Looking for easy, hassle-free and healthy recipes to try this January? If you don’t fancy going out to a restaurant, read on to find out how you can whip up five delicious dishes in next to no time. From beef salads to pumpkin curries to roasted trout, here’s what to cook up this week – and beyond.

1. Delica Pumpkin with Makhani Sauce & Hazelnut Crumble

By the Kricket cookbook by Will Bowlby

The ultimate warming meal, this dish is inspired by the original butter chicken sauce that Will Bowlby (of Kricket) tried in a restaurant in old Delhi, called Moti Mahal.

Delica pumpkins are smaller and sweeter than a regular pumpkin adding a touch of sweetness to the dish, but can be substituted for another pumpkin variety or butternut squash.

Ingredients

  • 1 Delica pumpkin about 18 cm (7 inches) in diameter
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil plus extra for frying
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • Generous pinch of sea salt
  • 100 g wild rice
  • 200 g Paneer crumbled
  • 1 bunch fresh micro coriander to garnish

For the hazelnut crumble

  • 200 g hazelnuts
  • 50 g sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp chaat masala

For the Makhani sauce

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 green cardamom pods
  • 2 black cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 fresh Indian bay leaves
  • 4 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 2 green chillies split down the middle
  • 1 kg plum tomatoes puréed
  • 200 ml double cream plus extra to serve
  • 250 g unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • A handful of dried fenugreek leaves
  • Caster sugar to taste
  • Sea salt to taste

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 160ºC.
  • Halve the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, slice the flesh into 8 wedges and trim the ends. Put the pumpkin slices in a roasting pan and coat with the oil, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes. You want the pumpkin to be only just cooked, as it gets a further grilling before being served.
  • While it is roasting, make the puffed rice. Heat a little oil, to about 2 cm (1 in) in depth, in a heavy-based saucepan until very hot. Add the wild rice and stir for a few minutes until it puffs up, then drain on kitchen paper.
  • To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the whole spices and allow them to infuse the oil for 30 seconds or so before adding the ginger and garlic paste, chilli powder and green chillies. Cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat down to medium-low, add the tomatoes, then cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by one-third and the oil has separated from the tomatoes. Remove the whole spices, then add the cream, butter, garam masala and fenugreek leaves. Season to taste with sugar and salt and leave to one side.
  • To make the hazelnut crumble, toast the nuts and sesame seeds with the chilli powder for a few minutes until golden in a dry frying pan. Cool, then roughly pulse to a fine powder, in a food processor, with the chaat masala.
  • Heat up the makhani sauce and spoon into 4 plates or bowls. Grill the pumpkin for a few minutes on each side, until the slices get a little colour – this will add a smoky element to the dish.
  • To serve, arrange 2 wedges of pumpkin on top of the sauce, and top with the crumbled paneer, hazelnut crumble, puffed wild rice and garnish with coriander.

www.kricket.co.uk

2. Steak with Heritage Tomato Salad & Salsa Verde

By Mindful Chef

Who said salads had to be boring? Here to prove that theory wrong is Mindful Chef’s seriously succulent steak with heritage tomato and salsa verde.

Easy, simple and moreish are the three words we’d describe this healthy lunch recipe as. It’s one that can be stored in a lunchbox and enjoyed in the office or dressed up a posh side for your next dinner party. Salad never looked so good.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 20g capers
  • 2 garlic clove
  • 1 handful of fresh mint
  • 1 onion
  • 1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 40g rocket
  • 2 bavette steaks
  • 110g seasonal tomatoes
  • 6 baby potatoes

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 220C / fan 200C / gas mark 7.
  • Roughly chop the baby potatoes into small 1cm pieces. Heat a frying pan with 1/2 tbsp oil on medium heat and add the potatoes. Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook for 3 mins until lightly golden. Meanwhile, finely dice the garlic then add to the pan for the last minute. Spoon the potatoes onto a baking tray and place in the oven for 10 mins, until turning golden.
  • Thinly slice the red onion. Place half of the red onion in a bowl with only half of the vinegar and 1 tbsp cold water. Mix, then leave to pickle.
  •  Season the steaks with sea salt and black pepper on both sides. Heat a griddle pan (or frying pan) with 1/2 tbsp oil on high heat and cook the steaks: 2-3 mins each side for medium-rare or 4-5 mins each side for well-done. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for a few minutes. Add the remaining red onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until softened.
  • Make the salsa verde; finely chop the parsley, mint leaves and capers. Mix together in a small bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cold water and the remaining vinegar. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
  • Slice the tomatoes in half and thinly slice the steaks.
  • Divide the rocket between two plates, then scatter over the tomatoes, garlic potatoes and pickled red onion. Place the steak slices and cooked red onion on top and drizzle with the salsa verde.

3. Green Goddess

By Wild at Tart

For those on a health kick right now, look to this delicious healthy recipe for lunch boxes and mealtime inspiration. It’s packed with tonnes of vegetables, protein and healthy ingredients and will leave you feeling full and nourished for hours. Great as a lunchtime meal or served as a side with a type of fish or protein come at dinner.

