If you have friends popping round to eat with you, keep the food informal, no-one expects culinary magic and these recipes are easy to put together. They're just what modern cooking for a new family is all about.
Ratatouille and garlic bread cobbler
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 1 HOUR
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large aubergine, cut into large chunks
2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 red peppers, cut into large chunks
3 garlic cloves, cut into large chunks
2 courgettes, cut into large chunks
250ml white wine
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
2 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1⁄2 x 25g pack flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 x 170g Sainsbury’s garlic baguette
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Heat half the olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish, add the aubergine and fry over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes until lightly charred. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the onions and peppers and fry for 5 minutes until softened and lightly charred. Reduce the heat and add the garlic and courgettes. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the wine, tomatoes, tomato paste and 150ml water.
- Add the aubergines, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the cannellini beans and parsley and season to taste.
- Cut the baguette into slices and cuteach slice in half again to make around 20 thin slices. Place them on top of the casserole, garlic-butter side up, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden.
Sausage and cider casserole
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES
1 tbsp olive oil
8 x Be good to yourself extra leanpork sausages
1kg Vivaldi salad potatoes
500g pack large echalion
shallots, peeled and quartered
400g carrots, thickly sliced
25g plain flour
400ml dry cider
200ml hot chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped,plus extra to serve
1⁄2 x 25g pack flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Braeburn apple, cored and diced
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole dish and gently fry the sausages until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside, reserving the oil. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in simmering water until just tender. Drain
well and crush with a fork. Set aside.
- Drain off all but 1 tbsp of the oil from the pan, add the shallots and the carrots and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until golden. Reduce the heat, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring all the time.
- Pour the cider and stock into the pan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time, until the sauce has a smooth consistency. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add the sausages and fresh herbs and season to taste.
- Combine the potatoes with the apple, season and spoon over the sausage casserole. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes
until golden and bubbling. To serve, simply scatter with a little fresh thyme.
Best-ever chilli con carne
SERVES 6
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 2 HOURS
20 MINUTES
1 tbsp sunflower oil
700g lean rump steak, cut into chunks
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1⁄2-1 tsp chilli flakes
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
300ml beef stock
40g Green & Black’s dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 x 400g can kidney beans, rinsed
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
TO SERVE
100g Sainsbury’s cool tortilla chips
60g Be good to yourself sour cream
1 medium avocado, peeled, stoned, sliced
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lime, cut into wedges
- Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based pan and fry the steak in batches over a medium-high heat until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander seeds and chilli and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, purée, stock and chocolate.
- Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a very low heat for 2 hours, adding the kidney beans for the last 10 minutes. Season and stir in the coriander.
- Serve spooned over the tortillas with the sour cream sprinkled with paprika, avocados, tomatoes and lime wedges.
Thai red curry
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 tbsp Sainsbury’s Thai red curry paste
200g basmati rice
300ml hot chicken stock
200ml canned light coconut milk
100g mangetout
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 x 25g pack fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced lime wedges, to garnish
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large casserole dish and gently fry the onion and garlic for 5-8 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the chicken on a high heat for 2-3 minutes until browned all over. Return the onions and garlic to the pan along with the curry paste and rice. Stir well and cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Stir in the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Add the mangetout and pepper and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and vegetables are just tender.
- Stir through the coriander, sprinkle with chilli and serve with wedges of lime.
