Lorraine Pascale’s Fast, Fresh and Easy Food

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Roasted new patatas & chorizo bravas with aïoli (#ulink_1b9c7249-9f1d-5724-a687-f823004abe69)

I went to a restaurant with my dad where we feasted on spicy patatas bravas, jamón ibérico that melted on the tongue like a fine butter and garlic prawns served simply with lime and fresh herbs. My dad (the Spanish teacher) was talking to the waiter who thought his Spanish was so good he was actually from Spain. Well, I just sat there beaming with pride. This is a recipe to remind me of that fantastic Friday lunch. There are many ways to make patatas bravas, and chorizo is not usually thrown in, but being a chorizo addict, totally entranced by its robust flavours, I just had to add some.

Time from start to finish: 25 minutes

Serves: 2

Equipment: Large roasting tin, medium pan

500g baby or new potatoes

Olive oil

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1–2 tsp smoked paprika

1–2 tsp caster sugar

150ml aïoli (#litres_trial_promo) (shop-bought, or if you fancy making your own)

150g chorizo ring

A small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

+ Preheat the oven to 220°C, (fan 200°C), 425°F, Gas Mark 7.

+ Put the potatoes into a large roasting tin. If using new potatoes (not ‘baby’), halve or quarter them first. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a good amount of oil. Roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes.

+ Pour the tomatoes into a medium pan over a medium heat. Add the vinegar, paprika and sugar to taste, a drizzle of oil, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then bubble away for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

+ Meanwhile, make your aïoli and set aside or skip to the next step if using shop-bought.

+ Peel and chop the chorizo into chunky pieces and set aside.

+ Give the sauce a stir and check on the potatoes, tossing them about a bit. Add the chorizo to the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

+ The potatoes are cooked when crisp and golden outside and tender inside when pierced with a knife. Remove them from the oven and tip onto a serving platter for sharing. Take the now-reduced tomato sauce off the heat and add some salt and pepper if need be. Then pour it over the potatoes and top with the aïoli and tear over the parsley leaves. Sometimes in Spain this is served with cocktail sticks. Wonderful!

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Potato & leek vichyssoise with crispy bacon & chives (#ulink_2d6704cc-8aa3-5984-8017-26d4f1a6fafa)

It has been said that this soup comes from Vichy in France, but rumour has it that the chef who created it had some Vichy roots and the link is no more than that. It is supposed to be served cold, but personally I am not one for cold potato soup. So I turned up the heat and added one of my favourite ingredients, bacon, which has been crisped up to within a very inch of its life, adding some welcome crunch and saltiness, along with a drizzle of cream and a few snips of chives.

Time from start to finish: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Equipment: Large pan, small frying pan, stick or standard blender, scissors

50g butter

2 large leeks

2 large floury potatoes

100ml white wine

1 litre good-quality chicken stock (fresh is best to use here)

75g oak-smoked bacon lardons or cubed pancetta

A little double cream (optional)

Small handful of fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

+ Put a large pan on a low heat with the butter. While it is heating up, trim the leeks, remove any tough outer leaves, split them in half lengthways and wash really well before finely slicing. Add to the pan and cook gently for about 10 minutes until really soft, stirring from time to time.

+ Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Add to the leeks (once they are cooked) along with the wine. Allow the wine to bubble down for 2–3 minutes before adding the stock and some salt and pepper. Then turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Let the soup bubble away for 10–15 minutes until the potato is nice and tender.

+ While the soup is cooking, place a small frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, add the bacon (or pancetta) lardons and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring from time to time, until crisp and golden. Spoon onto kitchen paper to drain, and set aside.

+ Using a stick blender, carefully blitz the now-cooked soup until really smooth. A jug blender does the trick also; just be careful to blend in a couple of batches.

+ Taste the soup, adding more salt and pepper if you think it needs it (but allowing for the saltiness of the bacon) and then ladle into four serving bowls. Swirl a little cream on top of each, if using, snip the chives over and finally scatter with the cooked lardons to serve.

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Thai chicken soup with coconut milk & ginger (#ulink_07006c5d-f442-5d3e-86c4-15dd70a760bd)

A smoother-than-velvet Thai-style soup with an orchestra of flavours going on inside. If you can get your hands on fresh kaffir lime leaves that would be great; the dried ones can be found in the herbs and spices section in the supermarket, or use frozen.

Time from start to finish: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Equipment: Large pan or wok

Vegetable oil