Chicken, haricot beans and lemon
For 2
chicken breasts, tinned haricot beans, thyme, chicken stock, lemon, parsley
Using a heavy knife, cut 2 bone-in chicken breasts in half and season them with salt and black pepper. Warm a little olive oil in a sauté pan, add the chicken and let it brown on both sides.
Drain a couple of 400g tins of haricot beans and add them to the pan together with 8 little sprigs of thyme, 500ml of chicken stock and the juice of a lemon.
Bring the stock and beans to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley, check the seasoning and serve.
★ Keep the heat low to moderate in order to give the chicken plenty of time to cook through to the bone. Regularly baste it with the cooking juices to keep the meat moist.
Use a good-quality readymade chicken stock. Most supermarkets and butchers have them in the chilled section.
Use other members of the bean family, such as butter beans, flageolet or cannellini. Try adding tarragon to the stock instead of thyme, as it works beautifully with the chicken stock and lemon.
To make a really fast version of the dish, use boned chicken breast pieces instead of bone-in breasts. You can make a similar recipe with duck breast, too, but omit the lemon and add a dash of Marsala instead.
Rice, carrot and cashews
Enough for 2
carrots, spring onions, cloves, ground coriander, brown basmati rice, vegetable stock, cashews, nigella seeds, garam masala
Scrub and finely dice 2 medium carrots. Warm a slice of butter and a little oil in a frying pan, then add a couple of roughly chopped spring onions and the diced carrots. Let the carrots and spring onions colour lightly, then add 3 whole cloves and a teaspoon of ground coriander.
Add 200g of brown basmati rice and 500ml of vegetable stock, bring to the boil, season generously with salt, then cover tightly with a lid and turn down the heat so the rice simmers gently.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is almost tender. Leave to settle, still covered with a lid, for 10 minutes. Toast a couple of handfuls of cashews in a dry pan until lightly brown, then set aside. Remove the lid from the rice, add 2 teaspoons of nigella seeds, a teaspoon of garam masala, a thick slice of butter and the cashews. Fork the butter, nuts and spices through the mixture, stirring well, then serve.
★ I always wash my rice three times in a bowl of warm water, swishing it round with my fingers. This removes any surface starch and helps to keep the rice separate. Partly necessity and partly ritual, it is probably only truly necessary to do this once, but I have always done it three times and my rice never sticks. It’s best cooked with a tight lid and is done when deep holes appear on the surface. Peep occasionally to check.
You could use parsnips instead of carrots, but cook them a little longer before adding the rice, so the roots are caramelised. Use white rice, cooking it for a shorter time. It will take about 12 minutes, depending on the rice and how soft you like it. I have used soft spicing here, but for a hotter mix use ground chilli, cumin and paprika.
Duck with udon
Enough for 2
duck legs, chicken or vegetable stock, udon or other thick noodles, dulse or other seaweed, coriander, mint
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Put 2 duck legs into a roasting tin (no fat or oil needed), season lightly, and roast for 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly crisp. Pour off any fat that appears in the roasting tin.
Place the duck on a chopping board, tear off the skin and set aside.
Remove the flesh from the legs and cut into pieces just large enough to get on to your spoon.
Put the roasting tin over a moderate heat, pour in 1.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock, then bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve any tasty bits in the tin. Simmer the stock for 15 minutes to reduce it slightly, then add 100g of udon noodles and 2 handfuls of dried dulse or other thin seaweed. Continue cooking for 2 or 3 minutes, until the udon are tender and the dulse is soft. Add the reserved duck meat and check the seasoning.
Lift the noodles out and divide them between two deep bowls. Ladle over the soup, then drop a small handful of coriander and mint leaves into each bowl. Tear up some of the crisp duck skin and drop into the broth, then serve.
★ If the duck skin isn’t crisp, place it in a single layer on a baking sheet and crisp it up under an overhead grill.
