Kitchen Hero. Donal Skehan

Kitchen Hero

alt="image" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_37565a08-28a9-5629-965c-327a26bc28c7.jpg"/> You may want to add another drop of oil to the pan at this point. Add the dressed vegetables and fry for 3–4 minutes until tender but with still a bit of bite to them. When the veggies are ready, throw the pork back into the wok and toss to combine.

Serve straightaway as it is or with some rice or noodles.

BAKED TRAY OF SHELLFISH WITH LEMON, CHILLI AND GARLIC

I created this simple but, let me tell you, highly impressive little dish for a romantic New Year’s Eve dinner a few years back, and it went down a storm. It does of course help if your partner loves shellfish. If you haven’t cooked shellfish before, don’t be scared to have a go, as this dish is a great way to try it for the first time, alongside the more familiar flavours of garlic, chilli and lemon. You can use any shellfish you want, so feel free to experiment and don’t panic if you can’t get them all.

SERVES 2

250G (9OZ) LIVE MUSSELS (ABOUT A HANDFUL)

250G (9OZ) LIVE CLAMS (ABOUT A HANDFUL)

4 TBSP BUTTER, SOFTENED

6 TBSP OLIVE OIL

A FEW FRESH THYME SPRIGS

4 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED

1 RED CHILLI, FINELY CHOPPED

6 CRAB CLAWS

4 SHELLED SCALLOPS

6 LARGE RAW PRAWNS, UNPEELED

SEA SALT

JUICE OF 1 LEMON, PLUS EXTRA TO SERVE

LEMON WEDGES, TO SERVE

CHOPPED FRESH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY, TO SERVE

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

Place the mussels and clams in a sink filled with cold water and scrub away any dirt or beards. Discard any shells which are open at this point and which don’t close when tapped on a hard surface.

Place the butter, olive oil, thyme, garlic and chilli on a plate and mash together with the back of a fork.

Arrange the shellfish on a large baking tray and coat with the butter mixture as well as you can. Sprinkle with a little salt and the lemon juice. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until all the shellfish are cooked. Discard any shells that are still closed.

Serve with an extra squeeze of lemon juice, lemon wedges and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Roast Peppers

This is one of my mum’s specialities. She is the queen of the quick dinner and, despite working full time while we were kids, she always managed to have a hot tasty meal on the table in 30 minutes, come hell or high water. ‘So you’d better bloody eat it!’

SERVES 4

110G (4OZ) FRESH WHITE BREADCRUMBS

50G (2OZ) READY-TO-USE SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

3 TBSP PESTO (SEE STRETCH YOUR MEALS)

SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

4 LARGE CHICKEN BREASTS, WITH SKIN AND ON THE BONE

2 LARGE RED PEPPERS, CUT INTO SLICES

1–2 TBSP BALSAMIC VINEGAR

3 TBSP OLIVE OIL

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

Combine the breadcrumbs, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto in a bowl then season with a generous amount of salt and black pepper.

Arrange the chicken breasts in a roasting tray and, using a sharp knife, make a slit lengthways along the side of each breast, but don’t cut the whole way through. Stuff the inside of the chicken pocket with a heaped tablespoon of the stuffing mix.

Toss the pepper slices in a little balsamic vinegar and half the olive oil and arrange around the chicken breasts. Finally drizzle the chicken with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Roast in the oven for 20–30 minutes until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Serve with a few of the caramelised pepper slices on top.

HERBY SPAGHETTI AMATRICIANA

Pasta is a great store-cupboard ingredient that can easily be transformed into a super little supper. This is a really easy recipe, packed with flavour from the delicious ingredients.

SERVES 4

300G (11OZ) SPAGHETTI

2 TBSP OLIVE OIL

1 ONION, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED

2 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED

250G (9OZ) PANCETTA OR BACON BITS

1 TSP DRIED CHILLI FLAKES

2 X 400G TINS CHOPPED TOMATOES

SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

A HANDFUL OF FRESH FLAT LEAF PARSLEY, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

A HANDFUL OF FRESH BASIL, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

A SMALL HANDFUL OF FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE, TO SERVE

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan according to the instructions on the packet.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry slowly until soft. Add the pancetta and chilli flakes and fry until crisp. Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced by half. Season with a good pinch of salt and black pepper and stir through the parsley and basil.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to the spicy tomato sauce. Toss until the pasta is coated. Serve straightaway with a little grated Parmesan.

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