Ingredients

  • Free-range egg, either poached or soft-boiled and halved with chilli, salt and pepper
  • 1 large leek, chopped into rounds
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 stub of ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1 green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ cup sherry
  • 750ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp miso paste
  • 1 lime – zest and juice
  • 1 Broccoli head cut into florets
  • Baby spinach
  • Cavolo nero – roughly chopped
  • Edamame
  • Peas
  • Sugar snaps, roughly sliced
  • French beans, roughly sliced
  • Hand full of mint, dill and basil roughly chopped.
  • Noodle of choice – cooked and left to the side

Method

  • In a large frying pan heat with a drizzle of olive oil or coconut oil and heat over medium heat. Add the leek, garlic, ginger, chilli and sauté till slightly coloured, careful not to burn the garlic. Add the turmeric and stir over heat for a minute or so.
  • Add the sherry, stock and miso paste and simmer for a few minutes to reduce.
  • If you are making an egg to go on top, this is the time to do it and cook.
  • Add your greens to the mixture, stir into liquid and let cook for about a minute – you still want the greens to be crunchy. Stir in the noodles and season.
  • Serve in a warm bowl with egg on top, sprinkle with mixed herbs, chilli, salt and pepper.

www.wildbytart.com

4. Roasted Trout with Sesame Miso Dressing, Nori Puree & Yuzu Pickled Daikon

by Miles Kirby

This long list of ingredients and lengthy method might scare you off but don’t let it, because the result is completely worth it.

Miles Kirby’s healthy recipe is the type of dish that’s going to please the whole table and blow them away with simple yet effective flavour combinations. You’ll be left with a grinning table of satisfied foodies who will want to know all of your secrets.

Ingredients

  • 4 x 180g skin-on pieces of boneless sea trout
  • 4 handfuls of pea shoots

For the yuzu pickled daikon

• 160g daikon, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp yuzu juice
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp fine sea salt

For the sesame-miso dressing

  • 2 tbsp shiro miso paste
  • 2 tbsp atari goma (or tahini)
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 1 tsp pickled ginger puree
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely grated

For the nori puree

• 8 nori sheets
• 100ml each of mirin, sake and soy sauce
• 50ml balsamic vinegar

Method

For the yuzu pickled daikon:

  • To make the pickling liquid, place everything except the daikon into a heavy-bottomed pan with 150ml of water. Bring to the boil.
  • Place the sliced daikon into a bowl, pour the hot pickling liquid over the daikon then chill.

For the sesame-miso dressing:

  • Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine. If you can’t find atari goma, a sesame paste from Japan which comes in a white or black sesame version, just use tahini, which you can find anywhere. The results are similar but you may have to thin out the dressing with a little more water.

For the nori puree:

  • Hold the nori sheets over the flame on your stove with a pair of tongs.
  • Flip the nori over repeatedly until the sheet begins to dull in colour and crisp up. Be careful, as it can catch fire (but can be extinguished relatively easily when blown on).
  • Combine the mirin, sake, soy and balsamic in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
  • Crumble in the toasted nori sheets and boil until most of the liquid has evaporated. Blend to a paste with a stick blender.

For the trout: 

  • When you are ready to cook the fish, heat a little oil in a non-stick pan until sizzling.
  • Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to make three or four score marks through the skin of each piece of fish.
  • Season with salt and pepper then lay each fillet skin side down in the hot oil; it should sizzle immediately. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and flip the fish over to the other side. Leave it to sit off the heat in the warm pan for another 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve:

  • Smear a good dollop of nori purée over four plates.
  • Place a piece of cooked fish on top of the puree with some pickled daikon on the side (having drained off the liquid).
  • Drizzle over the sesame-miso dressing, then garnish with a handful of pea shoots, or another delicate green leaf, to finish.

RECIPE COURTESY OF BEDER’S KITCHEN COOKBOOK, A COLLECTION OF RECIPES AND REFLECTIONS FROM FOODIES ALL AROUND THE WORLD. ORDER A COPY HERE: AMAZON.CO.UK

5. Vegetable Garden With Whipped Feta

By Sarah Wasserman

Chef Sarah Wasserman is head of food development at Mallow, famed for its vegan offerings around London. This recipe is healthy, delicious and perfect for curing January blues.

Ingredients

For the whipped feta

  • 1 white feta block (Vegans can sub out for plant-based feta)
  • Olive oil: 15 g
  • Lemon zest: 1 lemon
  • Cream (dairy or plant-based): 150g
  • Salt: a pinch
  • Black pepper: a pinch

For the vegetable dippers

  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Tender stem broccoli
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Olives
  • Grapes
  • Or anything you’d like

Method

  • Cut the feta into cubes. The next step requires a food mixer or a food processor.
  • Place the feta into the food mixer and beat with the paddle. Add each ingredient, one at a time, until you get a smooth, creamy consistency.
  • Blitz the feta in a food processor, adding the oil and cream slowly. Mix in the rest of the ingredients with a spatula.
  • Cut your choice of vegetables as you like. We cut them lengthways for ease of dipping. Place the whipped feta in a bowl in the middle of a serving plate. Lie the veggies around the bowl, and garnish with some edible flowers.
Food & Drink, Home Dining, Lifestyle, Recipes

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