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Tana Ramsay’s Real Family Food
Delicious Recipes for Everyday Occasions
dedication
For Gordon. Thank you for being you.
contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Introduction
Breakfasts and Brunches
yoghurt and berry crunch
porridge with almond-roasted peaches
oat and blueberry muffins
pecan and bran banana muffins
bacon and egg muffins
grilled mackerel on toast
avocado, bacon and roasted tomato sandwich
cinnamon eggy bread soldiers with yoghurt, raisins and honey
salmon and dill frittata
smoked haddock pots
croque madame
smoked salmon, cream cheese and scrambled egg bagels
homemade bagels
Light Lunches
hearty winter soup
chilled cucumber and mint gazpacho
chicken skewers with sweet and sour sauce
red onion tarte tatin
ham and cheese roll-ups
salmon fishcakes
lamb samosas
mackerel salad with beetroot and horseradish dressing
warm potato, chorizo and parsley salad
Picnics and Treats
iced tomato soup
tarragon chicken
crab cakes
red rice salad with prawns and sun-dried tomatoes
chicken and mango salad
honey and mustard sticky chicken
broad bean, pancetta and goats’ cheese salad
mango fruit crisps
rhubarb tarts
mini party cakes
cinnamon apple turnovers
fruit salad tubs
fresh raspberry ice lollies
toffee apples
nutty chocolate balls
Food in a Flash
chicken escalopes with green pepper salad
asparagus and prawn risotto
pasta with mushrooms and bacon
salmon and vegetables en papillote
veal parmesan
grandma’s bones
nectarines marinated in honey and ginger
raspberries with orange
Try Something Different
calamari fritti
roasted garlic and lime aioli
crab and sweetcorn soup
sesame prawn toast
bang bang chicken
chinese chicken wings
chilli beef stir-fry
sweet and sour pork
thai-ish chicken soup
butter chicken
sausages with lentils
minced lamb curry
Laid-back Suppers
chicken and chickpeas
tuna steaks with roasted little gem lettuces, new potatoes and tomatoes
toad-in-the-hole with roasted shallots
lamb cutlets and minted potato salad
black bean chilli with chunky guacamole and soured cream
baked sea bass
roasted butternut squash spaghetti lasagne
orange chicken bake
russian fish pie
stuffed marrow
Vegetable Temptations
carrot and parsnip mash
roasted cauliflower and broccoli with fennel seeds
green beans with almonds
red cabbage with balsamic vinegar
puy lentils
garden peas with pancetta
spinach with cream
sweet red onions
carrots with star anise and orange zest
pan-fried courgettes with garlic and parmesan
steamed sugar snap peas with soy sauce
roasted butternut squash with red peppers and black olives
Big Family Lunches
marinated topside with jerusalem artichoke and potato mash
mini trout fillets with cucumber dressing
pumpkin soup
summer gammon with roasted pineapple and red onion and coriander salsa
slow-cooked moroccan leg of lamb with lemon couscous
baked sea trout
beef wellington
roast pork with fennel stuffing and simple apple sauce
Baking Adventures
tomato and basil focaccia
spelt bread
coconut ‘naan’ bread
marmite focaccia
chelsea buns
apricot and walnut bread
bakewell slice
double chocolate brownies
orange polenta cake
fruit cake
rock cakes
jam tarts
anzac biscuits
lamington cakes
Devilish Desserts
cheats’ summer pudding
tom’s bomb
lemon golden syrup steam puddings
raspberry ripple ice cream
cinnamon and nutmeg ice cream
children’s chocolate mousse
mango tart
lemon and vanilla cheesecake
lemon cake with roasted figs
rhubarb fool
strawberry meringue cake
profiterole mountain
Index
Acknowledgements
Copyright
About the Publisher
This book includes reference to nuts and recipes including nuts, nut derivatives and nut oils. Avoid if you have a known allergic reaction. Pregnant and nursing mothers, invalids, the elderly, children and babies may be potentially vulnerable to nut allergies and should therefore avoid nuts, nut derivatives and nut oils.
introduction
This year we celebrated Megan’s ninth birthday and, like many parents, Gordon and I couldn’t help wondering how so much time could feel like so little. Even our youngest, Tilly, is five now and she’s meant to be the baby of the family!
With the children getting older, I’ve noticed that what I cook for them has become more grown up too. Although I still add very little salt to my cooking and hold back on hot spices, what I cook the children for tea will nearly always work later as dinner for Gordon and me. This is why I’ve tried to make the recipes in Real Family Food as tempting for adults as they are for children. It also has the added bonus of only having to think about one dinner in the evenings, not two (I call it convenience, not laziness!).
