Tasty Recipes
Brush up on your cooking skills at home by trying out some of these great recipes from top celebrity chefs and food authors.
Breakfast Smoothie
Blue Peter presenter Zöe Salmon
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 Banana
Handful of raspberries
Handful of blueberries
3 tablespoons of Yoghurt
200ml of apple juice
Method:
1. Chop up banana
2. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth
3. Drink!
Home-made lemonade
Richard Corrigan, winner of the recent Christmas special of the Great British Menu
Makes 1 litre
Ingredients:
100g/3½ oz fruit sugar
4 Sicilian lemons, juice only
Ice
About 1 litre/15¼fl oz sparkling mineral water
Method:
1. Put the sugar and lemon juice in a jug
2. Add some ice and top up with the mineral water
3. Stir to combine
4. Drink!
Quick-made ice cream -
Phil Vickery, regular guest chef on This Morning and Ready, Steady, Cook
Serves 1
Ingredients:
290ml/10fl oz milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
55g/2oz caster sugar
2 handfuls of ice
Method:
1. Place the milk, vanilla essence and caster sugar into a large plastic bag
2. Tie the bag up well
3. Place this bag into another larger bag, full of ice
4. Tie this bag up well then wrap in a tea towel
5. Shake the bags vigorously for 10-15 minutes, or until set
6. Spoon into a serving bowl and eat!
Pancakes
Annabel Karmel, author of children's cookbooks
Makes 4
Ingredients:
125g/4oz plain flour
Big pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk
90ml/3fl oz water
60g/2oz butter
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Maple syrup
Method:
1. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and then make a well in the centre of the flour 2. Break the eggs into the well and whisk the eggs and flour together
3. Mix together the water and milk in a separate bowl or jug
4. Add the liquid to the flour, a little at a time, whisking to make a smooth batter
5. Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan or microwave and stir it into the batter. Sieve if lumpy
6. Melt remaining butter in a small frying pan
7. Add two tablespoons of the batter to the frying pan and tilt the pan so the batter covers the base
8. Cook the pancake for about one minute. Use a spatula to loosen it and then flip it over! Cook the second side for 30 seconds. Repeat until batter is used up
9. Fill the pancakes with fresh fruit and plenty of maple syrup
Blueberry muffins
Phil Vickery, regular guest chef on This Morning and Ready, Steady, Cook
Serves 4
Ingredients:
200g/7¼oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
85g/3oz caster sugar
1 lemon, zest only
1 free-range egg
100ml/3½fl oz milk
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7
2. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and combine together gently
3. Divide the mixture between the indents in a non-stick muffin tray
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until risen and golden
5. Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool slightly
6. Serve warm with a dusting of icing sugar and drizzle of honey
Banana splits with warm choco-fudge sauce -
Ready Steady Cook presenter Ainsley Harriott
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas
12 scoops of ice cream
150ml/5fl oz carton double cream, softly whipped
12 glace cherries
50g/2oz chopped mixed nuts, toasted
8 fan-shaped wafers
For the Fudge Sauce:
150g/5oz dark chocolate
40g/1½oz butter
150ml/5fl oz carton double cream
100g/4oz dark brown sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
Method:
1. Begin by making the fudge sauce: break the chocolate into a pan and add the butter, cream, sugar and syrup
2. Heat gently, stirring, until the ingredients are melted and well blended; remove from the heat, but do not allow to cool completely
3. Cut each banana in half lengthways and place in the banana split dishes, pushing the halves apart
4. Place 2 scoops of ice cream between the two pieces of banana
5. Spoon over the cream, then scatter over the cherries
6. Drizzle over the warm sauce, scatter over the nuts, then push in the wafers and serve immediately
Scones - Author and Chef Holly Jones
Author and Chef Holly Jones
Makes 8-12 scones
Ingredients:
225g/8oz self raising flour
Pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter
25g/1oz caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz milk
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7
2. Lightly grease a baking sheet
3. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter
4. Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough
5. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet
6. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden
8. Cool on a wire rack and serve with butter and good jam and maybe some clotted cream.
Leek and potato soup
Brian Turner appears regularly on Ready, Steady, Cook
Serves 1
Ingredients:
¼ potato, diced
¼ leek, sliced
1 tbsp butter
150ml/5fl oz milk
150ml/5fl oz double cream
Handful of fresh chives, chopped
Method:
1. Place all the ingredients, except the chives into a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through
2. Add the chives and serve
Homemade oven chips
British Potato Council, organiser of the National Chip Week 2007 from 12th-18th February
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
450-500g/1lb-1lb 2oz potatoes (preferably approx 200g/7oz in size)
2-3 tbsp/30-45ml/1-1½fl oz sunflower or corn oil
Method:
1. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into thick chunky chips
2. Coat in the oil
3. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas 6, turning at least once
4. Enjoy!
*For a variation sprinkle 1-2 tsps of either chilli or curry powder over the chips before coating in the oil. And if you prefer, peel the potatoes before cooking.
Chicken with spiced tomato couscous
Irish chef and author Matthew Drennan
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
200ml/7fl oz boiling water
1 tbsp medium curry paste
1 lime, juice only
150g/5oz couscous
Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
Method:
1. Heat a grill pan until very hot. Chargrill the chicken breasts for 10-12 minutes turning once. (Alternatively, cook under a hot pre-heated grill.)
2. Place the couscous in a large bowl
3. While the chicken is cooking, measure out the boiling water and stir in the curry paste and lime juice
4. Pour over the couscous and cover with cling film
5. After a few minutes, add the cherry tomatoes to the couscous. Fluff up the couscous with a fork
6. To serve, divide the warm couscous between two plates. Place the hot chicken breasts on the couscous and top each with a spoonful of tzatziki. Scatter with mint leaves
Prawn rarebit
Gary Rhodes, celebrity chef and tutor on Hell's Kitchen
Serves 4 as a starter
Ingredients:
4-6 x thick slices of French bread
Melted butter, for brushing
1 tsp English mustard
A dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
150ml/5fl oz double or whipping cream
75g/3oz grated cheddar cheesed
75g/3oz grated Gruyére cheese
175g/6oz cooked and peeled prawns
Method:
1. Pre-heat the grill
2. Brush both sides of each bread slice with butter and toast the top and bottom to a golden brown under the grill
3. In a large bowl stir the mustard and Worcestershire into the cream. Extra mustard can be added for a stronger flavour
4. Gently fold in the two cheeses and the prawns, then spoon the mixture onto the toasts
5. Place under the grill (not too close to the heating element) and toast to a golden brown
6. Eat!
Perfect pasta
Annabel Karmel, author of children's cookbooks
Serves 4
Ingredients:
200g/7oz pasta shapes
175g/6oz broccoli
2 chicken breasts, cooked
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
150g/5oz sweetcorn
2 spring onions
Method:
1. Cook the pasta shapes according to the packet instructions
2. Add the broccoli for the last three minutes
3. Shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Remove any bits of skin
4. Carefully slice the spring onions
5. Make a dressing by mixing together the honey, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil
6. Mix together the pasta, broccoli, chicken, spring onions, sweetcorn and the dressing
7. Your pasta salad is now ready to eat
