® 

fridge squares 

l Makes 16 l Prep 35 mins 

plus 3hr chill time 

For the cake: 

140g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 

140g milk chocolate, broken into pieces 

80g butter 

75g clear honey 

150g digestive biscuits 

100g Maltesers ® 

For the topping: 

50g milk chocolate, broken into chunks 

1. Melt the mixture 

Line a 18cm square tin with parchment 

paper and set aside. Melt the plain and 

milk chocolate, butter and honey 

together in a small pan over a gentle 

heat, stirring occasionally until smooth. 

Remove from heat. 

2. Add the biscuits and chill 

Meanwhile place the digestives in a 

plastic bag and crush pieces with a 

rolling pin. Gently stir the biscuits into 

chocolate mixture, then add the 

Maltesers ® into the mixture and spoon 

into the prepared tin, ensuring the 

surface is level. Chill for two hours. 

3. Top it all off 

For the topping, place the milk 

chocolate pieces in a bowl set over a 

pan of hot water and leave until melted. 

Spoon into a piping bag and pipe 

squiggles across the cake. Leave to 

cool and chill for about 1 hour until 

set. Cut into squares and serve. 

GET READY FOR YOUR BAKE SALE WITH MALTESERS 

Whether you do it at work, at school, or your local community centre, organising a bake 

sale is easy, as Maltesers has created a Bake Yourselves Silly pack to help you get it off 

to a great start. Follow these easy steps for a top sale: 

• Download the Bake Yourselves Silly pack from maltesers.co.uk. 

• Get your friends and family to join in on the fun. 

• Have a look at the tasty recipes on maltesers.co.uk to get inspiration. 

• Buy your ingredients – including Maltesers or Teasers to add extra 

deliciousness to your cakes. 

• Bake yourselves silly! 

• Use the downloadable pack to add pizzazz. There are flags to 

decorate your cakes with, rosettes to award the yummiest and 

silliest, a stencil to help you add an icing sugar smiley face to 

creations and a table talker to help you advertise your sale.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE 

SERVE UP SOME SILLINESS 

Why not do some baking for this Red Nose Day on Friday 13 March, 

and hold your own bake sale to help raise even more funds. 

It will give you the chance to spoil your friends, family and work 

mates with lovely cake, but it also means Comic Relief can use the 

money you raise to help people living incredibly tough lives in the 

UK and across Africa. 

Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland). 

5p from every pack goes 

straight to Comic Relief

SPEEDY MEALS 

The beans 

make a great 

topper for jacket 

potatoes, or try 

them in tortillas 

instead 

Saturday 

snack 

This makes a substantial, 

weekend brunch for one, 

but it can easily stretch 

to serve two if you are 

feeling less greedy! 

Tex-Mex beans on toast 

l Serves 1 






2 spring onions, white and green parts 

separated, both fnely sliced 

2 tsp ground cumin 

2 tsp mild chilli powder 

1 tbsp brown or barbecue sauce 

400g can black beans, drained and rinsed 

2 slices of your favourite bread 

1 small ripe avocado 

a few squeezes of lemon or lime juice 

a large spoonful of natural yogurt 

1 Make the tomato sauce 

Tip the tomatoes, spring onion whites, spices 

and brown sauce into a pan. Bring to a simmer 

and bubble for 10 minutes. 


Stir in the beans with some seasoning and heat 

through for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the 

bread, then peel and chop half the avocado 

into large dice and mix with a squeeze of 

lemon or lime juice. 


Squash the remaining avocado over one piece 

of toast, and sandwich with the other. Put on 

a plate and top with the hot chilli beans, the 

avocado and a spoonful of yogurt. Scatter with 

the spring onion greens to serve. 

Try this too... 

Homemade tortillas 

Put 50g each of plain and wholemeal 

flours into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch 

of salt, a drizzle of oil and 2 tbsp 

water. Bring the mixture together to 

form a dough (add more water if it's too 

dry). Knead for a minute until smooth 

and elastic then set aside for 5-10 mins. 

On a floured work surface, divide the 

dough into 4 and roll out each piece 

into a very thin circle. Cook the tortillas 

(one at a time) in a dry, heavy-based 

frying pan on a medium/high heat for 

2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly 

golden and cooked through. Serves 2. 

26 

BBC Easy Cook

Free with March 2015 issue 

In this 

month’s 

issue 

Make Easter 

special 

• Chocolate 

hot cross buns 

• Greek 

slow-roast lamb 

Mother’s Day 

treats 

• Special high 

tea menu 

• Top tea rooms 

Bank Holiday 

dishes to share 

• Tom Kerridge’s 

fishpie 

• Mary Berry’s 

lemon drizzle cake 

ON 

SALE 

NOW! 

brunch40 

delicious 

recipes 

Baked eggs with chilli beans 

Let’s do 

PLUS FREE 

recipe book 

inside 

Salted 

caramel 

brownies

SPEEDY MEALS 

soups 

All these recipes make enough for two bowls, but 

it’s easy to increase the quantities to serve more 

Quick 

& easy 

Pesto minestrone 

Cook 1 chopped onion in 1 tbsp 

olive oil. Add 100g frozen mixed 

vegetables, 400g can chopped 

tomatoes, 400g can drained 

cannellini beans, 50g pasta shells 

and 600ml vegetable stock. 

Simmer for 8 minutes. Swirl in 

some green pesto to serve. 

Rich red pepper 

Put 6 halved, deseeded red 

peppers and 2 cloves of garlic 

under the grill until charred. Seal 

the peppers in a bag for 5 minutes, 

then slip off the skins. Squeeze 

the garlic out of its skin. Blend 

everything in a food processor 

with 50g breadcrumbs, 600ml 

vegetable stock and 1 tsp paprika. 

Heat through to serve. 

Creamy chowder 

Soften 1 chopped onion 

and 250g diced potato in 

1 tbsp sunflower oil for 

8 minutes. Pour over 

600ml milk and 150ml 

vegetable stock and 

simmer until the potatoes are 

soft. Add 2 skinless smoked 

haddock fillets cut into large 

chunks. Poach for 5 minutes. Sprinkle 

with a little chopped parsley to serve. 

Quick onion 

Cook 4 sliced onions in 25g butter and 

1 tbsp olive oil until soft and well browned 

(about 20 mins). Add 1 tsp dijon mustard 

and 2 x 400g cans beef consommé and 

simmer for 5 mins. Pour into bowls and top 

with slices of melted cheese on toast. 

Speedy mushroom 

Cook 1 chopped clove of garlic, 1 chopped 

onion and 500g quartered mushrooms in 

1 tbsp olive oil for 10 mins. Add 600ml 

vegetable stock and a handful of chopped 

parsley and simmer for 10 minutes. Liquidise 

Adding 

beans to soup 

is a good way 

to turn it into 

a filling main 

meal 

the soup, then reheat. 

Serve with a swirl of cream. 

Curried parsnip and apple 

Cook 1 chopped onion in 

1 tbsp olive oil until soft. Add 

1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 tsp ground 

coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin. Cook 

for about 1 minute, then add 400g diced 

parsnips and 600ml vegetable stock and 

cook until soft. Liquidise the soup, grate in 

1 small bramley apple, simmer for 3 minutes 

and serve piping hot. 

Moroccan chicken 

Fry 2 sliced chicken breasts for 5 minutes. 

Add 1 crushed clove of garlic and ½ tsp 

chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in 

600ml vegetable stock, 400g can tomatoes 

with olives and a 400g can drained 

chickpeas. Simmer for 10 minutes, then 

sprinkle with parsley to serve. 

Spiced carrot 

Soften ½ onion and 500g diced 

carrots in 1 tbsp olive oil for 

12 mins. Add 600ml vegetable 

stock, the grated rind and juice 

of 1 orange and 1 tsp ground 

cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes, 

cool a little, then liquidise. Reheat 

and serve topped with a spoonful 

of natural yogurt. 

Asian prawn noodle 

Fry 1 tbsp curry paste for 

1 minute. Stir in 400ml can 

coconut milk and 500ml fish 

stock. Simmer for 3 minutes, 

then add a 150g pack cooked 

prawns and heat through. 

Meanwhile, soak 100g rice 

noodles according to pack 

instructions. Tip into bowls, 

then pour over the soup and 

top with a few beansprouts 

and coriander leaves. 

Rustic leek & potato 

Soften 2 chopped leeks for 

8 minutes in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add 2 tsp 

chopped sage, 500g diced potato and 

600ml vegetable stock. Simmer for 

15 minutes and serve with crusty bread. 

Tasty toppings 

Ring the changes with these ideas: 

• Fry 2 chopped rashers smoked streaky 

bacon in olive oil and sprinkle over the 

Speedy Mushroom Soup, left. 

• Fry a 70g pack of pancetta, shredded, 

until crisp, mix with 25g toasted pine 

nuts, and sprinkle over the Curried 

Parsnip And Apple Soup, left. 

• In a deep frying pan, bring 250ml milk 

and a bay leaf to the boil. Lower to a 

gentle simmer, add 1 natural smoked 

haddock fillet, cover with baking paper. 

Cook for 3-4 minutes. Flake the fish over 

the Rustic Leek And Potato Soup, above. 

28 

BBC Easy Cook

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BBC Easy Cook 31

Cakes amug 

in 

All recipes 

tested in 

a 1000w 

microwave 

No need for lots of different cake tins 

with these recipes – just use a mug or a 

tea cup! They’re perfect for a midweek 

pud (or as a birthday treat for someone) 

Birthday bonanza 

l Makes 1 

l Takes 15 mins, plus cooling time 



2 tbsp soft butter 

1 egg 

1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

3 tbsp caster sugar 

4 tbsp self-raising four 

a pinch of salt 

1 tbsp coloured sprinkles 

TO DECORATE 

1 tsp icing sugar 

50g pink ready-to-roll icing 

1 tbsp raspberry jam (or use another 

favour if you prefer) 

3 tbsp royal icing 

1 tbsp coloured sprinkles 

cake candle 

1 Make the cake 

Put the butter in a mug and microwave 

for 10-20 seconds until melted. Add the 

egg, milk and vanilla to the mug and beat 

with a fork until fully combined. Add the 

caster sugar, four and salt and beat again 

until very smooth. Grease or line a 350ml 

cup with cling flm, then pour in the cake 

batter and fold through the coloured 

sprinkles. Cook in the microwave for 

1 minute 45 seconds on full power (100%). 

Turn the cake out onto a plate, remove the 

cling flm and leave to cool completely. 

2 Ice the cake 

Dust the work surface with the icing sugar 

and then roll out the pink icing to a size large 

enough to cover the entire sponge. When the 

cake is cold, spread the jam over the sponge 

and then lay over the icing, smoothing down 

with the palm of your hand as you go and 

trimming off any excess around the bottom 

with a sharp knife. 

3 Decorate the cake 

Mix the royal icing with ½ tsp water to make 

an icing the consistency of thick custard. 

Spoon this icing over the centre of the cake, 

allowing it to trickle down the sides before 

it sets. Decorate with coloured sprinkles 

and add a candle. 

Coffee & walnut cake 

l Makes 1 

l Takes 10 minutes, plus cooling time 




2 tsp instant coffee granules (mixed 

with 1 tbsp hot water) 

1 egg 


3 tbsp golden caster sugar 


a pinch of salt 

1 tbsp walnuts, roughly 

chopped 

TO DECORATE 

2 tbsp double cream 

½ tbsp ready-made caramel sauce 

1 walnut half 

32 

BBC Easy Cook

SPEEDY MEALS 

Coke float 

l Makes 1 

l Takes 10 minutes, plus cooling time 

l 99p a portion 



1 tbsp cocoa powder 

1 egg 

2 tbsp cola 



pinch of salt 

TO DECORATE 

2 tsp soft butter 

½ tsp cocoa powder 

2 tbsp icing sugar 

1 tsp cola 

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream 

1 tbsp fzzy cola bottle 

sweets (optional) 

1 Make the cake 

Put the butter in a 350ml mug and microwave 

on full power (100%) for 10-20 seconds until 

melted. Add the cocoa and then stir again until 

smooth. Add the egg, cola and sugar and beat 

with a fork. Add the four and salt and beat 

until smooth. Microwave for 2 minutes on full 

power (100%). Cool. 

theeasyway 

Top the Coke 

Float with 

ice cream 

and drizzle 

with the 

icing. Finish 

with fzzy 

cola sweets 

(optional) 

These recipes are adapted 

from Mug Cakes by Mima 

Sinclair, £8.99, Kyle 

Books. BBC Easy Cook 

readers can buy it for just 

£8.54, with free p&p. Call 

01326 569444 or visit 

www.sparkledirect.com 

2 Make the icing 

Mix the butter, cocoa powder, icing sugar and 

cola in a mug. Microwave on full power (100%) 

for 10-15 seconds until melted. 

Ready in minutes 

1 Microwave the cake mixture 

Put the butter in a 350ml mug and microwave 

on full power (100%) for 10-20 seconds 

until melted. Add the coffee mixture, egg, 

vanilla and sugar to the mug and beat with a 

fork until thoroughly combined. Add the four 

and salt and beat again until smooth, then 

fold through the walnut pieces. Cook in the 

microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds on full 

power (100%). Leave to cool. 


Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks, then 

fold through the caramel sauce. Spoon over the 

cooled sponge and top with the walnut half. 

theeasyway You can replace the double 

cream in the icing with mascarpone 

These 

would be a hit at 

a kids' party (you 

could even make 

them during 

the party) 

BBC Easy Cook 33

One-dish 

wonders 

Cooking everything in a single dish or casserole 

makes for no-stress, no-mess meals on 

busy weekends 

Sausage pasta bake 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 35 minutes, plus 30 mins in the oven 


l 689 kcals, 37g fat, 17g sat. fat a portion fat a 


1 small butternut squash (peeled, seeds 

discarded, fesh cut into small cubes) 

2 tsp olive oil 

a small pack of sage (leaves only, 

roughly chopped) 

8 sausages 

a good grating of nutmeg 

350g pasta shells 

50g butter 

50g plain four 

850ml milk 

50g grated parmesan, plus extra 

for sprinkling 

125g ball mozzarella, drained 

and chopped 

1 Fry the sausages 

Put the squash in a microwaveable bowl with 

1 tbsp water. Cook in the microwave on full 

power (100%) for 10 minutes, or until soft. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add 

the sage leaves and sizzle for 1 minute. 

Remove the sausages from their skins and 

divide into small balls. Add to the pan and 

fry until browned. Add half the squash 

and set aside. Mash the remaining 

squash with any liquid from the bowl, 

the nutmeg and some seasoning. 