When you think about it, ultimately we only need to eat to refuel and keep ourselves going throughout the day. Even so, I believe that food can play another, almost more important, part in our lives. It can bring us together, slow us down and let us catch up with each other as we rush through the week. Some of the happiest moments of my life have been around the table sharing good food, and the times I treasure most with my family are when we are all together doing just that. This must be why I associate certain foods and dishes with different people and places. For example, blueberry muffins always make me think of my sister as she’s so addicted to them, calamari bring back memories of baking hot holidays in the south of France, and the smell of Moroccan lamb cooking takes me right back to Sunday mornings in the kitchen with my mum. It’s memories like these that make me smile. It’s a bit like a song making you think of someone. I’m willing to bet that different foods conjure up different memories for you too.
Food brings people together, especially families. The more we can get together around the table and share each other’s company, the closer and more strongly knit we can become – even on the days when nobody can agree on anything!
With this in mind, I’ve tried to organize the recipes in this book around everyday social occasions – from hurried weekday breakfasts and leisurely family get-togethers to picnics in parks and casual lunches with friends.
For example, ‘Breakfasts and Brunches’ has some very quick and easy ideas to put together during the week, as well as other more leisurely brunch options for lazy Saturday or Sunday mornings when you can’t be bothered to get out of your pyjamas. Similarly, ‘Food in a Flash’ is designed for frantic evenings when everybody is piling through the door and clamouring for dinner, your attention and general sanity. By contrast, ‘Laid-back Suppers’ is for those evenings when you have a little more time on your hands. Most of these take slightly more time to prepare, but once they’re in the oven you can usually leave them to take care of themselves.
Probably my favourite section is ‘Picnics and Treats’. My kids like nothing more than eating outside, and I’m pretty sure that some of their best food memories must be tied up in outdoor parties with family and friends.
Vegetables are arguably not an event in themselves, but I know that sometimes they can feel like one! Children have a tendency to dig in their heels over allowing one or two peas to fall on their plates, let alone finishing them up. My lot still need encouragement when it comes to eating their greens, but I’ve always tried to see it as a positive challenge and, with a bit of trial and error, I’ve found ways to make them think that vegetables are okay after all. Hopefully, they’ll go down well with your family too.
Whilst we’re on the subject of experimentation, the section of recipes called ‘Try Something Different’ is designed to let you and your family do just that. Again, it’s not, strictly speaking, organized around an occasion, but it’s designed to encourage your children to enjoy different food flavours so that if you go out for dinner, either to different styles of restaurant or abroad on holiday, they’re not fazed by what arrives on their plates.
For the days when you’ve got the in-laws descending on you in droves, the recipes in ‘Big Family Lunches’ should be able to help you stay calm amidst the general chaos. Most of these can be prepared in advance and then left in the oven or pot to cook, so you should end up having plenty of time to get ready yourself. Serve these with one or two of the vegetable side dishes in ‘Vegetable Temptations’ and follow up with one of the ‘Devilish Desserts’ and you can’t fail to impress!
Finally, you may notice that I’ve tended not to recommend what you should eat with what, for example which side dishes should be eaten with which main courses, or which desserts works best with which lunches (unless I have a real favourite). I’ve done this deliberately as I believe you should be able to eat anything you like in whatever combination you like. I think we’ve become too worried about doing everything right and getting everything officially perfect. Life’s too short! We need to relax and trust our instincts more. I think this is how we can learn the most about food and cooking, and it’s certainly how I learnt. Besides, if I worried the whole time about being perfect, then Gordon would never get fed at all!
So trust yourself, relax and enjoy bringing your family together again and again with simple, satisfying food. In years to come they’ll have all sorts of amazing memories tied up with the food you cooked and the times you shared together.
Breakfasts and Brunches
Weekdays always go past in a blur. If I’m not rushing out the door to get the kids to school on time, I’m trying to figure out where I’m meant to be next. By the time it gets to the weekend, there is nothing I like more than a long lazy morning.
The children have finally got the hang of lie-ins, so when we eventually get downstairs (still in our pyjamas of course) we’re all ready for a hearty breakfast. These are the mornings I treasure the most with my family.
Yoghurt and berry crunch
Porridge with almond roasted peaches
Oat and blueberry muffins
Pecan and bran banana muffins
Bacon and egg muffins
Grilled mackerel on toast
Avocado, bacon and roasted tomato sandwich
Cinnamon eggy bread soldiers with yoghurt, raisins and honey
Salmon and dill frittata
Smoked haddock pots
Croque Madame
Smoked salmon, cream cheese and scrambled egg bagels
Homemade bagels
yoghurt and berry crunch
I make these in little glass tumblers from Ikea as they tend to bounce when dropped and are fabulously childproof!
