Skills and More

Mushroom & Tomato Frittata 

 

Ingredients

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• 30g unsalted butter

• 200g Mushrooms, thickly sliced

• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

• 4 eggs

• 75g mature cheddar, coarsely grated

• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

 

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Method:

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• Step 1

  Preheat the grill to high.

• Step 2

  Melt 20g of the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and tomato wedges, and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until tomato is just softened.

• Step 3

• Lightly beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water in a large bowl. Stir in cheese, parsley, and the mushroom and tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

• Step 4

• Melt remaining butter in the frypan over medium-low heat. Add the egg mixture, stir briefly, then cook for 5-6 minutes until golden underneath and nearly set. Place pan under hot grill for 3-4 minutes or until just set and top is golden. Slide onto a board, cut in half.

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Did you know?

 

Mushrooms are rich in the B vitamins: riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid. The combination helps protect heart health. Riboflavin is good for red blood cells. Niacin is good for the digestive system and for maintaining healthy skin.

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Butternut Squash Risotto

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Ingredients

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• 1kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• bunch of sage, leaves picked, half roughly chopped, half left whole

• 1½l vegetable stock

• 50g butter

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 300g risotto rice (we used arborio)

• 1 small glass white wine

• 50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated

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Method:

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• STEP 1

  Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp oil together with the chopped sage. Scatter into a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 mins until brown and soft.

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• STEP 2

  While the squash is roasting, prepare the risotto. Bring the stock to the boil and keep on a low simmer. In a separate pan, melt half the butter over a medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook gently for 8-10 mins until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions until completely coated in the butter, then stir continuously until the rice is shiny and the edges of the grain start to look transparent.

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• STEP 3

  Pour in the wine and simmer until completely evaporated. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring the rice over a low heat for 25-30 mins, until the rice is cooked al dente (with a slightly firm, starchy bite in the middle). The risotto should be creamy and slightly soupy.

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• STEP 4

  At the same time, gently fry the whole sage leaves in a little olive oil until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper. When the squash is cooked, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole. When the risotto is just done, stir through the purée, then add the cheese and remaining butter and leave to rest for a few minutes. Serve the risotto scattered with the whole chunks of squash and the crisp sage leaves.

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Did you know?

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Butternut squash is high in potassium, which can help keep your blood pressure in check. Managing your blood pressure can reduce your risk for stroke and heart disease. Its fiber helps with blood sugar. Butternut squash contains

a type of fibre that's not digestible.

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Healthy Chicken Korma

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Ingredients:

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• onion 1, roughly chopped

• ginger thumb-sized piece, peeled

• garlic 2 cloves

• vegetable oil 1 tbsp

• tomato purée 1 tbsp

• ground cumin 1 tsp

• paprika 1 tsp

• ground turmeric ½ tsp

• ground coriander 1 tsp

• chilli powder ½ tsp

• ground almonds 6 tbsp

• chicken breasts 4, cut into large chunks

• chicken stock 300ml

• natural yogurt 100g

• cooked basmati rice to serve

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  Coriander Nanns:

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• coriander seeds ½ tsp, lightly crushed

• nigella seeds ½ tsp

• fast-action dried yeast 1 tsp

• strong white bread flour 300g, plus extra for dusting

• natural yogurt 50g

• fine sea salt ½ tsp

• coriander ½ small bunch, chopped

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Method:

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• STEP 1

  To make the naans, put the coriander seeds, nigella seeds, yeast, flour, yogurt and salt in a bowl with 150ml of warm water. Knead briefly until the mixture forms a ball, then knead on a lightly floured worksurface for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 hour until doubled in size.

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• STEP 2

  Knock back the dough in the bowl, then briefly knead in the chopped coriander. Divide into six balls, then roll each out into a long oval. Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat and cook the naans, one at a time, for 2-3 minutes until golden and puffed. Flip, then cook for 1 minute more. Wrap the cooked naans in foil, then cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

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• STEP 3

  Put the onion, ginger and garlic in a small food processor and blitz to a paste. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the onion paste for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and caramelised. Stir in the spices and toast for 1 minute, then stir in the ground almonds. Add a splash of water and stir to make a paste with the onions and spices. Add the chicken, then season and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is golden and coated in the spices. Pour over the stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and briefly fold in the yogurt to make a thick sauce. Season and serve with basmati rice.

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Did you know?