Turn oven to fan 200C/conventional 

220C/gas 7. Cook the pasta according 

to pack instructions. Meanwhile, melt 

the butter in a pan, then add the four 

and stir to a smooth paste. Cook for 

1-2 minutes, stirring, then gradually 

mix in the milk until you have a smooth 

sauce. Add the mashed squash, the 

parmesan and plenty of seasoning. Add 

3-4 tbsp of the sauce to the sausage 

mixture to loosen it a little. 

3 Bake 

Spread the remaining squash sauce over 

the base of a large, shallow baking dish. 

Drain the pasta, but keep a little liquid in the 

pan to stop the shells from sticking together. 

Remove any broken bits of pasta out of the 

pan and scatter these over the sauce. Line up 

the shells on top, pushing them down into the 

sauce so that only the tops of the shells are 

poking out. Fill each shell with the sausage 

mixture. Scatter with the mozzarella and 

grate over some extra parmesan Bake for 30 

minutes, or until piping hot and golden brown. 

36 

BBC Easy Cook

Pork casserole 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 20 minutes, plus 2 hours in the oven 



l Suitable for freezing 

Macaroni cheese 

with bacon 

ENTERTAINING MADE EASY 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 25 mins, plus 20 minutes in the oven 




50g pine nuts 

4 slices pancetta or bacon, chopped 

400g macaroni or other short pasta 

300ml double cream 

200ml crème fraiche 

200g mature cheddar, grated 

2 tsp dijon mustard 

1 Toast the pine nuts and crisp the bacon 


gas 6. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan, 

for 2-3 mins, then tip onto a plate. Add the 

pancetta or bacon and cook until crisp. 


Bring a large pan of salted water to the 

boil and cook the pasta according to pack 

instructions, until al dente. Drain, reserving a 

ladleful of the pasta cooking water. 

3 Make the cheese sauce 

Meanwhile, put the double cream, crème 

fraiche and half the cheddar into a pan, stir 

together and gently heat until the cheese has 

melted. Take off the heat, stir in the mustard 

and some seasoning to taste. 

4 Bake 

Tip the drained pasta into a large baking 

dish and stir in the cheese sauce, adding 

some of the reserved pasta cooking water 

if it looks a little dry. Sprinkle over the toasted 

pine nuts and cooked pancetta, and then 

scatter over the remaining cheese. Bake 

for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden 

and bubbling. 


700g skinless, boneless pork belly, cut 

into large bite-sized chunks 

100g cooking chorizo, thinly sliced 

1 large onion, chopped 

1 large carrot, fnely chopped 

1 tsp fennel seeds 

a small pinch of dried chilli fakes 

2 cloves of garlic 

4 bay leaves (use fresh if you have any) 

1 thyme sprig 

a large pinch of golden caster sugar 

1 tbsp tomato purée 

50ml red wine vinegar 


400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

a small pack of parsley, chopped 

1 Brown the meat then simmer 


gas 3. Heat the oil in a fameproof, lidded 

casserole dish and brown the pork on all sides 

(about 10 mins), in batches if necessary. Scoop 

the pork out, set aside, then add the chorizo 

and sizzle for 1 minute. Add the vegetables, 

fennel seeds, chilli fakes, garlic, bay leaves and 

thyme. Cook for 5 mins, until the vegetables 

start to colour. Stir in the sugar, tomato purée 

and the vinegar and bubble for 1 min. Tip in 

the tomatoes and a can of water. Stir in the 

pork and juices, season and bring to a simmer. 

2 Bake 

Cover the dish with a lid and cook in the oven 

for 1 hour 45 minutes. If the sauce becomes 

too thick, add a splash more water. Remove 

from the oven, stir in the chickpeas and cook 

for 15 minutes more. Remove again, leave to 

cool slightly, then stir in the parsley. 

Gruyère 

works well 

in place of the 

cheddar 

too 

BBC Easy Cook 37


Makes a great starter too 

Serve with 

Rose Fizz: Mix 

500ml peach juice and 

½ tsp rose water in a jug. 

Divide between 8 glasses, 

then top up with 

prosecco (you’ll need 

a 750ml bottle). 

Makes 8 

Help-yourself 

plattersThese easy 

buffet-style 

platters are ideal for a 

Bank Holiday get-together 

Minty beetroot dip 

with chilli pitta crisps 

l Serves 8 





250g vacuum-packed cooked beetroot 

(drained and coarsely grated) 

½ small cucumber, halved (seeds 

scooped out, cut into small chunks) 

250ml Greek yogurt 

1 small clove of garlic, very fnely grated 

or crushed 

½ large bunch of mint (leaves only, 

fnely chopped), plus some small 

leaves to serve 

1 tsp golden caster sugar 

FOR THE PITTA CRISPS 

pack of 6 pitta breads, each cut into 

6 small triangles 

2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little to serve 

1 tsp chilli fakes 

1 Make the dip 

Put the beetroot, most of the cucumber, the 

yogurt, garlic, mint, sugar and some seasoning 

in a large bowl, and mix well. Chill until ready 

to serve. Can be made up to 1 day ahead. 

2 Bake the pitta crisps and serve 


gas 7. On a large baking tray, toss together the 

pitta triangles, oil and chilli fakes. Bake for 

10-15 mins, turning halfway, until really crisp. 

Stir the dip, then spoon onto a plate. Scatter 

with the reserved cucumber and mint, and 

drizzle with oil. Serve with the pitta crisps. 

Honey and 

cumin chicken & 

aubergine skewers 

l Serves 8 





6 chicken breasts, sliced into long, 

thin strips 

2 large aubergines, cut into 3cm cubes 

FOR THE MARINADE 

3 tbsp cumin seeds 

1 tbsp ground cumin 

4 tbsp clear honey, plus 2 tbsp for 

drizzling 


fnely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 

38 

BBC Easy Cook

Orange and feta giant 

couscous salad 

l Serves 8 





300g giant couscous 

3 oranges 



2 tbsp harissa 

2 tsp ground cinnamon 


2 red onions, halved and thinly sliced 

2 x 200g packs feta, broken into chunks 

a small bunch of mint (leaves picked 

and chopped) 

a small bunch of coriander, chopped 

100g bag of baby spinach 

Super-tasty feast 

1 Cook the couscous 

Bring a large pan of salted water to the 

boil. Add the couscous and cook according 

to pack instructions. Meanwhile, fnely grate 

the rind of 1 orange, then squeeze it. Peel the 

skin and white pith from the other two with 

a sharp knife and release the segments from 

between the membranes, catching any juice, 

and set aside. 

2 Flavour the couscous 

Drain the cooked couscous, then put into 

a bowl with the orange rind and juice. Add 

the lemon juice, olive oil, harissa, spices, and 

seasoning. Leave to cool, stirring often to 

prevent it from sticking together. Can now be 

chilled for up to 24 hours. 

1 Marinate the chicken 

Mix the marinade ingredients and some 

seasoning in a large bowl, then tip half into 

another bowl. Add the chicken to 1 bowl and 

the aubergine to the other. Leave to marinate 

for up to 24 hours. 

2 Soak the skewers 

Pre-soak wooden skewers in warm water for 

20 minutes. (You will need about 32 skewers 

and each skewer must be able to ft inside a 

griddle pan or frying pan.) 

3 Cook the aubergine skewers 


gas 7. Thread the aubergine onto 16 skewers, 

(4-5 chunks per skewer), and then put on 

2 parchment-lined trays. Bake for 15 mins, or 

until tender and golden, turning the skewers 

and swapping the trays halfway through cooking. 

4 Cook the chicken skewers 

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan or a frying pan 

over a medium-high heat. Thread the chicken 

pieces onto the remaining skewers. Cook the 

chicken skewers in batches, turning regularly 

to prevent the honey burning. When nicely 

charred, but not cooked through, transfer to 

a baking tray. Remove the aubergine skewers 

from the oven and drizzle both the chicken 

and the aubergine skewers with the remaining 

honey. Put all the skewers into the oven for 

5 mins, until the chicken is cooked and sticky. 

3 Add the orange 

Add the onions, feta, mint, coriander, spinach and 

the reserved orange segments to the couscous. 

Gently toss. Serve at room temperature. 

Serve the skewers with... 

Homemade dukkah 

Toast 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp 

each of cumin and coriander seeds in 

a dry pan until aromatic. Meanwhile, 

whizz 50g unsalted shelled pistachios 

until finely chopped, but still with 

some texture, then transfer to a bowl. 

Tip the toasted seeds and spices into 

the processor and blitz again until 

finely chopped, then add these to the 

pistachios, along with 1 tsp sweet 

paprika, 1 tsp crushed black pepper 

and a good pinch of salt. Mix, then set 

aside until ready to serve. Serves 8. 

BBC Easy Cook 39


Spring 

dinner 

for four 

This Italian-inspired roast chicken 

couldn’t be easier, but the result is 

really special – perfect for Easter 

A fabulous feast that’s simple to make 

40 

BBC Easy Cook

Lemon roast chicken 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 10 minutes, plus 1 hour 30 minutes in 

the oven and resting time 




20g bunch of rosemary 

45g butter 


1 lemon (rind fnely grated and lemon 

then halved) 

½ small red chilli, deseeded and chopped 

1.8kg whole chicken 

4 medium carrots 

Serve 

the compote 

in a dish 

alongside the 

panna cotta 

1 Flavour the chicken 


gas 5. Very fnely chop 2 sprigs of the 

rosemary and mix with 2 tbsp of the butter, the 

garlic, grated lemon rind and chilli. Gently lift 

the skin away from the breast of the chicken 

and press the butter underneath on both sides. 

Rub the remaining butter all over the outside 

of the chicken and then stuff the lemon halves 

inside the cavity of the chicken. 

2 Roast the chicken 

Put the chicken on a wire rack along with the 

carrots in a medium roasting tin. Season, then 

scatter with the remaining rosemary leaves. 

Roast the chicken for 1 hour 30 minutes, or 

until the juices run clear, then remove from 

the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before 

carving. Serve it on a board with the carrots 

and a bowl of the roasting juices. 

Serve on the side... 

Quick Italian salad Toss 4 large 

handfuls of crisp salad leaves with a 

few peppadew peppers, drained from a 

jar, and some sliced black olives. Top with 

4 tbsp toasted pine nuts and dress with 

olive oil and red wine vinegar. Serves 4. 

Speedy salsa verde Chop 2 

handfuls of flat-leaf parsley leaves. 

Mix with 2 tbsp capers, 2 finely sliced 

shallots, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little 

seasoning. Serves 4. 

theeasyway If you like 

anchovies, mash a couple and 

add them to the butter you stuff 

under the chicken skin (step 1) 

Artichoke and potato mash 

l Serves 4 





600g large red potatoes, chopped into 

2.5cm chunks 

60g butter 

4 tbsp milk 

2 tbsp chopped fat-leaf parsley 

400g can artichoke hearts, drained & sliced 



1 Boil and mash the potatoes 

Put the potatoes in a large pan and cover with 

cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 

15 minutes or until tender, then drain. Return 

to pan and add the butter, milk and seasoning. 

Mash until light and fuffy. Stir in the parsley. 

2 Add the artichokes 

Meanwhile, pat the artichoke slices dry with 

kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a frying pan. 

Cook the garlic for 1 minute, then add the 

artichoke hearts and some seasoning. Cook 

for 5 mins until golden and crisp. Mash the 

artichokes into the potatoes (reserve a few for 

the top) and warm through until hot. Serve the 

mash with the reserved artichokes on top. 

Panna cotta with apricots 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 30 mins, plus cooling and setting time 




1½ level tsp powdered gelatine 

250ml soya milk 

fnely grated rind of ½ lemon 

1 tsp vanilla paste 

a splash of rum 


FOR THE COMPOTE 

175g ripe apricots, halved and stoned 

25g caster sugar 

1 Make the panna cotta 

Sprinkle the gelatine onto 1½ tbsp water and 

soak for 5 minutes. Put the soya milk, grated 

lemon rind, vanilla, sugar and rum into a pan. 

Heat until the liquid just comes to the boil, then 

remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine. 

Cool for 10 minutes. Strain the milk mixture, 

then divide between 4 ramekins. Cover and 

refrigerate until set (about 1½ hours). 

2 Make the compote 

Meanwhile, put the sugar and 75ml water into 

a pan, then heat until the sugar has dissolved. 

Add the apricots and cook gently until the 

apricots are soft (10-15 mins). Leave to cool. 

BBC Easy Cook 41


Citrussy 

side salads 

These three healthy recipes are really 

zesty and versatile plus quick to make 

Zingy rice salad 

l Serves 3 





250g wild rice 


finely grated rind and juice of 2 limes 

4 spring onions, chopped 

75g cashews, toasted 

a large pack of coriander, chopped 

1 Cook the rice and assemble the salad 

Cook the rice according to pack instructions, 

then run under cold water. Drain. Whisk the 

olive oil, lime juice and rind to make a dressing. 

Tip the onions, cashews, coriander and rice 

into a bowl, and toss with the dressing. 

Carrot, orange 

and avocado salad 

l Serves 4 





Warm lemony 

courgette salad 

l Serves 2 





2 courgettes 


finely grated rind of 1 lemon, plus 

a squeeze of juice 


¼ small pack basil, roughly torn 

1 Fry the courgettes and assemble 

Use a vegetable peeler to slice the 

courgettes into wide strips (discard the 

central part). Heat the oil in a frying pan, 

and fry the lemon rind and garlic on a 

medium heat for 1 min. Add the 

courgettes and cook, stirring, 

for 1-2 mins until softened. 

Add a squeeze of lemon 

juice and toss the basil 

through to serve. 

3 oranges (2 segmented, plus the finely 

grated rind and juice of 1) 

3 carrots (halved lengthways and sliced 

with a peeler) 

70g bag of rocket 

2 avocados, stoned, peeled 

and sliced 



Put the orange segments (from 2 oranges) in a 

bowl with the carrots, rocket and avocados. 

Whisk together the orange juice, rind and oil 

Toss through the salad, and season. 

Lovely fresh favours 

42 

BBC Easy Cook

Seasonal 

ideas 

Purple-sprouting broccoli and rhubarb are at their best 

so transform them into delicious dinners and perfect puds 

Broccoli pasta 

l Serves 2 





l 

200g pasta shapes 


6 anchovy fllets in oil, chopped 

(reserve 1 tbsp oil) 

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 

Inspired by Gardeners’ World 

1 red chilli, thinly sliced 

fnely grated rind of 1 lemon, 

plus juice of ½ 

50g fresh breadcrumbs 

200g purple-sprouting broccoli 


Cook the pasta according to pack 

instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp of 

the olive oil and 1 tbsp of the oil from the 

anchovies in a frying pan. Add the garlic 

and chilli, and sizzle for 3-4 minutes until 

the garlic is just starting to turn golden. Add 

the anchovies and lemon juice, and cook 

for 1-2 mins more, until the anchovies melt 

into the sauce. Put the remaining olive oil, 

breadcrumbs and lemon rind in another 

frying pan, stir, and cook until crisp. 

