Lorraine Pascale’s Fast, Fresh and Easy Food

+ Tip the cooked mushroom mixture into a food processor with the chestnuts, individual leaves of tarragon and the cream cheese. Blitz for a few minutes until really smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Have a taste of it and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

+ Divide between the ramekins, smooth their tops and place a tarragon sprig on top of each to decorate. Arrange them on a small tray or plate, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. You can also serve these straight away, but their texture will be much softer and flavour not so intense. Serve with your favourite bread, crackers or breadsticks.

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Pizza expressed three ways (#ulink_60087686-b880-5094-a597-3b97ad7ceb1b)

You can either make the dough from scratch for this pizza, which takes no time at all, or for an even speedier method, buy soft tortillas and use these as a base for the pizza instead of making your own.

Time from start to finish: 40 minutes (for all three pizza toppings)

or

Dough: 15 minutes prep

Toppings: 5 minutes per pizza

Time baking in the oven: 8–10 minutes

Makes: 3 thin 14 × 40cm pizza bases

Equipment: Large bowl, freestanding electric mixer fitted with the dough hook (optional), rolling pin, 3 baking sheets, clean tea towel (or cling film), scissors, blender, peeler

Pizza dough

300g strong bread flour, plus a little

extra for dusting

1 × 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

1½ tsp salt

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling

175ml warm tap water (not too hot)

+ Preheat the oven to 240°C, (fan 220°C), 475°F, Gas Mark 9.

+ Put the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and the water. Then mix it all together with a wooden spoon to form a soft, slightly sticky ball.

+ At this stage I like to get my hands into the bowl and squidge everything together. Then throw a little flour on the work surface and knead the dough for 8 minutes by hand (or 4 minutes in a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a dough hook).

+ Divide the dough into three equal(ish) pieces and then use a rolling pin to roll each one out into roughly a 14 × 40cm rectangle. It will be really nice and thin. Put each rectangle on an oiled baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel or some oiled cling film so they do not dry out while you prepare the toppings. There are three delicious toppings on the next page – each recipe provides enough to top one pizza base. You can make one pizza using the topping you like or make three to try each of them!

Harissa, chilli & sausage pizza with fennel seed & rocket

2 spring onions

1 red chilli (optional)

2 fat sausages

2 tbsp harissa paste (found in most supermarkets)

2 tsp fennel seed

A handful of wild rocket

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Harissa, chilli & sausage pizza with fennel seed & rocket

+ Trim and finely slice the spring onions (both the green and the white bits), then halve, deseed and finely slice the red chilli, if using, and set aside.

+ Snip the skin off the sausages and then peel it off or squeeze the sausage meat out. Break the sausage meat into small pieces.

+ Spread the harissa paste all over the pizza base. I like to leave a 1cm border, for aesthetic purposes only! Scatter over the onions, chilli, sausage meat and fennel seed and season with a little salt and pepper.

Goat’s cheese & sweet pepper pizza with chorizo

50ml passata

50g mild or hot Peppadew peppers (jars are available from most supermarkets, near the capers and vinegars!)

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 garlic clove

75g goat’s cheese

10 chorizo slices

Small handful of fresh basil leaves

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Goat’s cheese & sweet pepper pizza with chorizo

+ Put the passata and Peppadew peppers in a blender. Run your fingers down the length of the thyme sprigs to release their leaves, peel the garlic and add both to the blender. Blitz until smooth and then spread over the pizza base, leaving a 1cm border.

+ Break the goat’s cheese into small pieces and scatter over the pizza base along with the chorizo slices. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Feta, hummus & courgette pizza with balsamic drizzle & mint