Fruit crumble

Any fruit works in a crumble, but I love tinned fruit as you don't need to stew it first. On this occasion I used peach and pineapple.

Ingredients (serves 4)
120g plain flour
80g butter
80g caster sugar
20g porridge oats
Ground nutmeg or other spice
1 tin sliced peaches, drained
150g pineapple chunks

* put the flour and 1/2 tsp of your choice of spice in a mixing bowl and add the butter, chopped into cubes.
* using your fingertips, rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs
* stir in the sugar and oats
* tip the fruit into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the crumble topping
* bake at 190C for 30 minutes
Best served with custard or cream

Egg and 'chips'

Not chips at all!

Ingredients (serves 1)
190g potato, diced
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 mushrooms, quartered
1 egg
1 tsp sunflower oil
Paprika and thyme

* put the potato, onion and garlic in a roasting dish and sprinkle over the oil, paprika and thyme (or other seasonings of your choice)
* cook at 180C for 20 minutes then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes
* make a gap in the middle of the potato and crack the egg into the space
* return to the oven for 4 minutes or until the egg is cooked

Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

We didn't get through our hot cross buns quite quickly enough, and the last few started to go a bit stale so I decided to turn them into a yummy dessert.

Ingredients
4 stale hot cross buns
Butter
2 eggs
25g caster sugar
350ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Brown sugar to finish

* slice the buns and thinly spread with butter then cut into triangles
* beat together the eggs, caster sugar, milk and vanilla
* arrange the bun pieces in a buttered baking dish and pour over the milk mixture.
* sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake at 180C for around 35 minutes or until golden.

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients (makes 12)
500g strong white flour
300ml milk
75g sugar
1tsp salt
7g fast action yeast
50g butter
1 egg, beaten
150g Sultanas
70g mixed peel
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

* heat the milk to hand hot
* in a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter and egg, then gradually add the warm milk until a sticky dough is formed. Mix in the fruit and spices
* tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth
* put the dough back in the bowl, cover the top with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for an hour until it has roughly doubled in size
* divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, spaced slightly apart so they have room to expand
* leave to prove for about an hour
* to add crosses to the top, mix 50g of plain flour with about 6 tbsp water to form a thick paste. Pipe crosses on top of the risen buns
* bake at 220C for 20-25 minutes
* to glaze the buns, brush the tops with a little melted apricot jam

Easter Nest Cakes

These are a bit of an Easter tradition in our house, ever since my daughter was little. She may be 18 now but it wouldn't be Easter without them.

Ingredients (makes about 18)
200g milk chocolate
100g plain chocolate
25g butter
4 shredded wheat
Bag of mini eggs

* melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water
* crush the shredded wheat very finely so it looks like little twigs and stir into the chocolate until well coated
* put spoonfuls of the chocolate mix into cake cases. Make a dip in the middle and put 2 or 3 eggs in
* leave to set

Chicken Stir Fry

This is a great way to incorporate a load of veggies into a meal. I used leeks, courgette, red pepper and mushroom because that's what was in the fridge but all sorts of veg work well.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1/2 tsp five spice
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
4g grated ginger
1 clove garlic
1 chicken breast, sliced
45g cashew nuts
Veg of your choice, finely sliced

* mix together the soy sauce, mirin, garlic, ginger and 5 spice and pour over the chicken. Leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes
* heat a little oil in a wok and fry the chicken until browned
* add the vegetables and cashews and continue to cook for a few minutes until the veg have softened
* add any remaining marinade towards the end of cooking

I served it with noodles, but rice is good too.

Nutritional info

Calories: 296, Carbs: 17g, Fat: 19g, Protein: 23g 

Pasta with Anchovy Sauce

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's 'How to Eat', but the original called for marsala and parsley, which I didn't have, so this is my simplified version.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 tsp sunflower oil
6 anchovy fillets
50 ml semi-skimmed milk
85g pasta (I used tagliatelle)

* Drain the anchovy fillets of oil and pat dry on some kitchen towel. Place in a small bowl and cover with milk
* heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook gently on a low heat for at least 25 minutes until softened and golden.
* heat up a pan of water and put the pasta on to cook
* remove the anchovies from the milk and finely chop.
* add the anchovy to the onions and stir well, then stir in the milk and remove from the heat
* Drain the cooked pasta, return to the pan and stir in the sauce

Obviously if you don't like anchovies - steer clear!

Seafood Risotto

I love risotto. Today I made mine with seafood, because I still had some left in the freezer from the spaghetti dish I had the other week, but it works equally well with other meats and veg. A particular fave of mine is chicken and asparagus.

Ingredients (serves 1)
100g Arborio Rice
120g cooked seafood
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 veg stock cube, made up to 1 pint
1 tbsp grated parmesan to serve

* heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan and soften the onions for 5 minutes or so, until they start to go translucent
* add the garlic, mushroom and rice and mix thoroughly, then add enough stock to cover the rice
* simmer, stirring frequently adding more stock whenever the pan starts to look a bit dry. Continue until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. It'll take about half an hour
* when the rice is almost done stir through the seafood and heat
* add parmesan to serve

Nutritional info

Calories: 506, Carbs: 84g, Fat: 4g, Protein: 24g