2 Add the garlic and anchovies 

When the pasta has 4-5 mins to go, add the 

broccoli to the pan. When cooked, drain, 

(reserve a cup of the pasta water), then 

add to the frying pan with the garlic and 

anchovies. Cook over a low heat for 2 mins, 

adding a splash of pasta water if needed. 

Turn over 

for four more 

great ideas 

theeasyway Season, then serve in pasta bowls with the lemony crumbs sprinkled over 

BBC Easy Cook 43


Japanese greens with sticky rice 


l Takes 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooking 




l 


140g sushi rice 

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp sunfower oil 

250g purple-sprouting broccoli 

90g pack baby pak choi 

6 spring onions, halved lengthways 

FOR THE SAUCE 

2 tbsp brown miso paste 

1 tbsp mirin 

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 

1 tbsp soft brown sugar 

2 tsp fnely grated ginger 

1 red chilli, deseeded and diced 

1 Mix the sauce 

Stir the brown miso paste, mirin, rice wine 

vinegar, brown sugar, grated ginger and chilli 

together with 1 tbsp water. Set aside. 

2 Cook the rice 

Bring a large pan of water to the boil with the 

caster sugar and ½ tsp salt. Add the rice and 

cook according to pack instructions, or until 

just cooked. Drain well and return to the pan. 

Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and sesame oil, 

then cover and set aside to keep warm. 

3 Stir-fry the broccoli 

Heat the sunfower oil in a wok until very 

hot, then toss in the broccoli and stir-fry for 

2-3 minutes until almost tender, adding 

splashes of water occasionally to create steam. 

Cut each pak choi in half lengthways and add 

in the spring onions. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, 

then stir in the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes, 

stirring constantly. 

Delicious and easy 

Rhubarb & orange slump 

l Serves 4 





900g rhubarb, chopped into 3cm slices 

fnely grated rind and juice of 

2 medium oranges 


200g self-raising four 

85g butter, cut into pieces 

150ml milk 

2 tbsp faked almonds 

1 Simmer the fruit 


gas 5. Put the rhubarb in a pan with the orange 

juice and 50g of the sugar. Heat gently to 

dissolve the sugar, then cover and cook for a 

few minutes until the rhubarb is softened but 

still holding its shape (about 5 minutes). Tip 

into a 1.5-litre gratin dish. 

2 Make the topping and bake 

Put the four, orange rind and remaining 

sugar in a bowl, add the butter, then rub in 

with your fngertips until the mixture resembles 

fne breadcrumbs. Stir in the milk to make a 

soft dough. Drop 8 spoonfuls of mixture over 

the rhubarb and scatter with the almonds. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping 

is crisp and golden. 

theeasyway Spread the rice over 

2 plates, divide over the stir-fry and 

serve immediately 

Another quick idea 

Ginger slump 

Make the Rhubarb and Orange Slump, 

as above, but add 3 very finely sliced 

balls of stem ginger (from a jar), 

together with 1 tsp of the juice and mix 

with the cooked rhubarb in step 1, above. 

44 

BBC Easy Cook

This is 

lovely served 

warm with 

clotted cream or 

a spoonful of 

mascarpone 

Rhubarb & orange cake 

l Serves 10 

l Takes 35 minutes, plus 1 hour 15 minutes 

in the oven 




400g rhubarb, thickly sliced 

280g golden caster sugar 

225g butter, softened 

fnely grated rind and juice 1 orange 


100g pack ground almonds 

1 tsp baking powder 

3 medium eggs 

a small handful of faked almonds 

icing sugar, for dusting 

1 Prepare the rhubarb 

Tip the rhubarb into a bowl and sprinkle over 

50g of the sugar. Stir so the rhubarb is covered, 

then set aside for 30 mins to draw out some of 

the juices. Meanwhile, grease and line the base 

and sides of a 23cm-round, loose-bottomed 

cake tin with baking parchment and turn oven 

to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. 

2 Make the cake batter 

Tip the remaining sugar, the butter, orange rind 

and juice into a large bowl and beat with an 

electric whisk until well blended. Add the four, 

almonds, baking powder and eggs, then beat 

again until smooth. Fold in the rhubarb and any 

juices. Spoon into the tin and level the top. 

3 Bake 

Sprinkle with the faked almonds, then bake 

in the centre of the oven for 1 hour-1 hour 

15 mins until risen and golden, and a skewer 

inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover 

with foil if the cake starts to brown too much. 

Remove from the oven, then leave the cake in 

the tin for 15 mins before removing. Cool on a 

wire rack. Dust with a little icing sugar to serve. 

BBC Easy Cook 45

chicory 

Take a pack of 

The beauty of chicory is 

that it requires very little 

prep. If you haven’t used 

it before, try one of these 

tasty ideas 

Thai salad 

l Serves 4 





FOR THE DRESSING 

2 tbsp fsh sauce 

4 tsp caster sugar 

4 tbsp lime juice (about 2 limes) 

1 small red chilli, fnely chopped 

(remove ribs and most of the 

seeds for a milder taste) 

FOR THE SALAD 

24 cooked tiger prawns, shelled 

6cm-piece cucumber, very thinly sliced 

2 eating apples 

2 spring onions 

4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander, 

plus extra to fnish 

2 tbsp roughly chopped mint 

1 red and 1 green chicory 

(or 2 of one colour) 

1 Marinate the prawns 

Mix together all the dressing ingredients. Put 

the prawns in a shallow dish, scatter over the 

cucumber, pour over 2 tbsp of the dressing and 

leave to marinate while you prepare the salad. 

(Can be made 6 hours ahead and refrigerated.) 


Core and slice the apples very thinly and 

put into a large bowl. Finely chop the spring 

onions and mix with the apples. Scatter over 

Any 

leftover 

salad makes 

a great filling 

for wraps the 

next day 

the chopped herbs, pour over most of the 

remaining dressing and gently toss together 

with your hands. 


Trim the ends from the chicory and separate 

the leaves. Arrange the leaves on plates and 

pile everything up on top, fnishing with the 

prawns. Top with a scattering of coriander and 

drizzle with the remaining dressing. 

46 

BBC Easy Cook


Slow-roasted pork belly and braised chicory 

l Serves 6 

l Takes 15 minutes, plus 3½ hours in the 

oven, and resting time 




2kg pork belly piece, skin scored 

4 tsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 

6 heads chicory (red or white 

or both) 

3 cloves of garlic, halved 

4 thyme sprigs 

300ml cider 

1 tbsp dijon mustard 

2 tbsp brown sugar 

1 Cook the meat 

Turn the oven to its highest temperature. 

Lay the pork on a board, skin-side up. 

Rub the skin with a little oil, then season 

with crushed pepper and a sprinkling of 

coarse sea salt. Put the pork in shallow 

roasting tin, skin-side up (the skin should be 

higher than the edge of the tin). Cook the 

pork for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down 

to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 and 

roast for 1 hour more, or until it is cooked 

through and the skin has crackled. 

2 Add the chicory 

Meanwhile, halve the chicory lengthways. 

When the pork has roasted for 1 hour, 

remove from the oven and use a pair of tongs 

to lift it onto a chopping board. Pour off the 

excess fat. Put the chicory in the tray, cut-side 

up. Scatter over the garlic and thyme and 

pour over the cider. Drizzle with olive oil, 

blob on the mustard and sprinkle with sugar. 

Put the pork on top and cook for 2 hours more. 

3 Rest the meat 

Lift the pork off the chicory and transfer it to 

a board. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. 

Shaved pear, cheese 

& bresaola salad 

l Serves 4 





100g walnut halves 

2 pears 

2 heads red chicory, broken into leaves 

100g bresaola (thinly sliced, cured beef) 

140g dolcelatte, sliced 

1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 

FOR THE DRESSING 

2 tbsp red wine or port 

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 


1 Make the dressing 


gas 6. Put the walnuts onto a baking tray and 

toast for 5 minutes, or until dark golden. Leave 

to cool. Put the wine or port in a small pan 

with the vinegar and sugar. Boil for 3 minutes 

or until slightly syrupy (it will thicken as it 

cools), then take off the heat and set aside. 

2 Assemble the salad 

When ready to serve, shave thin slices from the 

pears using a large, sharp knife, mandolin or 

potato peeler. Mix them lightly together with 

the leaves, bresaola, cheese and nuts on a large 

platter. Season the dressing, then drizzle it over 

the salad, followed by the oil. 

theeasyway Carve into thick slices and serve with 

the chicory and the delicious juices spooned over 

BBC Easy Cook 47


weekend 

Something for the 

A scrumptious pudding is the perfect way to finish a family meal, so 

make one of these and turn Sunday lunch into something really special 

Cherry bakewell sponge pudding 

l Serves 6 

l Takes 20 mins, plus 45 mins in the oven 




2 x 425g cans pitted black cherries, 

in syrup (drain the syrup 

and reserve) 

6 tbsp cherry jam 



3 large eggs 


140g ground almonds 

1 tsp almond extract 

50g faked almonds 

1 Make the cherry flling 


gas 4. Tip the syrup from the cherries into a 

pan, together with the cherry jam. Boil for 

10-15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced 

by half and is thick and syrupy, and then add 

the cherries to the pan. Pour into a baking dish, 

roughly 18 x 25cm, then set aside. 

2 Make the batter and bake 

In a bowl, mix the butter, sugar, eggs, four, 

ground almonds, almond extract and a pinch 

of salt with an electric whisk until combined. 

Spoon the sponge mixture over the cherries 

and gently spread to a smooth layer. Scatter 

over the faked almonds, then bake for 

45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into 

the sponge layer comes out clean. 

48 

BBC Easy Cook

Chocolate pud with 

chocolate sauce 

l Serves 8 





100g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing 



50g cocoa 

1 tsp baking powder 

3 large eggs 

200ml Irish cream liqueur, plus extra to 

serve (optional) 

50ml milk 

100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped 

icing sugar, for dusting (if using) 

single cream, to serve 

FOR THE SAUCE 

200g light muscovado sugar 

25g cocoa 

1 Make the pudding batter 

Grease a 2-litre baking dish and turn oven 

to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Put 

the kettle on. Put the four, caster sugar, 

cocoa, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a 

large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk 

together the eggs, butter, liqueur (optional) and 

milk, then pour onto the dry ingredients and 

mix together until smooth. Stir in the chocolate 

and scrape everything into the baking dish. 


Mix 300ml boiling water from the kettle with 

the sugar and cocoa, then pour all over the 

pudding batter (it will look strange!). Bake on 

the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes 

until the surface looks frm, risen and crisp. 

Dust with icing sugar, if you like. 

Serve with cream 

Panna cotta 

is usually made 

with double cream 

– our lighter version 

drastically reduces 

the fat and 

calories 

Coffee panna cotta 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 15 mins, plus infusing, cooling 

and chilling time 




125ml whipping cream 


½ vanilla pod, slit lengthways 

2 small gelatine leaves (each 12 x 6cm) 

2 tsp instant coffee granules 

250g full-fat Greek yogurt 

150ml buttermilk 

sifted cocoa powder, for dusting 

1 Flavour the cream 

Put the cream and sugar in a small pan. 

Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod, then 

add the pod. Stir over a low heat until the 

sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, remove 

from the heat and leave to infuse for 5 mins. 

2 Soften the gelatine 

Meanwhile, lay the gelatine leaves in a 

shallow dish and pour over enough cold 

water to cover them. Soak for 4-5 minutes. 

3 Add the gelatine to the cream 

Remove the gelatine leaves from the water, 

squeeze well to remove any excess water, 

then stir the leaves into the cream until 

dissolved. Stir in the coffee granules until 

they are also dissolved. Leave the mixture to 

go cold, stirring occasionally. Keep checking 

so that you can catch it before it starts to set 

– you want it to stay runny. 

4 Finish making the coffee custard 

Discard the vanilla pod. Beat the yogurt and 

buttermilk together in a large bowl, then 

gradually beat in the cold coffee mixture. 

Transfer it to a jug, then pour into 4 small 

(150ml) pudding moulds. Chill for 4-5 hours. 

5 Turn out the puds 

To serve, dip each mould into a bowl of very 

hot water (to just below the rim) for a few 

seconds, then turn each dessert out onto a 

small plate. Re-dip if they don’t slide out the 

frst time. Serve dusted lightly with cocoa. 

BBC Easy Cook 49


Egg Collecting Tin, 

£8.95, Annabel James, 

0845 548 0210 

Easter 

Choose from our selection of Easter 

treats as presents for family or just for yourself! 

gifts 

Looking for 

something a bit 

different? Try one of 

these yummy treats: 

Chick Bar Sponge 

Cake, £15; 

Flower Cupcake, 

£1.20 each; 

Chick Cupcake, 

£1.20, Waitrose 

Bright Egg Cosy, 

£4.50, The 

Contemporary Home, 

02392 469400 


favourite 

He’s almost too cute 

to eat! Chocolate 

Duck, £3.99, 

www.ocado.com 

The Great Egg Hunt Plate, Pack of 12, 

£4.50, Talking Tables, amazon.co.uk 

Give the table an 

Easter theme: 

Easter Egg Table 

Mat And Coaster, 

£1 each, Poundland 

Hot Cross Bun 

Pralines, 

£5.99, Lakeland 

Hopping down to 

the shops in search 

of something a bit 

different? Harry 

Hopalot White 

Chocolate Egg, 

£4, Thorntons 

Easter Cookie Cutters, 

£8.50, White Stuff 

50 

BBC Easy Cook


paella 

A twist on 

Saffron is a 

traditional paella 

ingredient but it’s 

expensive so you could 

replace it with 

1 tsp turmeric – it 

will still taste 

fantastic 

Put a new spin on the classic Spanish rice one-pot by adding peas 

and broad beans and a variety of fresh herbs – it’s really delicious 

Spring chicken paella 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 20 minutes, plus 55 mins cooking time 




6 chicken thighs, skin-on 



2 onions, fnely chopped 

3 cloves of garlic, fnely sliced 

400g paella rice 

1 tsp sweet paprika 

2 good pinches of saffron 

fnely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons 

1½ litres chicken stock 

200g fresh or frozen peas and broad 

beans (weight after podding & skinning) 

½ small bunch of dill, chopped 

½ small bunch of mint, chopped 

½ small bunch of parsley, chopped 

1 Cook the chicken 


gas 4. Season the chicken well and dust all over 

with the four. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, 

lidded frying pan. Fry the chicken until golden 

brown all over, then transfer it to a roasting tin 

and cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes. 

2 Start cooking the rice 

Meanwhile, add the remaining oil, onions and 

garlic to the frying pan and cook gently until soft 

(10-15 mins). Stir in the rice, paprika, saffron 

and lemon rind, add the stock and simmer, 

stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes on a 

medium heat until the rice is nearly cooked. 

