This Nigella Lawson recipe appears in 20 best one-pot recipes in The Observer’s Food Monthly supplement. It’s easy to prepare and tastes delicious.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp rosemary needles, finely chopped, plus more to serve
1 bulb garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 leeks
1 kg waxy potatoes, washed if necessary, but unpeeled
2 unwaxed lemons
1 medium chicken (approx. 1.4 kg)
sea salt flakes to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas mark 7. Get out the biggest roasting tin you have, and pour all but a teaspoon or so of the oil into it. Throw in the chopped rosemary needles and the garlic cloves.
Trim the leeks and cut each in half lengthways, then slice into half-moons and drop these leek curls into the tin too. Cut the potatoes into 1.5 cm slices, then cut each slice into 4, or just halve them if the potatoes are small, and add these to the tin. Quarter the lemons, then cut each quarter in half, take out as many pips as you can and toss the lemon quarters into the pan.
Now schmoosh everything to mix, and then make a space in the middle of the tin for the chicken to sit in. Untruss the chicken, place it in the reserved parking place, pour the tiny bit of the remaining oil on top of it and sprinkle sea salt flakes on top of the chicken only.
Place in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, and if the juices of the chicken run clear when you push the tip of a knife into the joint where the thigh meets the body, remove the chicken to a board to sit, letting the juices from its cavity spill back into the tin as you do so.
Then put the potato mixture back in the oven for 10 minutes until soft and golden. If the chicken needs longer, keep everything in the oven until the chicken is cooked. When it’s ready, and the chicken has rested, carve it or cut into joints as wished. Sprinkle with 1/2 a teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary needles and sea salt flakes to taste.
“Arguably the best and simplest way to enjoy elephant garlic. Just roast it whole!” says Colin Boswell of The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight.
Preparation time: five minutes
Cooking time: one hour
Ingredients
1 bulb elephant garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C. Chop your elephant garlic bulb in half horizontally. Drizzle the exposed cloves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put the bulb back together, loosely enclose in foil and place in the preheated oven. Depending on the size of the bulb it will take between 40 minutes and 1 hour to roast.
Turn down the oven to 180C and leave for an extra 30 mins to get a more caramelized flavour. Once roasted it can be simply spread on bread, served as a side to barbecued or roasted meats or added to sauces and soups.
I’m not sure where the idea for this potato dish comes from, but my husband’s version brings back childhood memories of a similar recipe my Mum used to dish up. I like it served with slow roast lamb.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 – 2 hours
Ingredients
1 kg potatoes, peeled
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
olive oil
a splash of white wine
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Slice the potatoes the thickness of a pound coin. Place a sheet of aluminium foil (about 90 cm by 30 cm) on a baking tray, grease half of it with some olive oil and cover with a layer of sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with a little of the grated garlic. Build up the layers until all the potato and garlic have been used and top with freshly ground black pepper.
Add a good splash of white wine and a drizzle of olive oil then fold the other half of the foil over and crimp the edges together to make an airtight parcel. Place in the bottom of the oven at 150°C/Gas mark 2 for 1.5 – 2 hours. Be careful of a sudden release of steam when opening up the parcel . Serve immediately.
This recipe is from Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries. He boils his pumpkin flesh for 10 minutes but I am going to try roasting it instead which means I don’t have to peel it first.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
A walnut-sized knob of ginger, peeled and cut into thin shreds
225 g split red lentils
1 1/2 litres water
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground chilli
250 g pumpkin flesh, roasted or boiled
A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
For the onion topping:
2 onions, peeled and cut into thin rings
2 Tbsp groundnut oil
2 small, hot chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Method
Put the onion, garlic, ginger, lentils and water into a large, heavy-based saucepan, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to an enthusiastic simmer. Stir in the ground turmeric and chilli, season and leave to simmer, covered, for twenty minutes.
To make the onion topping, cook the sliced onions in the oil in a shallow pan until they start to colour. Add the garlic and chilli and continue cooking until the onions are a deep golden colour. Set aside.
Once the lentils have been cooking for 20 minutes, uncover and turn up the heat, boiling hard for five minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked pumpkin flesh. Blend the soup until smooth, reheat then add the coriander. Serve in bowls with a spoonful of the spiced onions on top.
This recipe is taken from Felicity Cloake’s How to Cook the Perfect column in the Guardian. Every week she takes a familiar dish and tries several different recipes before coming up with her definitive recipe to make the perfect dish, in this case the perfect moussaka. We will be trying this on Sunday.
Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
3 medium or 2 large aubergines, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
500g minced lamb
2 tbsp tomato purée, mixed with 150ml water
150ml red wine
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
For the béchamel:
500ml milk
60g butter
60g plain flour
50g kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
Nutmeg, to grate
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Cut the aubergines lengthways into 0.5cm slices, and put them on to oiled baking sheets. Brush with olive oil and season. Bake for about 25 minutes until soft, golden and floppy.
