A kind of pisto Manchego
Preparation Time
15 minutes
olive oil, for frying
1 small (or 1/2 large) onion, sliced into half rings
1/2 long red pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips
4 slices of Serrano ham or chorizo, chopped
1/2 courgette or 1 baby courgette, cut in half lengthways and sliced into half moons
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 eggs
a few fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves (or a pinch of dried oregano)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
bread, to serve
Heat a small splash of olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and fry for 2 minutes over a high heat until the onion begins to brown. Add the pepper and fry for 2 minutes more. Add the ham or chorizo and fry for another minute. Add the courgette and fry for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry for another 2 minutes.
Make two depressions in the vegetable mixture and break in the eggs, then cook for 2–3 minutes until the eggs are set, covering the pan for the last 30 seconds. Sprinkle over a little more salt, if necessary, and in any case with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and finish with basil or flat-leaf parsley.
Serve immediately with some kind of rustic bread, or just use whatever bread you’ve got on hand.
Spicy lamb pittas with hummus & garlicky yoghurt
You can make these lamb pittas in the time it would take you to go out and get a takeaway doner kebab – and these are much nicer!
Preparation Time
10 minutes
1 tsp harissa paste
olive oil, for frying
125 g lamb fillet
2 pitta breads
1/4–1/2 garlic clove, crushed or pressed
2 tbsp Greek or Turkish yoghurt
a pinch of salt
100 g hummus
a small handful of lettuce leaves
Place a griddle pan over a high heat. Mix the harissa with half a tablespoon of oil and brush this on to the lamb fillet. Set the fillet on the hot griddle and cook for a total of 2–3 minutes, turning regularly – the inside of the meat should still be pink. Place on a cutting board and let it rest.
Meanwhile, cook the pittas in the same pan and stir the garlic and a small pinch of salt into the yoghurt.
Cut the rested meat into thin slices. Slice open the pittas and fill them with hummus, meat, lettuce and a dollop of the garlicky yoghurt.
Miso soup with noodles, shiitake mushrooms, spinach & an egg
Preparation Time
15 minutes
100 g Japanese ramen (or other noodles)
1 egg
300 ml vegetable stock (from a cube)
100 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 scant tbsp red miso paste
soy sauce, to taste
a small handful of spinach leaves
1/2 sheet of nori, cut into ribbons with scissors or a knife
Prepare the ramen according to the packet instructions.
Soft-boil the egg in a pan of boiling water for 4–5 minutes. Plunge the egg straight into a bowl of cold water to stop it cooking and leave until cool enough to handle. Once cool, peel and cut in half.
Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil in a small saucepan, add the shiitakes and boil for 1 minute. Put the miso in a bowl, stir in a small splash of the hot stock, then add this to the saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in soy sauce to taste.
Place the noodles, spinach and the egg halves into a bowl, and pour over the stock and mushrooms. Garnish with nori ribbons to serve.
Ridiculously easy spaghetti caprese
Resist the temptation to add extras like garlic, balsamic vinegar, olives, capers and the like, this dish is all about simplicity and the contrast between hot and cold.
Preparation Time
15 minutes
125 g spaghetti
3 ripe medium-sized vine tomatoes
1 small ball of buffalo mozzarella
a small handful of basil leaves
a generous splash of olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
Cook the spaghetti until just tender in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes and mozzarella. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, a generous splash of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.
Drain the spaghetti and mix it into the tomatoes and mozzarella while it’s piping hot. And that’s it! Eat immediately.
Frittata with red onion, baby kale & goat’s cheese
Preparation Time
15 minutes
2 eggs
olive oil, for frying
1 small red onion, sliced into half rings
40 g baby leaf kale
few drops of balsamic vinegar
75 g soft goat’s cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
Preheat the grill. to high Beat the eggs together with a little freshly ground pepper and a small pinch of salt. Heat a small splash of oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and a small pinch of salt, and sauté for about 10 minutes. Turn up the heat to high halfway through so that the onion caramelises a little. Then add the baby kale and a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and let the leaves wilt for 30 seconds.
Add the beaten eggs to the pan and make sure the onion and kale are distributed evenly. Dot the goat’s cheese over the egg mixture and put the pan under the grill. Leave for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and the omelette is nice and puffy, and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.
Griddled white tuna with cucumber, avocado & ginger salad
Oh, what a wonderful solo supper this is. And what a salad! The spiciness of the chilli pepper, the heat of the ginger and the sour of the lime juice are nothing less than thrilling. The avocado acts as a cool and creamy foil for all of these intense flavours, and if your avocado is very ripe, give the salad a stir and it almost forms a sauce. It might not look all that great, but it tastes divine.
Preparation Time
15 minutes
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
coarse salt, to taste
a small pinch of chilli flakes
1 white (albacore) tuna steak, around 150 g
1/2 cucumber
1/2 red chilli pepper, sliced into thin rings
11/2–2 cm root ginger, minced or grated
1 ripe avocado, cut in half and sliced
soy sauce, to taste
Combine the juice of half the lime, the olive oil, the salt and chilli flakes, and marinate the tuna in this mix for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the salad. Halve the cucumber lengthways and pull a teaspoon down the middle to scoop out and remove the seeds. Cut the cucumber into thin slices and place them in a bowl. Add the chilli rings, ginger and avocado. Sprinkle with the remaining lime juice to taste. The salad should be quite hot and sour. Lastly, add a tiny bit of soy sauce (around a teaspoon) and a pinch of salt.