3 Add the veg 

Add the peas, broad beans and the juice of 

1 lemon until the rice and veg are both just 

cooked through. Stir through the herbs and as 

much of the remaining lemon juice as it needs, 

and some seasoning. Return the chicken thighs 

to the pan, cover, and cook for 5 minutes more. 

BBC Easy Cook 

51

GET BAKING 

Bake ahead 

These treats can all be made in advance and frozen, 

ready to whip out when family and friends come over 

To make 

an orange 

version, use 

orange rind 

in place of 

lemon 

Lemon and poppyseed cupcakes 

l Makes 12 (easily doubled) 

l Takes 40 minutes, plus 22 minutes in 

the oven, and cooling time 

l 39p each 

l 529 kcals, 30g fat, 18g sat. fat each 

l Suitable for freezing (un-iced) 



grated rind of 2 lemons 

1 tbsp poppy seeds, toasted 

3 eggs 

100g natural yogurt 

175g butter, melted and 

cooled a little 

FOR THE ICING 


400g icing sugar, sifted 


a few drops of 

yellow food 

colouring 

icing fowers or yellow 

sprinkles, to decorate 

1 Bake the cakes 


gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffn tin with 

cupcake or muffn cases. Mix the four, sugar, 

lemon rind and poppy seeds together in a 

mixing bowl. Beat the eggs into the yogurt 

and tip it into the dry ingredients with the 

melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon or 

whisk until lump-free and divide between the 

cases. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a skewer 

poked in comes out clean – the cakes will be 

quite pale on top. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, 

then lift onto a wire rack to fnish cooling. 


Beat the softened butter until 

really soft in a large bowl, then 

gradually beat in the icing sugar and 

lemon juice. Stir in enough food colouring 

for a pale lemon colour, then spoon the icing 

into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. 

3 Ice the cakes 

Ice each cake in turn, holding the piping bag 

almost upright with the nozzle about 1cm 

from the surface of the cake. Pipe one spiral 

of icing around the edge, then pause to break 

the fow before moving the nozzle towards 

the centre slightly and piping a second, 

smaller spiral that continues until there are 

no gaps in the centre. Slightly ‘dot’ the nozzle 

into the icing as you stop squeezing to fnish 

neatly. Decorate with the fowers or sprinkles. 

52 

BBC Easy Cook

Coconut & mango sponge 

l Cuts into 12 squares 

l Takes 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes in the 

oven, and cooling time 

l 34p a square 

l 360 kcals, 22g fat, 14g sat. fat a square 


425g can sliced mangoes in syrup, drained 



4 large eggs 


50g desiccated coconut, plus 3 tbsp 

for sprinkling 

140g Greek-style coconut yogurt 

1 Get everything ready 


gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tin 

with 2 strips of criss-crossed baking parchment. 

Dry the mango pieces on kitchen paper, then 

chop into 3cm pieces and set aside. 

2 Make the sponge 

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl, and whisk 

until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at 

a time, beating well after each addition. Use a 

spatula to fold through the four and coconut, 

then the mango pieces and yogurt. Scrape 

the mixture into your tin and smooth over the 

surface, then sprinkle with a little extra coconut. 

Bake for 30 minutes, until risen and golden and 

a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake 

comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, 

then transfer to a wire rack. 

Lovely served warm too 

Carrot cake 

l Serves 12 






200g light soft brown sugar, plus 3 tbsp 

150ml vegetable oil, plus extra for 

greasing 

100g natural yogurt 

3 large eggs 


fnely grated rind and juice of 3 oranges, 

plus the juice of 2 (reserve juice of 

the third for the carrots, below) 


1 tbsp mixed spice 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

250g coarsely grated carrots 

crème fraiche, to serve (optional) 

FOR THE CARAMELISED CARROTS 

225-250g small or baby carrots, peeled 

and halved lengthways 

juice of 1 orange (see above) 

25g butter 

4 tbsp light soft brown sugar 

1 Caramelise the carrots 

Put the carrots in a pan so they sit in a single 

layer. Add the juice of 1 orange, the butter, 

sugar and enough water to cover the tops of 

the carrots by just 1cm. Bring to the boil, then 

cook until the water has almost evaporated and 

the carrots are left in a sticky syrup – reduce 

the heat if the liquid looks more syrupy, and 

go a little slower at the end so the carrots don’t 

catch. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead.) 

2 Arrange the carrots in the tin 


gas 3. Grease a 23cm cake tin. Lift the candied 

carrots from the pan and syrup, and arrange in 

the base of the tin, cut-side down. Keep the pan 

and syrup for later. 

3 Bake the cake 

Whisk together the 200g brown sugar, the 

oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and rind from 2 of 

the oranges. Mix the four, mixed spice, 

cinnamon and grated carrot in a big mixing 

bowl. Stir in the whisked mixture until smooth, 

then spoon over the carrots in the tin – be 

careful not to dislodge them too much. Bake 

for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer poked in 

comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes. 

4 Make the syrup 

Meanwhile, add the orange juice to the syrup 

pan with the 3 tbsp brown sugar. Simmer 

together until slightly reduced, then stir in the 

remaining rind. Turn the cake out onto a plate 

and spoon over the syrup. 

theeasyway Eat just warm with more yogurt or crème fraiche 

BBC Easy Cook 53

New ways with 

pastry 

Make sure 

you drain any 

excess liquid from 

the mushrooms 

before adding 

to the tart 

Give pastries a 

‘bakeover’ by swapping 

sweet fillings for savoury 

Mushroom, ricotta 

and rocket tart 

l Serves 4 





1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry 


525g mushrooms (halved or quartered) 

2 cloves of garlic (1 fnely sliced, 

1 crushed) 

250g tub ricotta 

a good grating of nutmeg 

¼ small pack parsley (leaves only, 

roughly chopped) 

50g rocket 

1 Make the pastry base 


gas 7 and put a baking sheet inside. Unroll the 

pastry onto a piece of baking parchment and 

score a border around the pastry about 1.5cm 

in from the edge. Put the pastry (still on the 

parchment) on the baking sheet and cook 

for 10-15 minutes. 

2 Cook the mushrooms 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, 

lidded pan and cook the mushrooms 

for 2-3 minutes, with the lid on, 

stirring occasionally. Remove the lid 

and add the sliced garlic, then cook 

for 1 minute or so more to get rid of 

any excess liquid. 

3 Add the topping 

Mix the crushed garlic with the ricotta and 

nutmeg, then season well. Remove the pastry 

from the oven and carefully push down the 

risen centre. Spread over the ricotta mixture, 

then spoon on the mushrooms and garlic. 

Bake for 5 minutes, then scatter over the 

parsley and rocket to serve. 

54 

BBC Easy Cook

GET BAKING 

theeasyway These are best 

served warm – they’re great with 

gherkins and a glass of beer! 

Savoury Danish 

l Makes 8 

l Takes 25 minutes, plus 20 minutes in the oven, 

and freezing time 

l 99p each 



200g butter 

500g bag of white bread mix 

1 egg, beaten to glaze 

FOR THE FILLING 

200g butternut squash, diced 

6 rashers streaky bacon (cooked until 

crispy, then roughly chopped) 

200g Danish blue cheese 

2 tsp caraway (or fennel) seeds 

50g walnuts, roughly chopped 

1 small red onion, thinly sliced 

2 cooked beetroots 

(not in vinegar), diced 

25g spinach leaves, chopped 

1 Freeze the butter 

Wrap the butter in foil and freeze for 45 minutes. 

2 Make the bread dough 

Tip the bread mix into a bowl and coarsely grate 

in the butter (hold the butter with the foil to stop 

it slipping and keep dipping the end in the four 

to stop it sticking to the grater too much). Use a 

cutlery knife to stir the butter into the four, then 

add 300ml cold water and stir to a dough. 

3 Microwave the squash 

Put the squash in a microwaveable bowl with a 

little water, cover with cling flm, poke one hole 

in, and microwave on full power (100%) until just 

cooked (check after 2 minutes and at 2 minute 

intervals until it’s ready). Drain off any liquid. 

4 Assemble the pastries 


gas 6. Roll out the dough as thinly as you can, to 

a rectangle with longest side measuring 25cm. 

Scatter over all the flling ingredients, spreading 

as evenly as you can, leaving a small gap along 

one of the longest sides, brush this edge with a 

little beaten egg. Season, then roll up tightly from 

the opposite side and pinch to seal. Use a sharp, 

foured knife to cut the roll into 8 slices. 

5 Bake 

Dust a baking sheet with more four and put 

the slices, cut-side up, with gaps in between. 

Brush the tops with more egg and bake for 

15-20 minutes, until golden and risen. 

BBC Easy Cook 55

GET BAKING 

DAIRY-FREE 

&delicious 

These simple bakes are suitable for anyone who can’t 

eat dairy – but everyone else will love them too! 

Lovely served warm too 

Cherry & almond brownies 

l Makes 12 


l 47p each 



80g dairy-free margarine, plus extra 

for greasing 

2 tbsp ground faxseed 

120g dark dairy-free chocolate 

½ tsp coffee granules 



50g cocoa powder 

¼ tsp baking powder 


1½ tsp vanilla extract 

70g glacé cherries (rinsed and halved) 

1 Turn the oven on 


gas 3½. Grease and line a 20cm square tin with 

baking parchment. Mix the faxseed with 6 tbsp 

water and set aside for at least 5 minutes. 

2 Melt the chocolate and margarine 

In a pan, melt the chocolate, coffee and 

margarine with 60ml water on a low heat. 

Leave to cool slightly. 

3 Make and bake the brownies 

Put the four, almonds, cocoa, baking powder 

and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl and stir until quite 

smooth and lump-free. Using a hand whisk, 

mix the sugar into the melted chocolate 

mixture, and beat well until smooth and glossy, 

ensuring all the sugar is well dissolved. Stir in 

the faxseed mixture and then stir in the vanilla 

extract, the cherries and the four and cocoa 

mixture. It will now be very thick. Stir until well 

combined and spoon into the prepared tin. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer inserted 

into the middle comes out clean with moist 

crumbs. Leave to cool in the tin completely, 

then cut into squares. 

56 

BBC Easy Cook

Easter cupcakes 

l Makes 18 


l 21p each 



FOR THE CUPCAKES 

100g dark dairy-free chocolate 

100g dairy-free margarine 

1 tsp coffee granules (or the fnely grated 

rind of 1 orange) 


½ tsp baking powder 

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda 

½ tsp xanthan gum 

25g cocoa powder 


2 heaped tbsp egg-free mayonnaise 

4 tsp olive oil 

4 tbsp dairy-free yogurt (such as soya) 

FOR THE ICING 

150g dairy-free margarine 

500g icing sugar 

50ml dairy-free milk (such as soya/ 

rice/oat) 

1 pack dairy-free chocolate eggs 

50g cocoa powder and a little food 

colouring (optional) 

1 Melt the chocolate 


180C/gas 4. Line an 18-hole muffn tin with 

muffn cases. Put the chocolate, margarine, 

coffee (or orange rind), and 85ml water in a 

pan and heat gently until melted together. 

2 Sift the four 

Sift the four, baking powder, bicarbonate 

of soda, xanthan gum and cocoa together 

into a bowl, then add the sugar. In another 

bowl, combine the mayo, oil and yogurt. 

3 Bake the cake 

Tip the chocolate mixture and the yogurt 

mixture into the dry ingredients and stir 

well until combined. Divide between the 

cases and bake for 22 mins, until the cakes 

are risen and spring back when pressed. 


Mix the margarine, icing sugar and milk 

substitute until fuffy, then spread over 

cakes and top with the chocolate eggs 

(or see our idea below). 

theeasyway To get the decoration you can see in the picture, colour two-thirds of the 

icing with food colourings and spread over each cake. Add 50g cocoa powder to the remaining 

icing and use this to spoon ‘nests’ onto the cakes, then fll the nests with chocolate eggs 

BBC Easy Cook 57

Inspired by The Great British Bake Off 

Hot 

cross 

buns 

with a 

twist 

Inspired by The Great British Bake Off 

‘masterclasses’, where a new slant is put on a classic, 

we’ve given these Easter favourites a makeover 

Hot cross bun cupcakes 

l Makes 12 



l 41p each 



1 tbsp lemon juice 

100ml whole milk 



½ tsp baking powder 

175g light soft brown sugar 

2 tsp mixed spice 


3 large eggs, beaten (at room temperature) 

fnely grated rind of ¾ orange 

100g raisins or sultanas (or a mix of both) 

1 eating apple, peeled then grated 

1 tbsp apricot jam (warmed with 

a splash of water) 

FOR THE SPICED BUTTERCREAM 

fnely grated rind of ¼ orange 

50g full-fat soft cheese 



¼ tsp mixed spice 

1 Melt the butter 

Mix the lemon juice and milk in a large jug and 

set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, turn oven 

to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Melt 

the butter in a pan and use a little of the butter 

to grease a 12-hole muffn tin. 

2 Make the cake batter 

Put the four, baking powder, sugar, spice, 

almonds and a pinch of salt into a large bowl, 

then sift through it with your fngers to squash 

any lumps of sugar. Beat the eggs, orange 

rind and melted butter into the thickened milk. 

Pour this into the dry ingredients, then 

beat with a balloon whisk until evenly mixed. 

3 Bake the buns 

Stir in the dried fruit and apple, scoop the 

mixture into the tin (use an ice cream scoop 

to make it easier, if you like) and bake for 

18-20 minutes until golden and well risen. 

Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then remove 

to a rack to cool completely. 

4 Pipe the buttercream crosses 

When the buns are cold, cut a cross from the 

top of each one using a serrated knife, then 

brush the tops with the apricot jam. Beat all the 

ingredients for the spiced buttercream together 

until creamy and pale and use to pipe crosses 

into the indents you’ve made in the buns. 

58 

BBC Easy Cook

Savoury hot cross buns 

l Makes 12 


oven, and rising and proving time 

l 37p each 



700g strong bread four (plus 5 tbsp extra) 

3 x 7g sachets fast-action dried yeast 

500ml whole milk, warmed 

140g mature cheddar, grated 

75g grated parmesan 

1 Make the dough 

Mix the 700g four, yeast and 2 tsp salt in a 

large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour 

in the milk. Mix with a wooden spoon, then 

your hands, to a soft dough. Knead for 10 mins, 

then put back in the bowl. Lightly cover with 

oiled cling flm and leave somewhere warm 

until doubled in size (about 30 minutes). 

2 Shape the buns 

Dust a large, fat baking sheet with four. Tip 

the dough onto a lightly foured surface, knead 

in most of the cheddar, then shape into 

12 round buns and arrange on the sheet with 

a 2-3cm gap between each. Loosely cover with 

another sheet of lightly oiled cling flm and 

leave to prove until nearly doubled in size. 

