Kitchen Hero: Great Food for Less. Donal Skehan
the heat slightly and add the butter. When it begins to foam, add the bacon and fry until just crisp. Add the garlic and onion and fry for 3–4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pot along with the thyme and pour in the white wine. Bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat for 45–50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Turn the legs halfway through the cooking time and remove any fat or scum that rises to the top.
When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and set aside. Stir the cream into the juices, add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the sauce has become a little thicker.
Place the chicken back in the pot to allow it to warm through and stir through the chopped parsley. Make sure the food is hot when you serve it at the table.
ROASTED TOMATO & GARLIC SOUP
A good tomato soup is a fantastic recipe to have in your repertoire. By roasting the tomatoes for this soup you end up with really intense flavours, and even if you can’t get your hands on the best tomatoes, roasting really transforms them into something special.
SERVES 4 (V)
900g (2lb) tomatoes, sliced in half
2 garlic bulbs, tops sliced off
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
4 large thyme sprigs, leaves picked off
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 litre (1¾ pints) vegetable stock
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Crusty bread and extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Lay the tomatoes cut-side up in a large roasting tin and nuzzle the garlic bulbs in with them. (Make sure to use a big-enough roasting tin to allow the tomatoes to roast rather than stew – if it’s too small they won’t caramelise on the outsides. If required, use two roasting tins and swap shelves in the oven halfway through the cooking time.) Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves, sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes have shrunk and are slightly caramelised on the outside and the garlic is soft and mushy. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the base of the soup.
Place a large cooking pot over a high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, celery and carrot and fry for 1 minute, stirring every now and then. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes until tender. Add the tomato purée and stock and bring to a steady simmer.
Squeeze the cloves from the roasted garlic bulbs and add them to the soup, along with the roasted tomatoes and their juices. Simmer for 25 minutes until the carrot is completely tender. Season to taste with sea salt and ground black pepper. Using a hand blender or in a food processor, blitz the soup until completely smooth.
Serve the soup warm in deep bowls with some crusty bread and drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on the top.
MOROCCAN SPICED LAMB SHOULDER
My first memories of lamb shoulder are of the amazing aroma coming from my granny’s oven one Sunday morning when I was young. I was so curious about what could possibly be cooking in the oven to create such a tantalising smell. My granny – always eager to encourage my taste buds – sliced off a chunk, much to my granddad’s horror, and sent me home with it. It didn’t get that far, because I unwrapped it in the back seat on the car ride home and guzzled the lot! Lamb shoulder really needs to be cooked at a low heat for a long period of time to make the most of it. This spiced version is delicious, but for a more traditional flavour you could simply stud the lamb with garlic and rosemary.
SERVES 6
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Small bunch of coriander, leaves picked and stalks roughly chopped
1.5kg (3lb 5oz) lamb shoulder
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Couscous and lemon wedges, to serve
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3.
Place the olive oil, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, lemon zest and juice, chopped coriander stalks and a good pinch of salt into a mini blender. Blitz to form a smooth paste, or use a pestle and mortar.
Put the lamb shoulder onto two large pieces of foil and make lots of incisions in the meat with a knife. Rub the paste all over. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, then seal the foil around the lamb, leaving a little pocket of air above it. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 4 hours.
After this time, open the foil and baste the lamb with its juices. Leaving the foil open, cook for a further hour, by which time the lamb should be meltingly tender. Turn off the oven but leave the lamb inside to rest.
Serve in slices with plain couscous (or you can add some chickpeas and possibly feta for extra flavour and texture) garnished with coriander leaves, as a tasty spring/summer Sunday dinner, with a lemon wedge on the side.
Don’t underestimate this little potato tart – it’s quite a sophisticated dish. It reminds me of the type of cooking my grandmother and I have long conversations about, using frugal ingredients and basic cooking methods to achieve wonderful results. Any type of cheese works well, such as Brie, Gruyère, Cheddar or blue.
SERVES 6–8
For the shortcrust pastry
200g (7oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g (3½oz) butter, very cold and cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
400g (14oz) waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
150g (5oz) cheese, grated or crumbled
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme
200ml (7fl oz) cream
3 large free-range eggs
Pinch of nutmeg
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Put the flour and butter into a mixing bowl and, using your fingertips, lightly rub them together until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the cold water a little at a time and incorporate with a spoon. When the dough comes together, turn out onto a clean work surface and knead