Home Made: Good, honest food made easy

1 tsp chopped capers

sprig of fresh basil, torn

1 egg, beaten

75g/3oz dried breadcrumbs

salt and black pepper

Serves: 2

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 Preheat the oven to 190°/375°F/GM5. Lightly grease an oven tray.

2 Slit the chicken breasts open horizontally to make a pocket, being careful not to cut all the way through.

3 Place the tomatoes, mozzarella, capers and basil in a bowl, drizzle over the oil and add a grinding of black pepper and salt to taste.

4 Fill each chicken breast with the mixture, close the pocket and secure with a cocktail stick.

5 Pour the beaten egg into a large flattish bowl ready to dip the breasts into. Tip the breadcrumbs onto a large plate or tray. Coat the chicken breasts with the beaten egg, then turn them in the breadcrumbs, ensuring all sides are evenly coated (see Why Not Try …). Drizzle a little oil over both sides of the stuffed breasts.

6 Place the chicken breasts on the oven tray and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking, until golden brown. Ensure the chicken is cooked through. Remove the cocktail sticks and serve.

WHY NOT TRY …

This is a great dish to make in advance and leave in the fridge for a few hours once you have coated the chicken. The breadcrumbs tend to stick better if they are refrigerated at this stage.

Serve with a rocket salad simply dressed with balsamic vinaigrette for a delicious main course.

I’ve always liked eating outdoors, whether in the garden at home or out on a picnic, as there’s something really casual and laid back about this kind of food. So if the weather’s dry and not too cold, we’ll take our food outside. The children love having picnics – even if it’s just in the garden – and they’re much more relaxed, too, so it’s a good time to introduce them to new foods that they might not otherwise eat. I find children are more adventurous if they are eating with their fingers, and it’s a great excuse to ditch the cutlery.

I have to confess that I’m not a great fan of barbecues, though, because in my experience the food always seems to end up overcooked or burnt. There’s a definite knack to barbecuing, and it’s all to do with getting the heat at the right temperature, so I tend to leave it to the experts (like my South African brother-in-law, Jonty). What I mean by eating outdoors is having simple meat, chicken, or fish dishes with salads, or cold food that can be served without having to keep going in and out of the kitchen.

Chilled gazpacho soups, salads, quiches and pâtés can all be prepared ahead and served Mediterranean-style alongside platters of sliced meats, grilled vegetables, cheeses and fresh bread. It’s a brilliant, informal kind of lunch that can be slapped on a board and left on the table for friends or family to help themselves. This is what lazy, hazy summer days are all about – the kids running around in the sunshine while we sit back and watch, casually picking at the food in front of us with no need to rush.

Coq au vin (#ulink_9aba5a4e-c29a-56cb-b639-719b2260725b)

Maybe there is a reason why a recipe becomes a cliché – it’s so delicious that it’s cooked far too often. For me, the combination of bacon, chicken, mushrooms and baby onions, slowly cooked in red wine, will always be a winner. That’s why I think recipes like this need to be dusted off and handed on to the next generation. This is how I’ve always made it.

1 medium chicken, weighing about 1.4kg/3lb, jointed into 6 pieces, then breasts cut in half (or 2 breasts, cut in half widthways, plus 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks)

25g/1oz butter

1 tbsp olive oil

300g/11oz shallots, peeled (see Why Not Try …)

150g/5oz rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon, cut into small slices

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 rounded tbsp plain flour

200ml/7fl oz red wine

300ml/10fl oz chicken stock (or 300ml/10fl oz water with a good-quality chicken stock cube)

250g/9oz button mushrooms, stalks trimmed

4 sprigs of thyme, tied together with kitchen string

salt and pepper

20g pack of fresh flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped, to serve

FOR THE MARINADE

2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways

1 stick of celery, halved

1 garlic clove, peeled and bruised

2 bay leaves

300ml/10fl oz red wine

Serves: 4

Prep time: 40 minutes plus marinating overnight

Cooking time: about 1

/

hours

WHY NOT TRY …

The easiest way to peel shallots is to pour boiling water over them, leave for 1 minute, then drain and peel.

Defy tradition and leave in the carrot and celery pieces. Though soft, they taste delicious.

1 Start by marinating the chicken. I think the easiest way is to put the chicken joints, carrot, celery, bruised garlic clove and bay leaves into a large freezer bag. Pour over the wine. Squeeze out any excess air and fasten the bag as tightly as possible with a wire tie. Put the bag into a bowl large enough to accommodate it easily, to make sure none of the marinade leaks over your fridge. Place the bowl in the fridge overnight. Whenever you remember, turn the bag around in the bowl to make sure all the flavours mix together well.