 

This version is lighter than the traditional recipe, yet it’s every bit as warming!

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Minestrone Soup

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Ingredients:

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• 4 rashers of streaky bacon , optional

• olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic

• 2 small onions

• 2 fresh bay leaves

• 2 carrots

• 2 sticks of celery

• 2 large handfuls of seasonal greens, such as savoy cabbage, curly kale, chard

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 1 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes

• 2 x 400 g tins of beans, such as cannellini, butter, or mixed

• 100 g dried pasta

• Parmesan cheese , to serve

• extra virgin olive oil

 

Method:

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• Put a large shallow casserole pan on a medium-high heat.​

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• Finely slice the bacon, if using, and sprinkle into the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring occasionally while you prep your veg.

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• Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion, adding the garlic to the pan with the bay leaves as soon as the bacon turns golden, followed by the onions.

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• Trim and chop the carrots and celery into rough 1cm dice, adding to the pan as you go. Remove and finely chop any tough stalks from your greens and add to the pan. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, or until softened and caramelised.

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• Crumble in the stock cube, pour in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon, then add 1 tin’s worth of water.

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• Pour in the beans, juice and all, then add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

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• Shred your greens and sprinkle into the pan, top up with 600ml of boiling kettle water, then add the pasta. Cover and leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked and the soup has thickened to your liking.

 

• Season the soup to perfection, then serve it with a grating of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. A sprinkling of fresh baby basil leaves will always be delicious, if you’ve got them, and my kids enjoy it with a dollop of pesto on top, too.

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Did you know?

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Minestrone is rich in fibre, which helps the intestines stay healthy. “It promotes intestinal regularity and consequently the elimination of toxins and waste substances. Soluble fibre – present in artichokes, tomatoes, leeks, asparagus, onions and other vegetables – is prebiotic.

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Healthy Lasagne

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Ingredients:

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• olive oil

• carrots 4, peeled and finely diced

• onions 2, finely diced

• celery 2 stalks, finely diced

• lean turkey mince 500g

• tomato purée 2 tbsp

• chopped tomatoes 400g tin

• bay leaf 1

• plain flour 2 tbsp

• skimmed milk 250ml, warmed

• spinach 200g, chopped

• lasagne sheets 8-10

• parmesan 50g, grated

• green salad to serve

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Method:

 

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STEP 1

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Heat 1 tsp oil in a large pan, and fry the carrot, onion and celery for 15 minutes until it is very soft and starting to caramelize. Add the mince and fry until brown all over. Add the purée and stir into the mince, then add the tomatoes with half a tin of water and the bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce is thick.

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STEP 2

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Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat 1 tsp oil in another pan. Add the flour and cook until the oil is absorbed and the flour starts to expand. Stirring continually, add the warmed milk, a splash at a time, until completely incorporated and there are no lumps. Cook on a low heat until you have a thick white sauce, and season. Stir the spinach though the sauce, and simmer until it wilts.

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STEP 3

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Put one third of the tomato sauce in a large baking dish, and cover with a few lasagne sheets. Keep layering up until the sauce has been used, finishing with a layer of pasta. Pour over the white sauce, and scatter with the parmesan. Bake for 1 hour or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden. Cover with foil if it’s getting too dark.

Serve with a salad.

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Pancakes topped with strawberries and blueberries

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Ingredients:

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• 50g self-raising flour

• 50g wholemeal or wholegrain flour

• 2 small eggs, separated

• 150ml skimmed milk

• berries and low-fat yogurt or fromage frais to serve

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Method:

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STEP 1

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Sift the flours into a bowl or wide jug and tip any bits in the sieve back into the bowl. Add the egg yolks and a splash of milk then stir to a thick paste. Add the remaining milk a little at a time so you don’t make lumps in the batter.

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STEP 2

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Whisk the egg whites until they stand up in stiff peaks, then fold them carefully into the batter – try not to squash out all the air.

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STEP 3

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Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and pour in enough batter to make a pancake about 10 cm across. Cook for just under a minute until bubbles begin to pop on the surface and the edges are looking a little dry. Carefully turn the pancake over. If it is a bit wet on top, it may squirt out a little batter as you do so. In that case, leave it on the other side a little longer. Keep warm while you make the remaining pancakes. Serve with your favourite healthy toppings.

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Did you know?

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Pancakes can be a healthy breakfast option!