370g/13oz frozen berries
1 tbsp brown sugar
10 digestive biscuits
370g/13oz Greek yoghurt
1 Place the berries in a small saucepan with the sugar and cook over a low heat until they become a soft, pulpy mess. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2 Crush the digestive biscuits with the back of a spoon.
3 Place a 1cm/½ inch layer of crushed digestives into the bottom of each glass. Spoon 1cm/½ inch of the Greek yoghurt on top, followed by 1cm/½ inch of the fruit. Repeat this so you have 6 layers in total (2 of each). Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
Makes: 4 × 100ml/4fl oz tumblers
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10–15 minutes
TIP
porridge with almond-roasted peaches
This is really easy to make before school while the children are getting dressed. Perfect for a winter morning pick-me-up.
25g/1oz butter
4 peaches, halved, stones removed
25g/1oz soft brown sugar
75g/3oz flaked almonds
100g/4oz porridge oats
600ml/1 pint whole milk
300ml/11fl oz water
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4.
2 Generously butter a small ovenproof dish and arrange the peaches in it, cut side uppermost. It should be quite a snug fit, with the peaches bumping up against each other. Place in the oven and set the timer for 7 minutes.
3 Mix together the soft brown sugar and flaked almonds and put to one side.
4 Put the oats, milk and water into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 7 minutes until the porridge is thick and creamy.
5 When the oven timer beeps, sprinkle the peaches with the almonds and sugar and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
6 Divide the porridge between 4 bowls and arrange 2 peach halves on top of each. Spoon over the syrupy almonds and serve immediately.
Serves: 4 children
Prep time: 20 minutes, depending on ripeness of peaches
Cooking time: 17 minutes
TIPS
oat and blueberry muffins
Blueberry muffins have always been a favourite treat for breakfast in my house, and my sister is seriously addicted to them, as are her two children. I usually have to bulk-bake when I make these …
340g/12oz self-raising flour
150g/5oz light brown sugar
25g/1oz porridge oats (plus 15g/½oz extra for sprinkling)
180ml/6½fl oz buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
125ml/4½fl oz vegetable oil
150g/5oz fresh blueberries (frozen and defrosted is fine if you can’t find fresh berries)
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4.
2 Place 12 paper cases into a muffin tin.
3 Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and oats and mix thoroughly. Add the buttermilk, egg and vegetable oil, mix through then stir in the blueberries, taking care not to crush them.
4 Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, dividing it equally between them. Sprinkle the extra oats on top and place in the oven for 15–20 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.
5 Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Makes: 12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes
TIP
pecan and bran banana muffins
These substantial muffins are a superb grab-and-go breakfast. They are also a delicious addition to any lunchbox and a great energy booster for children before after-school activities. They’ll keep well for up to two days.
100g/4oz butter, softened
100g/4oz soft light brown sugar
3 nice and ripe bananas, mashed
60ml/2fl oz milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
300g/10½oz plain flour
100g/4oz bran flakes
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
200g/7oz finely chopped pecans
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/GM5.
2 Mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas, milk, vanilla and eggs and stir together well. Stir in the remaining ingredients, mixing all through.
3 Spoon the mixture into 12 paper muffin cases, dividing it equally between them.
4 Place in a muffin tin and bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove and place on a cooling rack.
Makes: 12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25–30 minutes
bacon and egg muffins
These breakfast muffins are a meal in themselves. Filling but extremely moreish!
340g/12oz self-raising flour
100g/4oz butter, chopped
2 tsp mustard powder
pinch of Maldon sea salt
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
250ml/9fl oz milk
10 rashers unsmoked streaky bacon
10 quail eggs
10 × 1cm/½ inch cubes of butter
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4.
2 Sieve the flour and rub together with the chopped butter, leaving the mixture a little rough. Stir in the mustard powder, salt, chopped onion, beaten egg and milk and mix thoroughly.
3 Grill the bacon and cut into small pieces (approximately 1cm/½ inch). Combine with the muffin mixture.
4 Divide the mixture equally between 10 paper muffin cases.
5 Make a deep well in the centre of the muffin mixture within each paper case and crack in one of the quail eggs. Then pull the muffin mixture so that it almost covers the egg and place a butter cube on top to stop the egg going hard. Repeat with the other muffins and eggs.
6 Bake in a muffin tin for 15–20 minutes, checking regularly.
7 When golden, remove the muffins immediately and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Makes: 10 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes
