Home Cooking Made Easy

Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Then make a well in the centre and pour in the water. Use a wooden spoon to stir it all together, and when it starts getting stiff, put the spoon down and use your hands to squidge it together into a ball. The dough should feel soft and not too hard – like Blu-Tack. If the dough is too stiff, pop it back into the bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of water and squidge it together with your hands until it comes together. Knead for 10 minutes if doing by hand and for 5 minutes in a machine. Once the dough is kneaded, I weigh it and then divide the number by 12, so all the rolls are an even size.

Roll each one into a ball and either just leave them in a ball or shape them as in the photo. Space the rolls on a large baking tray and cover with oiled clingfilm so it is airtight but not too taut. You may need to use two trays. Leave the rolls in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until they are almost doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. To test the dough, remove the clingfilm and with a floured finger, prod the side of the dough – the dent should spring back halfway. Brush liberally all over with the eggwash and sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds.

Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere. I usually spray 8–10 squirts with a spray gun, then place the rolls into the oven. Bake for about 15–20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Spring onion & red chilli cornbread

When you want some and you want it quick, an American-style cornbread spiced with chilli and onion is perfect. Use lots of salt and black pepper in the mix, as this bread needs a good amount of seasoning.

Serves 4–5 (V)

Oil, for oiling

220g fine cornmeal or polenta

90g plain flour

1 tsp soft light brown sugar

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg

200g natural yoghurt

300ml milk

1 tsp salt

75g tinned drained sweetcorn

30g butter or olive oil

3–4 red chillies, finely chopped

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

Medium ovenproof frying pan, a large brownie tin or a 20cm springform tin

Preheat the oven to 220°C (225°F), Gas Mark 7 and oil the pan or tin. If using the springform tin, line the bottom with baking parchment.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (the mix will look very sloppy and not that appealing, but I promise it will come good), then place the mixture into the pan or tin. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the bread looks cooked and is no longer wet.

Once cooked, remove the bread from the oven, leave to cool, then cut into chunks and eat with a hearty soup.

Really quick ‘Danish pastries’

When I am thinking of ideas for recipe testing, I lock myself in the kitchen with the television on and a huge pile of ingredients and just experiment. About 1 o’clock one Sunday morning, I was standing in the kitchen and staring at a block of puff pastry that had to be used up. I rifled through the cupboards and fridge and found a small tin of apricots and a little tub of ready-made custard. Within a very short space of time, I had conjured up these ‘Danish pastries’ – a more than acceptable alternative to the ‘proper’ ones and with the added satisfaction that they are so quick to make.

Makes 12 small pastries (V)

1 x 375g packet of puff pastry

Plain flour, for dusting

1 x 220g tin of apricot halves

300g thick custard (for these I use shop-bought)

1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash

Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a square 30cm by 30cm. To make the windmill, or what are sometimes called Imperial stars, cut the pastry into 7.5cm squares and make diagonal cuts from each corner to within 1cm of the centre. Put one or two apricot halves in the centre of the square and spoon over a little ready-made thick vanilla custard, then fold alternate corners of each cut section down to the centre, brushing the tips with beaten egg.

Place them into the fridge for 15 minutes or so until they are firm. Remove them from the fridge, brush them with eggwash and sprinkle with sugar, then place the pastries into the oven. Bake for about 20–25 minutes, or until they are firm, risen and golden brown.

Remove them from the oven and leave to cool.

Mains

There is always a question in my mind at the beginning of every day – and that is, what shall I serve for dinner? At the weekends, this also becomes, what shall I serve for lunch? Most days I get in the kitchen and whip up something for the family, but I will wholeheartedly put my hands in the air and say that some days I pop out to the local supermarket and buy something out of a packet to prick with a fork and bung in the oven. So, I wanted to come up with a chapter full of recipes to cook for a main meal, such as super-fast pan-fried lemon sole, to the slightly less quick but very much worth the wait slow-roast pork shoulder with crispy crackling and the very frequently made (in my house) not-so-Cornish pasties. However much time you have, and no matter what the occasion, there is much to choose from here, whether you’re planning a family meal or a smart dinner to impress.

‘An empty belly is the best cook.’

Estonian proverb

Decadent rosemary & Worcestershire sauce shepherd’s pie

This pie is an old-school classic with a hint of something extra.

Serves 4–6

Oil, for cooking

2 medium red onions, peeled and chopped

3–4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 stick of celery, trimmed and chopped (optional)