3 Make the crosses 


gas 6. Mix the extra 5 tbsp four with the 

parmesan and 5 tbsp water. Spoon into a 

disposable piping bag and pipe crosses on the 

buns. Scatter with the remaining cheddar and 

bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. 

Hot cross bun ring with spiced honey butter 

l Makes 1 ring (with 11 buns) 


oven, and rising and proving time 




300ml whole milk 

fnely grated rind of 1 orange 

50g butter, cubed 

500g strong white bread four, plus 140g 

for the crosses, and extra for dusting 

1 tsp cinnamon 


7g sachet fast-action yeast 

1 large egg, beaten, plus 1 egg to glaze 

oil, for greasing 

100g dried mixed fruit 

FOR THE SPICED BUTTER 

200g salted butter, softened 

1½ tsp cinnamon 

½ tsp ground ginger 


1 Make the milk mixture 

Warm the milk and orange rind in a pan until 

steaming. Remove from the heat and add the 

butter, swirling the pan until the butter has 

melted and the milk has cooled a little. 

2 Mix the dough 

Mix the four, cinnamon, sugar, yeast and 1 tsp 

salt in a large bowl. Pour in the milk mixture 

and the beaten egg, and mix with a wooden 

spoon until it clumps together. Tip out onto a 

work surface and knead until smooth and 

elastic (it should bounce back when 

pressed with your fnger). Transfer 

to a clean oiled bowl, cover 

with cling flm and leave to 

rise for 2 hours, or until 

doubled in size. 

3 Add 

the fruit 

Dust a large 

baking tray with 

four, and tip 

the dough 

back onto 

the work 

surface. 

GET BAKING 

Knead again to knock out any air bubbles. Add 

the dried fruit and knead again. Divide the 

dough into 11 equal pieces. Roll each piece 

into a smooth ball. Arrange the balls on your 

tray in a ring, leaving a small gap between 

each. Cover loosely with a piece of cling flm 

and leave somewhere warm to prove for 

1 hour more, or until doubled in size. 

4 Decorate the buns 


gas 4. Brush the buns with a little beaten egg. 

Mix the remaining four with enough water to 

make a thick paste, then transfer to a piping 

bag ftted with a small round nozzle (or use a 

sandwich bag and snip off one corner). Use 

the paste to pipe crosses over the buns. Bake 

for 25 minutes, until golden and cooked. 

5 Make the spiced honey butter 

Put the butter, spices and honey in a bowl 

and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. 

Transfer to a bowl. When the buns are cooked, 

remove from the oven and leave to cool for 

10 minutes on the baking tray. Serve the bun 

ring warm with the butter in the centre for 

spreading. The buns will keep for up to 

3 days in a tin, or freeze for up to 3 months. 

theeasyway Store any leftover 

spiced honey butter in the fridge 

and use to spread on toast

GET BAKING 

For the biscuit tin 

This takes a little effort 

but is really worth it, 

and nicer than anything 

you can buy 

Salted caramel & peanut 

butter billionaire’s slice 

l Cuts into 20 slices 

l Takes 45 minutes, plus 25 mins in 

the oven, and 6 hours chilling 

l 39p a slice 

l 502 kcals, 31g fat, 16g sat. 

fat a slice 


FOR THE BASE 

225g butter, chopped 

into cubes (plus a little 

extra for greasing) 

140g unsalted peanuts, 

toasted and cooled 


50g cornfour 


FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER LAYER 

140g butter 

225g smooth peanut butter 


FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL LAYER 

2 x 397g cans Carnation Caramel 

1½ tsp faky sea salt or ½ tsp fne sea salt 

FOR THE TOPPING 

3 x 100g bars dark chocolate, broken 

into small pieces 

140g soft dairy toffees 

3 tbsp milk 

½ tsp faky sea salt 

We used 

a 20 x 30cm 

tin with a slide-out 

bottom. This makes 

it much easier to 

remove the slice 

from the tin 

1 Make and bake the shortbread base 


gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm rectangular 

cake tin with baking parchment. Whizz the 

ingredients for the base in a food processor until 

it starts to clump together – don’t worry if the 

peanuts are still a little chunky. Tip onto a work 

surface and knead briefy to bring together. Press 

the dough evenly into the base of the tin. Bake 

for 25 minutes until golden, then set aside. 

2 Make the peanut butter layer 

Melt the butter and peanut butter in a small pan 

and mix until smooth. Sieve the icing sugar into 

a bowl, pour in the hot butter mixture, stir to 

combine, then pour over the base and smooth 

out with a spatula. Chill for 2 hours, until set. 

3 Make the caramel layer 

Put the caramel and salt in a pan, bring to the 

boil and simmer vigorously for 2-3 minutes, 

whisking continuously, until the colour darkens 

a shade or two and the caramel thickens slightly. 

Leave to cool for 20 minutes, then pour onto the 

peanut butter layer. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours. 

4 Melt the toffees 

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over 

a pan of barely simmering water. Meanwhile, put 

the toffees and the milk in a small pan and gently 

heat, until they eventually turn into a runny sauce. 


Remove the tin from the fridge and pour the 

chocolate over the salted caramel layer, tipping 

the tin to spread the chocolate over the surface. 

Use a spoon to quickly drizzle the caramel over 

the chocolate in a thin loopy pattern. If the toffee 

starts to get too thick, add a splash more milk 

and put it back on the heat until runny. Sprinkle 

over the sea salt and put the tin back in the fridge 

to chill for 2 hours before slicing. 

60 

BBC Easy Cook

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Visit the Apple App store to download previous 

digital issues in the Home Cooking Series, including 

our Vegetarian and Eat Well editions.

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62 

BBC Easy Cook

James John Marcus Jo Frances 

Martin Torode Wareing Wheatley Quinn 

TV cooks 

13 delicious ideas from your favourite BBC chefs 

Easy 

recipes 

clever tips, 

shortcuts 

and ideas 

Easter nests, page 73 

BBC Easy Cook 63

TV COOKS 

Saturday KitchenÕs 

JamesÕ 

EASTER 

LUNCH 

James Martin 

‘Spring is one of my favourite times of 

year and my menu, with its lovely fresh 

flavours and a fruity pud, is a celebration 

of all the new season can offer ’ 

James is 

the presenter 

of Saturday 

Kitchen 

This version 

of remoulade 

contains apple 

which gives it a fresh, 

zingy taste. It goes 

well with smoked 

salmon too 

Smoked trout & radish 

remoulade tartines 

l Serves 8 





200g hot-smoked trout fillets 

16 small slices brown bread, 

lightly toasted 

a handful of pea shoots, to serve 

FOR THE REMOULADE 

4 tbsp mayonnaise 

4 tbsp crème fraiche 

1½ tbsp dijon mustard 

1 heaped tbsp capers, roughly chopped 

finely grated rind of ½ lemon 

and 2 tsp juice 

2 heaped tbsp finely chopped dill, plus 

extra to serve (about 5 sprigs) 

85g celeriac, peeled and cut into 

fine matchsticks 

½ green apple, cut into fine matchsticks 

100g radishes, coarsely grated 

1 Make the remoulade 

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, 

crème fraiche, mustard, capers, lemon rind 

and juice, and the dill. Add the celeriac, apple, 

radishes and some seasoning, then stir well. 

2 Assemble the tartines 

Flake the trout into large pieces. Arrange the 

toasts on a platter, top each slice with a few 

spoonfuls of the remoulade and some trout. 

Scatter over a little dill and some pea shoots. 

You can make the remoulade 

up to 2 hours ahead, then top 

the tartines at the last minute 

64 

BBC Easy Cook

Turn the page for James’ delicious 

herb-crusted roast lamb 

BBC Easy Cook 65

TV COOKS 

Herb-crusted lamb 

l Serves 8 

l Takes 25 minutes, plus 2 hours in the oven 




2.25kg leg of lamb 

3 small cloves of garlic, sliced 

2 onions, cut into chunks 

1 carrot, cut into chunks 

2 tbsp dijon mustard 

FOR THE CRUST 

175g white breadcrumbs 

a small bunch of parsley, fnely chopped 

a small bunch of mint, fnely chopped 

5 rosemary sprigs, leaves fnely chopped 


3½ tbsp olive oil 

FOR THE GRAVY 


400ml red wine 

1 litre lamb or beef stock 

1-2 tsp dijon mustard 

a knob of butter 

1 Start roasting the meat 


gas 7. Use a sharp knife to make little slits all 

over the lamb, then insert a slice of garlic into 

each. Tip the onions and carrot into a large, 

flameproof roasting tin, put the lamb on top 

and season. Pour 250ml water into the base of 

the tin and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. 

2 Add the crust 

Meanwhile, mix the crust ingredients with 

some seasoning. Remove the lamb from the 

oven and turn down the heat to fan 170C/ 

conventional 190C/gas 5. Brush the lamb all 

over with the mustard, then pack on the crust 

in a thick layer. Return the lamb to the oven 

and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes. Add more 

water to the base of the tin if it dries out. 

3 Rest the meat and make the gravy 

Remove the lamb from the tin, cover lightly 

with foil and leave to rest for 30-40 minutes. 

Reserve any bits of crust that have fallen into 

the pan. Put the roasting tin of vegetables 

directly on the heat and whisk in the flour. 

Cook for 1 minute, then add the wine, scraping 

any flour from the bottom of the tin. Bubble 

for 1 minute, then pour in the stock. Bring to 

the boil, then simmer gently for 10-15 minutes 

until thickened. Stir in a little of the reserved 

crust (this will help to make a thicker gravy). 

Strain the gravy into a pan, discarding the 

vegetables. Add mustard to taste and stir in the 

butter. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

Serve the lamb with 

James’ tasty side dishes 

Spring greens with bacon 

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, 

add 700g shredded spring greens and 

cook for 5 mins, until tender. Drain well. 

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan, 

add 8 chopped rashers smoked streaky 

bacon and cook until crisp. Tip in the 

greens and warm through. Grate over a 

little nutmeg and season. Serves 8. 

Brown butter new potatoes 


200C/gas 6. Bring a large pan of salted 

water to the boil, add 2kg halved new 

potatoes and 4 bay leaves, bring back 

to the boil and simmer for 10-12 mins, 

until just tender. Drain the potatoes and 

leave to steam in a colander. Return 

the pan to the heat, add 140g butter 

and melt gently until it turns a nutty 

brown colour. Remove from the heat, stir 

through the potatoes and bay leaves. 

Heat a roasting tin in the oven, tip in 

the potatoes and season well. Roast for 

30-35 minutes until golden and crisp, 

turning and basting halfway through. 

Transfer to a dish and pour over any 

buttery juices from the tin. Serves 8. 

Lemon and thyme carrots 

Put 1kg baby carrots in a pan of boiling 

water and simmer for 8-10 minutes, 

or until tender. Meanwhile, mix 2½ 

tbsp rapeseed oil with 1½ tsp clear 

honey, the finely grated of ½ lemon, 

the juice of 1 lemon, and the leaves 

from 5 thyme sprigs. Drain the carrots 

and return to the pan. Drizzle over the 

dressing, season well, toss to coat, then 

transfer to a serving dish. Serves 8. 

66 

BBC Easy Cook

Rhubarb crumble trife 

l Serves 8 

l Takes 30 minutes, plus 1 hour 5 minutes 

cooking, and cooling time 




FOR THE POACHED RHUBARB 

800g rhubarb, cut into 5cm pieces 

100g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp for the 

whipped cream 

pared rind and juice of ½ orange 

a few splashes of grenadine (optional, 

but it will give the rhubarb a lovely 

pink colour) 

FOR THE TRIFLE 

75ml Disaronno liqueur 

juice of 2 oranges (about 150ml) 

8 trife sponges 

140g mascarpone 

500g pot vanilla custard 

600ml pot double cream 

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING 



25g demerara sugar 

25g whole almonds, roughly chopped 

50g jumbo oats 

If you have 

any crumble 

left over, try it 

sprinkled over 

canned fruit for a 

quick pud 

1 Roast the rhubarb 


gas 5. Arrange the rhubarb pieces in a large 

roasting tin. Sprinkle over the sugar, orange 

rind and juice, grenadine (if using), and 

150ml water. Cover with foil and bake for 

25-30 minutes, until tender but not mushy. 

Scoop the rhubarb out of the tin into a sieve 

and reserve any juices, then leave to cool 

completely. Tip the rest of the liquid into a pan, 

along with the reserved juices, and bring to the 

boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until reduced 

and syrupy. Leave to cool completely. 

2 Make the crumble topping 

Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture 

resembles fine crumbs, then stir through the 

demerara sugar, almonds and oats. Tip onto a 

baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 

15 minutes, shaking the tray every so often, 

until golden brown, then cool. 

3 Assemble the trife 

Mix the Disaronno and orange juice together 

in a shallow dish. Dip each sponge into the 

liquid, leaving it for about 15 seconds on each 

side, then arrange them in the base of a large 

trifle dish. Tip the mascarpone into a bowl 

and whisk until soft and smooth, then add 

the custard, a little at a time, and mix until 

combined. Arrange half the rhubarb pieces on 

top of the sponges, discarding the orange rind. 

Drizzle over 2 tbsp of the rhubarb syrup and 

top with half the custard mixture. Follow with 

another layer of rhubarb, 1 tbsp of the syrup, 

and the remaining custard. 


Whip the cream and 2 tbsp sugar to soft peaks 

and spoon over the custard. Drizzle over 

the remaining rhubarb syrup, along with a 

scattering of the crumble topping. 

James’ top tips to 

get ahead 

• Make the crumble topping for the trifle 

up to three days ahead and store in an 

airtight container. 

• Poach the rhubarb and make the 

rhubarb syrup the day before, then 

chill it overnight. 

• Make the custard up to 3 hours ahead 

and chill in the fridge. 

BBC Easy Cook 67

TV COOKS 

MasterChef’s 

John Torode 

Proving that there’s a pasta dish for 

every occasion, John whips up two of his 

favourites – and they’re both perfect for 

a special dinner at the weekend 

John is a 

judge on 

MasterChef 

‘To get the 

best result, take 

your time cooking 

the sauce and buy 

ripe, soft tomatoes, 

or good-quality 

canned ones,’ 

says John 

Tomato & sausage rigatoni 

l Serves 4 

l Takes 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooking 



l Sauce is suitable for freezing 

100ml olive oil 



900g fresh tomatoes, chopped 

400g pork sausages 

1 tsp fennel seeds 

400g rigatoni 

a handful of chopped basil 

1 Soften the onion 

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a 

moderate heat. Add the onion and cook for 

3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic 

and season well, then cook for 2 minutes more 

until the onion is soft. 

2 Cook the tomatoes 

Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, then 

reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 

10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the 

tomatoes are soft and pulpy. 