You can use chicken legs instead of duck. Roast until the skin is crisp, but add a little oil or butter to the pan before you put them into the oven, and baste them once or twice during cooking. Use a homemade chicken stock or a good shop-bought product.
If seaweed isn’t your thing, add very finely shredded ginger and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Wet polenta and winter greens
Serves 2
polenta, double cream, butter, parmesan, winter greens, beetroot leaves, chard
Put half a litre of water on to boil in a deep, high-sided pan. As it boils, rain in 125g of fine, quick-cooking polenta. Season very generously with salt and bring to the boil.
As it thickens, pour in 75ml of warmed double cream and 50g of butter. Grate 35g of parmesan and stir it into the cooking polenta. Have ready about 180g of washed winter greens, such as kale, beetroot leaves or thin-stemmed chard. Tear or slice these into manageable lengths.
Steam the greens for a minute or two. Drain carefully, then serve with the polenta and more grated parmesan.
★ As polenta cooks, it bubbles up like a volcano. Take great care, as the splashes will scald you. Keep the heat moderate and stir regularly with a wooden spoon, taking care to stir right into the corners of the pan. It is worth remembering that the longer you cook your polenta the firmer it will get.
The texture of polenta is a personal thing, and I like mine soft, verging on the soupy; others prefer it to have more of a cakey consistency.
The above ratio of polenta to water makes a stiffish one. Add more cream, butter or even hot water, as you wish, to make it softer. Chop and change the greens with whatever you have available or what is in season: broccoli is wonderful with polenta, as is cavolo nero.
Chicken wings with barley
For 2
chicken wings 8 large
olive oil a little
chicken stock 1 litre
thin leeks 4 or 5
pearl barley 150g
butter a thick slice
smoked garlic 2 cloves
large flat mushrooms 2
parsley chopped a small handful
tarragon chopped, 1 tbsp
Season the chicken wings and brown them in a little olive oil in a shallow, non-stick pan. Transfer them to a deeper, heavy pan over a moderate heat and pour in three-quarters of the chicken stock.
Chop the leeks into pieces the length of a wine cork, add them to the chicken, tip in the pearl barley and return to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the barley is tender.
Take the original shallow pan, add the rest of the stock and stir over a moderate heat till some of the sticky film left by the chicken has dissolved. Tip the contents into the simmering chicken.
Add a little more fresh oil and the butter to the frying pan, then add the flattened cloves of smoked garlic and the mushrooms. Spoon the butter and oil over the mushrooms, then cover with a lid. Lower the heat and continue cooking for a good 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, basting often, till tender and soft.
Add a couple of tablespoons of parsley and one of tarragon to the barley and correct the seasoning. Serve the leeks and barley alongside the mushrooms.
Red mullet and couscous
Serves 2
vegetable stock, couscous, red onion, pumpkin seeds, ras el hanout, red mullet
Bring 400ml of vegetable stock to the boil in a saucepan. Put 200g of instant couscous into a heatproof mixing bowl, then pour over the hot vegetable stock, cover with a plate and set aside for the couscous to swell.
Peel and finely chop a red onion, then let it sweat and soften in a little olive oil in a small pan and over a low heat.
Roughly chop 4 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and add them to the softening onion. Stir in 2 teaspoons of ras el hanout and a little salt.
Brush 4 small red mullets with olive oil, then season inside and out with salt and pepper and cook on a preheated grill or griddle pan until just cooked. They shouldn’t need more than 6-8 minutes per side, depending on size.
Fluff the couscous with a fork, then fold in the onion and seeds. Season generously and serve with the grilled fish.
★ The couscous can be cooked in water if you prefer, but the best flavour comes from plumping it up in vegetable or chicken stock. The couscous should soak up all the stock – if it doesn’t, drain it in a sieve before mixing in the onion.
If you don’t want to use the mild and fragrant spice mix ras el hanout, you could add a fiery element and stir in a little chilli sauce.
Dried fruits are good here, particularly golden sultanas and chopped apricots. Stir them in with the onions, perhaps with a little chopped mint too.