Meanwhile, put 2 tbsp olive oil into a large frying pan over a medium high heat and cook the onion until soft. Add the garlic, cinnamon and oregano and cook for a further couple of minutes, then stir in the lamb. Turn up the heat slightly, and brown the lamb well, cooking until the mixture is quite dry. Stir in the tomato and wine, bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down low and cook for 30–40 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season and stir in the parsley.
While the meat is cooking, make the bechamel. Bring the milk to just below boiling point, and melt the butter in another saucepan. Stir the flour into the butter and cook for a couple of minutes, then gradually whisk in the hot milk. Cook until you have a thick sauce, then stir in the cheese until melted. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly, then beat in the eggs, salt to taste and add slightly more nutmeg than you might think wise (it’s a strong flavour, but you need a heft of it in this dish I think – half a teaspoon at least).
Arrange a third of the aubergines in the base of an oven dish, and top with half the meat. Repeat these layers, then finish off with a layer of aubergine, and top with the sauce. Bake for about 45 minutes until well browned, and then leave to cool for half an hour before serving.
This recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s book Ministry of Food. It comes recommended by Charlotte, one of the founder members of Camel CSA.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
800g cauliflower
olive oil
200g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes
salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon English mustard
Method
Dice the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Into a large pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and put over a medium heat, add the diced vegetables and cauliflower. Cook for 10 minutes with a lid partially placed over the pan or until the carrots have softened and the onion is lightly golden.
Grate the cheese. Put the stock cubes into a jug and pour in 1.8 litres of boiling water from a kettle. Add to the vegetables in the pan. Stir and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so until the vegetables are cooked.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese and mustard, season with salt and pepper. Use a hand blender and pulse until silky smooth – if using a liquidiser let the soup cool down, never put hot liquid into a liquidiser. Top with more grated cheese. You could also top with some crispy bacon.
This is quite a rich dish and makes a lovely accompaniment to spicy grilled chicken or fish. It can be found in the Riverford Organic Farms cookbook.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 bunch of spring greens, thinly sliced
1 dessertspoon sunflower oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
2 dried chillies, chopped
400 ml coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
Method
Blanch the spring greens in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain, refresh in cold water and squeeze out the excess. Set aside. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan, add the garlic and chillies and fry over a low heat for a minute or so. Add the coconut milk and simmer over a high heat for 10 minutes, until reduced by about half. Stir in the spring greens and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the coconut milk is just coating the greens. Finish with the lemon juice.
I can’t remember where I got the original recipe for wild garlic risotto but I have been making it for a few years when I remember to forage wild garlic.
Serves 3
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
30 g butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250 g Arborio rice
splash white wine
1 l chicken or vegetable stock
large handful wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped
50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
Method
Heat the half the butter and the oil in a heavy saucepan and cook the onion and garlic slowly for about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice in the garlic and onion mixture. Add the wine, turn up the heat and stir until the wine has been absorbed. Add stock until the rice is just covered and turn down the heat so that the rice is at a simmer. Keep adding stock as it is absorbed. After about 10 minutes add the wild garlic leaves and stir into the rice. Once the rice is just cooked but still has some bite, add the rest of the butter and the cheese. Season to taste and serve.
The original inspiration for this soup was in a newspaper or magazine, long since lost. This is my husband’s version where he puts in whatever squash we have together with whatever greens are around: kale, cavalo nero and chard have all been used at some point.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced
500 ml stock
1 can cannelini beans, drained
1 large handful of kale, torn into small pieces
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and fry gently until the onion has softened. Add the squash with the smoked paprika and coat in the oil before adding the stock and the cannelini beans. Simmer until the squash is cooked. At this point you can mash the soup slightly to make it thicker if you so wish. Add the kale and simmer until cooked. Season to taste and serve.
I love risotto and its soothing texture. If you can’t find taleggio, Camembert will do in its place. This recipe is from Nigel Slater’s Real Food.
Serves: 2 generously
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 35-40 mins
Ingredients
50 g butter
2 large leeks, chopped and rinsed
2 large cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
225 g arborio rice
900 ml hot vegetable stock
225 g tallegio cheese, cut into thick slices
Method
Melt the butter in a shallow, heavy bottomed pan and add the leeks and garlic. Cook over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft (about 15-20 minutes). Stir in the oregano and the rice.
Pour in three ladles of hot stock and stir. Leave to simmer gently, stirring regularly, until the stock has almost all been soaked up by the rice. Add more stock and leave to cook once more, at a gentle pace, then add more when that too has gone. It will stick if you forget to stir it.
The rice should be plump and tender after about 18-20 minutes. Taste it to see if it is done to your liking. Stir in the cheese at the last minute – it will melt creamily. Check for seasoning.