3 Add the sausages 

Split open the sausages, then squeeze out 

the meat. Tip into a separate frying pan (you 

shouldn’t need to add oil). Cook for 5 minutes, 

breaking up the sausage meat with a wooden 

spoon. Stir in the fennel seeds and cook for 

5 mins more until the meat is golden and cooked 

through. Pour over the tomato sauce and leave 

to simmer gently while you prepare the pasta. 


Cook the rigatoni according to pack 

instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the 

cooking water, then return to the pan. Pour 

over the sauce and mix well. Stir in a little of 

the cooking water if needed. Sprinkle with the 

basil, stir through and serve straight away. 

68 

BBC Easy Cook

Lobster lasagne 

l Serves 6 

l Takes 45 minutes, plus 3 hours 35 minutes 

cooking 




2 cooked lobsters, each about 750g 

9 sheets fresh lasagne, each cut 

into 2 squares 

a handful of chives 

FOR THE BISQUE 

100ml vegetable oil 

2 large onions, coarsely chopped 

3 large carrots, coarsely chopped 

2 celery sticks, coarsely chopped 

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped 


100g white rice (any kind) 

2 stalks of lemongrass 

4 whole star anise 

a knob of fresh root ginger 

100ml brandy 

100ml fsh sauce 

FOR THE CREAMED SPINACH 

400g fresh spinach leaves 

1 clove of garlic 

25g butter 

1 shallot, fnely chopped 


1 Make the bisque 

Pick the meat from the body and claws of the 

lobsters and set aside. Heat the oil in a large 

pan, then stir in the lobster shells and cook 

until they turn dark red. Tip in the onions, 

carrots, celery and tomatoes and cook for 

10 mins until soft. Add the garlic and rice and 

cook for 5 mins, then add the lemongrass, star 

anise and ginger. Pour in the brandy, stir, then 

bring to the boil, scraping the base of the pan. 

2 Simmer the bisque 

Add 1½ litres of water and the fsh sauce, bring 

to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 

for 2 hours, until the liquid reduces to a sauce 

that coats the back of a wooden spoon. You 

may need to add another 500ml water halfway 

through. Stir and scrape the base of the pan 

often so the rice doesn’t stick. Strain into a bowl 

and keep warm. (Or cool and chill for up to 3 days.) 

3 Wilt the spinach 

Cook the spinach in a large frying pan with 

a drop of water until wilted. Leave to cool a 

little, then tip into a sieve and press down hard 

to get rid of any excess juices. Wipe the pan 

clean and rub the inside with the garlic. Add 

the butter, then the shallot, and cook for a few 

minutes until softened. Pour in the cream and 

bring to the boil. Cook until reduced by half, add 

the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until warm. 

4 Assemble 

Cook the lasagne sheets in boiling water 

favoured with 50ml of the bisque, until soft. 

Drain and drizzle with oil. Cut the lobster meat 

into bite-sized pieces and add to the bisque to 

warm through. Put a sheet of lasagne on each 

plate and spoon over a little of the lobster, 

bisque and spinach. Top with another sheet, 

then more lobster, bisque and spinach. Top 

with a fnal sheet and drizzle with the last of 

the bisque. Snip the chives over to serve. 

You can now buy cooked lobster in the frozen aisle of lots of the supermarkets. 

It’s work seeking out as it’s about a third of the price of fresh 

BBC Easy Cook 69

TV COOKS 

MasterChef: The Professionals 

Marcus Wareing 

‘Tiger prawns are one of my favourite 

starters when I go out for a Chinese meal. 

These tempura prawns are easy to make 

and are great as nibbles with drinks’ 

Marcus is 

a judge on 

MasterChef: The 

Professionals 

Salt and pepper prawns 

l Serves 4 





16 raw tiger prawns (in their shells) 

85g plain white flour 

vegetable oil, for deep-frying 

FOR THE TEMPURA BATTER 

50g plain white flour 

50g cornflour 

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda 

150ml ice-cold sparkling water 

2 ice cubes 

1 large egg white, lightly 

whisked until frothy 

TO SERVE 

2 tsp Thai sweet chilli sauce, or to taste 

4 tbsp mayonnaise 

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 

2 spring onions, finely chopped 

1 Make the dip 

Mix the chilli sauce into the mayonnaise. Keep 

in a covered bowl in the fridge. 

2 Prepare the prawns 

Peel the prawns and cut in half lengthways. 

Remove any black veins, then rinse briefly 

under the cold tap. Don’t worry if the prawns 

are wet – this will help the flour stick. 

3 Coat the prawns in flour 

Spread the flour out on a tray, sprinkle with a 

little salt and plenty of pepper, and stir well 

to mix. Toss the prawns in the seasoned flour 

until evenly coated, then shake off the excess. 

4 Make the tempura batter 

Sift the flour, cornflour, and bicarbonate of 

soda into a bowl. Add the water, ice, and egg 

white, and whisk gently just to mix. Season 

with a little salt. 

‘Don’t try to deep-fry all the prawns at once. This will lower 

the temperature of the oil and the batter won’t crisp up’ 

5 Deep-fry the prawns 

Heat the oil in a wok or deep-fat fryer to 170C. 

(To test the oil without a thermometer, dip a 

prawn in the batter and drop into the hot oil – 

if the batter crisps up within 2-3 minutes, the 

oil is hot enough.) Drop about one-third of the 

prawns into the batter, stir gently to coat, then 

remove with a slotted spoon and lower one at 

a time into the hot oil. Deep-fry for 2-3 mins 

until the batter is crisp and light golden. Lift 

out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen 

paper. Fry the remaining prawns in 2 batches. 

Serve sprinkled with sea salt, chopped chilli, 

and spring onions, with the bowl of chilli mayo. 

70 

BBC Easy Cook

Lemon posset with 

hot spiced fruit 

l Serves 6 

l Takes 30 minutes, plus overnight chilling 




4 lemons 



FOR THE HOT SPICED FRUIT 

3 stalks of rhubarb, trimmed of leaves 

and root ends 

3 victoria plums 

a small handful of blueberries or 

blackcurrants (defrosted, if frozen) 

a handful each of blackberries and 

raspberries (defrosted, if frozen) 

50g unsalted butter, diced 


2 cinnamon sticks 

6 star anise 

2 vanilla pods, split lengthways 

3-4 tbsp dark rum (optional) 

1 Prepare the lemons 

Finely grate the rind from the lemons. Halve 

the lemons and squeeze out the juice, then 

strain and measure it – you need exactly 

225ml juice, so it’s best to measure it precisely. 

2 Make the possets 

Mix the cream, lemon rind, and sugar in a nonstick 

pan. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally 

until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 

3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and whisk 

in the lemon juice. Strain the mixture into a 

jug, pressing the rind in the sieve to extract as 

much flavour as possible. Discard the rind. 

3 Chill the possets overnight 

Skim the froth off the top of the posset mix, 

then pour equal amounts into six glasses. 

Leave to cool. Cover the glasses with cling film 

and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. 

4 Make the spiced fruit 

Cut the rhubarb into 1cm lozenges. Halve and 

stone the plums. Cut the halves lengthways 

down the middle and cut each quarter into 

four equal pieces. If using blackcurrants, 

top and tail them. Heat a heavy pan over a 

medium heat. Add the diced butter and heat 

until foaming, then add the rhubarb and plums. 

Sauté the fruits for about 5 minutes until they 

start to soften, then add the blueberries or 

blackcurrants, the sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 

star anise. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla 

‘The addition of a precise amount of lemon juice is crucial to the 

success of a posset. The acid starts off a chemical reaction in the 

cream which makes it set when it’s chilled,’ says Marcus 

pods into the pan and drop in the pods too. 

Give the fruit a good stir and add the rum (if 

using), then cook for 5-8 minutes more. Take 

the pan off the heat, remove the whole spices 

and vanilla pods, and fold in the blackberries 

and raspberries. Serve the possets chilled, 

topped with the hot fruits. 

These recipes have been 

adapted from How To 

Cook The Perfect... by 

Marcus Wareing, £22, 

Dorling Kindersley. BBC 

Easy Cook readers can 

buy it for just £17, with 

free p&p. Call 01326 

569444 or visit 


Try this too 

Lemon juice can be added to other 

ingredients to get the same ‘magic’ 

chemical reaction that will set a creamy 

filling. Try this Fruity Cheesecake Tart: 

beat a 200g tub full-fat soft cheese 

until softened, then gradually beat in 

a 397g can sweetened condensed milk, 

the finely grated rind of 2 lemons and 

8 tbsp lemon juice, plus a 142ml tub 

of lightly whipped double cream. Pour 

into a ready-made pastry case and chill 

in the freezer for 30 minutes. Decorate 

with fresh fruit (such as strawberries 

or raspberries). Serves 6-8. 

BBC Easy Cook 71

TV COOKS 

The Great British Bake Off’s 

Jo Wheatley 

‘This is my best-ever, never-fail chocolate 

cake recipe. I’ve given it a modern twist 

with a zingy passion fruit icing. The 

flavours work really well together’ 

Jo is a 

previous 

winner of The 

Great British 

Bake Off 

Chocolate layer cake 

l Serves 10 

l Takes 35 minutes, plus 1 hour cooking, 

and cooling time 



l Sponges only are suitable for freezing 

175g unsalted butter, softened, plus 

extra for greasing 


3 large eggs, beaten 



1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

75g cocoa 

200ml soured cream (at room 

temperature) 

50g full-fat soft cheese (at room 

temperature) 

FOR THE BUTTER ICING 

250g unsalted butter, softened 


150g full-fat soft cheese 

3 very ripe passion fruits 

1 Cream the eggs and sugar 


gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 20cm 

springform cake tin with baking parchment. 

Beat the butter and caster sugar together until 

pale, light and fuffy – this is easiest using a 

freestanding machine or an electric hand-held 

mixer. Gradually add the eggs, a little at a time, 

beating well between each addition. 

2 Make and bake the sponges 

Sift both fours, the bicarbonate of soda and 

the cocoa into a bowl. Add half the sifted dry 

ingredients to the egg mixture and fold in using 

a large metal spoon. In another bowl, mix the 

soured cream and soft cheese together until 

This will keep for 3 days, chilled 

– bring back to room temperature 

before serving 

smooth. Add half to the cake batter and fold in. 

Repeat this process with the remaining four and 

soured cream, and mix until smooth. Pour into 

the cake tin. Bake on the middle shelf for 1 hour, 

or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the 

cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in 

the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a 

wire rack and removing the baking parchment. 


Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the 

butter until pale and softly whipped. Add the 

icing sugar and whisk until smooth, then add 

the soft cheese and whisk again. Sieve the juice 

from the passion fruits, reserving the pulp and 

seeds. Add the juice to the icing. 

4 Assemble the cake 

Split the cake into 3 layers and put the bottom 

layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread one-third 

of the icing over the bottom layer, swirling out 

to the edges. Repeat with the remaining 2 layers 

of cake and icing, fnishing with a layer of icing. 

Top with the passion fruit pulp and seeds. 

72 

BBC Easy Cook

The Great British Bake Off’s 

Frances Quinn 

‘I was inspired to make this by my love of 

chocolate. Crushed-up shredded wheat and 

pretzels look like twigs – and shop-bought 

eggs make it a fun Easter treat!’ 

Frances is 

a previous 

winner of The 

Great British 

Bake Off 

Chocolate tiffn 

Easter nest 

l Serves 12 

l Takes 30 minutes, plus 15 mins cooking and 

chilling time 





50g golden syrup 


400g dark chocolate, fnely chopped 

60g milk chocolate 

60g Daim bar, fnely chopped (I like this 

for the crunch, but you can replace it 

with extra-dark or milk chocolate) 

150g salted pretzel sticks, broken into 

small pieces 

100g shredded wheat, crushed 

100g chocolate-covered raisins 

100g salted peanuts 

chocolate eggs, to serve 

Frances’ quick tip 

This recipe can be adapted to use up 

odds and ends. Try swapping a quantity 

of the dry ingredients for broken 

biscuits, mini marshamallows or 

dried fruit. If you want to keep the salt 

levels down, replace the salted peanuts 

with plain peanuts. 

1 Melt the chocolate 

Line a 20cm-round cake tin with a large paper 

cake tin liner, or cling flm. Heat the butter and 

golden syrup in a large heavy-based pan over a 

gentle heat. Once melted, add the vanilla extract 

and all the chocolate. Continue heating gently 

until the chocolate has melted, stirring every 

now and then to combine. 

2 Make the nest 

Remove the pan from the heat and mix 

through the pretzel sticks, crushed shredded 

wheat, chocolate-covered raisins and peanuts. 

Transfer to the prepared tin, press the mixture 

into the base and around its sides, creating a 

dip in the centre to produce a nest shape large 

enough to hold the chocolate eggs. Chill for 

1 hour, or until set. 

To serve, remove from tin, scatter with extra pretzels 

(if you like) and fll with an assortment of chocolate eggs. 

This will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days 

BBC Easy Cook 73


Use up your 

leftovers 

If you have ingredients left over from the 

recipes in this issue of BBC Easy Cook, 

here are some great ways to use them up 

DILL from Spring chicken 

paella, page 35 

Crunchy potatoes with dill Cook 

1½ kg potatoes, cut into 2½ cm chunks, in 

boiling water for 3 mins. Drain and leave for 

10 mins. Toss with 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, thinly 

sliced, and seasoning in a roasting tin. Turn oven 

to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7 and roast 

for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden and 

crunchy. Stir in a small bunch of dill, chopped, 

and cook for 5 mins more. Serves 6. 

Prawn, dill and cucumber pasta Cook 300g 

pasta shapes according to pack instructions. 

Drain and cool under running water. Tip into a 

bowl and toss with ½ bunch of chopped dill, the 

juice of ½ lemon, 5 tbsp half-fat soured cream, 

300g cooked prawns, 1 cucumber, diced, and 

1 fennel bulb, shredded. Season. Serves 4. 

theeasyway 

Poppy seeds work as well 

in savoury recipes as they 

do in sweet ones 

POPPY SEEDS from Lemon and 

poppyseed cupcakes, page 52 

Smoked salmon with poppy seeds 

Whisk together 1 tbsp poppy seeds, lightly 

toasted, the finely grated rind and juice of 

2 oranges, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp olive 

oil and ½ tsp sesame oil with seasoning. 

Mix 200g smoked salmon slices with 

85g radishes, finely sliced, and 3 spring 

onions, finely sliced. Drizzle over the dressing 

and toss together. Serve with toast. Serves 6. 

Chicken with lemon and poppy seed 

sauce Turn oven to fan 180C/conventional 

RED WINE VINEGAR from 

Pork casserole, page 37 

Sweet and sour aubergines Turn oven to 

fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Toss 

3 medium aubergines, cubed, and 1 red 

onion, chopped, in 4 tbsp olive oil in a roasting 

tin and season. Roast for 20 mins until starting 

to soften. Stir in 1 tbsp capers (optional), 

85g green olives, 400g tomatoes, chopped, 

3 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp sugar. 