Quick fish chowder
Serves 2
onion, new potatoes, milk, bay leaves, salmon, cod, smoked haddock, sweetcorn, spring onions, parsley
Peel and roughly chop an onion, put it into a large deep pan with a little oil and fry till golden. Scrub 400g of new potatoes, then halve or quarter them depending on their size. Add them to the onion then pour in 500ml of water and 500ml of milk. Bring to the boil, with a coarse grinding of pepper and a couple of bay leaves.
Lower the heat so the liquid simmers and, when the potato is soft, introduce 400g of mixed fish, such as salmon, cod and smoked haddock, cut into large cubes, and continue to cook on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Slice the kernels from a head of sweetcorn and drop them into the pan. Roughly chop 2 spring onions and a small bunch of parsley and stir them into the soup carefully, without breaking up the fish. Serve as soon as the corn is tender.
★ You could use one of the ready-prepared assortments of fish meant for fish pie if it is more convenient. The soup is a calming, delicate version, but sustaining enough to be a light main dish. It is important not to stir the chowder too much as it cooks, which would result in the fish breaking up.
I sometimes like to add a handful of mussels or clams to the soup once the fish has almost reached tenderness. Finely sliced leeks can work well instead of the onion. For a sweeter note, cook the onion or leek in a little butter and oil until it is soft, before adding the milk. You could stir a little tarragon or dill, finely chopped, into the soup near the end of the cooking time.
Lamb kofta
Makes 9, serves 3
minced lamb, ground ginger, ground coriander, thyme, rosemary, parsley, anchovy fillets, sesame seeds
Put 500g of minced lamb into a large mixing bowl and add 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, a teaspoon of ground coriander, 2 teaspoons each of chopped thyme and rosemary leaves, and a tablespoon of chopped parsley.
Roughly chop 6 anchovy fillets and add to the lamb. Tip 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds into a dry frying pan and toast over a moderate heat till pale gold. Tip the seeds into the lamb, then season generously with salt and pepper.
Divide the seasoned lamb into nine, then roll each piece into a small, squat sausage, like a large wine cork. Gently push a long wooden skewer lengthways through the centre of each one and set aside for 20 minutes in the fridge.
Get a grill or griddle pan hot. Place the kofta on the griddle and let them brown nicely, then carefully turn and cook the other side. They will probably need about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
★ Don’t skip the resting of the meat in the fridge. Once the lamb is on the grill, try not to move it around. Let the meat form a light crust before you attempt to turn it over, otherwise the kofta may break up.
Good as these lamb kofta are on their own, they’re even better with a herb dip. To make it, mix a handful of chopped dill and another of chopped mint leaves with 4 tablespoons of yoghurt, and serve with the lamb.
You need not use lamb – minced beef will work instead, as will minced pork.
Chickpea, courgette and pepper stew
Serves 2
red onion, yellow onion, Romano pepper, courgettes, tinned chickpeas, basil, sourdough bread
Peel 1 red and 1 yellow onion and slice them as finely as you can.
Warm a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan, then add the chopped onions. Cut a large Romano pepper into bite-sized pieces, removing any seeds and the core as you do it, then add to the onion and leave it to soften over a moderate heat.
Cut 1 large green and 1 large yellow courgette into slices not much thicker than a pound coin, then add the courgette to the onion and pepper in the pan and cook for 15 minutes or so, until soft. Rinse the contents of a 400g tin of chickpeas, then stir into the vegetables and season carefully with salt, pepper and 8 basil leaves. When all is warm and bubbling, serve in deep bowls, with a trickle of oil over the surface of each, and eat with chewy sourdough bread.
★ If your courgettes produce too thin a juice, turn up the heat and let the liquid reduce by half. It won’t thicken, but the flavours will concentrate. Good though this is with sourdough, I rather like it piled on to toasted focaccia or ciabatta.
It is the sweet pan juices that make this dish worth making. Intensify them with a little garlic, a trickle of balsamic vinegar, a few capers or thyme leaves – or perhaps you would prefer a spoonful of basil pesto. You can also use this as a rough and ready pasta sauce, and fold in a few handfuls of cooked penne.
