Ingredients

• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 fat garlic clove, crushed
• Knob of butter
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp paprika (sweet or smoked depending on preference)
• Pinch of chilli flakes or chilli powder
• 400g can chopped tomatoes, drained and juice reserved
• 400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ vegetable stock cube
• 2 squares dark chocolate
• Soured cream, to serve (optional)
• Coriander, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Put the onion, garlic, butter and spices in a microwaveable container, give it a quick stir, then heat in the microwave on High for 30-40 secs. Leave to stand for 1 min, then add the chopped tomatoes, beans, stock cube and chocolate.
2. Cover with cling film and pierce 3 times. Place some kitchen paper on your microwave turntable, put the container on top and cook for 2 mins on High. Stir well and leave to stand for 1 min. If your chilli starts to dry out, add some of the reserved tomato juice, but remember that it won’t reduce as much in the microwave as it would on the hob.
3. Cover and cook on Medium for a further 2 mins. Give it a good stir and allow to stand for 1 min before serving topped with soured cream and coriander, if you like.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 heaped tbsp harissa
• Juice 1/2 lemon
• Cooked potatoes
• 3 large tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 300g smoked mackerel, flaked
• 2-3 good handfuls rocket leaves

Method

1. Mix the crème fraîche, harissa and lemon juice, then season to taste. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, tomatoes and onion, then stir in the dressing to coat. Scatter with the flaked mackerel and rocket. Stir together before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 100g chorizo, skin removed and thinly sliced
• 600ml vegetable stock
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 180g pack raw king prawns
• 100g quick-cook polenta
• 50g parmesan, grated
• 25g butter
• ½ small pack parsley, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 3 mins. Meanwhile, in another pan, boil the veg stock.
2. Add the garlic and prawns to the frying pan and cook for 3-4 mins until the prawns just turn pink, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and keep warm.
3. Add the polenta to the stock and whisk vigorously for 1 min until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Parmesan and butter for 1 min more until melted. Season liberally.
4. Serve the prawns and chorizo in their oils on top of the polenta, with the parsley scattered over the top.

Ingredients

• 250g dried udon noodles (400g frozen or fresh)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 onion, thickly sliced
• ¼ head white cabbage, roughly sliced
• 10 shiitake mushrooms
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced

For the sauce

• 4 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or vegetarian alternative)

Method

1. Boil some water in a large saucepan. Add 250ml cold water and the udon noodles. (As they are so thick, adding cold water helps them to cook a little bit slower so the middle cooks through). If using frozen or fresh noodles, cook for 2 mins or until al dente; dried will take longer, about 5-6 mins. Drain and leave in the colander.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil, add the onion and cabbage and sauté for 5 mins until softened. Add the mushrooms and some spring onions, and sauté for 1 more min. Pour in the remaining sesame oil and the noodles. If using cold noodles, let them heat through before adding the ingredients for the sauce – otherwise tip in straight away and keep stir-frying until sticky and piping hot. Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions.

Ingredients

• 350g pasta bows (farfalle)
• 300g broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• Juice of 1 large or 2 small oranges
• 25g flaked almond, toasted

Method

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Three minutes before the pasta is cooked, throw the broccoli into the pasta water and continue to boil.
2. While the pasta is cooking, gently heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Tip in the chicken and fry, stirring occasionally, until the chicken pieces are cooked and golden, about 8-10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes.
3. Mix the mustard with the orange juice in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the chicken, and gently simmer for a minute or two. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving 3 tablespoons of the pasta water. Toss the pasta and broccoli with the chicken, stir in the pasta water and the almonds, season well and serve.