Cook for 20 mins, stirring. Serves 4-6. 

Steak with shallot marinade Put 

750g piece of rump steak in a dish and 

sprinkle with 3 finely chopped shallots, 

4 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 

some sea salt and ground black pepper. 

Rub over the meat and chill for 1 hour. Heat a 

griddle pan. Cook the steak for 3-4 minutes 

on each side until well browned. Transfer to a 

board, cover with foil, and rest for 5 minutes. 

Serve thinly siced with salad. Serves 3-4. 

74 

BBC Easy Cook

COFFEE GRANULES from 

Coffee panna cotta, page 49 

Cappuccino cake Turn oven to fan 160C/ 

conventional 180C/gas 4. Grease a 20 x 30cm 

baking tin and line with baking parchment. Make 

100ml strong coffee with 2 tbsp coffee granules. 

In a large bowl, beat 250g soft butter, 280g 

self-raising flour, 250g golden caster sugar, 

½ tsp baking powder, 4 eggs, 150ml natural 

yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla paste, 1 tbsp cocoa powder 

and 50ml of the coffee. Spoon into the tin and 

bake for 25-30 mins until golden. Drizzle with 

the remaining coffee. Cool in the tin. Stir 140g 

icing sugar, sifted, into 350g mascarpone or 

soft cheese. Spread over the cake and dust with 

cocoa power. Cuts into 15 squares. 

200C/gas 6. Put 2 chicken legs on a baking 

tray, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and season. Cook 

for 20 mins. Toss 6 carrots, cut into chunks, 

and 2 beetroot, in wedges, in 2 tsp olive oil. 

Season, add to the tray and cook for 30 mins. 

In a pan, cook 1 chopped shallot and 1 tbsp 

poppy seeds in 1 tsp oil for 5 mins. Add 1 tsp 

sweet paprika, 200ml chicken stock, 1 tbsp 

honey, the finely grated rind of 1 lemon and 

juice of ½. Simmer until reduced by half. Add 

150ml soured cream and bubble for 2 mins. 

Add a handful of chopped parsley and keep 

warm. Serve with the chicken. Serves 2. 

RHUBARB from Lemon posset 

with hot spiced fruit, page 71 

Smoked salmon and orange & rhubarb 

salad Put the finely grated rind of 1 orange, 

its segments and the juice in a bowl with 

2 sticks of rhubarb, shredded into thin 

batons. Leave for 15 mins. Grind 1 tbsp 

juniper berries and 1 tsp black peppercorns 

with a pestle and mortar. Put 2 lightly 

smoked salmon fillets on a baking sheet, 

rub with olive oil and then spread on the 

juniper mixture. Grill the salmon for 6-7 mins 

(don’t burn the topping). Stir a large handful 

of watercress and 50ml olive oil into the 

rhubarb, and serve with the salmon. Serves 2. 

Lemon curd pots Put 1 stick of rhubarb, cut 

into batons, in a pan with 20g caster sugar 

and cook for 5 mins, or until soft. Divide a 

300g jar lemon curd between 4 ramekins. Top 

with 100ml double cream and put the pots 

in the freezer to chill. Serve topped with the 

rhubarb and biscotti on the side. Serves 2. 

WALNUTS from Savoury Danish, 

page 55 

Fig and walnut slice Pulse 50g toasted whole 

almonds in a food processor until most are finely 

chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Whizz 250g dried 

figs, stalks removed, chopped, until they form a 

sticky paste, then add them to the almonds with 

50g dried apricots, halved, 50g walnuts, halved, 

½ tbsp brandy, ½ tbsp clear honey and a pinch 

of ground cloves. Mix well, then shape into a 

cylinder and leave to dry, uncovered, in the fridge 

for a week. Wrap and tie in baking parchment, 

then slice and serve with cheese. Keeps in a cool 

place for up to 2 months. Serves 12. 

Kale and apple soup with walnuts Toast 

8 walnut halves, broken up, in a dry, non-stick 

pan for 2-3 mins, turning so they don’t burn. 

Remove and leave to cool. Put 1 finely chopped 

onion, 2 carrots, coarsely grated, 2 red apples, 

finely chopped, 1 tbsp cider vinegar and 500ml 

vegetable stock. When the apples soften, add 

200g kale, and simmer for 2 mins. Blend until 

smooth. Top with the walnuts. Serves 2. 

USING THESE FOR THE FIRST TIME? 

ANCHOVIES used in Purple broccoli 

pasta, page 43 With a delicate, salty flavour, these 

small, silver fish are usually preserved rather than served 

fresh, and found in tins or jars. Great in salade niçoise, 

or as a pizza topping, or try them mashed with butter 

and melted over grilled fish or lamb. 

BRESAOLA 

used in Shaved pear, 

cheese and bresaola 

salad, page 47 

This is an Italian beef 

delicacy. It’s usually salted 

and dried like salami, sliced 

finely and served at room 

temperature. Drizzle with 

olive oil and lemon juice 

and serve with parmesan 

shavings as a simple starter. 

PEA SHOOTS used in 

Smoked trout and radish 

remoulade tartines, page 64 

These have a delicate pea flavour 

– find them with the salads in 

the supermarket. 

Perfect in salads, 

or try them stir-fried 

or wilted into a 

pasta or risotto or 

add to marinades 

and sauces. 

BBC Easy Cook 75


Cookery school 

How to make… bagels 

Edd Kimber, the first winner of 

BBC One’s The Great British Bake 

Off, shares his foolproof recipe. 

They're easy to make and 

great to stash in the freezer 

‘Making bagels is surprisingly easy – it’s just 

a simple bread dough with two added steps. 

There are a number of different methods for 

adding the hole, but I’ve used what I think is 

the easiest. The most unusual step is boiling the 

uncooked dough – this creates a darker colour 

and gives the bagel its delicious chewiness,’ 

says Edd. Makes 10 

1 

Mix the dough ingredients 

Mix 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast with 

300ml lukewarm water. Put 500g strong 

white four, 2 tbsp light brown sugar and 

1 tsp salt in a large bowl and mix. Pour over 

the yeasty liquid and mix into a rough dough. 

2 

Knead 

Tip out onto the work surface and knead 

together until smooth and elastic – this should 

take around 10 minutes. 

3 

Leave to rise 

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl (use a 

mild vegetable oil) and cover with a piece of 

oiled cling flm. Put in a warm area and leave 

until doubled in size (about 1 hour), then 

uncover and tip onto your work surface. 

4 

Shape the dough into balls 

Divide the dough into 10 portions and form 

into balls – I like to weigh them to make sure 

that they’re all the same size. Line them up 

on 2 parchment-lined baking trays and cover 

lightly with cling flm. 

5 

Leave to rise again 

Leave in a warm place for around 

30 minutes, or until risen and puffy, then 

remove the cling flm. 

6 

Add the ‘hole’ 

Use a foured fnger to make a hole in the 

centre of each bagel, swirling it around to 

stretch the dough a little, but being careful 

not to knock out too much air. Turn oven to 

fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. 

76 

BBC Easy Cook

COOKERY SCHOOL 

EDD’S 

TOP TIPS 

DON’T LEAVE 

OUT THE BICARB! 

Adding bicarbonate 

of soda to the water 

contributes to the 

shine and chew of 

the bagel crust. 

FOR EXTRA- 

CHEWY BAGELS 

Boil the bagels for 

2 minutes in step 7 

instead of 1 minute. 

GO SWEET 

For cinnamon bagels, 

add 1 tbsp extra 

sugar and 2 tsp 

ground cinnamon 

in step 1. 

MORE TOPPINGS 

Try linseed, poppy, 

pumpkin or 

sunflower seeds. 

FREEZING 

You can freeze 

cooked bagels for up 

to 2 months. Wrap 

them individually in 

cling film and then 

in foil. Defrost at 

room temperature. 

7 

8 

3 tasty bagel fllings 

Choc-nut bananas Spread 

1 tbsp chocolate-hazelnut spread 

on 1 toasted bagel half, top with 

½ banana, sliced, and 2 tbsp toasted 

shredded coconut. Serves 1. 

Italian-style Lay ¼ drained, torn ball 

of mozzarella on 1 toasted bagel 

half, grill for 1-2 mins to melt slightly. 

Top with 4 halved cherry tomatoes, 

1 tbsp fresh chopped basil and some 

seasoning. Serves 1. 

Boil the bagels 

Fill a large pan with water and bring to the 

boil. Add 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda. Put 

1-2 bagels in the water at a time and boil for 

1 min, turning halfway. Lift out the bagels, 

drain well and put back on the baking tray. 

Glaze and bake 

Brush the bagels with 1 beaten egg white 

and sprinkle with seeds of your choice. Bake 

for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool 

before eating. 

Scandi special Spread 1 tbsp full-fat 

soft cheese on 1 toasted bagel half, 

top with 1 slice of smoked salmon, a 

few thin slices of red onion and 1 tbsp 

roughly chopped fresh dill. Serves 1. 

BBC Easy Cook 77

www.facebook.com 

Easy Cook Magazine 

EXTRAS 

Sarah Sysum’s monthly round-up of the best new products and ideas 

www.twitter.com 

@EasyCookMag 

Shortcuts 

from the 

storecupboard 

Finest British Blackberry 

& Bramley Apple Compote, 

350g, £2, Tesco This is 

a really versatile fruity 

sauce. It’s not too sweet 

and is nice swirled through 

whipped cream for a fool 

or, if you fancy a comfort 

pud, use it as a great 

crumble filling for two. 

Easy lunch 

on the run! 

M Signature Mexican Spiced 

Chipotle Chilli Coleslaw, 270g, 

£1, Morrisons. This is an extracrunchy 

coleslaw infused with 

smoky chipotle, garlic and a hint 

of ginger. It’s 

warmly spicy and 

works well stuffed 

into a pitta with 

some mixed salad 

for a quick snack. 

Jerk Marinade, 280g, £1.20, 

Sainsbury’s Ready-made 

marinades are a great idea 

as they save having to buy 

lots of individual herbs and 

spices. This has quite a hot 

chilli flavour. Its tomato base 

goes with everything, but is 

especially delicious with lamb 

or white fish. 

Chosen By You 

Mexican Nachos Kit, 

500g, £1.49, Asda 

A great quick snack 

to have on standby. 

Drizzle the sauce over 

the nachos, add grated 

cheese, microwave for 

2 minutes, then top 

with soured cream. 

M Mixed Beans, 

180g, 59p, 

Morrisons 

A mixture of 

kidney and 

borlotti beans. 

Good with tinned 

tuna and chopped 

peppers for lunch 

or great in a salad. 

Cooks’ Ingredients Simple Sumac, 50g, 

£2.49, Waitrose Sumac is a sour, spicy berry 

ground to a powder. This is great to have in the 

cupboard. Its lemony taste 

can replace the flavour of 

a lemon in savoury dishes 

if you don’t have any fresh. 

Cookbook of the month 

■ The WI Cookbook by Mary Gwynn 

This book brings together the 100 

best-loved WI members’ recipes 

nationwide. Organised decade by 

decade, and setting each recipe in its 

historical and social context, it spans 

everything from jams and preserves 

to main courses, puddings and bakes. 

There are lots of traditional recipes like 

toad in the hole, but there are plenty 

of up to date recipes too – we love the 

Italian Lamb. Perfect for experienced 

and novice cooks alike. £20, Ebury 


WINE 

RACK 

Mateus 

Expressions 

Maria Gomes 

Chardonnay, 

£6.99, Tesco 

A lovely, light 

white wine from 

Portugal that’s 

perfect for 

warmer spring 

days – serve 

it with pasta 

and salads 

or chicken. 

Vinalba Reservado 

Malbec, £9.74, 

Majestic This 

Argentinian red 

has delicious 

blackcurrant and 

plum favours 

with a hint of 

vanilla, and is 

lovely served 

with beef or 

lamb and is 

perfect with 

a roast. 

South African 

Shiraz, £5.75, 

Co-operative 

Spicy and full 

of blackberry 

favours, this 

full-bodied wine 

is perfect with 

casseroles, 

grilled red 

meat or pasta 

bolognese 

(see recipe 

on page 3). 

78 

BBC Easy Cook



course review 

Have you ever watched TV cookery 

programmes and marvelled at the 

speed the chefs chop and slice 

ingredients? Easy Cook’s Assistant 

Editor Sarah Sysum recently went 

to Waitrose’s small but friendly new 

cookery school, based in their large 

out-of-town store in Salisbury, to try out 

their popular knife skills course. 

‘Before we even got to chop anything,’ 

she says, ‘we were taught which knives 

to use when and how to sharpen them. 

Then we were shown how to slice and 

chop all manner of vegetables for a 

rustic soup, and had a go ourselves with 

plenty of tutors to help. Then we moved 

on to jointing a chicken. Once someone 

skillful shows you just how to do it, 

everything falls into place and I felt a 

real sense of achievement, and picked 

up lots of tips and techniques like how 

to remove the bone from a chicken 

thigh (it really is easier than it sounds!). 

What’s more, I can chop onions like a 

pro now!’ Waitrose Cookery School, 

Beginners’ Knife Skills, ½ day course, 

£100 www.waitrose.com 

Sharpen up, get set, go 

Fired up by her new-found skills (see top right), Sarah Sysum went 

shopping for new knives and a sharpener. Here are her favourites 

– good knives aren’t cheap but, as she learnt on the course, one or 

two good knives and one good sharpener beats lots of cheaper ones. 

Wusthof 2-Stage Pull-Through 

Knife Sharpener, £14.95, 

sizzle.co.uk 

This has two different settings: 

coarse and, for everyday use, 

fine, and it’s set at just the 

right angle so you can drag 

your knife through once or 

twice and it’s sharpened. 

Robert Welch Signature 8cm 

Vegetable Knife, £24.99, 

Lakeland 

Super sharp and nicely 

balanced, this knife makes 

cutting onions really easy as 

you don’t have to use any 

pressure and your hand is less 

likely to slip. 

Grand Class 18cm, Santuko 

Knife, £70.17, amazon.co.uk 

If you find a cook’s knife too 

big, try a Santoku knife (left). 

It has grooves on the blade 

to stop food sticking and is 

manageable enough to hold 

when slicing hard foods like 

squash. Pricey, but worth it. 

theeasyway It’s easier to slice an 

onion if you keep the root on while you cut it 

Jeremy Lee’s top tips 

for spring dishes 

■ Use loads of herbs in 

whatever you’re making. I 

particularly like using mint 

and parsley – they add a 

nice clean flavour and 

smarten everything up. 

■ Big fresh salads are 

great – mix up a large variety 

of different leaves and a 

mixture of fresh herbs. They 

go with everything! 