Baked eggs and tomatoes
Serves 2
banana shallots, courgettes, garlic, cherry tomatoes, thyme, dried oregano, duck eggs
Peel 4 banana shallots, then slice them in half from root to tip. Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow heavy-based ovenproof pan and lightly brown the shallots on both sides. Keep the heat moderate.
Halve then quarter 2 medium to large courgettes lengthways and cut into large dice. Peel and finely slice 2 cloves of garlic. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.
When the shallots are soft, push them to one side of the pan and add the courgettes and sliced garlic to the other, letting them lightly colour. Cut 800g of cherry or other small tomatoes in half.
When the courgettes are pale gold, add the tomatoes, 6 whole sprigs of thyme and a teaspoon of dried oregano and let them cook for a minute or two, then transfer the whole pan to the oven.
Bake the vegetables for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and the vegetables are truly tender. Remove the pan from the oven and make two small, shallow hollows among the vegetables, then crack a duck egg into each of them. Return the vegetables and eggs to the oven for 4-5 minutes, until the eggs are just set.
Lamb, chickpea and feta
Serves 2
cubed lamb shoulder, ras el hanout, tinned chickpeas, lemon, mint, feta, salad leaves
Dice 300g of lamb shoulder into very small cubes, no bigger than 1cm in diameter. Warm a thin film of oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the lamb. Brown nicely on all sides.
Add 2-3 level tablespoons of ras el hanout and fry briefly.
Drain a 400g tin of chickpeas and tip them into the lamb. Let the lamb and chickpeas cook for 5 minutes, until the chickpeas are thoroughly hot, then add a generous squeeze of lemon, a handful of shredded mint leaves and a little black pepper. No salt. Crumble 200g of feta into the lamb and stir briefly, then tip on to plates or into bowls and serve with a little crisp salad.
★ If you buy ready-cubed lamb, cut the pieces into smaller dice. The cooking time here is short. Leg or shoulder cuts are best for this. If you want something even leaner, use a lamb loin fillet. Like garam masala, ras el hanout spices are already roasted, so there is no need to cook them for long after adding them to the lamb.
Sweet and mild ras el hanout spice mix is available from large supermarkets and Middle Eastern grocers, but you could use garam masala for a change. You could make this recipe with beef, too, though a lean cut would be best. A few rocket leaves, added to the pan when the chickpeas go in, is a sound idea, but not spinach, which will produce too much liquid.
Grilled partridge, orange and lemon marinade
Serves 2
marinade plump partridges 2
lemons 2
clementines 4
rosé or white wine 250ml
red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
thyme 6 sprigs
butter a thin slice
For the kale
kale 100g
butter 30g
olive oil 2 tbsp
golden sultanas a handful
Using a heavy kitchen knife, slice the partridges down their backbones and open them out flat.
Grate the zest from the lemons and two of the clementines into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze in the juice of both the lemons and all four of the clementines. Pour in the wine and the vinegar, then add the thyme sprigs and a generous seasoning of sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Push the partridges down into the marinade and set aside in a cool place for a good hour or two, longer if you have it.
Place the birds, skin side up, in a roasting tin. Trickle a tablespoon or so of the marinade over each bird, then cook under the oven grill, a good 10cm away from the element, for 10 minutes, till the skin is nicely crisped and the flesh is still pink and juicy within.
Pour the rest of the marinade into a small pan and reduce to half the volume over a moderate to high heat. Whisk in the butter and check the seasoning.
Shred the kale finely, cook in the melted butter and oil in a shallow pan for three minutes, tossing it gently, then add a little salt and the golden sultanas.
Serve the kale underneath the spatchco*cked partridges, with some of the reduced cooking juices.
A Year of Good Eating: the Kitchen Diaries III by Nigel Slater (Fourth Estate, £30). Click here to order a copy for £18 from the Guardian Bookshop
