Home Cooked

When the chops are cooked, transfer to a warmed plate and reduce the sauce over a medium heat for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Add the coriander and stir through, then add the chops and the Baby Gem and coat generously in the sauce.

Serve the chops on warmed plates with the charred Baby Gem and scatter with spring onions and a little extra coriander.

CHILLI & LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

This is a wonderfully fragrant dish that is very easy to prepare. I use chicken thighs here as they have more flavour, but you can easily use chicken breasts instead. The paste made for the sauce can also be used with beef or pork.

SERVES 2

2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)

350g chicken thigh meat, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tbsp curry powder

100ml chicken stock

1 tbsp caster sugar

Small handful of mint, basil and coriander leaves, to garnish

In a bowl, combine the lemongrass, chilli, garlic and fish sauce. Place the chicken meat into another bowl and add half the lemongrass mix, reserving the rest. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the reserved lemongrass mixture, then add the curry powder and stir-fry for about 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the pieces have a nice colour on all sides.

Pour the chicken stock into the pan and stir in the sugar. Simmer for a few minutes until the stock has reduced and you are left with a thick sauce. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with the herbs.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHEESY CHICKEN WITH WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE

This is a warm and comforting supper that doesn’t take too much time to prepare. You can serve it with either steamed rice or a simply dressed salad, but the two key components are the crisp prosciutto-wrapped chicken oozing with cheese and rich and creamy mushroom sauce. You won’t be able to say no!

SERVES 4

100g Gruyère cheese, finely grated

100g frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed of excess liquid and finely chopped

4 chicken breasts

8 slices of prosciutto

1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE MUSHROOM SAUCE

50g dried mushrooms

200ml chicken stock

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

100g mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

75ml white wine

125ml single cream

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. For the mushroom sauce, soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl with the chicken stock.

To stuff the chicken, mix together the grated cheese and chopped spinach in a bowl. Lay the chicken breasts on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, slice horizontally to create a pocket. Stuff each pocket with the cheese and spinach mix. Wrap two slices of prosciutto around each chicken breast.

Heat the oil in a a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the chicken breasts and fry all over until they are crisp and golden. Transfer the breasts to a roasting tin and cook on the middle shelf in the oven for about 10 minutes until the prosciutto is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the mushroom sauce. Add the butter to the pan and place it back on a medium heat. Fry the onion and fresh mushrooms for about 6 minutes until tender. Then add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Pour in the soaked dried mushrooms together with the chicken stock and add the white wine. Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the cooked chicken breast with parsley and serve with the mushroom sauce and some rice, pasta or salad leaves.

CHILLI & TOMATO CRAB PASTA

I love taking one ingredient and really making it the star of the dish. In this recipe, crab hits the big time! Paired with the heat of chilli and the freshness of lemon juice and zest, it makes a pretty incredible pasta dish. You can buy crab meat quite easily nowadays and for a speedy supper it does save you the hassle of buying a crab, cooking it and then tearing out its insides. Hey, I’m all for shortcuts if you can take them!

SERVES 4

Sea salt

300g spaghetti or linguine

3 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp dried chilli flakes