Tana Ramsay’s Real Family Food: Delicious Recipes for Everyday Occasions

4 slices honey roast ham, cut into strips

6 cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/GM5.

2 Roll out the pastry into a rectangle approximately ½ cm¼ inch thick. Sprinkle over the grated cheese, covering the whole area. Layer over the strips of ham and sliced tomatoes.

3 Roll the pastry rectangle from the long edge into a sausage shape.

4 Bake for 15–20 minutes, until nicely golden.

5 Slice into 5cm/2 inch pieces. Be careful to allow to cool a little before eating as the cheese becomes very hot!

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15–20 minutes

TIP

My favourite alternative fillings are tuna, mayonnaise and sweetcorn or cream cheese, ham and chives.

salmon fishcakes (#ulink_6c7a7956-34c3-5424-9b1d-914ebf4e7ef6)

These delicious fishcakes taste great cold and can be made from store cupboard ingredients, so there’s no excuse for not packing something more interesting than a cheese sandwich in a lunchbox! When I make this recipe, I always freeze half the mixture before shaping the rest into cakes. It’s also a great way to use up leftover mashed potato.

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

450g/1lb tinned salmon

25g/1oz parsley, chopped

400g/14oz mashed potato

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 egg, beaten

4 tbsp white breadcrumbs

25g/1oz butter for frying

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 Finely chop the anchovy fillets before combining with the tinned salmon, parsley, mashed potato and mayonnaise. Try not to break the salmon up too much – I always think a chunky texture tastes better.

2 Pour in the egg and gently mix through.

3 Divide the mixture in 2 and put 1 half into a freezer bag to freeze for future use.

4 Shape into either 12 large balls or 24 small ones (smaller ones are ideal for lunchboxes).

5 Roll the balls in the breadcrumbs and squash flat.

6 Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When you think it’s hot enough, throw a couple of breadcrumbs into the pan – if they immediately sizzle and colour, carefully place the fishcakes in the hot fat. Fry carefully for about 8 minutes, turning regularly to make sure both sides are cooked evenly and are nicely golden without being burnt.

Makes: 12 large or 24 small fishcakes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 8 minutes

lamb samosas (#ulink_91a19354-819e-56fa-ac41-72d96b46e0fb)

These samosas are brilliant in a lunchbox or as an after-school snack.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

500g/18oz minced lamb

2 tsp dried oregano

75g/3oz feta cheese, cut into 1cm/½ inch cubes

200g/7oz pack filo pastry

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4.

2 Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion until soft. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a further minute.

3 Increase the heat and add the lamb. As it begins to brown, break it up with a wooden spoon and fry until the juices have evaporated or you will have horrible, soggy samosas!

4 When the meat and onions are dry, cook for a few more minutes to allow the meat to brown slightly but watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn. Tip it into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the dried oregano and feta cheese, allowing the cheese to break down a bit while you mix.

5 Each sheet of filo pastry makes 1 samosa. Carefully brush each sheet with the tiniest glimmer of olive oil before folding in half lengthways. Brush the pastry with oil again.

6 With the pastry sheet stretched out in front of you, carefully place about 1 dessertspoon of mince at the bottom of the pastry sheet, closest to you. Very gingerly, bring the bottom corner of the pastry up to form the beginning of a triangle over the mince. Continue to fold the pastry into triangles until there is no more left and the mince is completely cocooned in a triangular filo parcel.

7 Place the finished triangle on a greased baking tray and brush the top with a little more oil. Continue folding the filo sheets until you have used up all the mince mixture.

8 Bake a preheated oven for 30 minutes, until golden.

Makes: approximately 18 samosas