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until it’s very hot, then add the tuna steak. Griddle for 1 minute on either side until griddle marks appear but the tuna is still pink inside.
Transfer the tuna to a plate and spoon the salad alongside.
Tagliatelle with prawns & smoky whisky–tomato sauce
Preparation Time
15 minutes
100–125 g (fresh) tagliatelle
200 g raw prawns, peeled (but with the tail left on) and deveined
olive oil, for frying
a splash of whisky
1 small garlic clove, crushed
a pinch of chilli flakes
2 vine tomatoes, finely chopped
a knob of butter
a small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
Cook the tagliatelle in boiling water until just tender, according to the packet instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, sprinkle the prawns with a little salt. Heat a small splash of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the prawns over a medium–high heat for a few minutes until they’re pink and cooked through, then add the whisky to the prawns over the heat. Shake the pan a bit and if you’re using a gas hob the contents will ignite on their own. Stand back and let the flames die down, then turn out the prawns on to a plate.
Put the pan back over the heat, add a little more olive oil, if needed, and sauté the garlic and chilli flakes for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and get a little sauce-like, around 3–5 minutes. Add the prawns and the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Add a tiny splash of the pasta cooking water to the sauce, then drain the pasta in a colander.
Add the tagliatelle to the sauce, stir to coat in the sauce, then heat through for another 20–30 seconds. Tip out on to a plate and sprinkle with parsley.
Lemon couscous with salmon & cherry tomatoes
Preparation Time
20 minutes
80 g instant couscous
a small handful of frozen peas
juice and zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
a small knob of butter
150 g salmon fillet, with skin
olive oil, for frying
150 g cherry tomatoes (cut any big ones in half)
a small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
Put the couscous, frozen peas, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the butter and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Pour in 125 ml boiling water, cover the bowl with a plate or cling film, and allow to swell for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat a small splash of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the salmon fillet, skin-side down, for a few minutes over a medium–high heat. Turn over and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Make sure you don’t overcook the salmon – the middle should still be coral coloured.
Remove the fish from the pan, add the cherry tomatoes to the same pan and cook for 2–3 minutes until soft, shaking the pan occasionally.
When the couscous is ready, fluff it up with a fork then stir in the parsley and taste to see if it needs more lemon or salt. Turn it out on to a plate, place the salmon alongside and spoon over the softened tomatoes.
Salad of butter beans, tinned tuna & shaved fennel
Preparation Time
10 minutes
1 small shallot, sliced into thin rings
1 small tin (about 200 g) of butter beans
1 small fennel bulb
a small handful of rocket leaves
2–3 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, rinsed, or 1 tbsp finely chopped peel from a preserved lemon (lemons preserved in salt)
juice of 1/2–1 lemon
a splash of olive oil
1 small tin (120 g) of tuna in olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
Sprinkle the shallot rings with a little salt and let them stand for a bit. Rinse the butter beans under cold running water and drain. Clean the fennel and shave it paper thin on a mandoline, or slice it very thinly with a knife. Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the shallots.
Mix together the beans, fennel, shallots, rocket, mint and capers or preserved lemon peel, and dress the mixture with lemon juice, a splash of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Drain the tuna and flake it over the salad in large chunks.
Good old steak sandwich
Preparation Time
15 minutes
1 shallot, sliced into rings
a small splash of red wine vinegar
1 entrecôte steak (around 150 g)
1/4 baguette or a crusty bread roll
1–2 tsp Dijon mustard
11/2–2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 head Little Gem, leaves separated
salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Put the shallot rings into a small bowl, add the red wine vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, place a griddle pan over a high heat until it’s very hot. Rub some salt into both sides of the entrecôte. Fry the meat for 1–11/2 minutes on each side. Place it on a cutting board, grind over some pepper and let it rest for a bit.
Warm through the baguette or bread roll in the hot oven (or slice it open and toast in the steak pan). Meanwhile, stir the mustard into the mayo in a little bowl, to taste. Slice the warmed bread in half lengthways, then spread both halves with a generous amount of the mustardy mayo and add some lettuce leaves.
Slice the entrecôte on the diagonal and arrange the slices in the sandwich. Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the shallot rings and sprinkle them over the meat. Top with the other half of the bread, and dinner is served.
SMART COOKING
One of the things I came up against when I started cooking for myself was that I always ended up with leftovers. I had been used to sharing my table with three hungry men, so I was still figuring out how much I actually ate myself. Does this sound familiar? In my experience you gradually get better at this, but it’s still easy to cook too much, especially of things like rice, potatoes and noodles. That’s why I’ve written this chapter, featuring recipes that you can use to turn leftovers from Day 1 into something entirely different on Day 2. Because you don’t want to waste food, and you also don’t want to eat the same thing day after day. What’s more, cooking with leftovers saves time, because rice and potatoes easily need 20 or 25 minutes to prepare. Do it all on Day 1 and that’s time you can save on Day 2 so that you’re done in 10 or 15 minutes. When cooking solo, it pays to be smart!
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