■ Don’t try to do too much 

or anything too complicated 

for a crowd. Simple food like 

barbecued chicken wings are 

perfect with salads. 

Jeremy is a mentor on 

the Great British Menu 

BBC Easy Cook 79

CONVERSION CHART 

theeasyway 3 ways to posh-up a pie 

To make sure 

your pastry 

design stays 

sharp in the 

oven, chill 

the pie for 

30 minutes 

before baking 

The crimped edge 

MICROWAVE 

COOKING 

Where our recipes 

use a microwave, they 

were tested using an 850W 

model – you may need to 

adjust times slightly if 

yours has a different 

wattage. 

It’s a... ! 

To commemorate the birth 

of the Duke and Duchess 

of Cambridge’s new child, 

the M&S team will work 

overnight to produce the 

frst celebratory tin flled 

with shortbread. But you’ll 

have to be quick! 

Limited Edition Royal 

Baby Fanfare Tin, £20, 

in selected M&S stores. 

Thewave 

The sunburst 

Here are some clever 

ways to give your pie a 

fancy finish. Use a pie 

dish with a wide brim to 

support the decorative 

edge, otherwise your 

lovely crimping will sink 

in as it cooks. 

1 The wave: Press your 

two index fingers into 

the pastry edge at an 

angle, and squeeze 

them together to make 

indentations. Continue 

around the whole edge. 

2 The sunburst: Use a 

knife to make small, 

straight incisions 

around the outside of 

your pastry (see picture, 

left). Flip alternating 

pieces of pastry toward 

the centre of the pie. 

3 The crimped edge: 

Use a thumb and 

index finger to pinch 

the pastry up around 

another finger. Continue 

all the way around. 

Our 3 favourite frying pans 

pTefal Preference Stir-Fry 

Pan, 28cm, £37.80, John 

Lewis This deep pan with a 

slightly rounded base can 

double as a wok and is big 

enough for Sunday morning 

fry-ups. It’s made from 

aluminium, which means you 

get an even heat distribution, 

and has a stay-cool handle 

and extra-thick 

non-stick coating. 

q Lime Frying Pan, 20cm, £5, 

Wilko This is brilliant. It heats up 

quickly, and retains its heat too, plus 

it’s super non-stick. Our omelette 

cooked evenly and, because the 

sides are shallow, it just slid out 

of the pan. It washes up easily 

too – it just needs a wipe. 

tTower Ceramic Coated Colour 

Change Frying Pan 28cm, £24.99, 

Argos When you heat it up, the 

inside goes from grey to white which 

tells you that it’s hot enough to add 

the food to the pan. It really works, 

and takes the guesswork out of the 

process – it’s especially useful for 

perfectly cooked steak. 

Metric 

25g 

50g 

85g 

100g 

140g 

150g 

175g 

185g 

WEIGHT 

Imperial 

1oz 

2oz 

3oz 

4oz 

5oz 

5½oz 

6oz 

6½oz 

200 or 225g 8oz 

250g 

9oz 

280 or 300g 10oz 

350g 

375g 

400g 

425g 

450g 

500g 

550g 

600g 

650g 

700g 

750g 

800g 

850g 

900g 

950g 

1kg 

12oz 

13oz 

14oz 

15oz 

1lb 

1lb 2oz 

1lb 4oz 

1lb 5oz 

1lb 7oz 

1lb 9oz 

1lb 10oz 

1lb 12oz 

1lb 14oz 

2lb 

2lb 2oz 

2lb 4oz 

1.25 kg 2lb 12oz 

1.3kg 

1.5kg 

1.6kg 

1.7kg 

50ml 

75ml 

85ml 

100ml 

125ml 

150ml 

175ml 

200ml 

225ml 

250ml 

300ml 

450ml 

600ml 

850ml 

3lb 

3lb 5oz 

3lb 8oz 

3lb 12oz 

VOLUME 

2 fl oz 

2½ fl oz 

3 fl oz 

3½ fl oz 

4 fl oz 

¼ pint 

6 fl oz 

7 fl oz 

8 fl oz 

9 fl oz 

10 fl oz 

16 fl oz 

1 pint 

1½ pints 

1 litre 1¾ pints 

1.2 litres 2 pints 

MEASUREMENTS 

2cm 

¾in 

2.5cm 

5.5cm 

10cm 

20cm 

23cm 

28cm 

38cm 

1in 

2½in 

4in 

8in 

9in 

11in 

15in 

AMERICAN CUP CONVERSIONS 

American 

Metric 

1 cup flour 150g 

1 cup caster and 

granulated sugar 

225g 

1 cup brown sugar 175g 

1 cup icing sugar 125g 

1 cup butter/ 

margarine/lard 

225g 

1 cup sultanas/raisins 200g 

1 cup currants 150g 

1 cup chopped nuts 100g 

1 cup ground almonds 100g 

1 cup golden syrup/ 

treacle/clear honey 

350g 

1 cup uncooked rice 200g 

1 cup cooked and 

drained rice 

165g 

1 cup grated cheese 100g 

1 cup lentils 225g 

1 cup chopped onions 100g 

1 stick butter 100g 

LIQUID CONVERSIONS 

American 

½ fl oz 

¼ cup 

½ cup plus 2 tbsps 

Metric 

15ml 

50ml 

150ml 

1 cup 225ml 

1 pint/16 fl oz 450ml 

2 pints/5 cups 1.2 litres 

OVEN TEMPERATURES 

°F °C (conventional 

oven) 

275F 

300F 

325F 

350F 

375F 

400F 

425F 

450F 

475F 

140C 

150C 

170C 

180C 

190C 

200C 

220C 

230C 

240C 

80 

BBC Easy Cook



Rachel 

Khoo 

i n t e r v 

i e w 

TV cook Rachel Khoo 

brought us a taste of Paris 

from her bijou apartment 

– so who better to give us 

the lowdown on how to 

cook in a small kitchen... 

What inspired you to open a restaurant in 

your apartment? 

When I started developing recipes for my frst 

cookbook, I wanted to fnd a way of not wasting 

food and getting some honest feedback. So I 

decided to use my apartment (all 21 square metres 

of it!) and turn it into a two-seater ‘restaurant’. 

What are your top three tips for cooking in 

a small kitchen? 

1 Be organised – everything in my kitchen has its 

home so it doesn’t look too chaotic and it keeps 

the small workspace I have clear. 

2 Maximise the space by hanging stuff (I have lots 

of pots, pans and other kitchen utensils hanging). 

3 You don’t need a lot of equipment to make good 

food. Some sharp knives, a good casserole dish, 

frying pan and a few other kitchen utensils and you 

can easily rustle up something delicious. 

What are the worst things you’ve ever 

eaten… and the best? 

I think the worst thing I ate was when I was 

researching for my book ‘My Little French 

Kitchen’. I had snails stuffed in choux pastry. 

The snails were a little on the crunchy side – 

they had sand in them! The best so far has to be 

when I was in Istanbul looking for inspiration – I 

especially liked the grilled mackerel sandwiches 

Vivacious Rachel left London in 2006 on a whim to enroll in a patisserie course in 

Paris and 'have a bit of an adventure'. She’s certainly had that, having run one of 

the world’s smallest restaurants and presented BBC2’s The Little Paris Kitchen 

you could buy from the street food vendors by the 

Bosphorus. I loved it so much I recreated a ‘lighter’ 

version of it (Hot butter and soy sauce 

mackerel with chopped salad) in 

my new book (see below, right). 

Are there any 

ingredients you can’t 

live without? 

Cheese is my biggest 

downfall. I love it! 

We know you’re a big 

fan of hearty salads 

for dinner. What's your 

favourite combination? 

One of my favourites is my take on 

English garden salad. I make my own cottage 

cheese and use that as the base, topped with 

hot potatoes, crispy bacon and fresh greens. 

You don’t 

need a lot of 

equipment to make 

good food – sharp 

knives, a casserole 

dish and a frying 

pan! 

How do you stay so slim, surrounded by 

brioche and brie in Paris? 

My biggest rule is only eat it if it’s worth 

it. I don’t waste calories on anything 

mediocre. I do go to lots of different 

exercise classes – at the moment 

I’m into yoga and hip hop 

dancing, so being active is 

important too. 

Rachel Khoo's 

Kitchen Notebook: 

Over 100 recipes 

From Rachel's 

Personal Cookbook 

by Rachel Khoo 

is published by 

Michael Joseph, 

£20. BBC Easy Cook readers can 

buy it for just £17, with free p&p. 

Call 01326 569444 or visit 


BBC Easy Cook 81

TASTY IDEAS 

Recipe index 


82 

Slow-roast tomato tatin 

NEXT 

TIME IN 

NO-FUSS MEALS 

Thai shredded chicken 

FANTASTIC PUDS 

Apricot and ginger tart 

PLUS lots more brilliant ideas 

May issue 

ON SALE 

1st April 

Don’t miss out, subscribe today 

– see page 30 for more details 

BBC Easy Cook 

ONLY 

£ .40 

MEAT & POULTRY 

Aubergine, chilli and bacon pasta .....................12 

Bacon and sausage grill ...................................16 

Chicken and chickpea casserole ......................... 8 

Chicken with lemon and poppy seed sauce ......74 

Chilli chicken and sweetcorn pizza ...................14 

Chinese pork ....................................................12 

Herb-crusted lamb ...........................................66 

Honey and cumin chicken & aubergine skewers .. 38 

Lamb lollipops .................................................... 8 

Lemon roast chicken ........................................41 

Macaroni cheese with bacon ............................37 

Moroccan chicken soup ....................................28 

Pork casserole ..................................................37 

Quick onion soup ..............................................28 

Sausage burgers with spicy tomato sauce ........18 

Sausage pasta bake .........................................36 

Seared steak with pepper caponata ..................22 

Shaved pear, cheese and bresaola salad ...........47 

Singapore noodles .............................................. 8 

Slow-roasted pork belly and braised chicory .....47 

Spiced chicken and pineapple salad .................22 

Spring chicken paella .......................................51 

Spiced lamb .....................................................10 

Steak with shallot marinade .............................74 

Super-tasty bolognese ........................................ 3 

Tomato and sausage rigatoni ............................68 

FISH & SEAFOOD 

Asian prawn noodle soup ..................................28 

Creamy chowder ...............................................28 

Creamy tomato, courgette & prawn pasta.........22 

Crispy sea bass ................................................12 

Crispy sesame fish burger ................................20 

Fish and mussel stew .......................................11 

Lobster lasagne ................................................69 

Pilchard puttanesca..........................................18 

Prawn, dill and cucumber pasta .......................74 

Salt and pepper prawns ....................................70 

Smoked salmon and orange and rhubarb salad .. 75 

Smoked salmon with poppy seeds....................74 

Smoked trout and radish remoulade tartines ...64 

Thai salad .........................................................46 

VEGETARIAN 

Broad bean and dill pilaf ..................................18 

Broccoli pasta ..................................................43 

Curried parsnip and apple soup .......................28 

Halloumi with bulghar and chickpea salad ......... 7 

Japanese greens with sticky rice .......................44 

Kale and apple soup with walnuts ....................75 

Minty beetroot dip with chilli pitta crisps ..........38 

Mushroom, ricotta and rocket tart ....................54 

Orange and feta giant couscous salad ..............39 

Pesto minestrone .............................................28 

Ravioli with artichokes, leek & lemon .................. 6 

Rich red pepper soup .......................................28 

Rustic leek and potato soup .............................28 

Speedy mushroom soup ...................................28 

Spiced carrot soup ...........................................28 

Spicy Moroccan eggs .......................................15 

Sweet and sour aubergines...............................74 

Tex-Mex beans on toast ....................................26 

SIDES & EXTRAS 

Artichoke and potato mash ..............................41 

Brown butter new potatoes ...............................66 

Carrot, orange and avocado salad ....................42 

Choc-nut banana bagel filling ...........................77 

A great 

recipe to try 

Try our delicious 

Panna Cotta With 

Apricots (page 41). 

It's the perfect 

ending to our 

tempting spring 

menu for four 

Crispy seaweed.................................................12 

Crunchy potatoes with dill ................................74 

Homemade dukkah ..........................................39 

Homemade tortillas ..........................................26 

Italian-style bagel filling ....................................77 

Lemon and thyme carrots ................................66 

Minty mash ........................................................ 9 

Quick Italian salad ............................................41 

Scandi special bagel filling ...............................77 

Speedy salsa verde ...........................................41 

Spring greens with bacon .................................66 

Warm lemony courgette salad ..........................42 

Zingy rice salad ................................................42 

DESSERTS 

Cherry bakewell sponge pudding ......................48 

Chocolate pud with chocolate sauce .................49 

Coffee panna cotta ...........................................49 

Fruity cheesecake tart ......................................71 

Ginger slump ....................................................44 

Lemon curd pots ..............................................75 

Lemon posset with hot spiced fruit ...................71 

Panna cotta with apricots .................................41 

Rhubarb and orange slump ..............................44 

Rhubarb crumble trifle .....................................67 

CAKES & BAKES 

Bagels ..............................................................76 

Birthday bonanza .............................................32 

Cappuccino cake ..............................................75 

Carrot cake .......................................................53 

Cherry and almond brownies ............................56 

Chocolate layer cake .........................................72 

Chocolate tiffin Easter nest ...............................73 

Coconut and mango sponge .............................53 

Coffee and walnut cake .....................................32 

Coke float ........................................................32 

Easter cupcakes ...............................................57 

Fig and walnut slice ..........................................75 

Lemon and poppy seed cupcakes .....................52 

Hot cross bun cupcakes ...................................58 

Hot cross bun ring with spiced honey butter.....59 

Rhubarb and orange cake .................................45 

Salted caramel & peanut butter 

billionaire’s slice ...........................................60 

Savoury Danish ................................................55 

Savoury hot cross buns ....................................59 

This magazine is owned by BBC Worldwide and produced on its behalf by Immediate Media Company London Limited. 

BBC Worldwide’s profits are returned to the BBC for the benefit of the licence-fee payer. ISSN 17439175. 

Reprographics by Immediate Media Company London Limited. Printed by Polestar Chantry. © Immediate Media Company 

London Limited 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. The publishers cannot 

accept responsibility for errors in advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations. BBC Worldwide Ltd is a registered data user whose entries in the Data Protection 

Register contain descriptions of sources and disclosures of personal data. The text paper for BBC Easy Cook is printed on 65gsm Graphocote 

produced by SCA. It is elementally chlorine free and coated with kaolin from Brazil. The cover is printed on 150gsm Royal Roto produced by 

Sappi Paper at their Nijmegen mill in Holland. It is elementally chlorine free and coated with china clay produced in the UK. Immediate Media 

is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council® 

(FSC) certified paper. This magazine can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping 

and dispose of it at your local collection point. With thanks to BBC Good Food magazine, where some recipes have previously appeared.

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